Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Learning and Listening
Table of contents:
Q: What is listening?
A: Listening is one of the many involuntary things that we do everyday, but how does it really happen? While hearing is a complex, automatic, and passive activity by which our ears process vibrations and our brains identify the resulting signals as familiar sounds or words, the brain doesn't automatically translate these words into the message they are conveying. That translation process is essentially what listening is - determining the meaning and the message of the sounds or words. It is an active process that involves much more than assigning labels to sounds or words. Learn more about listening and the process that the brain goes through to decipher the auditory messages it receives at our Learning Through Listening website.
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Q: Why is listening important?
A: Listening is the foundation of language; it is the bricks and mortar of learning. Listening is an interactive, interpretive process that requires us to:
- Tap into prior knowledge
- Organize the content
- Regulate our listening speed and processing
- Interpret meaning
- Recognize the whole and the parts of the information
- Respond accordingly.
Enhancing students' listening also improves your classroom climate and is an integral part of the reading process. It helps to build vocabulary, increase fluency and aid in comprehension. And supporting reading through listening enables students to build skills and access curriculum at their grade level.
Listening is such an important skill that it is included in academic state
standards throughout the country. To explore more about the importance of
teaching listening, the role that state standards play and how assistive
technology supports listening, visit our Learning
Through Listening website.
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Q: How do I teach listening?
A: You can teach your students to be better listeners. Listening skills can be taught explicitly, through direct instruction and in multiple formats. Some skills can be taught explicitly. Learn about strategies and activities that you can implement today!
- How to Listen
- POWER Listening
- Activities
- Case Stories
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Q: What is Universal Design for Learning?
A: Universal Design for Learning is a concept that supports learning for all students. Universal design addresses different learning styles and the differences that each student comes into the classroom with. Universal Design for Learning has three basic principles:
- Multiple means of representation, which gives learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge
- Multiple means of expression, which provides learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know
- Multiple means of engagement, which taps into learners' interests, offers appropriate challenges, and increase motivation. To review the principles of UDL and investigate tools for creating a universally designed classroom, visit Learning Through Listening's section on UDL.
- Universal Design for Learning
- Case Stories
