Oracy is a cornerstone of emotional, social, and academic confidence, impacting individuals from all walks of life in their present and future endeavors. Not only can it increase school attainment and improve educational understanding, but it can also boost emotional wellbeing and strengthen relationships in adulthood.
Evidence shows oracy is crucial, but what actually is it, its benefits, and how can you encourage it in your classroom? We’re diving into all that right here.
What Is Oracy?
Simply put, oracy is speaking and listening skills. To elaborate, it’s the range of skills and techniques we use to verbally express our thoughts and feelings, including our ability to listen, understand, and respond. In the classroom, it’s paramount for communicating with others and understand the educational materials provided throughout the day.
Importantly, languages, accents, and dialects do not come into it. Oracy is for everybody, and all pupils should be empowered to find, hone, and express their true voice.
Why Is Oracy Important in Education?
As alluded to in the previous section, oracy is the foundation of learning and communication. While it has strong links to literacy, it is also imperative for building confidence and encouraging the participation of all students.
Research highlights that children’s early language development is a predictor of their future academic success, professional opportunities, and overall life achievements. Individuals who are encouraged and supported to grow language skills early are more likely to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
5 Benefits of Oracy in the Classroom
Oracy is just one of the necessary literacy skills humans need to thrive. That said, there are a plethora of benefits to having strong oracy skills in the classroom and beyond. The five most pertinent are:
1. Improves Communication Skills
With good oracy comes the ability to express your thoughts and ideas clearly through spoken word. Similar to reading and writing, speaking is a necessary skill that supports academic success and personal development in all environments by expanding the vocabulary. It ensures children can articulate their opinions clearly, take part in discussions, and communicate well across all areas of life.
It isn’t just about speaking, though.
Communication is a two-way street, requiring each participant to not only speak well, but listen, too. And most importantly, listen actively. Developing strong oracy skills ensures children express themselves clearly and listen when others do.
“Whole body listening” is perhaps the most effective way to encourage active listening. Encouraging eye contact and responsiveness to the speaker’s questions, thoughts, and ideas develops crucial listening skills that will serve individuals well throughout their life.
2. Builds Confidence
Many students, particularly in the post-COVID-19 landscape are fearful of participating in group discussions, debates, and conducting presentations to their peers. This lack of confidence can negatively impact their professional and personal lives beyond school. But oracy is the ticket to overcoming this fear.
Over time, strong oracy skills given pupils confidence in themselves and their ability to speak in front of others, articulate their needs within relationships, and share opinions without worrying about judgment or fearing they don’t have the words to express themselves.
In social environments, this foundational skill improves confidence when meeting new people, making friends, talking to peers, and declaring their feelings. And in the classroom, you’ll see a gradual shift in participation among previously shy students as their oracy develops.
3. Enhances Critical Thinking
Oral language skills and critical thinking go hand-in-hand. The former allows students to vocalize their reasons and justifications for their ideas and opinions, while helping them discuss and challenge their own and others’ concepts.
It also allows for proper reflection. Verbally communicating with others allows students to spot reasoning gaps and make connections to problem-solve as a team — a must-have for adult professional and personal life.
According to Cambridge research, talk routines help learners develop oracy skills to enhance critical thinking by:
- Asking deeper questions
- Challenging assumptions
- Providing longer, justified reasons and responses
- Listening actively to peers
- Forging better connections from idea-to-idea
4. Supports Academic Achievement
Research proves strong oracy skills boost academic performance across all subjects, including English, math, and science. The ability to better understand the spoken word is integral in subject mastery, reading, and writing, ultimately improving overall scholastic attainment.
5. Prepares Students for Real Life
Very few professions are completely solo. As such, robust oracy is critical for effective workplace communication, collaboration, and teamwork within a professional environment. Not to mention its ability to enhance social interactions and aid people’s abilities to maintain positive relationships — all aspects of life after school.
How Teachers Can Develop Oracy in the Classroom
You may already be developing oracy in your classroom during your day-to-day activities. However, there is always room for extra support and development. While there are many ways in which to do this, some of the most impactful are as follows:
- Offer opportunities for group discussions within every lesson
- Develop your classroom culture to ensure that each lesson includes oracy and provides opportunities for every student to contribute
- Model effective communication through your own use of vocabulary, content, and tone
- Use speaking to formatively assess knowledge and understanding
- Encourage curious question-asking and provide thoughtful answers (and vice versa)
- Conduct structured talk activities like “Connect-It”, “Because-So-But,” and “Question-It.”
- Make time for debates across all subjects
- Set presentation tasks relevant to the subject
Oracy Benefits in the Classroom
Strong oracy is essential for academic achievement, critical thinking, clear communication, and confidence building. Giving students plenty of opportunities to develop this skill will offer them better opportunities and contribute to their short- and long-term success.
Get in touch to learn about how Oracy Champions can help your school.
