ABSTRACT
The teacher said that this incident had changed his views about the value of listening to pupils. He realised that if he had used his usual technique of shouting at the boy this would have probably made matters worse. The boy’s poor behaviour may well have continued, creating more disruption in the classroom. But, more importantly, the boy would not have been encouraged to express his feelings and would have been left in emotional turmoil. By using active listening, the teacher had made the boy feel that his problems were acknowledged and that someone cared about him and understood what he was going through.
