ABSTRACT
Of the t rad i t io n a l language arts, l is ten ing has received the least a t ten t ion (Pinnell & Jaggar, 1991), in p a r t because it is the least ob servable. H ow can you tell w h e n som eone is really lis tening? Some s tu d e n ts give every visib le s ign of be ing fully aw are, bu t they do no t have the foggiest no tion of w h a t is be ing said. O ther s tu d e n ts ap p e a r to be d is trac ted or half asleep, b u t they know p r e cisely w h a t is go ing on. Some peop le are b e tte r able to listen w hen only one voice is aud ib le ; o ther peop le ac tua lly f ind the lack of c om peting s o u n d s d is trac ting . In effect, it is too quiet for them to lis ten well.
