Active Citizenship and Democratic Action · 3rd Year

Active learning ideas

Speaking Up and Listening to Others

Active learning works for this topic because speaking and listening are skills best developed through practice, not just instruction. Students need repeated, guided opportunities to try speaking respectfully and listening deeply, with immediate feedback shaping their understanding of what works in real conversations.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Myself and the Wider World - Communication Skills
• NCCA: Primary - Myself and the Wider World - Respect and Tolerance

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Respectful Opinions

Students think silently for 2 minutes about a class rule they want to change. In pairs, one speaks for 1 minute while the other listens without interrupting, then paraphrases what they heard. Pairs share one key idea with the class, noting respectful elements.

Why is it important to share our ideas and feelings?

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, give students a silent 30-second pause after posing the question to ensure everyone has time to gather thoughts before discussing.

What to look for

Present students with a brief scenario where two characters disagree. Ask: 'How could Character A use an 'I feel' statement here? What active listening skills could Character B use to respond respectfully?' Facilitate a class discussion on their responses.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• 35 min · Small Groups

Role-Play Scenarios: Disagreement Practice

Prepare cards with everyday scenarios like sharing toys or group projects. In small groups, students act out speaking up respectfully and listening actively. After each role-play, group members give positive feedback on one strength observed.

How can we speak up in a way that is respectful to others?

Facilitation Tip

In Role-Play Scenarios, assign roles anonymously first so students focus on the communication skills rather than the person playing the role.

What to look for

After a role-play activity, ask students to write down one thing their partner did well in listening and one thing they could improve. Collect these as a brief check on their understanding of active listening components.

Activity 03

• 30 min · Whole Class

Listening Circle: Feelings Share

Form a whole-class circle. Pass a talking stick; holder shares a feeling about school for 30 seconds while others listen silently. After full circle, discuss what made listening effective.

Why is listening to others just as important as speaking?

Facilitation Tip

In the Listening Circle, model the first share yourself to set the emotional tone and remind students that feelings are part of the conversation.

What to look for

On an index card, have students write one sentence explaining why paraphrasing is important and one example of a time they could use it outside of class. This checks their grasp of the concept's utility.

Activity 04

• 40 min · Pairs

Peer Feedback Stations: Tone Check

Set up stations with prompts like 'Convince a friend to try your game.' Pairs practice speaking at one station, rotate to listen and note tone/body language at next. Debrief as a class on patterns found.

Why is it important to share our ideas and feelings?

Facilitation Tip

At Peer Feedback Stations, provide sentence stems like 'I heard you say...' to guide constructive, specific feedback on tone.

What to look for

Present students with a brief scenario where two characters disagree. Ask: 'How could Character A use an 'I feel' statement here? What active listening skills could Character B use to respond respectfully?' Facilitate a class discussion on their responses.

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic by making communication visible: record short role-plays to analyze later, use rubrics that break listening into observable behaviors like eye contact and paraphrasing, and avoid lecturing on theory without practice. Research shows students learn respectful dialogue best when they see the immediate impact of their words on peers' reactions.

Successful learning looks like students using clear, respectful language to share ideas, pausing to listen without interrupting, and responding with paraphrases or questions that show understanding. They should notice when others shift tone or volume and adjust their own communication to match the context.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students equating speaking up with talking first or longest.

  Pause the activity after one minute and ask: 'What made your partner’s idea clear even if they spoke softly?' This redirects focus to clarity and conciseness, not volume.

• During Listening Circle, watch for students assuming listening means nodding without engaging.

  After a share, ask the listener to summarize one detail said by the speaker, using the prompt 'You mentioned that...' to reinforce active engagement.

• During Peer Feedback Stations, watch for students avoiding feedback on tone because they fear hurting feelings.

  Provide sentence starters like 'Your tone sounded caring when you said...' to model how to give specific, positive feedback about delivery.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share