Updated on
January 23, 2026
|
August 3, 2021
Explore engaging topics that enhance speaking and listening skills. Access practical ideas for classroom discussions, debates, and presentations to foster.
Oracy skills are fundamental to success in school and beyond, yet they are often underdeveloped compared to reading and writing. Effective speaking and listening involve far more than simply talking: they require the ability to structure arguments, listen actively, build on others' ideas, and communicate clearly for different purposes and audiences. This guide provides a wealth of speaking and listening topics suitable for different ages, along with strategies for developing genuine oracy competence.
The first thing you need to consider when choosing your topic is whether there is something about which everyone can agree. If not then this may be difficult because people have different views on many things. For example if you were talking about how much money we spend on food each week, most people would probably agree but those who live on very little might disagree. You could discuss why we buy so much food, where our food comes from, how much waste goes into making it etc.
These sorts of listening activities involve children appreciating different perspectives. A good topic for speaking and listening should elicit positive student interaction. If you want students to listen carefully, try using questions as part of your topic. Questions help focus attention on particular aspects of the subject matter. They enable learners to think more deeply about their own understanding and provide opportunities for discussion. How can you develop good questions?
The Universal Thinking Framework comes with deep question stems that can be quickly used for creating listening tasks. As well as providing a stimulus for deep thinking, the higher-order questions stems can be used to assess English Listening.
Speaking and listening topics develop language skills by providing structured opportunities for students to practice academic vocabulary in context before writing. When students discuss topics orally first, they rehearse sentence structures and subject-specific terminology, which transfers directly to improved written work. Research suggests that regular oracy practice may increase vocabulary retention compared to traditional teaching methods.
Coming up with ideas for speaking and listening topics is hard work. Depending on the age group, controversial topics that bring opinions into student discussions can be a good starting point. Children's news programs always offer a selection of good topics. Choosing a child friendly concept is critical for generating discussion.
Questions might include, should we eat meat? Do we need cars? What should we learn at school? These open-ended questions require students to generate points and listen to others during a learning conversation. Drama offers a great window for developing these skills. Students can take on different roles and in doing so, change their perspectives.This type of student interaction provides an opportunity to determine the 'listening grade' of a child. For an immersive approach to this topic, explore Mantle of the Expert, a drama-based inquiry method.
critical thinking skills using speaking and listening">
Advanced students should be able to paraphrase by using terminology like 'I hear what you saying' or 'in other words, you mean...'. Being able to demonstrate this ability in listening tasks is an essential aspect of developing language skills.
Setting expectations for students is a key part of Oracy development, you can learn more about this area in our other blog post. Having classroom rules and creates accountability for student discussions. In time, these types of practices create classroom climates for productive speaking and listening. Advanced students should be able to participate in discussions that relate to all aspects of the curriculum. Whether they agree with the speaking and listening topic or not, they should be able to contribute valid points and demonstrate their ability to hear others.
A good speaking and listening topic can also integrate academic language. The chosen topic can be relevant to the subject area and provide students with opportunities to practice ways of talking about the curriculum area. For example, think and talk like a scientist. Speaking and listening is not just for English Language Arts or English Literature. Each curriculum area has academic vocabulary that needs to be mastered. Classroom dialogue can be used as a way of practicing or rehearsing for writing, think of it as a precursor before pen is committed to paper.
Good discussion topics have multiple valid perspectives, connect to students' experiences, and allow for evidence-based arguments without clear right or wrong answers. Topics should be age-appropriate yet challenging enough to require critical thinking, such as debating homework policies for older students or discussing fairness in playground rules for younger ones. The best topics generate genuine disagreement that requires students to listen actively and build on each other's ideas.
A good class discussion should promote the interchange of ideas. It requires active participation from everyone involved. Teachers have a responsibility to facilitate collaborative discussions where children feel comfortable sharing their views. This means being aware of your own biases when planning lessons and also thinking about rules for discussion. If you want to encourage debate then avoid teaching controversial issues such as religion or politics. Instead choose subjects that will allow students to share their thoughts without fear of offending someone else.
When choosing a topic, consider how many people may disagree with each other. You could even ask them beforehand if there's anything they don't want to discuss and add these to the rules for discussions. Another important factor is ensuring that the topic is interesting enough to keep students engaged throughout the lesson.
