Active Listening

Lit Corps Tutor: Bryn Spielvogel

Key
Concentrate

Be Attentive
Encourage
Clarify

Paraphrase

Summarize

Reflect

Validate

Keys to Becoming an Active Listener

Steps for The Tutor
Ensure that the learner is actually
answering questions with his own
thoughts, not just repeating your
explanations.
Direct focus to what the learner is
saying and keep the cell phone off
and away!
Use positive gestures, show that you
are listening, and maintain eye
contact.
Ask questions in order to assess that
the learner is truly understanding the
material. It also makes sure that you
are interpreting their thoughts
accurately.
Reword what the learners said in
order to ensure you are on the same
page. This also solidifies the new
information by providing another
way to phrase it.
Look for key points in what the
learner said to help drive these
concepts home.
Think about what the learners have
said and ask them to think about it in
a different way. Assess whether or
not any confusions could arise or if
anything could be seen as unclear.
Give credit when it is due! Make
sure it is obvious why the material
being taught is important.

Steps for The Learner

Focus on the content of what is
being said, not just how you will
respond.
Pay attention to the tutor and
keep the cell phone off and away!
Be enthusiasticthis encourages
the tutor to stay positive and keep
material fresh
Ask questions when you dont
understand something so the
tutor can focus on things that are
actually helpful for you!
Repeat what the tutor said in
your own words to make sure
that you understood what he said.
Create a statement that includes
the important points about new
information. This makes the
concepts concise and easy to
remember.
Spend a minute to think about
the material that was taught.
Why is it important? How may it
be helpful in your life?
Let the tutor know if the material
will be helpful in your life!

Lit Corps Tutor: Conor Higgins

Active Listening is Effective Listening

Concentration is key: Feeling pressured to give the right answer, or supply an individual with the necessary
information is very common. Active listening requires individuals to focus less on the self, and more on the other
individual in the tutor-learner relationship and the concepts presented. Listen patiently and focus on the information
at hand.
Reminder: Ask your learner to give a specific example of the concept you just introduced. This will reinforce that they arent
regurgitating information, but applying it. (For the learner): Ask your tutor to slow down or apply any new information or skill to a
different situation. Applying it directly to a situation youve been in before will help you understand the importance of the information.
Being attentive is being polite: There are so many instances in life that require our focus and attention, but during a
tutoring session, some of the most useful information and needs can be met with what youll learn! Turning off a cell
phone and focusing on the time you and your learner or tutor will be spending together is beneficial and conductive
to helping you process new information and situations.
Reminder: The tutor and learner must work together to respect each others personal duties while honoring the important process and
demands of a tutoring environment.
Eye contact can be encouraging: Maintaining eye contact with your tutor or learner can help communicate that you
understand their words and concepts. Non-verbal communicators are very effective when used properly.
Reminder: It is important that even non-verbal communication is honest. Dont feel pressured to nod your head in agreement with
your tutor or learner if you dont actually understand what theyre trying to communicate. It is better to continue to ask questions to help
develop your learning!
Clarity helps: Dont be afraid to ask clarifying questions to push your understanding or get additional information.
This will help determine if learners understand what theyre saying, and help tutors take better notice of how theyre
presenting information.
Paraphrase: Restating what your learner or tutor says can help identify key concepts the other has presented.
Paraphrasing helps solidify that you understand one another, especially when relaying important information.
Reminder: Paraphrasing is an important part of understanding new concepts. It provides an opportunity to recall information.
Summarize: Summarizing what a learner says helps a tutor focus on key concepts and important information. The
same technique can be used by the learner as well as having them summarize key concepts and points a tutor
makes will reinforce clarity and attentiveness.
What can your reflection show?: It is important to the tutor-learner relationship to allow time to reflect. This will
help determine what is working and what the learner feels comfortable with. Asking them to reflect on the
information theyve learner or how they feel about their progress will strengthen the verbal relationship and
progress.
Reminder: Asking them how they feel about the progress they are making or how they might use their new knowledge and skills are
excellent questions.
Validate: Learners contribute a great deal to the tutoring lesson, and its important to communicate such. Expressing
this value will help them see the importance of their experiences as they connect their prior knowledge to what they
are learning.
Reminder: Our connection to experiences and its application to new knowledge can help emphasize why certain subjects and skills are
important. This in turn, adds meaning to a learners capabilities.
Lit Corps Tutor: Imari Caldwell