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Minds on

MINDS ON

Active Listening

This is a photograph of two men. One is talking and the other is waiting for his turn to talk.
You’ve probably been involved in a situation where you’re trying to explain something to someone but you get the feeling that rather than really listening to you, the person is just waiting for their chance to say what they want to say.

You’ve probably also been the other person in that situation as well.

How does it feel to be on both sides of that conversation?

Active listening is about focusing on trying to really understand what a person is saying. It is a skill that you can develop, just like reading and writing.

Action.

ACTION

This is the dropbox icon. Active Listening

We can probably all agree that not being listened to doesn’t feel great. How do you know when someone’s really listening to what you have to say?

  • What does that look like?
  • What does that sound like?
  • What does that feel like?

Use this graphic organizer to brainstorm all the ways you think it might look like, sound like and feel like when someone is really listening to you.

Submit your work to your teacher who will tell you where and how to share your brainstorming ideas with your classmates.

Submit Your Work

Active Listening Strategies

This is a picture of a hand with marker in it, writing the words, Be An Active Listener. There is a yellow light bulb beside the words.

When we’re actively listening, we’re showing the other person that we are hearing and trying to understand what they’re saying. We’re showing the other person that what they’re saying is important to us. We can do this by:

  • Making eye contact with the speaker;
  • Leaning slightly toward the speaker;
  • Nodding at appropriate times;
  • Encouraging the speaker (using phrases such as I understand, go on, tell me more about that);
  • Asking clarifying questions (What do you mean by that? Do you feel that…?); and
  • Summarizing what you heard the speaker say. (If I get it right, you said….)

Words Matter

Active listening is one way to show people respect; another way to show respect is by using the correct and preferred terminology and pronouns that the person we are speaking to would like us to use. Here are some helpful links:

LGBTQ+ Terminology and Definitions

Indigenous Peoples Terminology

Newcomers to Canada Respectful Terminology

This is the Portfolio icon. Words Matter

Let’s take a moment to increase your vocabulary so you can make sure you are always respectful when addressing different people or when you are referring to a particular group of people in an oral conversation.

Visit each of the sites listed above and skim and scan the terms.

Identify one term from each site that is new to you.

Go To Portfolio
 

Listening Comprehension Strategies

Many listening comprehension strategies are similar to reading comprehension strategies.

ListeningStrategies

Long Description

 

This is the practice icon. Practice

Practice applying these listening comprehension skills to the following spoken word piece. 

Before listening to "The Danger of Silence", read the description of the video and make some predictions about what you think the topic will be.

Video description:

"We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don't," says slam poet and teacher Clint Smith. This is a short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice.

 

As you listen, focus on the speaker’s main ideas and supporting details. You will find that he uses some figurative language. Try to make some connections to what you learned in the previous unit about figurative language and see if you can identify an example from this video. Check to see how close your prediction was to the actual message.

 

After listening, summarize what you heard by identifying the main idea and supporting ideas and commenting on whether or not you thought the speaker was effective in delivering his message. 

 

This is the dropbox icon. Listening to Respond

After listening to the slam poet, answer the following questions either in writing or as a recorded response. Consider using this Danger of Silence graphic organizer to plan your answers.

  1. What was the speaker’s main idea?

  2. Identify three things the speaker said that support the main idea.

  3. What is one example of figurative language that was used in the poem?

  4. How accurate was your prediction from reading the description?

  5. How did making predictions and how did having a purpose for listening (listening for the main idea and supporting details) help you understand the piece?

  6. Did you think the poem was effective? Why or why not?

Use the following checklist to self-assess your answers. 

The Danger of Silence: Active Listening Self-Assessment Checklist

Criteria Met Not Met

Makes predictions about the video. 

    

Identifies the speaker’s main idea.

    

Identifies three things the speaker said that supports the main idea.

    

Provides one example of figurative language that was used in the poem. 

    

Assesses accuracy of their prediction after listening. 

    

Analyses how making predictions and having a purpose for listening (listening for the main idea and supporting details) helped them understand the piece.

    

Evaluated the effectiveness of the poem with reasoning to support their evaluation. 

    

Record your thoughts either in writing or as a recorded response.

Submit Your Work
Consolidation

CONSOLIDATION

This is the dropbox icon. Tell Your Truth Reflection

Think about a time when you felt your voice (or someone else’s voice) had been silenced by the action of others or because you (or that other person) were afraid to speak your truth. How does listening to this poet and poem help give you the courage to speak your own truth?

Think about a time when you felt you weren’t really being listened to. Using what you’ve learned about active listening skills, what three things would you tell the person about how they could make you feel more respected when listening to you?

You may write your answers or record them.

Submit Your Work
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