Oracy: learning to talk and learning through talk
Oracy is often described as the complementary skills of learning to talk and learning through talk. The aim of the Jurassic Maths Work Group was to establish and develop a community of practice able to identify effective strategies to promote learning through talk.
The Jurassic Maths Hub now works on Oracy within all the various Work Groups we offer, as it is a vital part of maths learning. The document below was created by a cross-phase Oracy Work Group., working with maths advisers in DES. This was then shared with teachers and using their feedback updated and improved.
The Jurassic Maths Hub ‘Oracy’ document
Oracy is a set of skills which allow us to communicate effectively and encompasses learning to talk and learning through talk; both involve speaking and listening. Learning to talk should lead to learning through talk. The aim is for learners to articulate their mathematical thinking, to make it clear to themselves and others, and to make sense of the mathematical thinking of others, developing a relational understanding of the mathematics. To achieve this, teachers will need to support exploratory talk, use dialogic teaching and ‘orchestrate productive mathematical discussion’.
