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Nathaniel Swain is a teacher, instructional coach, researcher and writer, who is passionate about literacy, language and learning and effective and engaging teaching for all students. In 2019, he founded a community of teachers and other educators committed to The Science of Learning, called Think Forward Educators.

Today Em and Nathaniel chat about:

- How Nathaniel got into teaching

- The Science of Learning

- What is Think Forward Educators? Free Professional Development

- Have we been teaching reading and writing the wrong way round?

- Tips for new teachers (relatable for ALL teachers!)

- How should we teach genre?

- The importance of writing experimentation and writer's choice and voice

- Components of a writing program- structuring sentences and paragraphs, handwriting and spelling

Some of Nathaniel's recommendations: The Writing Revolution and PhOrMeS- Spelling Program

You can find out more information about Nathaniel and Think Forward Educators at https://www.nathanielswain.com/

You can find Em on Instagram @thegradguide_ and Facebook at The Grad Guide

The Grad Guide Mentorship for teachers in their first three years https://thegradguide.com.au/mentorship

Doors close on 31st of January!

I had the privilege of speaking to the lovely Jocelyn Seamer today, about all things Science of Reading and Structured Literacy! It's so important for teachers to be up to date with evidence based research. Jocelyn is determined to make sure that all teachers are supported to implement evidence informed practice in structured literacy.

Jocelyn and Em chat about:

• Who is Jocelyn Seamer?
• Jocelyn's passion for literacy and equity
• The difference between structured literacy and balanced literacy
• The Cueing System- The difference between guessing and problem solving when trying to read
• How to structure your literacy block in lower and upper primary
• The shift from Guided Reading to…
• Jocelyn's take on small group work and targeted teaching
• Text based units- The importance of units centred around rich texts
• The importance of 'we do' 
• How to have tough conversations
• Control the controllables
• How to teach sight words

For more information on The Grad Guide Mentorship go to www.thegradguide.com.au 

Find Em on Instagram @thegradguide_

Find Jocelyn on Instagram @jocelynseamer

For more information on The Resource Room go to https://www.jocelynseamereducation.com/the-resource-room

The Resource Room comes with all the resources teachers need for their whole literacy block, 8 live mastermind sessions a year and 2 Teach Along courses delivered live, recorded and can be watched anytime. 

Jocelyn has given The Grad Guide Mentorship New Members a special deal, 2 months of the Resource Room for free when you sign up for an annual subscription. This is available for the first 50 people who join TGG Mentorship!! RUN, don't walk!

https://www.thegradguide.com.au/mentorship

JOIN NOW! Open for teachers in their first 3 years of teaching. Doors close 31st Jan 2023 

Happy 2023 beautiful teachers!! 

Today Em chats with Tam from Mrs Learning Bee. Tam is a former Kindergarten teacher and Assistant Principal based in Sydney, Australia. She has been teaching for 12 years, mostly in K-2 classrooms. Tam loves to support teachers by creating engaging, research-based learning activities that support K-2 students in developing strong foundational skills and a love of learning, as well as resilient minds and kind hearts. Alongside her partner, Tam has created an online platform for teachers called The Hive. Check it out by clicking on the Instagram link below.

Em and Tam chat about:

• Get to know Tam
• What it's like teaching Kindergarten- Fave things and not so fave things
• Reflecting on our teaching practice
• University did not prepare us for real life teaching!
• Literacy Rotations- Are they effective?
• Adapting programs to suit our learners
• How worksheets fit into your teaching program
• Planning hacks for new teachers!
• The Hive- Tam's Online platform for teachers!
• Tam's tips for new teachers.

I apologise for the poor quality of audio in patches. I know you will get a lot out of this episode!

Follow Em on Instagram- @thegradguide_

www.thegradguide.com.au Put your name on the waitlist for The Grad Guide Mentorship- Opening January 16th

Follow Tam on Instagram @mrslearningbee @learningwiththehive

Join the waitlist for The Hive- https://hive.mrslearningbee.com/

Today Em is speaking with Stephanie Robinson. She is a holistic occupational therapist who specialises in supporting neurodivergent children using an affirming, gentle and trauma informed approach. Steph has such a beautiful, calm nature and she is doing wonderful things in her private practice.

