Listen Wise

Listen Wise Listening skills form part of the foundation of any successful student’s repertoire of abilities. Crucial to academic performance and success throughout life, attentive listening can transform students’ ability to absorb and understand information quickly and efficiently. In Listen Wise: Teach Students to Be Better Listeners, journalist, entrepreneur, and author Monica Brady-Myerov delivers an insightful and practical examination of how to build powerful listening skills in K-12 students. The book incorporates the Lexile Framework for Listening and explains why it is revolutionizing the field of listening and contributing to a surging recognition of its importance in the academic curriculum. It also includes firsthand classroom stories and incisive teacher viewpoints that highlight effective strategies to teach critical listening skills. You’ll discover real-world examples and modern, research-based advice on how to assist young people in improving their listening abilities and overall academic performance. You’ll also find personal anecdotes from the accomplished and experienced author alongside accessible excerpts from the latest neuroscience research covering listening and auditory learning. Listen Wise explains why listening skills in students are crucial to improving reading skills, especially amongst those students still learning English. The book is a critical resource that demonstrates why listening is the missing piece of the literary puzzle and shows educators exactly what they can do to support students in the development of this key skill. Perfect for K-12 teachers looking for effective new ways to understand their students and how they learn, Listen Wise will also earn a place in the libraries of college and master’s level students in education programs readying themselves for a career in teaching

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 How This Book Is Organized 2 1 My Love of Audio Storytelling 7 What Audio Journalism Taught Me About Listening 10 The Intimacy of Audio 10 Writing for Listening 14 Audio and Learning a Language 15 Podcast Revolution 18 Creating Listenwise 19 Reflection and Planning 21 2 Listening Is a Skill 23 Why Listening Matters 24 Listening Matters in K–12 Instruction 32 Testing Listening 35 Effective Listening in College 40 Valued Listening at Work 41 Listenwise Core Values 43 Personal Relationships Are Strengthened by Listening 44 Reflection and Planning 47 3 This Is Your Brain on Listening 51 Transporting: How Hearing/Listening Works 52 Transfixing: Listening and Memory 59 Transforming: Listening and Emotions 66 Reflection and Planning 70 4 How to Teach Listening 77 Build Awareness 78 Types of Listening 82 Modeling Good Listening 89 Applying Listening Practice 91 The Mental Process of Listening: Metacognitive Skills 97 Where to Listen 99 Reflection and Planning 101 5 The Intersection Between Listening and Reading 105 Better Listeners = Better Readers 106 Supports for Listening Literacy 108 Reflection and Planning 126 6 English Learners and Listening 133 Language Learning and Listening 134 Before Listening 139 During Listening 150 Audio Transcript 151 Slowed Audio 152 Close Listening 153 After Listening 156 Listening Is the Equalizer 158 Reflection and Planning 159 7 Assessing Listening 165 Standardizing Listening Tests 166 Testing Listening with ELs 170 Creating Formative Listening Tests 173 Developing a Listening Scale 180 The Future of Listening 188 8 Creating Podcasts 191 Podcasting in Education 192 The Podcast Explosion 194 Podcast Creation Deepens Learning 197 Recording and Editing Tools 212 Reflection and Planning 214 Index 217