Oracy in the Classroom: Strategies for Effective Talk

• Always respect each other's ideas.
• Be prepared to change your mind.
• Come to a shared agreement.
• Clarify, challenge, summarize, and build on each other's ideas.
• Invite someone to contribute by asking a question.
• Show proof of listening.

Discussion roles:

For additional helpful ideas, go to Edutopia and read the entire article.

Research-Based Instructional Strategies

• Activates students' prior knowledge, as related to the learning goal
• Identifies a clear learning goal
• Engages and motivates students for the targeted learning
• Establishes the relevance and importance of the targeted learning
• Provides advance organizers for the targeted learning

• Adjusts instruction based on student learning
• Aligns curriculum, instruction and assessment to the learning goal
• Asks higher-level thinking questions
• Assigns tasks that require student interaction and/or collaborative learning
• Checks for understanding and monitors learning
• Gives students time to think before answering questions
• Provides frequent feedback to students
• Provides opportunities for guided and independent practice
• Provides opportunities for student to reflect on and/or summarize their learning
• Scaffolds complex concepts and processes into manageable "chunks"
• Uses a variety of instructional strategies to engage all students

• Acknowledges students' effort and achievement, as related to the learning goal
• Assesses students' learning, as related to the learning goal
• Provides an opportunity for students to reflect on and/or summarize their learning, as related to the learning goal
• Reviews the lesson's learning goal