Welcome to the Talk, Discussion and Oracy Knowledge Base

I’m a huge fan of discussion.

When I was teaching, I used it all the time.

And it still forms a key part of every training session I deliver to schools.

It’s the interactivity that is so valuable. How it gets learners talking about the learning. Engaging with it.

I like to think of this as verbal rehearsal.

A form of active practice.

When learners discuss the learning, if we get the structure of that discussion right, it gives them a chance to order, improve and refine their thinking.

And to do so in a low-stakes way that calls on their existing strengths (the ability to speak and to listen, both natural functions of the human body).

Structure is key, though.

Without it, discussion loses focus and doesn’t necessarily produce good outcomes across the board.

Below, you’ll find over fifty strategies, activities and techniques you can use to structure and drive discussion in your classroom.

All of them can be adapted. All can be modified.

Meaning you can shape them so they fit just right for your learners and your teaching style.

Giving you the opportunity to make discussion a central feature of almost any lesson you choose to plan.

Most of the blogs are short, sharp and to the point.

Practical ideas you can quickly adapt and apply.

If you want to go deeper and develop your thinking further, you’ll find blogs and articles clustered together in groups.

Reading a group is like reading a chapter of a book, giving you scope to dig deep into a particular topic.

(Plus, you can now download my fully updated and redesigned FREE resource, The Discussion Toolkit. Viewed and downloaded over 140,000 times by teachers around the world, you’ll find twenty discussion activities clearly explained, all suitable for use with your learners.)

Navigate the Talk, Discussion and Oracy Knowledge Base

Talk, Discussion and Oracy Overview

Twenty Discussion Activities for You and Your Learners