Effective oracy skills can help students to express themselves clearly, engage in meaningful conversations, and succeed in various social and professional contexts.
Oracy is “not a subject but a condition of learning in all subjects; not merely a skill but the essential instrument in the humanising of the species” (Wilkinson, 1970).
More than 50 years since Andrew Wilkinson first coined the phrase “oracy”, a seemingly endless number of articles and papers have been churned out, with huge stakes being attached to those educators who have adopted this pedagogy as a key component of their teaching toolkit.
“Taking oracy education seriously is perhaps the most powerful thing a teacher can do to positively impact the life chances of their pupils.” (Oracy Cambridge, 2020).
But as with all publications on this subject (including this one) – the most important aspect is how we support the wider education community to be better informed on such a highly researched pedagogy while not leaving them drowning in more theory and research data.
As such, below are 10 steps and strategies for teaching oracy. The advice includes insights from two schools – Barrowford Primary School and Halifax Academy – which have adopted whole-school oracy practices that are proving effective, especially for the most disadvantaged pupils.
Barrowford is a mixed community school situated in Pendle, Lancashire, and Halifax Academy is a mixed four to 16 school in West Yorkshire.
The schools work with Voice 21, a national charity which works to transform the learning and life chances of young people through talk.
The quotes below come from interviews with Rachel Tomlinson, headteacher, and Karl Cross, assistant headteacher, at Barrowford Primary School, and Dani Burns, assistant headteacher at Halifax Academy.
Before we continue, for further discussion of many of these ideas and approaches, you may listen to a recent episode of the SecEd Podcast focused on teaching oracy skills in the secondary school classroom and which featured experts from Voice 21 (SecEd, 2023).
1, Set clear objectives
What do you want your students to achieve? Consider oracy activities such as improved public speaking, better conversation skills, or enhanced debating skills.
Barrowford Primary: “Often, it’s about kids communicating what they know and giving them an opportunity to do that really well – to build up those social and emotional skills so that children can access the learning.”
2, Model oracy
Be a role model for effective oral communication. Demonstrate good listening, appropriate tone and intonation and positive body language.
Halifax Academy: “Give teachers a toolkit so they can choose to demonstrate a range of oracy skills and approaches.”
Barrowford Primary: “One of the big things that we found was to bring some physicality to language as well. We'll explore how our voices represent that word – and our bodies help in creating actions.”
3, Create an inclusive and safe environment
Create a space where students feel comfortable expressing themselves with no judgement. Encourage open dialogue and active participation.
Halifax Academy: “Make sure that structures and scaffolds are in place in the classrooms, so every student becomes more confident.”
Barrowford Primary: “We are a sanction-free school, so voice is critical to enable structured and safe conversations.”
4, Deepen vocabulary
Encourage students to read widely to expand their vocabulary and language skills. Discuss nuances of language and its impact on how we communicate and are heard.
Barrowford Primary: “We address poverty through vocabulary. Our pupils don't have the experiences that allow them to develop a wider vocabulary.”
5, Active listening skills
Teach students to become active listeners, using eye-contact, nodding and providing verbal and non-verbal cues to show they are engaged in the conversation.
Halifax Academy: “We value listening as much as speaking – valuing every voice. We put structures in place to make our classrooms inclusive.”
Barrowford Primary: “Sometimes we may not have something to say, but that’s okay, it’s okay to just listen, to be a compassionate listener.”
6, Structured discussions
Provide students with clear guidelines to support their engagement in discussions, debates and group activities. These guidelines may include activities such as taking turns, building on other’s ideas, and disagreeing respectfully.
Halifax Academy: “Scaffold and structure lessons in such a way that there's a dialogue.”
Barrowford Primary: “We have embedded with the children an understanding of good oracy through discussion. What does good discussion look like and what are the different talk roles?”
7, Assessment
Provide constructive feedback on students’ speaking and listening skills. Encourage self-assessment and reflection, asking students to evaluate their own performance and identify areas for improvement. Help them to develop a growth mindset around their oracy skills.
Halifax Academy: “It takes time and needs reflection – it’s subtle.”
8, Public speaking practice
Support students to deliver presentations or take part in debates. Ask students to suggest topics they feel most confident and comfortable with to start their practice.
Halifax Academy: “We have Talk Tuesday’s – an idea from Voice21, where all lessons start with a talk-based task.”
9, Cultural awareness
Discuss with your students how cultural differences can impact their own and other people’s communication and encourage students to be respectful of diverse perspectives.
Barrowford Primary: “The golden thread that goes through our curriculum in the widest sense is about belonging – children seeing themselves in our curriculum, but also seeing other people in our curriculum as well; reflecting the whole world.”
10, Continuous improvement
Encourage students to continue working on their communication skills beyond the classroom setting. Oracy is a life-long skill.
Barrowford Primary: “Oracy is not just an add on to the curriculum.”
Halifax Academy: “Sometimes talk is messy but this is just good teaching! We want them to have a voice to change the world.”
Final thoughts
It is important to continuously adapt your approach to the specific needs and abilities of your students (and teachers). By providing personalised support, you can make a significant difference in their oracy confidence.
- Dr Leila Khouja Walker has more than 25 years’ experience in the education sector as a practitioner, policy advisor, and learning technologist consultant. Leila is co-founder of Persona Education. She is also a senior lecturer in education and childhood at the University of the West of England. Leila has worked with hundreds of schools worldwide to support their effective delivery of social-emotional learning. Follow Leila on X (Twitter) @walker_leila and find her previous articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/dr-leila-khouja-walker/
Further information & resources
- Oracy Cambridge: Oracy in the learning skills curriculum: Rationale, 2020: https://oracycambridge.org/oracy-learning-skills-rationale/
- SecEd Podcast: How to teach oracy skills in the secondary school classroom, 2023: www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/podcasts/the-seced-podcast-how-to-teach-oracy-skills-in-the-secondary-school-classroom
- Voice 21: https://voice21.org/
- Wilkinson: The Concept of Oracy, The English Journal (59, 1), 1970: https://doi.org/10.2307/811736