“What makes me enjoy talking the most,” explains Milo, a Year 3 student, “is that everybody’s listened to you, and you’re part of the world, and you feel respected and important.”
Oracy — the ability to speak well — is a core pedagogy at School 21, a London-based public school.
“Speaking is a huge priority,” stresses Amy Gaunt, a Year 3 teacher. “It’s one of the biggest indicators of success later in life. It’s important in terms of their employability as they get older. It’s important in terms of wellbeing. If children aren’t able to express themselves and communicate how they’re feeling, they’re not going to be able to be successful members of society.”
Oracy is taught during assemblies and wellbeing classes, but “it’s embedded into every single lesson,” says Gaunt. Students use oracy techniques in the classroom, every day, in every lesson — guided by their oracy framework — to discuss their ideas about Ancient Greece, problem solving, and explaining their learning in maths.From forming different groupings to using talking points, learn how you can integrate strategies for effective talk in your classroom.
How It’s Done
Embedding Oracy Into Your Classroom (It’s Already Happening)
The first step in embedding oracy into your classroom is accepting that it already happens — your students talk a lot, and you can leverage that, suggests Gaunt.