The Art of Listening, Pausing and Reflecting.
‘As well as needing firm control over reading, writing, and speaking in
English to ensure their success in college, English as a Second Language
(ESL) students must cope with the challenge of comprehending academic
Lectures.’ (Murphy, 1987)
This quote resonates with me and forms part of the learning cycle of some of the students that I support at UAL. One of my roles within academic support is to encourage and nurture the academic development of students. When I was first introduced to a Masters (MA) course at UAL many students had English as their second language (ESL). There was a vacant look of despair on the students faces when information was delivered. I felt unprepared for this limited interaction.
The challenges of listening to and understanding dialogue is an obstacle for some of my MA students. For ESL students getting accustomed to the English culture is already challenging, they also find sometimes communicating with their peers and lecturers difficult.
Some of my MA students have commented during one-to-one tutorials the difficulties they face in understanding tasks and the reluctancy to ask for help.
‘I am embarrassed to ask, for I feel I should know this.’ (UAL, 2024)
I hope to highlight some of the barriers that some of my MA (ESL) students face when entering a learning space and how I can put new strategies and scaffolding in place as part of my planning.
International and home students are supported with language and academic support; however, there are sometimes little or no time for students to listen at a slower pace, reflect, pause and absorb information due to busy classroom schedules. According to Holmes (2022, P.1) ‘To reduce feelings of time scarcity, classrooms should have a predictable rhythm of regular assignments, a clear syllabus, meaningful assignments, and no busywork.’
Murphy (1987) explores the notion that listening has a major part to play for ESL students in understanding the English language. Having opportunities to pause and allow breaks in between information allows for a deeper understanding of tasks. This is an important part of planning for learning.
Plans and Support for student learning
As a result, my approach and next steps is to allow more time for reflection as part of my support and planning. I have actioned this by allowing time within my workshops for students to absorb information. I have also tried to incorporate more imagery to support text, unpack complicated wording, provide discussions, pauses in between tasks, and encouragement of group work so that they can receive peer support. This is a part of my inclusive practice.
Figure 1: An example of using images to illustrate text. (Smith, 2025)
Figure 2: An example of using images to illustrate text. (Smith, 2025)
Figure 3: An example of allowing pauses in my workshop. (Smith, 2025)
Figure 4: An example of discussing words and working as a group for peer support. (Smith, 2025)
Figure 5: An example of defining words after peer discussion to allow for further clarity. (Smith, 2025)
Offering a Q and A Padlet where students can answer questions anonymously and they can learn from their peers.
Figure 6: An example of where students can answer questions using Padlet anonymously. (Smith, 2025).
Offering this support in my planning also has its disadvantages; this means more workload for me and extra resources. This occasionally means that all information may not be unpacked within a session. In my planning I must also ensure that my English-speaking students are also challenged and supported. The art of listening and offering supportive pauses to allow space for learning to take place is something we can all benefit from both, students and educators alike.
References
Holmes, M., 2022. Time Scarcity and Student Performance: Instructional Strategies for Busy Adult Online Students. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 48(3), p.1
[London College of Communications] (2024) [London College of Communications] One to One Tutorial. London: [London College of Communications]. Unpublished.
Murphy, J.M. (1987). The Listening Strategies of English as a Second Language College Students. Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, [online] 4(1), pp.27–46. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/42801714.
Smith, G. (2025) ‘Collaboration’ [Presentation slides]. PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx (17th March 2025)
Image References:
Fig. 1: An example of using images to illustrate text.
Smith, G. (2025). ‘Collaboration Skills’ [Presentation Slides]
PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx ( Accessed 17March 2025)
Fig. 2: An example of using images to illustrate text.
Smith, G. (2025). ‘Collaboration Skills’ [Presentation Slides]
PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx ( Accessed 17March 2025)
Fig. 3: An example of allowing pauses in my workshop.
Smith, G. (2025). ‘Collaboration Skills’ [Presentation Slides]
PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx ( Accessed 17March 2025)
Fig. 4: An example of discussing words and working as a group for peer support.
Smith, G. (2025). ‘Collaboration Skills’ [Presentation Slides]
PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx ( Accessed 17March 2025)
Fig. 5: An example of defining words after peer discussion to allow for further clarity. (2025).
Smith, G. (2025). ‘Collaboration Skills’ [Presentation Slides]
PU002308: Collaboration Unit. Available at: MA Design for Data Visualisation Collaboration skills 2025.pptx ( Accessed 17March 2025)
Figure 6: An example of where students can answer questions using Padlet anonymously. (2025). Available at: https://padlet.com/gsmith326/cts1-ba-gmd-academic-research-5ewee0on6nyntirt (Accessed 17 March 2025)