Knowledge for Teachers

Dr. Jenny Donovan, CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation, is a pioneer in educational research, advocating for evidence-based teaching. She shares her journey from high school teacher to leading research in Australia. Key topics include the impact of cognitive load theory, the need for explicit instruction, and the importance of school leadership in educational reform. Jenny also addresses the challenges of navigating education data and emphasizes avoiding fads in teaching methods for better student outcomes.

In this conversation, Brendan Lee speaks with James Dobson, an experienced teacher who has been expertly applying the art and science of learning when teaching students in their first year of school (Kindergarten/Prep/Reception/Foundation). He discusses the importance of evidence-based practice, the use of Direct Instruction programs, and the challenges and rewards of teaching young children. James shares insights on maintaining sanity in the classroom while balancing work and personal life. We also delve into James' weekly timetable, looking at phonemic awareness, phonics, handwriting, writing and mathematics. He really gets into the nitty-gritty of what his lessons look like day-to-day and how they progress throughout the year. Resources mentioned: Siegfried Engelmann Story Champs Heggerty’s phonemic awareness program Little Learner’s Love Literacy Core Knowledge Ochre Grammar Project Number blocks Direct Instruction Mathematics by Marcy Stein Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion Shaping Minds Christopher SUch’s The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading Sharing Best Practice ResearchEd   You can connect with James: Twitter: @jdtdobson Instagram: @mr_j_dobson Website: layingthefoundations.weebly.com/  You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast About James Dobson James Dobson is a Foundation teacher and Learning Specialist at Campbells Creek Primary School including Guildford Campus in central Victoria. James has worked with students from a diverse range of backgrounds in Victoria and the Northern Territory. During his time in the NT, he implemented a range of Direct Instruction programs and became an accredited DI trainer. He was a finalist for the Outstanding Primary Teacher award as a part of the 2022 Victorian Education Excellence Awards. James is passionate about ensuring that all students receive a quality education. This begins by laying a solid foundation.    Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Ray Boyd, the Foundation Principal of Dayton Primary School. Throughout the interview he shares his journey into education leadership and the pedagogic shift he led at his previous school West Beechboro P.S. He reflects on the mistakes made and lessons learned during his time there and discusses the surprises and challenges of starting a new school.  Dr. Boyd also explains the vision and mission of Dayton Primary School and how he communicates it to the community. Dr. Boyd underscores the vital role of fostering success and creating robust support systems within schools. He stresses intentional communication with parents and the cultivation of a positive school culture. Ray delves into strategies for nurturing staff well-being, employing tools like playbooks and coaching. He highlights the importance of revisiting priorities and setting precise goals for professional development. As the discussion concludes, Ray provides valuable tips for a strong start to the school year and recommends resources such as cognitive load theory and educational research books.  Listen to this episode for profound insights and guidance tailored for school leaders. Resources mentioned: James Nottingham Luke George Rachael Lehr Steph Le Lievre (features on S01E02 Of the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast) James Clear - Atomic Habits Greg Sullivan John Fleming ED Hirsch David Wanstall Lorraine Hammond Ken Rowe John Hollingsworth Joe Ybarra Louisa Moats Simon Sinek Spelling Mastery Peter DeWitt John Hattie Joel Birch Seth Godin - Song of Significance Jim Knight You can connect with Ray: Twitter: @RayBoyd007 Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rayboyd007/ You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast   About Dr. Ray Boyd Dr Ray Boyd, DipT., MSL., Ed.D.. FACELWA., FACEL is the foundation principal of Dayton Primary School. Prior to this he led a school that achieved remarkable improvement, resulting in his team mentoring WA school personnel as a part of the Centre for Excellence in Literacy initiative. Ray’s world is dominated by the need to improve teaching and learning in schools, having done considerable work with state and interstate schools in developing highly effective teaching models alongside their leadership teams. Prior to his career as a school leader, Ray competed at an international level, representing Australia at the World Cross Country Championship, in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Athens, and was a member of the Australian Team that won the International Ekiden Relay Championships in 1995.

Brendan Lee provides his key takeaways from the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast for 2023. This year he spoke to people such as Tom Sherrington, Daisy Christodoulou, Christopher Such and many more. Find out what he took away from these conversations. He has split this episode into three sections: Science of reading Science of maths Implementing the science of learning   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast  

