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.

• 3rd Year
• Active Citizenship and Democratic Action
• 4 activities
• 25 min–40 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the purpose of using 'I feel' statements to express personal emotions and needs respectfully.
2. Analyze scenarios to identify instances of respectful and disrespectful communication.
3. Compare and contrast active listening techniques with passive listening in a small group discussion.
4. Demonstrate paraphrasing skills to confirm understanding of a peer's perspective.
5. Create a short dialogue showcasing effective strategies for speaking up and listening in a disagreement.

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.

Prepare & details

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.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

⏱ 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.

Prepare & details

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.

⏱ 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.

Prepare & details

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.

⏱ 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.

Prepare & details

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.

Teaching This Topic

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.

What to Expect

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.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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.

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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

Common Misconception

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

What to Teach Instead

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

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Role-Play Scenarios activity, present the disagreement scenario and ask students to identify which partner used an 'I feel' statement and which used paraphrasing. Discuss how their choices affected the outcome.

Quick Check

After Think-Pair-Share, collect one written sentence from each pair about a respectful speaking strategy they heard their partner use, and one they will try next time.

Exit Ticket

During the Listening Circle, have students write a one-sentence reflection on how paraphrasing helped them understand a peer’s feelings, to be shared at the end of class.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to create a new role-play scenario where characters disagree on a school policy, using only 'I feel' and paraphrasing statements.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: provide a word bank of feeling words and sentence frames like 'I noticed you said...' to support their responses.
• Deeper exploration: invite a guest speaker to share how they use active listening in their work, then have students compare the speaker’s techniques to their own practice.

Key Vocabulary

Active Listening	Paying full attention to the speaker, understanding their message, responding thoughtfully, and remembering what was said. It involves non-verbal cues like nodding and maintaining eye contact.
'I Feel' Statements	A communication technique used to express personal feelings and needs without blaming others. It follows the structure: 'I feel [emotion] when [situation] because [reason].'
Respectful Disagreement	Expressing a different opinion or viewpoint in a way that acknowledges the other person's right to their own ideas, avoiding insults or dismissive language.
Paraphrasing	Restating what someone else has said in your own words to ensure you have understood them correctly. This shows you were listening and helps clarify meaning.