An Important Part of Being A Student Is LISTENING In Class

Research shows that students starting college only hear 25% to 50% of what is being said in class proving that students do have listening problems.

Kathleen Pace, GHC's Read/Study Instructor and Developmental Education Division Chair, feels personally that "students don't ask enough questions."
According to Pace, "a student may or may not be tuned into listening for the information from the person speaking." Pace feels we need to tune in when going to college as it is important to follow the content of a lecture from beginning to the end and through the middle."
Students need to know that when they first start being students their listening won't necessarily be good, but it should progress to a better level as they practice good listening skills.
An important point to remember when listening is it is okay to ask the speaker to repeat something they said if you did not fully understand. Repetition is an excellent way to get the information ingrained into our memory.
Pace feels as a "student gains more experience at listening, his or her listening skills will improve to as much as 75%."
There is a lot of material presented by instructors, and some students don't always hear all that is being said in class. "When a student does not understand what is being said, the instructor often does not know this," according to Pace. Pace encourages students to ask questions to better understand the topic of the lecture, especially if they did not hear what the instructor was saying.
When students have a lot of things going on in their heads and in their lives, minds wander, and some students are listening to the voice in their heads, and not to the voice that is in front of them. A student may or may not be interested in the topic being discussed, but if students want the degree or certificate, they have to tune in, and be pay attention to what is going on in the classroom.
Some students may have legitimate reasons for being distracted or may have severe listening problems. There are some students who are not listening because they are busy talking with other students. Students talking at the same time as a lecture cause two problems: it competes with the instructor and distracts students who are trying to listen.
Pace recommends taking notes, and reviewing these notes with another student. Going over these notes will help the student to remember what went on in class. "100% listening takes supreme effort by everyone and not many people reach this level if ever," according to Pace. "When a student reaches the 75% level of listening, a student will find that the instructor is repeating them-selves."

Pace's motto is "BE HERE NOW, LIVE THE MOMENT, DON'T LET YOUR MIND WANDER."

Guidelines for Listening

Nonverbal Listening

1. Be Quiet. Allow a few seconds to pass before talking so the speaker can gather his or her thoughts. Make sure the message is complete as you might miss the end of the message if you interrupt the speaker.
2. Maintain Eye Contact. Demonstrate your attention is focused on the speaker and that your mind is not wandering. Avoid staring too long and act appropriately. Others learn by not primarly visualizing but by hearing and that's okay.
3. Display Openness. You can communicate openness by your facial expressions and body position. Sit up straight and listen.
4. Listen without Response. Wait until the person has finished talking and then make a comment if one is needed.
5. Send Acknowledgements. Your words or nonverbal gestures let the speaker know that you are listening. "Umhum," "Yes," and head nods are okay to use.

Verbal Listening

1. Feed back Meaning. Paraphrase and summarize what the other person has said is feed backing the information so that there is no doubt as to what has been said. If you don't understand the message then have it repeated. Effective communication involves a feedback loop.
2. Listen beyond Words. Be aware of non-verbal messages and behavior. Listen to not only the words, but also the emotion behind the words. The emotional message is more important than the verbal content.
3. Take Care of Yourself. People seek out good listeners; however there are times when you may not want to listen. Let the other person know this is not a good time and set aside another time to talk. It's OK not to listen.
4. Listen for Requests and Intentions. An effective way to listen to complaints is to look for the request hidden in them. Transform complaints into inten-tions.When the complaint becomes a request or an intention, we can decide whether to grant the request or take on the project.
   
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