I’ve been reading back over the history of oracy education in the UK and have picked up a copy of Talk for Learning and Teaching by Joan Tough (Schools Council Publications 1979). Four decades on, it still contains so much relevant and useful material. This paragraph, for example, really made me think:
Teachers often want to reduce their talk, but aren’t sure where to start. The above quote is a reminder that a game-changer for effective teacher talk is planning it.
Ready to make planned teacher talk your new habit? To take your talk to the next level, here are six questions you can ask yourself:
What specific phrases and vocabulary do I want to say?
What is my main question?
What proportion of the lesson do I want to be talking?
Can I make any of my points in a more concise way?
Which things do I not need to say?
Can I replace any of my talk with non-verbal signals or written instructions?
I’d love to know how you get on.
An update for school leaders and oracy leads
Oracy is a lot more than how we pronounce words
Resources and ideas to deepen learning
Three steps to help your class develop their listening skills
The importance of building the right foundations
Increase the effectiveness of talk partners
The impact of establishing habits and planning for talk
What will happen when you remove the fear of being wrong?
I highly recommend this podcast to anyone with an interest in oracy education
Interviews with experienced communicators, from comedians to speech writers
Including free preview and where to buy
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A great way for pupils to develop and practise their oracy skills
Three vital ingredients
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Impact of Philosophy for Children
A step towards effective group talk
Foundations for dialogue and P4C in your classroom
Provide opportunities to develop confidence
What will your class wonder when they watch this?
Essential listening for maths teachers
High-quality classroom talk – what does it look like?
Use talking points to get students thinking and talking about a painting
A great way of revisiting prior learning by speaking to different people
Examples of purposeful talk for learning
Let’s start talking about the impact screen time might be having on language development
A radical proposal for the future
Oracy skills development - using different volumes
The power of stories in small groups