Here I remember specific learning strategies that I have experimented with.
We use the Strategies Template to help us structure these memories.
Example: Affinity Mapping.
catalogue
Deep Listening "Silence, please!" "Be quiet and listen" "Listen up!", "Can you listen to me?" If you're a middle school teacher, maybe these are the most common phrases you keep saying in your daily routine at your school and it looks as if they have fossilized in our mouth and settled down there for years and years without a single change. After attending the Revolution in Education Congress in October 2024 (Chía, Colombia), I noticed and wondered about certain strategies I've been using wrongly in the past; those new strategies I learned about have had a profound impact on my performance as a language teacher. One of those was Deep Listening. Deep listening requires not only to listen through your ears, but also through your whole body and your self. When you practice deep listening, you can listen to the words of your interlocutor and understand the meaning of their words and of their minds. How does that sound? Challenging, but not impossible if we follow this tile-by-tile path: pay attention, don't interrupt, summarize, maintain eye contact, show interest, request clarification, use positive body language, paraphrase, withhold judgement, show empathy, repeat key phrases, and share. Do I put into practice deep listening in my classroom? I'm trying to. The first thing I thought about doing was developing the habit of listening among my students; when a habit is learned, you have done the same thing again and again until you're able to do it automatically. What I still intend to do with my students to start every class is to listen to each other when we say hello. From the very first moment they come to my classroom, I ask them to listen carefully to what they say, to the way they say hello, to listen to the teacher's instructions and to observe what their body expresses. It's hard to achieve given that teenagers are very active, but very rewarding once you notice they become aware about how to achieve deep listening. One creative way to set a whole class in the mindset of listening is creating a word, sound or gesture that means silence. Without silence there's no listening. Therefore, in order to practice deep listening, we need to practice deep silence, which is simply to be willing to lull body and mind and then “open our ears” to the other person. Silence gestures I use in my lessons are the raised hand technique or closed fist, a zipper-like sign in my mouth, the countdown with fingers (no voice) or the lights dimmed briefly. Words I use to lull my students are “Stiiiiiill”, “Peace”, and “Breathe”, which I say slowly and softly to create a calming effect. Over time, students associate these words with quiet and focus. Meditation, Imagining and Day-dreaming are also ways to develop deep listening. When students are encouraged to use their imagination or engage in quiet reflection, they become more receptive to their inner thoughts and emotions - skills that are essential for truly listening to others. Day-dreaming, often dismissed as distraction, can actually foster empathy and creative thinking, both of which support deeper understanding during conversations. Meditation helps students focus and stay present, which strengthens their ability to listen without interrupting or judging. Together, these practices help teenagers grow into more thoughtful, attentive, and compassionate listeners. Yet, our role as teachers is crucial—we are responsible for equipping them with the tools to make deep listening a meaningful part of their lives, both in and out of the classroom. When nurtured consistently, deep listening can become a natural daily habit, free of drawbacks. After all, to be still and truly listen is to invite peace and understanding.