Episodes

  • What high-performing countries are doing in maths. With Liana McCurry

    What high-performing countries are doing in maths. With Liana McCurry
    Apr 5 2024

    In this episode, we have Liana McCurry back to talk about her Churchill Fellowship findings on what the top PISA performing countries are doing with maths instruction and how we can use that information to improve outcomes for kids living with learning difficulties.

    Show notes

    Liana McCurry’s Churchill Fellowship has come just in time. Liana travelled abroad to investigate best practices in teaching mathematics that provide the best outcomes for all students.

    Australia’s PISA ranking plummeted from 10th internationally in 2003 to 30th in 2018, where it fell below the average for the first time. How we teach mathematics in Australia is the prime suspect for this decline.

    Dyscastia Episode 14 was recorded prior to Liana’s departure, where we discussed intervention in Maths.

    Early in the conversation, constructivist learning theories are discussed as a big part of the problem in the context of how this approach to learning and teaching exacerbates cycles of social disadvantage. Anyone who taught in the late 80s and 90s in Australia has (tried) to work with curriculum frameworks that are broadly based on constructivist theories.

    In discussing the differences between the curricula of the countries Liana visited and Australia’s mathematics curriculum, Ben Jensen’s work was mentioned. The ERRR Podcast #77 is well worth a listen if you want to know more about the shortcomings of Australia’s curriculum.

    Greg Ashman gets a mention, as Greg is an outspoken critic of the direction of the Australian maths curriculum. Greg recently gave an excellent interview on the Science of Reading Podcast, where he gives a stunning account of cognitive load theory. Greg also sits on the other side of the mic in his own podcast, where he and Amanda VanDerHeyden talk maths instruction.

    Comments and questions are welcome!

    We would love to hear about your experiences teaching mathematics directly and explicitly as opposed to other methods. We’re also interested in your experiences with bringing review and maths fluency into your instructional approaches. If you’ve taught in any of the countries Liana visited, we’d love to hear your reflections.

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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • The Importance Of Daily Review

    The Importance Of Daily Review
    Jan 18 2024
    In this episode, we chat about daily review with David Morkunas, current head of teacher efficacy at Brandon Park Primary School, previously a teacher at Bentleigh West Primary School. David Morkunas is a primary school teacher from Melbourne and currently works at Brandon Park Primary School, where his role is to help support whole school improvement in maths. David first made a name for himself by speaking about the importance of Daily Review at conferences, including Sharing Best Practice and ResearchED. David is a fierce advocate for evidence-based teaching and learning, with a particular interest in how knowledge is transferred to long-term memory. Bill first met David as a graduate teacher while running the Bentleigh West Primary School Study Tour for South Australian educators, and he and David have remained in touch since. Show notes In this episode, Michael and Bill talk with David about something very close to all our hearts – review. Anybody working in the explicit (direct) instruction and evidence-informed instruction space has become familiar with the importance of deliberately planned and scheduled review of previously learned material. For educators new to review, it’s a case of “Where have you been all my life?” Once maligned as non-progressive ‘rote learning’ or ‘drill and kill’ in teaching circles, review has come back to classrooms with a vengeance, and teachers are seeing the difference in student learning outcomes. Review is strongly supported by evidence and features in Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. We cover a wide range of topics and ideas in this episode. David mentions EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction) as an instructional method used at his previous school, Bentleigh West Primary School. The conversation moves to the role of review for transferring new information into long-term memory. Bill mentions a Research Ed talk by Emeritus Professor John Sweller (the father of Cognitive Load Theory), which discusses the narrow limits of change principle, a master stroke of evolution which made working memory a protective mechanism for long-term memory due to its extremely limited ability to deal with novel information, thus making it very difficult for new information to change long term memory without multiple repetitions. Shortly after, David mentions Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, a famous model teachers use to explain the importance of spaced reviews to lessen the rate at which newly learned information degrades over time after being first learned (flatten the curve of forgetting). The importance of gaining and holding student attention first and foremost is discussed, and David mentions an episode of the ERRR podcast where the importance of having students pay attention is discussed and how this supersedes any other instructional/pedagogical considerations. OCHRE Education gets a few mentions from as a source of materials schools can use if they aren’t building their teaching materials in-house. The difference between active review and students just reciting what is on a screen is discussed. David explains that students must actively pull something (retrieving) from long-term memory in active review. This distinction is explored, and David mentions a conversation with Ingrid Sealey from Teach Well that changed some of his thinking on how to structure the review. Spaced retrieval apps are mentioned as a way for us (grownups) to learn new things. One such app is Anki, which both David and Bill have used. Next, the question of when to review is tossed around, and David, Michael and Bill search for the holy grail – some rule of thumb or algorithm that tells us when the best time to review information is. Bill talks about how, in the Playberry Laser Literacy Program, he and his colleagues are always thinking about how to achieve the review sweet spot. Success comes up as the driver of student attention and genuine motivation. David, Michael and Bill discuss how Australia’s infatuation with making learning fun instead of focusing on effective teaching has had disastrous results. David talks about digital tech and books by Cal Newport, one being “Deep Work”, which talks about all of us (adults and kids) needing to cultivate the ability to concentrate for long periods to create good things in the world. David mentions a podcast episode by Greg Ashman on student motivation. David’s presentation for LDA is well worth a watch David’s Webinar on Spaced, Interleaved and Retrieval Practice for LDA is worth watching. Playberry Laser has some lessons up online where review can be seen in action, as well as some other excellent teaching at St Francis School Lockley’s South Australia. Comments and questions are welcome! If you’re an educator, we would love to hear about your experiences with integrating structured daily review into your teaching. If you have a child in a classroom or ...
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • SLDs And Individual Learning Plans

    SLDs And Individual Learning Plans
    Nov 15 2023
    Sue Griffith Sue is a registered teacher with many years of experience in primary teaching. She has specialist Maths training in programs designed to support students experiencing difficulties or delays in Maths skills, including students with dyscalculia and/or dyslexia. QuickSmart Numeracy InterventionRon Yoshimoto Multisensory Maths program – based on the Orton-Gillingham principlesSingapore Maths Sue designs individual courses that are explicit, structured, multisensory and manipulative-based for students who are underachieving in Maths. Programs utilised are all evidence-based interventions. Students learn to think mathematically and develop understanding beyond rote memorisation. Programs focus on fostering a positive attitude towards Maths and the foundational skills, including but not limited to: Place value and the decimal systemBasic Mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and divisionBasic number fact knowledge and multiplication tablesFractions, decimals, percentages and ratiosProblem solving strategiesApplication of Number knowledge to concepts of Time, Money and Measurement Sue also offers young people support in Literacy. She has specialist training in ‘Teaching Students with Dyslexia’ and follows the Multi-Sensory Playberry Dyslexia Program which is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach.Sue also has a Graduate Diploma in Education, specialising in Literacy and Language.Sue designs literacy support programs such as ‘The Writing Process’ to suit individual student needs. Sue believes all children can succeed in improving their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Please contact her to discuss how she can best support your child in their learning. Lilly Shanahan Lilly Shanahan is a dedicated Year 12 student at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide, South Australia. As someone who lives with dyslexia and dyscalculia, Lilly has navigated a variety of educational settings and individual learning plans (ILPs) throughout her academic journey. Her varied experiences in different school environments have given her a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by learning with specific learning disabilities (SLDs). Lilly’s personal insights into effective ILP strategies are invaluable. As a guest interviewee in this episode, Lilly shares her firsthand experiences and offers practical advice for kids, parents, and teachers. Her contributions provide a relatable and insightful perspective on how to navigate and optimize ILPs, making her story a source of inspiration and guidance for those facing similar educational challenges. Show notes During the episode, we mention a few things that may not be familiar to every listener. We always try to be as accurate as possible about what we say in all Dyscastia Podcasts. However, things do change, and if we have accidentally omitted information or something we have said is no longer the case, particularly in regards to policies in the individualised education plan space. Here are some links that might help. Special Provisions in Exams: Students can apply in all states of Australia for special provisions in tests and exams. Different authorities generally for a documented history of special provisions for timed assessments. IEPs that document special assessment provisions will be an important part of this evidence. South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Currently, South Australia looks to have the best information page of all the states and territories. This section of the SACE Board website provides information on how students can apply for the types of special provisions discussed during this episode. A quick look took me to these pages for other States and Territories: Victoria: Special provisions Fact Sheet New South Wales: Disability provisions for exams Queensland: Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) — formerly known as special provisions Australian Capital Territory: Equitable Assessment and Special Consideration Northern Territory (it seems the NT have adopted SA’s approach) : Special provisions in the SACE Western Australia: Special Provisions Tasmania: Reasonable Adjustments for TASC External Assessments USA We live in Australia, so we are not familiar with US processes, but these links seem like a good place to start: The 13 disability categories under IDEAUnderstanding IEPsThe Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Special Provisions Mentioned – What to consider when deciding what to offer a student. Below are some of the topics discussed in the episode. A key takeaway is that any provision or accommodation that might make its way into a student’s plan will have upsides and downsides that need to be balanced. A glaring omission from our conversation was assistive technology. Unfortunately, the conversation just didn’t take us there. Assistive tech is an incredibly important part of the picture for students with difficulties ...
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    1 hr and 38 mins
  • Maths and learning difficulties

