#003 – Will Millard: Oracy. Learning well through talk

2nd June 2017

In this episode of the LKMco Youth and Education podcast, Iesha talks to colleague Will Millard. Will is an educational researcher and former English teacher.

They discuss Will’s report Oracy: The state of speaking in our schools. They also explore how teachers can be more intentional in using talk effectively in the classroom to improve learning.

In this podcast Will shares…

  • His definition of oracy as “learning to speak well” and “learning well through talk”
  • How oracy is important to all subject areas and some elements are subject specific
  • His answer to teachers who say that kids talk too much already!
  • What Will wished he’d known about talk and oracy in the classroom when he was a teacher
  • Questions that school leaders and class teachers need to ask themselves if they want oracy to be effective in their school
  • The socio-economic factors that affect oracy
  • Why oracy appears to be more highly prized in early years, primary and special schools
  • What policy makers and school leaders could do to champion oracy and remove barriers for teachers
  • Why teachers in independent school appear to value oracy more than those in the state sector

Resources/people featured or mentioned

Music Credits:  ‘Oui’ by Simon Mathewson from  and ‘Jump for joy’ by Scott Holmes both from  http://freemusicarchive.org

Producer: Iesha Small

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