how to listen to a college course

1. Listen to the ideas, don't try to catch every word. Concentrate on understanding the broad concepts, but worry too much about listening to every single word.
2. Pay attention to visual cues and body language. Lots of communication is non-verbal. ...
3. Keep an open mind while you listen. It's important to avoid judging the things that you're learning in class before you've had a chance to understand them.
4. Visualize what the teacher is talking about. In your mind, create a visual "movie" of what you're learning.

Full Answer

What do you learn in a listening course?

You will learn the importance of physical attributes, active listening, attitude, perception, bias, language barriers, key gestures, and even how to take good notes. If you have a child or work around children, this course also explains how you can use this information with helping to teach good listening habits to children.

How do you teach active listening to students?

Remind students to practice their active listening skills and focus less on making their opinion heard but listening and responding to their classmates’ ideas. Teaching students how to listen is critical for their academic futures, but with the right mindset, it can be fun, too!

Why is it important to listen in the classroom?

This is because students who listen pick up more knowledge to reflect on and think critically about before they respond. Plus, for dual language learners in your class, learning how to listen can help students pick up their second language faster.

How to improve your listening skills?

If you are going to be listening to a lecture, seminar, or meetings, always take paper and a pen with you. That way, you are prepared if you decide you want to take notes. Listen up. This is the time to put into use all the good listening skills that you have been learning.

What is the best way to listen to a lecture?

Principles of Active ListeningFocus on what is being said. Give the speaker your undivided attention. ... Don't prejudge or assume you already know the material. ... Repeat what you just heard. ... Ask the speaker to expand or clarify. ... Listen for verbal cues and watch for nonverbal cues. ... Listen for requests.

How can I listen to an online class?

Here are 5 ways to enhance learner listening in your online courses:Establish your visibility. To a learner coming from traditional instruction, e-learning can feel distant and stiff at first. ... Provide feedback. ... Make space for communal discussion. ... Establish clear learning objectives. ... Link subject matter to prior knowledge.

How can I improve my listening skills in college?

Effective Listening Strategiesfocus your full attention on the speaker.ask questions, either out loud or internally, in response to what is being said.paraphrase ideas in notes.listen nonjudgmentally.show empathy for the speaker.

Is listening to lectures a good way to study?

A study reveals students prefer low-effort learning strategies—like listening to lectures—despite doing better with active learning.

How do you survive college online?

8 Tips to Survive (and Thrive) in Online SchoolHave a Designated Workspace. ... Get Organized (and stay that way) ... Eliminate Distractions. ... Pay Attention. ... Hold Yourself Accountable. ... Take Breaks. ... Treat Yourself. ... Be Positive.

How can I be smart in online class?

11 Techniques to Be Successful in Online ClassesTreat It Like an In-Person Class.Form a Virtual Study Group.Use the Resources Your Teacher Provides.Have a Dedicated Study Space.Eliminate Distractions.Take Notes.Beware of Sneaky Deadlines.Check Your Email Regularly.More items...•

What are the four listening strategies?

4 Types of ListeningDeep Listening. Deep listening occurs when you're committed to understanding the speaker's perspective. ... Full Listening. Full listening involves paying close and careful attention to what the speaker is conveying. ... Critical Listening. ... Therapeutic Listening.

What are the 7 key active listening skills?

7 Key Active Listening SkillsBe attentive.Ask open-ended questions.Ask probing questions.Request clarification.Paraphrase.Be attuned to and reflect feelings.Summarize.

What are the 2 listening strategies?

Two processes are involved in listening. Top-down listening uses background knowledge and contextualizes words to aid comprehension. Bottom-up listening uses sounds, words, and other small units to create meaning.

Is rewatching lectures a waste of time?

The problem is that rewatching lectures is extremely passive, even more so than attending it the first time. Your time is better spent reviewing the information, synthesizing it, and doing active learning. Do not re-watch the lectures or re-listen to recordings.

How do you listen to lectures in college and retain information?

24:4928:09How to listen to lectures: Understand & remember with these strategiesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can also discuss what you heard with classmates. Sometimes just talking about something helpsMoreYou can also discuss what you heard with classmates. Sometimes just talking about something helps you to remember it. Better.

Do students really learn nothing from a lecture?

The study showed that students fared worse on tests if they were taught by lectures alone. That finding does not suggest that “learning from lectures” is a complete illusion — only that students don't learn as much, or as well, as they do from active-learning strategies.

Free Audio Lectures

Free audio lectures are a great way to get an education on the go. Some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the world, including Yale, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and UC Berkeley, offer free audio lectures that can be played on your computer, mp3 player, or iPod.

Business, Economics, and Finance Lectures

Financial Markets Lectures - A series of 26 free audio lectures from Yale's Financial Markets course. Transcripts of the lectures are also available.

Engineering Lectures

Aircraft Systems Engineering Lectures - More than 20 free audio lectures from MIT are available in aircraft systems and avionics engineering. These audio files can also be downloaded from iTunes.

Mathematics Lectures

Mathematics and Calculus Lectures - There are more than 25 free audio lectures on multivariable calculus from UC Berkeley. The same lectures are also available in a video format.

Science Lectures

Introductory Biology Lectures - This course features free MIT lectures from professor Hazel Sive, Professor Tyler Jacks, and Dr. Diviya Sinha. Lectures are also available through iTunes.

Miscellaneous Audio Lectures

English Literature Lectures - A series of free audio lectures from UC Berkeley Professor Charles Altieri. This course examines the history of English, the nature of composition and modern poetry.

How to develop good listening skills?

Spend some time focusing on your own body language . You could start out by taking a day or so to see what type of body language you currently are display ing. Or you can go right to the exercise of being conscious of the body language messages you are sending out to the world. When you are listening to someone, notice your posture, where your hands are, what you are doing, etc. And work to try to make sure your gestures are all positive and enhance the listening experience, rather than hinder it.

What does it mean to be a good listener?

If you are a good listener, you will be able to pick out those important things that are worthy of writing down in your notes. What you do not want to do is try to write down everything that the person says.

How to minimize distractions when listening to someone?

Focus on Distractions. You already have learned how important it is to minimize or eliminate distractions when listening to someone. Take a few days and purposely focus on eliminating the distractions whenever someone speaks to you. Notice how it may help the conversation.

Why do we take notes?

Top Reasons to Take Notes. Taking good notes will help you make more sense out of what you are listening to. Having a record of what was said will be helpful for reviewing later, as needed. You may be listening to some unique information that you will want to remember later.

How to take good notes?

Keep these tips in mind when it comes to taking good notes: Be prepared. It is hard to take notes if you walk in unprepared. If you are going to be listening to a lecture, seminar, or meetings, always take paper and a pen with you. That way, you are prepared if you decide you want to take notes. Listen up.

How to improve communication skills?

For this exercise, spend one whole day paying close attention to any communication you have with others. Keep a notebook and write down each conversation right after you have it. Answer some basic questions, such as with whom you spoke, what was discussed, what the main points were, and whether you learned anything new. By recapping each conversation, you will be sure to listen well while it takes place, so you can gather this important information. This will give you a good idea of just how well you are paying attention, so you know the types of improvements you need to focus on.

How to make a speaker more active?

The Eyes Have It. As you are engaging in one of the other exercises, make sure to look at the speaker, pay attention, and make eye contact at least for one whole day. Notice how it feels, how long you think you should engage before looking away, and if it helps to make the listening experience seem more active.

Does Stanford University have free music?

Stanford University also offers free content to the public via iTunes U, including audio lectures, course materials, highlights of campus events, sports and music. Listeners can explore everything from the art and social movement, online marketing trends and marriage equality. Lectures are offered on a variety of subjects, including diversity in the arts, law, literature and religion.

Can I get free podcasts at UC Berkeley?

Self learners can get free podcasts and webcasts of lectures through UC Berkeley's webcast page . If you're in a school mood, check out the audio from courses ranging from Japanese to geography to electrical engineering. Individuals seeking more lively presentations can download audio and video from lectures on history, poetry, political science and much more by renowned speakers, such as Elizabeth Warren.

Is MIT free?

MIT is one of America's leading providers of free online course content. Through OpenCouseWare and MIT World, you can get access to thousands of audio and video lectures. These resources provides free access to recordings of the many groundbreaking lectures and public events that happen on the MIT campus. Learn about subjects as diverse as astrodynamics, quantum mechanics aand challenges in energy.

