Voice 21's Study Group: Talk Circles
For the first time, Voice 21 is opening up beyond its Oracy School network to invite more educators, like you, to access and practise high-quality oracy education in your classrooms. By joining our study group, you'll be among the first to beta test Talk Circles. Your feedback will help shape and improve the resource for schools everywhere.
Voice 21 introduces Talk Circles
A brand new, free and fully digital way to introduce and embed a high quality oracy education in your classrooms and school.
With Talk Circles, you’ll get access to simple, practical oracy CPD that you can use right away, no matter your school’s starting point. Follow along with downloadable resources, assess and evaluate progress and be part of making oracy ordinary for every student, in every school.
Get started with oracy in your school
Introducing Oracy
This session introduces the key concepts of learning to and through talk, examining how different talk contexts require different expectations, and how the Oracy Framework can support teachers to set and share their expectations for classroom talk.
Develop your understanding of the term 'oracy' and how classroom talk supports learning
Identify different types of classroom talk
Use the Oracy Framework to recognise effective student talk
Paired Talk
In this session, you’ll explore how teachers can establish consistent routines for partner talk that foster educationally productive discussions. You’ll also use the Oracy Teacher Benchmarks to reflect on and evaluate your classroom practice.
Improve the quality of paired talk in your classroom
Reflect on your expectations for paired talk and how to effectively communicate these with students
Become familiar with the Oracy Teacher Benchmarks
Coming soon! Group discussion
This session focuses on fostering independent small-group discussions, providing practical tools to integrate exploratory talk into your lessons and create opportunities for learning through talk. You’ll also evaluate your practice using the Oracy Teacher Benchmarks and identify areas for improvement.
Learn how to foster independent group discussions that support learning
Share your expectations for classroom talk and establish consistent routines for group discussion
Use the Oracy Benchmarks to reflect on and enhance your oracy practice
Coming soon! Teacher talk
This session considers explores the teacher’s role in developing classroom dialogue, introducing practical resources such as Teacher Talk Tactics to support this. It also provides an opportunity to introduce or review the Oracy Teacher Benchmarks.
Understand how effective classroom dialogue can enhance student learning and foster a culture which values every voice
Explore Teacher Talk Tactics as a resource for improving classroom discussions
Review the Teacher Benchmarks to strengthen your oracy practice
Have a question?
Developed by oracy experts at Voice 21, Talk Circles are a set of ready-to-use oracy teacher training materials which can be used to suppose the development of high-quality oracy teaching practice throughout your school.
Each Talk Circle includes everything you need to lead a powerful oracy CPD session including facilitator notes, video clips, handouts, and slides, all designed to spark dialogue and model practical oracy strategies. They’re flexible, editable, and can be adapted to fit your school’s context, priorities, and CPD schedule.
Talk Circles are for educators looking to develop oracy in their schools, whether you're just getting started or building on existing practice. They’re designed for use in a range of settings, from whole-school CPD to smaller teams like year groups or subject phases.
The Voice 21 team are working hard in the background to launch the first Talk Circle by the summer of 2025. There are four Talk Circles which we will release one by one based on your feedback.


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