Speaking and Listening

Intent

Speaking and listening is the foundation for all learning and is embedded across the curriculum. The national curriculum reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically. The quality and variety of language that pupils hear and speak are key factors in developing their curriculum vocabulary and articulating concepts clearly and precisely. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear, both to themselves and others, and teachers should ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their misconceptions.

Our children love to share their ideas. We help them to think about how they communicate with others, and how to express themselves effectively. Listening to others and developing ideas through the spoken word is a key part of effective learning. Children need to be able to articulate their thoughts using a wide range of vocabulary, in order to write well. Reading is a key part of this as well as the knowledge they acquire across the curriculum. Parents play a hugely important role in the development of their child’s spoken word. Reading and conversation at home, as well as talking about experiences can really enhance a child’s vocabulary and confidence.

‘The way we communicate with others and ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives,’ Tony Robbins. 

At Penny Bridge CE Academy, we believe that it is vital that our children have experience of and develop a rich command of spoken vocabulary and language so that they express their opinions and articulates their feelings in a wide range of situations. We intend to develop their listening skills so that they can soak up the many forms of language and literature around them and respond appropriately in conversations, discussions, in answering questions and following instructions. Good speaking and listening will help develop their group participation and social skills and develop their confidence to speak audibly and present their ideas in front of different audiences. 

An effective command of speaking and listening feeds directly into effective reading and writing and all forms of meaningful communication. 

Implementation

How is Speaking and Listening developed in school?

  • Approaches to teaching and learning encourage pupils to voice their ideas in small group and class discussions, as we recognise that sharing and explaining concepts with peers enhances learning. 
  • Staff model the use of higher-level vocabulary within their speech and expanding children’s vocabulary is a key focus from EYFS. 
  • Subject specific vocabulary is embedded across the curriculum, through teacher modelling, in context. Contextual learning helps children to understand new words and supports them in including them in their work.
  • Read Write Inc and Literacy Leaves Reading sessions encourage pupils to explore unfamiliar vocabulary and expand their knowledge of words. Staff model correct grammar in speech and encourage children to reflect this in their use of spoken and written language. Children are given the chance to orally rehearse ideas for writing regularly.
  • Regular speaking and listening activities are embedding in the planning of our English curriculum.
  • Challenging and appropriate vocabulary is at the forefront of all our teaching.
  • Teachers model formal language, high level vocabulary, good sentence grammar in all interchanges with children.
  • How to listen and active listening is taught and modelled throughout each lesson in each day but also using fun activities to develop good listening. 
  • Discussion time is promoted in all class lessons and during collective worship and assemblies.
  • Children are encouraged to work in groups and use collaborative speaking and listening skills.
  • Drama and performances  
  • Pupils are given an additional voice through school and councils e.g. Ethos Committee, School Council. 
  • Learning partners and teachers use Turn and Tell your partner in all lessons.
  • Key Vocabulary is explicitly taught, displayed and expected in all spoken and written work. 
  • All adults model a high level of spoken language.
  • Ask higher order thinking questions in all lessons and use questioning techniques for all to respond Use talk activities as part of all learning journeys.

Drama 

Drama vision (from NC) All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances. Drama is used across the curriculum to explore and engage children in their learning. This gives children the chance to embed vocabulary in shared activities. Each class leads a class play once a year for parents, at least once a year in church and individual pupils lead class worship or contribute to whole school collective worship.

Vocabulary development (from NC)

Pupils’ acquisition and command of vocabulary are key to their learning and progress across the whole curriculum. Teachers should therefore develop vocabulary actively, building systematically on pupils’ current knowledge. They should increase pupils’ store of words in general; simultaneously, they should also make links between known and new vocabulary and discuss the shades of meaning in similar words. In this way, pupils expand the vocabulary choices that are available to them when they write. In addition, it is vital for pupils’ comprehension that they understand the meanings of words they meet in their reading across all subjects, and older pupils should be taught the meaning of instruction verbs that they may meet in test/ examination questions. It is particularly important to induct pupils into the language which defines each subject, such as accurate mathematical and scientific language. Approaches to teaching and learning encourage pupils to voice their ideas in small group and class discussions, as we recognise that sharing and explaining concepts with peers enhances learning. Staff model the use of higher-level vocabulary within their speech and expanding children’s vocabulary is a key focus from EYFS. Subject specific vocabulary is embedded across the curriculum, through teacher modelling, in context. Contextual learning helps children to understand new words and supports them in including them in their work.

Impact 

In a safe and encouraging environment, children develop into confident communicators who illuminate the goodness in each other by listening, speaking with kindness and empathy and explaining with clarity and confidence.  Children recognise that speaking and listening can lie at the heart of conveying character, and that through speaking and listening effectively, misunderstandings cab be addressed and relationships enhanced.

How it Speaking and Listening assessed? 

Teachers make formative judgements within lessons. Assessments, speaking and listening activities and presentations are recorded using Seesaw.