Have you ever had a class discussion filled with good ideas that still felt monotonous? A moment when a student repeats, without seeming to realize it, an idea someone already shared in class? Is it important for you to move toward higher order thinking in class discussion?

Consider active listening: how students intentionally engage with classmates when they are not talking or presenting. The great news is that most students do this already without knowing it!

Why teach active listening?

1. Support students who are quiet but actively attentive in class
2. Help students already confident talking in class to refine their listening skills
3. Project important values to your students: being supportive listeners matters just as much as being good speakers; being distraction free is part of a successful class discussion experience.

Teaching active listening is a great tool to open discussion about protocols for discussion, embracing the idea that class discussions are conversations with an expectation that everyone listens to each other and gives supportive comments that expand and enhance what others are saying.

Class discussions grounded in talking and listening can lead to higher order critical thinking as students learn to make connections between their ideas and others’ ideas and learn to amplify what is being shared by others (as opposed to discussions that are static, with little perspective taking and low expansion on ideas shared)

Active listening blended with engaged discussion underscores the role of empathy and inclusion in class discussions because it supports students with different strengths to make discussion a positive experience.

Try these exercises to promote active listening during class discussions:

Prime students to discuss active listening.
Ask how a good conversation with a trusted friend feels, examine themes of feeling heard and supported, how body language can increase or decrease support, and how it feels when someone is distracted. Follow up this prompt by asking what active listening should like be in your class.

View this Harvard Business Review Video together.
The Art of Active Listening | The Harvard Business Review Guide
This is a great resource to discuss early in a course to talk about what good listening is. After the video, you might invite students to come up with 2 listening skills they want to work on during the course. Plan to provide students targeted feedback on those skills or ask them to reflect on their progress a few times during the course.

Practice Silent Listening.
Some students might find it difficult to not ask questions/seek feedback from their peers, while others will find it difficult not to provide validating statements while their peer is talking. Include a debriefing session with the whole class or as a written reflection and consider having your class do this 2-3x a semester to see how the experience shifts over time!

Intentional skill building for active listening is an effective strategy for engaging students in your class conversations and preparing students for success in future discussion focused settings.