# data[].attributes.headline
How do I help my students be better listeners during whole group instruction?

# data[].attributes.subject
How do I help my students be better listeners during whole group instruction?

# data[].attributes.body
This will increase understanding and decrease interruptions of instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our students should have a kinesthetic brain break every 25-30 minutes. Brain breaks are refreshing to students and teachers alike. They do take some time out of class, but the efficiency of our students goes up when we incorporate them. Please comment if you have variations on a particular brain break.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
30 Brain Break Clips: Fight the Fidgeting! - teachtrainlove.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brain breaks have been all the rage for quite some time now. We've learned that regularly incorporating short movement activities into the instructional day not only allows children to get their 'wiggles' out, but energizes them and increases their ability to focus on the next learning activity as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
quiet fidgets fidget toys autism aspergers therapy sensory balls calming alerting relieve decrease stress silent fidgets classroom quiet fidget toys office and desk toys

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fidgets, Therapy Fidget Toys | Stress, Sensory Balls, Quiet, Alerting, Calming Toys | Therapy Shoppe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Unique fidget toys and tools, sensory balls, and classroom fidgets for calming, alerting, stress, and strengthening. Excellent for autism, aspergers, ADD, ADHD.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Listening skills are learned behaviors, and young elementary students need to develop the basics of each skill so they understand what is expected of them at school and at home. Incorporate discussions and explanations of listening concepts into your activities so your students understand why they need to learn these skills, and always model each activity before you begin.

Cirlcle Whisper

Have students sit in a circle, and join them. Whisper a short phrase into the ear of the student next to you. Have that student whisper the phrase into the ear of the student next to him or her, and have that student whisper to the next student, and so on. When the last student in the circle finally hears the phrase, have that student stand and call out the phrase so the entire class can hear. Discuss how the phrase might have changed along the way, and encourage your students to pay close attention. You can then get up and move to a different spot in the circle, and begin the game again.

Showing Interest

Explain to your students that it is important to let the person who's speaking know that they're interested. Ask the class to call out the ways people behave when they are listening well, and make a list of these behaviors on the whiteboard. Make sure that behaviors like "facing the speaker," "not interrupting" and "asking questions" are on the list. Pair students up and have them practice listening to one another by using the behaviors you listed. Give them each a subject to talk about, and have them switch roles after a minute or two. Afterward, have the class discuss the ways in which they listened well, and how it felt when their partners listened attentively to them.

Active Listening

Have your students sit in a circle, and explain that they will each tell a story to the class about something they did during the last week. Give them only about a minute to think before calling on the first student to speak. As soon as that student finishes, call on others and ask them to repeat the first student's story. They probably won't be able to recall the story accurately because they were busy thinking about their own stories. Explain that active listening is important, and that they must pay close attention even if they're trying to think of something else. Continue having students speak and recall stories. You should notice that the class improves their overall listening ability after your reminder.

What's Missing

Read a story to your students that they all know and enjoy. After you finish the story, tell the class that you'd like to read some of the sentences again, and that you want them to listen very closely. Read a sentence to them at a slow, even pace. Then, tell them you're going to repeat the sentence, and you want them to see if it sounds any different. Read the sentence again, but this time leave out a word. Ask the class if they noticed anything different. If they have trouble identifying the missing word, you can write the sentence on the board before you read it again.

About the Author

Christopher Cascio is a memoirist and holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and literature from Southampton Arts at Stony Brook Southampton, and a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in the rhetoric of fiction from Pennsylvania State University. His literary work has appeared in "The Southampton Review," "Feathertale," "Kalliope" and "The Rose and Thorn Journal."

Photo Credits

Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Attentive Listening Skills Activities for K- 2 | Synonym

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listening skills are learned behaviors, and young elementary students need to develop the basics of each skill so they understand what is expected of them at school and at home. Incorporate discussions and explanations of listening concepts into your activities so your students understand why they need to learn these skills, and always model each activity before you begin.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Good listening skills are crucial to the academic and social development of children. In order to succeed in future academic pursuits, primary school students must be able to listen to and comprehend their teacher's instructions. Like anything else, listening skills can be improved with practice. Various games and activities are available that can help your primary school students sharpen their listening skills.

Use a Song

Playing a song in class can help capture your primary school students' imaginations and can also help develop and sharpen their listening skills. Use fun, educational songs that focus on young characters your children can relate to. When possible, use props to help your students make connections and find meaning in the words of the song. For instance, if the song pertains to a football player, you might consider donning a football helmet and pantomiming some of the events covered in the song.

Play Simon Says

Help your students practice their listening skills by playing the classic listening game Simon Says. Simon Says requires players to listen closely to the speaker's directions to avoid being "out," so this game can help sharpen primary school children's concentration and listening skills. The children will have to learn to pay close attention to subtle details in order to avoid being the first ones eliminated.

Play "List" Games

Tell your primary school students that you're about to read a list of six words and that they need to try their best to remember each one. Tell them they'll need to focus all their brainpower on each word because you'll ask them later to repeat the whole list. Use simple words at first, like "horse," "cow" and "car." Read your list slowly, so your students have a good chance to focus on each word. When you're done, call on volunteers to attempt recreating the list from memory. If the first list proves too easy, make the second one more difficult.

