Knowledge for Teachers Brendan Lee

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

You can connect with Rebecca:

Twitter: @msrebeccabirch

Linkedin: @rebeccabirch

Website: https://rebeccabirch.au/

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

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast


About Rebecca Birch

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
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast, Brendan Lee speaks with Sarah Powell. Sarah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. She has pretty much dedicated her whole career to researching word problems in maths. She has also contributed to a couple of papers that have recently been released for the Centre for Independent Studies and we touch on those as well. 
 
However, the main focus is Word Problems and we go through everything from Attack Strategies, to the dangers of using keywords and delve into the world of schema instruction. If you care about helping your students improve their ability to solve word problems, then this episode is for you. 
Resources mentioned:
Lynn Fuchs
Sarah Powell , Elizabeth M. Hughes, Corey Peltier: Myths That Undermine Maths Teaching
Sarah Powell , Sarah King , Sarah Benz: Maths Practices You Can Count On: Five Research-Validated Practices in Mathematics
https://www.piratemathequationquest.com/
Powell, S. R., Namkung, J. M., & Lin, X. (2022). An investigation of using keywords to solve word problems. The Elementary School Journal, 122(3), 452-473.
Powell, S. R., & Fuchs, L. S. (2018). Effective word-problem instruction: Using schemas to facilitate mathematical reasoning. Teaching exceptional children, 51(1), 31-42.
Free word-problem intervention is here: https://www.piratemathequationquest.com/
Here's a free math intervention course Sarah developed: https://intensiveintervention.org/training/course-content/intensive-intervention-mathematics
And free teacher materials can be found here: https://mathspiral.com/
You can connect with Sarah:
Twitter: @sarahpowellphd
email: srpowell@utexas.edu
Website: http://www.sarahpowellphd.com/
 
You can connect with Brendan:
Twitter: @learnwithmrlee
Facebook: @learningwithmrlee
Website: learnwithlee.net
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast
 

About Associate Professor Sarah Powell

Sarah R. Powell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include developing and testing interventions for students with mathematics difficulties, with a special emphasis on peer tutoring, word-problem solving, mathematics writing, and the symbols and vocabulary within mathematics.

She was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019.

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Swain. He currently works at La Trobe University as a Senior Lecturer, Learning Sciences and Learner Engagement and the Director of Undergraduate Academic Programs. He is also the founder of Think Forward Educators. Nathaniel first appeared on the Knowledge for Teachers podcast in episode 20 and unpacked some of the FAQ about the science of learning. This time they delve into the messy world of teaching writing. He explains how writing is a complex skill and provides practical strategies for sequencing the teaching of grammar and integrating writing into the curriculum.
Resources mentioned:
Wexler and Hochman - The Writing Revolution
William Van Cleave - Writing Matters
Think Forward Educators
Ochre Education
La Trobe Short Courses:
Masterclass: Developing Great Writing Skills - Once off - 19 March 2024 (live or asynchronous): https://shortcourses.latrobe.edu.au/masterclass-developing-great-writing-skills
Improving Writing - The Science and Linguistics of Writing - Starting 16 April 2024 (live or asynchronous): https://shortcourses.latrobe.edu.au/improving-writing-the-science-and-linguistics-of-writing
The Science of Teaching Writing - Starting 4 June 2024 (live or asynchronous): https://shortcourses.latrobe.edu.au/the-science-of-teaching-writing

 
 
You can connect with:Nathaniel
Twitter: @NathanielRSwain
Facebook
Linkedin
Website: www.nathanielswain.com     
 
You can connect with Brendan:
Twitter: @learnwithmrlee
Facebook: @learningwithmrlee
Website: learnwithlee.net
 
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Dr. Jenny Donovan, CEO of the Australian Education Research Organisation. Jenny has led some of the heaviest hitting bits of research in Australia. In her current role with AERO and previous one with NSW Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, Jenny has been behind the teams that brought cognitive load theory to prominence and highlighted the lack of evidence behind programs like Reading Recovery and Language Learning & Literacy or L3 as it is more commonly known.
 
Throughout this interview, she discusses her journey into education research and the importance of evidence-based practice. Jenny emphasises the importance of areas such as explicit instruction, classroom management, teacher training, standardised testing like NAPLAN, and accountability in educational practices. It also touches on controversial topics such as fads in education and how to spot and avoid them.
Resources mentioned:
AERO: Teaching for how students learn: A model of learning and teaching
AERO: Engaged classrooms through effective classroom management
NSW CESE: Cognitive load theory: Research that teachers really need to understand
NSW CESE: Reading Recovery: a sector-wide analysis
NSW CESE: Language, Learning & Literacy (L3) Review
Project Follow Through
You can connect with: Jenny 
Twitter: @JennyDonovan2
Linkedin
AERO
 
You can connect with Brendan:
Twitter: @learnwithmrlee
Facebook: @learningwithmrlee
Website: learnwithlee.net
 
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this conversation, Brendan Lee speaks with James Dobson, an experienced teacher who has been expertly applying the art and science of learning when teaching students in their first year of school (Kindergarten/Prep/Reception/Foundation). He discusses the importance of evidence-based practice, the use of Direct Instruction programs, and the challenges and rewards of teaching young children. James shares insights on maintaining sanity in the classroom while balancing work and personal life. We also delve into James' weekly timetable, looking at phonemic awareness, phonics, handwriting, writing and mathematics. He really gets into the nitty-gritty of what his lessons look like day-to-day and how they progress throughout the year.

Resources mentioned:

Siegfried Engelmann

Story Champs

Heggerty’s phonemic awareness program

Little Learner’s Love Literacy

Core Knowledge

Ochre

Grammar Project

Number blocks

Direct Instruction Mathematics by Marcy Stein

Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion

Shaping Minds

Christopher SUch’s The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading

Sharing Best Practice

ResearchEd

 
You can connect with James:

Twitter: @jdtdobson

Instagram: @mr_j_dobson

Website: layingthefoundations.weebly.com/ 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast



About James Dobson

James Dobson is a Foundation teacher and Learning Specialist at Campbells Creek Primary School including Guildford Campus in central Victoria. James has worked with students from a diverse range of backgrounds in Victoria and the Northern Territory. During his time in the NT, he implemented a range of Direct Instruction programs and became an accredited DI trainer. He was a finalist for the Outstanding Primary Teacher award as a part of the 2022 Victorian Education Excellence Awards. James is passionate about ensuring that all students receive a quality education. This begins by laying a solid foundation. 
 
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast