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  • University of Nottingham

An Introduction to Oracy in the Classroom

Gain practical skills in using effective classroom talk to enhance student participation and foster meaningful learning.

A teacher speaks animatedly to young students in a classroom.

An Introduction to Oracy in the Classroom

  • 5 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

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  • Duration

    5 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours
  • 100% online

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    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Take the next steps in your teaching career with McGraw Hill

Ready to unlock the potential of oracy in your classroom? This introductory five-week course from McGraw Hill will help you enhance communication skills in the classroom.

You’ll learn foundational concepts in classroom talk, using real examples across diverse schools and age groups. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to make informed choices about integrating oracy in your classroom.

Use classroom talk to elevate your teaching skills

Each week, you’ll explore key aspects of oracy in the classroom, gradually building your expertise.

You’ll learn to explain and evaluate various perspectives on the importance of classroom talk, enabling you to articulate the value of oracy in fostering student engagement.

Next, you’ll identify and address motivations and challenges in creating talk-focused lessons, equipping you with the tools to enhance student interactions.

Help support academic development in your students

Purposeful classroom talk, or oracy, is increasingly recognised as fundamental for supporting both personal and academic development and for enhancing genuine participation in learning. Based on classroom observations and interviews, this course offers an analysis of schools’ responses to improving the quality of both learning to talk and talking to learn.

You’ll learn to identify various contexts where classroom talk can thrive, allowing you to provide students with opportunities to practise oracy.

Grow in your role as a teacher

Finally, you’ll learn to develop both whole-class and peer-to-peer talk in your classroom.

By the end, you’ll have the tools to transform your classroom through purposeful communication.

After completing this course, take your learning further with Classroom Oracy in Action.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Making the case for classroom talk

    • A teacher speaks animatedly to young students in a classroom.

      Introduction: Learning from practice

      An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 1 is discussed. The contexts and reasons for students’ talk will be analysed.

    • A learner with a notebook in hand explains a topic to the class.

      Different perspectives on classroom talk

      This activity analyses talk from various perspectives. It will discuss three key preliminary questions that frame the classroom examples throughout the course and explore evidence-informed arguments related to talk.

    • A medical professional writing in a notepad while referring to a tablet.

      The communicative competence argument

      In this activity, students will explore the communicative competence argument through various school examples.

    • A teacher speaks animatedly to young students in a classroom.

      The cognitive argument

      In this activity, students will explore the cognitive argument through various school examples.

    • Learners listening to their teacher in a classroom.

      The student voice argument

      In this activity, students will explore the student voice argument through various school examples.

    • A group of professionals putting their thumbs up together.

      Wrap Up

      A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 1 will be discussed.

  • Week 2

    Classroom talk in practice

    • Young students interacting with each other and working on their assignments in the classroom.

      Introduction: Making sense of classroom talk

      Understand the role of spoken language in the classroom. Review the Week 2 topic outline and analyse three research-backed insights into talk-based practices, focusing on establishing common reference points for discussion.

    • A busy road in front of the Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London.

      Introducing the concept of oracy

      In this activity, learners are introduced to the concept of oracy through various classroom examples. The oracy framework is discussed in detail.

    • A learner sitting on a staircase with books and bagpack.

      Motivations for a focus on talk

      Understand the motivations and challenges involved in classroom talk through various school examples. Learn about the EIF’s summary of international research on language and its links to wellbeing.

    • A girl speaking on a megaphone while a boy listens.

      Perceived challenges of a focus on talk

      Understand why developing talk is perceived as a challenge by some teachers and how a few schools are responding to reluctant speakers.

    • High school student sitting in a library and reading her book.

      Wrap Up

      A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 2 is discussed.

  • Week 3

    Learning to talk and about talk

    • High school students sitting at a desk in the library, reading books and doing their assignments.

      Introduction: Contexts and opportunities for talk

      An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 3 is discussed. Understand various contexts and opportunities for talk and listening to talk within the classroom.

    • Two learners interacting with each other in a classroom.

      Scaffolding talk

      Analyse some examples of scaffolding within the classroom, a common view of what constitutes scaffolding, and how to implement scaffolding.

    • A learner reading a book.

      Talking about talk

      Understand how classroom talk can allow for a common vocabulary and vision within the classroom, discuss how to apply the oracy framework to classroom talk, and learn about the concept of metacognition.

