Chalk Dust

Summary
In this episode of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Dr Nathaniel Swain are joined by Hannah Pointon, a Year 3/4 teacher at Woodstock School in Hamilton, New Zealand. Hannah shares how her school has moved towards structured literacy, structured maths, explicit teaching, and teaching behaviour as a curriculum in its own right.
Using early-year classroom footage, the episode explores how clear routines transform classroom life: lining up, entering the room, organising materials, whole-class reading, whiteboard responses in maths, and even collecting lunchboxes. Hannah shows how routines that look simple on the surface are deliberately taught, scaffolded, practised, and reinforced until they become calm, independent habits.
Across the conversation, the hosts reflect on the difference between reacting to chaos and proactively teaching the behaviours students need for learning, safety, and belonging. The result is a classroom that feels purposeful, warm, and highly structured — not because students are constrained, but because they know exactly how to succeed.
Mentioned resources and explainers
Structured literacyA systematic approach to teaching reading that gives students explicit instruction in the skills and knowledge needed for reading success.
Structured mathsAn approach to maths teaching that emphasises clear modelling, practice, fluency, and careful sequencing of foundational knowledge.
The Writing RevolutionA writing approach that supports sentence-level and paragraph-level instruction through explicit, carefully sequenced routines.
Teaching behaviour as curriculumThe idea that behaviour should not be assumed; it should be explicitly taught, practised, checked, and reinforced like any academic skill.
Entry routinesHannah’s students line up, enter in order, put shoes away, sit down, and begin handwriting. The routine is scaffolded early in the year so students gradually become independent.
Whole-class readingHannah uses routines such as tracking, echo reading, buddy reading, and self-reading to support fluency, accountability, vocabulary, and comprehension.
TrackersStudents use a piece of paper to follow the line of text as they read. Hannah prefers paper over rulers because it is quieter and supports focused tracking.
Whiteboard normsStudents practise answering on mini whiteboards, holding boards still, turning them together, and showing work even when unfinished. The routine supports participation and gives the teacher quick feedback.
Fluency in maths factsThe episode highlights the importance of students knowing basic facts automatically so they are not held back by cognitive load when learning more complex maths.
Pre-correctionNathaniel references Anita Archer’s principle: if you expect something, pre-correct it. Hannah’s routines show this in action by preventing predictable problems before they occur.
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Takeaways
* Behaviour needs to be taught explicitly, especially at the start of the year.
* Clear routines reduce the need for constant correction because students know what success looks like.
* Doing routines again is not punitive; it gives students another chance to practise correctly.
* Entry routines help students shift from playground energy into learning mode.
* Classroom organisation matters: simple systems for books, whiteboards, desks, and bags reduce friction.
* Whole-class reading can build fluency, vocabulary, focus, and accountability when routines are carefully taught.
* Echo reading supports expression, punctuation awareness, and fluent phrasing.
* Mini whiteboards are powerful only when the response routines are also taught.
* Maths fact fluency supports later mathematical understanding by reducing cognitive load.
* Strong routines create safety, belonging, and calm — not just more learning time.
Keywords
classroom routines, behaviour curriculum, explicit teaching, structured literacy, structured maths, whole-class reading, echo reading, reading fluency, tracking, mini whiteboards, maths facts, classroom organisation, entry routines, pre-correction, cognitive load, student safety, classroom belonging, primary teaching, Woodstock School, Hannah Pointon


