"We need to find what's inside children's minds if we want to teach them. We need to find what they find important before we take the hassle of teaching them about history or geometry or something." - Bob Coenraats

In this episode of Oracy And Beyond we are in The Netherlands to talk to philosophy teacher and passionate oracy advocate Bob Coenraats.

Bob talks about:

* His own insights from his experience as a philosophy teacher, highlighting the importance of teaching students to express their ideas and engage in meaningful conversations.

* How encouraging a safe space for children and young people to share their ideas can create life-changing moments not just for the students, but for the teacher too. Bob shares a moment that has stayed with him to this day and has lead to a lasting relationship throughout one child's education.

* How governments can The conversation explores the concept of equity in education, emphasizing the need for all students to have access to opportunities that allow them to express themselves and engage with content meaningfully. The episode discusses how oracy can contribute to creating a more equitable educational environment.

* How oracy should be a government responsibility. Bob argues that teaching children oracy can lead to better citizenship education and emphasizes that, in a democratic society, the government should ensure that all students learn how to express and exchange ideas effectively.

(We talk about the current UK government's pledge to bring oracy to the fore in education. You can read more about it here.)

You can find out more about Bob and how he is changing the lives of young people through oracy here:

LinkedIN: Bob Coenraats

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Thank you for listening to Oracy And Beyond.

If you'd like to come on the show and share your passion for all things oracy, and highlight how it can create equity amongst young people, please drop me a line in any of the following places.

Find out more at the website: OracyAndBeyond.com

The podcast is also on social media (how very modern)

Instagram: Oracy And Beyond

Facebook: Oracy And Beyond

LinkedIn: Oracy And Beyond

You can also find me at:

LinkedIN: Al Booth

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Oracy And Beyond is brought to you by Your Podclass: the oracy-focused podcast workshop for schools. Find out more at YourPodclass.com

Blimey, is that the time? I better go and pick up the kids from school...

See you soon.

Al