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Talk at the Crossroads

11 Jun 2012

By Judy Clark, Network Adviser

What’s in a name? It would seem quite a lot. Oracy, articulacy, communication, language for learning, speaking and listening, talk; they are currently appearing frequently, often used interchangeably, sometimes misinterpreted and have never been of high enough profile to achieve the transformational potential they possess for our pupils.

"Talk" is coming at us from all angles. In the new Teachers’ Standards the word articulacy has appeared. Ofsted’s new framework has injected the word communication into the Quality of Teaching judgment. When it comes to the Expert Panel Report for the National Curriculum Review, we have the whole of Chapter 9 devoted to oral language and its development within the curriculum, at last acknowledging the “crucial nature of oral capability within education” (The Framework for the National Curriculum, 9.1).

"Teachers must demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject." New Teachers’ Standards

"Inspectors must consider; how well teaching enables pupils to develop skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics." Ofsted framework

We welcome the momentum in terms of policy but we’ve been here before. From Bullock’s A Language for Life to the National Oracy Project, still the quality and centrality of talk in our schools has not been established, fully understood or more importantly valued for its potential to transform teaching and learning. Talk is at a crossroads.

As professionals we have an ideal opportunity to take the momentum and radically change the nature of teaching and learning in our schools. To transform the poor man of “speaking and listening” and put it in its rightful place at the core not only of literacy but of the curriculum itself.

Our first port of call in the sea of terminology has to be to define what it is we mean by classroom talk and why use the term “classroom talk” above the others proffered. For me some terms too narrowly define what we want to achieve, others come with their own embedded preconceptions from a history of overuse and low priority.

• Both oracy and articulacy imply effective expression and presentation.
• We often speak of communication skills which hold similar connotations of confidence and clarity albeit with the additional skill of being able to relate to others. But these three terms are too narrowly social as desired outcomes, valuable of course, but in no way encompassing the wider potential of the talk we desire.
• Language development implies more of a natural process which can be enhanced by teaching but perhaps does not offer the opportunity for the more radical change in practice possible if we fully understand the power of pedagogy in developing talk.
• Speaking and listening unfortunately brings with it a history of being the poor relation to reading and writing.

For me “classroom talk” is wide enough to encompass the far reaching purposes we seek but also implies this is not just any old talk. Just semantics, you may be thinking, but important if we are at last going to embrace the full power of talk for our pupils.

Exploring the World of Talk, our new network theme over the coming months, will seek to consider classroom talk in its broadest sense. Talk that contributes to pupils’ learning development and thinking.

• Talk is of course vital socially for the skills and abilities to express ourselves and communicate effectively in a range of contexts.
• Talk must also be developed which is cognitively demanding and develops higher order, transferable thinking - both teacher and pupil talk.
• It has a central role in the English curriculum as a vital element of reading and writing and assessment but also in its own right.
• It also has a pivotal role in all other subjects across the curriculum both in establishing high quality classroom talk but also in explicitly exploring the language needed for each subject and context.

We will be sharing innovative practice, research, resources and expert support to highlight this fundamental cornerstone of education throughout the rest of the term. Talk is at a crossroads and we as practitioners have the power to take it down the right route, so join us this month in exploring the world of talk.  Policy can take us so far but it’s our practice that can make the difference.

Visit the main Exploring the World of Talk page.

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Tags: Network

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