The Quality of Listening: A Teacher on Telling Moth Stories
I’ve never had any trouble getting students to be quiet, take notes, and look at me while I talk. Most of my literature classes are devoted group discussions in which I am more moderator than participant. Yet when I do speak, students take their cues and appear to be all ears. Being quiet and dutiful, however, is not the same as listening. Listening requires intention and offers a kind of unspoken invitation to the speaker. Listening is the result of an exchange between speaker and audience...