Listening is the process of attaching meaning to sounds. Although speaking is the most important communication skill, the ability to listen is more necessary in the process of learning. More importantly, the act of skillful listening is the basis for developing intelligence.
WHEN DOES LISTENING BEGIN?
Listening begins at birth, when someone first speaks to the newborn child – one of the first communication skills a baby learns. Although an infant’s attention span is quite brief, it does respond by gurgling, looking, turning its eyes and head and learning to recognize voices. That is why talking often to a baby is important. Intelligence grows only if someone speaks to a baby, eliciting a response.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEARING AND LISTENING?
We HEAR with our ears, but we LISTEN with our minds. Everyday we HEAR many noises and sounds (birds singing, trucks passing, clocks ticking), yet we pay little attention to them because they are not essential to any special learning. However, we LISTEN to sounds and voices when we want to remember specific information for later use.
Listening EFFECTIVELY is difficult, especially for young children. In school, for example, teachers have a relatively easy job in comparison to their students. They give information or directions and their task is largely finished. On the other hand, students must 1) listen to the information or directions, 2) remember every detail and 3) follow through by applying the information to the directions.
