Listening With Legos: Listening Comprehension

Subject(s): Communications/Marketing

Duration: 40-45 minutes

Set-up:  Remind your students that learning to listen can be challenging because many of use have spent years trying to get our own messages across rather than fully understanding someone else.   Active listening requires (1) that you focus on the speaker and their message; (2) attempt to both understand and remember accurately what message was given; and (3) respond appropriately to the message.

Description: Students team up with a partner. They set up their work area so they are sitting back to back and cannot see each other's work space. Each partner gets a bag of lego pieces; each partner’s bag has identical pieces.. They take turns building a structure of their choice and giving oral directions to their partners to build the identical structure. They cannot turn around at any time during the exercise!  They cannot ask questions or for clarifications.  They cannot show each other their completed structure until the end of each exercise.  Do the activity at least twice per person if you have time.

Goals: Students will become aware of the pitfalls of oral communication and learn importance of “active
 listening.

Objectives: Students will be able to improve on their skills as the lesson progresses. The better their partner does constructing the legos according to the instructions given, the better job the partner is doing giving the directions.

Materials: baggies of lego pieces---each team must have identical pieces in their bags.

Procedure:
1. Give each team materials.
2. Position themselves so they cannot see each other's work space---back to back works well.
3. One member builds a structure from his pieces.
4. He then gives the partner oral instructions on how to duplicate his structure.
5. Neither may look at each other's work until the end of the exercise.
6. The person building cannot ask questions---just must follow directions.
7. Compare structures and then switch roles.
8. Do the activity at least twice.

Assessment: How well the structures are duplicated!

Follow-up:  How well the structures are duplicated will give insight into the ability of the students to communicate effectively. Discuss the problems that came up and how to solve them. Apply the discussion to writing a process analysis--- what points are important to remember?

Sharon F. McPherson
Port Jervis High School
Port Jervis, New York
( This plan was based on a lesson plan by Carol Szabo from Elgin Community College)