Listening under development (Lytting under utvikling)

About

The aim of the LUT network is to explore listening and acquisition of listening skills in various ways and contexts, including children’s development, kindergarten teachers' receptiveness, listening in society, and listening in general.

Focus areas

Children’s acquisition and development of listening skills
Listening skills, listening knowledge, and receptiveness among practitioners
Teaching listening and listening skills
Listening as a field of study
Listening knowledge and listening skills in society

Strategy and content

The network’s objective is rooted, in particular, in Focus Area 2, Major Societal Challenges of UiT’s strategy leading up to 2030, Eallju – A Driving Force in the North.

Focus Area 2 highlights, among other things, the ambition that "UiT shall contribute to innovative, demographic, and sustainable solutions to major societal challenges." To achieve this, UiT aims to "develop knowledge, methods, and tools that contribute to solving major societal challenges." This connection can be illustrated as follows:

The project’s work expanding knowledge about listening and exploring how this knowledge can best be applied in practice within kindergartens, is precisely about developing knowledge to create a practical tool; in this context, a tool for fostering listening among children as they develop.

The project employs "pedagogical documentation" to understand listening from a child’s perspective (to the extent possible). While pedagogical documentation is not a new method, its active use as a tool for exploring children’s listening and the development of listening skills is novel.

Pedagogical documentation is also used to gain greater insight into the knowledge that kindergarten staff possess regarding listening and listening skills. It is essential to have an overview of the knowledge and skills of those who work with children, viewed from both a child’s perspective and a societal perspective. Consequently, it is crucial to convey knowledge about listening to, and explore it alongside, kindergarten teacher students and practicing kindergarten teachers.

The project’s initiative incorporating listening activities, specifically listening circles, into instruction, aims to foster students' listening competence. Utilizing listening circles as a tool to enhance this competence could have a positive societal impact, particularly regarding communication and dialogue.

In the work conducted within the kindergarten setting, children are just as central as the staff, a core and vital principle. Viewed from a broader societal perspective, it is essential that children develop strong listening skills; these are necessary for acquiring knowledge, communicating effectively within relationships, and becoming attentive, active listeners and engaged citizens.

The lack of knowledge surrounding listening and listening skills, stemming from society’s tendency to neglect listening in development and education, especially when compared to speaking, reading, and writing, constitutes a significant societal challenge. Consequently, it is important to promote research on listening. The world of children is a logical place to begin this work.

Link to this page

Norwegian

Formålet med LUT-nettverkets arbeid er å utforske lytting og tilegnelse av lytteferdigheter på ulike måter og i ulike sammenhenger, inkludert barns utvikling, barnehagelæreres mottakelighet, lytting i samfunnet og lytting generelt.

Fokusområder

Barns tilegnelse og utvikling av lytteferdigheter
Fagpersoner i praksisfeltet sine lytteferdigheter, lyttekunnskap og lydhørhet
Undervisning i lytting og lytteferdigheter
Lytting som fagfelt
Lyttekunnskap og lytteferdigheter i samfunnet

Nettverkets målsetning er spesielt forankret i innsatsområde 2, De store samfunnsutfordringene, i UiTs strategi mot 2030, Eallju – Drivkraft i nord.

Innsatsområde 2 trekker blant annet frem ambisjonen om at «UiT skal bidra til nyskapende, demografiske og bærekraftige løsninger på store samfunnsutfordringer». For å nå denne ambisjonen skal UiT blant annet «utvikle kunnskap, metoder og virkemidler som bidrar til å løse store samfunnsutfordringer». Forankringen kan illustreres slik:

Prosjektets arbeid med å utvide kunnskapen om lytting og hvordan denne kunnskapen best kan brukes i praksis i barnehagen, handler nettopp om det å utvikle kunnskap for å arbeide fram et virkemiddel, i denne sammenheng til lyttearbeid med barn i utvikling.

Prosjektet benytter pedagogisk dokumentasjon i arbeidet med å forstå lytting i et barneperspektiv (så langt det er mulig). Pedagogisk dokumentasjon er ikke en ny metode, men dens aktive bruk som redskap til utforskning av barns lytting og utvikling av lytteferdigheter, er ny.

Pedagogisk dokumentasjon brukes også i den hensikt å øke innsikten i barnehagepersonalets kunnskaper om lytting og lytteferdigheter. Det er viktig å ha oversikt over kunnskap og ferdigheter hos de som skal arbeide med barn, sett ifra et barneperspektiv så vel som et samfunnsperspektiv. Lyttekunnskap er derfor sentralt å formidle til og utforske sammen med barnehagelærerstudenter og barnehagelærere.