    Maths and learning difficulties
    Jul 21 2023

    In this episode, we chat with math teaching expert Liana McCurry. We delve into best practices for all students when teaching maths. We hope Liana's insights will help create inclusive learning environments where every child can succeed.

    For the full show notes, including Liana's R-6 scope, sequence and content breakdown, visit our website.

    https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-14-maths-and-learning-difficulties/
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • ADHD and learning difficulties

    ADHD and learning difficulties
    May 21 2023

    In this episode, we talk with Psychologist Benita Ranzon about one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized conditions that affect kids and adults - ADHD.

    About Benita

    I have been working in private practice at Fullarton House since 2005. The focus of my practice is on educational issues for students and adults.

    • I offer diagnosis of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
    • I provide learning and support strategies for home, school and work to enable people with reading, spelling, writing or maths difficulties to be successful.
    • I offer diagnosis and advice to parents of children with ADHD, as well as adults with ADHD.
    • I identify students with high intellectual or academic potential, sometimes called ‘gifted’ students, using the WPPSI-IV or WISC-V cognitive tests. I provide recommendations on curriculum differentiation and other supportive strategies at school and home
    Show notes

    While ADHD is not a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, it does have a high association with these difficulties. Approximately 40% of people living with ADHD will also be living with dyslexia. This has big implications for parents and teachers in terms of being vigilant about ADHD symptoms in our kids and being knowledgeable about how ADHD and learning difficulties may impact on each other.

    ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically begins in childhood and may continue into adulthood. It is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that can impact various aspects of a person’s life, including academic performance, work productivity, and relationships.

    ADHD is typically identified based on specific criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). They have a PDF fact sheet about AHD available to download. You can see that the last time this was updated was in 2013! These criteria include the presence of symptoms in multiple settings, impairment in daily functioning, and the exclusion of other possible causes for the symptoms.

    ADHD related links and resources we mention Additude magazine

    ADDitude is an online resource for families and adults living with ADHD and related conditions and for the professionals who work with them.

    They have great resources about kids living with ADHD.

    • For teachers
    • For parents
    • For adults

    They also have an excellent YouTube channel.

    Jessica McCabe - How to ADHD

    Jessica runs a YouTube channel that she describes as an ADHD toolbox. It’s mostly aimed at adults but has great tips and resources for understanding ADHD from a lived experience perspective.

    Jessica’s TED talk sharing her ADHD success story.

    Dr Russell Barkley

    We referred to Dr Russell Barkley a number of times during this podcast. YouTube is scattered with lots of bits and pieces of Dr Barkley’s numerous talks. Dr Barkley talks about ADHD from a medical perspective, and the video below goes into the clinical details of ADHD for parents. He is engaging, compelling and highly knowledgeable.

    Comments and questions are welcome!

    We would love to hear about your experience with ADHD and any tips you can share about supporting kids living with ADHD. Please leave a comment on our website https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-13-adhd

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    1 hr and 56 mins
  • The Teaching Morphology Rabbit Hole and Word Cracking

