Better Teaching: Only Stuff That Works

Elana Gordon is the fifth Goyen Fellow to join the podcast. Like the others before her, she is a knowledgeable and skilled educator who shares her expertise through videos, blogs, and a highly regarded podcast focused on literacy instruction from kindergarten through secondary grades.

X/Twitter:   Elana Gordon (@mommagordon2) / X

Substack:  @‌VoicesfromtheField

Podcast: The Road to Reading

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Autho...

In this episode teacher leader Laura Stam shares personal experiences in her journey to continual improvement in her teaching practice.

Laura also describes her experience of participating in an instructional coaching cycle for the first time.

Links:
X: @stamstam193
Facebook: @Mrs.Stam.2021

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first book? Murmuration Author...

In this episode Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath and I discuss his new book; Digital Delusion and the intersection of what science knows about how we learn and the impacts of technology on that learning.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jaredcooney

Website: https://www.lmeglobal.net

Book: The Digital Delusion

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science...

Dr. Olivia Mullins returns to the podcast to discuss her work teaching science with primary grade students. We discuss how she is using research in improving students' reading comprehension in the science lessons.

LInks: 

Website: https://www.science-delivered.org/

X: Olivia Mullins (@oliviajune82) / X

Substack: Olivia Mullins | Substack

LinkedIn: (1) Olivia Mullins | LinkedIn
Books: Amazon.com: Experimenting With Science: Think, Test, and Learn! (Dummies Junior): 9781119291336: Mullins, Olivia J., Ph.D: Books

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, a...

AJ Crabill explains that school boards should represent community values and set student outcome goals—not micromanage operations. Effective boards match words with actions by consistently monitoring learning data, while most fail by getting distracted from their core mission: ensuring children actually learn.

AJ Crabill serves as National Director of Governance at Council of the Great City Schools. He recently served as the Conservator at DeSoto (TX) ISD, as Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency, and as board chair of Kansas City (MO) Public Schools. The 3rd edition of his bestselling book, "Great On Their Behalf: Wh...

In this episode, a friend of the podcast Bart Hoffman, interviews Frank Rodriguez and Gene Tavernetti about their new book and the importance of being more intentional about how technology is used in schools. They discuss the challenges educators face in balancing digital tools with meaningful human interaction in learning environments.

Digital Captives: Helping Schools Strike a Balance Between Humans and Hardware, written by Frank Rodriguez, Donna Smith, and Gene Tavernetti, explores how schools can thoughtfully integrate technology while keeping teaching, learning, and relationships at the center.

See bios for the authors at the...

In this episode, I’m joined by Anjanette McNeely, an award-winning kindergarten teacher in Davis County, Utah, who is deeply committed to research-informed classroom practice. Anjanette focuses on translating educational research into practical strategies that help every student build strong foundations in literacy and mathematics.

She is LETRS-certified (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Instructional Design. In addition to her classroom work, Anjanette has served as a literacy coach and curriculum writer. She is currently a Goyen Literacy Founda...

In this episode, veteran school leader Joey Davis pulls back the curtain on the path to the principalship — and the reality of serving as “middle management” in today’s schools. We talk candidly about the highs, the hard days, and the constant balancing act between district expectations and supporting teachers and students.

Links:

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram: mrwjdavis

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmur...

In this episode, Dr. Sarah Oberle and Mitch Weathers join the conversation to explore the critical role of executive functions in early learning — and why they matter so much for young students. We discuss how skills like self-regulation, organization, and cognitive flexibility lay the foundation for long-term academic success.

We also dive into their new book, Executive Functions for Every K–3 Classroom: Promoting Self-Regulation for a Strong Start and unpack practical strategies teachers can use immediately to support students in developing these essential skills.

X/Twitter: 
Sarah: Sarah Oberle, Ed.D. (@s_oberl...

In this episode, Gene interviews Blake Harvard, Blake discussed his new book: Do I Have Your Attention: Understanding Memory Constraints and Maximizing Learning and what he teaches his students about learning.

