This month our Focus of the Month is all about Oracy in STEM, and it ties in perfectly with our latest episode of STEM Community Live: AI Sprints where we were joined by Kate Paradine, CEO of Voice 21, and Daniel Emmerson from the Good Future Foundation. If you haven't watched it yet, the session is now available on demand, and it is well worth an hour of your time. It was packed with insight, practical advice and some honest reflections on what learners really need from us in a world rapidly becoming shaped by AI.
Below is a summary of the key themes that came out of the conversation and why they matter for STEM classrooms right now.
Why oracy needs to sit at the centre of STEM learning
Kate opened by reminding us that oracy is not just about speaking well. It is about pupils being able to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others. In STEM subjects, where pupils are constantly moving between practical work, abstract concepts and problem solving, talk is often the missing step that helps everything make sense.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review also places a renewed emphasis on oracy as a core skill. For many schools, this will mean a shift towards deliberately planning for talk, giving pupils time to discuss their thinking and creating routines where questioning, reasoning and explanation become part of normal practice.
As Kate said in the session, a world class education system is one that gives every young person confidence, agency and a sense of belonging. Oracy plays a major role in that. When pupils feel able to speak, contribute and question, they are far more likely to see themselves in STEM.
AI, digital literacy and the realities for young people
Daniel brought a very honest perspective on how young people are already using AI. Many are turning to AI tools for advice, reassurance and decision making, often more than adults realise. This means the classroom cannot ignore AI or treat it as a novelty. Pupils need support to use it critically and safely.
Daniel made an important point. Digital literacy is not the skill of using AI but the skill of questioning it. That is where oracy comes in. Pupils need to talk about what AI produces, challenge its accuracy, and explore what might be missing or misrepresented. When pupils discuss AI explanations of scientific ideas, they begin to see the difference between a confident answer and a correct one.
For STEM subjects in particular, this type of talk is essential. Pupils need to reason, argue from evidence and understand the limits of the technology they are working with.
Digital equity and avoiding a new divide
Both guests highlighted a concern that many of us share. Digital inequality is not only about access to devices. It is also about access to guidance, support and safe spaces to talk about technology. You do not need high cost AI tools in school to teach pupils how to question and challenge. What you need are routines and prompts that help pupils think aloud and work things out together.
Questions such as:
help pupils understand the wider impact of AI and avoid simply accepting the information placed in front of them.
Kate also introduced the idea of platforms “grooming” behaviour in a commercial sense. By discussing these influences openly, pupils become far more confident in spotting when something is trying to shape their decisions.
Ideas you can use straight away
A few of the ideas shared during the session included:
Using AI as a source for critique
Ask pupils to improve, question or challenge an AI explanation of a scientific process.
Interrogating AI generated images
Ask an AI to generate images of “ten diverse people”, then discuss who appears, who does not and why that matters.
Using concept cartoons for digital dilemmas
Pose a question such as “Should pupils be allowed personal AI assistants in school” and give pupils different viewpoints to explore and challenge.
Teaching safe disagreement
Build routines where pupils learn to disagree respectfully and constructively. This helps with classroom talk and online communication.
Connecting back to our Focus of the Month
Everything discussed in this episode links directly to our November theme: Oracy in STEM. Good talk routines help pupils make sense of new ideas, explain their thinking and develop the confidence they need for future learning.
If you have not joined the discussion yet, you can do so here:
https://community.stem.org.uk/discussion/how-do-you-build-oracy-into-stem
You can also explore this month’s highlights in The Bulletin:
https://community.stem.org.uk/browse/autumn
Watch the episode on demand
The full recording of AI Sprints Season 2 Episode 2 with Kate Paradine and Daniel Emmerson is now available here: https://community.stem.org.uk/browse/scl-od.