Patch 21: Just Listen

A response to the Thought Vectors and Nuggets Activity
created February 20, 2022 by Emily Lejeune (@lejeunee)

Number of views: 153

“Listening to students means not only recognizing when they do or don’t understand, but recognizing when an explanation or a method isn’t working and you might just need to start over, or recognizing when a more fundamental idea isn’t understood and you need to backtrack. If it’s necessary, do it. Blow up your plans and reset midterms if that’s necessary to allow your students to claim a win. If you know that the trust is there, ask your students for suggestions on how you can shift – and, if you ask, listen and follow through on their requests.”

This excerpt resonated with me because as a future educator, I want all my students to find success during their time in my classroom. In order to do this, I need to be able to listen to the feedback my students are giving me. For example, it can often be frustrating for teachers when the classroom’s noise level is getting too loud. However, it is critical that the teacher takes this feedback from their students to realize that the task is not in the students’ zone of proximal development; it is either too easy or too difficult.

I decided to attach the image because I believe it perfectly represents what this quote means. The teacher in this image realized that her students were not listening to her and that they were not engaged in her lessons. Consequently, she listened to her students and learned about their interests. Then, she shifted her teaching style to meet halfway with her students. As a future educator, this is what I will strive to do for my students. I believe that this will make my classroom an enjoyable, effective learning experience for all my students.

Example for "Patch 21: Just Listen":
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IPHONE_CLASSROOM.jpg