Why listening and interpersonal skills?
| The importance of listening and interpersonal skills has long been recognised in vocational programmes such as medicine, teaching, social work etc. These skills have also gained an increasing profile across other disciplines as employability becomes a key success indicator for graduates. |
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| Student personal development planning has encouraged a more holistic approach to thinking about ‘graduateness’ in the new millennium. It has also provided opportunities for identifying the skills required to be a successful learner and an effective, well rounded graduate. |
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The softer skills of listening, engaging in, or facilitating conversations and relating to others are the corner stones of success in our more socially collaborative learning and teaching environment, whether in a traditional classroom or virtually.
It is the development of these skills that this website aims to support.
Who is the website for?
How is the website organised?
Who is the website for?
We have developed a comprehensive source of quality, peer reviewed learning materials from across the sector and created new, tailor made resources designed for both staff and students.
Academic staff to use with students
- The majority of the resources on this site are for use by both staff and students although some are clearly marked as teaching resources. The teaching resources provide reusable learning objects in the shape of workshop exercises and electronic or paper based activities specifically designed to help teachers plan learning programmes.
Students to use independently
- There are a whole range of activities and links to resources designed to help students improve their ability to interact and relate effectively with others, whether in an educational or social setting. These resources are designed to be used independently or collaboratively.
How is the website organised?
We have divided our learning material into four categories:-
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to highlight how effective listening underpins communication in social and educational situations. |
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to explore topics such as interpersonal communication and non-verbal behaviour. |
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to develop techniques to establish rapport and improve interpersonal relationships through communication. |
| Interpersonal skills in a virtual world
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to consider the impact that new web technologies have on students who are making increasing use of virtual worlds to communicate and establish relationships. |
Within each of these four categories there is a submenu that provides an overview of the category along with a varied range of learning resources under four specific headings:
| Interactive activities
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to provide a range of stimulating interactive activities relating to the topic. These activities are designed to be used independently or as part as a predefined learning programme. |
| Interesting websites |
to provide links to a range of qualified websites that include information which is relevant and specific to the topic. New websites are added on a regular basis ensuring that the most up-to-date developments within the area can be accessed from this site. |
| Related articles and books |
to provide links or references to relevant articles and books that offer additional information and perspectives. |
Teaching resources
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to provide a range of reusable learning objects that can be used in isolation or embedded within personalised learning programmes. Mainly generic in nature, the resources can be modified to provide a more discipline specific activity or exercise where appropriate. One of the main teaching resources referred to throughout this website is the 'Making group-work work', web-based resource. Developed by three LearnHigher partners, including the University of Leeds, this interactive video resource considers all the aspects of listening and interpersonal skills in a group-work situation. Click on the picture to the left to access the resource which was launched in January 2008. Additional resources are added to each episode of the resource on a regular basis. |
Moving back to the main menu, the section on theory and practice contains a literature review and will be developed to include additional topics relating to research and evaluation.
The LearnHigher blog creates a link a back to the main LearnHigher site where a blog gives users the opportunity to contribute to ongoing and new discussions. The blog involves issues concerning Listening and Interpersonal Skills as well as the other learning areas within the LearnHigher network.
