Oracy And Beyond

"We have many children in our schools who also still do really worry about whether they're going to get it right or not. And that stops them from volunteering to talk. Which is why I'm really interested in other systems which are not just about waiting for volunteers or asking for volunteers." - Topsy Page Topsy Page is an Oracy Cambridge Associate and the author of "Oracy: 100 Ideas for Primary T...

"A student was excluded from a mainstream school in Coventry. He did display very challenging behaviour in the community as well. And we use the music studio a lot. So he started writing song lyrics, then he used these to construct his prose. And he's performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in a short version of Midsummer Night's Dream. He's written the rap and he's also just done his Englis...

"Oracy isn't just about learning to talk, it's about learning through talk. It's about building those cognitive foundations for everything else." - Tracie Butterfill, National Lead Early Years and Families @ Twinkl This conversation had me wishing I could rewind with my children and start again. Tracie talks about how we should instruct instead of ask. Say "Thank You" instead of "Please". That alo...

"In today's world, far too much communication is happening digitally. We've lost that ability to speak and to listen and to understand each other. Getting us back to being able to speak to each other is one of the beautiful parts of Oracy." - Eric Chamberlin Eric Chamberlin is a teacher-turned-tech genius. He has created not one but TWO apps that promote speaking, listening, and confidence-buildin...

"Speech and language is coordination, but also your whole body movement is coordination. So, if children are learning vocabulary through something they're experiencing - they're learning the word hop, but they're actually hopping at the same time - there's much more for them to hook that word onto." - Helen Guntrip My guest is Helen Guntrip, speech and language therapist, founder of Talk and Move...

“Sometimes the quietest student in the classroom has the most to say — they just need the right space to say it.” - Veronique Trang Being a child with a head full of ideas and suggestions but lacking the confidence or ability to share it with peers is a terrible feeling. This episode's guest knows that all too well. Veronique Trang went from being a shy child to the CEO of a tech company that has...

"Oracy has a power for social mobility and opportunities for those that maybe don't have the language in their upbringing. That's not to say that oracy is gonna solve all of the problems in society, but as educators, it's a real tool that I think we can equip our children with." - Michael Gardner Michael Gardner is the founder of "The Oracy Shift" and author of the recently published book "Voices...

"To me, oracy is life. We are animals from time beyond. If we've been evolved to communicate, we need to communicate to survive. So, it's life, isn't it?" - Shilpa Jamieson Shilpa Jamieson is family coach, a speaker, and an author. Her work centres around human connection, particularly in families and with young people at the heart of it all. In this episode Shilpa chats about: How children can ho...

"Oracy is like air because it's all around us. It's for everybody." - Hanna Beech In this episode Hanna Beech discusses how oracy is like air: essential and omnipresent. She talks about its role in fostering communication skills, personal development, and community connection. We look at the importance of implementing oracy in schools, the importance of capability, opportunity, and motivation. Han...

"Teachers spend their whole life using their voice, so supporting teachers, not just in terms of how they teach oracy, but also in their own Orocy skills is very important." - Georgie Ross As Oracy Coach at the English-Speaking Union Georgie Ross travels the world teaching and coaching in international settings to help people master the art of public speaking. And in this episode of Oracy And Beyo...

"We're not born with language. We're born with communication, skills and desire, but we're not born with the words to get needs met." - Dr. Maddi Popoola In this episode I am joined by Educational Psychologist and author of "Reimagining Education", Dr Maddi Popoola. We go right back to the early stages of development i.e. in the womb, with Dr. Maddi asking when we should start to consider Oracy le...

"Oracy has got this opportunity to give people a voice and for them to recognise what it is to be heard." - Alice Pepper In this first episode since the Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report, I chat with Alice Pepper ( Oracy Award Lead at One Education ) about how wider oracy learning has to involved classroom dialogue to create equity in young people. Alice is an education consultant who...

"Listen to the song here in my heart. A melody I start, but can't complete. Listen to the sound from deep within, it's only beginning to find release." - Beyonce Hello, I'm the host or Oracy And Beyond, Al Booth. I always like to start these notes with a quote from the guest featured in the episode. In this episode, however, my first six guests are all here to share their stories of the time a chi...

"Oracy is truly inclusive. It's not about speaking perfectly but about giving students the confidence and skills to express themselves authentically." - Laura Brogan Laura Brogan is the National Education Lead for Phonics and Early Reading at Twinkle Educational Publishing. She is passionate about helping children find their voice by starting where they are, which oracy is an absolute aid for. In...

"We need to find what's inside children's minds if we want to teach them. We need to find what they find important before we take the hassle of teaching them about history or geometry or something." - Bob Coenraats In this episode of Oracy And Beyond we are in The Netherlands to talk to philosophy teacher and passionate oracy advocate Bob Coenraats. Bob talks about: * His own insights from his exp...

"Mistakes are okay. If you're making mistakes, it shows that you're trying something and that you're working on it." - Pete Munroe Once upon a time in a radio station boardroom a new Managing Director was giving a talk to the on-air team. During her introduction she said she wanted to see mistakes. She wanted to see ideas that didn't come off. Because if we were getting things wrong, we were tryin...

"I'm talking too much and I'm not letting anyone else speak, and that will be impacting students all the time in my classroom. It's not just the students' oracy; it's mine too. And the staff in the room. That was my epiphany." Louise Pickering is the Head of Social Sciences at Weavers Academy, part of the Creative Education Trust. Louise admits to having been someone who taught how she'd been taug...

"I would deliberately do bits wrong, and they could tell me. And they did it in pairs, they did it in fours, they did it where they were starting off with a question, or they were halfway through a question. For me, that was like the prime example of how we could prove that oracy was just a brilliant way of doing things." Caroline Hudson is The Kitchen Table Teacher. With more than 30-years' exper...

"I was painfully shy. I am dyslexic as well. If I could get through a day without speaking and having anyone look at me, then that was a success. But then because of that, because the way that education was back then, I never developed those skills needed and that vocabulary needed." Michelle Windridge is the National Education Lead for school-based EYFS at Twinkl . She has also been published in...

Oracy And Beyond is a show the looks at how communication from an early age can create equity in the classroom... and beyond. Hosted by me, Al Booth - a former shy, unconfident child turned BBC and commercial radio & TV broadcaster and live host - each episode features a guest who is passionate about giving young people a voice through authentic communication. We look at moments where encourag...