Effective listening saves time, prevents problems and strengthens relationships. In a learning environment, good listening skills are needed since listening is the prime source of gathering information. Listening is not the same as hearing.
Hearing is a physical process.
Listening is different. Listening is a mental process. When we listen we translate the words coming at us into a format we can understand and use. Even though listening is critical to our everyday lives, during our formative and educational years we learn little about listening well. Forty percent of the time in these learning years is spent learning how to read.