Learn To Listen

FOCUS

Learn to listen

By Nicora Placa

Categories: Continuous improvement, Facilitation, Learning designs

Vol 41, No. 1

As a mathematics coach and researcher, I sit in on many teacher team meetings across different schools and districts. I see teachers spending a lot of time talking about students: They talk about how students learn, how to best plan lessons for them, and how to understand their written work using different protocols. We know that when these conversations in team meetings and professional learning communities (PLCs) are thoughtful and done well, they drive change in schools (DuFour & Eaker, 2009; Schmoker, 2005). However, as I listened to the conversations in these meetings, I started to wonder where the student voice was. Why weren’t we spending some of this time listening to what students had to say? Instead of hypothesizing about what a student might

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Authors

Nicora Placa

Nicora Placa (np798@hunter.cuny.edu) is assistant professor of mathematics education at Hunter College in New York, New York.

HELPFUL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND PROMPTS

How do you know?
How did you figure that out?
Why did you … (e.g. write that, draw that)? How did that help you?
I noticed that you stopped what you were doing just now/crossed something out. What were you thinking there?
Why did you change your mind/answer?
I don’t know what you mean by that. Will you show me with a picture/with the manipulatives in front of you?
Can you tell me what ________ means?

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO AVOID

That’s right!
Good job!
What if you …?
You know that if you just …
Remember what we did in class last week …
Oh, I see what you did. You …
Do you mean …?

COMMON MISTAKES

Here are common mistakes that keep educators from listening to students:

Listening only for the right answer.
Listening only for a particular solution path.
Thinking about the next instructional move instead of listening to the student.
Assuming that students are thinking the same way we are thinking.
Not listening for what students know.
Not listening for the informal knowledge students bring to the problem.
Not trying to make sense of what students are doing

References

Carpenter, T.P. & Fennema, E. (1992). Cognitively guided instruction: Building on the knowledge of students and teachers. International Journal of Educational Research, 17(5), 457-470.

DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (2009). Professional learning communities at work: Best practices for enhancing students achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Fennema, E., Carpenter, T.P., Franke, M.L., Levi, L., Jacobs, V.R., & Empson, S.B. (1996). A longitudinal study of learning to use children’s thinking in mathematics instruction. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 27(4), 403-434.

Franke, M.L., Carpenter, T.P., Levi, L., & Fennema, E. (2001). Capturing teachers’ generative change: A follow-up study of professional development in mathematics. American Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 653-689.

Schmoker, M. (2005). No turning back: The ironclad case for professional learning communities. In R. Dufour & R. Eaker, On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (pp. 135-153). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.