LET's Stand (L-Listen, E-Evaluate, T-Talk, S-Stand) is a Public Speaking Programme for Primary School children that I have designed which we are implementing in Eglish NS. From Junior Infants (5 years old) to 6th Class (13 years old), it engages all students actively in an individualised child-centred programme, developing their listening, evaluation and speaking skills in a structured way. Students are supported and encouraged to progress through and present the 10 projects a year at their own pace.A safe, supportive environment is created in which all students are enabled, encouraged and empowered to achieve their potential.
The following TEDx Talk by Siobhán Keenan Fitzgerald explains the motivation behind the creation of this programme.
Through regularly standing up in front of their peers and teacher and by actively listening to, observing and evaluating their class mates as they do the same, students’ confidence and competence in communication are positively progressed.
As part of the programme, teacher feedback has helped to inform the design of an appropriate Assessment rubric that can help teachers identify students' baseline in relation to Public Speaking so they might more easily identify the particular areas students may need more support with and explicit teaching on.
We are seeing very positive results within our own school in terms of improved listening skills and increased confidence and clearer communicative competence since we started to implement the programme across the school. Now, students from our Senior Room lead Assemblies. I have begun to share the Resources with other schools and have used a variety of methods including Social Media (Facebook and Twitter) to try to spead this idea so that more students might receive the training.
Approximately 200 schools in Ireland have piloted parts of the Programme and teachers from 65 Primary Schools and 10 Secondary Schools have invested in some of the programme booklets to date. I have designed an evening course for teachers on how Public Speaking can meet the Learning Outcomes of the New Primary Language Curriculum and I have 4 dates for delivery of this Evening Course in March and April this year.
You can find out more information on www.letsstand.eu.
