Voice21 is the UK’s oracy education charity. You can read more about their mission and role here. We have looked at their resources in PDT1068 English sessions.

Each October they run a month long campaign called Oracy October and this October the focus is Speaking like a Specialist.

This year’s theme is ‘Speaking like a Specialist’ and explores what high-quality talk looks like in different subject disciplines.

Voice21 explains:

“We want teachers to use the month to encourage students to talk like subject experts, raising their understanding of oracy by challenging them to speak like specialists in different areas of the curriculum. What does it mean to speak like a scientist? How does this differ from speaking like a historian, or to the expectations of high-quality talk in English or maths? While most of our communication skills can be universally applied, talk in different subject areas and disciplines has varying purposes. Raising students’ awareness of these differences supports them to become flexible and resilient communicators.”

(Voice 21, 2022, lines 2-6)

Voice21, 2022

There are a number of webinars that you can sign up for focused on high-quality classroom talk in science, art, English. mathematics and humanities. You can find the sign up pages here. You can also send off for some supporting resources here. 

If you are supporting learning in the classroom, knowing more about subject specific language will help you in your role.

References:

Voice21 (2022) Oracy October 2022. [online] Available from: https://voice21.org/oracy-october-2022/ [Accessed: 14/09/2022].

Vocie21 (2022) Speaking like a specialist. image. [online] Available from: https://mynorthamptonac-my.sharepoint.com/personal/jean_edwards_northampton_ac_uk/Documents/JE%20my%20docs/Pictures%20(2)/FDLT/FDLT%20blog%20stuff/voice%2021.png?Web=1 [Accessed: 14/09/2022].