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Speaking and listening activities with a shared purpose

Speaking and listening become purposeful when pupils need to understand one another to complete a task. This guide uses a paired description activity to develop clarity, questioning and repair. It also considers communication differences, allowing learners to demonstrate understanding without assuming that eye contact or rapid speech is essential evidence.

Schools Direct editorialUpdated 2 min read

Give the listener a real task

Place a simple arrangement of shapes behind a screen. One pupil describes it while a partner creates a matching arrangement from the same pieces. Agree the vocabulary available, such as above, beside and between. The aim is to communicate the layout, not to make the instructions deliberately difficult.

Teach helpful questioning

Model asking for clarification: which shape, which side or how far apart? Pause to show that a listener can take an active role when a message is unclear. Give both pupils enough thinking time. After comparing arrangements, discuss which instruction helped and which could be more precise.

Make participation flexible

Offer picture vocabulary, communication aids, signing or a partner who can support an agreed response method. Do not use eye contact, stillness or speaking volume as universal measures of listening. A child may understand well while looking away or needing time to formulate a response. Keep any communication support consistent with their established arrangements.

Transfer the skill

Repeat the activity with a new layout, then apply the same principles to explaining a practical method or discussing a text. Younger learners can describe one relationship at a time; older pupils can organise a longer explanation and summarise another person’s idea accurately. Select resources with unambiguous shapes and enough contrast to avoid unnecessary visual confusion. Assess whether the speaker adjusts a message in response to the listener and whether the listener can ask a useful question. Record the successful strategy so it can be revisited in another lesson.

Action checklist

  • Give the listener a concrete purpose
  • Model clarification questions
  • Allow communication aids and thinking time
  • Assess understanding beyond eye contact

Common questions

Does looking away mean a pupil is not listening?

Not necessarily. Check understanding through the learner’s response and agreed communication methods rather than relying on one visible behaviour.

Sources and scope

Source titles are provided for reference. Check the current original guidance and your school's circumstances before making a policy or compliance decision.

  • Schools Direct editorial — Original teaching activity and resource planning notes. Checked 1 November 2026.

See how we prepare and maintain our guidance.

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