Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works

By Gene TavernettiEducation How To

Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works episodes

June 10 The Issue with "We Do" in Explicit Instruction
In this solo episode, Gene Tavernetti breaks down why most "we do" approaches to guided practice don't work. Using decimal addition as a teaching example, he shows how to isolate and pre-teach the key concept before practice even starts. He exposes three common but ineffective guided practice patterns and offers a step-by-step alternative that gets better student repetitions and real formative data. Strategies are drawn from his book Teach Fast.
Links:
Gene's Books:
Teach Fast
Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles
Digital Captives
X: (1) Gene Tavernetti (@gtavernetti) / X
LinkedIn:(7) Gene Tavernetti | LinkedIn
www.tesscg.com

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Cognosente Books - knowledge for discerning educators

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
34 min
June 03 Word Mapping with Sean Morrisey
In this episode, host Gene Tavernetti speaks with Sean Morrissey, a fifth-grade teacher and former school psychologist, about his structured, research-based approach to vocabulary instruction. Sean shares his four-part daily lesson framework — retrieval practice, explicit instruction, fluency passages, and independent practice — explaining how pairing words, embedding spelling, and using morphology helps students deeply map new vocabulary into long-term memory. The conversation also explores how teachers can use sophisticated language naturally throughout the day to expand student word knowledge beyond formal lessons. Sean closes with practical advice for getting started, including small steps like teaching word pairs, studying common prefixes and roots, and using video reflection to continuously improve instruction.
About Sean Morrisey:
Sean Morrisey has quickly earned a well-deserved following for his work on effective vocabulary instruction. He is the creator of the Word Mapping Project and author of the Word Mapping curriculum. In this episode, we explore the nuts and bolts of vocabulary instruction, including how to build durable word knowledge, the role of morphology, and how vocabulary instruction supports broader literacy development. Sean shares the strategies he uses to strengthen students’ vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency.

X/Twitter: (1) Sean Morrisey (@smorrisey) / X
Bluesky: Sean Morrisey (@smorrisey.bsky.social) — Bluesky
YouTube Channel: Word Mapping Project Overview
Website: http://wordmappingproject.com
Substack: https://seanmorrisey.substack.com/

Resources mentioned:
Neil Ramsden Mini Matrix-Maker Home Page
Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
58 min
May 27 What NOT To Do In Professional Development
In this episode Gene shares some thoughts about what he has learned about what NOT to do when it comes to providing professional development and support for teachers and staff.
Links:
Gene's Books:
Teach Fast
Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles
Digital Captives
X: (1) Gene Tavernetti (@gtavernetti) / X
LinkedIn:(7) Gene Tavernetti | LinkedIn
www.tesscg.com

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
23 min
May 20 From Reforming Legislation to Classroom Practice with Rachel Canter
Rachel Canter didn’t just report on the Mississippi Marathon—she was involved from the beginning of the state’s long journey toward educational improvement. In this episode, we discuss why meaningful change took so long and what it took to move reform from legislation into actual classroom practice.

LinkedIn: Rachel Canter - Progressive Policy Institute

Website: Rachel Canter - Progressive Policy Institute

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
59 min
May 13 From the Archives: Providing Support to Teachers with Zach Groshell
In this episode, Dr. Groshell and I discuss how to begin when providing support to teachers. Both Zach and Gene currently work in schools supporting teachers in their quest to be their best for students.

Dr. Zach Groshell is the host of the popular podcast Progressively Incorrect and the author of:
Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching

Dr. Gene Tavernetti is the author of:
Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles
Teach Fast: Focused Adaptable Structured Teaching

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
39 min
May 06 Facts on Fire with Brian Poncy
In this episode, Dr. Brian Poncy shares the story behind his free math fact fluency program, Facts on Fire. We explore how the program started, how it has evolved over time, and what classroom teachers can realistically expect from students using a model that takes less than 10 minutes a day over six weeks.
X/Twitter: Brian Poncy (@brian_poncy) / X
Website: http://www.factsonfire.com

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
59 min
April 29 What Works, What Doesn't, and Other Lessons from Leadership with Dr. Bob Nelson
In this episode, Bob shares his professional journey—from his early years in Fresno Unified School District, one of the largest districts in California, to leading a small rural district, and ultimately returning to Fresno Unified as superintendent. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons he’s learned in leadership—what works, what doesn’t, and what he would do differently.
Dr. Bob Nelson is an Assistant Professor in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at Fresno State, where he teaches in the Department of Educational Leadership. He is also the Founder and CEO of #MilitantPositivity, LLC, an organization focused on speaking, consulting, and podcasting in education.

LinkedIn: Bob Nelson | LinkedIn
Facebook: (2) Facebook

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
51 min
April 22 The Road to Reading with Elana Gordon
Elana Gordon is the fifth Goyen Fellow to join the podcast. Like the others before her, she is a knowledgeable and skilled educator who shares her expertise through videos, blogs, and a highly regarded podcast focused on literacy instruction from kindergarten through secondary grades.
X/Twitter: Elana Gordon (@mommagordon2) / X
Substack: @‌VoicesfromtheField
Podcast: The Road to Reading

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
43 min
April 17 From The Archives: Teachers Helping Teachers Getting Better with Laura Stam
In this episode teacher leader Laura Stam shares personal experiences in her journey to continual improvement in her teaching practice.

Laura also describes her experience of participating in an instructional coaching cycle for the first time.

Links:
X: @stamstam193
Facebook: @Mrs.Stam.2021

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
51 min
April 08 From The Archives: Digital Delusion with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
In this episode Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath and I discuss his new book; Digital Delusion and the intersection of what science knows about how we learn and the impacts of technology on that learning.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jaredcooney
Website: https://www.lmeglobal.net
Book: The Digital Delusion

This podcast sponsored by:
The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.
56 min

About Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works

From the publisher's feed

Descriptions of effective teaching often depict an idealized form of "perfect" instruction. Yet, pursuing perfection in teaching, which depends on children's behavior, is ultimately futile. To be…