TTS Talking Early Years

In this episode, Dr Shaddai Tembo and Louisa Reeves discuss how speech and language skills are used across each curriculum area. They discuss when planning a curriculum, how important it is for teachers to consider their cohort's abilities to ensure that every child is supported. Louisa talks about the role senior leaders have in creating a communication-focused school culture and how staff are supported with the skills and tools to support the children in the classroom. There is also reference to how educators can advocate for change on the Speech and Language UK website. Practitioners may be interested to learn more about navigating external pressures in education and learning more about the policy and political landscape surrounding language and communication. Louisa gives her views on feeling hopeful for the future, how fast she feels progress is being made and hopes that ministers listen to the charity sector and to families. 📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here. Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes. (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.) Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr Shaddai Tembo and Louisa Reeves tackle the understanding of speech and language development and provide practical strategies for teachers, including training opportunities available to them. Shaddai and Louisa discuss how hard it is to develop oracy skills and look at the intersection of language, behaviour and mental health. Louisa references statistics on who is facing challenges and the pair touch on the role of social media, influenced by adult behaviours too. Practitioners may be interested to learn more about how they communicate, ask questions and adapt their own teaching practice. They can also find guidance on screen time from the World Health Organisation and think harder about the value of a language-rich environment, as well as what this looks like in practice. 📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here. Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes. (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.) Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Dr Shaddai Tembo and Louisa Reeves, discuss the different types of speech and language challenges. Louisa shares how a child’s upbringing can affect their early communication experiences and touches on how speech and language challenges can be prevented. Louisa goes into detail on early intervention and identification and better understanding groups with speech and language challenges. She discusses how children with lifelong challenges may thrive earlier on but struggle later in life when they are being assessed to higher levels and the social demands are higher. Practitioners may be interested to learn about the importance of home languages and encouraging children’s native language as a foundation to learn English more effectively. There is also a discussion on the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as signposting to support and free resources. 📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here. Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes. (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.) Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Louisa Reeves, Director of Policy and Evidence at Speech and Language UK, to introduce and discuss language and communication and highlight its value to everybody.  Louisa explains her career journey as a speech and language therapist and her role at Speech and Language UK. She touches on the role that her organisation has played in supporting educators, families and young people, as well as sharing insightful research findings.  Practitioners may be interested to learn more about thinking about language and communication as a core skill to help young people from all backgrounds navigate life and set them up for success in the future. Louisa also shares types of support that educators and parents can get for free to support children and help bridge the current social oracy divide.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here. Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Dr Shaddi Tembo and Co-found of Dyscalculia Network, Rob Jennings discuss dyscalculia and differentiation. Rob touches on spotting signs – with the help of a free checklist resource - and putting an assessment in place, which may help lead to a diagnosis. Rob and Shaddai discuss the importance of early intervention and support on number sense at an early age. Rob offers his future vision for dyscalculia awareness and his desire to make maths relevant, as it plays such a key role in later life. Practitioners may be interested to learn more about multimodal approaches to mathematics education in this episode, as well as changing attitudes towards people who struggle with mathematics. 📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here. Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.  (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr Shaddai Tembo and co-founder of Dyscalculia Network, Rob Jennings, dive into the topic of maths anxiety. They discuss how Dyscalculia can cause anxiety and the gender dynamics in mathematical learning.    Rob and Shaddai discuss understanding safe talk and the assessment challenges for children with dyscalculia. The pair also focus on supporting parents who have dyscalculia themselves, and helping all parents try to reinforce the learnings from the classroom at home.   Practitioners may be interested to learn more about embedding oracy within their schools, with a focus of how to do this when teaching mathematics, as well as how the Dyscalculia Network can support through their resources and information.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited. 

