In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Professor Pamela Snow. She has been at the coalface fighting for evidence-based reading instruction to be common practice for a number of years and throughout this conversation, she provides nuggets of gold in describing how when we talk about phonics we need to be using it as an adjective with a noun following it. Pamela unpacks why this debate about reading has been going on for so long and why changing teacher practice can be so challenging. She also delves into what parents need to know and what questions they could be asking.

Resources mentioned:

• Grattan Institute - The Reading Guarantee
• Nancy Young’s Reading and Writing Ladder
• Science of Reading Podcast S2-05: The Right to Read Project on nurturing automatic readers: Margaret Goldberg and Alanna Mednick
• Troy Verey
• Dr Danielle Colenbrander
• Dr. Pam Kastner
• Emily Hanford - Sold a Story
• Professor Lorraine Hammond

You can connect with Pam:

Twitter: @PamelaSnow2

Linkedin

Website: https://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Jamie Clark, an English teacher and lead practitioner specialising in pedagogy and digital learning. They discuss his recently released book, One Pagers and unpack how it could be used. Jamie breaks down a number of the techniques mentioned in the book and describes his thinking process in putting it all together. He also provides some super useful tips on how teachers can design their own.

Resources mentioned:

• Oliver Caviglioli
• Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli - Teaching Walkthrus
• Apple
• Oliver Caviglioli and David Goodwin - Organising Ideas
• John Catt Education
• Ron Berger
• S02E10 - Bron Ryrie Jones on Responsive Teaching and Instructional Playbooks
• Doug Lemov - Teach Like a Champion
• Steplab

You can connect with Jamie:

Twitter: @XpatEducator

Instagram: @xpateducator

Linkedin: @jamieleeclark85

Website: www.jamieleeclark.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Emina McLean. Emina works with systems, schools, leaders, and teachers to develop ambitious and rigorous assessment, curriculum and instruction practices in English and literacy. In this chat, Emina discusses her focus on implementing effective systems and practices for teaching reading and writing. She highlights the importance of aligning curriculum, assessment, and instruction, and the need for a well-sequenced and comprehensive curriculum. Emina also unpacks the challenges of implementing evidence-based practice in schools, including the overwhelming number of competing priorities.

Resources mentioned:

• A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park
• Ochre Education
• EEF - Implementation Guide

You can connect with Emina:

Twitter: @EminaMcLean

Linkedin

Email: emina.mclean@gmail.com

Website: www.eminamclean.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Bronwyn Ryrie Jones, an instructional coach who supports teachers and instructional leaders to develop their expertise. She discusses the importance of responsive teaching and shares techniques to effectively check for understanding in the classroom. She emphasises the need for teachers to have a deep understanding of the principles behind responsive teaching before implementing specific techniques.

Bron also explains the concept of instructional playbooks and how they can be useful for schools. She unpacks the potential dangers and how to avoid these pitfalls.

Resources mentioned:

• Jim Knight, Ann Hoffman and Michelle Harris - Instructional Playbook
• West Beechborough PS
• Brad Nguyen
• Tom Sherrington and Oliver Caviglioli - Teaching Walkthrus
• Dylan Wiliam and Siobhan Leahy - Embedding Formative Assessment
• Harry Fletcher-Wood - Responsive Teaching
• Atul Gawande - The Checklist Manifesto

You can connect with Bronwyn:

Twitter: @BronRyrieJones

Linkedin: @bronwyn-ryrie-jones/

Website: bronwynryriejones.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Trisha Jha who currently works with the Centre for Independent Studies and recently released a couple of reports titled: What is the Science of Learning? And Implementing the Science of Learning: Teacher experiences. Trisha unpacks these papers and discusses her journey into education research and the importance of focusing on what happens in the classroom. Throughout the conversation Trisha defines what the science of learning is and the difficulty in making cognitive science common knowledge.

The conversation also explores the challenges and misconceptions surrounding explicit instruction and how teachers engage with the science of learning. We also delve into what schools and systems can do to support effective implementation.

