Oracy Education Commission emphasises the importance of oracy to combat increasing polarisation and misinformation

Tiffany Smyly, Chief Programme Officer, The Economist Educational Foundation

On October 8th, I travelled to the House of Lords for the launch of the Oracy Education Commission’s report, We Need To Talk

The Commission was created to make recommendations to bring more prominence to oracy in England’s education system. Speaking, listening and communicating effectively is at the heart of Topical Talk so we’ve followed the Commission’s work over the past seven months. 

Refusing to fall into the trap of being too prescriptive, We Need To Talk argues that oracy is as foundational in learning as reading, writing and arithmetic – and should be an entitlement in every child’s education to prepare them as future citizens. 

Here are three reflections from the report which aligns with the work of The Economist Educational Foundation and the opportunities Topical Talk offers.

1. Oracy is an essential part of a child’s journey to becoming a citizen

It’s made clear throughout the report that the democratic landscape is under pressure. With misinformation and polarised discourse on the rise, the ability to  “articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through speaking, listening and communication” has never been more important.

“Now more than ever, we need our young people to be equipped to ask questions, to articulate ideas, to formulate powerful arguments, to deepen their sense of identity and belonging, to listen actively and critically, and to be well-steeped in a fundamental principle of a liberal democracy—that is, being able to disagree agreeably.”

Geoff Barton, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England

Children must be given opportunities to talk about topics that impact their lives, listen to different perspectives and develop opinions through discussion. This is at the core of Topical Talk, which provides opportunities to do this in the context of the biggest and most important news stories of our time.

2. Going beyond performative

Often oracy exercises in the classroom focus on performative activities such as presenting or debating. These certainly have a place for developing accomplished communicators, but it was heartening to see the importance of a variety of activities emphasised in the report: 

“To focus only on teaching the performative, ‘polished’ aspects of speaking, listening and communication is to neglect the messy, routine and everyday role of talk in learning and in life.”

In order to have open-minded discussions about the news, children need to practise deliberative as well as performative oracy. Topical Talk lessons include debate and presentation opportunities alongside negotiating a shared solution, building understanding through discussion and chances for students to change their minds through listening to different perspectives.

3. Learning to, through and about

The report breaks oracy into three elements: learning to talk, listen and communicate; learning through talk, listening and communication; and learning about talk, listening and communication. This distinction brings clarity to the difference between using oracy strategies to build deeper understanding about a topic and the development and understanding of oracy skills themselves.

Similarly Topical Talk is an opportunity to both talk, through the news and also to talk through the news. Children develop speaking and listening skills through the challenging discussion activities rooted in oracy pedagogy, but also develop their understanding of complex current affairs by talking through relevant information and listening to different perspectives.

We want more young people to be given the opportunity to develop their oracy skills through informed, open-minded and inspiring discussions about the news.

Explore Topical Talk’s lesson library to explore oracy and the news.
Read the full Oracy Education Commission report here.