Listening is a 21st Century Skill - We Need to Teach It

Good communication skills are one of the qualities that all employers want their workers to possess. Yet, teachers don't focus on listening skills as much as they should in classrooms. @thebalance rates being able to listen as number one on their communication list in the article Communication Skills for Workplace Success. 

So what should we do to help students with their listening skills? Practice listening. Teachers need to model good listening skills and then give students time to practice it. Without this essential skill, our students will continue to struggle with their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. 

A great resource for helping students listen is podcasts. My new favorite resource is https://listenwise.com/. This site offers tons of 3-6 minute stories for students grades 5-12. It's very teacher friendly and is searchable by grade level and topic.  They offer transcripts, lesson plan ideas, and quizzes with the premium price, but their basic site is free for teachers and makes a great additional resource for students. Podcasts can be pushed out through Google classroom too!

Podcast Graphic Organizer Preview

Try my Podcast Graphic Organizer - All ready for Google Classroom - just make a copy,  distribute, and get started today!Enjoy!

Below is a video that explains more about how to use the graphic organizer with listenwise.com or any podcast.