Resources mentioned:

• What is the Science of Learning? https://www.cis.org.au/publication/what-is-the-science-of-learning/
• Implementing the Science of Learning: Teacher experiences https://www.cis.org.au/publication/implementing-the-science-of-learning-teacher-experiences/
• Greg Ashman
• Jennifer Buckingham
• Five from Five
• Why Jaydon Can’t Read: A Forum on Fixing Literacy
• Kevin Knight
• Education Endowment Foundation
• 24 – Jessica Del Rio on solving illiteracy in Australia
• Daniel Willingham: Why don’t students like school
• Hollingsworth and Ybarra: Explicit Direct Instruction
• Daisy Christodoulou: 7 Myths about Education
• E.D. Hirsch: Why knowledge matters
• David Diddau and Nick Rose: What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Psychology
• Zac Groshell: Progressively Incorrect
• Anna Stokke: Chalk and Talk
• Ollie Lovell: ERRR Podcast

You can connect with:

Twitter: @themetresgained

Linkedin: Trisha Jha

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Trisha Jha is a Research Fellow in the Education program, working on projects relating to the science of learning, improvement of initial teacher education and overall school quality.

Prior to rejoining CIS, Trisha had roles as a secondary teacher, including through the Teach for Australia program, in state and independent schools in regional Victoria. She has also worked as a senior policy adviser to opposition leaders in Victoria. She holds a Masters of Teaching with a specialisation in Research from Deakin University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the Australian National University.

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Mark Dowley (Associate Head – Staff Development at the Crowther Centre for Applied Educational Research) who has recently released the book, “The Classroom Management Handbook” that he co-authored with Ollie Lovell. In this chat, they unpack the book and how it’s what Mark and Ollie wish they had when they started teaching. They also discuss ten important principles for classroom management, including the idea that behavior is a curriculum and the importance of mastering one's own behavior to influence others. The conversation also explores the use of scripts and tools to support effective behavior management.

Resources mentioned:

https://classroommanagementhandbook.com/

Bill Rogers - Know the fair rules

Mastery Schools Australia

Marsden Road PS

Tom Bennett

Michael Fullan - Six Secrets of Change

You can connect with Mark:

Twitter: @coachdowley

Linkedin

Website: classroommanagementhandbook.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Rebecca Birch, a teacher of English and the Director of Research and Practice at a top 50 independent school in Sydney, Australia. She shares her journey from a career in fashion and advertising to becoming an English teacher. Rebecca emphasises the importance of evidence-based practice and the need for teachers to be sceptical and critical of educational trends. She also highlights the challenges of implementing explicit instruction and the need for standardised teacher preparation programs. Rebecca calls for a clear hierarchy of importance within teacher standards and the role of teacher preparation in reinforcing those standards. The conversation also touches on strategies for schools to drive improvement without waiting for systemic changes.

Resources mentioned:

• Reimagining Teacher Professionalism. Why standards must be part of ITE reform
• Knowledge Society - Elena Douglas
• Trisha Jha
  • What is the Science of Learning? https://www.cis.org.au/publication/what-is-the-science-of-learning/
  • Implementing the Science of Learning: Teacher experiences https://www.cis.org.au/publication/implementing-the-science-of-learning-teacher-experiences/
• Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel
• Andrew Martin
• Kate Jones
• ResearchEd
• Alex Quigley: https://www.theconfidentteacher.com/
• Anita Archer
• Hollingsworth and Ybarra - Explicit Direct Instruction

Twitter: @msrebeccabirch

Linkedin: @rebeccabirch

Website: https://rebeccabirch.au/

Substack: https://rebeccabirch.substack.com/

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Rebecca Birch is a teacher of English and the Director of Research and Practice at a top 50 independent school in Sydney, Australia. She worked as a learning support officer in diverse settings while she undertook her teacher training after a successful career in advertising and fashion.

Rebecca has provided consultation and content services for Ochre Education and Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn, and has appeared on panels for ResearchED and the Gonski Institute for Education. Her current research interest is the link between explicit instruction and student wellbeing. She writes for publication and through her newsletter (rebeccabirch.substack.com/).

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Tom Bennett, the Director and founder of researchED and school behaviour advisor to the UK government. He shares his journey from running nightclubs to becoming an influential figure in the education sector and we find out how teaching saved him. Bennett delves into the challenges he faced as a teacher, how he got into writing about behaviour, and his eventual role as the UK's Department for Education School Behavior Advisor. He highlights the integral role of setting clear behavioural expectations and embedding routines in creating a conducive learning environment. Tom also discusses the creation and implementation of a behaviour curriculum and the origins of researchED.

Resources mentioned:

• Tom Bennett - Running the Room: The Teacher's Guide to Behaviour
• Greg Ashman
• Daisy Christodolou: Seven Myths about Education
• Daniel T. Willingham: Why Don't Students Like School?
• Bill Rogers

You can connect with Tom:

Twitter: @tombennett71

Website: https://tombennetttraining.co.uk/

Substack: https://bennettt.substack.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast