How does a large, busy school move from "islands of excellence" to a coherent, low-variance instructional model? In this episode, Brendan Lee sits down with staff from the Junior School of Trinity Anglican College, Albury— Simon Fairall (Deputy Principal - Junior School), Lauren Naldrett (Dean of Studies - Junior School) and Kirby McDonald (Classroom teacher and Practice and Pedagogy lead)—to unpack their multi-year journey into the Science of Learning.

We dive deep into how to manage teacher cognitive load by strategically sharing curriculum planning and resource development. The practical reality of navigating change management, moving from individual teacher flair to system-wide instructional coherence and how applying the instructional hierarchy and deliberate practice routines can fundamentally shift classroom engagement.

This conversation is a masterclass in building a culture where research-grounded practice and a deep sense of professional belonging go hand-in-hand.

Resources mentioned:

• Facts on Fire (by Dr Brian Poncy)
• La Trobe University
• AIS NSW Literacy Project

You can connect with Trinity Anglican College:

Instagram: @trinityanglicancollege/

Facebook: @TrinityAnglicanCollegeAlburyWodonga

Website: https://www.trinityac.nsw.edu.au/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, Brendan Lee is joined by Dr Haili Hughes. Haili is an Associate Professor at La Trobe University with over twenty years of experience leading secondary schools in England. They explore the realities of implementing evidence-informed instruction and how school leaders can avoid the lethal mutations that turn sound cognitive science into rigid compliance checklists.

Listeners will discover why the rise of AI actually makes a teacher's deep subject knowledge more critical than ever. Haili also breaks down the stark difference between awkward roleplay and highly effective instructional rehearsal. Finally, she explains why true teacher wellbeing is never about cake in the staffroom, but rather sensible systems and genuine professionalism. This is a must-listen for educators seeking practical and research-grounded strategies to drive real improvement.

Resources mentioned:

• Teaching WalkThrus
• Tant, Maddox & Phillipsi - The Science of Learning and Generative AI: A Guide for Secondary Teachers
• Jamie Clark's one-pager on problems and principles
• Direct Instruction videos
• Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction
• Coaching for Adaptive Expertise (Upcoming book)
• Doug Lemov - Teach Like a Champion
• Oak National shared resources
• Ochre Education shared resources
• EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) research on implementation and professional development
• AERO (Australian Education Research Organisation) classroom resources
• Resources from subject associations (such as the English Association, Historical Association, Royal Society of Physics and Royal Society of Chemistry)

You can connect with Haili:

Substack: @hailihughes

X / Twitter: @HughesHaili

Bluesky: @hugheshaili.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Haili Hughes

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

If your school's intervention system feels like an endless treadmill, this episode is a must-listen. Dr Sarah Brown (President of System Impact Consulting) and Dr Stephanie Stollar (Creator of the Reading Science Academy) join the podcast to dismantle the most common mistakes schools make with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

In this episode, you will learn why the MTSS pyramid is actually a map of school resources rather than a tool for sorting students. Stephanie reveals the dangers of the "screen to intervene" trap, explaining why we must evaluate core Tier 1 instruction before pulling kids into intervention groups. We also discuss why expecting teachers to overhaul their practice without structural support ignores the reality that adults go through an acquisition stage of learning too. Get ready to shift your focus from admiring the problem to taking definitive instructional action.

Resources mentioned:

• MTSS for Reading Improvement by Dr Sarah Brown and Dr Stephanie Stollar
• MTSS for Reading Improvement - Free Reproducibles
• Routines for Reading Results (upcoming second edition of Teaching Struggling and At-Risk Readers)
• Effective Universal Instruction book by Bradley C. Niebling, Kimberly Gibbons and Sarah Brown
• StephanieStollarConsulting.com
• System Impact Consulting

You can connect with Sarah:

Linkedin: @sarah-brown-ph-d-9177b516

Website: systemimpactconsulting.com

You can connect with Stephanie:

Twitter/X: @SStollar6

Facebook: @StephanieStollarConsulting

Linkedin: @stephanie-stollar

Website: stephaniestollarconsulting.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website:learnwithlee.net

Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/

Dr. Sarah Brown is a consultant and co-author of the books, Effective Universal Instruction, MTSS for Reading Improvement, and Routines for Reading Results. She empowers schools through her MTSS Data Academy. She’s served in a variety of educational roles, including Bureau Chief leading Special Education and MTSS implementation for Iowa, Special Education Director, Professional Learning Administrator, and School Psychologist. Dr. Brown is passionate about empowering systems to improve outcomes for every learner. She splits her time between the midwest and the southwest and her greatest accomplishment to date is toilet-training her cat, Oliver.

Stephanie is passionate about using MTSS as the framework for helping all students become skilled readers. She is the co-author of the books MTSS for Reading Improvement, Promoting Effective MTSS Implementation, Reading Assessment Done Right and Routines for Reading Results.

Stephanie is creator of the Reading Science Academy, co-creator of MTSS CollecAve, and serves on the boards of the Evidence Advocacy Center and the International MTSS Association.

Her past roles include Assistant Professor, Vice President of Professional Learning at Acadience Learning, and School Psychologist. Stephanie believes that supporting all educators to have deep knowledge about reading is foundational to high achievement for every student.

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast