Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In today's podcast episode, we will discuss the issue of creating an integrated literacy block. This episode starts with a trip down memory lane of my early childhood experiences, but the episode is for all grades of primary school. So, upper primary folks stick with me. This episode is for you, too. As part of my daily work, I speak with schools that are looking for some support to build on the great work they are already doing, an...
Sep 02, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Welcome to this week's episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast. I am coming to you from Pataway Burnie in gorgeous Tasmania. I'm Jocelyn, and so pleased that you've been able to join me. In this episode, I'm going to discuss a question that comes up often in our live events and online forums. That is, how do we know when it's time to begin and then move on from using decodable texts? For a lot of years, decodable texts were very ...
Aug 26, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! You may have heard the phrase, low variance in relation to literacy instruction. Low variance refers to instruction that has the following features. Firstly, it usually has a scope and sequence or a clear outline of specific content that is to be taught. People know what they're going to teach, the order in which they're going to teach it in and in the how. Now it's common for teachers to be told exactly when to teach particular con...
Aug 19, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Today on the podcast, I'll be talking about tier two instruction, some circumstances that result in it not being as effective as it could be, and some things that we could do to ensure that our and our students' efforts result in great outcomes. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschool...
Aug 12, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Whole school approaches give us consistency and shared vision, but how can we make sure that this feature of instruction doesn't go too far? Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structuredliteracy #scienceofreading #c...
Aug 05, 2023•17 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Term 3 is the golden term. That's right. You know your students, there are no reports, and it's the perfect time to go big with expectations for student growth. In this week's episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, I share three ways that you can plan for success in Semester 2. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprim...
Jul 29, 2023•16 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Our literacy blocks are so full that it's difficult to find time for all of the things we need to fit in, including morphology. In this week's episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, I share tips for finding time for this important area of instruction in both the early years and upper primary grades. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #b...
Jul 15, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In today's episode, I'd like to discuss a very real situation in which so many of us feel immense pressure to teach spelling well but feel as if we don't have the knowledge to do so. Spelling knowledge has two aspects to consider: content and pedagogical. Learning English structure, phonemes, graphemes, and orthographic conventions is important. Teaching explicitly and determining the best instruction methods for spelling is also cr...
Jul 08, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! This week I'd like to turn my attention to upper primary. I'll start by running a scenario by you, and we'll see how familiar it sounds. You're a teacher in a year three to six classroom and know that you have a range of students in your class. Your students appear to mostly have solid reading skills, with a few students in need of intervention and a few who are considered high flyers, but when it comes to writing, your students str...
Jul 01, 2023•14 min
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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 a reference list for this episode at the ...
Jun 24, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We all know that learning is challenging. We teach our students a mantra - "we can do hard things." We aim for them to develop resilience, persistence, and the understanding that making mistakes is a natural part of learning. Being a good learner means accepting vulnerability and acknowledging that some days will be tougher. As educators, we must also cultivate an open-minded approach to learning to improve our teaching practice. Qu...
Jun 17, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Today's episode is about the fourth reason things might not be going well and some suggestions for what you can do about it. I am rounding off this series of podcast episodes by sharing my thoughts on a situation in many schools. Your once robust, disciplined, and focused approach has dropped off to the point where your data is suffering. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #...
Jun 10, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Reports are approaching if you are teaching in Australia, and if you were listening to this episode when it was released at the start of June 2023, you might be knee-deep in reporting. So this podcast episode is dedicated to all teachers working away writing their semester one reports and the leaders who are reading them. I've worn both hats, and I have to say that there were days when I thought that it was much easier to write repo...
Jun 03, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Every school has a time where the wheels might be falling off their instructional approach. This current series of 4 episodes shares some of the reasons this might be happening and what you can do to get things back on track. This current episode discusses elements of instruction that can see your team working really hard and still not seeing the results you were hoping for. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource...
May 27, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In our last episode, I shared the first reason the wheels might be falling off your literacy improvement efforts. If you haven't listened to that episode about the need for strong, decisive leadership, I suggest you go back and listen when you have a moment. In this week's episode, I'd like to discuss the second reason the wheels might be falling off your literacy improvement efforts, which is the importance of getting your assessme...
May 20, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! You've chosen your phonics program, had everyone trained, and have begun to teach. At first, things seem to be going well, But a year or so down the track, you still aren't seeing those text-level results you were hoping for. This scenario is really common. Hello there. My name's Jocelyn, and I want to welcome you to the Structured Literacy Podcast. Today I'm going to share some observations from my work with schools about why the w...
May 13, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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 University often says that once children...
May 06, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Taking steps to build student success in reading and writing is no easy task. It isn't made any easier when we don't know which advice or information we should be listening to. In this week's episode, I share 8 myths of reading instruction to help you separate fact from fiction as you prepare to teach. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bes...
Apr 29, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We all want teaching to be just that little bit simpler, but responding to the needs of students isn't a simple matter. When it comes to spelling, our decision making is further complicated by the fact that we probably weren't taught about how words really work at school or university. In this episode, I share some thoughts on the role of morphology instruction in support our students (and us) to build knowledge of spelling as well ...
Apr 22, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! We have had so many questions over the last few years about differentiation, and today I would like to share some suggestions and some different ways of thinking about it. When I started to plan this episode, I realized that I actually have quite a decent chunk of text already around this topic in my book, Reading Success in the Early Primary Years - A Teacher’s Guide to Implementing Systematic Instruction. So I thought I would read...
Apr 01, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryye...
Mar 25, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! Play has an important role to play in early childhood education, but what is its role in reading instruction? In this episode I will discuss what play can and cannot do to help children develop early reading skills. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #early...
Mar 18, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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 am I supposed to do? Well, we here at Jocelyn Seamer Education have the answer. In today...
Mar 11, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In this episode, we will explore what the term authentic text really means in the Australian curriculum and what that means for us as teachers who teach beginning readers. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschoolteacher #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearseducator #structur...
Mar 04, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earl...
Feb 25, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! 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 are going to tackle another of the tricky things that it's scary to let go of; benchmark reading assessment. You can read more and find support at www.jocelynseamereducation.com Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #lite...
Feb 18, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In this week's episode, we're going to talk about some of the mindsets and thinking we need to shift when it comes to making that move from a small group, guided reading situation to working with a more structured literacy block. Quick Links Jocelyn Seamer Education Homepage The Resource Room Youtube channel Facebook Page #jocelynseamereducation #literacy #bestpractice #earlyprimaryyears #primaryschool #primaryschools #primaryschool...
Feb 11, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! In this episode, I explore the issue of 'going rogue'. Usually, this means going your own way or teaching in a way that is contrary to your school's approach. There are many reasons that someone goes rogue, including overwhelm, a sense of ownership over teaching or a fundamental, philosophical mismatch between them and their school. This episode answers the questions: Why do people go rogue? What do leaders think about it? Is it eve...
Feb 04, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! The idea of The Structured Literacy Bus occurred to me a few years ago. It was the idea that we're all moving in the same direction, that everybody is welcome and that we are part of a network of primary teachers and leaders committed to advocating for the right of every child to be taught to read with evidence-informed teaching practice. But what does it mean to be FULLY on the bus and what does it take to get everyone on board wit...
Jan 28, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Has something in this episode resonated with you? Get in touch! One of the most common questions asked in Facebook groups about literacy instruction is, is this a Science of Reading resource? It's a question that usually ends up with a variety of answers ranging from, no, don't touch it to, Ooh, I love that one. Neither of these answers is actually very helpful if you are the teacher trying to wade your way through complex decision making to get the best outcomes for your students. In this episo...
Jan 21, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 3
