Listening to Teach : Beyond Didactic Pedagogy

2016 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award, presented by the Society of Professors of Education First book to offer a survey of pedagogical listening in conventional and alternative methodologies. What happens when teachers step back from didactic talk and begin to listen to their students? After decades of neglect, we are currently witnessing a surge of interest in this question. Listening to Teach features the leading voices in the recent discussion of listening in education. These contributors focus close attention on the key role of teachers as they move away from didactic talk and begin to devise innovative pedagogical strategies that encourage active listening by teachers and also cultivate active listening skills in learners. Twelve teaching approaches are explored, from Reggio Emilia’s project method and Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed to experiential learning and philosophy for children. Each chapter offers a brief explanation of one of these approaches—its background, the problems it aims to resolve, the educators who have pioneered it, and its treatment of listening. The chapters conclude with ideas and suggestions drawn from these pedagogies that may be useful to classroom teachers. “...Waks’s volume serves as an intelligent call to focus on the frequently ignored but absolutely fundamental role of listening in teaching ... Those who study teaching and learning, facilitate educator development, or participate in teaching practice across disciplines and professions will find this collective volume engaging, challenging, and generative.” — Educational Theory Leonard J. Waks is Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Temple University and the author of Education 2.0: The Learningweb Revolution and the Transformation of the School. First book to offer a survey of pedagogical listening in conventional and alternative methodologies. Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Book Award presented by the Society of Professors of Education What happens when teachers step back from didactic talk and begin to listen to their students? After decades of neglect, we are currently witnessing a surge of interest in this question. Listening to Teach features the leading voices in the recent discussion of listening in education. These contributors focus close attention on the key role of teachers as they move away from didactic talk and begin to devise innovative pedagogical strategies that encourage active listening by teachers and also cultivate active listening skills in learners. Twelve teaching approaches are explored, from Reggio Emilia’s project method and Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed to experiential learning and philosophy for children. Each chapter offers a brief explanation of one of these approaches—its background, the problems it aims to resolve, the educators who have pioneered it, and its treatment of listening. The chapters conclude with ideas and suggestions drawn from these pedagogies that may be useful to classroom teachers. Leonard J. Waks is Professor Emeritus of educational leadership at Temple University and the author of Education 2.0: The Learningweb Revolution and the Transformation of the School. Introduction Leonard J. Waks Part I: Listening in Established Pedagogies 1. A Reggio Emilia-Inspired Pedagogy of Listening Winifred Hunsburger 2. Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy: The Centrality of Teacher Listening Suzanne Rice 3. Listening in Experiential Learning Leonard J. Waks 4. Philosophy for Children and Listening Education: An Ear for Thinking Megan J. Laverty 5. Listening in Interpretive Discussion Elizabeth Meadows 6. Can Listening Be Taught? Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon 7. Listening for Discussion: The Conference Method or Harkness Pedagogy David I. Backer Part II: Listening in New and Emerging Pedagogies 8. Listening in the Pedagogy of Discomfort: A Framework for Socially Just Listening Ashley Taylor 9. Listening in Human Rights Education: Learning from Life Stories of Survivors of Atrocities Bronwen E. Low and Emmanuelle Sonntag 10. Listening in a Pedagogy of Trust Katherine Schultz 11. Promoting Listening by Augmenting Uncertainty Stanton Wortham and Alexandra Michel 12. Listening and Teaching in Online Contexts Nicholas Burbules Contributors Index What happens when teachers step back from didactic talk and begin to listen to their students? After decades of neglect, we are currently witnessing a surge of interest in this question. Listening to Teach features the leading voices in the recent discussion of listening in education. These contributors focus close attention on the key role of teachers as they move away from didactic talk and begin to devise innovative pedagogical strategies that encourage active listening by teachers and also cultivate active listening skills in learners. Twelve teaching approaches are explored, from Reggio Emilia's project method and Paulo Freire's pedagogy of the oppressed to experiential learning and philosophy for children. Each chapter offers a brief explanation of one of these approaches its background, the problems it aims to resolve, the educators who have pioneered it, and its treatment of listening. The chapters conclude with ideas and suggestions drawn from these pedagogies that may be useful to classroom teachers