Speech Communication Listening Paper
What are Poor Listening Skills?
As a freshman in college it is extremely overwhelming. You have to maintain good grades and a healthy social life- grade come first of course. However, it can become difficult to learn the material because many kids develop a decrease in attention span. That’s where listening skills have to be established. I find myself losing focus in some of my classes. It was good to know that I wasn’t the only one.
One class in which I have observed poor listening skills is psychology. I’ve noticed the same thing a couple of times actually. The class consists of about forty students, of which a little more than half show up. The ones who do show up walk in half awake. They all seem tired and they carry a big cup of coffee. You have the few who pretend to care or at least make themselves care by sitting in the front row of class because they know they can’t fall asleep there. And finally the ones who take the seats behind the tall kids and all the way in the back of the classroom.
Well one day while practicing my daily routine of not paying attention I noticed various listening barriers. For one, I know that many students have no interest in psychology. Especially with the fact that right now we’re learning about the biology of psychology. Basically, it is pretty flat material that isn’t something that might interest kids at 9:30 in the morning. Another barrier is the fact that the speaker is susceptible to criticism because of the way she delivers her lessons. She has a monotonous tone of voice that makes her seem jaded to teaching her class. We also lose interest of what she is saying because he follows the textbook practically verbatim. She doesn’t add any “spice” to the lesson.
Another type of barrier is that some kids fake attention. They seem to be taking notes and I’m pretty sure they actually think they’re paying attention and taking notes. But I’ve noticed their papers and see a collection of doodles. Basically they have adapted themselves to “listening” while they actually aren’t. This is the most common of the barriers that I have noticed. Many kids try to avoid losing focus by sitting at the front of the class.
I always heard that college would be tough, but I went in to college with a set mind that I was going to finish strong and at the end be successful. I kept my head focused and always made sure to get my work done no matter how hard it was.
...forming productive friendships with teachers. I can say from experience, that one bad teacher can have a huge impact on how students interact with new teachers. Which if a student has these walls built, that does not support a comfortable, safe, or uplifting classroom for students to work in. Which could indefinitely hold the student back from truly learning in the classroom.
I listen to my students. I allow time for their individual impute in what they are learning, and adjust accordingly. I really believe that is why students can be so into the idea of being taught, because they are all encouraged to lead the discussion and projects before them as it relates to the curriculum. I try to learn from my students by listening to their interpretation. I am learning what interest them, and feed off of it in the work that needs to be performed. Work towards a positive social society, with this education does takes place for our students, teachers, and community, all for a better future, one that is full of knowledge and acceptance. What could be any
When any adolescent enters High School they are still young and on the search to find themselves. High Schooler’s often make bad decisions, but quickly see that these mistakes there to be learning experiences rather than to dwell on them. Often, for many students, High School does not present an extreme amount of stress, rather it is a a place to learn more about yourself. Once college hits, stress is the only thing on the mind. College students are always worrying about if they did their homework, if they have a big test coming up, if they studied enough, and if they even have enough money to pay their bills. So the key to college is to know that the fundamentals of college are different than high school, be responsible and reliable to yourself, do all your homework, and most importantly be respectful to your peers and teachers
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” (Keller) College is definitely a challenge, but it is also a very beautiful thing. Many students enter college expecting knowledge and a sense of direction. It may be hard to balance school between work, you’re social life, life at home, personal issues, etc. A few challenges that I know about all too well have to deal with money, transportation, and procrastination. You spend all of high school listening to your teachers and parents preparing you for what is to come in the near future. The truth is that there is only one way of truly learning, from experience.
I have often wondered what it would be like to experience the freedom of choosing my own class schedule. This has to be infinitely more stimulating and enjoyable. I am also aware that college will be significantly more challenging, but I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, there will be required courses which may not engender excitement or enthusiasm; however, success should not be as difficult to achieve due to the maturity that is developing during this last year of high school. In addition, I have gained an understanding of the benefit of being well rounded. There is value in all classes taken. It helps to know that even my least favorite subject will contribute to the ultimate goal of personal and career development.
