Progressively Incorrect

S5E30: Sarah Oberle and Mitch Weathers on Executive Functions for K-3 Classrooms

S5E29: Owen Engelmann on Field Testing Direct Instruction Programs

S5E28: AJ Pettway on “Student-Centered Learning,” Instructional Coaching, and School Leadership

S5E27: Matt Bateman and Laura Mazer set the record straight on Montessori

S5E26: Ste Robinson on Mastery-Based, Knowledge-Rich PE

S5E25: Jamey Peavler on Access vs. Exposure and Constrained vs. Unconstrained Skills

S5E24: Olivia Mullins on Content, Curriculum, and Coherence in Elementary Science

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I am you host, Zach Groshell. My guest today is Dr. Olivia Mullins, Founder and Executive Director of Science Delivered and lead developer of the Learning Squared science and literacy program. Olivia trained as a scientist before turning to elementary science education. She's become one of the sharpest voices working … Continue reading S5E24: Olivia Mullins on Content, Curriculum, and Coherence in Elementary Science...

S5E23: Richard Wheadon on Teaching Learning Habits and Returning to the Classroom

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect, a show sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by me, Dr. Zach Groshell. My guest today is Richard Wheadon, author of the forthcoming book Teaching Learning Habits – How to Develop Independent and Successful Learners, to be published with Routledge. He blogs at Everything Pedagogy and writes … Continue reading S5E23: Richard Wheadon on Teaching Learning Habits and Returning to the Classroom...

S5E22: Adam Robbins on the Challenge of Improving Teaching

My name is Dr. Zach Groshell and welcome to my podcast! In this episode, I welcome Adam Robbins to Progressively Incorrect for a conversation about one of the biggest challenges in education: improving teaching. Together, we explore why teacher development is often so difficult and why schools need more than good intentions to make meaningful … Continue reading S5E22: Adam Robbins on the Challenge of Improving Teaching...

S5E21: Inwood Academy Pioneers the Science of Learning

My name is Dr. Zach Groshell and welcome to my podcast! This season, I continue to explore the science of learning—especially what the work actually looks like when schools try to build their instructional models around it. We talk a lot about evidence-based practice in education, but far fewer conversations focus on how schools implement … Continue reading S5E21: Inwood Academy Pioneers the Science of Learning...

S5E20: Christopher Such on Action Steps for Reading and the Latest Literacy Debates

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect, a show sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by me, Dr. Zach Groshell. My guest today is Christopher Such, literacy expert, former primary teacher, and author of Primary Reading Simplified. Chris makes his epic return to the show to tackle several debates currently shaping reading instruction in … Continue reading S5E20: Christopher Such on Action Steps for Reading and the Latest Literacy Debates...

S5E19: Leslie Laud on Writing Instruction and Self-Regulated Strategy Development

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell. This season, I’ve been diving deeply into writing instruction — what the research actually says, where classroom practice often drifts, and what it truly takes to help students become confident, capable writers. Writing is one of the most cognitively demanding things we ask students … Continue reading S5E19: Leslie Laud on Writing Instruction and Self-Regulated Strategy Development...

S5E18: Glenn Whitman and Ian Kelleher on Bridging Learning Science and Classroom Reality

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell. In this episode, I sit down with Ian Kelleher and Glenn Whitman of the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning (CTTL). We began with the origin story of CTTL — how they set out to bridge mind, brain, and education science with real classroom … Continue reading S5E18: Glenn Whitman and Ian Kelleher on Bridging Learning Science and Classroom Reality...

S5E17: Femi Adeniran on Explicit Math Instruction and Coaching for Better Math Teaching

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell. In this episode, I’m joined by the always fabulous, Femi Adeniran, to continue a conversation that started when I appeared on the Beyond Good podcast about math, coaching, and instruction. We discuss: How to begin a maths lesson How not to begin a maths … Continue reading S5E17: Femi Adeniran on Explicit Math Instruction and Coaching for Better Math Teaching...

S5E16: Scott Jackson on Summer Camp

Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell. In this episode, I’m joined by Scotty Jackson to talk about how summer camp can create the experiences—and build the kinds of values—that help kids be better people: honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and belonging. I’m not coming at this as a distant observer. I … Continue reading S5E16: Scott Jackson on Summer Camp

S5E15: Barbara Oakley on Constructivism vs. Learning Science

In this episode, I sit down with Barbara Oakley—engineer, bestselling author, and one of the most influential voices in the science of learning—to talk about why so much instruction still misses the mark, what “good teaching” looks like when you take cognition seriously, and what’s at stake if we keep defaulting to methods that feel … Continue reading S5E15: Barbara Oakley on Constructivism vs. Learning Science...

S5E14: Thinking Out Loud… What comes first in coaching, techniques or lesson design?

The “Thinking Out Loud” episodes on Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works are a running set of conversations to make sense of instruction, coaching, and implementation as they actually function in schools—not as we wish they did. The premise is straightforward: Gene Tavernetti and I take a concrete problem of practice, name what tends to go wrong, … Continue reading S5E14: Thinking Out Loud… What comes first in coaching, techniques or lesson design?...

S5E13: Mike Schmoker on How Schools Can Get Results Now

Mike Schmoker is one of the most influential voices in school improvement, urging schools to recommit to the fundamentals: coherent curriculum, strong lesson design, and authentic literacy—reading, discussion, and writing—throughout the school day. Across books like Focus and Results Now 2.0, and decades of essays and commentary, his through-line is the same: schools don’t usually … Continue reading S5E13: Mike Schmoker on How Schools Can Get Results Now...

