Primary education and teaching Public speaking

Sir Jim Rose’s April 2009 published report for the government on the overhaul of the primary education curriculum and children’s education highlights the importance of communication.   A focus of the report is on the ability to’ ‘talk’ in primary schools.   This aspect of education is hugely important and of related and massive importance is the ability in later life to take this talk into the public arena.   We are now clearly in the age of presentation and communication and those that can speak in the public in whatever form lead considerably richer lives both materially and intellectually.   It is well known that adults fear speaking in public more than they fear death itself and therefore most do not do it.   So how do you deal with this potential for impoverishment in people’s education and lives? There is provision for the education and training motivated adults but first and foremost we must deal with the matter as early on in children’s lives as we can and this means when learning at the primary school age.    So the question arises; how do you enhance children’s learning experience, provide the necessary education resources to avoid the growth of the fear factor?   The answer has to be based on using a method that employs all aspects of  children’s learning styles using a clear structured approach based on visual, kinaesthetic, auditory, and memory techniques. It is this that will lead to success in their education.   Organisations such ‘The Learning Well’ and ‘The Speaking Well’ and well known individuals such as Tony Buzan, who developed Mind Mapping, have a huge focus in this area providing just such learning techniques, utilising all learning styles, to all those who aspire to give the gift of public speaking to children.   For the sake of our children’s future those now tasked with developing the primary education curriculum must take note of these methods and techniques including the Memory Map and Memory Mapping originated by Tony Lazar and used and spoken about extensively by Alan McMahon, both of ‘The Learning Well’ and ‘The Speaking Well’.   These activities massively boost children’s education and confidence and provide a clear structure for effective speaking, talking and learning