Blog

This blog explores why a clear oracy framework is essential for learning across all subjects. It explains how classroom talk strategies, such as Because, But, So and Seeking Clues, build both communication skills and disciplinary knowledge in science, geography, and history. The article introduces Tongue Fu Talking™, a structured approach with two strands—Explorer Mode for reasoning and Presenter Mode for confident communication—designed to embed purposeful talk from EYFS to KS3.

In our Complete Guide to Oracy, we outlined how structured talk is essential for learning across all subjects. This article builds on that foundation by examining why oracy is increasingly recognised as vital in education. It draws on findings from parliamentary committees, recent Ofsted reports, and research evidence, all of which highlight a gap in how spoken language is developed and assessed in schools.

This blog introduces Tongue Fu Talking™, a structured oracy framework for EYFS to KS3. It explains why oracy is essential for speaking and listening progression, and how teachers can embed it across the curriculum using two modes of talk: Explorer Mode (for reasoning and discussion) and Presenter Mode (for performance and persuasion). The framework’s 23 teachable oracy skills are organised into four disciplines—The Stance, The Flow, The Mind and The Bond—supported by a clear, motivating belt system. With links to oracy CPD, sentence stems, and classroom resources, this is your complete guide to teaching talk with clarity and confidence.

While memory is often defined as the retrieval of information from long-term storage, this narrow view risks reducing learning to passive recall. Drawing on cognitive science, this blog reframes memory as a dynamic construct involving remembering, knowing, and reasoning — all essential for usable knowledge. It argues that strategies like retrieval practice are effective for recall but insufficient for deeper understanding. To bridge this gap, the blog makes the case for explicitly teaching metacognition and oracy. These approaches equip pupils with the cognitive and communicative tools to connect, organise, and apply their knowledge, transforming memory from static storage into a flexible, functional system for thinking and learning.

We often tell pupils that mistakes are part of learning — but what if we designed lessons to depend on them?“ Learning traps,” deliberate set-ups that help students learn through their mistakes, are not about tricking them but about crafting situations where getting it wrong becomes the most powerful route to getting it right. They expose faulty reasoning, common misconceptions, or surface-level thinking to deepen understanding. It’s a strategy as old as Socratic dialogue and as sharp as a well-set maths problem. And the evidence supports it. In this blog, you’ll discover five practical types of learning traps — from the ‘almost-right answer’ to the ‘fake success’ trap — each illustrated with classroom examples across subjects. You’ll also find guidance on how to use traps responsibly, along with references to key research on productive failure, retrieval, and metacognitive development.

Enquiry-based learning is a pedagogical approach that lies at the heart of many curricula, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). It encourages students to ask questions, explore ideas, and construct their understanding of the world. However, this approach also raises important questions about its effectiveness for all learners, mainly when prior knowledge is limited.This blog explores the relationship between enquiry-based learning and prior knowledge, highlighting research supporting the need to balance discovery and foundational understanding.