Learning to Listen: Listening to Learn

Abstract

A resource for teacher researchers jointly published by MLC School, Burwood and the Centre for Practitioner Research, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. This resource material has been designed to help teachers collect evidence, in the context of their own school, in ways which will assist them and their colleagues to make informed decisions. It argues that if we can learn to listen to students, to parents, to the community, to our colleagues and professional partners, in systematic and well organised ways we can improve our practice as a result of what we have heard and how well we have understood it. Many books and articles have now been published which support teacher enquiry and school based research. We shall provide a short, annotated bibliography of these at the conclusion to the publication1. However, it is important to note that we are not going to burden our readers with the kind of referencing which goes into the usual academic publications. Instead we are concerned that we prepare a practical ‘primer’ which provides a range of strategies which can be employed and which are not only useful, but enjoyable too.