Are you looking for strategies to help students who do not listen to other students? If so, keep reading.
1. Train the student to keep attention to the source of information by keeping eye contact, keeping hands free from other learning materials, and reducing other distractions.
2. Do not force the student to interact with someone when they are not entirely comfortable with.
3. Get the student to work with a peer and the teacher. The first student will dictate a short paragraph to be typed by the teacher and will also write a comprehension question. The second student, after listening to the process, will read the story orally and answer the comprehension question. Then student roles can be reversed.
4. Be firm, fair, and consistent, expecting the student to listen to what others are saying. Do not give missed information if the student fails to listen.
5. Take into account the student’s capacity and ability level and experience when expecting them to be an excellent listener.
6. Get the student’s hearing reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.
7. Show an appropriate way to listen by listening to the student when they talk.
8. Let the student have some movement while listening to other students. Observe and limit the amount of movement.
9. Urge the student to create a 30-second definition of their goal to help remain on-task and focus on the speaker (e.g., “I will listen carefully. The better I focus and remain on-task, the better I will listen.”).
10. Ascertain if the student heard what was said by having them repeat it.
11. Make sure the student is near the students who are speaking.
12. Create the student’s understanding of the consequences of their behavior by writing down or talking through problems that may happen due to their failure to keep attention (e.g., not focusing on instructions may cause misinterpretation of a task that could lead to a lower grade and losing a place on the soccer team).
13. Do not disparage when connecting the student; be honest yet compassionate. Never cause the student to feel negatively about themselves.
14. Do not ignore the student when they want to tell you something. If you ignore the student, they learn that it is acceptable to be inattentive.
15. Urge parents to take advantage of dinner and other family-gathering times to converse and practice keeping attention.
16. Find a peer who has excellent communication skills. Urge the student to observe that peer and model their behavior s that promote excellent communication.
17. Urge the student to create an understanding of themselves and those around him/her. Train the student to periodically step back and ask themselves, “Am I on-task and paying attention?” “What should I be doing now?”
18. Urge the student to interact with others.
19. Create rules for listening (e.g., listen when others are talking, ask questions if you do not understand, etc.). These rules should be consistent and followed by everyone in the class. Talk about the rules often.
20. Assess the visual and auditory stimuli in the classroom and remove or lessen unnecessary environmental stimuli.
21. Read this article that we wrote on developing listening comprehension skills.
22. Read this article that we wrote explaining why verbal comprehension skills are important to academic success.
23. Read this article that we wrote on what you should do when your child struggles with verbal comprehension