Prosjektets arbeid med å inkludere lyttearbeid (lyttesirkel) i undervisningen, har mål om å fremme studenters lyttekompetanse. Denne fremgangsmåten, å bruke lyttesirkelarbeid som redskap til å øke studenters lyttekompetanse, vil kunne ha en positiv effekt på samfunnet i lys av kommunikasjon og dialog.

I arbeidet gjennomført i barnehagen er barna like sentrale aktører som de i personalet. Dette er et sentralt og viktig prinsipp. Om vi ser dette prinsippet i et samfunnsperspektiv, er det essensielt at barn tilegner seg gode lytteferdigheter for å kunne tilegne seg kunnskap, kommunisere godt i relasjoner, og for å bli aktivt lyttende og oppmerksomme samfunnsborgere.

Manglende kunnskap om lytting og lytteferdigheter, grunnet samfunnets stemoderlige behandling av lytting i utvikling og utdanning, sammenlignet med tale, lesing og skriving, må sies å være en samfunnsutfordring. Lytteforskning er derfor viktig å fremme. Barns verden er ett logisk sted å starte dette arbeidet.

Link to this page

Members

Ingrid C. NordliAssociate Professor (Group leader)

Kristian SkogBarnehagelærer og pedagogisk leder (Educational leader)

Gry Nordhus Eriksen Barnehagelærer og daglig leder (CEO)

Ebele ChukwujamaCEO of The Listening School, Lagos, Nigera

Ebele Chukwujama – CEO of The Listening School, Lagos, Nigera

The Listening School, Lagos, Nigeria

Contact:

Position: CEO of The Listening School, Lagos, Nigera

Homepage: https://thelisteningschool.com

Ebele Chukwujama is an esteemed Chief Executive with more than twenty years of dedicated focus on excellence across Banking, Consulting, and Human Capital Development. Her exceptional career trajectory portrays her as a forward-thinking leader and trailblazer in the realm of Listening Intelligence, a crucial asset in the Banking and Financial Services sector. Being a certified Listening practitioner and a member of the International Listening Association, Ebele brings a unique skill set to the industry. Throughout her illustrious career, she has consistently pursued excellence and comprehended the profound impact of Listening Intelligence on leadership. Ebele has proven her capability to foster growth, innovation, and sustainability in this fiercely competitive arena. Her strategic acumen and visionary leadership have consistently delivered outstanding outcomes, earning her the trust of top financial, communication, and management consulting institutions. A pioneer in Listening Intelligence, Ebele's work has redefined how leaders across various sectors approach communication, collaboration, and customer relationships. Her affiliation with the esteemed John Maxwell Team has further honed her leadership skills, enabling her to introduce innovative solutions to all sectors of the economy. Driven by her passion for Listening Intelligence, Ebele established The Listening School, the first of its kind in Africa. This institution serves as a hub of knowledge and expertise, empowering leaders with the tools to leverage active and deep listening in their professional endeavours. Ebele remains an invaluable asset, offering visionary insights, transformative strategies, and an unwavering commitment to driving success in the realm of Banking, Energy, Telecommunication and Financial Technology Services.

Link to this page

Olaf HusbyPensjonert førsteamanuensis (Retired Associate Professor)

Marit L SundelinAssistant Professor

Elisabeth BarstadAssociate Professor

Agathe Daae-QvaleCounsel, special advisor

Line HusjordAssociate Professor

Henriette LudvigsenAssistant Professor

Marva Shand-McIntoshCertified Listening Professional and Speech Language Pathologist, Washington DC

Jennifer M. GrauPresident of Grau Interpersonal Communication, Michigan

Annfrid Rosøy SteeleAssociate Professor

Projects

Listening across borders

Listening and music

Listening quality

Children’s listening skills

Listening circles

Listening and transcription

Publications

Chukwujama, E. & Nordli, I. C. (2025). Ruby learns to listen. Harmony Publishing. ISBN 978-978-61330-0-3.
Hausa: Ruby Tana Koyon; Igbo: Ruby Na-Amuta Ikge nti; Yoruba: Ruby Ko Lati Tetisile
https://www.thelisteningschool.com/Ruby-Learns-to-Listen

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2024). Lytting i barnehagen [Listening in the kindergarten]. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245050981. https://fagbokforlaget.no/Lytting-i-barnehagen/I9788245050981

Nordli, I. C. (2024). Lyttelæring gjennom lyttesirkel [Listening learning through listening circle]. Læring om læring, 11(1). https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/lol/article/view/5893

Nordli, I. C. (2024). Listening Circle – a path to better listening skills [Lyttesirkel - en vei til bedre lytteferdigheter]. Listening in Education and Training, 1(1), 25-30.

Nordli, I. C. (2023). Hope for listening in education. The ILA Listening Post 2023, 132, s. 5-6.

Nordli, I. C., & Skog, K. (2023). Curiosity, children’s highway to listening skills. In L. A. Ribeiro, J. O. Formosinho, J. Formosinho, & C. Mesquita (Eds.), Children’s curiosity, agency and participation: Challenges for professional action and development: Proceedings of the 31st European Early Childhood Education Research Association’s annual conference (pp. 115–116). European Early Childhood Education Research Association.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2022). Lytte fram forundringsøyeblikk [The search for listening moments of wonder]. Nordisk barnehageforskning, 19(4), 163-182. https://doi.org/10.23865/nbf.v19.238

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2020). Lytting i samlingsstund [Listening during gathering time]. I A. Eriksen & B. Isaksen (Red.), Kunsten å samles [The art of gathering] (p. 114-127). Universitetsforlaget.

Dissemination

Nordli, I. C. & Ebele Chukwujama, E. (2026, 16.-19. September). Listening across boundaries. 47th Annual ILA Convention, virtual.

Nordli, I. C. (2026). Lyttelæring gjennom lyttesirkel [Listening learning through listening circle]. Læringsfestivalen [The Learning festival], NTNU, Norway. https://www.ntnu.no/laeringsfestivalen

Nordli, I. C. (2025). The Music of Language. [#Episode 8.5, audiopodcastepisode] by Michael Gingerich & Tom Kaden (Hosts) on Someone To Tell It To podcast [Internett]. https://www.someonetotellitto.org/podcasts/the-someone-to-tell-it-to-podcast/episodes/2149109092

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2025, 22. - 23. October). Lyttesirkel som redskap for barns medvirkning i pedagogisk praksis [Listening circle as a tool for children's participation in the educational practice]. Norwegian Kindergarten Research Conference [Norsk barnehageforskningskonferanse]. Stavanger, Norway. https://www.uis.no/nb/om-uis/filiorum-senter-for-barnehageforskning/norsk-barnehageforskningskonferanse-2025

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2025, 25. - 28. August). Room for children's voices. Pedagogical documentation using video recordings [Vitenskapelig presentasjon]. European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) 2025: Early Education for all: Celebrating diversity and seeking inclusion. https://2025.eeceraconference.org

Nordli, I. C. (2025). We are not good listeners just because we need to be: What kindergarten kids can teach adults [#Episode 96, audiopodcastepisode] by Raquel Ark (Host) on the Listening Alchemy's Listening SUPERPOWER podcast [Internett]. https://listeningalchemy.com/allgemein/we-are-not-good-listeners-just-because-we-need-to-be-what-kindergarten-kids-can-teach-adults-with-ingrid-c-nordli/

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2025, 30. July - 2. August). Children's listening markers. Responses to and understanding of listening steps [TED-like talk]. 46th Annual ILA Convention, Maryland, Washington D.C.

Nordli, I. C. (2025, 30. January). Presentasjon av boka Lytting i barnehagen av Ingrid C. Nordli & Kristian Skog (2024). Fagbokforlaget. Fagmøte i Barnehagefaglig forskningsnettverk ILP, UiT.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2024, 22. November). Lytting i barnehagen [Listening in the kindergarten]. Fagbokforlaget. Boklansering (book launch), Akademika Tromsø, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Nordli, I. C. (2024, 1. November). Hva er lytting og hvordan bruke lytting som verktøy i undervisning? [Vitenskapelig presentasjon]. Fagdag i regi av God lyd i barnehagen, Universitetet i Stavanger og Hørselshemmedes landsforbund.

Nordli, I. C. (2024, 19. September). Intervju om boka: Lytting i barnehagen [Audiopodcastepisode] v/T. Unstad og H. Habbestad (Programledere) BLUiT-podden [Internett]. https://open.spotify.com/show/5HLSH0KreGQVPhPgSkQWjn?si=a106295961b94e0e&nd=1&dlsi=fcc24df0ab0e4fae

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2024, 3. - 6. September). Listening circle - A tool for learning listening skills [Posterpresentation]. European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) 2024, Brighton, UK.

