We are delighted that the Raising Aspirations programme, which aims to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds applying to university, includes Discover Your Voice (DYV) workshops at a number of hub schools in Bedfordshire. Supported and sponsored by Wadham College, Oxford and the Connolly Foundation, these are provided free of charge to the schools and, so far, have enabled nearly 200 children to benefit. Read on to find out more about a DYV session at Harlington Upper School in Central Bedfordshire, one of 55 education investment areas (EIAs) identified in the 2020 levelling up white paper.
Archanaa, a Year 11 student, is a black belt in mixed martial arts. Jacey, in Year 12, likes Irish dancing. Jan is bilingual in Dutch, courtesy of their father, and Ben claims to have watched Avatar an incredible 478 times.* This – telling the group an interesting fact about themselves –is the first ice-breaker activity in a Discover Your Voice workshop at Harlington Upper School, and already all 25 students are on their feet talking. Another warm-up exercise in the form of a word association game follows. ‘Choose anything you want but try not to get onto fruit,’ laughs oracy lead Jen Stone, an accomplished actor and director who has previously worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. ‘People always end up on fruit!’
Over the course of the next couple of hours the students will cover all sorts of subjects (though happily, not fruit) and, more importantly, learn about successful techniques for speaking in public, whether that be in a group of classmates, as a more formal presentation, or as part of a debate. They’ll cover topics such as how to draw the audience in and how to hold their interest. They’ll watch videos of two very different speeches by Emma Watson and Greta Thunberg and analyse in small groups what each did well and how effective they were. They’ll study the importance of pauses, pacing, breathing and intonation, taking turns to read a short speech by Angelina Jolie, while Jen elicits feedback on what went well and what would have been even better if… They’ll learn about the structure of a good story and do a fun group exercise where everyone contributes a line to a tale about a visual prompt. And finally, they’ll discuss what they’d like to put into ‘Room 101’ and hold a TV-style debate discussing the pros and cons for each theme – today ‘The British Museum’, ‘Small Talk’ and ‘Spiders and Flies’.
Considering how much time we spend speaking to one another in daily life, it is odd to think that, unlike maths or physics, which few of us use daily once we leave school, speaking and listening are skills which are only rarely actively taught. When they are, it is likely to be to a small group of students (eg a debate club or mentoring students for a presentation) rather than as a whole-class activity. Our Discover Your Voice workshops offer a chance to redress that balance, offering all pupils the chance to acquire and practice some key skills. ‘It’s a great opportunity for our students to grow in confidence, learn from other people and then get out there and do it for themselves,’ says Emma Leftly, teacher in geography and child development at the school. ‘They need to be able to stand up and speak comfortably in front of people; they need to be able, not to argue, but to put their arguments across effectively.’
It seems that this is already starting to happen. After last year’s workshop, also sponsored by Wadham College, several of the students expressed an interest in starting a debate club. The school has taken heed and this year, just two weeks into the September term, it has 16 students signed up already. ‘We’re hoping more will join after today,’ says Emma.
Steve Gray, an ESU supporter who is involved in the Raising Aspirations project, says: ‘It has often been said that one of the things that the private sector can give you is a very high level of confidence in talking to people, and therefore anything we can do to help those who don’t have that background or who haven’t grown up in a family where discussions are the norm is worthwhile.’
The students certainly agree that it has been. ‘All the stuff about breathing from the diaphragm has helped me to speak more confidently,’ says Ben. ‘Also, I like arguing with people and I feel that this has helped me to put my points across better.’ Summer has a slightly different take. ‘When I watch TV I see people screaming at each other when they disagree,’ she says. ‘I think it’s really good to learn how to debate things properly and then express my opinions calmly and understand other people’s points of view.’
Get involved
If you’d like to help us to improve young people’s speaking and listening skills, why not sponsor a DYV workshop for a school/schools in your area? Please contact us at fundraising/[email protected] to find out more.
*Some names have been changed.
