About this teaching resource
In this podcast, Episode 95, expert literacy consultant Sharon Callen and team aim to showcase the top nine podcasts (out of 94) that have resonated with their audience, based on current listenership data. They discuss the key aspects and themes covered in these top-rated podcasts to provide listeners with a taste of what they offer.
Starting with the ninth-ranked podcast, "Quick Writes using Mentor Texts," (00:06:43) with Sharon Callen, the hosts highlight three key takeaways. First, Quick Writes using Mentor Texts allow students to experiment and practise writing skills rapidly, emphasising the importance of hands-on learning and creativity. Second, these short writing exercises build stamina and the ability to notice what successful writers do, providing students with valuable tools. Third, it fosters student engagement and independence by letting them experiment with writing, empowering them to try new techniques.
Moving on to the eighth-ranked podcast, "The Conditions for Learning" (00:13:01 ) with Dr. Brian Cambourne, the hosts delve into the importance of meaning in education. They stress that students should find meaning in their learning experiences, and teachers should create opportunities for students to discover it. Engagement and the teacher's role in modelling and demonstrating actions for learning are also discussed as vital elements for effective teaching.
The seventh-ranked podcast, "How to Group Students Effectively for Learning" (00:20:47) with Diane Snowball, explores the concept of flexible grouping. The hosts emphasise the need for teachers to group students based on their specific learning needs rather than fixed, long-term groups. This approach ensures that students receive targeted support and allows teachers to address their individual progress.
Finally, the sixth-ranked podcast, "Teaching Writing Effectively" (00:29:25) with Alan Wright, highlights the importance of teachers being writers themselves. Alan suggests that teachers can boost their confidence in teaching writing by nurturing their own writing skills. The discussion also covers modelling writing styles, co-constructing texts from mentor texts, and providing students with choice in their writing topics to empower and motivate them.
Throughout these podcasts, the hosts emphasise the significance of flexibility, choice, engagement, and meaningful learning experiences in education, all aimed at improving teaching practices and student outcomes.
In Episode 96 of the Teacher's Toolkit podcast, expert literacy consultant Sharon Callen and her team conduct a countdown of the top nine most listened-to episodes, and this time with a focus on the top five.
At number five is a discussion about 'Effective Literacy Teaching in High Schools' (00:00:30) with Misty Adoniou, with a focus on discipline-specific writing skills. The episode highlights the importance of addressing student motivation in writing and the need for professional learning for teachers in this area.
Number four on the list is an episode on the "Six Plus Traits of Writing," (00:06:42) emphasising the importance of teaching various writing traits beyond just structure, such as ideas, organisation, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. The hosts discuss how these traits enrich writing instruction and encourage students to excel in various forms of writing.
The third most popular episode is 'Differentiation: How Do We Achieve It' (00:13:18) with Rob Vingerhoets, highlighting the importance of providing every student with an entry point in learning tasks without setting a ceiling. The hosts discuss the value of flexible grouping and the significance of allowing students to learn from one another.
The second most listened-to episode is 'How to Teach Comprehension' (00:21:20) with Diane Snowball, emphasising the gradual release of responsibility in comprehension instruction and the integration of strategies, modelling, and active application by students.
Finally, the most popular episode is 'The Language Experience Approach', (00:25:43) again with Diane Snowball, a method for creating personalised and engaging reading materials based on students' shared experiences. This approach allows students to read and illustrate their materials, promoting vocabulary development and comprehension skills.
Throughout the episode, the hosts celebrate the valuable insights and contributions from their guests over the years and express gratitude to their listeners. The episode serves as both a reflection on the podcast's journey and a guide for future content.
Listen to the podcasts here: Episode 95 and 96
There are no reviews for this resource yet, why not write one?
Report a problem
Please log in to report a problem with this resource
