Unleashing the Power of Talk: Implications of the 2024 Future of Oracy Report for Schools
“Children, we now know, need to talk and to experience a rich diet
of spoken language, in order to think and to learn. Reading, writing
and number may be the acknowledged curriculum ‘basics’, but talk
is arguably the true foundation of learning.”
Alexander (2004)
Effective communication is more crucial than ever. It has the power to improve cognitive, social, emotional and life outcomes for children. Yet, the ability to articulate thoughts, ideas, and arguments – oracy – has sometimes played a backseat in the curriculum, with schools may prioritise other skills, leaving oracy underemphasised or assume teacher knowledge of the skills.
The 2024 Future of Oracy report, a landmark study from the UK, sheds light on the significance of oracy and provides valuable insights for schools. This blog post will explore the key findings of the report and discuss its implications for teachers and school leaders.
What is Oracy?
Oracy is the ability to use spoken language effectively. It encompasses a wide range of skills, including listening, speaking, debating, and presenting. Oracy is not just about language proficiency; it also involves critical thinking, problem-solving, and social-emotional development.
Key Findings from the 2024 Report
The 2024 Future of Oracy report highlights the importance of oracy in education and identifies several key findings:
- The benefits of strong oracy skills: Students with strong oracy skills are more likely to succeed academically, socially, and professionally. They are better able to communicate their ideas, collaborate with others, and engage in critical thinking.
- The challenges and barriers to effective oracy teaching: Despite its importance, oracy is often neglected in schools. This can be for many reasons such as teachers may lack the necessary skills or resources to teach oracy effectively (Donaldson; 2015, Richardson; 2024), and the pressure to ‘evidence’ learning such as in written form, which often does not lend itself to oracy.
- Recommendations for improving oracy education: The report offers a number of recommendations for improving oracy education, including:
- Creating a culture of talk and discussion in schools
- Using oracy-focused teaching strategies
- Providing opportunities for collaborative learning
- Assessing oracy skills effectively
Implications for Teachers
Teachers play a crucial role in developing students’ oracy skills. Here are some ways in which teachers can implement the recommendations of the 2024 Future of Oracy report:
- Create a culture of talk and discussion: Encourage students to talk regularly and engage in meaningful discussions. Use a variety of discussion formats, such as debates, role-plays, and group work. TT Education’s Path to Success provides a pedagogical approach for placing talk and collaboration at the heart of learning.
- Adults model high-quality talk. Adults can model the talk they expect from students (in terms of tone and etiquette, as well as vocabulary and content). Strategies such as ‘thinking out loud’ can also help to show the process of cognition and talk we go through to aid learning.
- Provide opportunities for collaborative learning: Create opportunities for students to work together on projects and assignments that involves communication. This will help them develop their communication and collaboration skills.
- Scaffold talk interactions. Teachers can scaffold oracy by setting clear rules to talk time and activities and providing sentence starters / stems to start talk off. Strategies such as ‘prompt then explore’ can also help, where teachers might prompt students to recall information at first, before then encouraging a deeper exploration of ideas.
- Reduce anxiety around talking out loud. For some learners, sharing ideas in public can trigger anxiety. Introduce talk in short burst, low threat ways. Praise pupils efforts with talk and engaging in talk-led activities. Encouraging everyone to talk out loud, initially through fun, informal games. Build pupils confidence through paired games, with clear rules so pupils know what is expected of them.
- Assess oracy skills effectively: Use a variety of assessment methods to measure students’ oracy skills, including observations, interviews, and presentations.
Implications for School Leaders
School leaders can also play a vital role in supporting the development of oracy. Here are some ways in which school leaders can promote oracy:
- Prioritise oracy in the school’s curriculum: Ensure that oracy is a key component of the school’s curriculum. This can include developing an oracy curriculum, to support the building of oracy knowledge and skills.
- Provide professional development for teachers: Offer professional development opportunities for teachers to help them improve their oracy teaching skills.
- Create a supportive environment for oracy: Foster a school culture that values communication and collaboration throughout the school with pupils, staff and families. Encourage ‘voice’ at all levels.
- Measure and evaluate oracy progress: Track students’ progress in oracy and use the data to inform school improvement efforts.
The 2024 Future of Oracy report provides a clear and compelling case for the importance of oracy in education. By implementing the recommendations of the report, schools can help students develop the essential communication skills they need to succeed in life.
TT Education, the UKs leading School Improvement Provider has been championing oracy as a key component for learning. We have a range of on-demand courses and can support schools to develop oracy rich teaching and classroom provision. Contact us for more information of how we can help your school or Trust unleash the power of talk.
