Research School Network: Completing the virtuous circle: oral language across the curriculum Practical strategies for embedding oral language across the curriculum

Power in physics is not power in history. Volume behaves very differently in maths and music.

Historians interrogate sources. Scientists evaluate methods and analyse data. Mathematicians scan for structure and symbols.

Why talk matters more than we sometimes admit

There’s something powerful about being able to sound like an expert. When students learn the language of a discipline – its vocabulary, sentence structures and ways of reasoning aloud – they start to feel more confident and more in control of their learning.

So how do we help students move beyond generic ​‘good talk’ towards the kind of oral language that reflects how experts in our subjects actually think and reason?

Fair warning: there’s no quick fix. None of the ideas below will stick without a strong whole school culture of talk, routines, and expectations.

Make literacy everyone’s business

In recent years, schools have been flooded with programmes, frameworks and terminology linked to oral language and literacy. It can feel overwhelming. One helpful anchor is this: oral language development sits firmly inside literacy development – not alongside it. 

Historically, many secondary teachers haven’t seen themselves as literacy teachers at all. 

But reading, writing, and talk are deeply interconnected. If we want students to read complex texts and write with precision, they need repeated opportunities to rehearse ideas aloud, using the language of the subject. 

Uniting staff around this shared responsibility – rather than positioning oral language as an ​‘add-on’ – makes implementation far more coherent and far less intimidating.

Help teachers see their subjects through novice eyes

When you’ve spent years immersed in a discipline, it’s hard to spot what’s tricky for beginners – especially the unspoken rules about how knowledge is talked about. Switching from maths to history to science in a single day requires students to constantly adjust to different ways of reasoning aloud, often without anyone making those differences explicit.

When teachers have opportunities to explore how their disciplines differ, the hidden codes start to surface.

Three useful lenses

• Vocabulary
  Identify key tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary – especially polysemous words (words that carry different meanings in different contexts). Power in physics is not power in history. Volume behaves very differently in maths and music. Mapping these differences highlights both the scale of vocabulary demands and the cognitive load placed on students.
  
• Reading and writing
  Historians interrogate sources. Scientists evaluate methods and analyse data. Mathematicians scan for structure and symbols. Exploring these differences clarifies why generic reading strategies only get students so far.

• Oral language
  Compare how subjects prioritise different aspects of talk. Some value precision and justification; others emphasise speculation, challenge or narrative.
  
• Turn the volume up on talk
  What’s often missing is intentional talk sitting alongside reading and writing instruction.

Vocabulary work becomes more powerful when students play with words aloud before meeting them in print. Writing improves when students rehearse sentences verbally. Reading deepens when students articulate interpretations, challenge each other, and justify ideas using subject specific language.

Teaching oral language as part of this wider literacy ecosystem doesn’t add more – it strengthens what’s already there.

So… where do you start?

Bring teachers together to explore disciplinary differences – ideally across subjects. Choose a unit you already teach well and ask: where are the hidden opportunities for talk? What would it sound like if students spoke more like experts here? 

Because when students can see, think and talk like mathematicians, scientists or historians, that virtuous circle really does start to turn.

Three things we’re doing at Tudor Grange

1. Position oral language as a whole school priority – Treat oral language as a core lever for closing attainment gaps and explicitly integrate it into school improvement plans. 

2. Establish a supportive implementation climate – Create a safe environment for innovation by establishing clear, whole-school routines for talk that reduce cognitive load and signal consistent expectations for students and staff. 

3. Prioritise sustained professional development – Embed a continuous cycle of departmental co-planning and reflection to support teachers’ understanding of what supports effective oral language teaching in their subjects.

Join us for our ​‘Deepening understanding through disciplinary talk across the curriculum’ webinar series – sign up here.