Teacher Insights from Catalyst

In this episode we welcome Penny Lucas, Instructional leader of Literacy and Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 teacher at Trinity Catholic Primary school in Murrumburrah, NSW. Penny is a contributor to the Syntax Project, of which she explains in the conversation and how this links in with Catalyst. Click here to link to the resources mentioned in.

In this episode, Patrick Ellis, Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn’s Education Lead, Patrick Ellis, shares with us: The inspiring initiatives that he has seen across the archdiocese during 2023. Some of the exciting progress that the system has made after 3 years of Catalyst implementation. Some advice for Leadership teams in regard to Catalyst What's next for CECG and Catalyst future state

In this episode Stefanie Cook, the K-6 coordinator and Learning Support Leader at St Patrick’s Primary School in Cooma NSW speaks about:  intervention structures for students that require additional support  insights for monitoring progress with DIBELS data  how she collaborates with her Classroom Support Assistants (or CSAs) to effectively implement programs such as Mini Lit and Macq lit.    Stef also shares with us some of her insights from her school immersion trip to Perth. We also hear from Lisa and Alicia, Classroom Support Assistants and their role in supporting students in learning to read.   This is a great episode for anyone who wants to learn more about intervention structures and supports students in learning to read. 

In this episode Natalie Fairfax, Head the International Baccalaureate program at Merici College in Braddon, Canberra, shares the student engagement she has seen as a result of High Impact Teaching Practice. Throughout this episode, you'll hear students reflecting on  How the change in pedagogy to HITP has positively impacted their learning and engagement, including the use of whiteboards, picking non-volunteers with paddle pop sticks and decks of playing cards Their observations of their peers in lessons  The use of Learning Intentions  How HITP has improved their preparation for exams  Natalie also explains how she developed a common vocabulary glossary to support teachers and students in connecting with the curriculum. 

This episode features Maggie Lloyd from St Monica’s Primary School, Evatt ACT. Maggie talks about her inspiration to learn more about the Science of Learning, the Science of Reading and High Impact Teaching Practices. Listed below are some of the literature that Maggie mentions in this episode. This is a great listen for those who’d like to refresh their knowledge of Catalyst or for those who are learning more about the aspects of Catalyst.  Books  Why Knowledges Matters – E.D. Hirsch Jr  Explicit Direct Instruction – Hollingsworth, J. R. and Ybarra, S. E.  Cognitive Load Theory in Action – Lovell, O., Sweller, J., Caviglioli, O.  How we understand concepts better – Sweller, J.  The Knowledge Gap – Wexler, N.  Rosenshines Principles in Action – Sherrington, T.  Make it Stick - Roediger III, H. L., McDaniel, M. A. and Brown, P. C.  Podcasts  ERRR Episode 5 – Pamela Snow 

In this episode Toby talks about Catalyst’s journey at Lumen Christi Catholic College. As Acting Facilitator of Pedagogy, he has a key role in the facilitation of High Impact Teaching Practices. Hear about what Toby and his team have learned from TeachWell and how he implements this practice himself in the classroom. Toby talks about:  Participation tactics and student engagement  Daily Reviews    Learning Intentions  The language of HITP ie ‘reteach’, critical content’  The implementation of Catalyst and where to next 

In this episode of Teacher Insights from Catalyst, join us for a captivating conversation with Peter Collins, teacher and Curriculum Coordinator at St Thomas Aquinas, West Belconnen, Canberra. Peter shares his invaluable experiences and successes in implementing Catalyst and HITP in the classroom. Delve into the world of EDI lessons and Direct Instruction programs like Spelling Mastery, as Peter discusses their transformative impact on student learning outcomes. Discover how Peter enhances students' mathematical understanding through engaging EDI Maths lessons and how he nurtures language skills with specific Vocabulary lessons. In addition, Peter discusses insights into adopting a Knowledge Rich Curriculum and its connection to reading.  Mentioned article: The Coach in the Operating Room | The New Yorker 

In this episode Erica speaks about her role in the implementation of Catalyst. She talks about how she led the change process, The Writing Revolution, Macqlit as an intervention program and their use of engagement norms. Specifically, this includes:   How to use The Writing Revolution as a tool to teach writing within HUM (a combination of Humanities, English and Religious Education subjects) Sentence level writing Paragraphing SPO Note taking Topic sentence Appositives Guided notes  How she uses choral response and whisper reading as engagement norms and teaching strategies  How to use ‘hinge point’ questions and why they are important.  To access supporting PDF's visit the episode page on the Catalyst website

In this episode Aimee speaks about her classroom routines and gives tips on using engagement and behaviour norms. During her lessons Aimee uses 6 concepts that she likes to ‘tick off her list’. They are:  Providing a high level of active practice from students to keep them engaged.  Asking a large number of questions and check for understandings.  Constant monitoring  Developing fluency and speed  Maintaining structure and routine  Mastery lessons  Aimee also outlines the TAPPLE process and how it works during her lessons. 

