From “What?” to “Got It!”: Supporting Listening & Attention in the Classroom
Helping children move from confusion to confidence at school.
💬 When “What?” Happens More Than Once
Many parents hear this after school:
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“I didn’t hear.”
“I forgot.”
Sometimes it looks like distraction.
Sometimes it looks like not listening.
Sometimes it’s labelled as behaviour.
But often, what sits underneath repeated “What?” moments is something more specific:
listening and language processing demands.
🧠 Listening Is More Than Hearing
Listening in a classroom is not just about ears working properly.
It involves:
- Processing spoken language quickly
- Holding instructions in working memory
- Filtering background noise
- Understanding vocabulary and sentence structure
- Staying focused long enough to act
When any part of this chain feels overloaded, children may appear inattentive — even when they’re trying hard.
Guidance from the Victorian Government explains that language difficulties can affect how students understand instructions, organise ideas, and participate in classroom learning — and that these challenges can sometimes appear as inattention or behaviour concerns.
👉 https://www.vic.gov.au/supporting-students-language-difficulties
🧩 What Listening Difficulties Can Look Like
Listening and attention challenges don’t always look dramatic. They often appear subtly in everyday classroom routines.
| What you might see | What could be happening |
|---|---|
| “What?” repeated frequently | Processing time needed |
| Starts task incorrectly | Missed part of instructions |
| Appears distracted | Cognitive overload |
| Finishes last | Working memory strain |
| Emotional frustration | Effort outweighs success |
💛 Important reminder:
This is not laziness.
It is often the brain working harder than it should have to.
🏫 Why Classrooms Are Especially Demanding
Classrooms are fast-paced environments.
Children are expected to:
- Listen while others talk
- Ignore background noise
- Process multi-step instructions
- Shift attention quickly
- Respond immediately
For some children, that’s manageable.
For others, it’s exhausting.
When listening requires extra effort, attention often fades — not because the child doesn’t care, but because their cognitive resources are stretched.
🏡 How to Support Listening & Attention (Without Pressure)
Support doesn’t mean making things harder.
It means making language clearer.
Here are simple strategies that can help:
1️⃣ Shorten instructions
Instead of:
“Take out your book, turn to page 14, underline the heading and answer questions 1–5.”
Try:
“Take out your book.”
(Pause.)
“Turn to page 14.”
2️⃣ Use visual supports
Write key steps on the board.
Use “First/Then” prompts.
Show rather than only tell.
3️⃣ Check understanding gently
Instead of:
“Were you listening?”
Try:
“Tell me what the first step is.”
4️⃣ Allow processing time
Some children need a few extra seconds to respond.
Silence can be supportive.
5️⃣ Reduce background overload
Homework time in a quieter space can reveal whether listening difficulty is about attention — or about environment.
💛 A Strengths-Based Perspective
Children with listening challenges are often:
- Thoughtful
- Creative
- Deep processors
- Strong visual learners
When instructions are adjusted and expectations become clearer, confidence grows quickly.
The goal isn’t to change how a child learns.
It’s to reduce unnecessary load so they can show what they know.
🌱 From “What?” to “Got It!”
When listening feels manageable, participation improves.
When participation improves, confidence follows.
Small adjustments in how we give instructions can create big shifts in how children experience school.
If you’re noticing repeated “What?” moments, that’s not a failure —
it’s information.
And information is the first step toward support.
📌 Save This Post
Save this blog to revisit when school routines feel overwhelming.
Small changes early can make the classroom feel lighter — and learning feel possible.
