Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-54dcc4c588-dbm8p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-05T04:38:47.699Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

9 - Lessons in Oracy from the American Education System

from Part II - Oracy in Global Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2025

Tom F. Wright
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Get access

Summary

In Chapter 9 Harriet Piercy, Head of English at Haggerston School in London, turns her attention to the Unites States. Drawing on her experience as a Fulbright scholar Nashville, Tennessee, Piercy explores the challenges of promoting spoken language in English classrooms, citing time constraints and exam pressures as significant obstacles. She compares the oracy practices in the US, where policies like the Common Core State Standards prioritize speaking and listening skills, to the UK’s less-defined approach. She discusses how US classrooms vary in their implementation of oracy teaching despite clear guidelines, emphasizing the importance of professional development and pedagogical approaches. Additionally, she examines the role of assessment in shaping classroom practices, noting the absence of formal speaking and listening assessments in Tennessee. Piercy concludes by advocating for inclusive oracy practices across schools, highlighting the need for sustained investment and shared understanding among educators.

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Oracy
The Politics of Speech Education
, pp. 116 - 126
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Alexander, R. (2010). Towards Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking Classroom Talk. 4th ed. Cambridge: Dialogos.Google Scholar
Alexander, R. (2012). Improving Oracy and Classroom Talk in English Schools: Achievements and Challenges. Extended seminar paper. https://robinalexander.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DfE-oracy-120220-Alexander-FINAL0.pdf.Google Scholar
Alexander, R. (2020). A Dialogic Teaching Companion. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chi, M. T. H. and Wylie, R. (2014). ‘The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes’, Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2014.965823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Common Core State Standards (2010). Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. https://learning.ccsso.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ELA_Standards1.pdf.Google Scholar
Coultas, V. (2006). Constructive Talk in Challenging Classrooms. 1st ed. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department for Education (2022). What is a free school? Everything you need to know. Education hub resource. https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/06/10/what-is-a-free-school-everything-you-need-to-know/.Google Scholar
Early Intervention Foundation (2017). Interparental relationships, conflict and the impacts of poverty: An overview. www.eif.org.uk/report/interparental-relationships-conflict-and-the-impacts-of-poverty-an-overview.Google Scholar
Education Endowment Foundation (2021). Teaching and Learning Toolkit: Oral language interventions. EEF resource. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/oral-language-interventions#nav-what-is-it.Google Scholar
English-Speaking Union (2017). Our Director of Education updates us on the state of speaking across the world after our International Council Meeting 2017. ESU report, October 2017. www.esu.org/news-and-views/international-perspectives-on-oracy/.Google Scholar
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-analyses Relating to Achievement. London and New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Korsunsky, B. (2024). Why the controversy? An opinionated defence of multiple-choice questions. AP Central article. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/series/multiple-choice-tests/why-controversy.Google Scholar
Law, J.and Chalton, J. (2017). Language as a child wellbeing indicator. Early Intervention Foundation report. https://rb.gy/5t125c.Google Scholar
Millard, W. and Menzies, L. (2016). The state of speaking in our schools. Centre for Education and Youth, Oracy report. https://cfey.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Oracy-Report-Final.pdf.Google Scholar
Murphy, L. (2023). The oracy–literacy “divide”: Some American-tinged wonderings’. Speaking Citizens blog. https://speakingcitizens.org/blog/article-title-goes-here-4/.Google Scholar
Nystrand, M. with Gamoran, A., Kachur, R. and Prendergast, C. (1997). Opening Dialogue: Understanding the Dynamics of Language and Learning in the English Classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Oracy APPG (2021). Speak for Change: Final Report and Recommendations from the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry. London: Oracy APPG Report.Google Scholar
Poole, I., Evertson, C. and the IRIS Center (2020). Effective room arrangement: Middle and high school. Vanderbilt University case study. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wpcontent/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_effrmarr_middle_high.pdf.Google Scholar
Quigley, A. and Coleman, R. (2021). Improving literacy in secondary schools. EEF Guidance report. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/literacy-ks3-ks4.Google Scholar
Tennessee State Board of Education (2021). My Perspectives: English Language Arts Grade 10 Volume 1. Paramus: Savvas Learning Company LLC.Google Scholar
UN General Assembly Resolution 44/25 (1990). Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: UN General Assembly.Google Scholar
World Economic Forum (2017) Your child may need this skill as much as literacy and numeracy. World Economic Forum report. www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/oracy-literacy-skill-every-child-needs/.Google Scholar

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA

The PDF of this book complies with version 2.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range of users and attains the highest (AAA) level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive accessibility guidelines.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge-org.demo.remotlog.com is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×