Students in preschool and kindergarten have shorter attention spans and teachers will find it challenging for students to focus on longer listening tasks. Teachers will need to start with shorter listening sessions and then build up students’ stamina for listening. It is important to remember that this is a gradual process and requires patience, modeling, and practice.
Here are some important considerations or guidelines when designing activities and strategies for learning and practicing listening with younger students.
Start With Shorter Listening Lessons: Begin with shorter listening activities and gradually increase the duration over time. Teacher planning for purposefully listening to and for additional opportunities for practicing listening habits is key.
Set Clear Expectations: Explain the expectations. Model, teach, and reinforce positive listening behaviors and provide positive reinforcement. Be brief and be kind. Have students share back the expectations or post them on the walls to assess that they truly understand the expectations and goals for listening.
Implement Active Listening Strategies: Introduce opportunities for students to listen with their whole body. Include active listening strategies, such as making eye contact, nodding, asking questions, and responding to the speaker. Encourage students to actively participate by repeating key information or summarizing what they heard.
Graphic Organizers: Include graphic organizers as a support system for students to revisit and use as reminders. Include whole-body listening posters (student created) and have them on students' desks and on walls in the classroom.
Scaffold Instruction: Scaffold listening activities by providing pre-listening, during listening, and post-listening tasks. Activate students' prior knowledge, preview key concepts (whole body listening), and mindfulness, and then set clear listening goals before the activity. Follow up with discussions, questions, and hands-on activities that reinforce the information.
Thoughtful consideration of these strategies when planning and implementing mindful listening practices in the classroom can help educators gradually build students' stamina for these tasks. It is important to also note that teachers who engage students in learning and practicing active listening strategies in a positive learning environment can help younger students develop and strengthen their listening abilities and set a solid foundation for their future academic success.