Teaching oracy through authentic classroom talk tasks

How to use authentic speaking scenarios to teach discrete communication skills such as voice, structure, pace, pause, gesture and emphasis

This workshop will explore how we can make sure talk opportunities in the classroom are relevant, realistic, and reflective of learners' real lives and needs. We will consider how purposeful spoken language tasks can give learners agency and support learning, identity, confidence and classroom relationships.

Drawing on examples from primary oracy qualifications, the session will demonstrate how real-life communication activities can be combined with the explicit teaching of discrete communication skills, including voice, structure, pace, pause, gesture, emphasis and active listening.

Participants will leave with practical ideas for designing talk tasks that help pupils develop confidence, clarity and effectiveness in both their speaking and listening and that build progression across years.

This webinar is intended for primary school teachers, English subject leaders and literacy coordinators interested in developing pupils’ speaking and listening through purposeful classroom talk tasks. The session will also be relevant for trainee teachers, teacher educators and school leaders with an interest in oracy and spoken language development.

By the end of this webinar, you will:

• Be able to explain what makes a classroom talk task meaningful and authentic
• Know some ways to teach discrete communication skills, including voice, structure, pace, pause, gesture, emphasis and listening, through authentic speaking scenarios
• Consider how classroom talk tasks can be developed to support progression in speaking and listening across the primary years.

Before the webinar, please explore:

• Kearney, L.(2025). Embedding Structured Oracy in the Primary Curriculum, Impact Magazine
• Oracy Education Commission (2024) We need to talk: The report of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England.
• The EA's work on oracy

After the webinar, you'll receive the recording of the webinar; a list of suggested further reading; and a series of reflection questions/writing prompts to support you in linking the content of the webinar back in to your practice.

Speakers:

Lauren Kearney – Senior Assessor and Senior Product Developer for Oracy. Lauren is a qualified English teacher who has taught in a diverse range of settings, including state and independent schools, inclusion centres, and working one-on-one with learners at risk of exclusion. Currently, she serves as the Senior Assessor and Senior Product Developer for Oracy at English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. In this role, Lauren's work on impact contributed to ESB winning the prestigious title “Awarding Organisation of the Year” in November 2023, awarded by the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB).