Best Practice

Disciplinary vocabulary: Using subject-focused talk in the classroom

Vocabulary is at the heart of oracy and literacy – disciplinary vocabulary is even more vital. Alan Howe offers six practical approaches for your classroom to build students’ confidence in using subject vocabulary
Talking shop: Through planned, structured opportunities for talk, students develop the ability to reason, analyse and evaluate as 'experts', talking as scientists, sports coaches, designers... - Adobe Stock

Through subject-focused talk, students learn discipline-specific ways of thinking and knowing, acquire distinctive uses of vocabulary or expression, and engage in differing types of dialogue and interactions, such as:

Creating opportunities for structured talk provides students with a bridge between their “everyday” ways of making sense of the world, and the deeper, fuller understanding required for academic success.

When students discuss ideas and explain their thinking, classrooms become communities of voices in which ideas can be explored, adjusted, revised, and extended. This develops important oracy skills, such as explaining an idea clearly, engaging in a productive discussion, or giving reasons to support a viewpoint.

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