Collaborative discussions require teachers to listen carefully and respond appropriately. They need to ensure that every member of the class feels valued and heard. Students who do not speak up during a conversation risk losing out on valuable learning experiences. Asking questions encourages learners to express themselves and helps build relationships between peers. Good questioning techniques include asking open-ended questions rather than closed ones.
Questions help develop critical thinking skills and increase engagement levels. Collaborative discussions are an essential part of any successful school community. By encouraging pupils to engage in conversations, teachers can foster positive attitudes towards one another and improve communication within the classroom.
Primary students engage most with topics that blend imagination with real-world connections, such as designing a new playground, choosing class pets, or debating whether superheroes should reveal their identities. Topics involving concrete choices or problems to solve generate significantly more active listening than abstract discussions. Successful primary topics include 'Would you rather' scenarios, community helper discussions, and environmental action debates tailored to local contexts.
In the realm of primary education, the development of communication skills is integral, with a special emphasis on the aspect of listening. Nurturing this ability is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Rather, it requires the use of age-appropriate discussion topics that pique the child's interest and make the learning process enjoyable. One study in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that targeted, age-specific content significantly improved listening comprehension in children aged 6-8.
Strategically structured speaking exercises can enhance this further. For instance, a teacher might introduce a basic idea, like a simple scientific concept, and encourage students to discuss it. As they articulate their thoughts and ideas, they naturally strengthen their writing skills, as oral language forms the foundation of written communication.
Further, to heighten the efficacy of these exercises, it's crucial to integrate non-verbal cues such as eye contact. "The power of eye contact in communication cannot be overstated. It signals attentiveness, interest, and engagement," says Dr. Jane Thompson, a renowned child psychologist. Hence, incorporating it into speaking exercises can significantly boost children's listening skills. It's a little-known fact that children who frequently engage in structured speaking and listening activities are more likely to understand complex concepts. Such an approach, therefore, holds a promising potential for comprehensive learning in primary education.
| Discussion Topic | Higher Order Thinking Development | Potential Linguistic Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?" | This encourages children to use their imagination, make choices, and justify their decisions. | Development of descriptive language, reasoning skills, and use of persuasive language. |
| 2. "Discuss the consequences of not doing homework." | This promotes critical thinking about cause and effect relationships and helps children understand the importance of responsibility. | Vocabulary enhancement related to cause-effect language and expression of personal opinions. |
| 3. "What would happen if there were no rules at school?" | This helps children understand the need for rules and predict potential scenarios. | Use of conditional language ("If... then..."), expressing predictions and opinions. |
| 4. "What if animals could talk? How would our lives change?" | This question prompts imaginative thinking, perspective taking, and hypothesis generation. | Use of speculative language, development of narrative skills, and use of comparison and contrast language. |
| 5. "Describe an invention that would make our lives easier." | This encourages creativity, problem-solving skills, and innovative thinking. | Use of descriptive language, persuasive language, and reasoning skills. |
| 6. "Discuss the plot and characters in a recently read book." | This aids in comprehension, analysis, and interpretation of text. | Development of narrative skills, use of evaluative language, and deepening of vocabulary related to literature. |
| 7. "Should children be allowed to vote? Why or why not?" | This promotes critical thinking, societal understanding, and ethical considerations. | Use of persuasive language, expression of opinions, and development of argumentative language. |
| 8. "Explain how recycling helps our planet." | This encourages understanding of environmental issues and cause-effect relationships. | Vocabulary enhancement related to environmental topics, use of explanatory language. |
| 9. "How would you feel if you were the President for a day? What would you do?" | This promotes empathy, decision-making skills, and understanding of civic roles. | Use of emotive language, descriptive language, and language related to civic duties. |
| 10. "What does 'friendship' mean to you?" | This helps children explore abstract concepts, empathy, and personal values. | Use of abstract language, expression of personal experiences, and use of evaluative language. |
These topics can be adapted to fit the specific needs and interests of the students, and can be expanded upon with follow-up questions to further promote higher order thinking and language development.
Teachers should select topics that have multiple viewpoints, connect to curriculum objectives, and match students' developmental levels while pushing them slightly beyond comfort zones. Consider whether the topic allows for evidence-based arguments, relates to students' experiences, and provides opportunities to practice subject-specific vocabulary. Effective topics balance student interest with academic rigor, ensuring discussions move beyond opinion-sharing to structured debate.
