Slow Down! I Can't Listen As Fast As You Talk!

Via the Dyslexia Tutor:

Ray Hull, Audiology professor at Wichita State University, tells new teachers that the trick to get children to listen is simple. Just slow down.

From the WSU newswire:

Some learning difficulties in children may be the result of too many adults talking too fast. Wichita State University audiologist Ray Hull says that adults generally speak at a rate of 160-170 words per minute, but a young child's central nervous system can only process speech at a rate of about 124 words per minute.

The Wichita Star online edition:

The gap between what a child hears and what he or she understands can appear to parents and teachers as inattention or outright defiance.

“If teachers would slow down, they would be less frustrated, the children would be less frustrated, and children would learn with greater ease,” Hull said.

An interview with Ray Hull.
Ray Hull's CV.

 

Comments

[ms_teacher]

Not only is it important for us to slow down (something that I'm going to be even more aware of thank you!), but it also helps to allow children to have wait time after a question has been asked. Too often, teachers are afraid of dead air, so they rush kids to respond.