Progressively Incorrect

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I am you host, Zach Groshell.

My guest today is Dr. Olivia Mullins, Founder and Executive Director of Science Delivered and lead developer of the Learning Squared science and literacy program. Olivia trained as a scientist before turning to elementary science education. She’s become one of the sharpest voices working at the intersection of knowledge-building curriculum, the science of reading, and explicit instruction for the youngest learners, and her blogs and tweets have shaped a lot of the current conversation about what “knowledge-building” actually means in literacy and the content areas.

Love what you heard? Inwood Academy is hosting my The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction – in New York City this summer.

We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one.

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration

I also hope you have time to check out my latest book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

In this episode, we discuss:

Links:

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect, a show sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by me, Dr. Zach Groshell.

My guest today is Richard Wheadon, author of the forthcoming book Teaching Learning Habits – How to Develop Independent and Successful Learners, to be published with Routledge. He blogs at Everything Pedagogy and writes on Substack. Richard recently made the unusual decision to step down from senior leadership and return to classroom teaching—and in this conversation, we explore what that move revealed about substitute teaching, teacher development, and what it really means to go back to the chalkface.

Love what you heard? Inwood Academy is hosting my The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction – in New York City this summer.

We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

We discuss:

The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

My name is Dr. Zach Groshell and welcome to my podcast! In this episode, I welcome Adam Robbins to Progressively Incorrect for a conversation about one of the biggest challenges in education: improving teaching. Together, we explore why teacher development is often so difficult and why schools need more than good intentions to make meaningful … Continue reading S5E22: Adam Robbins on the Challenge of Improving Teaching

My name is Dr. Zach Groshell and welcome to my podcast!

This season, I continue to explore the science of learning—especially what the work actually looks like when schools try to build their instructional models around it. We talk a lot about evidence-based practice in education, but far fewer conversations focus on how schools implement those ideas coherently across classrooms.

This is a two-part conversation with educators from Inwood Academy For Leadership in New York City.

In Part 1, I sit down with Christina Reyes and Bianca Mercedes, leaders at Inwood Academy, to talk about how their school has worked to pioneer an approach grounded in the science of learning. We explore their professional journeys, how their instructional vision developed, and what it takes at the leadership level to build systems that support consistent, evidence-informed teaching.

In Part 2, I’m joined by Ciary Lugo and Janitza Santana, teachers at Inwood Academy, who bring the classroom perspective to this work. We discuss what these instructional shifts look like day to day, how teachers experience the implementation of learning-science-aligned practices, and what it takes to make those approaches work with real students in real classrooms.

Across both conversations, a central theme is implementation. What does it actually take to move from research ideas to consistent classroom practice? How do leaders support teachers in adopting explicit, evidence-informed approaches to instruction? And what structures—coaching, collaboration, and shared instructional routines—help sustain that work over time?

Together, these two episodes offer a look at the leadership and classroom sides of building a school around the science of learning.

Love what you heard? Inwood Academy is hosting my The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction – in New York City this summer.

We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

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The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect, a show sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by me, Dr. Zach Groshell.

My guest today is Christopher Such, literacy expert, former primary teacher, and author of Primary Reading Simplified. Chris makes his epic return to the show to tackle several debates currently shaping reading instruction in schools—from how long phonics should last, to how assessments distort instruction, to the work he is doing with Steplab to support teachers to improve reading outcomes.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.

We discuss:

If you’re interested in the science of reading this episode is packed with insights.

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This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell.

This season, I’ve been diving deeply into writing instruction — what the research actually says, where classroom practice often drifts, and what it truly takes to help students become confident, capable writers. Writing is one of the most cognitively demanding things we ask students to do, and yet instruction can vary dramatically from classroom to classroom.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Leslie Laud to explore Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD).

We begin with Leslie’s professional journey and how her work became centered on strengthening writing instruction for students across grade levels. From there, we dig into what SRSD looks like in classroom practice and why it has such a strong evidence base behind it.

A key part of our conversation focuses on Think SRSD, which Leslie clarifies in the episode. We discuss what Think SRSD is, how it supports teachers in implementing SRSD effectively, and how schools can learn more through the official site:

https://thinksrsd.com

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We also explore the instructional shifts involved in moving toward explicit strategy instruction in writing. What questions do teachers have when encountering SRSD for the first time? How does structured strategy instruction interact with student motivation and engagement?

Another major theme is the integration of explicit strategy instruction with self-regulation. We discuss how students learn specific strategies—such as POW+TREE or TIDE—and how they gradually take ownership of these tools as independent writers.

Implementation is central to the discussion as well. What does it take to layer SRSD onto an existing ELA program? When schools attempt to scale this work across classrooms, what supports—coaching, leadership, materials, collaboration—matter most?

Finally, we look ahead to what’s next in Leslie’s work and the broader trajectory of writing instruction.

This episode is a focused conversation on evidence-based writing instruction and the practical realities of helping students become stronger writers.

This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell.

