Blog Post #1

Blog Post #1
Listening to Learn


'If we strive for dialogic engagement in our listening, our opportunities for learning increase, and, by listening to learn, we can begin to enact change in the world and our relationships with others."(Warren 76) As I read more of Chapter 4 in the communication book, I have begun to learn more about culture and how people communicate. I have never really though of how a teacher communicates with a student can change the way that they learn; I thought it was all about the content of the teaching. The text makes a point that the way that you communicate with a teacher can really change the way that you learn. 

The more you converse with your professor and the more you try and learn with them, the better you will understand the subject. There is an article by Karen Hinett from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and it states the following, "The way in which feedback is communicated appears to significantly affect the interpretations made by students and subsequently to what extent feedback is likely to contribute to improved learning." (Hinett par. 21) What that is saying is that the more feedback that professors give to students, the more likely they are to improve in their learning. This is a result of them listening to learn. They want to know how to improve their work and when a teacher tells them what they are doing wrong and how to improve it, that helps the student tremendously.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000000768.htm 

In my own personal experience, I have noticed that conversing with my professor and asking for feedback has greatly improved my learning experience. I have been able to fix what I have done incorrectly and that results in me not making that mistake again in other classes. I think when you listen to learn it really creates a space in your mind where you are more open to improving yourself and in the end that is what leaning is all about. You learn to improve your knowledge and if thats the case, why not just get the most out of that experience.