Teacher Learning Through Listening

• In Event: Teacher as Listener: Empirical and Philosophical Perspectives on the Roles of Teacher-Listening in Supporting Democratic Learning Environments

Abstract

1. Objectives/Purposes: The objective of the presentation is to study a teacher whose listening enables her to gain insight into her subject matter and into teaching and learning generally. I present new results from a long-term research project that builds on more than twenty-five years of research (e.g., Author (1991, 2009, 2014) and twenty years of listening studies, both conceptual and empirical (e.g., Garrison 1996; Schultz 2003; Waks, 2007, 2010, 2015, Haroutunian-Gordon/Laverty 2011, English (2013).

2. Theoretical Framework: Here, the term “listening” means: attending to some person or object—some “text” – so as to understand its meaning. The definition owes a debt to Plato (e.g., early and middle period Socratic dialogues) and to Hans-Georg Gadamer (1985), both of whom underscore the primary role of questioning in the listening that occurs under some circumstances.

3/4. Methods/Modes of Inquiry and Data Source: The project follows the grounded theory model of research (Glaser/Strauss (1967/2006), Strauss/Corbin (1990). It is a case study that draws upon sixteen years of data (1998-2014) in which a musician –a pianist, Debbie—helps an adult student who comes to her with a case of “focal dystonia” in which the third finger of the left hand curls under the hand as playing commences. In the course of their adventure together, Debbie learns much about teaching and learning and about the music that she teaches. The presentation defends the claim that Debbie’s accomplishments are a consequence of listening so as to understand the meaning that the student finds in musical texts. Drawing upon her expertise as a pianist, Debbie raises specific questions: Does the finger of the student’s left hand uncurl if it strikes the keys in particular ways? Does it straighten as the wrist learns to drop so as to release tension?

5. Results: Evidence from the transcripts indicates that as Debbie tries to understand what her student finds in the music and help her realize her intentions, Debbie raises questions about teaching and learning more generally, for example: How does one train “what is inside oneself”? How does one cultivate questioning as a “habit of mind”? Do students create relationships to music by asking questions? The transcripts show Debbie focusing attention to many sources in order to address her questions and learn, for example: experiences with former teachers and other students, writings, and her own scores. In examples, we see Debbie listening to her student and to a variety of sources, thereby gaining insights into teaching and learning and into the music.

6. Scholarly Significance: The research is significant because it suggests that by listening, teachers can not only learn to help students but also, can bring themselves to new understanding of their subject matter and of teaching and learning more generally. The presentation will conclude with a list of conditions under which such teacher-listening and learning can occur, which can inform future research on listening in education.

Author

• Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon, Northwestern University