What Effect does Listening to Individual Children have on their Learning? |
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| Authors: | LINDSAY SMITH |
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| Institution: | Head of Programme Counselling Studies, York St. John University, York, UK |
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| Abstract: | In this article, the author reports the outcomes of studying a programme that provided 35 primary school children with weekly, individual, half-hour listening and talking sessions with an adult over 10 weeks. The skilled adult 'Listening Partners' offered an open agenda and a private space away from the classroom. The children could use the session as they chose. The consequences of this intervention were measured against the experience of a control group of children. Evidence of change was collected by comparing results from a standard listening test, teacher assessments, National Curriculum assessments and behavioural records. The author explores two central questions: how does increasing the amount of time that a child has the individual, listening attention of an adult affect that child's capacity to listen, understand and respond constructively to what is said to them in a teaching and learning situation? Are there any other effects on children in school who receive this one-to-one attention? The study showed that the focused attention of a trusted adult provided children with opportunities to communicate, notably disclosing child protection issues that may otherwise have remained uninvestigated. Increasing the opportunities for children to experience being listened to by a skilled adult positively affected their educational progress. She argues that skilled listeners have a significant effect on children's learning and on some children's behaviour. |
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| Keywords: | listening programmes primary-aged school children learning |
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