"Listen to the song here in my heart. A melody I start, but can't complete. Listen to the sound from deep within, it's only beginning to find release." - Beyonce

Hello, I'm the host or Oracy And Beyond, Al Booth. I always like to start these notes with a quote from the guest featured in the episode. In this episode, however, my first six guests are all here to share their stories of the time a child shone through Oracy.

In every episode of the podcast I ask my guest to share a story of the moment a child found their voice through Oracy.

And in each episode, each guest shares an incredible story of how a child who lacked confidence, who couldn't share their thoughts or feelings verbally... then did so.

And they did it because my guests had a passion for helping them do just that through Oracy.

My guests in this episode are:

Michelle Windridge

Caroline Hudson

Louise Pickering

Peter Munroe

Bob Coenraats

Laura Brogan

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If you'd like to be on the show to discuss how Oracy has made an impact on a young person in your life, and how it could have done when you were a young person, you can get in touch with me - Al@OracyAndBeyond.com

You can listen to all the full episodes featuring the guests on this show wherever you are reading this very note. And also at OracyAndBeyond.com

SOCIALS

I am still mourning the loss of AOL Chat but, seeing as it's no longer 1998, you can find Oracy And Beyond on:

LinkedIn - Oracy And Beyond

Instagram - Oracy And Beyond

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And a tiny bit about me...

I'm Al. I am a broadcaster, podcast producer for education brands, and a live event host.

I'm also a panel host which, through the years, has mainly been for celebrity panels and TV shows. But now I am keen to be involved with more education panels.

If you think I can help you, please email me: Al@AlBooth.co.uk

Or you can find me on LinkedIn/AlBooth

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Until next time when my guest will be Dr Maddi Popoola, enjoy your tricks and your treats.

Al

"Oracy is truly inclusive. It's not about speaking perfectly but about giving students the confidence and skills to express themselves authentically." - Laura Brogan

Laura Brogan is the National Education Lead for Phonics and Early Reading at Twinkle Educational Publishing.

She is passionate about helping children find their voice by starting where they are, which oracy is an absolute aid for.

In this episode Laura:

• Talks about having her Oracy Epiphany when she taught in a school based in a deprived area of the North West of England.
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• Shares how being taught oracy in her school would have helped her realise that communication doesn't have to be rehearsed perfection; authenticity is key to communication.
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• Recalls how playing snakes and ladders (and other board games) encouraged a child who wouldn't speak in class to gradually share his passion with his peers through one-to-one oracy learning.

We also look at the link-up between Twinkl and the Cambridge Teacher Research Exchange (Camtree) and find out what the oracy-led inquiry and professional development programme means for educators and young people.

Laura also answers the question set for her by Bob Coenraats in the last epsiodes.

You can find out more about Laura Brogan in these very sociable online places.

LinkedIN - Laura Brogan

Instagram - @LauraTalksPhonics

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If you would like to be a guest on Oracy And Beyond , please email me here: Al@OracyAndBeyond.com

We have an Instagram too. How very modern - @OracyAndBeyond

You can also find me just up the road from Laura's LinkedIn house at my very own profile page. The address is: Al Booth

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Oracy And Beyond is the podcast from Your Podclass - the oracy-led podcast workshop for education settings.

It is still in its own early years stages, but my absolute passion is to share some of the experience I have had going from an unconfident child to a broadcaster, so I am looking to bring Your Podclass to as many settings as possible.

If you'd like to discuss the possibility of me bringing it to yours, email AlBooth@YourPodclass.com

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Thank you for listening.

Al

"We need to find what's inside children's minds if we want to teach them. We need to find what they find important before we take the hassle of teaching them about history or geometry or something." - Bob Coenraats

In this episode of Oracy And Beyond we are in The Netherlands to talk to philosophy teacher and passionate oracy advocate Bob Coenraats.

Bob talks about:

* His own insights from his experience as a philosophy teacher, highlighting the importance of teaching students to express their ideas and engage in meaningful conversations.

* How encouraging a safe space for children and young people to share their ideas can create life-changing moments not just for the students, but for the teacher too. Bob shares a moment that has stayed with him to this day and has lead to a lasting relationship throughout one child's education.

