In elementary, we spend time during the beginning of the year setting expectations and norms to build a healthy and welcoming classroom community. Best practice tells us to continue to reinforce these norms throughout the year—not just in September.
We often focus on oral communication early on, particularly active listening, as a means to ensure all voices are heard and valued. But did you know that the Ontario Language Curriculum doesn’t actually define “active listening”?
Here’s what it does say:
Effective Listening Skills
B1.1 use effective listening skills, including listening attentively and asking relevant questions, in formal and informal contexts, including conversations and classroom activities
— Grade 1, Ontario Language Curriculum (2023)
It does not define “active listening” as eyes on the speaker, mouth closed, hands in lap, sitting criss-cross with a calm body. Yet, the number of posters, anchor charts, classroom displays, and behaviour expectations across classrooms that frame it this way.
Some Considerations — Thinking Critically About Listening Norms
Let’s consider a few things. Are the ways we define and assess listening in our classrooms actually inclusive? Are they developmentally appropriate? Are they culturally responsive?
Here are a few questions to reflect on:
1. Do students need to look at the speaker to listen?
2. How are students sitting?
3. How are we measuring listening?
4. Are we privileging dominant cultural norms?
Instead of teaching a one-size-fits-all version of active listening, we can:
- Model and co-create with students what listening looks like, sounds like, and feels like—acknowledging that it may vary by person
- Encourage self-awareness: “What helps you listen and focus best?”
- Prioritize authentic communication over performative behaviour.
Final Thoughts
As educators, our role is not just to teach curriculum, but to teach it in a way that honours identity, culture, and individual needs. Let’s move beyond posters and routines, and into a more inclusive, responsive approach to oral communication and classroom participation.
