Speaking Up: How to Cultivate Confident Communicators in the Classroom

...With Prof. Neil Mercer

Neil Mercer is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge and a psychologist and in this episode we discuss the pivotal role of spoken language and oracy in education. We explored how classroom dialogue, reasoned discussion, and public speaking can be systematically taught to enhance students' thinking and communication skills. Neil shared insights on the impact of the pandemic on language development, practical strategies for fostering effective dialogue, and the importance of classroom culture and listening. We also discussed the value of public speaking for all students and highlighted resources for teachers to support spoken language development.

The discussion in bullet points:

• Importance of spoken language in education.
• Development of children's language and thinking skills.
• Role of reasoned discussion and dialogue in classrooms.
• Influence of educational theorists like Vygotsky on language development.
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's language skills.
• Practical strategies for teaching reasoned discussion.
• Challenges teachers face in fostering effective dialogue.
• Benefits of group work and whole-class discussions for student engagement.
• The significance of classroom culture in promoting open discussion.
• The necessity of public speaking skills in education and its role in democratic participation.

Links:

Find out more about Neil's work: https://oracycambridge.org/

Blog: https://oracycambridge.org/blog/

Neil's Book - Oracy: The Transformative Power of Finding Your Voice

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/467731/oracy-by-mercer-neil/9781847928566

BPS Psychologist Article on Oracy 'Is it only words' https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/it-only-words

I'll be sharing some older episodes that link to this about speech and language over the break so please do sign up to my newsletter: https://changingstatesofmind.com/contact-me