Read Stories and Ask Questions

Asking your primary school students questions about a story's character and plot can be an effective way to boost students' listening skills, especially if you warn them ahead of time. If the children know they'll be expected to remember specific names, places and events from a given story, they'll focus more energy into listening to the words. Knowing that they're responsible for remembering the information, your children will challenge themselves to be better listeners.

About the Author

Bill Reynolds holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications from Rowan University. He has written hundreds of articles for print and online media, drawing inspiration from a wide range of professional experiences. As part of the UCLA Extension Writer's Program, he has been nominated for the James Kirkwood Prize for Creative Writing.

Photo Credits

Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Listening Skills for Primary School | Synonym

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Good listening skills are crucial to the academic and social development of children. In order to succeed in future academic pursuits, primary school students must be able to listen to and comprehend their teacher's instructions. Like anything else, listening skills can be improved with practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Founded in 1913 as a coalition of parents and independent and private schools, the Parents League of New York supports families and children by providing a broad range of educational and parenting resources.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Letting them fidget may keep students focused on learning.

Working with an ergonomic furniture company, Brown designed an adjustable-height desk that allows students to decide how they want to learn: They can stand, sit on a stool, or balance their feet on a swinging footrest.

"The students can't stand all day, but they can lean against the stool, and the footrest allows for natural movement," said Brown. "It's a comforting kind of fidget that helps them stay focused."

Today, teachers across the country have embraced the surprising idea behind the standing desks' success: that movement, when channeled correctly, can actually enhance learning. Whether through desks like Brown's, or do-it-yourself tools and activities like exercise equipment or yoga, teachers have found innovative ways to get students active and improve focus-without derailing the learning process.

"This way, students feel much more in control. They feel like it's their option, and they don't have to sit perfectly still and feel confined," said Brown, who received grant money, including funds from Education Minnesota, an affiliate of the National Education Association, to pay for the desks. "It's empowering for them."

What the Research Says

Research by a number of experts supports this fidget-friendly mindset. A 2008 study found that children actually need to move to focus during a complicated mental task. The children in the study-especially those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-fidgeted more when a task required them to store and process information rather than just hold it. This is why students are often restless while doing math or reading, but not while watching a movie, explained Dr. Mark Rapport, the supervisor of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Increasing students' activity level in the classroom provides physical benefits, as well. Dr. Donald Dengel, director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, co-authored a 2011 study that examined changes in caloric expenditure due to standing desks. His study found that participants using the desks burned 114 more kilocalories per day, or about half a candy bar.

"That doesn't sound like a lot, but if you add that up for five days a week, it's about two and a half candy bars per week, and over the course of the school year, it adds up to almost six pounds," said Dengel.

Ideas for Accommodating the Wiggles

Teachers don't need to purchase new desks to provide these physical and mental benefits to their students, however. Kent, Washington, high school teacher Michel Plemmons fashioned footrests using old tires to make giant rubber bands, which she strung between the legs of traditional desks to give her students an outlet for foot-fidgets.

"The old tire trick was recommended to me-you could outfit a whole classroom, if you had to, with a few bucks' worth of recycling," she said. "I don't go first to the expensive, teacher store, items. Shoeboxes and paper tubes and plastic tubs work just as well, and teach a recycling ethic."

While Plemmons sometimes uses handheld tools like squishy balls, she prefers the footrests because they keep students' movements out of sight and allow them to write freely.

In keeping with Plemmons' recycling ethic, North Carolina elementary school counselor Scott Ertl asked friends and community members to donate used exercise bikes for a "Read and Ride" room. Teachers can rent the room for 15-minute intervals, in which their students can read while pedaling away, and many have integrated exercise equipment into their classrooms.

"I've been surprised how eager some students have been to read-especially boys," Ertl told Education World. "Because they love being active, they find that the movement allows them to have more fun reading. Many students previously thought reading was boring or too hard, but now they see reading can be fascinating and fun."

Trichel House, a kindergarten teacher at Russell Primary School in Russell, Kentucky, created her own techniques to enhance students' focus. She uses movement, coupled with music, to help students exercise and concentrate during the school day.

"I have found that I had to change my comfort zone to allow for more than the norm of fidgeting," she said.

At Brittin Elementary in Fort Stewart, Georgia, Gwyn Ann Raczkowski underwent a similar adjustment when she taught a student who liked to walk while reading-and it actually improved her comprehension.

"Kids hate sitting all day, and I do also, so the idea came to me that if they can make a responsible choice and get their work done, it doesn't matter if it's at a desk, on a stool, or cross-legged on the floor with a clipboard," she said.

Since then, Raczkowski has embraced a "whatever works" approach with her students: She uses stability balls, sitting on the floor, and a variety of other tools and activities to help her students stay active and focused. Yoga exercises, especially a few minutes before a test, help Raczkowski's students concentrate on the task at hand.

Raczkowski admits that her approach may not be the solution for all teachers; but for her, it's a perfect fit.
Illustration by Dave Clark

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Working with an ergonomic furniture company, Brown designed an adjustable-height desk that allows students to decide how they want to learn: They can stand, sit on a stool, or balance their feet on a swinging footrest. "The students can't stand all day, but they can lean against the stool, and the footrest allows for natural movement," said Brown.

# data[].attributes.headline
Foster Critical Thinking Through Movement

# data[].attributes.subject
Foster Critical Thinking Through Movement