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LISTEN WISE
Teach Students to Be Better Listeners
Monica Brady-Myerov
Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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FIRST EDITION
Acknowledgments
I would never have started Listenwise and thus had the experience to write this book if my husband Adam Brady-Myerov hadn't listened to me when I said I had an idea. He didn't poke holes in it or ask whether I was qualified to be an edtech entrepreneur, he just listened and said “Go for it.” I want to thank him for always listening. And to my children, who have taught me so much, thank you for your love, support, and patience.
I want to thank many people for helping me with this book. Thank you to my sister Liz Witherspoon for editing as I wrote and being so supportive. Thanks to Aja Frost, a former intern and friend, for helping me first get the ideas on paper. I want to thank Alistair Van Moere, the Director of Product for MetaMetrics, for co-writing the chapter on assessing listening. Also thanks to Heather Koons of MetaMetrics for her contributions to the listening and reading chapter. Christin Wheeler, a reading specialist, shared valuable insights with me. Rachel Kramer Theodorou, a professor at Brandeis University, contributed her expertise with English learners. My team at Listenwise has been a huge help and inspiration. I could never have done this without Karen Gage, my business partner and friend. Dr. Marielle Palombo, Director of Curriculum, provided valuable insights and many, many edits to the book. Without team members Adam Buchbinder, Chelsea Murphy, Erica Petersen, Matt Pini, and Vicki Krupp I never would have learned so much about listening as we grew the company together. Thank you to the many teachers who have provided their insights and stories for this book, especially Jim Bentley and Scott Petri.
Thank you to my mother for telling me I could do anything I wanted and pushing me to do it. And to my father for asking me to read him the New York Times while he drove. Reading out loud to my father launched me on this path and I dedicate this book to his memory.
Introduction
My students don't listen!
That's what almost every teacher says when I tell them that, after a career as an NPR reporter, I have started an education company focused on listening. They tell me they must repeat themselves when explaining how the Civil War got started. Or demonstrate a math concept over and over. They give simple homework directions in multiple ways. They call out to students many times before they have their attention. They lament that their students are poor listeners.
Might every student struggle with this most basic skill? Listening. If you were to stop a hundred teachers at an education conference and ask them this question, as I have, you will find that yes, listening is something that teachers report most students don't know how to do well. And teachers are at a loss for what to do about it. This book will help.
Listening is a skill that can be modeled, taught, and improved. I have learned this on my journey from an award-winning public radio reporter to the founder of an education technology start-up called Listenwise, a website for K–12 teachers that uses the power of audio stories to advance listening and literacy skills in all students.