Taking assessment off the page

The role of classroom talk

Talk is increasingly being valued as a useful, if not essential, classroom tool. However, there can still sometimes be a sense that talk serves a supporting role with the final outcome of a lesson being something more concrete. A lesson is only done, the thinking goes, when there is work in books.

This training resource makes the case that talk deserves a place at the heart of a classroom and can be an efficient way of monitoring understanding and making thinking visible - a key part of our assessment routines rather than an optional extra.

It addresses some common barriers and misconceptions which teachers may have about using classroom discussion as an assessment method and shows how, through asking the right questions and creating the right opportunities, teachers can get a glimpse into children’s learning and help to shape it.

About this resource

This resource supports school leaders or literacy leads to run a staff knowledge development session on using oracy as an assessment tool, both formatively and summatively. It could also be used by classroom teachers to develop their own practice.

The materials below have been adapted for both a primary and a secondary audience and include:

• A slide deck which forms the basis of the training
• A guide for the session lead
• Additional resources to support teachers to implement these strategies in their classrooms

After the session, teachers will have greater understanding of the theory and practice behind using talk for assessment, as well as the confidence and tools to apply this approach in their classrooms.