Minds On: Active Listening

Please refer to our Before You Teach guides for resources to support your practice

‍Mental Health 101

Safer Language

Classroom Discussion Guide

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This activity can also be found within the lesson Golden Rule #3: Hear Them Out

This activity focuses on the importance of active listening, especially when someone shares a mental health struggle.

Slide Deck

Minds On: Active Listening Slide Deck ⤓

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Videos

Golden Rule #3 | Unsolicited Advice (Again) Youtube Short ⤓

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Handouts

Minds On: Active Listening Extension Activity ⤓

• Video 
• Discussion 
• Optional: Additional reflection activity

Note: All parts of the lesson procedure can be found in the slide deck provided.

Minds On: Active Listening Slide Deck ⤓

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Step 1: Media

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Show your students the video

Golden Rule #3 | Unsolicited Advice (Again) Youtube Short ⤓

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Display the transcript on the board/screen for discussion:

Caption: “when you vent to your friends and they start giving unsolicited advice”

Voiceover: “Thank you so much for this. Um, it was entirely unhelpful, but I thank you nevertheless.”

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Step 2: Discussion

What message is this video trying to convey?

• Possible student response:“The importance of listening, not giving unsolicited advice; sometimes people just want to be heard, not told what to do”

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Have you ever experienced a situation where you just wanted someone to listen and you didn’t feel you were being heard, or that the person was more focused on telling you what to do than listening to what you wanted/needed? How did that make you feel?

• Possible student responses:“Yes. It was frustrating. I felt like they didn’t care about me or what I was going through.” “No, but I imagine that I would feel frustrated or annoyed. I probably wouldn’t want to share my problems with them again.” 

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Have you ever offered advice when it wasn’t asked for? How did the other person respond/receive this advice? What could you have done differently? What could you have said or done instead?

• Possible student responses: “Yes. I don’t really remember how they responded. Now I would try not to give advice unless they ask. I’d ask more questions to show I want to hear more about how they are feeling.” “Not that I can think of, but now I wouldn’t give advice unless they want it (and say so). I’d try to ask open-ended questions to find out more about what’s going on and how I can support them.”

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Why is active listening so important, particularly when someone is sharing a mental health struggle with you?

• Possible student responses: “Talking about your mental health can be really difficult to start with. If it feels like the person isn’t listening, they might hesitate to share with you—or anyone—again in the future.” “If they feel like no one is really listening, they might not open up to anyone again, and that’s not good. Talking and getting help is really important.”

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Additional Activity: Reflection

(10-15 minutes)

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Minds On: Active Listening Extension Activity ⤓

If you would like to extend the Minds On activity above, you can have your students reflect upon one of the quotations below and submit a journal response or share as part of a class discussion. 

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Ask your students to choose one or more of the quotations below to respond to in a journal entry. 

Prompts (if needed):

• What does this quotation make you think about? 
• What does this quotation make you feel?
• What ideas do you agree or disagree with? Explain.
• What about this quotation resonates with you? Why?

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“Sometimes all a person wants is an empathetic ear; all [they need] is to talk it out. Just offering a listening ear and an understanding heart for [their] suffering can be a big comfort.”

― Roy T. Bennett

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“There’s magic in being seen by people who understand—it gives you permission to keep going.”

― Alok Vaid-Menon

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“If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive.”

― Brené Brown

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“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

― Ralph G. Nichols

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“Listening doesn't always equate to hearing.
Hearing doesn't always lead to understanding
but active listening helps each person
truly ‘see’ the other.”

― Sanjo Jendayi

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Ontario

Healthy Active Living Education, Grade 9 (PPL1O)

C3. Making Connections for Healthy Living

• 3.2 Describe a variety of strategies for coping with or responding to mental health concerns affecting oneself or others (e.g., stress and mood management techniques, identifying ways to seek help for oneself or a friend/ classmate, supporting others who are struggling with their emotional well-being)

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C2. Making Healthy choices

• 2.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the skills and strategies needed to build healthy social relationships 
• ~E.g. actively listening, showing care/concern for others

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Living Skils

• *PS 1.1 use self-awareness and self-monitoring skills to help them understand their strengths and needs, recognize sources of stress, take responsibility for their actions, and monitor their own progress as they participate in physical activities, develop movement competence, and acquire knowledge and skills related to healthy living
• *IS 1.3 communicate effectively, using verbal or non-verbal means, as appropriate, and interpret information accurately as they participate in physical activities, develop movement competence, and acquire knowledge and skills related to healthy living (e.g., Healthy Living: demonstrate, through role play, the ability to reach out with compassion to a friend who seems to be struggling emotionally or the ability to use assertiveness skills to respond to situations or comments that might trigger conflict)