Nordli, I. C. & Shand McIntosh, M. (2024, 12. - 16. June). Enhancing early listening development. Milestones [Paperpresentation]. 45th Annual ILA Convention, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Nordli, I. C. (2024, 12.-16. June). Listening Circle - a path to better listening skills [Paperpresentation]. 45th Annual ILA Convention, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2024, 6. May). Lyttesirkel - et verktøy for tilegnelse av lytteferdigheter [Listening circle - a tool for aquisition of listening skills]. Fagdag ved Barnehagelærerutdanningen, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Nordli, I. C., & Skog, K. (2023, August 30–September 2). Curiosity, children’s highway to listening skills [Conference presentation]. 31st European Early Childhood Education Research Association’s Annual Conference (EECERA), Cascais, Portugal.

Nordli, I. C. (2023, 15. May). Lytting under utvikling [Listening under development]. Seminar om forskning og utviklingsarbeid i barnehagelærerutdanninga, ILP, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2023, 20. - 21. April). Tid til tid. Lytting under utvikling [Time for time. Listening under development] Konferansepresentasjon, Sosiolingvistisk nettverk (SONE) 2023, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2022, 21. October). Lytting under utvikling. Barns tilegnelse av lytteferdigheter og barnehagepedagogers lydhørhet [Listening under development. Children's acquisition of listening skills and kindergarten teacher's responsiveness]. Barnehagelærerutdanninga 50 år [Posterpresentasjon]. UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Nordli, I. C. & Skog, K. (2021, 18.-19. October). Prosjektpresentasjon: Lytting under utvikling [Project presentation: Listening under development]. FoU-dagene ved Barnehagelærerutdanningen, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

News & activities

19.09.2026

47th Annual ILA Convention 16-19 September 2026 - virtual

05.05.2026

Læringsfestivalen 4-5 May 2026, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

23.10.2025

7. Norsk barnehageforskningskonferanse 22-23 October 2025 [7th Norwegian Kindergarten Research Conference], Stavanger

All news

Information and links to various listening resources

International Listening Association (ILA): https://www.listen.org

The International Listening Association’s mission is to make listening an integral part of global culture and society by uniting, engaging, and inspiring international groups, organizations, and individuals who promote its practice, training, and research in varied fields and contexts. The International Listening Association launched in 1979 to fill a gap in the field of communication and meet the growing need to understand listening. The purpose was simple, “To promote the study and development of effective listening.” Today, the ILA leads an unparalleled global discussion on listening excellence. Continuing in the tradition of our founding members and so many others, the ILA offers listening-focused professionals and organizations opportunities to learn, teach, inspire, and collaborate.

The Global Listening movement: https://globallisteningmovement.org

The Global Listening Movement is a vibrant collective of listening researchers, practitioners, educators, creators, and entrepreneurs dedicated to spreading the transformative power of listening.

Global Listening Centre: https://www.globallisteningcentre.org

The Global Listening Centre (GLC) is a dedicated premier international non-profit organization, which promotes the noble cause of listening worldwide and encourages individuals, organizations and institutions to work together to meet the urgent challenges of society.

I Love to Listen Day, May 16th: https://www.ilovetolisten.com

I Love to Listen Day is a global initiative that is designed to include citizens from every country. It is a day to inspire, inform, practice, and create a heightened sense of awareness of the importance and power of listening in our lives. I Love to Listen Day celebrate its 20th anniversary at the University of Maryland Listening Garden on May 16th 2025. Founder: Marva Shand-MacIntosh. Maryland, Washington DC, USA.

Listening Alchemy: https://listeningalchemy.com

“Listening is the doorway to understanding, the bridge to connections and the foundation of trust.” The purpose is to inspire individuals to integrate listening into what they already do in order to take their work to another level. And when great listening happens, we can all work smarter and feel better. Listening Superpower Podcast: Join host Raquel Ark to become a better communicator by listening more effectively and in surprising ways. Let’s work smarter and feel better together. Founder: Raquel Ark, Germany.

The Listening School: https://thelisteningschool.com

The Listening School enables people apply effective listening strategies that enhance relationships, promote real time problem solving and increase productivity. Founder: Ebele Chukwujama, Lagos, Nigeria.

JUST listening: https://justlistening.net

JUST Listening fosters personal, organizational, and social change and transformation through the practice of conscious, intentional, compassionate, non-egoic and non-judgmental communication skills. JUST Listening is premised upon the beliefs that: Being heard empowers the speaker People hold the solutions to their own problems within Skilled listening is creative, opening up new possibilities for all involved, and can be a powerful tool for personal and social change. Although rarely consulted or listened to, people on the social margins are the best source of information and ideas about the issues facing them. Skilled listening is possible only when one is actively cultivating self-awareness, and regular habits of reflection. Contact: Sharon Browning, Esq. (sbrowning@justlistening.net) and Brenna McGinnis (brenna@justlistening.net)

Someone To Tell It To: https://www.someonetotellitto.org

Our vision is a world in which everyone matters, everyone is heard, and loneliness is diminished. Someone To Tell It To is a non-profit organization that is working to create better relationships, people, and workplaces through the transformative power that listening well has on creating deeper human connections. Founders: Michael Gingerich and Tom Kaden. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA.

