The Structured Literacy Podcast

This podcast episode outlines the first five of ten critical factors for achieving universal student success in phonics instruction, emphasising that student outcomes, not surface-level metrics like training completion, are what truly matter. The Five Factors: Engineer student success - Accept responsibility for student learning rather than blaming circumstances Whatever it takes attitude - Commit...

This episode helps schools cut bloated assessment schedules by focusing on two essential questions: 1. Who is at risk? 2. What skills lead to success? Key Principles: Not every assessment needs one-on-one administration Assessments must inform instruction, not just generate data Question whether testing time is more valuable than teaching time Avoid decodable text level assessments that reinforce...

School improvement is slow, and many quit right before breakthrough. This episode uses the story of gold miners who quit just one metre from striking gold to illustrate a critical lesson: don't give up in the middle of the hard work. Seth Godin's Three Scenarios: The Dip - The hard slog between starting and mastering (push through) Cul-de-sac - Going in circles with no progress (quit str...

Novel study has gained traction in teaching circles, but important questions arise about its suitability for all students, time management challenges, and whether it's truly evidence-based for primary schools. In this episode, Jocelyn explores • Research comparing novels with shorter stories •  Teachers challenges in novel studies including time constraints, student stamina issues, and resour...

Should we be teaching phonics beyond the early years? This question lands in my inbox regularly, and for good reason – it touches on critical decisions teachers must make about literacy instruction in upper primary.  In this episode, Jocelyn addresses  - What research tells us about spelling development - The ideal scenario vs the reality of the current state of student knowledge - What it means t...

We examine why educational practices often fail to stick in schools despite initial enthusiasm and training. The key insight is that sustainable implementation requires building systems where practices become embedded in school culture rather than being treated as temporary initiatives. • The implementation dip occurs when the "shine of the new" wears off and teachers must embed practice...

Repeated reading doesn't work for all students because fluency issues have different root causes. Understanding four reading profiles helps target the right intervention: Speedy & accurate Slow & accurate Fast & inaccurate Slow & inaccurate Critical principle: First comes accuracy, then comes speed. Why repeated reading fails: If students lack foundational phonics knowledge (c...

We must be strategic about harnessing teachable moments to ensure they enhance rather than distract from our learning objectives. Even experienced educators can get swept up in exciting classroom discussions that inadvertently create inequitable learning environments. • The satisfaction of engaging students in rich, spontaneous discussions can sometimes lead us away from our lesson objectives • De...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn provides essential guidance for educational leaders navigating the complex process of selecting instructional programs.  She introduces a research-informed practice model that balances research findings, professional knowledge, and student outcomes, while emphasising that the goal should never be simply to "get a program" but to...

Too much professional development feels like a box-ticking exercise with little to show for the time invested. In this episode, Jocelyn unpacks decades of research findings to reveal the seven elements that make PD truly effective, and shows how leaders and teachers can stop wasting time and start creating lasting impact in classrooms. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch...

Sustainable school improvement happens when change is done with teachers, not to them, and when professional learning builds genuine understanding rather than just compliance with programs. • The key difference between compliance and commitment in school change • Why program implementation alone isn't enough to transform practice • Starting with strengths rather than deficits when approaching...

In this episode, Jocelyn unpacks a crucial distinction in the world of education: the difference between professional learning that simply ticks a box and learning that leads to lasting transformation in classrooms. Drawing on her experience as both a teacher and professional learning facilitator, Jocelyn explores the essential elements of impactful PL—from long-term commitment and real-world rele...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common assumption that teacher confidence equals competence, drawing on the Dunning-Kruger effect to show how the least skilled teachers often overestimate their abilities while knowledgeable educators frequently doubt themselves. Using her Responsive Leadership Model, she demonstrates how different developmental phases cre...

Professional judgment grows from a foundation of deep, defensible knowledge about how learning actually works. When you understand the cognitive science behind reading development, why systematic phonics instruction matters, and how orthographic mapping occurs, you're equipped to make informed decisions rather than simply following a script. Yet the strongest professional judgment comes from...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn argues for reintroducing regular read-alouds in upper primary classrooms, which have largely disappeared amid the focus on explicit, systematic instruction. She explores how interactive read-alouds build oral language foundations that support reading fluency through developing students' "language prediction engine"—the abil...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn addresses how to safeguard the progress made in evidence-based literacy instruction by making data collection an integral part of teaching rather than an administrative burden. Drawing on Teacher Voice survey data showing significant shifts away from sight word programs and predictable texts between 2021-2023, she emphasises that implemen...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn outlines five strategic refinements to boost teaching effectiveness once foundational structured literacy practices are established. Drawing on cognitive science research including Dehaene's four pillars of learning and Rosenshine's principles, she presents actionable strategies: increasing student responses with early engagemen...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn addresses how educators can maintain momentum during challenging periods by celebrating incremental progress rather than focusing solely on major outcomes like NAPLAN results. She outlines five key milestones worth celebrating: mastering literacy block timing and routines, students developing automatic behaviours that reduce negative inci...

Today, I want to talk to you about an issue that has had me with a bee in my bonnet for a little while now,  and that is the large amount of time that many children spend in independent silent reading during literacy instruction.  Now, my challenge with this is not that it is bad for children to read on their own; in fact, we know that there are positive impacts. Professor Pam Snow from La Trobe U...

Ready to transform the headache of report writing? Join me, Jocelyn, on the Structured Literacy Podcast, where we unpack the art of aligning curriculum with classroom planning. This episode offers practical tips to grade with ease. We'll reveal how a well-organized classroom and targeted 'I can' statements not only empower your students but also pave the way for straightforward asse...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common teacher assumption that students "know" content simply because it was taught, arguing that if students truly knew it, they would demonstrate it consistently. Drawing on cognitive load theory and John Sweller's research that learning is a permanent change to long-term memory, she critiques language like...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn explores why students struggle with persuasive writing despite teachers implementing traditional "best practices" like modelled writing and scaffolds. Drawing on cognitive load theory, she identifies five critical mistakes: overwhelming students by modelling entire texts at once instead of breaking components down, providing wri...

In this thought-provoking episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common goal of implementing an "evidence-based literacy block," arguing for a more nuanced approach to school improvement. She identifies three key problems with this focus: the assumption that direct research evidence exists for every instructional decision (when much research comes from small-s...

In this interview episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn speaks with educational consultant Stephanie Stollar about Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for reading improvement. Stephanie distinguishes MTSS from traditional RTI approaches, explaining that MTSS is a comprehensive systems change framework focused on using universal screening data to evaluate and improve Tier 1 classro...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common assumption that whole class phonics instruction is more equitable than targeted grouping, arguing that cognitive science research suggests otherwise. Drawing on cognitive load theory and John Sweller's research that humans can only process two to three novel pieces of information simultaneously, she demonstrates...