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Summary
In this second part of their conversation with Adam Boxer, Rebecca Birch and Nathaniel Swain move from behaviour and presence into the micro-detail of questioning, participation, and formative assessment. Using a retrieval practice clip, Adam unpacks how tightly structured classroom talk—particularly through “name at end” questioning, deliberate wait time, and systematic student selection—ensures every student is cognitively engaged.
The discussion highlights how seemingly small choices in questioning routines shape accountability, attention, and the flow of classroom thinking. Adam reframes familiar ideas such as “cold call” and “no opt out” into more precise, actionable language, arguing that naming strategies clearly improve teacher implementation. The episode also explores “looping” as a formative assessment technique, where teachers return to students to probe understanding and track learning in real time.
Beyond technique, the conversation turns to subject knowledge, with Adam suggesting that while it matters, classroom control and participation structures are foundational. The episode closes with a broader reflection on professional learning, teacher buy-in, and the importance of giving teachers practical, effective strategies that genuinely improve classroom experience.
Part 1 (Episode 3) is below if you’re new to the pod and want to dive in here first.
Mentioned resources and explainers
Carousel Learning
Carousel Learning is Adam Boxer’s retrieval practice platform for students. It is designed to support retrieval and checking for understanding through structured classroom routines and digital tools.
Carousel Teaching
Carousel Teaching is the professional learning platform attached to Carousel Learning. It combines video exemplars, commentary, quizzes, and courses on specific aspects of classroom practice such as questioning, mini whiteboards, lesson starts, and behaviour management.
Teach Like a Champion
A widely used framework (and book!) for classroom techniques, including “cold call” and participation strategies discussed and critiqued in the episode.
‘Name at end’ questioning
A questioning technique where the teacher asks the question first, provides thinking time, and only then names the student. This maximises participation and ensures all students prepare an answer.
Looping
Adam’s preferred term for returning to a student after an initial response to reassess understanding, supporting ongoing formative assessment.
Takeaways
* Precise questioning routines—especially “name at end” with built-in wait time—ensure all students are thinking, not just those volunteering answers.
* Replacing broad labels like “cold call” with tightly defined techniques improves clarity and implementation for teachers.
* Formative assessment can be embedded in live classroom talk through strategies like looping back to students and probing partial understanding.
* Small instructional decisions, such as how a teacher responds to an incorrect or repeated answer, can reveal or obscure key diagnostic information.
* Strong classroom participation structures matter more than perfect subject knowledge, particularly for early career teachers.
* Teacher expertise develops through structured interaction patterns that reveal misconceptions and build understanding over time.
* Effective professional learning focuses on actionable techniques that reduce classroom friction and improve teacher experience.
* Teacher buy-in is often a response to prior poor professional learning; providing clear, effective strategies is the most reliable way to rebuild it.
* Naming and codifying techniques helps teachers see, remember, and apply them more consistently in practice.
* Even experienced teachers continue to refine their practice through close analysis of classroom footage and micro-level decisions.
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Keywords
Carousel Teaching, Carousel Learning, Adam Boxer, questioning strategies, name at end, looping, formative assessment, classroom talk, retrieval practice, participation, wait time, teacher presence, instructional coaching, professional learning, classroom routines


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Summary
In this special episode of Chalk Dust, Nathaniel Swain and Rebecca Birch sit down with Adam Boxer to explore the thinking behind Carousel Teaching’s new video library. Rather than simply showcasing polished classroom clips, Adam explains how the platform is designed to pair tightly curated footage with explicit professional learning, commentary, and guidance so teachers understand not just what works, but why. The conversation focuses on one deceptively small but powerful domain of classroom craft: behaviour, transitions, and teacher presence.
Using clips from Adam’s own classroom and from colleagues Abby and Jack, the episode examines how teachers can prevent disruption before it starts through eye contact, body positioning, clear instructions, visible scanning, and carefully calibrated countdowns. Adam argues that strong classroom culture is not built through friendliness or vague notions of “relationships” alone, but through clear routines, consistent expectations, and precise, replicable moves. Across the discussion, the hosts reflect on what makes video-based professional learning useful: the chance to see normal classrooms, normal friction, and the specific choices that make lessons run smoothly.
Mentioned resources and explainers
Carousel Learning
Carousel Learning is Adam Boxer’s retrieval practice platform for students. It is designed to support retrieval and checking for understanding through structured classroom routines and digital tools.
Carousel Teaching
Carousel Teaching is the professional learning platform attached to Carousel Learning. It combines video exemplars, commentary, quizzes, and courses on specific aspects of classroom practice such as questioning, mini whiteboards, lesson starts, and behaviour management.
Turnaround school
Adam explains that the Totteridge Academy (more here), where the videos were filmed, is not a selective or “startup” school built from scratch with ideal conditions. It is a turnaround school: a previously low-performing school that has significantly improved. This matters because the strategies shown are intended to feel achievable in ordinary school contexts.
Be seen looking
A technique Adam links to Teach Like a Champion. It is not enough for a teacher to scan the room; students need to know they are being scanned. Visible attention helps prevent disruption before it begins.
Anticipate triggers
A strategy for preventing predictable moments of chaos. For example, if the phrase “pack up” tends to trigger movement too early, the teacher structures instructions to avoid that premature response.
Break eye contact
One of Adam’s highly specific behaviour techniques. After giving a correction, the teacher does not linger, negotiate, or invite backchat; they break eye contact and move on, signalling certainty and preventing escalation.
Circulation and the “crab walk”
Adam challenges the idea that teachers should constantly wander while addressing the class. Instead, he argues that movement should be purposeful and timed carefully, especially during independent practice. His “crab walk” describes circulating while keeping the body square to as many students as possible and the eyes up, maintaining oversight of the room.
Metronomic and non-metronomic countdowns
The episode closes with a close look at countdowns. Adam distinguishes between evenly timed countdowns and flexible ones that adapt to the task. The key principle is that countdowns should preserve urgency while still being fair and achievable.
Takeaways
* Video-based professional learning is most useful when it is paired with explanation, commentary, and shared language about what teachers are seeing.
* Teachers benefit from seeing normal classrooms, including moments of friction and correction, not just idealised footage.
* Strong behaviour management is often proactive rather than reactive: positioning, scanning, timing, and clarity matter before correction is ever needed.
* “Relationships” are valuable in themselves, but they are not a sufficient explanation for orderly classrooms.
* Students do not behave simply because they like a teacher; clear routines, boundaries, and expectations still matter.
* Teacher presence is communicated through body position, eye contact, and visible monitoring as much as through words.
* Circulation is most effective when it is purposeful and timed well, rather than constant wandering during teacher talk.
* Precise strategy names such as “be seen looking”, “anticipate triggers”, and “break eye contact” make coaching and implementation more actionable.
* Countdowns can support pace and urgency, but they need to match the actual demands of the task.
* Excellent classroom routines balance warmth, fairness, and high expectations.

