The Unteachables Podcast
Claire English
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#176: Kate Stockman on student voice, empathy, and why so many students stay silent.
This one almost didn't happen, and I am so glad it did. Today's guest literally walked past my booth at EduTech 2026 to introduce herself, and within about two minutes I knew I needed her energy on this podcast. Her name is Kate Stockman, and she is deeply passionate about helping young people find their voice and helping schools build cultures where communication actually thrives. Kate is a secondary educator, communication specialist, and founder of Communicators. Having taught drama, English, and performing arts across both the UK and Australia, Kate has spent her career helping students build confidence, develop communication skills, and engage more meaningfully in learning, drawing on dialogic teaching, oracy, and inclusive education. So let's roll the tape. We start with what oracy actually is, why it's a much bigger conversation in the UK already, and why it's starting to gain real traction here in Australia too. Kate breaks down the difference between top-down, teacher-led talk and genuine dialogic, co-constructed discussion, and why so many classrooms are still stuck firmly in the first category. We dig into the real barriers stopping students from speaking up, including a gap in empathy and self-expression that Kate is seeing more and more, and how technology is quietly reshaping the way young people connect face to face. Kate shares one of her favourite classroom strategies, the discussion chain, a deceptively simple, fully student-led technique that gets a whole class genuinely contributing without the teacher having to facilitate a thing. I make her walk me through exactly how to run it, live, so you can take it straight into your own classroom tomorrow. Then, because I couldn't resist, we run a full bin or win round covering talking sticks, drama games, rote learning, homework, cold calling, and copying off the board, and Kate doesn't hold back on any of them. We finish with her best piece of teaching advice, the one mindset shift that completely changed how she shows up in the classroom, and the single thing every teacher can do tomorrow to immediately improve the quality of classroom conversation. What you'll learn: What oracy actually means, and why dialogic teaching is becoming a much bigger conversation in educationThe real barriers stopping students from speaking up in class, including a growing gap in empathy and self-expressionHow to run a discussion chain, a fully student-led strategy that gets a whole class contributing without teacher facilitationWhy practising discussion strategies early in the year matters more than just introducing them onceHow smartphones and digital communication may be reshaping students' confidence to connect face to faceKate's honest bin or win verdicts on talking sticks, drama games, rote learning, homework, cold calling, and copying off the boardWhy cold calling can work well as a revision tool, but becomes harmful when used as a "gotcha" momentThe best piece of teaching advice Kate ever received, and why "being consistently good is outstanding"The one shift every teacher can make tomorrow to immediately improve classroom conversationHave a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text! RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT: Shop all resourcesJoin The Behaviour ClubMy book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management The Low-Level Behaviour BootcampFree guide: 'Chats that Create Change'Connect with me: Follow on Instagram @the.unteachablesCheck out my website
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