Catalyst encompasses the teaching and learning approach of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn. Informed by the Science of Learning and Science of Reading, Catalyst delivers excellent learning experiences for students through evidence-based teaching practice and high-quality resources.  In this episode Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG), speaks about the genesis of Catalyst and his future vision for CECG. We delve into what we know about learning now and how this affects the pedagogical demands of teaching. This includes the Science of Learning, Cognitive Load Theory, the Science of Reading and High Impact Teaching Practices. Ross reveals what he is seeing around the Archdiocese and the positive impact that Catalyst is having on student learning and on teacher self-efficacy.  

In this episode we learn about how the leadership team at St Mary Mackillop Catholic College in Canberra successfully implemented the components of Catalyst and scaled up for a two-campus school with over 2000 students. Erin White and Lisa Buckland share with us their insights about how they started their Catalyst journey and the importance of this work in the Secondary context, discussing what worked well and some of the challenges they faced along the way. We learn about where they prioritised, invested their time, supports and resources and how they keep momentum with over 200 staff. Everything shared has relevance for all school contexts, making this an interesting episode for all.  

In this episode Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) Teaching and Learning Officers, Jamie Kemp and Gillian Forrester, talk about CECG’s Primary Mathematics and English curriculum and how to effective implemented the lessons and use the accompanying resources. They answer some frequently asked questions about the CECG Mathematics and English materials and outline the importance of a low variance, knowledge rich curriculum.

In this episode Reid speaks about curriculum, diving into Ochre Education and their partnership with CECG in developing high quality curriculum resources, prioritising Explicit Instruction and High Impact Teaching Practice.  Reid speaks about the importance of a knowledge rich, low variance curriculum and what we should be aspiring to. He also speaks about why Ochre and CECG have designed their lessons using slide decks and how to best teach with them.   Resources mentioned  Hirsch, E. D. (2016). Why knowledge matters: Rescuing our children from failed educational theories. Harvard Education Press.  Ashbee, R. (2021). Curriculum: Theory, culture and the subject specialisms. Sage Publications.  Australian Education Research Organisation. (2024). A knowledge-rich approach to curriculum design. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/research/research-reports/knowledge-rich-approach-curriculum-design 

This episode features Ingrid Sealy, Director and founder of TeachWell. Ingrid brings to light many aspects of High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP). Her wealth of knowledge and experience is extensive in this area. Ingrid is a HITP instructional coach working with some of our schools through the Catalyst program. We discuss the following: How TeachWell is supporting CECG How teachers can use videoing to improve instructional practice, and why it is so effective The most effective instructional strategies for teaching The type of reviews and how their importance The number one thing that leaders can do to improve instructional practice in schools How HITP practices allow students to take ownership (agency) in their learning Ingrid references the following people, websites, organisations and readings: Rebecca Birch, English teacher and Leader Rebecca Birch The Learning Scientists The Learning Scientists Podcast Episodes — The Learning Scientists Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D. Unleash the Science of Learning – Retrieval Practice Welcome to AERO | Australian Education Research Organisation (edresearch.edu.au)

In this episode Sally Power (instructional leader and 5/6 teacher) and Susan Tighe (principal) discuss about Direct Instruction (DI) at St Joseph’s Primary School, Bombala with reference to InitialLit, Connecting Maths Concepts (CMC) and Spelling Mastery. We discuss: Implementation of Direct Instruction programs Advantages of a low variance curriculum and Direct Instruction Misconceptions of Direction Instruction

In this episode Jessica explains the difference between ‘big’ DI and ‘little’ di. She delves into the research behind Direct Instruction, dispelling the myths about DI. Jessica lists its key instructional features and talks about what makes a Direct Instruction program effective. We hear about her Churchill Fellowship research and about the time when she met with Engelmann’s sons. Jessica refers to many podcasts, books and research in this episode, which are listed below. Resources and References mentioned during the episode: https://educationrickshaw.com/2024/02/04/s3e7-kurt-engelmann-and-bryan-wickman-on-direct-instruction-di/?s=09 Clear teaching. With Direct Instruction, Siegfried Engelmann discovered a better way of teaching. Written by the American journalist Shepard Barbash in 2012, here The podcast ‘Progressively Incorrect’ Season 2 Episode 21 with Marcy Stein The podcast ‘Teachers change lives’ led by fellow Sharyn Angel (also CogLearn coach for CECG) who interviewed Engelmann’s twin sons during Jessica’s visit to the DI conference last July: Season 3 Episode 5 with Kurt Engelmann Season 3 Episode 7 with Owen Engelmann and Evan Haney The official website of the National Institute For Direct Instruction One of Engelmann’s best-selling book: teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons (resource for parents) here This is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read in 20 minutes a day. The theory of instruction: Principles and Applications by Engelmann and Carnine here. 400 pages to read if you wish to become an expert in designing DI programs/sequences. War against the schools’ academic child abuse where Zig declares war upon educational practices and systems that fail our students. here