The Structured Literacy Podcast

Jocelyn Seamer
  • 4.2 (5)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

Hi there, I'm Jocelyn Seamer. Teacher, former school leader, author, and all around cheerleader for teachers everywhere. Learning to read and write is a matter of social justice. Every child deserves to learn through evidence informed practices, and every teacher deserves to be fully supported to make that happen.The Structured Literacy Podcast goes beyond the program to get to the heart of what it's really like to build a structured approach to literacy across the school. 

  1. 2d ago

    S8 E2 - 5 Early Years Practices That Deserve a Comeback: Part 1

    With a quarter of Australian children starting school developmentally vulnerable or at risk in communication and general knowledge, Jocelyn asks whether the answer to Tier 1 language support might be bringing back early childhood practices we let go of in the shift to explicit teaching, rather than buying a new program.  Part one of this two part series covers the first two practices: big books, for concepts of print, shared language experiences and interactive read-alouds, and puppets, as an authentic reason for children to speak, listen and retell stories. Throughout, Jocelyn focuses on the power of "and": classrooms can be structured "and" playful, explicit "and" joyful, without losing instructional time. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  2. Sep 26

    S8 E1 - What to do After You Get Your Phonics Screening Check Results

    When your phonics screening check results make your stomach drop, what do you actually do next?  In this return episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn treats the check like a blood pressure reading: it tells you whether to look closer, and the score sheets tell you where. She explains how to tell students who know the code but stumbled on the format (special hint: alien names) from those with real gaps, and why accent is never an error. She also covers why whole-class phonics and rigid pacing guides may be quietly holding students back. You'll leave with a practical, step-by-step plan for the weeks after the check, and a reminder that the data is feedback, not a verdict on you as a teacher. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  3. Apr 25

    S7 E11 - What Does It Really Take to Make School Improvement Last?

    This episode is a little different. Australia's national education evidence body, AERO, has just released a guidance report that puts rigorous research weight behind something many educators have long known: most professional development doesn't work — and the reasons why are predictable and fixable. In this episode, Jocelyn uses AERO's findings to reflect on six years of Jocelyn Seamer Education, share what's changing about the Structured Literacy Podcast, and introduce the brand new Leading Learning Podcast — a dedicated space for school leaders, curriculum leaders, regional office staff, and system leaders ready to do the hard work of sustained school improvement. Plus: introducing JSE Quick Wins, a new way to get practical literacy support right when you need it.  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  4. Apr 19

    S7 E10 - How to Evaluate Spelling Instruction

    Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  5. Mar 28

    S7 E9 - Why We Should Keep the Early in Early Childhood

    In this episode, Jocelyn pushes back on all-day, scripted, tightly paced instruction in Foundation to Year 2 while defending responsive, teacher-led explicit instruction as essential for learning across the curriculum. She explains why young children need a better-designed school day with movement, talk, and purposeful guided play so they can regulate, engage, and learn more.   Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  6. Mar 21

    S7 E8 - Why Your Spelling Approach Might Be Working Against You (Part 2)

    The fastest way to make spelling instruction fail is to assume every student is starting from the same place. They are not and your planning shouldn’t pretend they are. I’m getting practical about what to do with the real mix of spellers sitting in front of you, especially in upper primary and early secondary, where gaps can hide behind “good enough” writing and familiar word memory. I also walk you through the key design decisions behind Spelling Success in Action 1, including differentiated word lists within a shared lesson structure, 15 to 20 minute lessons across four days a week, embedded assessment and progress monitoring, retrieval practice, and text-level application so spelling transfers into writing. Download the free early morphology diagnostic from jocelynseamereducation.com, and share the episode with a colleague who’s wrestling with spelling Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  7. Mar 14

    S7 E7 - Why Your Spelling Approach Might Be Working Against You (Part 1)

    Spelling is not a side quest. When it isn’t automatic, it quietly steals the working memory students need for ideas, sentence craft, and clear argument, especially in upper primary and the early secondary years. If you are seeing capable students write small, play it safe with vocabulary, or avoid writing altogether, word-level knowledge may be the hidden barrier you cannot afford to ignore. Jocelyn focuses on Years 3 to 8 and lays out what the research says strong spelling instruction should look like, versus what it often becomes in practice.  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

  8. Mar 7

    S7 E6 - Practical Steps When Grouping for Phonics

    We map out a practical path to targeted phonics that lifts every learner. We define instructional precision, show how to gather the right data, and share a step-by-step launch plan that works in real schools with limited adults. • clarifying whole class versus grouping and why size is not the point • defining instructional precision and cognitive load in phonics • sorting data as a team and narrowing the range per teacher • assigning teachers to groups • keeping class teachers connected to progress and practice • reducing stigma with neutral language and parent scripts • aligning evidence, workload, and student wellbeing We have a free phonics spelling assessment in the resources section on the Jocelyn Seamer Education website, here. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Get ready for 2027! Explore our expert-led professional learning and development options in literacy strategy and explicit teaching. Visit our website to discover programs tailored for your school, from 12-month partnerships and action-focused teach-along courses to leader programs that promote real classroom impact. Partner with us to empower your team and make lasting changes that connect to everyday teaching. Boost your students' success. Visit jocelyncemaeducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #classroom #learning #learningisfun #studentsuccess #studentsupport #teacherlife #theresourceroom #theevergreenteacher #upperprimary #upperprimaryteacher #thestructuredliteracypodcast #phoneme #grapheme #phonics #syntheticphonics

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Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Hi there, I'm Jocelyn Seamer. Teacher, former school leader, author, and all around cheerleader for teachers everywhere. Learning to read and write is a matter of social justice. Every child deserves to learn through evidence informed practices, and every teacher deserves to be fully supported to make that happen.The Structured Literacy Podcast goes beyond the program to get to the heart of what it's really like to build a structured approach to literacy across the school. 

Information

  • Creator
    Jocelyn Seamer
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    165
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Structured Literacy Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Structured Literacy Podcast

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