Students can hear things from teachers that they may have never said but because of the way it was communicated, students walk away feeling unaccepted, inadequate or like their problem is insignificant. Biases can influence listening in both negative and positive ways, so teachers must be aware of their own biases in order to not interpret the message wrong.
Having a good grasp on common road blocks that happen in the classroom can help a teacher find other ways to communicate that don’t create walls between student and teacher. Students may feel unaccepted if their problem is responded to with 1) ordering, commanding or direction; 2) warning or threatening; 3) moralizing, preaching, giving the “should” and “ought’s”; 4) advising, offering solutions or suggestions; or 5) teaching, lecturing and only giving logical arguments. Without truly listening to a student, their problem is not heard and therefore not solved. Teachers can focus in on …show more content…
Teachers can actively listen to their students by repeating back to students what we think they said and allowing them to clarify and further explain instead of telling them what they should have done and could do better. Active listening can help students deal with their strong feelings, understand their own emotions, articulate their concerns and facilitate problem solving. This approach keep the student responsibly but helps the relationship between the student and teacher, rather than prohibits it. Students are more willing to listen when they feel heard, understood and are not given a short answer that is supposed to fix all their