Teacher Takeaway

In this episode, we speak with Kirby McDonald, a primary educator, numeracy leader and instructional coach from New South Wales, about what effective literacy instruction looks like in Years 5 and 6. Kirby unpacks the key elements of strong upper primary literacy blocks, including vocabulary, comprehension, background knowledge, explicit writing instruction and the impact of the Science of Reading. With a practical and research-informed lens, she shares how teachers and schools can make high-quality literacy teaching clear, consistent and achievable in real classrooms.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Tessa Daffern, Founding Co-director of Literacy Education Solutions and Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe University, to explore the science of spelling instruction and assessment. Tessa shares her journey in education, unpacks her innovative instructional framework that helps students analyse words through multiple linguistic lenses, and discusses how teachers can effectively assess and teach spelling using evidence-based approaches. We also examine emerging trends from updated CoSTEY and CoST data, practical implications for classroom practice, and where educators can access high-quality resources to strengthen spelling outcomes for students.

Recent Publications
Daffern, T. (2025). Spelling Assessment and Instruction: An ‘ART PhOrM’. In M. Quinn & B. Healy (Eds), Teaching writers – from apprentice to expert (Chapter 4). PETAA
Snow, P., Serry, T., Buckingham, J., Lorraine, H., Dinham, S., Charles, E., Weadman, T., Swain, N., Hiland, S., &Daffern, T. (2025). National and international monitoring of student literacy and numeracy attainment: The case for rigorous macro and micro analysis. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 0, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.70049

In this episode, we speak with Toni Hatten-Roberts about the growing impact of the Science of Learning and what it means for classrooms, teachers and school leadership. Drawing on decades of experience across education, Toni shares practical insights into evidence-informed teaching, cognitive science and how schools can create the conditions for deep and lasting learning.

In this episode of the Teacher Takeaway Podcast, we sit down with internationally renowned educator and researcher Andy Hargreaves to explore the future of teaching, leadership and educational change. Andy shares powerful insights on teaching as “repair work”, supporting teacher wellbeing, creating cultures of innovation and why protecting the humanity of education has never mattered more. Drawing on decades of global experience and his upcoming book Changing Teachers for Challenging Times, this conversation is both a challenge and a message of hope for educators navigating an increasingly complex world.

In this episode, we are joined by Lyn Stone, an educational linguist, author, and founder of Lifelong Literacy, to unpack the science of spelling instruction and what effective literacy teaching looks like in today’s classrooms. Lyn explores common misconceptions about how children learn to spell, the importance of encoding and orthography, and why traditional spelling lists and Friday tests often fail to lead to lasting learning. Drawing on more than three decades of research, writing, and collaboration with educators worldwide, she shares practical strategies teachers can implement immediately to deepen students’ understanding of how words are built, remembered, and connected through the English language.