Red Shoe Communications: https://www.redshoe.com.sg

Red Shoe turns executives into corporate ambassadors. Through training and coaching, we help these leaders maximise their communication skills. Two of our most well-known programmes are presentation skills and media engagement techniques. Why the name Red Shoe? Because we help you refine your messaging so clearly, you feel ready to step into red shoes and tell the world. Metaphorically at least!

ECHO Listening Intelligence: https://www.echolistening.com, https://internalchange.com/echo-listening-profile

ECHO stands for Effective Communication for Healthy Organizations. At ECHO, we teach more than “active” listening. We’re harnessing the latest scientific research that suggests that listening is a trainable skill with applications far beyond the old notion of simply paying better attention. Listening is a brain-based function, and no two brains are the same. Therefore, different people often hear things in different ways. This is why ten highly competent people can leave a meeting all with varying impressions about what they just heard. In order to work effectively with this cognitive diversity, we developed a scientifically validated assessment which generates the ECHO Listening Profile™. This tool helps each person understand what kinds of information they listen “to” and “for,” and how they apply the information they hear. With an increased awareness of individual listening habits, managers and sales leaders can objectively observe their own management style, shift to increase effectiveness and address any areas to improve communication and the sharing of information throughout all levels of the company.

Empathy Training: https://www.bestempathytraining.com

Learn to Facilitate an Empathy Circle and build the Empathy Movement! This is an Open Source Empathy Training. This means we invite anyone to use this training curriculum and resources to hold their own trainings. You can use, study, change, distribute and build on it. Just give credit and link back to this training website. We invite you to also help co-host, co-design, co-develop and co-promote the training for the mutual benefit and well-being of humanity and the planet.

About

Strategy and content

Norwegian

Members

Ingrid C. Nordli – Associate Professor

Kristian Skog – Barnehagelærer og pedagogisk leder (Educational leader)

Gry Nordhus Eriksen – Barnehagelærer og daglig leder (CEO)

Ebele Chukwujama – CEO of The Listening School, Lagos, Nigera

Olaf Husby – Pensjonert førsteamanuensis (Retired Associate Professor)

Marit L Sundelin – Assistant Professor

Elisabeth Barstad – Associate Professor

Agathe Daae-Qvale – Counsel, special advisor

Line Husjord – Associate Professor

Henriette Ludvigsen – Assistant Professor

Marva Shand-McIntosh – Certified Listening Professional and Speech Language Pathologist, Washington DC

Jennifer M. Grau – President of Grau Interpersonal Communication, Michigan

Annfrid Rosøy Steele – Associate Professor

Projects

Publications

Dissemination

News & activities

47th Annual ILA Convention 16-19 September 2026 - virtual

Presentation, Ingrid C. Nordli & Ebele Chukwujama: Listening across borders. How do we listen around the world and how is listening translated? Convention theme: Questioning Listening & Listening Questions

Læringsfestivalen 4-5 May 2026, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

Presentation: Lyttetrening gjennom lyttesirkel [Listening practice through a listening circle] Conferene theme: Education for a Changing World

7. Norsk barnehageforskningskonferanse 22-23 October 2025 [7th Norwegian Kindergarten Research Conference], Stavanger

Presentation: Lyttesirkel som redskap for barns medvirkning i pedagogisk praksis [Listening circles as a tool for children's participation in pedagogical practice] Conference theme: Sammen om og for kvalitet i barnehagen [Together for quality in childhood education]

Information and links to various listening resources

Listening under development (Lytting under utvikling) – LUT

Presentation, Ingrid C. Nordli & Ebele Chukwujama: Listening across borders. How do we listen around the world and how is listening translated?

Convention theme: Questioning Listening & Listening Questions

Presentation: Lyttetrening gjennom lyttesirkel [Listening practice through a listening circle]

Conferene theme: Education for a Changing World

Presentation: Lyttesirkel som redskap for barns medvirkning i pedagogisk praksis [Listening circles as a tool for children's participation in pedagogical practice]

Conference theme: Sammen om og for kvalitet i barnehagen [Together for quality in childhood education]