Choose something that interests all members of the class but does not cause offence. Avoid religious or political controversies unless you're confident that no-one would object to discussing this issue. Think about what makes a great debating topic? Is it topical? Does it relate to current events? Or perhaps it relates to history? Whatever the case, make sure that the topic is suitable for both groups of students. As it has been mentioned, topics that include relevant academic language can act as a springboard for writing assignments.
Here are some other speaking and listening topic ideas:
To spark meaningful collaborative discussion in the classroom, it’s not just about having students converse with each other; it’s about equipping them with the tools to construct and expand upon complex ideas. Initiating dialogue with a solid foundation of speech topics can serve as a springboard for more nuanced conversation, while incorporating argumentative and explanatory language encourages depth and critical thinking.
Teachers can facilitate this by preparing a mix of open-ended questions, question types that require conditional language, and prompts that necessitate cause-effect reasoning. Such approaches not only stimulate discussion but also ensure that students use Standard English to articulate their thoughts.
Furthermore, by structuring activities like 2-minute speeches, pupils practice descriptive language in a concise format, setting a stage for elaboration through follow-up questions. This method is particularly effective in transitioning from surface-level chat to purposeful debate.
Incorporating these elements fosters an environment where pupils not only share but build upon ideas, using a variety of linguistic structures to shape a well-rounded argument. Ultimately, the goal is to provide students with the 'extra ammunition' needed to generate key ideas essential to the topic, ensuring that every voice contributes to a rich tapestry of classroom discussion.
Key resources include the Universal Thinking Framework for question stems, Voice 21's oracy benchmarks, and subject-specific discussion protocols from organizations like the Education Endowment Foundation. Teachers can access free materials from the National Literacy Trust's Speaking and Listening toolkit and Cambridge's Oracy Assessment resources. Professional development opportunities include online courses from the English Speaking Union and practical guides from the Communication Trust.
Here are five key studies that explore the impact of speaking and listening in primary schools, particularly focusing on how debate and discussion can facilitate progress:
These studies collectively illustrate the positive impact of incorporating speaking and listening activities, such as debate and discussion, in the primary education curriculum. They emphasize the development of critical thinking, language skills, and the effective use of various language forms (persuasive, emotive, descriptive, etc.), leading to significant improvements in student outcomes.
Effective oracy involves structured activities where students learn to build arguments, listen actively to peers, and communicate for specific purposes and audiences. The key difference is moving beyond 'broadcasting mode' where students simply wait for their turn to speak, towards genuine engagement where they demonstrate listening through paraphrasing and building on others' ideas using phrases like 'I hear what you're saying' or 'in other words, you mean'.
Look for listening indicators such as students paraphrasing others' contributions, building on peers' ideas, and demonstrating they've understood different perspectives before adding their own thoughts. Advanced students should be able to use terminology like 'I hear what you're saying' and show they can take on board what others are saying rather than simply broadcasting their own opinions.
Choose topics that have multiple valid perspectives without clear right or wrong answers, such as 'Should we eat meat?' or 'What should we learn at school?' for older students, or designing playgrounds and choosing class pets for primary pupils. The best topics connect to students' experiences and generate genuine disagreement that requires active listening and evidence-based arguments.
Speaking acts as rehearsal for writing, allowing students to practise academic vocabulary and sentence structures orally before putting pen to paper. Research suggests that regular oracy practice may increase vocabulary retention compared to traditional teaching methods, as students embed subject-specific terminology through structured classroom dialogue.
The Universal Thinking Framework provides deep question stems that transform surface-level chatter into academic conversations across all subjects. These higher-order question stems help teachers create listening tasks that focus students' attention on particular aspects of subject matter and enable deeper thinking about their understanding.
Each curriculum area has specific academic vocabulary that can be practised through oracy activities, such as learning to 'think and talk like a scientist' in science lessons. Choose topics relevant to your subject area and use classroom dialogue as a way for students to rehearse subject-specific terminology and ways of thinking before moving to written work.
Establish clear classroom rules and expectations for discussions, ensuring all students feel comfortable sharing their views without fear of offending others. Teachers should facilitate collaborative discussions by listening carefully, responding appropriately, and using open-ended rather than closed questions to encourage critical thinking and increase engagement levels.
These peer-reviewed studies provide deeper insights into speaking and listening topics: building oracy skills across the curriculum and its application in educational settings.
