Critical listening is an important study skill. If your child doesn’t understand statements the teacher makes, his or her class notes will suffer, and studying for tests will be harder. Share these critical listening studying tips with your child.
Listen with the intention of understanding.
To learn, you must understand what the teacher says. Use these strategies to engage your "listening ears.”
- Try to repeat what the teacher says in your mind.
- Ask yourself, Does that make sense? If not, ask for clarification.
- Nod. Moving your head in agreement can engage you, especially if you learn best through movement.
- Make connections between what the teacher says and what you already know. If you can't make a connection, ask the teacher to make one.
Listen for teacher cues.
Listen for key phrases that teachers use to emphasize important information. Here are examples of phrases that introduce information you should write down:
- The three most important points are
- The chief cause of this is
- This happens because
- The reason for this is
- Remember that
- There are five characteristics of
- The result is
- They key message here is
Note: Don’t try to teach all these critical listening strategies immediately. Choose one tip for your child to practice in class this week. Add another as this one becomes a habit.