Chalk Dust

• Episode 3: Running the Secondary Room

  SummaryIn this episode of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Nathaniel Swain explore effective teaching practices in secondary education, focusing on engagement strategies; the importance of chess for listening and thinking; and the application of self-determination theory. They discuss the significance of structured lesson plans, guided note-taking, and fostering student participation. The conversation emphasises the need for flexibility in lesson structure and the value of collaborative planning in enhancing student learning. In this conversation, Nathaniel and Rebecca discuss various teaching strategies, focusing on the importance of checks for listening (CFLs), checks for understanding (CFUs), and checks for thinking (CFTs) and how they enhance lesson quality. They explore the application of knowledge in real-world contexts, the significance of critical thinking, and the link between instruction and student engagement. The hosts also address the importance of creating a safe environment for student participation and the dynamics of teacher presence in the classroom. The conversation concludes with insights on effective pair shares and the rationale behind cold calling students to foster engagement and learning.Mentioned resources and explainersAERO (Australian Education Research Organisation)The Australian Education Research Organisation supports schools and teachers by providing evidence-based resources, video libraries, and research to improve teaching practice. Melissa’s lesson comes from their publicly available classroom video collection.Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) EDI, developed by John Hollingsworth and Silvia Ybarra, is a structured, teacher-led instructional model. It includes clear learning intentions, worked examples, guided practice, and frequent checks for understanding. Rebecca and Nathaniel highlight how Melissa’s lesson uses EDI principles like modelling, providing a rationale, scaffolding, and high student response rates.TAPPLE Framework A core routine within EDI for checking understanding. Teachers present information (Teach), ask a question (Ask), pause to allow thinking (Pause), select a student (Pick), listen to the response (Listen), and provide immediate feedback or clarification (Effective Feedback). More here.Self-Determination Theory (SDT) A framework for understanding motivation developed by Deci and Ryan. It identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as basic psychological needs. Rebecca explains how providing a rationale for learning supports students’ sense of autonomy, increasing motivation and engagement. More here.Cold Call A technique where the teacher calls on any student to answer, ensuring all students are accountable for learning. Nathaniel explains how Melissa uses cold call after pair shares to maximise participation while keeping psychological safety high. See here for an article on how to even supports voluntary participation.Checks for Understanding (CFU) Frequent, intentional questions that allow teachers to gauge student understanding in real time and make adjustments. Nathaniel and Rebecca outline how Melissa uses multiple forms of CFU: checks for listening, checks for understanding, and checks for thinking.Listen or view, and support our work📨 Substack — sign up🍏🎧 Apple Podcasts — like, review and follow🎵💚 Spotify — follow and rate📺🔔 YouTube — subscribe and like✍️ Rebecca’s Substack — read more✍️ Nathaniel’s Substack — read moreTakeaways* Engagement strategies are crucial for effective teaching.* Learning intentions should be clearly communicated to students.* Self-determination theory highlights the importance of autonomy and competence.* Lesson structures can vary but should include core principles.* Guided note-taking helps students organise their thoughts.* Encouraging student participation enhances learning outcomes.* Incorporating checks for understanding improves lesson quality.* Real-world applications enhance student engagement and learning.* Critical thinking can be prompted through effective questioning.* Maintaining energy and structure keeps students focused.* Collaborative planning can ease teacher workload.* Immediate feedback allows for real-time adjustments in teaching.* Creating a safe environment encourages student participation.* Cold calling can be an effective strategy for engagement.Keywordseffective teaching, secondary education, student engagement, learning intentions, self-determination theory, lesson structure, guided note-taking, student participation, classroom strategies, collaboration, education, teaching strategies, checks for understanding, critical thinking, student engagement, lesson planning, classroom dynamics, teacher presence, collaborative teaching, immediate feedback This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chalkdust.media

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• Episode 1: From CfU to CfQ