Beyond Classroom Academics: A School-Wide and Multi-Contextual Perspective on Student Engagement in School View study ↗109 citations
Wang et al. (2019)
This paper examines student engagement from a comprehensive school-wide perspective, looking beyond individual classroom interactions to consider how engagement occurs across multiple contexts within educational settings. It is relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because speaking and listening activities are key drivers of student engagement, and understanding how to foster participation across different school contexts can help educators design more effective oral communication opportunities throughout the curriculum.
Talking about talk: reviewing oracy in English primary education View study ↗18 citations
Jones et al. (2017)
This paper provides a comprehensive review of oracy in English primary education, examining the nature of talk as integral to learning and teaching while tracing the historical development of speaking and listening within the curriculum. It is directly relevant to teachers building oracy skills as it offers critical analysis of how oral communication has been positioned in education and provides foundational understanding of talk-based pedagogies for primary-aged students.
Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme View study ↗1 citations
Tyson et al. (2020)
This paper explores the relationship between literacy and oracy within a Spanish-language basic education program for immigrants in the United States, analyzing how speaking and listening skills support written language development in multilingual contexts. It is relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because it demonstrates how oral communication serves as a foundation for literacy learning, particularly for students learning in additional languages, providing insights applicable across diverse classroom settings.
Online discussion boards: Improving practice and student engagement by harnessing facilitator perceptions View study ↗35 citations
Douglas et al. (2020)
This research examines facilitator perspectives on asynchronous online discussion boards in higher education, focusing on how to improve student engagement through digital speaking and listening platforms. It is relevant to teachers building oracy skills because it provides practical insights into facilitating meaningful oral communication in online environments, offering strategies that can be adapted for digital classroom discussions and virtual speaking activities.
Poetry and Motion: Rhythm, Rhyme and Embodiment as Oral Literacy Pedagogy for Young Additional Language Learners View study ↗12 citations
Beaumont et al. (2022)
This paper explores how poetry, rhythm, rhyme, and physical movement can be integrated as oral literacy pedagogy specifically for young learners acquiring additional languages. It is highly relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because it provides concrete, research-based strategies for using embodied oral language activities to support both speaking and listening development while simultaneously building foundational literacy skills.
Oracy skills are fundamental to success in school and beyond, yet they are often underdeveloped compared to reading and writing. Effective speaking and listening involve far more than simply talking: they require the ability to structure arguments, listen actively, build on others' ideas, and communicate clearly for different purposes and audiences. This guide provides a wealth of speaking and listening topics suitable for different ages, along with strategies for developing genuine oracy competence.
The first thing you need to consider when choosing your topic is whether there is something about which everyone can agree. If not then this may be difficult because people have different views on many things. For example if you were talking about how much money we spend on food each week, most people would probably agree but those who live on very little might disagree. You could discuss why we buy so much food, where our food comes from, how much waste goes into making it etc.
These sorts of listening activities involve children appreciating different perspectives. A good topic for speaking and listening should elicit positive student interaction. If you want students to listen carefully, try using questions as part of your topic. Questions help focus attention on particular aspects of the subject matter. They enable learners to think more deeply about their own understanding and provide opportunities for discussion. How can you develop good questions?
The Universal Thinking Framework comes with deep question stems that can be quickly used for creating listening tasks. As well as providing a stimulus for deep thinking, the higher-order questions stems can be used to assess English Listening.
Speaking and listening topics develop language skills by providing structured opportunities for students to practice academic vocabulary in context before writing. When students discuss topics orally first, they rehearse sentence structures and subject-specific terminology, which transfers directly to improved written work. Research suggests that regular oracy practice may increase vocabulary retention compared to traditional teaching methods.
Coming up with ideas for speaking and listening topics is hard work. Depending on the age group, controversial topics that bring opinions into student discussions can be a good starting point. Children's news programs always offer a selection of good topics. Choosing a child friendly concept is critical for generating discussion.
Questions might include, should we eat meat? Do we need cars? What should we learn at school? These open-ended questions require students to generate points and listen to others during a learning conversation. Drama offers a great window for developing these skills. Students can take on different roles and in doing so, change their perspectives.This type of student interaction provides an opportunity to determine the 'listening grade' of a child. For an immersive approach to this topic, explore Mantle of the Expert, a drama-based inquiry method.
critical thinking skills using speaking and listening">
Advanced students should be able to paraphrase by using terminology like 'I hear what you saying' or 'in other words, you mean...'. Being able to demonstrate this ability in listening tasks is an essential aspect of developing language skills.
