As with all executive function skills, none of us is born with perfect LISTENING SKILLS. Our program is designed to improve listening skills in children through a series of interactive exercises. These exercises will focus on developing attention and concentration, as well as building the ability to understand and follow verbal instructions. By participating in our program, your child will improve their listening skills, which will in turn help them succeed in school and beyond.
The best way for a child to develop higher levels of comprehension is through non-print sources (read-aloud, audiobooks, discussions, movies, etc.
Listening comprehension is the precursor to reading comprehension.
Listening comprehension is more than just hearing what is said. It is a child’s ability to understand the meaning of the words they hear and to relate to them
When children hear a story, good listening comprehension enables them to understand, remember, discuss, and even retell it in their own words.
Important factors to consider
-
What is the difference between hearing and listening?
-
What influences active listening?
-
Early Warning signs of poor active listening skills?
The student will be listening to an audio book, and as soon as the BodyWave armband measures that the student is not actively engaged (paying attention), the book will stop playing. They then need to re-focus and use the self-regulation techniques we teach them to “restart” the book but by mind alone.
We then go further where the student needs to retell what they have heard. This is a big challenge. The more we practice the skill the better they get. Our program includes the techniques they need to accomplish this.
Our older students need to take notes while they are listening to the book. We incorporate a whole lot of different executive function skills through the process.
Key Features of the Program
-
Listening with attention – the book will not play if the student is not actively engaged.
-
They need to make sense of what they are hearing so that they can retell it.
-
They need to answer the questions we ask about the book/content
-
They need to draw a mental picture of what they have heard
-
Processing, storing and recall information
-
Self-regulation
-
Filtering of distractions
iListen Pre-School Program
WEBINAR RECORDING AVAILABLE!
We are thrilled to announce the successful launch of our I-Listen Pre-School program. This program is an integral part of our early childhood intervention initiative, specifically designed to teach and cultivate active listening and comprehension skills.
The program caters to 5 and 6-year-olds, as we believe that the earlier we begin developing and practicing these skills, the stronger the foundation becomes for reading as they advance to Grade 1.
We adhere to the principle of Audio Lab; however, we enhance the learning experience by utilising age-appropriate Visual Audio Books, which feature engaging stories.