Name ___________________ Date _____ Class ____ _

Active Listening

Learning the Skill

Physical Geography of East Asia and Southeast Asia

Speaking and Listening Skills Activity

When you speak, you expect people to listen-not look away, study their fingernails, yawn, or interrupt. Other speakers expect the same of you. Listening requires active participation. Barriers to listening block our ability to hear what another person is really saying.

Use the following tips to help you become an active listener: • Be prepared for a presentation by reading background

information on the topic. Know the speaker's purpose in delivering the presentation.

• Take notes, but do not write down everything the speaker says, and do not write in complete sentences.

• Make a note about something you do not understand. Plan to ask questions later, but do not begin "rehearsing" your question until the speaker has finished.

• Ignore external distractions, like noise from another classroom or a fly buzzing around the room.

• Focus on the speaker rather than on your after-school plans or worrying about studying for a test. Remind yourself that you can think about these things later.

• Do not "tune out" because you disagree with or do not like the speaker, or you are having trouble understanding the information. Stay open-minded.

• Maintain eye contact with the speaker. Stay attentive to his or her nonverbal cues, like changes in voice tone or gestures .

..Q Practicing the Skill Directions: Read this speaker's presentation about what it is like to live in a yurt in Mongolia. Then answer the questions that follow.

If you were a member of a rural Mongo­lian family today, you would probably live in a round, domed tent known as a yurt, or ger in the Mongolian language. Many rural Mongo­lians are nomads. Because yurts can be taken apart in a few hours, they are ideal for people who move in search of grazing land for their animals. Compared to other types of housing, a yurt is easy to transport. It is constructed of wood, wool, ropes, and canvas. No nails or

screws are used to assemble it. Yurts are set up on sites with dry soil and level ground. A wooden framework forms the walls, and approximately 80 wooden poles form the ceil­ing. The entire structure is wrapped in layers of felt, which keeps the yurt warm even in winter. After many ropes and strings are secured, the yurt remains stable against powerful winds. The only window is a hole that allows smoke to escape. Everyone in a family, including highly

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Name ____________________ Date _____ Class ____ _

Speaking and Listening Skills Activity continued

respected grandparents, eats, sleeps, and plays in the single, large room.

Yurts are arranged, furnished, and deco­rated according to tradition. The door faces south. The stove, used for heating and cook­ing, occupies a place in the center of the home and symbolizes ties with ancestors. The fire tongs and fuel basket are always south of the stove. Men's tools-leather milk bag, saddles, branding iron, and hunting rifle-are kept on the west side of the yurt. The tools that women use-cooking pots, water barrels, and tea flasks-are located on the east side of the door. Low wooden beds and cabinets are situated throughout. A family's most valuable items, including a wooden chest containing cloth­ing and money, are kept in the rear of the yurt. Books, family photos, and religious objects are placed on top of a dresser along a wall.

Mongolians usually decorate the insides of their yurts. They paint the wood in warm background colors, and then add multi­colored designs and outdoor scenes. Much of the furniture is painted to match. The chairs are small so that many people can fit inside. This is necessary if you are living in a camp of sev­eral yurts, as you may have many visitors.

Guests to a yurt are ushered to a place of honor in the back and a little to the west. They are almost always offered food from a special "hospitality" plate or bowl. The offering is usu­ally some kind of dairy product, such as dried cheese or milk and tea.

Mongolians who live in or near a city may still live in yurts, although these are perma­nently situated and enclosed by a fence and storage shed. Most city yurts have electricity, but not running water.

1. Making Decisions What could you have done to prepare in advance for this speaker's presentation?

2. Listing Write down three things from this presentation that most interest you. Do not use complete sentences.

3. Formulating Questions What two questions would you have liked to ask the speaker after this presentation?

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Name ___________________ Date ____ Class ____ _

Speaking and Listening Skills Activity

(J Applying the Skill Directions: Take turns reading the passage about Mongolian yurts aloud with a partner. While your partner is reading, be aware of your own barriers to listening. Write brief notes about external distractions that interfered with your listening. Take note of any facts that interested you. If any information confused you, make a quick note with a question mark next to it, and come back to it later. After the reading, write down what you did to keep your focus on the speaker and presentation.

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Assessment Checklist Assess your ability to listen using the checklist below:

D Took notes about facts that were interesting

D Took notes about things I did not understand

D Planned to ask questions but did not rehearse them

D Avoided personal thoughts and kept focus on speaker

D Avoided external distractions

D Did not tune out

D Maintained eye contact

D Focused on changes in voice tone and gestures

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