Setting expectations for students is a key part of Oracy development, you can learn more about this area in our other blog post. Having classroom rules and creates accountability for student discussions. In time, these types of practices create classroom climates for productive speaking and listening. Advanced students should be able to participate in discussions that relate to all aspects of the curriculum. Whether they agree with the speaking and listening topic or not, they should be able to contribute valid points and demonstrate their ability to hear others.
A good speaking and listening topic can also integrate academic language. The chosen topic can be relevant to the subject area and provide students with opportunities to practice ways of talking about the curriculum area. For example, think and talk like a scientist. Speaking and listening is not just for English Language Arts or English Literature. Each curriculum area has academic vocabulary that needs to be mastered. Classroom dialogue can be used as a way of practicing or rehearsing for writing, think of it as a precursor before pen is committed to paper.
Good discussion topics have multiple valid perspectives, connect to students' experiences, and allow for evidence-based arguments without clear right or wrong answers. Topics should be age-appropriate yet challenging enough to require critical thinking, such as debating homework policies for older students or discussing fairness in playground rules for younger ones. The best topics generate genuine disagreement that requires students to listen actively and build on each other's ideas.
A good class discussion should promote the interchange of ideas. It requires active participation from everyone involved. Teachers have a responsibility to facilitate collaborative discussions where children feel comfortable sharing their views. This means being aware of your own biases when planning lessons and also thinking about rules for discussion. If you want to encourage debate then avoid teaching controversial issues such as religion or politics. Instead choose subjects that will allow students to share their thoughts without fear of offending someone else.
When choosing a topic, consider how many people may disagree with each other. You could even ask them beforehand if there's anything they don't want to discuss and add these to the rules for discussions. Another important factor is ensuring that the topic is interesting enough to keep students engaged throughout the lesson.
Collaborative discussions require teachers to listen carefully and respond appropriately. They need to ensure that every member of the class feels valued and heard. Students who do not speak up during a conversation risk losing out on valuable learning experiences. Asking questions encourages learners to express themselves and helps build relationships between peers. Good questioning techniques include asking open-ended questions rather than closed ones.
Questions help develop critical thinking skills and increase engagement levels. Collaborative discussions are an essential part of any successful school community. By encouraging pupils to engage in conversations, teachers can foster positive attitudes towards one another and improve communication within the classroom.
Primary students engage most with topics that blend imagination with real-world connections, such as designing a new playground, choosing class pets, or debating whether superheroes should reveal their identities. Topics involving concrete choices or problems to solve generate significantly more active listening than abstract discussions. Successful primary topics include 'Would you rather' scenarios, community helper discussions, and environmental action debates tailored to local contexts.
In the realm of primary education, the development of communication skills is integral, with a special emphasis on the aspect of listening. Nurturing this ability is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Rather, it requires the use of age-appropriate discussion topics that pique the child's interest and make the learning process enjoyable. One study in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that targeted, age-specific content significantly improved listening comprehension in children aged 6-8.
Strategically structured speaking exercises can enhance this further. For instance, a teacher might introduce a basic idea, like a simple scientific concept, and encourage students to discuss it. As they articulate their thoughts and ideas, they naturally strengthen their writing skills, as oral language forms the foundation of written communication.
Further, to heighten the efficacy of these exercises, it's crucial to integrate non-verbal cues such as eye contact. "The power of eye contact in communication cannot be overstated. It signals attentiveness, interest, and engagement," says Dr. Jane Thompson, a renowned child psychologist. Hence, incorporating it into speaking exercises can significantly boost children's listening skills. It's a little-known fact that children who frequently engage in structured speaking and listening activities are more likely to understand complex concepts. Such an approach, therefore, holds a promising potential for comprehensive learning in primary education.