01:36 Festival of Education and Presentation Highlights

06:25 Understanding Memory Constraints

07:45 Strategies for Effective Teaching

09:46 Application of Cognitive Psychology in the Classroom

13:57 High Expectations and Student Motivation

17:57 Practical Techniques: Brain Book Buddy Model

27:49 Pre-Service Teacher Advice

Rod made the move back to the classroom after years as a leadership and instructional coach. In this episode, he reflects on the surprises of returning to teaching—and how his experiences beyond the classroom shaped his transition. We talk specifically about how he has changed his writing instruction and his emphasis on student dialogue.

Resources:

The Literacy Cookbook (Sarah Tantillo)

literacycookbook.com/about-us.php

Inside Teaching: How Classroom Life Undermines Reform (Mary Kennedy)

Follow Rod on:

X/Twitter:  Rod (@rodjnaquin) / X

LinkedIn: (1) Rod...

Weston Kieschnick and I discuss teaching, coaching, leadership, relationship building, parenting, and the heavy burden of being funniest person in his family. This was a fun conversation with a great educator and a great guy.

X: Weston Kieschnick (@wes_kieschnick) / X

LinkedIn:  (1) Weston Kieschnick | LinkedIn

Facebook:  (3) weston kieschnick

Website:  https://westonkieschnick.com/

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mar...

Dave McAlinden is an instructional designer at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. In this episode, we start by clarifying a question many educators have: What does an instructional designer actually do? If you’ve ever taken an online course, you’ve already experienced the impact of instructional design—whether you realized it or not.

You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn: (2) Dave McAlinden | LinkedIn
Feel free to reach out—Dave enjoys engaging with educators and talking through ideas about teaching, learning, and instructional design.

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell R...

Lauren Brown and I discuss how social studies and history instruction shifts and deepens as students grow, mature, and develop a greater capacity for understanding over time.

Lauren hosts podcasts on teaching US History. Folks can also find the registration link on my Substack, on the Teacher Resources page. or here: Teaching U.S. History with Meaning

There will be 2 left when this podcast airs:

Thurs. Jan 22 - Using Themes & Stories to Make History Come Alive

Thurs. Jan 29 - Short, Powerful Writing Activities to Reinforce Learning

Both...

Dr. Carl Hendrick is known throughout the world for his expertise in the science of learning. In addition to publishing numerous articles, he has co-authored two books How Learning Happens and How Teaching Happens in which he shares the most impactful research on this topic.

In this episode he shares what he believes is the most important information that all teachers should know about how students learn but is still not being taught in many schools of education. He also has some advice for teachers about some things they can safely stop doing.

Links:
...

Joe Finch is a 5th grade teacher in Kelseyville, California. Joe is committed to the teaching profession and truly desires to improve his craft. In this episode he describes how he discovered the science of learning in his search to improve and how he developed his own professional development program.

X:  Joe Finch, M.S. Ed. (@mrjfinch) / X

Substack: Joe Finch | Substack

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

In this episode Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath and I discuss his new book; Digital Delusion and the intersection of what science knows about how we learn and the impacts of technology on that learning.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jaredcooney

Website: https://www.lmeglobal.net

Book: The Digital Delusion

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science...

Karen Vaites is well-known as a literacy advocate. In this episode we discuss the Southern Surge, the Mississippi Miracle, and the Louisiana and Tennessee increases (sorry no alliterative descriptors) in literacy scores.

Episode Links:
X: Karen Vaites (@karenvaites) / X

Karen Vaites | Substack

Curriculum Insight Project | Substack

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your...

Two teachers, one middle school and one elementary, share how they have made writing instruction a priority. Josie Wozniak and Kimberly Voge are avid users and proponents of EduProtocols to support their writing instruction. In this episode they share how students are able to write more. But more importantly, how the students take more responsibility for improving their writing.

Twitter: @‌ms_woz @kvoge71

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-voge-662b905b/

Facebook: (5) Facebook

(5) EduProtocols Community | Facebook

Instagram: @‌jwoz_teaches @‌hermajestyvoge

Bluesky: @‌jwoz-teaches.bsky.social

Tik Tok...

