Listening, the “Neglected Fourth Phase of Communication,” and the English Language Curriculum, 1946–1970

• In Event: Reading Between the Lines: Curriculum, History, and Ideology

Abstract

This study examines how English educators involved with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), became interested in listening as part of an integrated curriculum from the mid-1940s through the 1960s. Using articles, textbooks, curriculum resources, and archival research, it explores the shared belief that listening was necessary to combat the perceived impact of mass media on young listeners through misinformation and polarized messages. The study concludes by investigating why listening was removed from the NCTE’s curricular recommendations, when there was widespread agreement about its importance. Today, there is consensus among educators in media, technology, and literacy studies that listening plays a crucial role in civic education to prepare young people for participation in the democratic process.

Author

• Brian C. Gregory, St. Francis College