Research School Network: Speaking the Language of Numbers: The Power of Oracy in Maths (1 of 3) Speaking the Language of Numbers: The Power of Oracy in Maths (2 of 3)

Nagina Bostan, an Assistant Headteacher, Maths Lead and Year 6 teacher at Deeplish Primary Academy, reflects on how oracy has played a vital role in mathematics in her setting. Deeplish Primary Academy, part of Focus Trust, is located in a highly deprived area of Rochdale, where the pupil and school location deprivation is in the 5^th percentile. With 461 pupils on roll, the school’s pupil premium and EAL percentages are both above national average.

In the world of primary mathematics, we often focus on problem-solving, number crunching and developing fluency in various skills. However, one crucial element that sometimes gets overlooked is the power of talk. As mentioned in my previous blog, If we want our children to learn from each other as well as have the opportunity to try out their thinking aloud, we need to get them talking!

Exploratory talk tasks provide a perfect opportunity to do this: students are encouraged to discuss, question and explain mathematical ideas in a collaborative setting. Through discussion, pupils can deepen their understanding of concepts, work through misconceptions and begin to see maths as a subject that is not just about finding ​‘the answer’ but about reasoning and justifying their thinking. It can enhance students’ cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking abilities (Mercer, 2000).

How to Foster Exploratory Talk in the classroom using Benchmark 1 from Talk for Maths (2024)

Create a safe and supportive environment:

For exploratory talk to thrive, students need to feel safe to share their ideas. At Deeplish, we encourage a classroom culture where mistakes are viewed as a natural part of learning and where everyone’s voice is valued. As a teacher, modelling vulnerability by sharing your own mistakes with students encourages them to view errors as learning opportunities. When I have made an error while solving a problem in a maths lesson, I have acknowledged it, asked the children to help me figure out what went wrong and corrected it with their help whilst explaining the learning process. It’s important as educators that we shift the focus from celebrating getting the right answer to celebrating the process and effort involved.

Be clear on the purpose of the exploratory talk:

The Maths — No Problem approach we use at Deeplish, based on both research and pedagogical theory, supports not only rich communication but also critical thinking, collaboration, and a deep understanding of key mathematical ideas. Every maths lesson begins with an exploratory talk task: the Explore. During the explore task, maths is presented to the pupils by putting it in a real-word context via a problem they need to solve. Here are some examples:

For example, if you have a pupil who is a reluctant speaker, grouping that child in a ​‘talk trio’ and giving them a role of a summariser will encourage them to listen to the groups dialogue so they are able to feedback. Active listening is modelled to pupils by initiating pauses in discussions and asking for a summary of their partner’s points. It is essential that all pupils are involved in the talk task. Research has shown that peer discussion can be especially beneficial in maths (Abdelkarim and Abuiyada, 2016): when students articulate their reasoning to others, it forces them to consider alternative approaches which broadens their understanding of mathematical concepts.

Model expectations and encourage pupils to articulate their thinking:

As much as the process of talk is important, so too is the quality of the talk. As a teacher, you must demonstrate and model high expectations for children with regard to the language you use in the classroom. At Deeplish, we explicitly model active discussion and listening by demonstrating this to our pupils. We provide our pupils with conversation stems from the Speak Well Wheel (Tower Hamlets Progression in Language Structures) such as ​‘I found…’ ​‘I think…’ and ​‘In my opinion…’ to support them to articulate their thinking. We also use topic specific sentence stems from Maths No Problem which act as a scaffolding tool to support mathematical communication and reasoning (Guant and Stott, 2019).

We know that exploratory talk is central to developing a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and enhancing critical thinking skills (Driver, 2000). I encourage you to implement at least 1 of these strategies within your daily maths lessons and watch your students thrive as they collaborate, exchange ideas and build mathematical understanding together. In my next blog, I will share the impact of implementing exploratory talk within our daily maths lessons at Deeplish Primary Academy.

References

• Abdelkarim, R. and Abuiyada, R. (2016). The Effect of Peer Teaching on Mathematics Academic Achievement of the Undergraduate Students in Oman. International Education Studies, 9(5), p.124.
• Driver, R. (2000). The Role of Talk in the Development of Mathematical Thinking. In: P.Clarkson, ed. Assessment in Mathematics Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.173 – 184.
• Gaunt, A., & Stott, A. (2018). Transform teaching and learning through talk: the oracy imperative. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Mercer, N. (2001). Why I study… Why I study… interthinking. The Psychologist, [online] 14(12)
• Oxford Mastery Framework (2024). Talk for Maths Benchmarks [guidance report].