The Structured Literacy Podcast

What is the Summer Series? A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026. Today's Episode In this week's episode, I share some of my secrets for writing and...

What is the Summer Series? A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026. Today's Episode In this week's episode, we're going to talk about how Nonsense words play...

The difference between curiosity and commitment can make or break a literacy journey. We close our sixth season by drawing a clear line between being interested in structured literacy and being devoted to outcomes for...

This episode explores how to select rich texts for comprehension instruction by moving beyond traditional levelling systems. Jocelyn introduces four dimensions of text demand to help teachers find the "Goldilocks spot"...

This podcast episode argues that while PowerPoints became widespread during COVID and helped reduce teacher cognitive load, over-reliance on them can hinder teachers' development. The key takeaway: if we are removing...

The word exposure gets thrown around a lot in schools, especially when a student is behind in phonics or spelling. In this episode, Jocelyn takes a hard look at that belief and explains why presence in a lesson is not...

School leaders and teachers constantly face the challenge of turning great ideas into lasting change. In this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn shares a practical, simple strategy to keep school...

Tired of racing through content only to find the learning didn’t stick? In this episode, we take a hard look at the final 5 factors that truly drive universal success in phonics and early reading, moving from admirable...

This podcast episode outlines the first five of ten critical factors for achieving universal student success in phonics instruction, emphasising that student outcomes, not surface-level metrics like training completion...

This episode helps schools cut bloated assessment schedules by focusing on two essential questions: 1. Who is at risk? 2. What skills lead to success? Key Principles: Not every assessment needs one-on-one administration...

School improvement is slow, and many quit right before breakthrough. This episode uses the story of gold miners who quit just one metre from striking gold to illustrate a critical lesson: don't give up in the middle of...

Novel study has gained traction in teaching circles, but important questions arise about its suitability for all students, time management challenges, and whether it's truly evidence-based for primary schools. In this...

Should we be teaching phonics beyond the early years? This question lands in my inbox regularly, and for good reason – it touches on critical decisions teachers must make about literacy instruction in upper primary. In...

We examine why educational practices often fail to stick in schools despite initial enthusiasm and training. The key insight is that sustainable implementation requires building systems where practices become embedded...

Repeated reading doesn't work for all students because fluency issues have different root causes. Understanding four reading profiles helps target the right intervention: Speedy & accurate Slow & accurate Fast &...

We must be strategic about harnessing teachable moments to ensure they enhance rather than distract from our learning objectives. Even experienced educators can get swept up in exciting classroom discussions that...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn provides essential guidance for educational leaders navigating the complex process of selecting instructional programs. She introduces a research-informed...

Too much professional development feels like a box-ticking exercise with little to show for the time invested. In this episode, Jocelyn unpacks decades of research findings to reveal the seven elements that make PD...

Sustainable school improvement happens when change is done with teachers, not to them, and when professional learning builds genuine understanding rather than just compliance with programs. • The key difference between...

In this episode, Jocelyn unpacks a crucial distinction in the world of education: the difference between professional learning that simply ticks a box and learning that leads to lasting transformation in classrooms...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common assumption that teacher confidence equals competence, drawing on the Dunning-Kruger effect to show how the least skilled teachers often...

Professional judgment grows from a foundation of deep, defensible knowledge about how learning actually works. When you understand the cognitive science behind reading development, why systematic phonics instruction...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn argues for reintroducing regular read-alouds in upper primary classrooms, which have largely disappeared amid the focus on explicit, systematic instruction...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn addresses how to safeguard the progress made in evidence-based literacy instruction by making data collection an integral part of teaching rather than an...

In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn outlines five strategic refinements to boost teaching effectiveness once foundational structured literacy practices are established. Drawing on cognitive...