Rediscovering Listening: Practices for Cultivating Curious, Collaborative, and Civil Classrooms

Outline

1. Introduction: The Role of Administrators in Fostering Critical Listening (10 minutes)
o Content: Discuss the importance of administrators supporting teachers in cultivating critical listening skills across the curriculum.
o Engagement: Identify positive behavioral outcomes of critical listening, such as improved empathy and respectful communication, using real-life examples.
2. Practical Strategies for Supporting Teachers (15 minutes)
o Content: Introduce key strategies like Sentence Frames and Stems, Turn and Talk, and Opinion Lineup that teachers can implement to develop students' listening skills.
o Process: Demonstrate how administrators can model and provide resources to teachers, with quick examples of each strategy in action.
3. Promoting Empathy and Inclusion Through Metaphors (10 minutes)
o Content: Explore the "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors" metaphor and its application in fostering empathy and inclusion.
o Engagement: Briefly discuss how administrators can guide teachers in integrating this approach into lessons to create inclusive classrooms.
4. Facilitating Structured Civil Discourse (15 minutes)
o Content: Highlight strategies like Philosophical Chairs and Socratic Seminars that promote critical thinking and listening across subjects.
o Process: Provide a concise demonstration or role-play of one strategy, showing how administrators can support its integration.
5. Q&A and Reflection on Positive Behavioral Outcomes (10 minutes)
o Content: Address participant questions and encourage sharing insights on fostering critical listening.
o Engagement: Reflect on how these practices transform classroom culture, with a focus on actionable steps administrators can take to support teachers.

Supporting research

"Identifying Student and Classroom Characteristics Related to Primary School Students’ Listening Skills" (Educational Research Review, 2018) by Heleen Bourdeaud'hui et al.

"Curriculum Implementation: Strategies for Mounting Listening Skills Among Junior Secondary School Students" (Journal of Pedagogical Research, 2018) by Adebayo A. Bello

"Factors Contributing to the Gap Between Listening and Speaking Skills Performance Among University Students Post COVID-19" (Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2022) by Amal Abdelsattar Metwally et al.

"Active Listening Skills as Predictors of Success in Community College Students" (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2021) by Andrea L. B. Eggenberger