Talking Mats

Quote taken from the foreword written by Laura Lundy for the 'Can Scotland be Brave' report.

A Talking Mat is a tool which can be used to support a leaner to share their views and feelings on specific topics. The tool uses a visual framework to support communication. This provides learners with a way to express themselves in an accessible and empowering way. For the adults, Talking Mats can be a useful tool to promote shared problem-solving and decision-making, support adaption of communication styles, and it provides valuable insight into a learner's individual needs and preferences.

In education, Talking Mats can be used to explore the following topics:

Feelings about school
- "How was school today?"
- "How do you feel about starting school?"
- "What did you learn today?"
Complex topics
- School trips
- Social situations
- Behaviour
Preparing for transitions
- Key transitions (N-P1, P7-S1, Post school destinations)
- Change of staff
Supporting specific needs
- Autistic learners
- Learners with speech and language difficulties
- Learners with learning disabilities

Picture showing an example of a simple Talking Mat where a learner would organise the symbols under "like" and "dislike".

Talking Mat Demo.mp4

Using a Talking Mat

This video shows a demonstration of how a Talking Mat can be used to gather a learner's views in a simple and quick way.

The ACC Educational Psychology Service would like to thank Isla (Primary 4) for her participation in this demonstration video.

Report

This report funded by the Scottish Government explores how Article 12 can be incorporated into practice through using Talking Mats. To access this report click here.

Talking Mats Website

For more information about Talking Mats and to access training, please visit the TalkingMats website by clicking here.

Video

This is a video of an interview with Lois Cameron, one of the co-creators of the Talking Mat tool. It provides a helpful overview of the tool and a demonstration of how it is used.

Want to explore this more?

To explore how you may use Talking Mats in your practice with an Educational Psychologist, please request a Systemic EIC. To find out how to request a Systemic EIC please click here.

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