Page 8 - The East Sussex Way

Learning through talk is when speaking and listening is ‘used a
means’ to support high quality teaching and learning across the

curriculum. Alexander suggests that oracy can provide opportunities
for teachers and pupils to:

• receive, act and build upon answers
• analyse and solve problems
• speculate and imagine
• explore and evaluate ideas (Alexander, 2020)

Learning through and to talk are not mutually exclusive, and both
strands will frequently be taught together. Peter Hyman, Executive

Headteacher at School 21, explains the interplay between the two
strands:

‘We explain oracy as the overlap between learning to talk and

learning through talk… learning to talk is a skill in itself. How do you
learn to be a compelling speaker, to hold an audience?… Then

learning to talk is how talk gives you better writing, thinking and
understanding of key concepts.’ (Hyman, 2016)

We should aim to give pupils ample and consistent opportunities to

engage in exploratory classroom talk such as discussion, problem
solving and reaching a consensus. Pupils should grapple with ideas
and make them their own. Exploratory talk is the most desirable type

of group talk; it is educationally productive, helping pupils to develop
their understanding and move their learning forward. (Stott & Gaunt,
2018)

‘Teaching oracy is an issue of social equity.’ (APPG, 2021)

All pupils should have the opportunity to Þ nd their voice: oracy should

be sustained across their entire education, within every subject and
phase, to ensure they learn how to articulate their ideas effectively.

However, effective teaching of oracy has the biggest impact on
disadvantaged pupils:

‘If pupils do not acquire this language at home, school is their second
chance. If they are not getting it in school, they are not getting
it. Oracy, therefore, is not just an educational choice but a moral

3 imperative.’ (APPG, 2021)