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Keywords
Carousel Teaching, Carousel Learning, Adam Boxer, classroom video library, professional learning, behaviour management, teacher presence, transitions, mini whiteboards, be seen looking, anticipate triggers, break eye contact, circulation, crab walk, countdowns, pace, classroom routines, instructional coaching, classroom craft, evidence-based teaching


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Summary
In this episode of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Dr Nathaniel Swain are joined by Jo-Anne Dooner and Geoff Ongley from Get Reading Right, Training 24/7 and Learning 24/7. The conversation explores how high-quality, knowledge-rich literacy instruction can be made accessible at scale — including in remote and international contexts.
Using training videos rather than live classroom footage, Jo-Anne models a structured morning routine designed to build factual knowledge, grammatical metalanguage, and sentence construction over time. The episode unpacks how deliberate instruction in parts of speech, schema-building, chanting, live scribing, and gradual release culminates in a “quarantined” writing lesson with a clear end in mind.
The discussion moves beyond classroom technique to the broader question of instructional coaching and teacher development. Rebecca and Nathaniel reflect on the importance of showing teachers what excellence looks like, especially in contexts where high-quality modelling is scarce. The episode closes with a powerful example from Fiji, where the implementation of morning routines has contributed to renewed student engagement and school attendance.
Mentioned Resources and Explainers
Knowledge-Rich Curriculum (E.D. Hirsch; Natalie Wexler)
Jo-Anne references the importance of background knowledge in writing. The idea is that students struggle to write not because of grammar deficits alone, but because they lack facts and schema to draw upon. Morning routines are used to deliberately build that knowledge base.
Morning Routine
A 30-minute daily session focused on explicitly teaching factual knowledge, vocabulary, grammar metalanguage, and oral rehearsal. Knowledge is built cumulatively across the week and displayed on a “schema poster” for later retrieval in reading and writing lessons.
Schema Poster
A cumulative anchor chart that captures key facts from the week’s learning. Built gradually and used as a scaffold for writing, encouraging note-taking rather than copying.
Metalanguage
Explicit teaching of grammatical terminology (subject, predicate, clause, verb, preposition). Jo-Anne argues that young students can handle sophisticated metalanguage if it is taught deliberately and consistently.
Live Scribing and Think-Aloud
Modelling the writing process in real time, narrating decisions about capitals, spacing, verbs, and punctuation. This makes cognitive processes visible and reduces guesswork for novice writers.
Gradual Release Across the Week
Monday–Tuesday: teacher modelling and repetition
Wednesday: partner talk
Thursday: small-group rehearsal
Friday: independent oral rehearsal in full sentences
Takeaways
* High-quality literacy teaching begins with clarity about the final product and works backwards from there.
* Students benefit from explicit knowledge-building before being asked to write.
* Metalanguage is not beyond young learners when taught deliberately and repeatedly.
* Live modelling and think-aloud reduce cognitive overload and make writing processes visible.
* Repetition across the week builds fluency, confidence, and independence.
* Instructional coaching is more powerful when teachers can see and analyse excellent models.
* Structured routines can be adapted and scaled internationally, supporting teachers who may not have access to formal training.
* Knowledge-rich instruction builds not just skill, but motivation and engagement.
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Keywords
knowledge-rich curriculum, morning routine, structured literacy, metalanguage, schema building, explicit instruction, live scribing, gradual release, instructional coaching, literacy block, modelling, professional learning, global education, evidence-based teaching


