Good listening skills are not only crucial to formal and informal learning, they are also the cornerstones for building good interpersonal relationships at work and in social situations. Specifically, effective listening skills can help teachers achieve some of the MOE's desired outcomes of education for Singapore pupils, namely, think for and express themselves work in teams and value every contribution think independently and creatively seek, process and apply knowledge. Active listening is a slull which can help pupils learn through worlung cohesively in a group, by finding out what others know and helping one another develop and reshape ideas. They are seldom taught or encouraged to listen actively and purposefully.

However, when it comes to teaching, speaking appears to take precedence over listening in the classroon~.Pupils are always encouraged to 'speak up' in class, particularly during group work, in order to demonstrate understanding and contribute ideas. Nobody will deny that listening and speaking should play a key role in an individual's learning process. More importantly, as co-operative learning makes advances in classrooms, listening to one another becomes another important way of leanling for pupils in both primary and secondary schools. It is just as important for pupils in schools.' Consider the amount of time pupils spend listening to their teachers each day, and you can appreciate the need to help pupils develop good listening slulls and habits in English. Listwing has long been a means of learning in tertiary education where lectures, seminars and tutorials are still the most common modes for the delivery of content and the exchange of ideas.

Studies have shown that we spend at least 40% of our communication time engaged in listening, and the rest of the time speahng, reading and writing (Wolvin and Coakely, 1996). Listening is the most frequently used communication skill. LEARNING TO LISTEN Review by Christine C. The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. This document or any part of it may not be duplicated and/or distributed without permission of the copyright owner. This document may be used for private study or research purpose only.

M REACT, 1999(2), 44‐53 National Institute of Education (Singapore)

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