At Aiglon, oracy is not merely an extracurricular activity but a foundational pillar of the educational experience, systematically developed from Year 3 through Year 13. This structured programme is designed as a form of cognitive training, empowering students to articulate their thoughts with clarity, listen with intent, and engage in meaningful dialogue. The core philosophy rests on three interconnected principles: learning to talk, learning through talk, and understanding how talk constructs knowledge and perspective. This approach transforms communication from a basic skill into a powerful tool for intellectual and personal growth, preparing students for the complexities of academic discourse and global citizenship. The programme's intentional design ensures that oracy is woven into the fabric of daily school life, moving beyond public speaking to encompass the nuanced art of collaborative and critical conversation.
The implementation of this vision is both rigorous and multifaceted. Students in Years 7 and 8 engage with an explicit oracy curriculum, while French language eloquence training broadens their communicative competence bilingually. Classroom agreements establish norms for purposeful talk, creating a safe and respectful environment for dialogue. Assessment is guided by the established Oracy Cambridge framework, providing clear benchmarks for development. Skill-building is dynamic and experiential, progressing from foundational exercises like word association to sophisticated group discussions and Socratic seminars that challenge critical thinking. Crucially, these skills are applied in real-world contexts, such as the collaborative problem-solving required in Mountain School expeditions and the independent inquiry of Discovery Years projects. This holistic method ensures that students from Aiglon College graduate not only as articulate speakers but as empathetic listeners and effective collaborators, equipped to lead and contribute in any setting.
