Podcast and Blog
structured literacy
Tuesday Tip - Less Doing and More Learning in the Classroom
In today's Tuesday Tip, I discuss how shifting from focusing on "doing" to emphasising what students are actually learning can make your instruction more impactful.
Video Transcript
Hi, everyone. It's Tuesday, so it's time for a tip.
In their 2006 paper, Kirschner, Sweller and Clark stated, "learning is a change to long term memory."
In our schools, there is way too much doing and often not enough learning. Try and eliminate that language of doing from your conversations…
S4 Ep3 - Can Great Teaching Be Scripted?
Hi there and welcome to the Structured Literacy Podcast. I'm Jocelyn and in this episode, recorded on the lands of the Palawa people here in Tasmania, I'm going to share my thoughts on an issue that many people have many viewpoints about: scripted teaching. Specifically, can great teaching be scripted?
Now, full disclosure, I don't have research to share with you that will definitively answer this question. A review of the literature on this issue yields a numbe…
Tuesday Tip - Should I have a stand-alone spelling program?
In today's Tuesday Tip, I discuss integrating phonics and spelling in literacy instruction, as it can improve learning and reduce cognitive load for students.
Video Transcript
Many classrooms and schools still have their literacy blocks divided into reading time and writing time. This may well include phonics for reading and spelling as connected to writing. When we do this, the impact's threefold. Firstly, we're taking up key instructional time that we know there is never eno…
Tuesday Tip - Align Tier 1 with Tier 2
In today's Tuesday Tip, I discuss that for better student outcomes, teachers should align Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction so that all students, including those struggling, receive additional repetitions of the same content rather than different material.
Video Transcript
Hi there everyone, it's Tuesday and it's time for a tip. My tip this week is about aligning tier one and tier two instruction for better outcomes for students. Tier 1 instruction is that really r…
Tuesday Tip - Stop Trying to Fit Everything into your Literacy Block
In today's Tuesday Tip, I discuss integrating literacy components, like vocabulary, morphology, and writing, into a unified lesson to maximise efficiency and enhance student connections.
Video Transcript
Hey there, my name is Jocelyn and it's Tuesday, so that means it's time for a tip. The number one question that I receive from teachers is, how do I fit everything into my literacy block? The reality is, if that you're trying to teach everything separately, you can't.
The vocabulary …
S3 Ep25 - Shifts to move to a structured approach in Years 3 to 6 Part 2
Well hello. Thanks so much for joining me in this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, which is part two of our two-part series about shifts to make in a structured approach to literacy in years three to six.
In our last episode, I shared guidance for adjustments that we can make in word-level knowledge and spelling instruction and in how we choose text and run a reading lesson. In this episode, we'll continue our exploration of shifts in practice, focusi…
S3 Ep24 - Shifts to move to a structured approach in Years 3 to 6 Part 1
Hi there, welcome to the Structured Literacy Podcast. I'm Jocelyn, and it's wonderful to welcome you to this latest episode recorded here in Pataway, Burnie.
Right now in Tasmania, it is almost mid-winter, the Ugg Boots are out, the fire is lit and we are snuggling up against the cold. That doesn't mean that the hard work of supporting teams in their structured literacy journey stops, though.
In the last episode of the podcast, I shared a suggestion of the ord…
S3 Ep15 - Four Points to Consider When Pacing Phonics Instruction
Hi there, welcome to this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, it's Jocelyn here coming to you from Tasmania, the home of the Palawa people. At Jocelyn Seamer Education, we believe that every child has the right to be taught with evidence-informed instruction and that every teacher has the right to be supported to make that happen. It's a nice idea to always base instructional decisions on research. It would be wonderful to have certainty in this way,…
Tuesday Tip - Mentor Text VS Stimulus Text
In today's Tuesday Tip, I discuss switching from mentor text to stimulus text.
Video Transcript
It's Jocelyn with a Tuesday Tip. We all know that authentic, beautiful texts are fantastic to work with in the classroom. They're not just a nice to have, they are a must have. We often want to use those texts as the jumping off point for writing. And today I want to talk to you about the language we use to describe these texts.
We often refer to them as mentor texts. And the trouble with this…
S3 Ep13 - How to Engage Reluctant Students in the Classroom
Hello to you and welcome to this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast recorded here in beautiful Pataway, Burnie. My name is Jocelyn and it's wonderful to have you here with me. We have all known a student who we believed can perform skills, such as reading and writing, and have become frustrated when, day in, day out, they produce very little work or appear to be making very little effort to engage in the work we've assigned. I've heard the followin…