- COBIS Training Schools
Written by Ms Catherine Calver, Learning Support Teacher, and Ms Jane Scott, Head of Primary EAL, St Julian's School, Portugal
“Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding, and engage with others through spoken language.”
Voice 21
As educators in the fields of EAL and SEND, we have always valued the importance of student talk to enhance learning, develop thinking, and empower students to self-advocate. A variety of data - observations during Open House (an opportunity for staff to informally observe lessons across the school), a whole-school language review and student referrals - indicated that both student learning and life skills could be significantly improved with an explicit focus on Oracy.
Our research began in earnest including: educational podcasts such as Mind-The-Gap; a variety of academic papers and books; the ECIS MLIE conference; webinars; connecting with oracy advocates across the world; and the UK Voice 21 charity. Armed with data, research and enthusiasm we created and led a three-part Teaching and Learning Course (TLC) based on a plan, do, review cycle.
A group of fourteen class teachers, teaching assistants, and specialists from across our Primary school joined the TLC, and together we explored the meaning of oracy and the purpose and benefits of planning for intentional talk across the curriculum. Strategies, tools, and scaffolds were discussed and trialled. We utilised a teacher self-audit tool from Voice 21 to enable teachers to set goals and think about their professional development alongside student learning.
The TLC proved to be pivotal in allowing us to recognise the potential impact a whole school focus on Oracy could have on student development. As teachers began to explore and embed best practices in their classrooms, positive data began to emerge. They noticed that cold calling engaged reluctant speakers in their learning; using sentence stems and frames elevated the quality of talk; and explicit oracy instruction resulted in increased confidence when speaking out in class. We realised that all teachers and all students deserved to benefit from learning more about Oracy.
We now have a two-year action plan that focuses on creating a sustainable culture of communication that will benefit all students and ensure that oracy is integrated throughout the curriculum. This year we are continuing our research, which will include a visit to learn directly from flagship Oracy schools in London. Additionally, we are trialling and measuring the impact of different strategies to improve listening and talk in the classroom. A group of Oracy Pioneers have been formed: nine teachers who have set Oracy as a professional development goal and now form part of a collaborative teaching team. Their growing expertise and experience will inform the targeted professional development programme for next academic year, as well as contribute to a tried and tested toolkit of oracy strategies.
Additionally,we plan to develop a bespoke St. Julian’s Prep School Oracy skills rubric which will show vertical progression in the four different columns from the Oracy Framework below.
Looking ahead to next year, we will continue to analyse the impact of our oracy programmes and adapt strategies based on those findings. Focusing on Oracy in our school is not merely a tweak to our current pedagogy; it is a necessary investment in our students’ futures. We believe that a focus on Oracy will not only empower all of our students to advocate for themselves and become effective communicators but also support our teachers to be experts in developing student talk.