Listening Well

This scenario looks at Core Skill A2: Listening well and knowing when to make suggestions for young people's reading.

Setting the Scene

You are a library assistant in a busy public library. It's the summer holidays and the Summer Reading Challenge is underway. Children are streaming into the library, with parents, brothers and sisters and friends, to talk about their books and get their stickers to put in their collectors' wallets. It's busy and buzzy as a family group of three children comes in to talk about their reading. What steps do you take to give this group some undivided reading attention?

Think what you might do and choose one of the strategies below which is closest to what you are thinking.

What steps do you take to give this group some undivided reading attention?

Option Description 
A Go to the children with a big smile and say: "Hi, great books! What did you think about them?" Then move them to the focal point you've made for summer reading. Let them tell you what they think about the books for 10 minutes or so, avoiding distractions like having to answer the phone or feeling pressured by adult customers, or even parents in a hurry.
B Listen to what they thought of their books as you serve other customers. You tell them how well they are doing and issue them with their stickers.
C Welcome the children and go with them to the Reading Challenge Point, then find out how long each child took to read their book and find out how much they really read and understood.