Module 12 Exercise 1 Reading

Listening and Speaking Skills

To promote listening and speaking skills with learners, teachers should consider doing and saying the following:

To Do	To Say
Model desired behaviours	I hear better when I look at the person speaking
Reinforce desired behaviours by pointing them out	I use a loud voice so everyone can hear
Remind learners to use good listening skills	Now Arturo and Graciella will share. You will have an easier time hearing what they are saying if you look at them.
Guide learners on what they should do if they cannot hear	Raise your hand to let someone know that you cannot hear what he or she is saying.
Restate what a learner has said to clarify when needed	Joseph, you said a drawing program would be the best tool. Rema wants to know why you think so.
Respond in ways that are neither positive nor negative	Dana shared one idea. Who wants to share another idea?
Encourage learners to elaborate further	What else would you like to add?
Include all the learners	Who else wants to ask a question?
Alert learners when changing direction	Let us explore another solution.

Giving Directions Skills

Teachers who have good skills for giving directions

are clear in their intentions and think through their instructions
wait and ensure that learners are quiet before giving directions
provide directions orally and in writing
share directions a few steps at a time so as to not confuse or overwhelm learners
model the expected steps for learners
check for understanding to ensure that learners know what is expected from them

Observing and Monitoring Skills

Good teachers

always know what learners are doing
move around the room and listen to learners’ conversations
take or record notes
ask questions
make decisions about when to intervene
recognize that each learner is special

Questioning Skills

Questioning can be an effective way to extend thinking. To grow and learn, we
question. Questioning allows us to make sense of what is around us. Questioning also leads to the ability to create solutions, make decisions, and plan successfully.

Effective questioning strategies include the following:

Using language that everyone can understand
Asking questions that have more than one correct answer
Replacing questions that can be answered with a Yes/No or one-word answer with questions that ask How…?, Why…?, or Which…?
Encouraging sharing of answers with a partner or small group prior to the larger group
Calling on learners randomly and allowing learners to call on other learners to respond
Listening actively to what learners are saying
Avoiding the temptation to interrupt or correct immediately
Withholding judgments and responding in a nonevaluative manner
Redirecting incorrect answers
Having one learner summarize the idea of another
Asking follow-ups such as, Why? Can you tell me more? What is another example?
Inviting learners to “unpack their thinking” and share how they arrived at an answer
Letting learners develop their own questions to ask others

Next: Proceed to Exercise 2