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Corey Peltier who is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Oklahoma. He also contributes to The Science of Math movement that is focused on disseminating research-informed recommendations to enhance math instruction and outcomes for students and this is the area that is unpacked in this episode.  In this conversation, they look at some of the points from the paper, Myths That Undermine Maths Teaching that he co-authored with Sarah Powell and Elizabeth M. Hughes. He also explains how teachers can use the Instructional Hierarchy to improve student performance, why curriculum-based measurements are useful, how we can build math fact fluency and much more.   Resources mentioned: Sarah Powell Amanda VanderHeyden Robin Codding Journal of Behavioral Education The ABCs of CBM by Michelle K. Hosp, John L. Hosp, and Kenneth W. Howell. Brian Poncy - https://brianponcy.wixsite.com/mind Doug and Lynn Fuchs Pirate Math - https://www.piratemathequationquest.com/ Self-Regulate Strategy Development National Center on Intensive Intervention - https://intensiveintervention.org/ Journal of Behavioral Education Special Edition on Instructional Hierarchy - https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40086112 Benjamin Solomon and Brian Poncy, A review of common rates of improvement when implementing whole-number operation math interventions: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-70602-005 You can connect with Corey: Twitter: @CoreyJPeltier Website: coreypeltier.substack.com/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Tim McDonald who is currently the CEO of YMCA WA and previously led Catholic Education WA, the Minderoo Foundation and was the Education Lead for Knowledge Society. Recently, he wrote a paper for the Centre for Independent Studies titled: Teaching Behaviour: How Classroom Conduct Can Unlock Better Learning. Throughout this conversation, he touches on a lot of the key points from the report and talks about what schools can do to build a behaviour curriculum. He also answers some of the tough questions on things such as phones in schools, exclusions and behaviour expectations. Resources mentioned: Teaching Behaviour: How Classroom Conduct Can Unlock Better Learning Classroom Management: Engaging students in learning Tom Bennett, Running the Room Anita Archer Urie Bronfenbrenner Doug Lemov Classroom Management Classroom Management  You can connect with: Twitter: @DrTimMcDonald1 Linkedin Website: www.classroommastery.com.au/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Jessica Colleu Terradas the Senior Officer Teaching and Learning Literacy and Instructional Coach in Canberra and Goulburn Catholic Education. In 2022, she travelled to the USA, England and France where she met with leading experts to investigate effective literacy screening and instructional practices to support older struggling readers as part of her Churchill Fellowship. She details some of the findings from her report in this chat.   She speaks about her amazing experience meeting people like Anita Archer and Stanislas Dehaene and goes through some case studies of schools that have implemented a Multi-Tiered System of Support framework effectively. Resources mentioned: Jessica Colleu Terradas Churchill Fellowship: To identify effective language and literacy screening and intervention practices for at-risk students Anita Archer Stanislas Dehaene - How We Learn 2 reports on better supporting students who enter secondary school with gaps in their foundational literacy and numeracy skills and guide about MTSS, published/funded by AERO in partnership with Monash Uni: https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/supporting-secondary-students-lacking-foundational-literacy-and-numeracy-skills-research-summaryEEF Diane and James Murphy’s book ‘Thinking Reading: what every secondary teacher need to know about reading’ https://www.amazon.com.au/Thinking-Reading-Every-Secondary-Teacher/dp/1911382683 Improving literacy in secondary schools, by the Education Endowment Foundation: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/literacy-ks3-ks4 The national Institute for Direct Instruction (official website): https://www.nifdi.org/ The Theory of Instruction: applications and strategies (1982 Ed.) by Engelmann & Carnine: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Doug-Carnine/publication/303721842_Theory_of_Instruction_Principles_and_Applications/links/574f661a08aef199238ef8b6/Theory-of-Instruction-Principles-and-Applications.pdf (download a revised copy) . Order a copy: https://www.amazon.com.au/Theory-Instruction-Applications-Siegfried-Engelmann/dp/1880183803 Podcast: the Science of Reading platform with Susan Lambert https://amplify.com/science-of-reading-the-podcast/   You can connect with Jess: Twitter: @JessicaColleu LinkedIn: @jessicacolleu/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Jessica Del Rio the government and public finance lead at Equity Economics. She has recently been involved in a couple of major reports that have highlighted the poor literacy standards across Australia.  Raising the grade: How schools in the Australian Capital Territory can lift literacy outcomes for students and the economy, written for the ACT Alliance for Evidence-Based Education and funded by the Snow Foundation  Saving Money by Spending: Solving Illiteracy in Australia, commissioned by Code Read Dyslexia Network Australia In this conversation, Jess will tell us how bleak our current situation is, what needs to be done, what will happen if changes aren’t made and go through some examples of who is doing this well. Resources mentioned: Rowe, K., & National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy (Australia). (2005). Teaching Reading: Report and Recommendations. Department of Education, Science and Training. https://research.acer.edu.au/tll_misc/5 Knowledge for Teachers Podcast 14 – Ross Fox on how Catalyst is transforming lives through learning (Catalyst Part 1) 15 – Patrick Ellis on considerations for change (Catalyst Part 2) 16 – St Bernard’s P.S. Transformational Change Through Catalyst (Catalyst Part 3) Nancy Young Code READ Dyslexia Network Fogarty Foundation Catalyst Think Forward Educators Sharing Best Practice Australian PISA reports and data files Grattan Institute: Widening gaps: what NAPLAN tells us about student progress Melissa and Lori Love Literacy Podcast - Ep. 100 Trauma and Reading with Dr. Steven Dykstra   You can connect with Jess: Linkedin You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Bruno Reddy CEO of Maths Circle (Times Tables Rockstars and Numbots). He is the former head of Mathematics at King Solomon Academy and one of the pioneers of mathematics mastery, as we know it today. As you will hear, he is hugely passionate about mathematics and has thought long and hard about what needs to be done to teach it effectively. Some of the things that are just starting to become common practice now, like retrieval practice, spaced practice and variation theory, are things that he was talking about 10 years ago.    Resources mentioned: King Solomon Academy Doug Lemov - Teach Like a Champion Kris Bolton Brendan Lee - 5 Key Principles for Teaching Primary Mathematics Effectively Brendan Lee - A Systematic and Structured Approach to Teaching Primary Mathematics (Part 1) Alex Blanksby - Five Ways to use Worked Examples The ResearchED guide to explicit and direct instruction - Adam Boxer John Mason and Anne Watson - Thinkers Episode 18 – Kevin and Robyn Wheldall on Effective Instruction in Reading Knowledge Society CogLearn Think Forward Educations: Sarah Powell - Maths Intervention Dan Meyer   You can connect with Bruno: Twitter: @BrunoReddyMaths   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net   Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Experienced school leader and author Emma Turner discusses primary curriculum design and cognitive science. Topics covered include the challenges of co-headship, principles of cognitive science in teaching young children, building connections in curriculum design, the importance of attention and curriculum development in mathematics, and reinforcing concepts and progression in primary curriculum design.