Active Listening for the 21st Century Learners

My students come to school every day eager to learn, and excited to READ! Over 90% of students come from immigrant families, whose parents do not speak or read in English. Their families work tirelessly to help guarantee their access to education, but many are not read to at home, or do not have access to children's literature, except for at school.

An update listening center with bluetooth headphones would allow them to select from a wide variety of children's books to listen to on a recording, while I run guided reading and writing groups with differentiated student groups.

As we continue into the 21st century, education is moving away from a "one size fits all" approach, recognizing the diverse and unique needs of the students in our classrooms today. Research has also shown that they way in which people learn best varies dramatically from one student to the next. Having a listening center is a way to open up the doors for students to learn in a multitude of ways, providing both student choice, as well as allowing time for the teacher to meat with specific students and provided targeted, direct instruction that tailors to their own specific learning needs.

Lastly, hearing the animated voices of authors reciting classic literature stories is something engaging for all children, and is one of the most popular choices for literature centers. Having 8 new sets of headphones will allow for MORE children to participate in this activity. The bluetooth technology will open up a wider library of recorded literature, which I will be able to access and control from my computer, phone and iPad. This will give students more options for books, and will also cut down on transition time, untangling of headphones and other such complications of a second grade classroom.