It’s Good to Talk (In RE lessons)

Until the summer Julie Childs was working in a primary school in Lincolnshire, and previously was a member of the CSTG Leadership programme. I can still remember seeing a clip of pupils aged 4-7 in her school doing triple coding. Read on to find out about that and much more…

There has been a lot of buzz around oracy recently. Is it a new thing? Is it something we need to be finding time for? Should we do it in every lesson?

The Oracy Commission agreed that oracy can be best defined as:

“Articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication”.

It also describes it as learning to, through, and about talk, listening, and communication. But what might that look like in the primary RE/RVE/RME classroom? Well, the big secret is….we have been doing oracy in RE for years, and we are really rather good at it. We just don’t always know – or share it. It is time to shout (or talk) about it! Here are some of the ways in which I have used oracy in my primary RE practice.

Vocabulary

It is important that pupils know, remember and understand tier 3 vocabulary (low frequency, domain specific words) and understand core concepts in RE/RVE/RME. One of the most successful strategies I have used is what I call ‘triple coding’.

It builds on the concept of ‘dual coding’, where a simple image is paired with a spoken word to facilitate understanding and recall. I adapted this by adding in a physical mime or hand action as a mnemonic for each of the tier 3 words I taught, alongside a simple image. I focused on selected vocabulary linked to core concepts within the unit of work.

Once the word, image and mime had been introduced, a simple phrase to go alongside it to explain the concept was introduced. E.g. salvation-saving. Sharia-straight path. This strategy can be used across all year groups. It works best when vocabulary, images and hand-mimes are codified across the school, so pupils can continue using the triple codes consistently as they build on prior learning in other year groups.

Stem sentences

I have found that giving pupils scaffolded sentence stems has enabled them to explain their thinking and knowledge in greater depth. This has then had a positive impact on their verbal reasoning and in their written responses. As with all strategies, it needs modelling and the opportunity to practice. By making stems progressively more challenging, verbal reasoning in RE can be developed. Examples are:

‘I liked it because…” in EYFS for stating preferences
“This song / story / poem makes me wonder… because…” for reflection in KS1,
“Due to the fact that…I think that…will happen” for explaining something based on known facts in Lower Key Stage 2

Dialogue/debate

“Dialogue can make a significant contribution to RE; but for dialogue to be possible, pupils need to hear and respond to the first-person voice of the other (person), and to attend to their response.” Castelli (2019)

RE is the ideal place for high quality and rich dialogue where pupils are encouraged to explore ‘big questions’. They will need support not just to put their point across articulately but to listen to that of others and respond. I have had great success using NATRE’s Anti-racist RE resources, which have generated rich dialogue and discussion.

As RE is often discussion based, it can be the ideal opportunity to develop and embed oracy. Especially now that oracy is being viewed as being as important as literacy, maybe RE is one of oracy’s best kept secrets!

References:

Castelli, M “Principles and procedures for classroom dialogue” (2018 We need to talk about Religious Education Edited by Castelli, M and Chater, M p143-154

Anti-racist RE: https://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/projects/anti-racist-re/

Oracy Education Commission, We Need To Talk. The report of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England October 2024

We need to talk, 2024