Transform Teaching and Learning through Talk: The Oracy Imperative

by Amy Gaunt, Alice Stott

“Reading and writing float on a sea of talk” declared James Britton – and yet in our current education system, where the pressure is on for students to pass written exams, it is all too easily left adrift. How then, as teachers and educators, can we turn the tide and harness the power of talk in our classrooms?

This is not just an educational choice but rather, given students’ vastly different experiences of language, a moral imperative.

Amy Gaunt and Alice Stott’s must-read book serves as a detailed and engaging guide to get talking in class. It blends the academic research and evidence, with first-hand classroom experiences and practical strategies to enable you to unlock the power of oracy in your classroom and equip your students with the speaking skills they need to thrive in the twenty first century.

Transform Teaching and Learning Through Talk describes how



This book is a rich resource for teachers, drawing upon key academic research and outlining what this could look like in your classroom. Throughout, the authors share personal insights, engaging anecdotes and tried-and-tested approaches drawn from their experience teaching in primary and secondary classrooms. Whether you teach college-age students or those just starting their journey through school, this book will challenge you to think deeply about what you can do integrate oracy into your practice.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2018

Reviews

[Navin Valrani]

This book is critical for any educator who wishes to have student-led discussions as an integral part of their school curriculum. The Oracy framework simplifies “learning to talk” and “learning through talk” for teachers in a manner that works very well in primary and secondary schools.

The content on the British parliamentary debate system was a real learning for me and I thought the assessment tool kit was very effective and apt for our learning environment.

[Mark Johnson]

Insightful, practical, well-organised. You could read it in a day if you really tried.

Could do with a little more on how to promote Oracy amongst reluctant speakers.

[Papa Jimbo]

Some interesting ideas and recommendations, but as always with this sort of thing, a tad optimistic about what teachers have the time, resources, and support to achieve amidst pressures from policy and curriculum.

[Rokaia Bz]

A game changer for classroom practice. It takes teaching talk (and listening) to another level. I wish I had read this earlier as part of my theoretical pedagogical training.

The writers set out a fully developed (and classroom-tested) framework for teaching “oracy” skills (talk and listening) in the classroom across different school subjects. The framework has four strands: the physical, the cognitive, the linguistic, and the social and emotional. Each strand provides guidelines on what teachers should look for and focus on to develop students’ talk and listening skills.

The book is very practical and filled with tools for arranging group work in the classroom and setting up “discussion.” It is clear about who does what, why, and how, with detailed descriptions of each tool and activity, as well as practical guidelines.

I’m embarking on a new journey at an international school as a subject teacher of Global Perspectives, and I believe this book can be an invaluable resource for creating livelier and richer opportunities for classroom talk.

I can’t wait to use some of the tools!

[Dr Tech]

I am about to embark on another year of TOK teaching, and I was wanting to polish up my abilities and thought processes on using talk within the TOK classroom. This book came recommended and was an excellent and easy read, as much as a reminder rather than new ground at things I have done but maybe should be doing more of! Need to get back to the use of PVLEGS, a framework that I share with students, roles within discussion and much more - role on the return of the Socratic seminar...

[Lynne Gosbee]

Lots of fantastic ideas that I'm looking forward to trialling with my class before the end of term.

[Allison Hawker]

This book has proved to be an excellent resource reinforcing the importance of effective talking and listening within the classroom. It combines research, personal insights and practical strategies which I have been able to introduce into my classroom. It has been particularly interesting that , by using some of the strategies, I have noticed that two of my quieter students have become more confident and engage with their peers more effectively. I would highly recommend this book for both newly qualified and experienced teachers.