Following on from our last post about the importance of authentic speaking practice in the classroom, we’ve become aware of the Oracy Commission's proposal to add oracy as the "fourth R" in the curriculum, alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic. The proposal, set out in their report "We Need to Talk," highlights how essential oracy is for student success, not just academically, but socially and professionally. When Peter Hyman, spoke recently on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he described oracy as the "golden thread" that weaves together all communication skills across the curriculum. Far from being another educational buzzword, oracy is vital for social mobility and essential for helping young people articulate their ideas and find their voice in a world that increasingly values communication.
The Oracy Commission's call to action is clear: we need to embed oracy throughout the primary and secondary national curricula, offering all students the opportunity to develop this crucial skill. In addition to changes to GCSE English language and a greater focus on expressive arts, they stress the need for reforms in teacher training to make oracy a core element of school culture.
Where languages create magic
Here's what's fascinating: with the spotlight on oracy, we're missing one of its most powerful champions – modern foreign languages (MFL)! Language learning naturally nurtures every single skill that oracy aims to cultivate - listening, speaking, and engaging in meaningful communication. In fact, learning another language may be one of the most effective ways to practice and improve all four 'Rs', so let's take a closer look:
📖 Reading: In language lessons, learners are exposed to lots of different kinds of written word, from textbook passages to poems, texts to translate and meaning to deduce from authentic news and websites and they engage with texts in new ways, enhancing their reading skills through exposure to different sentence structures, idioms, and cultural contexts. This sharpens their comprehension and interpretation skills, benefiting their literacy in both languages.
eg. reading song lyrics to engage with target-language songs in class and ideally outside of the classroom too.
✏️ Writing: When asked to write in another language, learners have to think critically about how they construct sentences, use grammar, ensure clarity and express ideas; it may also push them to be more creative as they are expressing themselves through another language. This naturally improves writing skills in their first language by refining clarity, structure, and creativity. Learners may also be asked to write or edit work in pairs or small groups which helps them learn to work collaboratively.
eg. writing letters to pen pals, which is as rewarding as ever and has stood the test of time in all but format (often done via email these days).
🔢 Arithmetic: Whilst the link might seem less obvious, the mental agility required to grasp grammar rules and sentence structures, find patterns and conjugate verbs, decode from one language to another in translation tasks, builds cognitive skills that are transferable to problem-solving in mathematics, and reinforces abstract thinking. This is to say nothing of all the calculation skills required to convert dates, times, numbers even time zones between languages, and how to use different currencies.
eg. doing role play in a shop, a market, a café and having to talk about prices of different items.
🗣️ Oracy: Perhaps most importantly, language learning directly enhances oracy by providing students with regular opportunities to practise speaking skills. Whether in language games and choral repetition, giving opinions or recounting experiences, improvising or building on input from others, students are learning to manipulate new language to make sense, building confidence and fluency whilst developing spontaneity and adaptability in oral communication. In addition, they are developing their listening skills which is an essential skill, yet something of a dying art in the accelerated, digitised age of text and app chat via smartphones.
At higher levels, they may be giving presentations and participating in debates or recitals in the target language, which is even more greatly developing their confidence as well as presentation skills. As for role plays and cultural exchanges, whether in-class, virtual or in real life, having the opportunity to interact with fluent speakers or native speakers from other countries requires students to really think on their feet and adapt language to use in different contexts will really enhance fluency and confidence, as well as empathy as they learn to adapt and manipulate their own language to help someone else understand.
eg. online exchanges with pen pals in classrooms abroad, or role playing in a meaningful way as part an All Abroad! Bus Experience!
As the Oracy Commission rightly points out, schools should prioritise not just the theoretical aspects of oracy, but the practice of it. Languages are, by nature, a practice of oracy. They offer a space for students to articulate their thoughts, negotiate meaning, and build empathy through understanding diverse perspectives. But, just as the expressive arts have been celebrated for their role in enhancing communication, so too should languages be recognised as central to developing the skills needed for successful interpersonal interaction.
Social justice and oracy
The Oracy Commission also advocates for a more equitable distribution of resources to ensure students in underprivileged areas have the same opportunities to develop their oracy skills as those in wealthier regions. This is where languages could play a transformative role. In schools where expressive arts and extra-curricular activities are not readily accessible, incorporating robust MFL programmes could provide students with a valuable platform to practice these essential skills. We will look at this in more depth in a future post.
A case for languages as the fifth 'R'?!
As we celebrate oracy as the golden thread, it really is vital that we don't overlook just how much languages can amplify these efforts and the profound contribution they can make to a 21st century education. Rather than being seen as an "extra" or secondary 'subject' that can be opted out of, particularly for anyone struggling in literacy or numeracy, language learning should be recognised for its role in shaping better communicators, thinkers and all-round articulate and empathetic individuals who are more in tune with and ready for the bigger world outside the classroom. Perhaps it's time to present the case for "Languages (and cultuRe)" to be a fifth 'R' themselves!
If you’re interested in us bringing our immersive language experiences to your school, to help your students develop their oracy skills and a whole lot more, please explore our website, see what we offer schools, browse our current menu of Experiences and get in touch to discuss a visit!
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