Listening instruction in the kindergarten program

Abstract

Listening is an important component of the language arts. It is both an art and a skill which require development through planned, systematic instruction and practice. It is also a learning base for all the other language arts which combine to create an effective communication system. Despite its importance, research and experience have shown that listening instruction has long been a neglected area within the school curriculum. -- The purpose of this study was to prepare a booklet of planned, objective-based lessons for instruction in listening at the kindergarten level. -- The study consisted of two major parts, Part I dealt with the problem, the objectives and the need for the study, and a definition of listening. It presented a review of the literature which examined studies and professional writings related to listening from 1949 to 1982. The review of literature included references to the nature of listening, the possibility of improving listening skills through instruction, and the relationship of effective listening to reading. -- Part II consisted of a booklet of ninety-two lessons in ten specific skills at the kindergarten level, a foreword to teachers, and a bibliography. Ideas for the lessons were adopted and adapted from sources found in professional books, magazines, and an activities file developed by the writer. -- Recommendations for further consideration were offered. They suggested that listening should be given the same emphasis as the other language arts, that listening should be considered a base for reading, that teachers should be supplied with a ready source of material for systematic instruction in listening, and that in pre-service education teachers should receive preparation in the nature of listening the academic, social, and emotional benefits derived from effective listening, and the importance of giving listening instruction a place of priority within the school curriculum.