Hi there , welcome to the Structured Literacy Podcast , the place where we dive right into the nitty gritty of bringing structured literacy to life in your school . I'm recording this episode in mid-June 2024 and there have been some huge announcements recently about how literacy will be taught in two states in particular .
Victoria has just announced that all students will learn to read with explicit phonics . That includes 25 minutes of a phonics lesson every day . I live in Tasmania and our structured literacy announcement came in 2023 .
Queensland has recently boarded the bus , new South Wales before them and , of course , south Australia was the first to hop on board with the phonicsing Check and associated changes to instruction in 2020 . These changes are applauded by those of us who know the value of explicit structured teaching .
We work every day to make it easier for schools and teams to build success for students . Announcements such as the recent Tasmanian and Victorian ones can bring a huge sigh of relief to principals . Our work supports hundreds of schools and thousands of teachers .
One of the really striking things that a principal has said to me is Previously , I would go to the principal's days and sit there , knowing that I couldn't talk about what was happening in my school . I couldn't share my excitement about our students' growth with anyone other than a select few who I knew were on the same journey as us .
Now that the announcement has been made , I can talk about it . It's great For schools in this position . Big decisions and announcements mean very little in terms of change for their school . They're already getting it done . They already have their resourcing sorted out . They are seeing results in their students and their teachers are growing in confidence .
And I have to tell you , hearing about teachers and leaders who are thrilled with their results makes my heart sing . Knowing that the thousands of hours we've put into developing our resources , programs and training makes a difference to the lives of our teachers , students and families is just so rewarding . It's why we go to work every day .
In our recent Teacher Voice and Literacy Instruction Survey , teachers reported that their state , government and departmental announcements gave them permission to forge ahead with the changes they've been wanting to make . They now have the backing to go to their teams and say right , it's time to take that action we've been talking about .
For these leaders and schools , a shift in direction means that some of the angst is eased , some of the pushback and struggles to justify the urgency of change is lessened , not eliminated , not banished , just eased . After all , they are simply now asking others to work with the departmental or government expectations . So we've covered some of their reaction .
From people who are ready for change and already on the bus , it's all well and good for them . But what about people who aren't quite so ready ? What about schools who have watched changes happening from afar but not made many moves themselves ? What about schools who have watched changes happening from afar but not made many moves themselves ?
What is their experience like ? To put it bluntly , their experience can be terrifying . The number one reaction that people have when change is coming their way is shock . People think , well , I didn't see that coming or I'm not ready . The next is denial oh , it's not going to change what we do .
They can say what they like , but we are doing it our way , and other such comments . This isn't an indication of a lack of commitment to students . It's a normal human reaction . The next step is frustration or anger . Who do they think they are ? They can't tell us what to do . This is unreasonable and unfair .
If you're feeling like these steps sound familiar , well , you're right . They sound just like the stages of grief . In fact , the woman who came up with the stages of grief also developed a model for change . It's called the Kubler-Ross change curve . The seven stages are shock , denial , frustration , depression or low energy , experiment , decision and then integration .
As with the explicit teaching model , different people move through these stages at different paces and have different needs at different times . We don't have time and space to go through all of this in this episode of the podcast times .
We don't have time and space to go through all of this in this episode of the podcast , but I have linked to five other blog and podcast episodes that will be helpful in supporting your team to navigate change .
In the show notes for this episode , just click through to our website from the description in the podcast listening app that you're currently listening on . So the first thing to do when faced with an unexpected or even expected change is to accept that things are going to get a little messy . They just are . Some people will board the bus quickly and easily .
Others will take a little longer and may even be rather painful to work with for a while . But you know what ? Don't write those people off .
I'm constantly and pleasantly surprised when I hear about staff who were the loudest resistors , the highest maintenance people on the team in a change journey who have boarded the bus and now shout from the rooftops about how great things are . The second thing to do when faced with change is calm down .
That's easier said than done , I know , but a leadership team filled with desperate , frantic energy never sets the team up for success . Frantic , fear-driven decision-making rarely works out .
When we make snap decisions because we feel pressured into it , what usually happens is that we look back in six months and say , oh boy , I can see now that we've made the wrong choice . We've spent all the money , we've taken up all the PL time . There's nothing left in the financial or emotional tank to take the steps we now know would be better for us .
Frantic , emotionally unstable leadership makes our teams worried and anxious . Your team needs you to be the voice of calm reasoning . They need to know that you've got things in hand , even if you're only faking it . They need to know that decisions will be made in a way that considers their needs . So step number two is calm down and slow down .
The third thing relates very closely to the second thing , and that is don't jump into buying programs and spending big dollars on resources . Decodable texts are always a great investment . You can't go wrong . You can align them to whatever scope and sequence you're using and , when they're used in the right way , they'll provide excellent return on investment .
But teaching programs are another thing . If you're wondering whether you need one at all and what part a phonics program might play in your journey , have a listen to our episode . Should we Be Using Commercial Programs to Teach Reading ? We'll link to that in the show notes .
If your school is a resource room member and you aren't using our phonics guides and resources to consistently teach early reading , well , you are in luck .