How to stop a student from talking?

Stop talking. No, don’t give your student the silent treatment, but try talking less and leaving the door open for your student to talk. Think carefully about how often you jump in with suggestions, observations, reactions, or comments. Leave space for your student to talk.

How to tell if a student is sad?

You know your student and you can tell when they are sad, excited, frightened, disturbed. Determine your reaction accordingly. Even if you are talking to your student by phone, you can use nonverbal cues such as tone of voice, pauses, hesitations. Listen through the words as well as to the words.

What is an encourager?

Encouragers are those little words, sounds, or reactions that let someone know that you are listening and that you want them to continue. Nod your head, say “uh huh”, say “go on,” “tell me more”, smile, laugh, frown. Be involved.

Why is it important to know when to let it go?

Sensing the good time and open opportunity and knowing when to let it go is also an important measure of good communication. Given time, you will have more and more meaningful conversations with your student.

Is listening passive or active?

Listening is not a passive thing to do. It takes work. One of the more difficult things to do is to suspend your evaluations for a time to truly hear what your student is saying. Don’t let your ability to really hear what they are telling you be clouded by your automatic judgment about what your student is really saying.

Can you hear someone in a noisy room?

We all know that it is difficult to hear or listen to someone in a noisy room. That jackhammer outside of the window can make it difficult to carry on a conversation. However, we often carry noise in our heads as well – preconceived ideas about something, mental distractions, preoccupations. Try to clear the clutter so that you can truly listen.

Do you want to talk more than listen?

Make sure that your conversation is a two way communication. Yes, you want to do more listening than talking, but when you do talk, be honest in your reactions and your student will continue to be comfortable sharing their thoughts with you.

How to teach students to listen?

Teaching students how to listen is critical for their academic futures, but with the right mindset, it can be fun, too! Use these six active listening activities for kids to teach them how to focus on and understand information in class: 1 Mindful Listening Meditation: This meditation teaches students how to tune out their thoughts and tune into the sounds surrounding them, a strategy that directly connects to active listening. 2 String Telephone Project: A listening activity with a STEM component! Build these string telephones as a class and discuss how sounds travel. 3 Listening with Openness Group Activity: This group activity can teach students how to take turns and listen during a classroom discussion. 4 Simon Says: Did you know that this classic game can help students learn to listen? Try any of the ten variations included in this resource, then have a discussion on listening to and following directions. 5 Outdoor Sound Scavenger Hunt: Head outdoors for this active listening game as students identify and find different sounds around your school. 6 Active Listening Conversation Partners: Pair up your older students and have them practice active listening skills with their conversation partner for a few minutes at a time.

How does active listening help students?

And finally, practicing active listening can promote empathy —a skill that can enrich a student’s life both in and outside of the classroom. So, in review: teaching students listening skills leads to lasting advantages in a student’s academic career and beyond, including: Greater ability to communicate. Faster second language acquisition.

Why teach students tips and tricks that lead to active listening?

Why teach students tips and tricks that lead to active listening? The answer may seem obvious, but helping students learn to listen can give them advantages you might not expect. For example, students with strong listening skills don’t just retain more information, but they are also less likely to feel unprepared and frustrated in class. [11,12 ] Additionally, improved listening skills can lead to improved self-efficacy, or a student’s belief that they can succeed in class. [4] This means that students who develop better listening skills are more likely to feel confident, comfortable, and prepared to succeed in school.

Why are students passive listeners?

Students who text during class, interrupt other classmates to voice their opinion, or do homework during lecture or story time may be passive listeners. Strategies that encourage active listening and limit its passive counterpart as much as possible are important ways to help students perform well in class.

Why is active listening important?

Active listening promotes mindful thinking, which can reduce anxiety and depression in students. [1] . It can also help students build relationships because as they engage themselves in conversation, their peers are more likely to view them as open and interested. [8] .

How to think of positive versus negative listening skills?

One great way to think of positive versus negative listening skills is through the example of active and passive listening. Active listening, loosely defined, is paying attention to a speaker and listening to understand, not to respond. [8] . It also includes complete focus on the speaker with minimal distractions out of respect ...