    • A teacher in an elementary class watches a couple of students as they do an activity on the blackboard.

      An asset-based approach

      Understand how classroom talk can be refined using sentence structures, group roles, listening skills, and balanced arguments.

    • A couple of children standing with a notepad and pencil.

      Wrap Up

      A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 3 is discussed.

  • Week 4

    Talking as a whole class

    • A group of young students talking and laughing in the classroom. They appear to be working on a group project.

      Introduction: Creating the conditions for whole-class talk

      This week, we’ll outline the topics for Week 4. Learn to foster productive whole-class discussions by asking authentic questions, encouraging student ideas, and creating opportunities for open dialogue.

    • Couple of children drawing on the floor of a house.

      Participating in talk

      Learn inclusive practices for pupil participation in whole-classroom talk.

    • Two learners writing in a notebook in a classroom.

      Working with responses: The third move

      Learn how to work with pupils’ responses to maximize learning by asking follow-up questions, challenging students’ answers, and fostering an environment for thinking collectively.

    • Learners surround the teacher as they read a text together in a class.

      Talking and writing

      Learn how to use classroom talk to support pupils’ writing through conducting oral rehearsals, evaluating their writing, and responding to their talk.

    • A teacher reading a book to a group of children in a library.

      Wrap Up

      A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 4 is discussed.

  • Week 5

    Talking with peers

    • A teacher teaches a class of high school students. There are mathematical equations on the board behind the teacher.

      The benefits of peer talk

      An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 5 is discussed. Understand the pros and cons of student peer talk.

    • A learner sits in a classroom while looking surprised.

      Designing tasks for peer talk

      Understand how to create conditions for productive peer talk.

    • Learners put their hands up in a classroom.

      Ground Rules for talk

      Understand what kind of ‘ground rules’ can be set within the classroom for students to interact with each other.

    • A teacher addresses a class of learners.

      The teacher's role in peer talk

      Explore a teacher’s role as a facilitator while students talk to one another.

    • Two adult learners interact with each other in a classroom full of other learners.

      Wrap Up

      A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 5 is discussed.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain different arguments for a focus on classroom talk.
  • Explore lessons involving talk from different perspectives.
  • Evaluate the concept of oracy in relation to talk more broadly.
  • Reflect on a variety of questions about talk practices.
  • Identify some typologies of talk to analyse talk experienced in classrooms.
  • Reflect on motivations and challenges involved in a focus on classroom talk.
  • Identify a wide range of contexts and opportunities for talk.
  • Explore how to scaffold pupils’ talk in a variety of ways.
  • Assess the value of a wide range of talk registers.
  • Create the conditions for productive whole-class talk.
  • Develop pupil participation in whole-class talk.
  • Explore how to work with pupils’ responses to maximise learning.
  • Explain how to use talk to support pupils’ writing.
  • Identify exploratory talk.
  • Create the conditions for productive peer-peer talk.
  • Identify your role as the teacher to facilitate peer talk.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for those already in the teaching profession as well as those on a teacher education course or other education related course (undergraduate or postgraduate). You might be a graduate looking at teaching as a first career, or exploring a potential career change.

This introductory course is the first of two McGraw Hill courses on classroom talk and we encourage learners to continue with our accompanying course Classroom Oracy in Action.

The course will help you to explore classroom talk through the analysis and comparison of examples drawn from diverse schools and age groups, across primary and secondary education settings. Alongside a wealth of practical strategies, this holistic and accessible course offers an insight into teachers’ thinking and the realities of implementation, helping teachers to make well-informed judgments about developing classroom talk within their own schools.

Who will you learn with?

Rupert Knight

Dr Rupert Knight was a teacher in schools in London and Nottingham. He currently works at the University of Nottingham and continues to collaborate with local schools on oracy projects.

Who developed the course?

McGraw Hill Logo

McGraw Hill

With over 130 years’ experience, we continue to evolve as a global education pioneer within the sector, transforming from a print-centric producer of content to a leader in digital resources and adaptive learning solutions.

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is a research-focused campus university, described as “the nearest thing Britain has to a truly global university” by The Times. As a member of both the Russell Group and Universitas 21 international network, our reach extends across our campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia, with a diverse student body drawn from over 150 countries.

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$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 19 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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