In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Adam Marycz reflect on the influence of screen time and how a one-way interaction has influenced how children communicate now. They discuss how videos can influence accents and pronunciations in children, as they are learning from a screen and not real-live experiences. 

Shaddai and Adam discuss fostering an environment that allows children the space to think and respond, giving them time to consider, learn and develop critical thinking. They acknowledge that attention spans have shrunk so there is pressure to react quicker, highlighting the need to teach responding appropriately rather than immediately.  

Practitioners will learn more about considering a language-rich environment to allow conversations to blossom, as well as being aware of the effects of allowing time and removing background noise to support learning. 

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined again by Adam Marycz to discuss upbringings and backgrounds, as well as socioeconomic factors that affect oracy education. They highlight ‘cultural capital’ and the need for equity to provide everyone with access to opportunities and ask educators to think about what success looks like when supporting children from different backgrounds 

The conversation moved on to how far Early Years Pupil Premium can support as well as doesn’t helping parents understand the importance where support is lacking in a multicultural society. 

Practitioners may be interested in learning more about the role of resources, but only if educators are skilled in utilising them. TTS’ own Recordable Pegs, Recordable Mats and Talking Pens are examples of resources that can support the development of oracy skills if used effectively. 

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Adam Marycz, Early Years Education Consultant at TTS. The pair discuss what oracy can do to set up a young person for success in the future. 

The conversation moves on to highlighting the lack of awareness on defining oracy and how there is still room to build understanding. They also focus on the context behind what we say, listening, ability to participate and learn together. 

Practitioners may be interested in learning more about the oracy gap and how it isn’t being addressed, as well as how to support children and parents following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Amy Gaunt for a final episode to look at the role parents can play in supporting oracy in young learners. 

Voice21's YouGov polling found over 80% of parents support oracy in the curriculum and the pair discuss how helping educate parents on what oracy is via workshops can spark inspiration at home. 

Shaddai and Amy discuss how teachers need to think carefully about messages going home and not to make parents feel they aren’t doing enough. They discuss making parents feel included and tips to including them in oracy education. 

Practitioners may benefit from considering oracy as a ‘golden thread’ in school and learning more about the impact of technology on oracy skills and focussing on screen-free learning to help conversations be more present. Amy also signposts to Voice21’s downloadable benchmarks, as well as available reports to look at, before rounding off about the long-term oracy vision. 

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In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Amy Gaunt discuss strategies and activities for in the classroom, such as debate, drama and storytelling. 

Amy and Shaddai look at giving students the skills they need to develop their oracy skills, such as how to debate and creating spaces for expression. They also consider a child’s journey through school and the wide-ranging oracy rich curriculum.  

Practitioners will think more about oracy being ‘always on’ and how to develop ‘oracy muscles’, as well as good practice for supporting transitions. They will learn more about extracurricular activities and how parents' evenings can develop oracy skills. 

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In this episode, Amy and Shaddai discuss oracy benchmarks and what we mean by high quality oracy education. Amy discusses the levers teachers have to help identify oracy as well as the high expectations set on oracy education. 

Amy and Shaddai discuss being ambitious for students and using your voice to deliberately involve all children. They talk about valuing different accents and dialects and creating opportunities to engage in exploratory talk. 

Practitioners may be interested in learning more about ‘non-purposeful talk’ and enabling challenges or builds on ideas. They may also benefit from letting conversations breathe and enable pupils to reflect more on their discussions.  

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Amy Gaunt, Director of Learning, Impact and Influence at Voice21, a national oracy education charity who work with schools across the UK. 

Amy and Shaddai discuss how oracy is defined and how we deliberately think about the way we speak with children. They highlight the benefits of an oracy-rich curriculum to support life beyond school and help children to be good friends and life partners in their adult life. 

Amy touches on the four strands of the oracy framework that Voice 21 developed with University of Cambridge and touches on focussing on strengths and developing skills. 

Practitioners will learn about how human skills are needed in the age of AI and technology as well as the importance of the things we don’t say.  

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Mike Gardner for a final episode, to discuss embedding oracy in school culture by integrating into policies, practical steps for teachers and the role of parents in collaborative oracy education.  

Mike highlights the everyday opportunity that pick-up and drop-off times can offer educators to engage and collaborate with parents to demonstrate what good social interaction looks like to the child. Teachers can also consider their own communication skills and how to model manners in day-to-day life when speaking with other teachers. 

Practitioners can consider looking beyond the classroom for opportunities to develop language and communication skills. Shaddai and Mike touch on “non-academic” time and the use of clubs and extracurricular activities to encourage use of language and communication, as well as getting to know children more so they feel listened to and seen. 

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In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Mike Gardner discuss the role of oracy in building self-efficacy and supporting emotional regulation through talk. They touch on how educators can support children to build confidence in the classroom and communicate their thoughts and feelings. 

Mike and Shaddai talk about children’s identity and how this links to oracy, as well as how adults need to help foster positive relationships and allow children to feel they are a part of the environment they are in. 

Practitioners may be interested in the gender differences in oracy development as well as Mike’s real-life experiences, which includes the story of a young girl new to the UK and what strategies were used to make her feel confident. 

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Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined again by Mike Gardner to discuss how teachers can use oracy in their assessment practices. They touch on how oracy helps to model new learning and shifting from teacher talk to learner talk. 

Shaddai and Mike talk about the role of the whole school in supporting and enabling educators to roll out an oracy-rich curriculum, allowing practitioners to think whether their own school values and policies are setting the right standards. 

Practitioners may be interested to learn more strategies for effective learner-centred talk, the influence teachers have on communication, and ways of managing dominant voices in the classroom. 

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Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.