| Discussion Topic | Higher Order Thinking Development | Potential Linguistic Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?" | This encourages children to use their imagination, make choices, and justify their decisions. | Development of descriptive language, reasoning skills, and use of persuasive language. |
| 2. "Discuss the consequences of not doing homework." | This promotes critical thinking about cause and effect relationships and helps children understand the importance of responsibility. | Vocabulary enhancement related to cause-effect language and expression of personal opinions. |
| 3. "What would happen if there were no rules at school?" | This helps children understand the need for rules and predict potential scenarios. | Use of conditional language ("If... then..."), expressing predictions and opinions. |
| 4. "What if animals could talk? How would our lives change?" | This question prompts imaginative thinking, perspective taking, and hypothesis generation. | Use of speculative language, development of narrative skills, and use of comparison and contrast language. |
| 5. "Describe an invention that would make our lives easier." | This encourages creativity, problem-solving skills, and innovative thinking. | Use of descriptive language, persuasive language, and reasoning skills. |
| 6. "Discuss the plot and characters in a recently read book." | This aids in comprehension, analysis, and interpretation of text. | Development of narrative skills, use of evaluative language, and deepening of vocabulary related to literature. |
| 7. "Should children be allowed to vote? Why or why not?" | This promotes critical thinking, societal understanding, and ethical considerations. | Use of persuasive language, expression of opinions, and development of argumentative language. |
| 8. "Explain how recycling helps our planet." | This encourages understanding of environmental issues and cause-effect relationships. | Vocabulary enhancement related to environmental topics, use of explanatory language. |
| 9. "How would you feel if you were the President for a day? What would you do?" | This promotes empathy, decision-making skills, and understanding of civic roles. | Use of emotive language, descriptive language, and language related to civic duties. |
| 10. "What does 'friendship' mean to you?" | This helps children explore abstract concepts, empathy, and personal values. | Use of abstract language, expression of personal experiences, and use of evaluative language. |
These topics can be adapted to fit the specific needs and interests of the students, and can be expanded upon with follow-up questions to further promote higher order thinking and language development.
Teachers should select topics that have multiple viewpoints, connect to curriculum objectives, and match students' developmental levels while pushing them slightly beyond comfort zones. Consider whether the topic allows for evidence-based arguments, relates to students' experiences, and provides opportunities to practice subject-specific vocabulary. Effective topics balance student interest with academic rigor, ensuring discussions move beyond opinion-sharing to structured debate.
Choose something that interests all members of the class but does not cause offence. Avoid religious or political controversies unless you're confident that no-one would object to discussing this issue. Think about what makes a great debating topic? Is it topical? Does it relate to current events? Or perhaps it relates to history? Whatever the case, make sure that the topic is suitable for both groups of students. As it has been mentioned, topics that include relevant academic language can act as a springboard for writing assignments.
Here are some other speaking and listening topic ideas:
To spark meaningful collaborative discussion in the classroom, it’s not just about having students converse with each other; it’s about equipping them with the tools to construct and expand upon complex ideas. Initiating dialogue with a solid foundation of speech topics can serve as a springboard for more nuanced conversation, while incorporating argumentative and explanatory language encourages depth and critical thinking.
Teachers can facilitate this by preparing a mix of open-ended questions, question types that require conditional language, and prompts that necessitate cause-effect reasoning. Such approaches not only stimulate discussion but also ensure that students use Standard English to articulate their thoughts.
Furthermore, by structuring activities like 2-minute speeches, pupils practice descriptive language in a concise format, setting a stage for elaboration through follow-up questions. This method is particularly effective in transitioning from surface-level chat to purposeful debate.
Incorporating these elements fosters an environment where pupils not only share but build upon ideas, using a variety of linguistic structures to shape a well-rounded argument. Ultimately, the goal is to provide students with the 'extra ammunition' needed to generate key ideas essential to the topic, ensuring that every voice contributes to a rich tapestry of classroom discussion.
Key resources include the Universal Thinking Framework for question stems, Voice 21's oracy benchmarks, and subject-specific discussion protocols from organizations like the Education Endowment Foundation. Teachers can access free materials from the National Literacy Trust's Speaking and Listening toolkit and Cambridge's Oracy Assessment resources. Professional development opportunities include online courses from the English Speaking Union and practical guides from the Communication Trust.
Here are five key studies that explore the impact of speaking and listening in primary schools, particularly focusing on how debate and discussion can facilitate progress:
These studies collectively illustrate the positive impact of incorporating speaking and listening activities, such as debate and discussion, in the primary education curriculum. They emphasize the development of critical thinking, language skills, and the effective use of various language forms (persuasive, emotive, descriptive, etc.), leading to significant improvements in student outcomes.