  SummaryIn this episode of the Chalk Dust podcast, Nathaniel Swain and Rebecca Birch visit the classroom of Queensland primary school teacher, Rebecca Sloots, the first teacher to be featured on the Teach Like a Champion practice archive. By exploring checking for understanding (CfU) and checking for quality (CfQ), the hosts unpack effective teaching practices, focusing on explicit instruction, CFU techniques, and the importance of peer feedback. They explore how generative learning fosters deeper student engagement and discuss the unique challenges of applying explicit teaching strategies in humanities education. The conversation emphasises the need for responsive teaching and the value of questioning strategies that encourage multiple interpretations. The importance of addressing misconceptions is discussed, as well as fostering a culture of improvement, and the role of formative assessment in enhancing learning. The commentary points to the need for teachers to adapt their practices, embrace imperfection in the classroom, and set professional growth goals based on observed classroom dynamics.Mentioned resources and explainersTeach Like a Champion – Official site for Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion techniques. It provides an overview of this framework of effective teaching practices – a set of techniques and a shared vocabulary that help teachers achieve dramatic results in the classroom.Reading Reconsidered – Information on Reading Reconsidered, a practical guide to rigorous literacy instruction by Doug Lemov and colleagues. This resource offers clear, actionable strategies to help all teachers strengthen students’ reading skills – from tackling more complex texts and close reading, to building vocabulary and reading stamina – so that students become confident, independent readers. A variation on Beck and McKeown’s Questioning the Author reading comprehension and interpretation strategy is scaffolded for teachers in this book.Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) – Hollingsworth & Ybarra – Overview of the Explicit Direct Instruction teaching approach developed by John Hollingsworth and Silvia Ybarra. EDI is a highly structured, step-by-step method for delivering well-designed lessons, emphasising clear objectives, teacher modeling, guided practice, and continual checking for understanding to maximise student success. TAPPLE is a check for understanding protocol that is mentioned.Generative Learning – Explainer on generative learning theory, which encourages students to actively generate information and make connections between new material and their existing knowledge. It describes how strategies like summarising, teaching others, or drawing concept maps help learners engage deeply with content and create more durable understanding.Questioning the Author – Here is a recent post from Nathaniel on this very useful instructional approach for generating quality discussions about text. Devised by Margaret McKeown and colleagues, Questioning the Author involves asking initially broad and open-ended queries about what has been read, followed by more specific questioning to dive deeper into the author’s intentions.Checking for Understanding – Article on why teachers should continuously verify students’ understanding during lessons and how to do it effectively. It outlines techniques for real-time formative assessment – for example, probing questions (beyond yes/no), sampling multiple students’ responses, and using cold calling – so that instruction can be adjusted based on what students have or haven’t grasped.Cold Calling – Guide to the cold call technique, as popularised by Doug Lemov. This strategy involves the teacher calling on students unpredictably (rather than only volunteers) to answer questions. The article explains how cold calling keeps everyone attentive and accountable, normalises active participation from all pupils, and creates a more inclusive classroom where each student is expected to think and respond.Listen or view, and support our work📨 Substack — sign up🍏🎧 Apple Podcasts — like, review and follow🎵💚 Spotify — follow and rate📺🔔 YouTube — subscribe and like✍️ Rebecca’s Substack — read more✍️ Nathaniel’s Substack — read moreThanks for listening to Chalk Dust! Share this with a colleague!Takeaways* Teaching is both a science and an art.* Effective teaching requires analysing classroom practices.* Check for understanding techniques are essential for student learning.* Peer feedback enhances student engagement and accountability.* Generative learning allows students to create multiple responses.* Explicit teaching can alleviate workload, but has its limits.* Dialogic conversations are necessary for deeper understanding.* Questioning the author promotes multiple interpretations.* Responsive teaching can coexist with explicit instruction.* Openness to a range of correct answers is crucial.* Teachers should address misconceptions directly to enhance learning.* Creating a culture of improvement helps students feel safe to make mistakes.* Perfectionism in students can hinder their learning process.* Check for understanding (CFU) should be integrated into lessons.* Teachers need to be responsive to student needs during instruction.* Feedback should include positive reinforcement alongside areas for improvement.* Decluttering routines can lead to more effective teaching practices.* Setting specific goals for professional growth can enhance teaching effectiveness.* Engaging students in peer feedback fosters a collaborative learning environment.Thanks for listening to Chalk Dust! Share this with a colleague!Keywordseducation, teaching, classroom instruction, explicit teaching, peer feedback, generative learning, check for understanding, humanities education, teacher strategies, Chalk Dust podcast, education, teaching strategies, classroom management, student engagement, formative assessment, explicit instruction, teacher development, learning culture, feedback, instructional practices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chalkdust.media

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• Sneak Preview - Chalk Dust

  Dr Nathaniel Swain and Rebecca Birch are teaming up for a new podcast series where we break down real classroom footage to uncover what makes great teaching great. Each episode, we pause the play, slow things down, and analyse the moves teachers make—connecting them to the research on how students learn best.✨ Teaching is both an art and a science, and this podcast lives right at that intersection.🎧👀 When we launch in a few weeks’ time, you’ll be able to listen to the audio version (with audio from real classroom clips) or watch the full video to catch every visual detail.Our first teaser video is out now, featuring a sneak peek of an upcoming episode with powerhouse Principal Manisha Gazula from Marsden Road Public.Sign up to the Chalk Dust Substack to get notified the moment it's released—and don’t forget to share it with all the educators in your circle. 👇🎧Find Chalk Dust wherever you like to listen to podcasts.✨Apple PodcastsSpotifyYouTube This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chalkdust.media

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