S5E12: Brian Poncy on Better Ways to Teach Math Facts

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brian Poncy to explore a claim you’ve probably heard in schools: “Teaching math facts interferes with understanding.” From there, we dig into better ways to think about math facts, what schools can do differently, and the practical decisions that show up when schools decide to take facts … Continue reading S5E12: Brian Poncy on Better Ways to Teach Math Facts...

S5E11: Alex Gingell on Setting the Culture and Conditions for Effective Instructional Coaching

In this episode, I sit down with Alex Gingell to unpack what it actually takes to make instructional coaching work in a school. Alex explains why his first priority wasn’t improving teaching, but stabilizing behavior, curriculum, and trust—and why coaching can only succeed once those foundations are secure. We talk through how he used Steplab … Continue reading S5E11: Alex Gingell on Setting the Culture and Conditions for Effective Instructional Coaching...

S5E10: Laura Doherty on the Baltimore Curriculum Project

In this episode of the Direct Instruction podcast, I’m joined by Laura Doherty, President and CEO of the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP)—Maryland’s largest operator of neighborhood, PK–8 public charter schools, and one of the longest-running Direct Instruction networks in the United States. For nearly three decades, BCP has been quietly doing something that many systems … Continue reading S5E10: Laura Doherty on the Baltimore Curriculum Project...

S5E09: Marty Siegel on Direct Instruction Engineering and the Future of EdTech

In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Marty Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Informatics and Instructional Systems Technology, and a pioneer whose career bridges early Direct Instruction, large-scale computer-based learning, human–computer interaction, and the emerging world of AI-driven instruction. Marty began his career at the University of Illinois in the 1960s, right at the … Continue reading S5E09: Marty Siegel on Direct Instruction Engineering and the Future of EdTech...

S5E08: Doug Lemov on “What to Do” and Active Observation Techniques

In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m re-joined by Doug Lemov—author of Teach Like a Champion and The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, and one of the most influential figures in the history of education. Doug has spent decades studying what the best teachers do differently—turning the art and science of teaching into something that can … Continue reading S5E08: Doug Lemov on “What to Do” and Active Observation Techniques...

S5E07: Denarius Frazier on Belonging, Rigor, and Scaling Effective Teaching

In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Denarius Frazier—Regional Superintendent of Instruction at Uncommon Schools, co-author of Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging, and perhaps the best teacher ever captured on film. Link to blog and video Denarius is one of the most thoughtful and influential voices in the Teach … Continue reading S5E07: Denarius Frazier on Belonging, Rigor, and Scaling Effective Teaching...

S5E06: Jessica Colleu Terradas & Jon Owen on Direct Instruction Without Borders

In this podcast episode, I’m joined by Jessica Colleu Terradas and Jon Owen, two international leaders bringing Engelmann’s Direct Instruction to life in Australia and the UK. This marks a milestone in the Direct Instruction Podcast—our first global double feature exploring what high-fidelity DI looks like beyond the United States. https://youtu.be/eIMhSdeOLsM?si=8w_Skb2LyMqcGg46 Jessica, based in Australia, … Continue reading S5E06: Jessica Colleu Terradas & Jon Owen on Direct Instruction W...

S5E05: Anna Stokke on Where Math Education Went Wrong—and How to Fix It

In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Anna Stokke—mathematician, professor, and host of the Chalk & Talk podcast. Anna has become one of the most influential voices calling for a return to clarity, structure, and evidence in math instruction. We explore how her conversations on chalk & talk have shaped—and sometimes challenged—her own … Continue reading S5E05: Anna Stokke on Where Math Education Went Wrong—and How to Fix It...

S5E04: Marcie Samayoa on NGSS and Explicit Science Instruction

In this episode, I’m joined by Marcie Samayoa—science teacher, cognitive science enthusiast, and blogger of Scientists in the Making. Marcie shares the origin story behind her innovative classroom blog and explains how it grew out of a desire to make science learning more equitable, evidence-based, and joyful. We dive into some of the most persistent … Continue reading S5E04: Marcie Samayoa on NGSS and Explicit Science Instruction...

S5E03: John Mighton on Building Math Confidence, One Problem at a Time

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. John Mighton — mathematician, playwright, best-selling author, and founder of JUMP Math. John shares his insights into one of the most misunderstood concepts in education today—the belief that only some students are “math people”—and explains why dismantling this idea is essential for equity and achievement. As we explore … Continue reading S5E03: John Mighton on Building Math Confidence, One Problem at a Time...

S5E02: Linda Diamond & Paige Pullen on Connecting Learning, Literacy, and Instruction

In this powerful episode, I’m joined by two of the most influential voices in literacy education today—Linda Diamond and Paige Pullen. With decades of experience in education, Linda and Paige bring clarity to the evidence-based education movement and the science of reading in particular. Together, we dive into their framework of three interrelated sciences—Learning Science, … Continue reading S5E02: Linda Diamond & Paige Pullen on Connecting Learning, Literacy, and Instruction...

S5E01: Greg Ashman on Explicit Teaching and Inquiry Learning

Welcome to Season 5 of Progressively Incorrect! In this special premiere episode, I’m joined by Greg Ashman, a leading advocate for explicit instruction and one of the most important voices in education today. We begin by analyzing a new video from Jo Boaler, where she casts “step-by-step instruction” as the villain in favor of an … Continue reading S5E01: Greg Ashman on Explicit Teaching and Inquiry Learning...