Today Em and Steph chat about:

- What is Occupational Therapy?

- How can teachers support neurodivergent children in the classroom?

-Using visuals in the classroom

- Sensory profiles

- Sensory tools to assist regulation

-The Zones of Regulation

-Recognising body clues and labeling emotions

-Behaviourism

- Acknowledging autonomy and individuality whilst honouring boundaries

- Explaining decisions to your students

Find Em @thegradguide_ 

www.thegradguide.com.au

Find Steph @sgroccupationaltherapy

www.sgroccupationaltherapy.com

Em speaks with her beautiful mentor, Lael Stone. If Lael was to sum up in one sentence what she does, it would be 'I speak for the heart of the child'.

Lael is an Aware Parenting instructor and for many years she worked as a Doula, Calmbirth® Practitioner and Postnatal Trauma Counsellor. For 5 years, she taught Sex Education to high school students and worked with teenagers on all aspects of sexuality and wellbeing. She is also the creator and director of a school, Woodline Primary AND she just realised a book with her friend Marion Rose, titled 'Raising Resilient and Compassionate Children. What a woman of many talents!

Em and Lael discuss:

• Connection and compassion filters through everything we do
• Woodline Primary- Lael built a school 
• How Woodline is different from a mainstream setting 
• Why your philosophy and energy matters as a teacher
• Challenges teachers face in mainstream education 
• The importance of being emotionally literate as a teacher and how our upbringing and conditioning impacts the way we show up
• How to begin building your EQ
• What are we making things mean? To facilitate growth, we need to continually reflect and be curious 
• Emotional awareness starts with us
• Student autonomy- choice and voice 
• Lael's top 3 tips for fostering emotional literacy in the classroom

Head to www.thegradguide.com.au to find more information on The Grad Guide Mentorship for new teachers, launching January 16th 2023

More information about Lael can be found at her website https://laelstone.com.au/

Follow Em on Instagram @thegradguide_

Follow Lael on Instagram @laelstone @woodlineprimary @theawareparentingpodcast @aboutbirthonline

Teacher Wellbeing is very topical at the moment! And rightly so. We can't pour from an empty cup! 

Join Em as she chats with Meg Durham, a Teacher Wellbeing Educator.

Em and Meg cover:

• What is teacher wellbeing?
• Selfcare- is it just a buzzword?
• What selfcare really looks like for different people
• Self doubt- We experience this throughout all stages of our lives
• You don't have to have it all together, all of the time
• The 5 P's- Perfection, Pleasing, Pretending, Producer, Performing.
• The B word- Burnout
• The myth that we must be happy all of the time
• Recreational complaining
• Meg's top 3 tips for new teachers

Follow Em and Meg on Instagram

Em-  @thegradguide_

Meg- @megdurham_

Welcome to Let's Get Schooled, brought to you by The Grad Guide. 

Emotional Intelligence is so underrated! So much emphasis is put on regulating students but where is the support for teachers?! crickets**** exactly! Nowhere to be seen. Many teachers are dysregulated and have no idea how to regulate themselves. How can we coregulate and provide a safe space for children if we can't handle our own emotions?

Em is so passionate about this topic because she's been there, so remember, you're not alone!

Em's first interview is with The QUEEN of Emotional Intelligence (although she did laugh when she was referred to as that, ha!) Alyssa Campbell, the founder and CEO of Seed and Sew. Alyssa is a teacher, parent, and an emotional development expert with a masters degree in early childhood education. 

Em and Alyssa cover:

• The Collaborative Emotion Processing (CEP) method.
• Our triggers and social programming
• How to self-regulate as a teacher
• Expectations around emotions
• What building emotional intelligence looks like
• Rupture and repair
• The importance of SEL being part of daily practice
• Why language matters
• How beginning teachers can begin building their EQ

Em would love to hear whether this episode was helpful! Send her a DM @thegradguide_ to let her know whether you are going to try any of the strategies mentioned.

If you're a Graduate Teacher or a teacher in your first 3 years and you're looking for support, The Grad Guide Mentorship is launching in Jan 2023 which has been designed just for you! This ongoing Mentorship is going to be a gamechanger for new teachers. If you're interested to learn more go to www.thegradguide.com.au

Follow Em @thegradguide_

Follow Alyssa @seedandsew