Oracy

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The term oracy was coined by Andrew Wilkinson, a British researcher and educator, in the 1960s. This word is formed by analogy from literacy and numeracy. The purpose is to draw attention to the neglect of oral skills in education.

Contents

Concept

According to Andrew Wilkinson's conceptualization, oracy in educational theory is the fluent, confident, and correct use of the standard spoken form of one's native language. [1] It also established a standard where students' abilities are developed within an integrated program of speaking and listening, reading and writing. [2] Recent studies also equate oracy with the notion of "talking to learn" within the perspective that knowledge is constructed by the individual knower, through an interaction between what is already known and new experience. [3] An example of oracy-based education initiative was the UK's National Oracy Project, which recognizes the role played by classroom talk and puts equal treatment between spoken and written modes. [4]

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References

  1. Verma, Mahendra K.; Corrigan, Karen P.; Firth, Sally (1995). Working with Bilingual Children: Good Practice in the Primary Classroom. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters Ltd. p. 155. ISBN   1853592943.
  2. Lofty, John Sylvester (2006). Quiet Wisdom: Teachers in the United States and England Talk about Standards, Practice, and Professionalism. New York: Peter Lang. p. 27. ISBN   0820470511.
  3. Edwards, A.; Westgate, D. P. G. (2005). Investigating Classroom Talk, Second edition. London: The Falmer Press. p. 6. ISBN   0203975715.
  4. Alexander, Robin John (2013). "Improving Oracy and Classroom Talk" (PDF). White Rose University. Retrieved April 13, 2019.