Knowledge for Teachers

In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, host Brendan Lee sits down with Karen Robertson, national CEO of Life Ed Australia, to explore the escalating youth health crisis and the critical role of health literacy. Far from just kicking a ball around, modern preventative health requires a robust, evidence-backed approach.

Listeners will discover surprising data from the frontlines of education, including why 81 per cent of children aged two to five are already using the internet. Karen unpacks how to transition from traditional, fear-based warnings to a strength-based curriculum that builds critical thinking. Crucially, you will learn how Life Ed carries the load for time-poor educators, with research revealing that 89 per cent of teachers report significantly improved confidence in embedding wellbeing strategies post-visit.

Tune in for a thoughtful discussion packed with practical, research-grounded insights to help your students truly thrive.

 

You can connect with Karen:

Linkedin: @karen-robertson-mtc

Website: lifeed.org.au 

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this special follow-up to the popular episode with Dr. Kent Johnson and Andrew Kieta on the Morningside Model that Guarantees Two Years of Growth in One, host Brendan Lee draws out the practical learning science expertise of university lecturer Dr Russ Fox and MTSS leader Karina Stocker. This conversation bridges the macro principles of the Morningside model directly with the reality of the classroom through the lens of the Instructional Hierarchy.

Listeners will hear Karina and Russ break down how to spot the hidden "tool skills" that frequently block student progress in reading and mathematics. They challenge common misconceptions about explicit instruction, detailing why the "We Do" phase must be a dynamic, data-driven interaction to build accurate acquisition. Plus, they share how to transition students into fluency building by measuring the rate of correct responses rather than simple percentages.

If you’re keen to delve deeper into the key mechanisms behind the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction and more, then this conversation is essential listening.

Resources mentioned:

MorningsideAcademy.org

Ryan O’Donnell’s documentary about Morningside Academy: The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction

Thomas Gilbert’s Mathetics

S01E01 – Dr. Russ Fox on building relationships, routines and using reinforcers 

Trina Spencer: Learning How Learning Works Helps Teachers Teach 

Mastery Schools Australia

Brendan Lee: "Engineering the Aha! When Discovery Learning Actually Works"

Stocker, K. L., Fox, R. A., Swain, N. R., & Leif, E. S. (2024). Between the lines: Integrating the science of reading and the science of behavior to improve reading outcomes for Australian children. Behavior and Social Issues, 33(1), 504-531.

You can connect with Karina:

Linkedin

You can connect with Russ:

Linkedin

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

As teachers, we’ve all felt the frustration of watching a student fall through the cracks because the curriculum is moving faster than they are. We’ve all wondered: how do we actually catch them up without just ‘watering down’ the work?

In this episode, Brendan Lee is joined by Dr. Kent Johnson and Andrew Kieta from Morningside Academy. What makes this conversation so special is that it’s not just theory. Morningside has spent over 40 years in their Seattle lab school proving that these challenges have answers. They have essentially "cracked the code" on the most persistent problems we face in schools.

They dive into their world-renowned model of Generative Instruction, exploring how they use "Precision Teaching" to build effortless fluency and why they group students by achievement rather than age. You’ll learn why a student who is 100% accurate can still be struggling and how a "Money Back Guarantee" on student growth is actually possible when you engineer instruction with this much precision. This is a deep look at how we can stop "praying and spraying" our teaching and start giving every student the success they deserve.

Resources mentioned:

MorningsideAcademy.org

Morningside Summer Institute

John Dewey: How We Think

Lev Vygotsky

Michael Maloney

Israel Goldiamond

Tom Gilbert - Mathetics

Ogden Lindsley

Carl Binder

Owen White

Norris Haring

B.F. Skinner

Jerome Bruner

Fred Keller

Brendan Lee: "Engineering the Aha! When Discovery Learning Actually Works"

Ryan O’Donnell’s documentary about Morningside Academy: The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction

You can connect with Kent:

Linkedin

You can connect with Andrew:

Linkedin

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast we explore how to transform classroom outcomes using the science of behaviour. Brendan Lee chats with Dr. Kimberley Nix Berens, a scientist-practitioner and the founder of Fit Learning. Together, they unpack the role of behaviour science in education and why observable, measurable learning matters. You’ll hear why fluency—not just accuracy—is the true indicator of mastery, how precision teaching can transform the way we assess and respond to students, and why many common approaches to instruction fall short of producing lasting outcomes.

 

Kim also challenges some widely held assumptions, including the limits of discovery learning and the over-reliance on grades as meaningful measures of progress.

 

If you’re looking for practical, research-informed ways to sharpen your teaching and better support every learner, this episode offers a powerful new lens.

Resources mentioned:

https://fitlearning.com/

Blindspots by Kimberly Berens

The Technology of Teaching by B.F. Skinner

Theory of Instruction by Sigfried Engelman and Doug Carnine

The Standard Celeration Chart

The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction (Johnson, Street, Kieta and Robbins)

Program of International Student Assessment (PISA)

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

FitLite (and the FitLite Literacy model)

Scientist Educator Training Series 

You can connect with Kimberly:

Twitter: @KimberlyBerens5

Instagram: @drkberens

Linkedin

Website: https://www.drkimberlyberens.com/

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

 

About Kimberly 
Kimberly Nix Berens, Ph.D., is the Founder of Fit Learning and CEO of Fit Learning Online.  She co-created a powerful system of instruction based in behavior science and the Technology of Teaching, which has transformed the learning abilities of thousands of children worldwide. For more than 20 years, her system of instruction has produced at least one year’s worth of academic growth in only 40 hours of training.  Her learning programs effectively target such essential areas as early learning skills, basic classroom readiness, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, comprehension, inferential language, basic and advanced mathematics, logical problem solving, grammar, and expressive writing.  From her early beginnings in a broom closet at the University of Nevada – Reno, Dr. Berens has helped grow Fit Learning to an organization with centers located throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.  In her current role as CEO of Fit Learning Online, she focuses on increasing access for learners living in regions without a Fit Learning center. Dr. Berens is a frequent invited speaker and a contributor to many popular press publications such as Thrive Global, 74 Million, and Medium.  Her first book, Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them, was released in October of 2020.

In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, Brendan Lee is joined by Dr. Trina Spencer, a leading researcher in language and literacy and the co-developer of Story Champs. They dive deep into why oral language is the true, widely misunderstood foundation of reading comprehension. Dr. Spencer challenges the status quo of literacy instruction by unpacking why we absolutely shouldn't wait for skilled decoding before teaching comprehension.

Tune in as they explore:

Why the idea that academic language develops naturally is a damaging myth.

Why some students struggle despite strong phonics teaching

How just 30 minutes of explicit spoken language instruction daily can close the achievement gap.

Why expecting teachers to act as instructional designers is an unfair burden.

If you are looking for practical, evidence-based ways to boost your students' language skills without adding impossible workloads, this conversation is a must-listen.

Resources mentioned:

Story Champs

trinaspencer.com/

CUBED

DYMOND

MAP (Measuring Academic Progress)

Spencer, T. D. (2021). Ten instructional design efforts to help behavior analysts take up the torch of direct instruction. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14(3), 816-830.

Pamela Snow, Why the Big Six should actually be the Big Five.

Doug Peterson

You can connect with:

Twitter/X: @TrinaDSpencer2

Facebook

Instagram: @trinastoolbox/

Linkedin

Website: https://trinaspencer.com/

 

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

 

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: 
https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast