The Structured Literacy Podcast

A characteristic of all high growth schools I work with is that they feel a deep sense of personal responsibility for student outcomes. In this week's podcast, I'm sharing some thoughts on what it looks like when we take radical responsibility for student outcomes as teachers and leaders. Reflecting on this isn't always comfortable, but it is necessary if we are going to achieve gre...

Ever wonder why some students who can read and write with ease seem to stumble when it's time to shine in the classroom? Join me, Jocelyn, as we unravel the enigma of underperformance despite apparent ability, and take a closer look at the myriad of factors influencing a student's academic journey. With a nod to Ken Blanchard's insights from "Leadership and the One Minute Manag...

Could flashy credentials be leading us astray in educational consulting? Unpack these misconceptions with us as we reveal what truly makes a consultant invaluable to our schools. We're not peddling our services here – our calendar is chock-full – but we are eager to share the scoop on effective collaborations with external experts. This episode cuts through the glitz of experience-based prest...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, we explore the role of comprehension strategies in our overall instruction.  This episode will  leave you with a clearer vision of the reading instruction landscape and the tools necessary to develop a  deep understanding of texts.  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success in Action 1, a ca...

Join us for a riveting conversation with Jo Griffin from Newtown Primary School, as we unearth the profound impact that structured literacy and daily review have on shaping young minds. In the arena of education, where traditional practices often reign, Jo shares the tale of her school's bold journey towards embracing a systematic phonics approach. It's a story filled with trials and tri...

Today's episode of Research to the Classroom (Part 2) is about how to maximize your students' learning and get the most out of daily review. What is Research to Classroom? As a teacher, you have likely not had the advantage of examining research in your teaching degree and now that you're in the classroom or leadership position, you probably find it hard to find the time and head sp...

This epsiode of Research to the Classroom miniseries focuses on the practice of daily review and retrieval,  why we might do it, what it might look like, and what it's like to implement it in a school. What is Research to Classroom? As a teacher, you have likely not had the advantage of examining research in your teaching degree and now that you're in the classroom or leadership position...

In this episode, we'll continue our discussion on effective questioning techniques in the classroom.  We'll also discuss the importance of providing robust teaching leading up to asking questions and increasing the number of opportunities for students to produce correct responses. Additionally, we'll dive into the first element of questioning – what happens at the start of a new uni...

On today's episode, I'd like to speak with you about how you can get bang for your buck in the good stuff in the classrooms. That is through an element of explicit instruction that we have all seen in action but that so many of us are yet to embrace—not asking students to put their hands up in response to a question. The words, hands up if, are such an ingrained part of teaching practice...

In today's episode, I will run through a few shifts we might've made in our schools  and share some pointers for how you can get the best out of each of them. Let's start with the early years. There are two main things to consider here. That is phonics instruction and decodable text; of course, there are more elements of early years instruction. These are just two of them that usual...

In today's episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, I interview fellow teacher Kirby about fluency and assisted reading in the classroom. Kirby shares insights on fluency practice in her classroom and talks about her journey towards understanding structured literacy. Listeners who have followed the previous two episodes can expect better to understand Dyad reading and fluency development l...

This Week's Episode. This is the second episode in our current Research to the Classroom series about assisted reading. Our Research to the Classroom series is in three parts: part one, where we share a published research paper; part two, where we unpack what classroom instruction might look like; and part three, where I talk to a real-life teacher about their experience of the particular pra...

Today's Episode. This week, we are discussing dyad reading or assisted reading. The paper I'm sharing is The Effects of Dyad Reading and Text Difficulty on Third Grader's Reading Achievement. It was published in  2017 by Lisa Brown, Kathleen Moore, Bradley Wilcox, and Tyson Barrett.   And they're from the Utah State University.   The journal that was published was the Journal o...

I'd like to start us off for the year with an episode all about goals. We're going to talk about getting clear on some things that are important. There are so many things that we all get hung up about and overcomplicate in our quest to ensure that every child learns to read and write, that it's easy to lose sight of some of the basic things that will really make a difference to stud...

Guided reading in small groups is a key feature of many upper primary classrooms; however, with a move to structured literacy, there are other choices. In this episode, I will share key ideas from two key books and provide details about how you can create a robust reading lesson.  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success in Action 1, a catch...

Hello there. Welcome to the Structured Literacy Podcast. My name is Jocelyn, and I'm so pleased to welcome you here today. This week, we will tackle another tricky thing that is scary to let go of. Benchmark reading assessment. You can read more and find support at www.jocelynseamereducation.com  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success...

In the past, when we had struggling readers in our class, we'd do a benchmark assessment, identify reading levels, and try to support these students in our small group rotations. But these days, with the growing awareness that guided reading, levelled texts and three queuing are no longer supported, upper primary teachers are asking exactly what they should do. Well, we here at Jocelyn Seamer...

Jocelyn shares a Christmas message for all the busy educators out there. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success in Action 1, a catch-up program for phonics, early morphology, and orthographic conventions for years 3 to 8. This program can be used one-on-one, in small groups, or as a whole class and is built on what the evidence tells us is...

In this week's episode, we will talk about some of the mindsets and thinking we need to shift when it comes to moving from a small group, guided reading situation to working with a more structured literacy block. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success in Action 1, a catch-up program for phonics, early morphology, and orthographic conv...

In this episode, I'm going to share some key findings from theory and research when it comes to spelling, evaluate a common practice in spelling instruction, and then go on to suggest instructional practices that are a more efficient and effective alternative based on the research on my own experience as a teacher, school leader, and tutor of students with a learning difficulty. You can find...

Hello there, and welcome to the Structured Literacy Podcast. My name is Jocelyn, and today, we will be talking about the upper primary literacy block. For a long time, we have focused exclusively on what goes into the early years literacy block and upper primary teachers; it is your turn.  Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released Spelling Success in Action 1...

As we enter the season of report writing, I'd like to dedicate this podcast episode to all the teachers working tirelessly to complete their semester two reports and the leaders who will be reading them. Having worn both hats, I know that there were days when I found writing the reports simpler than reading them. Today's episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast is about how to make the...

Every year we consider what the next year will bring. Invariably, our thoughts turn to what programs we will use. In this episode (originally published in January 2023) Jocelyn explores the benefits and limitations of programs and share suggestions for how to get the best from them without making them our everything. Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have released...

Hello, hello, and welcome. My name is Jocelyn, and I am delighted to bring you this 5-day program called Making Sense of Structured Literacy. I look forward to sharing some ideas to make your teaching life easier and your student's results even better.  Day 1 - What to expect on a change journey. It has been said that the only constant in life is change, and teaching is certainly a profession...

Today in the podcast, we're going to change tone a little bit, and I'd like to talk to you about civility. We have all had the experience of civility and collaborative working and we've all had the opposite. Basically, I want to talk about what it means to be a productive member of our education community,  both in our schools and online. And before you start to speculate about why...