The process of deciding which High Quality Instructional Materials to adopt is not as straight forward as it might seem. There are good options, and there are good teachers with varying opinions. 

Kelly Harkins, Supervisor of Elementary English Language Arts, describes her district’s two different processes for selecting two different ELA curricula.

Facebook: The Reading League Delaware

Website: the reading league Delaware

Reading League Delaware Memberships 2025

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of...

In this episode with Doug Lemov we discuss how teachers can support reading fluency and literacy beyond the early grades. Doug also describes his work with professional sports teams helping the coaches be more effective teachers. And much, much more!

Books:

The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading

The Coach's Guide to Teaching

Teach Like a Champion 3.0

X: Doug Lemov (@doug_lemov) / X

LinkedIn: Doug Lemov | LinkedIn

Website:  http://teachlikeachampion.org

This podcast sponsored by:

T...

Enjoy another installment of Thinking Out Loud with Zach Groshell. In this episode, Dr. Groshell and I discuss how to begin when providing support to teachers. Both Zach and Gene currently work in schools supporting teachers in their quest to be their best for students.

Dr. Zach Groshell is the host of the popular podcast Progressively Incorrect and the author of:

Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching

Dr. Gene Tavernetti is the author of:

Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles

Teach...

In this episode, Gene Tavernetti speaks with Linda Rhyne, award-winning educator and owner of Rhyne Consulting. They discuss the changing landscape of literacy education, instructional coaching, and practical strategies for supporting teachers. Linda shares her vast experience in teaching, literacy coaching, and district-level instructional support, providing actionable insights for educators and coaches.

00:00 Introduction

01:21 Science of Reading

01:40 Role and Experience as a Literacy Coach

04:32 Transition to Instructional Coaching

06:39 Responding to Change in Literacy Practices

20:45 Transparency and Trust in Coaching

30:26 Challenges and Strategies in Coaching

<...

Faith Howard knew something had to change. As a Literacy Specialist, in her school district she wasn’t making the impact she knew was possible. With the support of her administration, Faith reimagined her role and launched a “Literacy Lab” — a space designed to emphasize the SOR principles in targeted literacy intervention and instruction. In this episode, Faith shares how the Literacy Lab came to life and offers practical strategies teachers can use to strengthen Tier 1 instruction in their own classrooms. 

Facebook: Literacy Lab with Faith

Substack: Faith Howard | Substack

YouTube C...

Al Borges has coached football at the highest levels of the college game. In this episode, he talks about how great coaching is really just great teaching. You’ll hear familiar ideas—like managing cognitive load, respecting the learning hierarchy, and using retrieval practice to make learning stick. Al even shares how he adjusted his teaching for players with different skill levels.

X: (1) Al_Borges_Burner (@freddyteee83) / X

Books:

Deny of the Tiger The story behind the undefeated SEC Champion Auburn Tigers, who were denied the opportunity to play for the BCS National Cham...

After recently retiring from Frederick County Public Schools, where she played a key role in advancing evidence-based instruction, Meg Lee has joined forces with her longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Jim Heal, to launch Learning Science Partners. Their organization is dedicated to supporting school districts committed to implementing evidence-informed practices that enhance teaching and learning.

In this episode Meg shares organizational insights into making it all happen.

Episode Links:
X: Meg Lee (@megvertebrae) / X

LinkedIn: (1) Meg Lee | LinkedIn

Website: LSP

Edutopia: Solidifying Core Concepts With Examples...

Kent Wetzel and I dive into some of the nitty-gritty of implementing the Science of Learning in a large school district.

The district made deliberate choices to avoid the pitfalls that had undermined past initiatives. Thanks to proactive steps taken earlier, it was also able to leverage state legislation to strengthen and sustain its efforts to embed evidence-based practices.

Twitter: (2) Kent Wetzel (@kentwetzelfcps) / X

LinkedIn: Kent Wetzel | LinkedIn

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning...

Vida John is a math coach who helps students prepare for math competitions. I was excited to chat with Vida because the entire world of math competitions is new to me.