College English is a big difference compared to how high school English was taught. Many differences that I have noticed with these few past weeks that I have been here at Fresno State University would be how the group exercises are structured, how the professor shows interest about the student’s improvements with their work, and how the course materials are presented to the class. High school was not the greatest experience that I could have had during my educational years. Many of my teachers that I had throughout my high school career were not the worst but they were far from the best. I always felt like they did not care about how our work turned out, also they always seemed to help the students that were good in the subject, and that they
Going into college I thought everything was going to be a breeze. Actually, I thought it would be just like high school. I quickly found out that, that wasn’t the case. It was so many different people. The setting wasn’t something I was used to at all. You know how in high school majority of the people were goofy not really focused on what they should be focused on? Here it was the total opposite. Everyone was ready to learn and do something with their lives. In high school we never started learning on the first day or even in the first week. I wish it was the same! Then coming home after a long day to nobody at all telling you to clean this, do that, help your sister with this, but actually coming to your room of peace and quiet. All together
College is not the end of the journey. Students need to be reminded constantly that their learning will continue on into their careers and life. All the learning activities and assignments are simply a foundation for the skill of the lifelong learner. The instructor simply points them out and directs the student.
At first, college life was very tough for me inside and outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom, I had to learn how to manage my test anxiety, take better notes, and focus more and not be as distracted. I learned how to manage my test anxiety and take better notes. Outside of the class room, I had to learn how to study effectively, do my homework every day, keep up with deadlines, manage my time wisely, and avoid procrastination. I learned how to overcome these challenges by learning from my mistakes and by being determined to succeed.
This semester was my very first semester as a college student. Being the first, it was probably the semester I would learn the most in. I learned the expectations for writing that I will have to live up to for the next four years of my college career. Though my high school teachers were usually demanding because I was in the Honors English section throughout high school, writing in college has still ?raised the bar? for me. Also, in high school, we would have weeks to pick a topic, create a thesis, outline the paper, write the paper, and then revise the paper. In college, the time restraints are not quite as lenient. I?ve had to learn to manage my time and be more productive with what free moments I have. Strangely enough, I?ve found the college English experience to be much more rewarding and enjoyable than in high school.
In applying the skills to a case scenario, I found it difficult to focus and use my active listening skills. I do know that in an ideal situation, I will more than likely be one on one with my client and will generally conduct the interview in a quieter atmosphere, allowing me to focus better on what the client discloses. However, with continuous practice I believe I will be able to overcome becoming distracted by background noises.
Over the past few days, I have been able to reflect on my listening skills; both strengths and weaknesses. Although I do have some strong points as a listener, there are several areas I need to improve on. Upon reflection, I was also able to create a number of goals I have for working on these skills over the semester and continuing these after the conclusion of the class.
Did you know that the first few minutes of class is the only time a student listens to their teacher? A student listens to a 60-90 minute lectures from classroom to classroom for 200 school days. But a student cannot focus their attention for that long so they ended up losing their attention somewhere else. Someday, this may be a trouble to their parents. Students lacking concentration may cause failure in planning for their future.
A skill, according the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability. The skill of listening is a skill that I believe everyone should have but most people lack. Many people do not realize that listening is not merely the act of hearing a sound but of paying close attention to what someone is saying and trying to understand the message that they are trying to relate to you. Most times people say they are listening when in all actuality they are merely hearing you but not even attempting to understand what is being spoken of. The advantages of being a good listener are vast. This skill can positively affect many parts of our everyday life and interaction with people. Nevertheless, it is a skilled that is overlooked in today’s unmindful society. The reason I believe that listening is of such importance is because nowadays people have developed the mentality of “every man for himself.” People are not concerned about their fellows anymore. We are only concerned about our own issues and problems. Listening is a skill that is acquired throughout a lifetime. It is an important virtue when it comes to communication.People should be taught from childhood the importance of learning how to listen. If we realized how much we would benefit from being good listeners, I believe that things would change. Lack of listening skills affects marriages, parents and children, teachers and students, employers and employees, foreign affairs, and the list goes on.