Knowledge for Teachers

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.

Listen to this live coaching workshop on implementing the science of learning with Dr. Nathaniel Swain and Brendan Lee. In this session, you will hear from real teachers discussing their real-world challenges in implementing the science of learning. Dr Nathaniel Swain and Brendan Lee then guide the teachers and school leaders through some possible solutions, taking an evidence-informed approach.    First, you hear from Ainsley from Mary Mede Catholic College in Victoria who has started to implement a number of evidence-supported strategies and programs but has hit a bit of a plateau. Then you will hear from Sarah and Iona from St. Andrews in Cairns who are right at the start of their science of learning journey.   You can connect with Nathaniel: Twitter: @NathanielRSwain Website: https://www.nathanielswain.com/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net

Dr. Nathaniel Swain, a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University, addresses FAQs about implementing the science of learning. He discusses his background as a dance teacher and linguist and the role of speech pathologists in the science of reading. They talk about the challenges and surprises of being a teacher, integrating reading and writing in the curriculum, and teaching writing skills at the sentence and paragraph level. They also discuss the challenges of teaching writing and improving initial teacher education.

David Morkunas discusses the negative attitude towards teaching math among teachers and the importance of explicit instruction. He shares his approach to teaching primary math using explicit direct instruction and the impact of effective teaching on student outcomes. The podcast also explores the importance of building automaticity in math facts, managing classroom pace, and supporting teachers in developing strong content knowledge. The discussion includes the New Waves program for teaching primary math concepts and the role of instructional coaching in improving classroom practice.

In this episode, listen to Emeritus Professor Kevin and Dr. Robyn Wheldall as they discuss their careers, co-founding MultiLit, and their book on effective instruction in reading. They share insights on laying reading foundations, teaching reading effectively, differentiation, positive behavior approach, tiered instruction, phonics, and maintaining instructional continuity. A must-listen for teachers interested in evidence-based literacy instruction.

In this episode, I chat with Christopher Such. He is the author of, “The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading” and an experienced teacher, school leader and educational consultant. In our conversation, Chris touches on teacher workload, professional development and he goes through the thought behind his book and how his thinking has developed since its release. We then take a deep dive into teaching reading fluency and look at what it is, common misconceptions that teachers have and what it looks like across different year levels. After that, we somehow manage to fit in an overview of comprehension! This episode is not to be missed! Resources mentioned: Kathy Rastle: https://www.rastlelab.com/ EPS mid-career prize lecture 2017: Writing systems, reading, and language Reid Smith, Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry & Lorraine Hammond (2021) The Role of Background Knowledge in Reading Comprehension: A Critical Review, Reading Psychology, 42:3, 214-240, DOI: 10.1080/02702711.2021.1888348 Chris’ free curriculum resources: https://primarycolour.home.blog/category/free-resources/ Debbie Hepplewhite’s Phonics International: https://phonicsinternational.com/ Lynn Stone Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618772271 MultiLit: https://multilit.com/ The Science of Reading: A Handbook, 2nd Edition John Walker - Sounds-write You can connect with Chris: Twitter: @Suchmo83 Website: https://primarycolour.home.blog/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net