ORACY IN THE NEWS
Poor oracy and its all-of-life consequences is causing concern overseas as well as in New Zealand.
AOTEAROAMarch 2024 Radio NZ Interview:A first-of-its kind study has found that for every minute of screen time toddlers are exposed to at home, they hear fewer adult words, make fewer vocalisations and engage in fewer back-and-forth conversations with their parents.
The research, led by Telethon Kids Institute Senior Research Officer Dr Mary Brushe, saw researchers track 220 Australian families over a two-and-a-half-year period to measure the relationship between family screen use and children’s language environment. LISTEN HERE READ MORE A 2020 report by I. Lambie, Auckland, NZ: Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor found that:
Communication disorders.
Get The Word Out, Opinion Piece,
New Zealand Listener, 11 June 2022 New Zealand's response to falling literacy rates overlooks the fact that many children now enter school with very poor oracy, which Karena Shannon argues is the essential bridge to literacy. READ THE FULL ARTICLE |
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OVERSEASUK Labour party leader Keir Starmer has announced that oracy, defined as “developing skill in using spoken language” would be a central part of Labour’s educational priorities if the party took office after the next election.
“It’s not just a skill for learning, it’s also a skill for life” he said, and “Not just for the workplace, also for working out who you are – for overcoming shyness or disaffection, anxiety or doubt – or even just for opening up more to our friends and family.” Starmer said. READ MORE "Listening to Unheard Children", a September 2023 report by
UK Speech and Language found that:
READ FULL REPORT The same report also says that:
"… children who struggle to talk and understand words … are six times more likely to fail English tests at 11 and eleven times less likely to pass maths. They are also twice as likely to have a mental health problem, and twice as likely to be unemployed as an adults” The charity's chief executive, Jane Harris, said that the results of the survey show that "... what schools, nurseries, the government are doing at the moment isn't enough to help children to have the futures they deserve." READ FULL REPORT A UK programme aimed at improving oracy will give all children experiences and skills the middle classes take for granted. Oracy skills will be threaded through "a curriculum stressing speaking, confidence and communication skills, those great social dividers.”
READ FULL ARTICLE |