Summary
In this episode of Chalk Dust, Rebecca Birch and Dr Nathaniel Swain are joined by Jo-Anne Dooner and Geoff Ongley from Get Reading Right, Training 24/7 and Learning 24/7. The conversation explores how high-quality, knowledge-rich literacy instruction can be made accessible at scale — including in remote and international contexts.
Using training videos rather than live classroom footage, Jo-Anne models a structured morning routine designed to build factual knowledge, grammatical metalanguage, and sentence construction over time. The episode unpacks how deliberate instruction in parts of speech, schema-building, chanting, live scribing, and gradual release culminates in a “quarantined” writing lesson with a clear end in mind.
The discussion moves beyond classroom technique to the broader question of instructional coaching and teacher development. Rebecca and Nathaniel reflect on the importance of showing teachers what excellence looks like, especially in contexts where high-quality modelling is scarce. The episode closes with a powerful example from Fiji, where the implementation of morning routines has contributed to renewed student engagement and school attendance.
Mentioned Resources and Explainers
Knowledge-Rich Curriculum (E.D. Hirsch; Natalie Wexler)
Jo-Anne references the importance of background knowledge in writing. The idea is that students struggle to write not because of grammar deficits alone, but because they lack facts and schema to draw upon. Morning routines are used to deliberately build that knowledge base.
Morning Routine
A 30-minute daily session focused on explicitly teaching factual knowledge, vocabulary, grammar metalanguage, and oral rehearsal. Knowledge is built cumulatively across the week and displayed on a “schema poster” for later retrieval in reading and writing lessons.
Schema Poster
A cumulative anchor chart that captures key facts from the week’s learning. Built gradually and used as a scaffold for writing, encouraging note-taking rather than copying.
Metalanguage
Explicit teaching of grammatical terminology (subject, predicate, clause, verb, preposition). Jo-Anne argues that young students can handle sophisticated metalanguage if it is taught deliberately and consistently.
Live Scribing and Think-Aloud
Modelling the writing process in real time, narrating decisions about capitals, spacing, verbs, and punctuation. This makes cognitive processes visible and reduces guesswork for novice writers.
Gradual Release Across the Week
Monday–Tuesday: teacher modelling and repetition
Wednesday: partner talk
Thursday: small-group rehearsal
Friday: independent oral rehearsal in full sentences
Takeaways
High-quality literacy teaching begins with clarity about the final product and works backwards from there.
Students benefit from explicit knowledge-building before being asked to write.
Metalanguage is not beyond young learners when taught deliberately and repeatedly.
Live modelling and think-aloud reduce cognitive overload and make writing processes visible.
Repetition across the week builds fluency, confidence, and independence.
Instructional coaching is more powerful when teachers can see and analyse excellent models.
Structured routines can be adapted and scaled internationally, supporting teachers who may not have access to formal training.
Knowledge-rich instruction builds not just skill, but motivation and engagement.
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Keywords
knowledge-rich curriculum, morning routine, structured literacy, metalanguage, schema building, explicit instruction, live scribing, gradual release, instructional coaching, literacy block, modelling, professional learning, global education, evidence-based teaching
