The Structured Literacy Podcast
Hi there, I'm Jocelyn Seamer. Teacher, former school leader, author, and all around cheerleader for teachers everywhere. Learning to read and write is a matter of social justice. Every child deserves to learn through evidence informed practices, and every teacher deserves to be fully supported to make that happen.The Structured Literacy Podcast goes beyond the program to get to the heart of what it's really like to build a structured approach to literacy across the school.
Episodes
161 episodes
S7 E9 - Why We Should Keep the Early in Early Childhood
In this episode, Jocelyn pushes back on all-day, scripted, tightly paced instruction in Foundation to Year 2 while defending responsive, teacher-led explicit instruction as essential for learning across the curriculum. She explains why young ch...
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Season 7
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Episode 9
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31:57
S7 E8 - Why Your Spelling Approach Might Be Working Against You (Part 2)
The fastest way to make spelling instruction fail is to assume every student is starting from the same place. They are not and your planning shouldn’t pretend they are. I’m getting practical about what to do with the real mix of spellers sittin...
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Season 7
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Episode 8
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23:07
S7 E7 - Why Your Spelling Approach Might Be Working Against You (Part 1)
Spelling is not a side quest. When it isn’t automatic, it quietly steals the working memory students need for ideas, sentence craft, and clear argument, especially in upper primary and the early secondary years. If you are seeing capable studen...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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26:12
S7 E6 - Practical Steps When Grouping for Phonics
We map out a practical path to targeted phonics that lifts every learner. We define instructional precision, show how to gather the right data, and share a step-by-step launch plan that works in real schools with limited adults.• clarif...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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27:24
S7 E5 - What Does the Research Actually Say About Grouping Students for Phonics?
We challenge the assumption that whole-class phonics with a little extra is the most effective route and explore why targeted Tier 1 grouping often delivers stronger gains. Using cognitive load theory and intervention research, we show how matc...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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24:17
S7 E4 – The Top 5 Mistakes We Make When Using Decodable Texts
We unpack how to use decodable texts with precision so beginners practise the code instead of guessing. We share the biggest mistakes schools make, how to spot readiness to transition, and a staged text diet that blends decodables with rich lit...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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24:52
S7 E3 - What Does Research Really Say About Decodable Texts?
In this episode, we weigh the current research on decodable and leveled texts, separate durable findings from weak claims, and explore which research findings we can confidently base decisions on. Some of the research focus explored in...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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24:58
S7 E2 - The Top 5 Ways to Ensure Reading Success in Years 3 to 6
We share five evidence-informed moves to boost reading in Years 3–6, from language-rich talk and explicit code knowledge to partner reading and smart text selection. We close with practical ways to thread reading through science, history, and g...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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21:11
S7 E1 - The Three Critical Questions Your Students Are Silently Asking You
In this season opener of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelyn argues that before any real learning can happen, students need answers to three unspoken questions: Do you like me? Are you going to help me? Can I trust you? Drawing on brain sc...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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16:42
Summer Series - The Key to Successfully Implementing a New Program in Your School
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeJoin us on the Structured Literacy Podcast as we unpack the critic...
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Season 6
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Episode 32
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21:24
Summer Series - Keeping Your Team's Bus on the Road When Onboarding New Staff
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn addres...
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Season 6
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Episode 31
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14:54
Summer Series - When Repeated Reading Doesn't Work
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeRepeated reading doesn't work for all students because fluency iss...
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Season 6
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Episode 30
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15:13
Summer Series - Are Comprehension Strategies Still a Thing?
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn today's episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, we explore ...
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Season 6
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Episode 29
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18:06
Summer Series - How to Maintain High Engagement in Low Variance Instruction
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn today's episode, I discuss how you can maintain high student en...
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Season 6
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Episode 28
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21:26
Summer Series - Tracking Reading Growth Without a Benchmark Assessment
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn this week's episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, I addre...
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Season 6
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Episode 27
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15:16
Summer Series - What Goes into a Great Text-Based Unit?
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn this week's episode, I share some of my secrets for writing and...
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Season 6
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Episode 26
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14:56
Summer Series - Do Nonsense Words Have a Place in Upper Primary?
What is the Summer Series?A collection of listener favourites from the Structured Literacy Podcast to get you prepared for 2026.Today's EpisodeIn this week's episode, we're going to talk about how Nonsense words pla...
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Season 6
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Episode 25
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16:54
S6 E24 - 98 and ¾ Percent Guaranteed: Our Collective Commitment to Every Student
The difference between curiosity and commitment can make or break a literacy journey. We close our sixth season by drawing a clear line between being interested in structured literacy and being devoted to outcomes for every student, then map ho...
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Season 6
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Episode 24
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16:53
S6 E23 - Text Complexity: It’s About So Much More Than Levels
This episode explores how to select rich texts for comprehension instruction by moving beyond traditional levelling systems. Jocelyn introduces four dimensions of text demand to help teachers find the "Goldilocks spot" - texts that challenge st...
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Season 6
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Episode 23
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16:23
S6 E22 - When Comfort Steals Confidence – The Unintended Consequences of PowerPoints
This podcast episode argues that while PowerPoints became widespread during COVID and helped reduce teacher cognitive load, over-reliance on them can hinder teachers' development. The key takeaway: if we are removing all obstacles, how ar...
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Season 6
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Episode 22
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20:28
S6 E21 - Why Exposure is a Poor Substitute for Learning
The word exposure gets thrown around a lot in schools, especially when a student is behind in phonics or spelling. In this episode, Jocelyn takes a hard look at that belief and explains why presence in a lesson is not the same as learning, part...
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Season 6
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Episode 21
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16:12
S6 E20 - A Simple Way to Make School Improvement Stick
School leaders and teachers constantly face the challenge of turning great ideas intolasting change. In this episode of the Structured Literacy Podcast, Jocelynshares a practical, simple strategy to keep school improvement initiatives
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Season 6
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Episode 20
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21:32
S6 E19 - The Secret to Truly Universal Phonics Instruction (Part 2)
Tired of racing through content only to find the learning didn’t stick? In this episode, we take a hard look at the final 5 factors that truly drive universal success in phonics and early reading, moving from admirable intentions to instruction...
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Season 6
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Episode 19
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16:43
S6 E18 - The Secret to Truly Universal Phonics Instruction (Part 1)
This podcast episode outlines the first five of ten critical factors for achieving universal student success in phonics instruction, emphasising that student outcomes, not surface-level metrics like training completion, are what truly matter.
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Season 6
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Episode 18
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23:43