My blogs

Listening To Students Through Teaching

About me

Location	Lansing, MI, United States
Introduction	How satisfying to facilitate students’ learning by tapping into their current knowledge then helping them expand it. ‘Drawing out’ is as important as ‘pouring in.’ This is ‘listeningteaching.’ Even a teacher who prefers just ‘pouring in’ surely wants to know what the student thinks by ‘drawing out.’ If a student asks a question, I say something like, “what are your present thoughts about that?” As the student talks, I’ll know what to contribute toward a fuller understanding of the topic. For my Sunday School class I prepare ‘discussion sheets’ which have about ten questions or observations. These sheets help us stay on target. At the end of the session, I ask each student, “What was most interesting to you about today’s lesson?” This reinforces metacognition – being aware of what one knows -- an important aspect of learning. I will be posting discussion sheets that I use with my 8th grade students. What I prepare needs to reflect the sounding of my own depths and connect with the inward core of my students’ lives. If it’s a useful tool for drawing out and pouring in, it can lead all of us to fresh insights.

Location

Lansing, MI, United States

Introduction

How satisfying to facilitate students’ learning by tapping into their current knowledge then helping them expand it. ‘Drawing out’ is as important as ‘pouring in.’ This is ‘listeningteaching.’ Even a teacher who prefers just ‘pouring in’ surely wants to know what the student thinks by ‘drawing out.’ If a student asks a question, I say something like, “what are your present thoughts about that?” As the student talks, I’ll know what to contribute toward a fuller understanding of the topic. For my Sunday School class I prepare ‘discussion sheets’ which have about ten questions or observations. These sheets help us stay on target. At the end of the session, I ask each student, “What was most interesting to you about today’s lesson?” This reinforces metacognition – being aware of what one knows -- an important aspect of learning. I will be posting discussion sheets that I use with my 8th grade students. What I prepare needs to reflect the sounding of my own depths and connect with the inward core of my students’ lives. If it’s a useful tool for drawing out and pouring in, it can lead all of us to fresh insights.