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Summary
In this Season Two opener of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Dr Nathaniel Swain unpack what it means to start the year “right” through classroom routines that are warm, efficient, and culturally responsive. Drawing on classroom videos from AERO, they analyse entry routines, explicit logistical instructions, and minimally invasive behaviour corrections (the look, gesture cues, deliberate pauses, proximity). Across primary and secondary examples, they emphasise that strong routines aren’t about cold compliance; they are about building trust, reducing chaos, and freeing up attention for learning. The episode closes with a useful tension: aiming high while avoiding performative perfectionism—being yourself, staying firm, and focusing on the active ingredients that make routines work.
Mentioned resources and explainers
AERO (Australian Education Research Organisation)
AERO provides evidence-informed guidance and classroom video libraries showcasing effective practice. In this episode, Rebecca and Nathaniel use several AERO clips as case studies for entry routines, instruction delivery, and behaviour support.
Entry routines
The predictable sequence for when students arrive: greeting, expectations, materials, and immediate settling. Strong entry routines reduce transition friction, increase time-on-task, and communicate calm authority without needing lots of talk.
Checks for Understanding (CFU) in routines
Quick prompts that verify students can repeat or enact steps (for example: “What’s the first thing?”) before movement begins. CFUs prevent students from wriggling and prematurely moving off, especially when there are multiple steps.
Nonverbal corrections
Low-disruption cues (a look, a hand signal, finger to lips, a pause) used mid-instruction to redirect behaviour without breaking lesson flow or escalating attention to the behaviour.
Proximity
A minimally invasive management move: the teacher continues teaching but shifts closer to off-task students. Done well, it communicates monitoring and support without public correction.
Circulation and scanning
The practice of “working the room” with purpose: pausing to scan, moving to hotspots first, keeping sightlines open, and avoiding turning your back on the class.
Cultural responsiveness: shame and psychological safety
The episode highlights that some corrections can inadvertently shame students. Subtle moves (pause, name + “thank you”, neutral tone) maintain belonging and reduce escalation—particularly important in contexts where shame has cultural weight.
Teacher presence
Visible leadership means being positioned well, monitoring, and signalling that learning is the priority. The discussion includes a practical nuance for early years settings where being physically at the students’ level can be appropriate.
“Strong Voice” (Teach Like a Champion)
Nathaniel links self-interruption and deliberate pausing to the idea that teachers can pause mid-sentence to signal “we’re not ready yet” without lecturing or escalating.
“Pastore’s Perch”
A positioning idea: standing at a room edge/corner can improve sightlines and scanning compared with standing in the middle. Rebecca names it explicitly and suggests it as a useful practical heuristic.
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Thanks for listening to Chalk Dust! Share with a colleague who enjoys evidence-informed teaching.
Takeaways
* Routines aren’t about being harsh; they create safety, predictability, and efficiency so learning can happen.
* Greeting at the door can do double duty: relationship-building plus immediate, calm expectation-setting.
* When instructions have multiple steps, holding movement until “when I say go” reduces chaos and keeps attention to the end.
* CFUs work beautifully for routines: brief recaps (“What’s first?”) prevent confusion before students transition.
* Nonverbal corrections protect lesson flow and psychological safety, particularly when students are sensitive to public attention or shame.
* Proximity is an underrated intervention: it redirects without stopping teaching or spotlighting a student.
* Scanning and circulation are expert skills that develop with practice and observation; novices often “look” without noticing what matters yet.
* Education support staff are most powerful when routines are genuinely shared and seamless, not “helper on request”.
* Teacher presence matters: being up, positioned well, and visible supports both behaviour and momentum—without needing to raise your voice.
* Starting the year well means balancing high expectations with authenticity; aim for strong active ingredients, not impossible standards.
Keywords
classroom routines, entry routines, behaviour management, nonverbal corrections, proximity, circulation, scanning, checks for understanding, teacher presence, psychological safety, culturally responsive practice, AERO classroom videos, explicit instructions, start-of-year teaching, education support collaboration


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chalkdust.media