Vida discusses how math competitions can benefit all students regardless of grade level.

Contact and follow Vida at:

LinkedIn: @VidaJohn

YouTube: Math Problem Solving Skills

Website: Vida John Tutoring

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning...

Dr. Sarah Oberle discusses her research on the wider implementation of the Science of Learning and its influence on her classroom and teaching methods.

Links:
X: @‌S_Oberle

BlueSky: Sarah.Oblerle@bluesky.social

LinkedIn: Sarah Oberle, Ed.D.

In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Zach and I dive into what he’s learned during his first full year of consulting.

Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, instructional coach, or independent consultant, Zach’s reflections — and the successes he’s experienced — offer a thought-provoking framework for building stronger collaboration and driving better student outcomes at your schools.

Links:
Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching

Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing ne...

Over the course of his 38-year career as a high school social studies teacher, Ed Cabrera has led passionate student discussions through 10 presidential elections, impeachments, 9/11, controversial wars, presidential assassination attempts, all while maintaining political neutrality.

In this episode Ed discusses his guidelines for leading passionate classroom discussions on controversial topics.

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

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Dr. Sachdeva and I have a wide-ranging conversation about the Science of Learning and how that information might be disseminated to all educators more quickly.

Links:
Substack: The Science of Learning | Jim Hewitt | Substack

X: Nidhi Sachdeva, PhD (@nsachdeva2019) on X

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-sachdeva-toronto/

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to...

Dr. David Griffith is the Associate Director of Research at the Thomas B Fordham Institute. In this episode we discuss the results of a recent study he conducted and reported on about “Equitable” Grading Through the Eyes of the Teacher.”

21:46.9

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

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In this episode, Gene Tavernetti talks with Dr. Jana Lee, an expert in data-driven educational practices and inclusive teaching. The discussion delves into effective data utilization, the importance of microdata, and best practices for both general and special education. Learn how to enhance professional learning communities (PLCs) and the significance of responsive teaching.

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first...

In this episode Dr. Olivia Mullins describes the work she and her non-profit, Science Delivered, is doing to deliver science lessons to early elementary students. She discusses the challenges of delivering high quality science instruction when time for science instruction is scarce.

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first book? Murmuration Author Services is your friend and coach for this...

In this episode, reading specialist Laura Patranella shares the challenges and successes she’s experienced as both a classroom teacher and reading specialist, highlighting her work to improve literacy skills for all students and her journey with the Science of Reading.

Laura Patranella (@laurapatranella) / X

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first book? Murmuration Author Services is your fr...

Marcie Samayoa is a high school science teacher from Los Angeles, CA with nearly a decade of classroom experience. She is very passionate about bringing evidence-based practices into the classroom.

Through her blog, Scientists in the Making, she shares practical strategies that integrate the science of learning with science instruction. She recently presented at ResearchEd New York, and will be presenting at RearchED Denver in September.

X: Ms. Sam (@sciinthemaking) / X

Blog:  http://www.scientistsinthemaking.com

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, t...

In this episode, I sit down with education reformer Robert Pondiscio and make an unsuccessful attempt to convince him that we should be the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of education reform. Evidently, he has plenty ideas of his own.

X: Robert Pondiscio (@rpondiscio) / X

Email: Robert.Pondiscio@aei.org

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your...

Kyair Butts, Baltimore City Public Schools Teacher of the Year, discusses improving literacy in the middle grades and a successful low-cost professional development program that teachers enjoyed and employed.

Follow Kyair and his students in action at on:

X: @kyairb 

Instagram: @MrK_bcpss

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first book? Murmuration Author S...

Mike Schmoker, educator and best-selling author, speaks from decades of experience as he details the three most important areas school musts Focus on to get Results. (Caps and pun intended.)

Get in touch with Mike through his website here. 

This podcast sponsored by:

The Bell Ringer, a weekly newsletter providing news, tools, and resources on the science of learning, written by education reporter Holly Korbey. Subscribe here.

Murmuration Author Services by Mark Combes. Looking to write your first book? Murmuration Author Services is your friend and coach for this journey. L...