Knowledge for Teachers

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

This is the final instalment of the three-part series that has focused on the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn. Across the 3 episodes, I have delved into Catalyst which is the term used that encompasses their approach to teaching and learning across the system.    In the first part (Episode 14), Ross Fox, the Director described how and why Catalyst came about. Then (Episode 15), Education Lead, Patrick Ellis went into detail about the implementation process.   Today, you will hear about how the messages from Catalyst are being translated into the classroom. Throughout the episode, Johanna Wain (Principal), Jennifer Smith (Coordinator) and Rebecca Brady (Teacher( describe St Bernard’s Primary School's transformation, what they have done to support staff in the change journey and how they have benefited from Catalyst.   Resources mentioned: Teach Well EDI Lorraine Hammond Brooke Wardana Let’s Decode Ochre Think Forward Educators RSiS FB group ERRR Podcast Bringing Words to Life - Beck, McKeown and Kucan Dataworks

This is the second of a three-part series that focuses on the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn. Across the three episodes, Brendan Lee will delve into Catalyst, the term used that encompasses the system's approach to teaching and learning across the system.   In the previous episode, Brendan spoke with Ross Fox, the Director, and he gave an inspiring recap of how Catalyst was initiated and the vision behind it. In this chat with Patrick Ellis, the Education Lead for Catalyst, you will hear in detail about the implementation process, the challenges they have faced, and what they have learned from it.   Resources mentioned: Catalyst COG Learn Shaping Minds Teach Well How Learning Happens - Paul Kirschner and Carl Hendrick   You can connect with Patrick: Twitter: @ellis_patrick Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/patellis1/   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net

This is the first of a three-part series that is focused on the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn. Across the 3 episodes, Brendan Lee will delve into how they have changed their approach to teaching and learning across the system under the banner of Catalyst.  For this episode, Brendan chats with Ross Fox the Director of the Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn. He is the visionary behind Catalyst and you will hear about his journey. He will also discuss the process that he and his team have gone through in implementing Catalyst across 56 schools.   Resources mentioned: https://catalyst.cg.catholic.edu.au/ Deans for Impact - The science of learning Ochre Education Spelling Mastery Knowledge Society E.D. Hirsch Jr - Why Knowledge Matters Cognitive Load Theory https://www.ollielovell.com/errr/lorrainehammond/   You can connect with Ross: Twitter: @Rossefox   You can connect with Brendan: Twitter: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Website: learnwithlee.net