* How governments can The conversation explores the concept of equity in education, emphasizing the need for all students to have access to opportunities that allow them to express themselves and engage with content meaningfully. The episode discusses how oracy can contribute to creating a more equitable educational environment.

* How oracy should be a government responsibility. Bob argues that teaching children oracy can lead to better citizenship education and emphasizes that, in a democratic society, the government should ensure that all students learn how to express and exchange ideas effectively.

(We talk about the current UK government's pledge to bring oracy to the fore in education. You can read more about it here.)

You can find out more about Bob and how he is changing the lives of young people through oracy here:

LinkedIN: Bob Coenraats

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Thank you for listening to Oracy And Beyond.

If you'd like to come on the show and share your passion for all things oracy, and highlight how it can create equity amongst young people, please drop me a line in any of the following places.

Find out more at the website: OracyAndBeyond.com

The podcast is also on social media (how very modern)

Instagram: Oracy And Beyond

Facebook: Oracy And Beyond

LinkedIn: Oracy And Beyond

You can also find me at:

LinkedIN: Al Booth

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Oracy And Beyond is brought to you by Your Podclass: the oracy-focused podcast workshop for schools. Find out more at YourPodclass.com

Blimey, is that the time? I better go and pick up the kids from school...

See you soon.

Al

"Mistakes are okay. If you're making mistakes, it shows that you're trying something and that you're working on it." - Pete Munroe

Once upon a time in a radio station boardroom a new Managing Director was giving a talk to the on-air team. During her introduction she said she wanted to see mistakes. She wanted to see ideas that didn't come off. Because if we were getting things wrong, we were trying something new, and we were learning from it.

You can't learn anything new if you don't move in a direction other than where you are.

This is a point that Peter Munroe brilliantly raises and shares examples of this in science teaching in this episode of Oracy And Beyond.

(Admittedly, there's more potential for explosions in a science lab than in a radio studio. Depending on the idea...)

Peter is the Head of Chemisty at Uckfield College and is passionate about oracy in science.

On this episode Peter talks about:

* His own experiences with oracy, in particular struggling to talk to peers, despite a background in drama.

* How oracy gave a voice to young adults who had been affected by the lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, and helped build confidence dented by a lack of social communication.

* How making those mistakes can open the eyes and the minds of young people and give them the confidence to try.

You can find out more about Peter Munroe here.

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Oracy And Beyond is brought to you by Your Podclass, the oracy-led podcast workshop for school-aged children (and their teachers).

You can find out more about Your Podclass here.

It is hosted by me, Al Booth. Please feel free to get in touch with me on:

Instagram: @AlBoothMedia or LinkedIN/AlBooth

And if you'd like to be a guest on Oracy And Beyond, please email me at Al:OracyAndBeyond.com

"I'm talking too much and I'm not letting anyone else speak, and that will be impacting students all the time in my classroom. It's not just the students' oracy; it's mine too. And the staff in the room. That was my epiphany."

Louise Pickering is the Head of Social Sciences at Weavers Academy, part of the Creative Education Trust.

Louise admits to having been someone who taught how she'd been taught to teach... until a chance meeting at a conference led her down an oracy rabbit hole from which she's never surfaced. (Much to the benefit of her students.)

In this episode Louise shares:

* How a student gained a distinction through being taught in an oracy-led environment.

* How oracy would have helped her in her social situations during her academically successful school life.

* How oracy benefits her as a neurodivergent adult.

What really stood out for me was how Louise looks at the need to bring oracy into the learnings of teachers and educators to help them help students.

(As someone who coaches presenting techniques, this really made me think.)

It's a fascinating conversation with a guest who really opens up the landscape in terms of how oracy fits into education and life beyond the classroom.

You can find Louise Pickering on LinkedIn: Louise Marie

Louise was also a brilliant first-time host on Teachers Talk Radio recently.

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If you'd like to appear on Oracy And Beyond, you can email me: Al@OracyAndBeyond.com

Or you can find me on LinkedIn too: Al Booth

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Oracy And Beyond came about after talking to people about my idea for a podcast workshop for schools.

Having learned more about oracy I, like Louise, fell down an oracy rabbit hole and the oracy-led podcast workshop Your Podclass was born.

I was a shy schoolboy, who grew into an unconfident teenager and young adult. All I wanted to do was be on the radio but I lacked the self-confidence to do that until I was in my mid-20s.

As a former commercial and BBC radio and TV presenter, Your Podclass has been set-up with a focus on creating equity for all young people and help them understand that their voice is equal to anybody else's.

To discuss bringing my workshop to your setting, visit YourPodclass.com

#Oracy #Education #Empowerment #StudentVoice #Presenting #TeacherTraining #Coaching

"I would deliberately do bits wrong, and they could tell me. And they did it in pairs, they did it in fours, they did it where they were starting off with a question, or they were halfway through a question. For me, that was like the prime example of how we could prove that oracy was just a brilliant way of doing things."

Caroline Hudson is The Kitchen Table Teacher. With more than 30-years' experience in Early Years teaching and leadership, she specialises in Oracy, Maths and English.

And it is how she brought oracy into her maths teaching, and how it transformed the understanding of her pupils when it came to long division that highlights just how powerful oracy is in creating equity amongst young people.

"Oracy is about giving children the right level of step to have an equal chance at the top."

Caroline also shares her own experience of how a child in Year 6 went from being largely uncommunicative to presenting in front of his class. She also shares how oracy could have made a difference in her own schooling too.

You can find out more about Caroline Hudson in these places:

KitchenTableTeacher.co.uk

Insta: @KitchenTableTeacher

Facebook: Kitchen Table Teacher

Oracy And Beyond is brought to you by Your Podclass - the Oracy-led podcast workshop that I bring into schools to help give confidence to young people through professional podcasting techniques.

To find out more go to YourPodclass.com

If you'd like to discuss bringing Your Podclass into your setting, email me AlBooth@YourPodclass.com

Follow Oracy And Beyond on Instagram @OracyAndBeyond

And if you'd like to be a guest on the show, email me Al@OracyAndBeyond.com

Or find me on LinkedIn - Al Booth

"I was painfully shy. I am dyslexic as well. If I could get through a day without speaking and having anyone look at me, then that was a success. But then because of that, because the way that education was back then, I never developed those skills needed and that vocabulary needed."

Michelle Windridge is the National Education Lead for school-based EYFS at Twinkl. She has also been published in TES and EYE magazine.

In this episode Michelle shares her own reflections on the new details being released around the Government's Best Starting Life Strategy.

She tells the story of how she took an unconfident, removed child who would walk into school with fingers wrapped around their tablet... and helped him find his voice. (With the help of 3 curly-tailed heroes.)

Michelle also reflects on her own schooling, in which she opens up about her struggles with shyness and not having the confidence to communicate. Being in school in the 80s with dyslexia and no oracy teaching wasn't easy on her.

She also shares her views on where we need to take oracy: "We need to support the whole network around a child, not just teachers, but working with the entire community to ensure all children get the best possible chance."

You can find Michelle Windridge in all of these places:

LinkedIn

@MrsPrimary_EYFS on Twitter/X

Instagram - @MrsPrimary_EYFS

and on LinkTree

ORACY AND BEYOND is brought to you by Your Podclass: the oracy-led podcast workshop for schools, created by Al Booth - the host of this very podcast.

To bring Your Podclass to your school, email me on AlBooth@YourPodclass.com

Resources Mentioned:

- CAMTREE (Twinkl's Oracy-led Inquiry Program with Cambridge University's Oracy resources.)

Find out more here.

You can find more information about dyslexia at the British Dyslexia Association

If you would like to be a guest on a future epsiode of Oracy and beyond please email me at AlBooth@YourPodclass.com

Oracy and beyond exists to celebrate the fact that Oracy IS equity. On this show I chat to anyone who is passionate about oracy, and more so about helping young people discover their voice (and their confidence) through communication.

I'll talk to people from education who have been and are in classrooms, to experts in the field, to people for who oracy - whether they knew it or not at the time - has impacted them directly.

Oracy IS equity. Which is why this podcast is all about Oracy and beyond.

If you'd like to be a guest on the show, please drop me a line at albooth@yourpodclass.com

"Oracy and beyond" is brought to you by Your Podclass: The oracy-led podcast workshop for all schools and all children, everywhere.