Active listening is a vital technique involving listening closely in order to understand what is being said rather than thinking about the response or letting the attention wonder. The response will then be informed and progress the conversation. \
Active listening is important at all levels of education, from exploring change in senior leadership meetings to problem solving in staff meetings. It also has an important role in the classroom. \
Active listening is a crucial skill for pupils, particularly those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Using active listening means pupils are able to realise when they do not understand and what they do not understand. They can then ask for specific help to aid their understanding. “What does that word mean?” Or “Can you slow down, please?” are productive questions resulting from a pupil with SLCN using active listening skills, more so than “I don’t know. I don’t get it!”