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Audience: Leader

S3|E4: Transforming Teaching Through Catalyst with St Patrick’s Primary School

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Episode Overview

In this episode, we sit down with staff from St Patrick’s Primary School Bega, a school that has embraced the Catalyst initiative to transform teaching and learning. From instructional programs to leadership strategies, we explore how this school has aligned its practices to create a knowledge-rich, student-centered environment.

School-Wide Impact

  • Catalyst Learnings
  • How Catalyst has influenced school-wide practices.
  • Implementation of instructional programs: Reading Mastery, Spelling Mastery, InitialLit, and CMC supplemented with units developed in partnership with Ochre.
  • Emphasis on a knowledge-rich curriculum: Teaching deeper, not broader, while meeting outcomes.
  • Curriculum beyond DI Programs

School Routines & Behaviour

  • Creating Consistency
  • Aligning expectations around routines and behaviour.
  • Tools and strategies: Behaveability (Ian Luscombe), scripted routines

Teaching Practice

  • Teachers share their experiences and reflections on Catalyst’s impact.

S3|E3: Leading HITP from the classroom with Zoe Cawdron & Lauren Maher

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In this episode, CECG teachers Zoe Cawdron and Lauren Maher unpack the impact of Catalyst on their teaching practice, discussing:

  • Implementing effective classroom routines, attention signals, and engagement norms
  • Leading from the classroom through their Sharing Best Practice vocabulary presentation
  • Using assessment data to tailor instruction, support struggling readers, and extend learning opportunities

This episode offers practical strategies for educators seeking to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes through evidence-informed approaches.

S3|E2 High Impact Instruction with Dr Greg Ashman

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In this episode, Greg Ashman talks about: 

  • Clarendon College’s consistent record of high academic achievement 
  • The role of homework and study methods in supporting student success 
  • Insights into Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction 
  • How Cognitive Load Theory can inform classroom practice 
  • ‘Differentiation or Differentiated Instruction’ 
  • His PhD research in Instructional Design 
  • Inquiry Learning

Greg is Deputy Principal at Ballarat Clarendon College in Victoria, and the author of three books, including The Power of Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction. He also writes a popular Substack newsletter, Filling the Pail. This conversation offers practical insights for educators keen to apply evidence-informed strategies and deepen their understanding of how students learn best. 

Catalyst Knowledge Pack 4.0

Written by lenoxhill on .

Explore a carefully compiled set of articles, podcasts, books, and resources to strengthen your knowledge of instructional coaching models and structures, guiding you toward the best approach for your school.

S2|E7: Implementing, Scaling & Embedding Catalyst with Erin White and Lisa Buckland

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In this episode we learn about how the leadership team at St Mary Mackillop Catholic College in Canberra successfully implemented the components of Catalyst and scaled up for a two-campus school with over 2000 students. Erin White and Lisa Buckland share with us their insights about how they started their Catalyst journey and the importance of this work in the Secondary context, discussing what worked well and some of the challenges they faced along the way. We learn about where they prioritised, invested their time, supports and resources and how they keep momentum with over 200 staff. Everything shared has relevance for all school contexts, making this an interesting episode for all. 

S2|E6: English and Mathematics Primary Curriculum with Gillian Forrester and Jamie Kemp

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In this episode Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) Teaching and Learning Officers, Jamie Kemp and Gillian Forrester, talk about CECG’s Primary Mathematics and English curriculum and how to effectively implement the lessons and use the accompanying resources. They answer some frequently asked questions about the CECG Mathematics and English materials and outline the importance of a low variance, knowledge rich curriculum.

Catalyst Knowledge Pack 3.0

Written by lenoxhill on .

This curated collection of articles, podcasts, and webinars have been designed to deepen your understanding of the 8 Big Ideas and continue to improve education across the system.

S2|E4: High Impact Teaching Practice with Ingrid Sealey

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In this episode I chat with Ingrid Sealy, Director and founder of TeachWell. Ingrid brings to light many aspects of High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP). Her wealth of knowledge and experience is extensive in this area. Ingrid is a HITP instructional coach working with some of our schools through the Catalyst program. We discuss the following:

  • How TeachWell is supporting CECG
  • How teachers can use videoing to improve instructional practice, and why it is so effective
  • The most effective instructional strategies for teaching
  • The type of reviews and how their importance
  • The number one thing that leaders can do to improve instructional practice in schools
  • How HITP practices allow students to take ownership (agency) in their learning

Ingrid references the following people, websites, organisations and readings:

S2|E2: Direct Instruction with Jessica Colleu Terradas

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In this episode Jessica explains the difference between ‘big’ DI and ‘little’ di. She delves into the research behind Direct Instruction, dispelling the myths about DI. Jessica lists its key instructional features and talks about what makes a Direct Instruction program effective. We hear about her Churchill Fellowship research and about the time when she met with Engelmann’s sons. Jessica refers to many podcasts, books and research in this episode, which are listed below.

Resources and References mentioned during the episode:

S3E7: Kurt Engelmann and Bryan Wickman on Direct Instruction (DI)
  1. Clear teaching. With Direct Instruction, Siegfried Engelmann discovered a better way of teaching. Written by the American journalist Shepard Barbash in 2012, here
  2. The podcast ‘Progressively Incorrect’ Season 2 Episode 21 with Marcy Stein
  3. The podcast ‘Teachers change lives’ led by fellow Sharyn Angel (also CogLearn coach for CECG) who interviewed Engelmann’s twin sons during Jessica’s visit to the DI conference last July:
  1. The official website of the National Institute For Direct Instruction
  2. One of Engelmann’s best-selling book: teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons (resource for parents) here This is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read in 20 minutes a day.
  3. The theory of instruction: Principles and Applications by Engelmann and Carnine here. 400 pages to read if you wish to become an expert in designing DI programs/sequences.
  4. War against the schools’ academic child abuse where Zig declares war upon educational practices and systems that fail our students. here