    The Teaching Morphology Rabbit Hole and Word Cracking
    Feb 13 2023
    Show notes In this episode, Bill, Michael and Sally discuss morphology teaching and begin to demystify a body of knowledge that sometimes feels like the next frontier for teachers. Most of us have got our heads about the importance of phonemes and training young brains to work with them at a highly proficient level (phonemic awareness), and how to teach synthetic phonics in more effective ways. Most teachers also get the importance of explicit and highly structured modes for teaching how phonemes map onto graphemes and the additional important stuff to do with English spelling conventions. However, because our language is influenced by other classic languages such as Latin and Greek, our spelling system has inherited some odd spelling rules and strange strings of letters that mean things, but don’t seem to make any sense alone and certainly don’t stand alone as words like the ‘iatr’ in psychiatrist (meaning to heal) or the ‘cracy’ in democracy (meaning to govern). So, what we have ended up with is a spelling system with two important parts to it – letters standing for sounds and morphemes standing for meanings, and both are as important as one another for reading, comprehension and spelling. Our language is morphophonemic. Phonics teaching alone isn’t enough to get many students across the line to be at-year-level readers, spellers and writers. Alongside phonic knowledge, learners must also develop an awareness of how words are made up of units of meaning called morphemes (or morphographs). This is where morphological awareness comes in. Morphology is the study of how words build up and come apart in ways that alter their meaning and it’s a rich vein to be mined. Some students just seem to develop morphological awareness by themselves, but all students benefit from explicit teaching and for many, without it, they’ll flounder. This sounds daunting for teachers but the truth is that we can actually start to incorporate morphology instruction into our teaching anytime we like. The only thing that holds many of us back is that we worry that we don’t know enough about morphemes and what they mean for spelling, word knowledge and complex subject-specific words – vocabulary. Trust me, nobody feels like they know enough! Sally, Michael and I are always learning, as our meanderings in this episode will attest to! So dive in with us as we go down the morphology rabbit hole! The Word Cracker Resources This is the resource originally created by Sally and Bill and then brought into the online world by Michael. A few of the free useful morphology resources are listed below: If you are new to morphology, you can do the Word Cracking morphology training course online or read our introduction to morphology.If you already know how important morphology is but need to convince your school leadership, we have a morphology explainer for school leaders.We have an article on when to start teaching morphology.If you are a parent, we have an article explaining what morphology is and how to teach it at home.Blog Post: TEACHING SUFFIXES: STARTING WITH THE SUFFIX ‘S’ This was mentioned during the episode in the context of all the other knowledge (meta-language) needed to teach suffix ‘s’. Some additional reading on teaching morphology Suggestions from Felicity at Seelect Educational Supplies Vocabulary Through Morphemes Student Workbook Morpheme Magic‘Beneath the Surface of Words’ was mentioned by Bill in this episode as an excellent resource that teaches us to think morphologically! Etymology Online (Etymology Online Dictionary) Every teacher who has been teaching morphology has this tab continuously open in their browser. This is where Bill went looking for the root in ‘swagger’ among other deep dives during this episode. Etymonline is an incredible resource that is kept going by one, solitary fellow! So if you want to support this resource you can, make a small donation or support the author on Patreon where you get access to extra articles and resources. Dictionary of affixes The Dictionary of Affixes contains more than 1,250 entries, illustrated by 10,000 examples, all defined and explained. It’s based on the book Ologies and Isms: Word Beginnings and Endings, published by Oxford University Press in 2002. Like Etymology Online, it is run by a single person, Michael Quinion, and you can donate to support him on his homepage. Morphology helping with Mathematical and Scientific terms Late in the episode, Bill talked about the importance of Greek and Latin roots to scientific words. A great download summarising these can be found at: http://www.jdenuno.com/PDFfiles/RootWords.pdf We also have a blog post on the Word Cracking website, When Do I Start Teaching Morphology, that, among other things, talks about how morphology helps if you are a secondary teacher.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Importance of Handwriting, with Debbie Draper

    The Importance of Handwriting, with Debbie Draper
    Dec 27 2022

    In this episode, we chat with educational consultant Debbie Draper about handwriting, why it's back and what we need to do to set kids up for successful writing.

    About Debbie

    When Debbie was in year five at primary school in rural South Australia, she decided she wanted to be a teacher. After 17 years in the classroom, Debbie decided to switch her focus to assisting educators to do the best for their students.

    Debbie now works as a specialist consultant with the goal of reaching out to school leaders and teachers who need guidance in planning and evaluating their learning programmes.

    Debbie aims to provide quality learning for various school contexts and tailor new approaches and strategies that address the needs of the students, teachers and leaders of the institution she serves.

    Debbie has spent her career helping educators to recognise and solve the unique challenges they encounter in their schools.

