Please could you speak a bit louder?

I did some pupil voice recently, and a significant number of children said they can’t hear their peers in whole-class talk.

Audibility is a common problem, and a reason why many teachers repeat pupil responses – or simply don’t use pupil talk as a resource for learning. I think that’s a terrible shame.

It takes a bit of effort, but it really isn’t that difficult to create a culture where everyone can hear everyone – this is a very simple way of showing that you value pupil talk.

In classrooms where teachers encourage students to politely ask their peers to speak a bit louder, everything changes. Students are suddenly more empowered, they take more ownership and responsibility for their learning – and they start to speak louder!