About me
I work with schools to develop a culture of high-quality dialogue and reasoning across the curriculum. I believe high-quality talk is a vital ingredient in narrowing the gap and improving outcomes.
As a qualified teacher, former Assistant Head, Writing Lead and SLE in primary education, I am passionate about transforming classrooms by using pupil-to-pupil dialogue – too often a wasted resource.
I deliver fun and active training, speak on the subject of Oracy/Talk, provide hands-on classroom coaching, and carry out Talk Audits. I am an Oracy Cambridge Associate and accredited P4C (Philosophy for Children) trainer with SAPERE and DialogueWorks. In addition to teaching I have worked as a lecturer, trainer and facilitator in the UK and internationally.
Why Talk?
Research on talk in schools in the UK in the 2000s showed that high-quality pupil talk was rare, that pupils’ thinking time was often very limited, and that most teacher questions were closed.
My experience in schools suggests that – sadly – this is often still the case, even in schools regarded as good and even in schools which are broad-minded with regard to their curriculum. I am convinced that developing a culture of productive talk which truly values pupil explanations, questions and reasoning, can change the way pupils view teachers, and the way pupils see themselves. It can completely transform the learning environment.
“Very well prepared, with variety, all based on the research evidence. Lots to think about. Presentation style super - very engaging and thoughtful.”