In this episode, Dr Shaddai Tembo and co-founder of Dyscalculia Network, Rob Jennings, discuss what language and number sense is, and what it means for children with dyscalculia.  Rob Highlights the importance of concrete materials in teaching as well as touching on teacher training and attitudes towards mathematics. Rob explains why visual learning is important for early years children and how a lack of this may weaken their understanding of mathematics in later life.  Practitioners may be interested to learn strategies for teaching mathematics effectively – including making learning fun – as well as more information on neurodiversity and co-occurrence of learning difficulties.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Rob Jennings, co-founder of Dyscalculia Network, to discuss dyscalculia and the links to oracy. Rob defines dyscalculia and highlights the awareness levels around it, as well as how the learning disorder is identified in early years settings.  Rob explains the long-term implications that can arise from children not being diagnosed or supported with dyscalculia, and how this can impact them through adulthood too.  Practitioners may be interested to learn more about the importance of oracy in mathematics education, as well language challenges within the subject. Rob and Shaddai also touch on the role of digital technology in learning too and the screen time that pupils experience.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Adam Marycz for a final episode to discuss success stories within oracy and touch on intervention strategies. They discuss understanding the needs and interests of children and knowing how to support them.   Adam discusses giving children the space to interact in a way that feels comfortable to them and highlights alone time versus one-to-one interactions. They also look at how we identify that children need support and how to help them develop their own thinking and internal monologue, as well as regulating their thoughts before speaking.  Practitioners may be interested in learning how to support mealtime and help children interact in a small group environment if they tend to be more solitary in the day. They can also take away tips to tool themselves with online resources.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.  Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Adam Marycz reflect on the influence of screen time and how a one-way interaction has influenced how children communicate now. They discuss how videos can influence accents and pronunciations in children, as they are learning from a screen and not real-live experiences.  Shaddai and Adam discuss fostering an environment that allows children the space to think and respond, giving them time to consider, learn and develop critical thinking. They acknowledge that attention spans have shrunk so there is pressure to react quicker, highlighting the need to teach responding appropriately rather than immediately.   Practitioners will learn more about considering a language-rich environment to allow conversations to blossom, as well as being aware of the effects of allowing time and removing background noise to support learning.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.  Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined again by Adam Marycz to discuss upbringings and backgrounds, as well as socioeconomic factors that affect oracy education. They highlight ‘cultural capital’ and the need for equity to provide everyone with access to opportunities and ask educators to think about what success looks like when supporting children from different backgrounds  The conversation moved on to how far Early Years Pupil Premium can support as well as doesn’t helping parents understand the importance where support is lacking in a multicultural society.  Practitioners may be interested in learning more about the role of resources, but only if educators are skilled in utilising them. TTS’ own Recordable Pegs, Recordable Mats and Talking Pens are examples of resources that can support the development of oracy skills if used effectively.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.  Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.) 

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Adam Marycz, Early Years Education Consultant at TTS. The pair discuss what oracy can do to set up a young person for success in the future.  The conversation moves on to highlighting the lack of awareness on defining oracy and how there is still room to build understanding. They also focus on the context behind what we say, listening, ability to participate and learn together.  Practitioners may be interested in learning more about the oracy gap and how it isn’t being addressed, as well as how to support children and parents following the COVID-19 pandemic.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.  Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Amy Gaunt for a final episode to look at the role parents can play in supporting oracy in young learners.  Voice21's YouGov polling found over 80% of parents support oracy in the curriculum and the pair discuss how helping educate parents on what oracy is via workshops can spark inspiration at home.  Shaddai and Amy discuss how teachers need to think carefully about messages going home and not to make parents feel they aren’t doing enough. They discuss making parents feel included and tips to including them in oracy education.  Practitioners may benefit from considering oracy as a ‘golden thread’ in school and learning more about the impact of technology on oracy skills and focussing on screen-free learning to help conversations be more present. Amy also signposts to Voice21’s downloadable benchmarks, as well as available reports to look at, before rounding off about the long-term oracy vision.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.  Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Amy Gaunt discuss strategies and activities for in the classroom, such as debate, drama and storytelling.  Amy and Shaddai look at giving students the skills they need to develop their oracy skills, such as how to debate and creating spaces for expression. They also consider a child’s journey through school and the wide-ranging oracy rich curriculum.   Practitioners will think more about oracy being ‘always on’ and how to develop ‘oracy muscles’, as well as good practice for supporting transitions. They will learn more about extracurricular activities and how parents' evenings can develop oracy skills.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.      Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Amy and Shaddai discuss oracy benchmarks and what we mean by high quality oracy education. Amy discusses the levers teachers have to help identify oracy as well as the high expectations set on oracy education.  Amy and Shaddai discuss being ambitious for students and using your voice to deliberately involve all children. They talk about valuing different accents and dialects and creating opportunities to engage in exploratory talk.  Practitioners may be interested in learning more about ‘non-purposeful talk’ and enabling challenges or builds on ideas. They may also benefit from letting conversations breathe and enable pupils to reflect more on their discussions.   📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Amy Gaunt, Director of Learning, Impact and Influence at Voice21, a national oracy education charity who work with schools across the UK.  Amy and Shaddai discuss how oracy is defined and how we deliberately think about the way we speak with children. They highlight the benefits of an oracy-rich curriculum to support life beyond school and help children to be good friends and life partners in their adult life.  Amy touches on the four strands of the oracy framework that Voice 21 developed with University of Cambridge and touches on focussing on strengths and developing skills.  Practitioners will learn about how human skills are needed in the age of AI and technology as well as the importance of the things we don’t say.   📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Mike Gardner for a final episode, to discuss embedding oracy in school culture by integrating into policies, practical steps for teachers and the role of parents in collaborative oracy education.   Mike highlights the everyday opportunity that pick-up and drop-off times can offer educators to engage and collaborate with parents to demonstrate what good social interaction looks like to the child. Teachers can also consider their own communication skills and how to model manners in day-to-day life when speaking with other teachers.  Practitioners can consider looking beyond the classroom for opportunities to develop language and communication skills. Shaddai and Mike touch on “non-academic” time and the use of clubs and extracurricular activities to encourage use of language and communication, as well as getting to know children more so they feel listened to and seen.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, Dr. Shaddai Tembo and Mike Gardner discuss the role of oracy in building self-efficacy and supporting emotional regulation through talk. They touch on how educators can support children to build confidence in the classroom and communicate their thoughts and feelings.  Mike and Shaddai talk about children’s identity and how this links to oracy, as well as how adults need to help foster positive relationships and allow children to feel they are a part of the environment they are in.  Practitioners may be interested in the gender differences in oracy development as well as Mike’s real-life experiences, which includes the story of a young girl new to the UK and what strategies were used to make her feel confident.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.       Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited. 

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined again by Mike Gardner to discuss how teachers can use oracy in their assessment practices. They touch on how oracy helps to model new learning and shifting from teacher talk to learner talk.  Shaddai and Mike talk about the role of the whole school in supporting and enabling educators to roll out an oracy-rich curriculum, allowing practitioners to think whether their own school values and policies are setting the right standards.  Practitioners may be interested to learn more strategies for effective learner-centred talk, the influence teachers have on communication, and ways of managing dominant voices in the classroom.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Dr. Shaddai Tembo is joined by Mike Gardner to discuss the importance of oracy and the causes of language gaps in classrooms.  They discuss the challenges of screen time, further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, and how this period in our history and a lack of pedagogy around digital technology has resulted in a lack of ability for children to self-regulate.   Practitioners can learn more about how oracy cuts across all areas of children’s development and how the way children are taught is more important than the supporting technology used to support them.   Mike also talks about his upcoming book which will look at the journey of a child from birth through to adulthood through a lens of social mobility with an aim of bridging the oracy gap.  📌 To shop for resources relevant to this podcast conversation, click here.     Listened and loved it? Sign-up here for exclusive follow-up content and be the first to hear about new episodes.   (The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)   Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.