    Debbie co-wrote the DECD Unlocking the World "Gifted Education and Higher Order Thinking: Improving Learning Outcomes for every Student" tutor training programme and teacher development courses. Those materials were delivered to various South Australian sites as well as to international schools and the public education system in Hong Kong.

    Additionally, Debbie co-developed a support model in response to the needs of the overwhelming number of sites involved in the comprehension strategy in Northern Adelaide.

    "Stories from the Field" attests to the impact of the professional learning programme on teacher capacity and efficacy as well as student learning outcomes. Leaders, later on, report on the quality and positive impact of the professional learning and resources that I co-developed to support teacher learning.

    Email: Debbie.draper@gmail.com

    Website: https://debbiedraper-educationalconsultant.vpweb.com.au/

    Show notes

    Handwriting has made its way back into schools that have embraced evidence-based teaching of reading, spelling and writing.

    The multisensory nature of the delivery of structured synthetic phonics programs requires that students are handwriting as they store grapheme-phoneme correspondences, and there's a plethora of evidence to support this approach.

    Now, as schools insist that students write more, the expected questions have popped up.

    • Cursive or manuscript?
    • One then the other or cursive from the get-go?
    • Which font shall we teach schoolwide?
    • Are there better ones than others?
    • Dotted thirds, lines or no lines?
    • What types of writing implements – pens or pencils?
    • Do we correct poor grip? How?
    • Do we let them rub out?
    • Writing in books or on individual whiteboards? If both, when?
    • How should students sit as they write?
      • At tables, sitting on the floor?
      • Lying on the floor?
    • Do we insist on a set letter formation?
    • What about students with Dysgraphia?

    In this episode, we explore these issues and more with Debbie and tap into her vast expertise and experience.

    Debbie made us a shared folder!

    Click here to access the Google folder that Debbie has created for Dyscastia listeners. It is chock-a-block with great articles and instructional aids.

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Mental health and specific learning difficulties

    Mental health and specific learning difficulties
    Sep 20 2022
    In this episode, we chat with clinical psychologist Kirrilie Smout about the emotional challenges of living with specific learning difficulties. Kirrilie givestopert advice for parents and teachers on how to set kids up for success and support them when things get tough. Show notes

    Not keeping up at school and feeling like you aren’t able to do what the other kids can do is soul-destroying for young people. It’s also incredibly hard for those who care for them, most obviously parents and caregivers, but also educators who are in the lives of kids who struggle to learn to read, spell and do maths.

    In this episode, we sit down with Kirrilie Smout, in our minds, one of Australia’s leading clinical child/adolescent psychologists and the director of Developing Minds. With the benefit of Kirrilie’s down-to-earth style, well-researched opinions, years of experience and incredible humanity, we delve into a range of issues that clutter the already complex landscape of being a kid with learning difficulties or parenting/teaching one.

    When Life Sucks for Kids

    One of Kirrilie’s books “When Life Sucks for Kids” is the centerpiece for this episode and sets us off on an incredibly interesting conversation about all sorts of stuff, including:

    • The very real correlation between having an SLD and mental health difficulties – is it fate that a kid with SLDs will have an associated mental health problem?
    • How to talk with young people about the challenges and strengths that come with an SLD and how to remain believable when trying to keep kids buoyant
    • Fostering hope for the future but also being frank and honest about the challenges ahead
    • Understanding mood, its impact on learning and cleverly helping kids to regulate mood to best set them up for work that is going to be challenging (like homework)
    • Talking to kids about the importance of hard work and struggle in building a strong and flexible brain
    • The importance of peer-connection for kids with learning difficulties and balancing homework and a social life
    • What to consider when deciding on whether to use tough-love or to back off for a bit – balancing empathy and toughness
    • School refusal – the slippery slope
    • The mental health implications of parenting a kid who will at times feel hopeless, helpless and like it’s all too hard.

    Where to get some help

    Calm Kid Central is a wonderful resource that had been developed by Kirrilie and the staff at Developing Minds. It contains over 25 interactive and animated educational lessons for children to learn to: cope with frustration, manage anxiety, improve peer relationships, manage conflict constructively, help themselves get to sleep, use calm words, re-direct their attention onto positive topics, ask for help – and many more.

    Kid’s Helpline 1800 55 1800 can also be a wonderful help when young people just need someone to talk to – any time, for any reason.

    Full show notes available at https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-10-mental-health-and-specific-learning-difficulties/
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    1 hr and 11 mins