Learning to Listen – Something we take for granted !

June 24th, 2008 10:38 pm by RTPA

A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old Arnav asked him,
“If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many
apples will you have?”Within a few seconds Arnav replied confidently,
“Four!” The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct
answer (three). She was disappointed. “Maybe the child did not
listen properly,” she thought. She repeated, “Arnav, listen carefully.
If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many
apples will you have?” Arnav had seen the disappointment on his
teacher’s face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him
he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy.
His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one
that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied,
“Four…” The disappointment stayed on the teacher’s face.
She remembered that Arnav liked strawberries. She thought
maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him loose focus.
This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her
eyes she asked, “If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry
and one strawberry, then how many you will have?”
Seeing the teacher happy, young Arnav calculated on his fingers again.
There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher.
She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating
smile young Arnav enquired, “Three?” The teacher now had a
victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted
to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once
again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one
apple and one more apple how many will you have?” Promptly
Arnav answered, “Four!” The teacher was aghast.
“How Arnav, how?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated
voice. In a voice that was low and hesitating young Arnav
replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”
“When someone gives you an answer that is different from
what you expect don’t think they are wrong.
There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all.
You will have to listen and understand, but never listen
with a predetermined notion.”