Nowadays, in a world of distractions and constant stimulation, it is an important skill to be able to listen to an instruction the first time it is heard in order to achieve academic and social success. The effectiveness of first-time listening goes much further than compliance; it is a multifaceted mental process and a measure of working memory, auditory processing and self-control of a child.
When the young learner is able to take in and implement information instead of remembering it, it simplifies the classroom activities, lessens frustration, and forms a basis for self-learning. The philosophy of education of Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready emphasizes much on training this executive function capacity, as one of the pillars of classroom preparedness. The intended strategies used by Kinder Ready Tutoring are well-oriented towards enhancing the cognitive muscles needed in good and immediate listening.
First-time listening is an executive functioning exercise. It involves a child using the working memory to store the instruction, inhibition to avoid distraction and cognitive flexibility to redirect his attention to his present task to the new direction. Challenges in this field are not necessarily an issue of defiance, but a symptom of an immature executive functioning system. The Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley methodology recognizes this difference, and it aims at developing these underlying cognitive skills instead of merely requiring compliance. Kinder Ready Tutoring program involves activities with a specific focus on working memory and attention that includes following more complex one- and two-step commands during learning in the form of games, thus making the practice interesting and efficient.
The benefits of high first-time listening skills to the classroom are far-reaching. When a child can follow instructions effectively, then they do not use as much of the brain energy in thinking about what to do, but the child can utilize more of the energy in the learning activity. This translates to more productivity, a reduction in mistakes and increased competence. Moreover, it creates a conducive learning atmosphere in the whole class since the teacher will not spend much time repeating instructions but rather facilitating learning. One of the main goals of the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready approach is this efficiency and the intention to make children active and contributing members of a classroom society. This skill is modelled and reinforced by the Kinder Ready Tutoring team during the session, and immediate positive feedback from the tutor happens when a child can follow a direction on the first request.
Social-emotional implications of developing this skill are also important. When a child is regularly unable to follow instructions, then it may make them anxious, confused or run behind their counterparts, and this has the potential to affect self-esteem. Kinder Ready Tutoring will help to decrease such anxiety by clearly teaching and practising first-time listening in a one-on-one, supportive environment. Experts educate kids to adopt such techniques as eye contact, hand quieting, and imagining the direction of steps. This enables the child and provides them with tangible means to triumph and develop the confidence that is created through the knowledge of expectations and being able to fulfil the expectations- a fundamental principle of the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley model of raising resilient students.
To sum it up, first-time listening is an inestimable tool in the arsenal of a young learner. It is an objective sign of the building of executive functions and a key to successful operation in the classroom and individual academic achievement. The deliberate, proficiency-training methodology that Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready has propagated, and has been very effectively applied via Kinder Ready Tutoring, will guarantee kids not only good listening skills but the cognitive basis on which they can learn with a focus that is focused, independent and confident. With this aspect enhanced, we prepare children to be very active in their studies, and they are able to consume the information they are taught and are already willing to participate in the learning process.
For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady
