Developing communication skills

"Teachers must demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject.“ Teachers’ Standards

DfE (2013), The national curriculum in England:Key Stages 1 and 2 framework

The national curriculum for English reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically.The overarching aim for the new curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word.

Statements apply to all years Focus on formal talk such as debate or presenting to class- no

mention of talk for learning or collaborative talk Programmes of study for Reading and Writing include

references to other kinds of talk e.g. young children orally rehearsing sentences before writing; older children reading their finished work to others to ensure that it is effective

Talk is also integrated into reading- Y1 children talk about what they have read and take turns listening to others; Y3/4 are to ask questions to improve their understanding

No explicit mention of drama

Pupils should be taught to: listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s) consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

Overall aims:•Discussion is used in order to learn; should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.•Pupils are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.•Pupils acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

Communication and language Listening and attention: children listen

attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.

Understanding: children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.

Speaking: children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.

Classroom talk is not merely a conduit for the sharing of information, or a means for controlling the exuberance of youth; it is the most important educational tool for guiding the development of understanding and for jointly constructing knowledge.

( Mercer & Hodkinson Exploring Talk in Schools, 2010 )

Language is an integral part of learning- oral language is key to classroom teaching and learning;

Speaking and listening engages children’s creativity, understanding and imagination;

The skills of speaking and listening are used across the curriculum: to solve problems, share ideas, make decisions;

Social relationships depend on talk- children’s confidence can be greatly affected by friendships and the interactions that support them.

In pairs- consider the rules that your children may feel are important for speaking and listening.

First- Speaking Second - Listening

Exploratory talk, in which…• everyone listens actively• people ask questions• people share relevant information• ideas may be challenged• reasons are given for challenges• contributions build on what has gone before• everyone is encouraged to contribute• ideas and opinions treated with respect• there is an atmosphere of trust• there is a sense of shared purpose• the group seeks agreement for joint decisions

Neil Mercer 2008

Which sounds can you hear? Do you get any clues about the theme of the film?

Where do you think the film is set? How does the music make you feel?

Working in groups Working in groups Chairperson-organises and runs groupScribe- writes down and ideas or decisionsReporter- works with the scribe but will feed back

to classMentor- ensures that everyone has an opportunity

to contributeTimekeeper- ensures task is finished on time- gives

warnings re timingTake on these roles to explore how the characters

are portrayed in this film. How does your viewpoint of the characters change as the film progresses?

Collective/guided group work, that is group work which is led by the teacher and is therefore a scaled-down version of whole class teaching;

collaborative group work in which the teacher sets a task on which children must work together, and then withdraws

http://www.teachitprimary.co.uk/about

In the new curriculum, drama coverage is not made explicit

Drama techniques- used effectively to support learning across the curriculum

Oral story-telling- to support learning narratives, supporting writing

Gathering evidence from activities to support assessment in spoken language/ speaking and listening

Performance: character, dialogue with others, space, props, awareness of audience, dramatic effects, acting out plot, rehearsing/polishing/presenting

Reflection: evaluating using appropriate technical vocabulary, the meaning as illustrated by speech and actions, comparison with other dramas with similar theme

Extending understanding- live performances/on screen, reviews/ advertisements, theatrical effects

Teacher in role – can challenge children’s ideas/thinking without stopping drama

Freeze framing Conscience alley Thought tracking Hot-seating Meetings linked to teacher in role Paired improvisation Mantle of the Expert

Freeze- framing- using Suddenly by Colin McNaughton

Conscience Alley- Found £50 note Hot-seating- Goldilocks

Prof Dorothy Heatcote in 1970s Role play, improvisation, teacher in role Dilemma or problem Children in role as ‘experts’ to resolve issue Teacher in role to guide/explore topic

Oral Story-telling Part of human history, primary source of entertainment,

instruction and communication Interactive Close bonding between story-teller and listener

Create ‘templates’ for patterns of stories Develop an understanding of the key aspects of story-

structure, characters, events Understand the flow of sentences- story language is

different from everyday speech Begin to build a bank of descriptive and ‘story’ language

Traditional stories Stories of personal family experience Newly made up stories Stories linked to class themes Using story maps to prompt

A Suitcase Full of Stories – developing oral story-telling

Do you recognise the story behind this word skeleton?

Old woman...old man...fairy...three wishes...supper...sausage...nose...next...back to normal...Can you create a story skeleton for a traditional story?

Two clips- working in KS groups- plan for speaking and listening using these clips

Early Years/ KS1 Red Riding Hood KS2 Junk food debate

Foundations of Literacy – Sue Palmer/ Ros Bayley Beginning Drama 4-11 – Joe Winston/Miles Tandy Exploring Talk in School – Neil Mercer/Steve Hodgkinson The Articulate Classroom – Prue Goodwin Teaching Speaking and Listening in the Primary School – E

Grudgeon, L Dawes, C Smith and L Hubbard Jumpstart – selection by Pie Corbett Little Books – range published by AC Black Storyteller range- Pie Corbett Speak Out! - Pie Corbett BFI films - Starting Stories /Story Shorts ( EYFS/KS1/KS2)