Tips for teachers: Using drama to improve oracy

Sep 2, 2026 | Blogs

Tips for teachers: Using drama to improve oracy

Sep 2, 2026 | Blogs

‘If oracy is something to be brought in from the fringes of the curriculum, how do we as a profession make it front and centre of our pedagogy?

Dialogic talk and the power of knowing how to debate healthily and passionately is paramount. Do the children in our classes need to know how to speak fluently at an Oxford Don’s dinner party? Perhaps. Do they need to learn how to agree to disagree when met with opposition in life? Definitely.

Dialogic talk, oracy and simple speaking listening skills can be such a powerful tool for children of any age to succeed. This extends both in and out of the classroom. Using drama efficiently can be the key to unlocking its benefits. Using forum theatre, conscience alley, hot seating or thought tracking are all great springboards that the majority of us will have an awareness. From that point on, the debates and discussions can begin because the children will have ‘lived’ that feeling of being in the debate.’

(https://hwrkmagazine.co.uk/from-stage-to-sage-promoting-oracy-with-strategies-from-drama/)

Using drama is honestly one of the best ways to get students talking, mostly because it takes the spotlight off them as individuals. When they step into a character’s shoes, their nervousness drops significantly. A student who might completely freeze up when asked for their own opinion will often argue passionately if they are playing the role of a grumpy town councillor or a worried scientist.

By using drama across your lessons, you turn quiet, passive listening into active, energetic conversation.

Why Does It Work So Well?

• It provides a total safety net. Playing a character gives quiet or anxious students a protective shield. They aren’t risking their reputation; they are just playing a part.

• It connects movement with language. It is much easier for them to figure out what they want to say when they can use their bodies, gestures, and facial expressions to sort out their thoughts first.

• It makes vocabulary stick. Instead of just memorising a list of words, students usethem in a real-life situation, which helps them understand the meaning much faster.

• It levels the playing field. Because drama is so physical, it is fantastic for English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners and less confident talkers.

Strategies and games to try:

• Freeze Frames & Thought Tracking: Have students work in small groups to make a human statue of a moment in a story or a historical event. Walk around, tap someone on the shoulder, and ask them to tell you exactly what their character is thinking at that exact second.

• Hot Seating: Put a chair at the front of the room. A student (or you!) sits there as a character from a book or a historical figure. The rest of the class interviews them to find out their motives and secrets.

• Conscience Corridor: Make two long lines of students facing each other to form a path. One student walks down the middle as a character facing a massive choice. As they walk past, the left side whispers reasons to do it, and the right-side whispers reasons not to.

Quick Tips for Success

• Keep it structured: Use clear starting and stopping signals like “Lights, camera, action!” so things don’t get too chaotic.

• Give them helper phrases: Put sentence stems on the board (like “I completely understand your point, but…”) so they never run out of things to say.

• Value the process, not the show: Don’t worry about making it look like a Hollywood movie. Praise them for listening well and using great vocabulary, not for being the best actor.

• Teacher-in-Role: Step into a character yourself for five minutes. Pretend to be an angry explorer or a worried citizen with a big problem. This forces the students to step up, talk to you formally, and help you solve it.

This blog was written by Bretta Townend-Jowitt, Education Consultant and Trainer.

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