Tell me more – On the fine art of listening By Brenda Ueland

Posted on December 5, 2003 Updated on August 29, 2026

Reflection on an article

(1327 words)The Role of Listening in the Classroom

This essay reflects on the attitudes and responsibilities of listeners within the classroom environment. Although Brenda Ueland’s article does not specifically address teaching, completing the SIT TESOL course has encouraged me to consider more deeply the qualities and attitudes that a teacher should demonstrate. Ueland’s article invites readers to reflect on the importance of listening and, in particular, on the attitude a listener should adopt towards others. This is particularly relevant in a classroom context, where students are often required to express their ideas in a language in which they may not yet be proficient. Therefore, the central question raised by both Ueland’s article and this reflection is: Are you a good listener?

To begin with, I agree with Ueland’s observation that when people are genuinely listened to, “ideas actually begin to grow within us.” In a classroom context, this can be applied to situations in which a student has something to contribute and the teacher provides them with the opportunity to speak while encouraging them to develop and expand upon their response. Through attentive listening, the teacher can help students develop their ideas and use the English language with greater depth and confidence. This contrasts somewhat with Ueland’s opening argument concerning how “we don’t listen to our children or those we love.” While I understand the point she is making, I believe that there is a distinction between not listening and listening without sufficient attention. People may listen to others but fail to do so attentively. In a classroom, for example, a teacher may appear to listen to a student but be primarily focused on completing the lesson, maintaining the planned pace, or simply moving on because the student has already answered the question.

This does not necessarily mean that the teacher is being deliberately rude or dismissive. Rather, it may reflect the competing demands placed upon teachers during a lesson. Nevertheless, these situations provide an opportunity for teachers to reconsider their attitudes towards listening. When students are given opportunities to speak, the teacher should consider whether the interaction can be extended in a meaningful way. By becoming a more attentive and courteous listener, the teacher can encourage students to elaborate on their ideas, take greater risks with the language, and develop their confidence in communicating in English. Consequently, listening should not be viewed as a passive activity but as an important component of language teaching.

It could also be argued that some teachers may dominate classroom interaction because they are comfortable speaking and enjoy controlling the flow of the lesson. In doing so, they may unintentionally restrict students’ opportunities to participate. Ueland alludes to this when she argues that “these brilliant performers, by not giving us a chance to talk, do not let us express our thoughts and expand.” This observation is particularly relevant to teaching because a teacher may believe that they are delivering an effective lesson while failing to recognise that their own level of participation is preventing students from speaking. If students have limited opportunities to contribute, the teacher may mistakenly interpret their silence as a lack of knowledge, motivation, or interest rather than considering whether the classroom environment itself is contributing to their reluctance to speak.

Ueland’s description of a “creative fountain” within each person is also relevant to this issue. Students need sufficient time and encouragement to develop their ideas before they can express them effectively. In a language-learning environment, this can be particularly challenging because students may have an idea but lack the vocabulary or grammatical knowledge required to communicate it immediately. Providing clear, well-modelled instructions and specific objectives can therefore help students understand what is expected of them. When students have a clear focus, they are more likely to know what they should discuss and can devote greater attention to formulating their responses. At this point, the teacher’s role as a listener becomes particularly important. Rather than immediately correcting or completing a student’s response, the teacher can demonstrate what Ueland describes as “quiet fascinated attention” and allow the student sufficient time to develop their thoughts.

The process of formulating ideas can be challenging for many students, particularly those with limited vocabulary. However, even students with a relatively broad vocabulary may struggle to retrieve the appropriate words at the moment they need them. I have personally experienced situations in which I knew a particular word in Thai but could not immediately remember its English equivalent, only to recall it later. The same difficulty can occur when students attempt to construct sentences or explain an idea. This experience has helped me understand Ueland’s observation that a person’s speech may initially be “little dry and meager” before they begin to think more deeply and reveal their “true self.” In the classroom, students may therefore require time to move beyond their initial hesitation before they are able to communicate what they genuinely mean.

One particular classroom experience reinforced this point for me. During one lesson, there was a student who was attempting to explain something to me in English. Another student in the class had been translating much of what I said and, in my view, this was beginning to reduce the other students’ need to understand me directly in English. During a break, the student who was having difficulty approached me because she wanted to explain that she needed to leave and give me a reason. As she attempted to explain her situation, the other student intervened and began translating what she was saying. I politely explained that I wanted the student to communicate the problem herself. However, the other student continued to try to assist when the student struggled to express herself.

I again encouraged the student to explain the situation directly to me. It took approximately five minutes for her to communicate what she wanted to say. Rather than interrupting her or allowing another student to translate, I attempted to remain patient and listen actively. Eventually, she was able to communicate her meaning successfully. This experience demonstrated to me the importance of recognising the difficulties that language learners face and allowing them sufficient time to construct their responses. Although the student was not highly proficient in English, she possessed enough vocabulary to communicate her meaning when given the time and encouragement to do so. By listening attentively and allowing her to continue, I believe I helped create a more relaxed situation in which she could communicate with greater confidence.

This experience also demonstrated that effective listening involves more than simply hearing the words a student produces. It requires patience, attention, and an awareness of the learner’s individual circumstances. A student who initially appears unable to communicate may simply require additional processing time or reassurance. If a teacher or another student immediately provides the answer, the learner loses an opportunity to practise language, develop independence, and build confidence. In this sense, listening becomes an active teaching strategy rather than merely a social courtesy.

In conclusion, several of the points raised by Brenda Ueland have encouraged me to reconsider the relationship between listening and teaching. Although her article is not specifically concerned with classroom practice, its discussion of attentive listening has clear relevance to the language-learning environment. Teachers have a responsibility not only to provide instruction but also to create opportunities for students to express themselves. This requires teachers to recognise when they are speaking too much, allowing students insufficient time to formulate ideas, or unintentionally preventing students from developing their own voices.

Ultimately, effective teaching requires more than delivering information. It requires an awareness of how students respond, how they develop their ideas, and how they gain confidence in expressing themselves. Ueland’s discussion has therefore encouraged me to view listening as an essential part of the teacher’s role. By providing students with time, patience, and “quiet fascinated attention,” teachers can create a classroom environment in which students are more willing to speak, develop their ideas, and become more confident users of English.