Knowledge for Teachers

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Swain. He returns for the third time and this time it’s to unpack his new book Harnessing the Science of Learning. However, as you will hear, they actually go beyond the book and dig into some of the critical considerations that schools and teachers need to be making. They explore how to make teaching and learning the top priority in your school, reclaiming valuable instructional time often lost to distractions. They also unpack the essential elements of effective literacy and numeracy instruction, going beyond the surface level to understand the importance of a knowledge-rich curriculum, explicit teaching techniques, and structured implementation processes.

They look at why teaching should be “Fun in the service of learning, not in spite of Learning” and some of the common barriers that school leaders face when initiating change.

Resources mentioned:

You can connect with Nathaniel:

Twitter: @NathanielRSwain

Facebook

Linkedin

Order Nathaniel's book, "Harnessing the Science of Learning"

Website: www.nathanielswain.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

This is the second conversation between Dr. Zach Groshell and Brendan Lee. For those that don’t know, Zach is the host of the Progressively Incorrect Podcast and also the author of Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching. In this episode, they take a deep dive into some of the key considerations that schools need to take when it comes to instructional coaching.

For this episode, Zach’s four items were:

• Schools need an instructional focus for coaching to be successful.  

Brendan’s four points were:

• Coaches need to shrink the change

Resources mentioned:

• Steplab

You can connect with Zach:

Twitter: @mrzachg

Podcast: Progressively Incorrect

Website: educationrickshaw.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

10% off Discount code: MATESRATES

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Professor Nancy Jordan. She has been at the forefront of all things to do with early numeracy research including looking at screeners and intervention. Many of you come from the science of reading world and are fans of Scarborough’s Reading Rope, Nancy and colleagues have put together a Number Sense one! I’ve popped the citation in the show notes. 

Throughout this conversation she delves into what number sense is, why it’s important, how we can develop it and how to assess it. Nancy also covers the role of manipulatives and the transition to understanding fractions. 

Resources mentioned:

• SENS: Screener for Early Number Sense

You can connect with Nancy:

Twitter: @Dr_nancyjordan

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://sites.google.com/a/udel.edu/nancy-jordan/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Rhonda Filmer, a gifted education consultant and teacher, she discusses her journey into the field and the importance of understanding neurodiversity and twice exceptional students. She has recently released a book, “Neurodiversity and the Twice-Exceptional Student” and they delve into some of the key points from the book throughout the episode.

Resources mentioned:

• Center on the Developing Child - Harvard University

• Tom Bennett

You can connect with Rhonda:

Linkedin

Book: Neurodiversity and the Twice-Exceptional Student

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, Brendan Lee and Dr. Zach Groshell (Host of the Progressively Incorrect podcast) collaborated in the first of a series of episodes together. The theme for this episode was around what are the main principles that teachers need to understand about how learning happens and what are the key mechanisms of effective instruction.

Zach’s 4 points were:

1. Intrinsic motivation is a lofty goal but can't be depended upon.

Brendan’s 4 points were:

1. The instructional hierarchy is the single most important thing for teachers to know

Resources mentioned:

• Haring and Eaton’s Instructional Hierarchy

You can connect with Zach:

Twitter: @mrzachg

Podcast: Progressively Incorrect

Website: educationrickshaw.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

* This was originally published on 15 Sep 2024 with poor sound quality, it was re-published on 20 Sep 2024 with improved sound quality! Hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Charlotte Peverett, an experienced learning specialist and inclusion outreach coach, who shares her journey into teaching and special education. Charlotte discusses the significance of structures and routines in creating a safe and consistent learning environment. Charlotte also emphasises the importance of high expectations for all students and the role of teachers in preparing them for adulthood and functioning in society. In this conversation, Charlotte and Brendan discuss the importance of positive reinforcement and effective implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in schools. They also speak the role of leadership in planning and using data to drive improvement.

Resources mentioned:

• Tom Bennett

You can connect with Charlotte:

Twitter: @lifeoflottie

Facebook: Science of Learning - Special Education Australia

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Charlotte is an autistic, special education Learning Specialist/Inclusion Outreach Coach in South-West Victoria. Her specialty is literacy and language intervention with a passion to introduce research and evidence-based practices into mainstream and specialist settings. Charlotte has her Master of Education (LIHI) and is a postgraduate research student with the Latrobe University SOLAR Lab and is an Honorary Affiliate member of the Institute of Special Education (InSpEd). Charlotte has presented at numerous conferences and works with schools to change systems and practices to ensure all students are reaching their full potential.

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Professor Jonathan Sharples from the Education Endowment Foundation. He has led the recent update to the EEF’s A School’s Guide to Implementation and in this conversation we unpack the paper. Professor Sharples details the updates and why they were made. He also digs into each of the key elements. As Jonathan highlights, how something is done is as important as what is done and throughout this episode, he provides a number of practical strategies that schools can follow. 

Resources mentioned:

• Education Endowment Foundation: A School’s Guide to Implementation - https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/implementation

You can connect with Jonathan:

Twitter: @Sharples_J

Website: educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Bethany Rittle-Johnson, a professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University. Bethany has led a lot of the research around conceptual and procedural knowledge. In this chat, she delves into this topic and also discuss other high impact strategies such as worked examples, self-explanations and the power of comparisons in supporting student learning.

Resources mentioned:

• Megan Frankly

You can connect with Bethany:

Twitter: @BethanyRittle

Linkedin

Email: [email protected]

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

WEBSITE BLURB

My broad interests concern how people learn and how to improve their learning.  My research focuses on learning of key concepts and problem-solving procedures within mathematics, with an emphasis on experiences that promote learning.  I conduct this research in both laboratory and classroom contexts to better understand learning processes and contribute to improvements in math education.

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

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

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