Oracy Education
The importance of developing young people's spoken language skills for their own futures and those of their communities.
Oracy refers to the skills involved in using spoken language to communicate effectively.
The quality of children's early language experience has been shown to be a powerful predictor of their subsequent educational achievement across the curriculum — not just in the subjects most closely related to language.
The Oracy Skills Framework
Until recent times, there was no clear specification of the range of skills involved in using spoken language to communicate effectively. The Oracy Skills Framework was therefore created by researchers at the University of Cambridge, working with members of School 21 (the first UK school to put oracy firmly into its curriculum).
Specific types of talk situation require different sets of skills. For example, "voice projection" will be important in making a public speech, but not in a personal, face-to-face conversation, while the opposite would probably be the case for "listening actively".
Oracy at Harvest Academy Malaysia
Harvest Academy Malaysia, the first International GCSE Prep School in Perlis (with boarding facilities for Langkawi and Kedah students), has always understood the importance of whole-class discussion. We raise students' awareness of how they talk and work together.
Besides listening skills, students actively participate in sharing relevant information and engage critically but constructively with each other's ideas.
Authoritative presentation — in which the teacher does most of the talking to inform students about a subject through a prepared talk or lecture — is still a crucial part of delivering new knowledge. At the same time, interactive dialogue gives students opportunities to take long turns when talking. This encourages students to ask questions about things they do not understand, share their thoughts and reveal misunderstandings.