Effective oracy involves structured activities where students learn to build arguments, listen actively to peers, and communicate for specific purposes and audiences. The key difference is moving beyond 'broadcasting mode' where students simply wait for their turn to speak, towards genuine engagement where they demonstrate listening through paraphrasing and building on others' ideas using phrases like 'I hear what you're saying' or 'in other words, you mean'.
Look for listening indicators such as students paraphrasing others' contributions, building on peers' ideas, and demonstrating they've understood different perspectives before adding their own thoughts. Advanced students should be able to use terminology like 'I hear what you're saying' and show they can take on board what others are saying rather than simply broadcasting their own opinions.
Choose topics that have multiple valid perspectives without clear right or wrong answers, such as 'Should we eat meat?' or 'What should we learn at school?' for older students, or designing playgrounds and choosing class pets for primary pupils. The best topics connect to students' experiences and generate genuine disagreement that requires active listening and evidence-based arguments.
Speaking acts as rehearsal for writing, allowing students to practise academic vocabulary and sentence structures orally before putting pen to paper. Research suggests that regular oracy practice may increase vocabulary retention compared to traditional teaching methods, as students embed subject-specific terminology through structured classroom dialogue.
The Universal Thinking Framework provides deep question stems that transform surface-level chatter into academic conversations across all subjects. These higher-order question stems help teachers create listening tasks that focus students' attention on particular aspects of subject matter and enable deeper thinking about their understanding.
Each curriculum area has specific academic vocabulary that can be practised through oracy activities, such as learning to 'think and talk like a scientist' in science lessons. Choose topics relevant to your subject area and use classroom dialogue as a way for students to rehearse subject-specific terminology and ways of thinking before moving to written work.
Establish clear classroom rules and expectations for discussions, ensuring all students feel comfortable sharing their views without fear of offending others. Teachers should facilitate collaborative discussions by listening carefully, responding appropriately, and using open-ended rather than closed questions to encourage critical thinking and increase engagement levels.
These peer-reviewed studies provide deeper insights into speaking and listening topics: building oracy skills across the curriculum and its application in educational settings.
Beyond Classroom Academics: A School-Wide and Multi-Contextual Perspective on Student Engagement in School View study ↗109 citations
Wang et al. (2019)
This paper examines student engagement from a comprehensive school-wide perspective, looking beyond individual classroom interactions to consider how engagement occurs across multiple contexts within educational settings. It is relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because speaking and listening activities are key drivers of student engagement, and understanding how to foster participation across different school contexts can help educators design more effective oral communication opportunities throughout the curriculum.
Talking about talk: reviewing oracy in English primary education View study ↗18 citations
Jones et al. (2017)
This paper provides a comprehensive review of oracy in English primary education, examining the nature of talk as integral to learning and teaching while tracing the historical development of speaking and listening within the curriculum. It is directly relevant to teachers building oracy skills as it offers critical analysis of how oral communication has been positioned in education and provides foundational understanding of talk-based pedagogies for primary-aged students.
Literacy and oracy across the U.S.-Mexico border: A look at the Plazas Comunitarias programme View study ↗1 citations
Tyson et al. (2020)
This paper explores the relationship between literacy and oracy within a Spanish-language basic education program for immigrants in the United States, analyzing how speaking and listening skills support written language development in multilingual contexts. It is relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because it demonstrates how oral communication serves as a foundation for literacy learning, particularly for students learning in additional languages, providing insights applicable across diverse classroom settings.
Online discussion boards: Improving practice and student engagement by harnessing facilitator perceptions View study ↗35 citations
Douglas et al. (2020)
This research examines facilitator perspectives on asynchronous online discussion boards in higher education, focusing on how to improve student engagement through digital speaking and listening platforms. It is relevant to teachers building oracy skills because it provides practical insights into facilitating meaningful oral communication in online environments, offering strategies that can be adapted for digital classroom discussions and virtual speaking activities.
Poetry and Motion: Rhythm, Rhyme and Embodiment as Oral Literacy Pedagogy for Young Additional Language Learners View study ↗12 citations
Beaumont et al. (2022)
This paper explores how poetry, rhythm, rhyme, and physical movement can be integrated as oral literacy pedagogy specifically for young learners acquiring additional languages. It is highly relevant to teachers developing oracy skills because it provides concrete, research-based strategies for using embodied oral language activities to support both speaking and listening development while simultaneously building foundational literacy skills.