In this episode, I sit down with Ian Kelleher and Glenn Whitman of the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL). We began with the origin story of CTTL — how they set out to bridge mind, brain, and education science with real classroom practice — but we quickly moved into something deeper.

This wasn’t just a conversation about research. It became a conversation about what it will actually take to improve schools using the science of learning.

We explored the tension between neuroscience and cognitive science, the responsibility teachers have (and shouldn’t have) when it comes to research literacy, and the persistent implementation gap that stands between knowing the science and using it well.

We also dug into scaling: how do you expand research-informed practice across systems without diluting it into “brain-based” buzzwords? And how do you balance structure and explicit instruction with the emotional and motivational dimensions of learning that CTTL emphasizes?

Rather than staying abstract, we pushed into the practical realities: teacher preparation, leadership, school culture, and the long-term legacy of this work.

This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

Spotify
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
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The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell.

In this episode, I’m joined by the always fabulous, Femi Adeniran, to continue a conversation that started when I appeared on the Beyond Good podcast about math, coaching, and instruction.

How to begin a maths lesson

How not to begin a maths lesson

What explicit instruction looks like

Delivering an effective maths lesson

The transformative method of giving people answers as well as questions when tackling maths problems

Things teachers do which can lead to problems

The main areas Femi works on with teachers through his coaching

What effective coaching looks like

Running a maths department

Developing a group of people collectively

This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

Spotify
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
WordPress

The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell.

In this episode, I’m joined by Scotty Jackson to talk about how summer camp can create the experiences—and build the kinds of values—that help kids be better people: honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and belonging.

I’m not coming at this as a distant observer. I was a camp counselor for many years, and Scotty was my boss and mentor, so this episode is personal—an opportunity to connect what I’ve learned since in schools with what Scotty has learned about building culture.

This conversation was also inspired by one of my all-time favorite episodes of This American Life, “Notes on Camp.” It captures the strange, intense, wonderful rituals of camp culture—and it got me thinking about what camp does at its best, and why those experiences stick with kids (and adults) for life.

What it takes to consistently deliver the kind of experience kids deserve

Why summer camp can be a uniquely powerful “compressed” environment for growth

How great camps intentionally build belonging, independence, and responsibility

The adult craft behind kid joy: routines, traditions, and culture

What “values” look like in practice—not posters, but daily decisions

This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

Scotty Jackson is a longtime camp professional who has served as Executive Director for YMCA Camp Seymour and YMCA Camp Lake Helena, focused on building camp communities that develop character, connection, and leadership in young people. Camp Seymour is a YMCA resident camp and outdoor education site on Washington’s Key Peninsula near Gig Harbor, offering classic camp programming and group experiences that emphasize skill-building, character, and friendships. The campus includes a range of outdoor and program facilities (e.g., challenge/ropes elements and aquatics) and serves youth and community groups through multiple camp formats.  

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The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.

In this episode, I sit down with Barbara Oakley—engineer, bestselling author, and one of the most influential voices in the science of learning—to talk about why so much instruction still misses the mark, what “good teaching” looks like when you take cognition seriously, and what’s at stake if we keep defaulting to methods that feel progressive but fail learners.

The conversation picks up right where Oakley’s Seattle Times essay lands: Washington’s math outcomes aren’t just “concerning”—she calls them a crisis, and she lays out what she thinks would actually help. We use that piece as a launch point to talk about how to recognize when instruction is failing students, why certain approaches persist long past their sell-by date, and what learning science suggests we should do instead.

This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one. 

NYC | July 27–31, 2026

Learn more + register here: Explicit Teaching Institute registration 

From there, we widen the aperture: what principles from the science of learning apply across every subject, what’s at stake for equity and opportunity when weak instruction becomes normal, and what one change a teacher could make tomorrow to strengthen lessons immediately. We also shift into the “ed-tech hope cycle”—what MOOCs taught us about scaling learning, what they didn’t, and where AI tutoring could genuinely help (or just repackage old problems with new branding). We close with what Oakley is most excited about in teaching and learning over the next decade.

What Oakley is most hopeful about in the next decade of teaching and learning

What drew Oakley into learning science—and how her perspective has evolved

Why she describes math education (in WA) as a “crisis,” and how to diagnose failing instruction

Learning science principles that transfer beyond math to every subject

Why outdated instructional philosophies persist across disciplines

What’s at stake: equity, opportunity, and the broader social costs of weak instruction

One actionable change teachers can make tomorrow to strengthen lessons

What we learned from MOOCs—and what that implies for AI tutoring

Barbara Oakley is a professor of engineering and a leading voice in the science of learning. She’s the author of A Mind for Numbers and Learning How to Learn (and related books and courses), and she’s helped bring learning science to a global audience through massively popular MOOCs, keynote talks, and widely read public writing. Her work consistently presses educators to align instruction with how memory and skill actually develop—clear explanations, deliberate practice, spaced retrieval, and evidence over “vibes.”

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The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.

Book a demo of Steplab today and join 14,000 schools in implementing effective techniques with systematic coaching and PD.