Exploring the World of Talk
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.
This theme considered classroom talk in its broadest sense: talk that contributes to pupils’ learning development and thinking.
We shared innovative practice, research, resources and expert support to highlight this fundamental cornerstone of education.
Blogs and member contributions
Every Sheffield Child Articulate and Literate: City Talks event (primary)
Marie Lowe, network member and Senior Adviser for Sheffield's literacy strategy, describes their event, which illustrated what a city-wide approach to language and literacy can offer. View
Talk for Learning (primary)
Salma Rahman, Assistant Headteacher at Horton Park Primary School in Bradford shares her experience of introducing Talk for Learning both across the school and in her Year 1 classroom. View
My top five tips for encouraging talk (secondary)
Christine Thomas from Astley High School share practical examples of how they have improved English Language results by 20% through using talk in the classroom. View
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SALAD days at The Angmering School (secondary)
Network member Anne-Marie Anderson describes how they have successfully run Speaking and Listening Activity Days at her school. Includes practical examples from several subject areas. View
Talk at the crossroads
Network Adviser Judy Clark introduces the policy and research context behind our theme. View
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Talk: a tool for learning (primary)
Literacy Consultant and network member Carol Satterthwaite discusses the benefits of "dialogic teaching" in the classroom. View.
Resources
Practical activities for facilitating discussion
Mike Gershon, sociology teacher and top contributor for TES Resources, shares his favourite activities for promoting and supporting discussion and debate in the classroom. View
Socratic talk in action
An introduction to Socratic discussion with real examples from a teacher who has successfully implemented this type of talk in school. Includes an example teaching PowerPoint. View
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Understanding the teaching of "talk" in the classroom (secondary)
Tools to help secondary school practitioners explore how they might develop and improve their teaching of different types of interactive talk. View
Developing team skills in the classroom (primary)
A self-evaluation tool that offers an insight into pupils' views of group work and how they feel about interacting with others during group tasks. View
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Dialogic learning explained: interview with a communication expert (primary)
A discussion of dialogic talk and practical advice for teachers who are looking to establish dialogic learning in their classrooms. View
Dialogic Talk: The Essentials (primary)
A one-page list of the "Dos and Don'ts" of using dialogic talk in the classroom. View
Whole-school audit for speaking and listening
A tool to help you to evaluate your school's speaking and listening strategy and provide you with ideas and advice to enable you to move forward. View
Research and policy
Talk: key research
The following guide gives a flavour of some of the more accessible and downloadable papers and commentary which help build knowledge and whet our appetites about the power of talk in the classroom.