You actually have what you need at your fingertips , including teacher guides , assessment , homework , printables , presentations and on-demand training , as well as ongoing support with monthly masterminds and fortnightly office hours . You're all set . But if you don't have something consistent in your school , I recommend not jumping in too quickly .
Do your homework , trial things before committing . Don't just rely on the recommendations of a Facebook group or a neighbouring school . Take the time to really consider what's going to best serve your school community . Be okay with sitting in the discomfort of not quite knowing what to do next .
After a big announcement like the one from Victoria this month , every company out there is going to want to sell you something and lock you in , it's okay to kick the tires and wait . Once you get clear about what's important for you and your school , the answers will come .
My fourth recommendation for managing the situation where , ready or not , change is coming is not to do nothing . Just as jumping in too quickly can land you in hot water , doing nothing can have equally challenging consequences .
Doing nothing in the face of change , getting stuck in denial , means that when the date arrives that you have to make a change , you'll be scrambling and pressured . So how can we find that balance between not rushing and not doing enough ? A roadmap of small steps is the answer .
Don't hit people over the head with research or throw them neck deep into a course . Give them digestible , simple to action information and tools , and none of that has to come with a major commitment or major spend . Now , where do you find these easy to understand bits of information and easy to use tools ?
Well , I have to tell you , I've spent years creating them for you and have placed some of them into a handy guide that you can download absolutely for free from our website . Not one thing I'm sharing comes with a price tag or is focused on you using a particular program . Programs are tools . Yes , we create them , but it's people who make them work .
The final action to help you get ready for the changes that are coming is about what goes on inside our heads and hearts . This might sound a little wishy-washy , but stick with me .
When we've been advocating for evidence-informed practice for years and being told no , when we've been told time and again by the people who are there to support us that explicit teaching is bad for children , that it's all a right-wing agenda , that it's all about commercial interests and that no change is needed , it's understandable that we might want to shout at
people and say see , I told you so . But if we want the departmental decisions and big announcements that come our way to mean anything , if we want them to be successful , we can't make the next steps about ego .
We have to put our big girl and big boy pants on and find a place within us where we can compassionately and genuinely connect with everyone to bring them on the journey . The first thing to do here , and the first way forward , is to understand that most people are very happy to do what it takes to get great results for students .
Most people have no problem boarding the bus , but it's really scary , and often resistance is just fear in disguise .
If you've hung your hat on particular practices for however many years and those are the yardsticks by which you have measured your worth as a teacher and someone makes an announcement that says those things are no longer valid , what does that mean for you ? Does that mean that you aren't a good teacher ? Does that mean that you've wasted your career ?
Are you , as a teacher , irrelevant now ? Worse still , if people are saying that what you've been doing is damaging to children , what does that mean for your life's work ? We all go into teaching to help students . If you've been in the position of realizing that what you were doing wasn't great for some kids , you know just how hard that is .
You know about the guilt and shame that comes when you remember what you did in the classroom and , trust me , I have those moments too .
So if you're lucky enough to have been on the bus from the start of your career , or you're far enough into the journey that you have the gift of emotional distance from your past practice , please have compassion for colleagues who are wrestling with this right now .
We must bring everyone on the journey and it's only through connection with each other that we build confidence and success for our students . So the fifth action is to have compassion . It is entirely possible to have compassion and be unapologetic about the journey towards structured literacy .
It's entirely possible to meet people where they are and be insistent , persistent and consistent with our team . You don't have to compromise on high expectations in order to have people's backs and , trust me , if they don't feel like you have their back , they are not coming on board the bus with you .
For all the leaders and teachers out there who are working through this journey , I'm sending you a big old hug if you're into that sort of thing . I'm also sending one to all of the parents and carers of students with reading difficulty who have been tirelessly advocating for change . I completely get that . Some of what I've said in this episode is frustrating .
Your kids don't have time for schools to go slowly and make gradual changes . Your kids need the changes to have happened . Yesterday , as a parent , my patience for the slow pace of effective change and adjustments to practice that seem common sense are completely different from my approach as a coach and school leader . From my approach as a coach and school leader .
As a leader and coach , I'm calm and measured . As a parent , I am fierce in defense of my children and insistence on answers right now . So , teachers and leaders , remember that when you're communicating with your families and your staff , it's important to develop timelines of small changes and over-communicate them .
Don't assume that because you said a thing once , six months ago , that that's enough answer for them . If you don't give people consistent answers all along the way , they'll start telling themselves stories in their heads and may well come up with the wrong answers .
For now , download my free guide from jocelynsimaeducationcom and remember that you have exactly what it takes to do what you need to do . You won't accomplish anything by breaking yourself or your team . Things will get messy . You may reach a point where you wonder if it's time to hang up your boots because there doesn't seem to be a way forward possible .
But I promise you there is . Take things one at a time , slow down , stay calm Carefully , consider the options moving forward , but don't do nothing Overcommunicate . Be compassionate and remember that ultimately , our goal is inclusive education . That means that every child learns to read and write right there in the classroom . You are not on your own .
You don't have to walk this path by yourself . I'll see you next time . Bye .