Class Activity: Do We All Hear the Same Thing?

[#1]

Goal: To demonstrate to students the subjectivity of listening.

Time: 10 minutes

1.   Pass out a blank sheet of paper to each student.

2.   Ask students to close their eyes and keep them closed and follow the following directions:

     a.   Fold the paper in half.

     b.  Fold it in half again.

     c.   Tear off the top-left hand corner

     d.  Fold the paper in half again.

     e.   Tear off the bottom-right corner.

     f.   Tear a semi-circle off the top-right corner.

     g.   Unfold the paper once.

     h.  Tear off the bottom-left corner.

3.   Have students open their eyes and open the paper to see their design.

4.   Ask students to compare their papers to see how many have the same design.

5.   Discuss with students what factors would affect these results. If everyone heard the same thing, why are some of the papers different? Ask for examples of a time several people heard the same thing but later disagreed on what was heard. How can active listening help reduce these errors?