Module 2: Rethinking Learning and Practice

Pedagogy of Listening

According to the Early Learning Framework, listening involves being welcoming and open to differences. It involves recognizing the value of another person’s point of view.

What is listening?

Rinaldi (2001, p. 80) describes listening as follows:

• Listening is active. It gives meaning to the message (interpretation) and value to those who offer it
• Listening formulates questions rather than gives answers
• Listening is sensitive to the patterns which connect us to others
• Listening lets us understand that our own beings are just small parts of a broader, integrated knowledge that holds the universe together

Educators listen to the incredible range of children’s expressions. They listen to what children bring forward that may never have been heard before. Educators notice gesture, silence, movement, gaze, and stillness. They notice surroundings, such as objects, light, and sound. They notice how these are all interrelated—how each affects the other.

Listening helps us to let go of what we think we know and open ourselves up to something new.