The Lost Blueprint of Learning
What if the reason your lesson didn’t land had nothing to do with engagement and everything to do with how it was designed? Drawing on Tiemann and Markle (1983), this article unpacks a powerful but overlooked idea: not all learning is the same and neither is effective teaching. From facts and procedures to concepts and strategies, each type of learning demands a different instructional approach. When we get this wrong, students struggle. When we get it right, learning becomes far…
Engineering the “Aha!”: When Discovery Learning Actually Works
Most teachers have seen it happen. A student suddenly “gets it”. They solve a problem they’ve never been shown how to solve or make a connection you didn’t explicitly teach. It feels like discovery. Those moments are real. They just shouldn’t be accidental. This article explains why discovery learning sometimes works and often fails and how carefully sequenced instruction, fluency in component skills and deliberate task design make insight predictable rather than hopeful.
The Architecture of Attention
Great lessons fail when attention leaks. This article explains why routines are not admin tasks but instructional infrastructure and how well designed routines free up working memory, reduce friction and create the conditions for deep learning.
When Explicit Instruction Turns Robotic
Explicit instruction is often presented as a clean sequence of steps. In real classrooms, it rarely works that way. When teachers lack clarity about what to do next, fidelity turns into compliance and instruction becomes robotic. This article explores why resources alone are not enough, and why decision making and subject knowledge are the missing links.
Stop Guessing. Measure Your Maths Instruction.
Most maths improvement plans begin with good intentions and weak diagnosis. We assume we know what is happening in classrooms, then choose strategies to fix it. This piece argues that improvement starts somewhere else. Before deciding what to change, leaders need a clear way to describe and measure what is actually happening in maths lessons.
The Part of Explicit Instruction Most Teachers Get Wrong (and how to fix it tomorrow)
Many teachers believe they are doing guided practice when students sit close by or when the teacher shares the answer at the end. I used to be one of them. This short section shows what real support looks like and the simple check that prevents errors from sinking in.
The Essential Guide to Explicit Instruction in Mathematics
Mathematics learning is built on strong foundations. When students first encounter new concepts, they don’t need guesswork or open-ended exploration. They need clarity. They need structure. They need instruction that actually helps them learn the content the first time. This guide shows exactly how to do that through Show, Support, Step Back — a practical, research-informed framework for teaching in the acquisition stage. You will learn how to model new skills with precision, guide students through highly successful practice and…
The Effortless Illusion
Ever wondered why experts make hard things look easy? The “Effortless Illusion” hides the invisible effort behind mastery, tricking both learners and educators into underestimating how much practice it really takes. This article breaks down the cognitive biases that cause this illusion and offers practical tools like Fluency Pairs to help students build real fluency — step by step.
What Makes Practice ‘Intelligent’? Craig Barton on Getting More from Maths Tasks
Discover how Craig Barton’s concept of intelligent practice can transform maths teaching. Learn how small changes between questions build deeper thinking, and why one worksheet can stretch every student in the room.
What It Really Takes to Elevate Instruction
Discover how Templestowe Heights PS creates a culture where expert teaching thrives. This reflection unpacks five powerful principles that elevate instruction beyond the ordinary.
Good Tool, Wrong Time (Part 1): Why Great Strategies Sometimes Miss the Mark
We’ve all been there—a strategy that should work falls flat. The problem often isn’t the tool itself, but when we’re using it. In this post, I unpack four widely used teaching strategies—checking for understanding, novel problem types, timed practice, and small group work—and show how even good tools can fail without the right timing and purpose.
The Secret to Making Assessment Data Actually Useful
Are you using assessments to help students—or just to tick boxes? In this breakdown of my podcast with Dr. Matthew Burns, discover why most teachers misuse data, what assessments are actually for, and how to turn screening and progress monitoring into real instructional action.
Five Things Every Teacher Should Do
Dr. Carl Hendrick reflects on key insights he wished he’d known early in his teaching career to bridge research and practice. He emphasises the need for educators to embrace evidence, particularly from cognitive science, and apply concepts like retrieval practice, checking for understanding, and aligning curriculum with assessments. Hendrick cautions against the illusion of instruction, where engaging methods may not foster real learning. By recognising these principles, teachers can adapt their methods to enhance student achievement and foster deeper understanding…
A Practical Guide to Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports: Key Concepts and Classroom Strategies
Understanding and supporting student behavior is essential for teachers. Conversations with Dr. Brandi Simonsen highlight the importance of proactive approaches, linking behavior to academic performance and attendance. Key strategies include teaching routines, setting clear expectations, and using specific praise. A strong school-wide support system is crucial for effective behavior management.
Explicit Instruction: A Key to Learning, But Not the Whole Story
In education, we often get caught in debates where people talk past each other. Sides are taken, lines are drawn, and not much listening happens. One of those debates is around the idea that “education is more than just explicit instruction.” And I agree—but I also think there’s a missing piece in how we’re framing that conversation. That’s what I explore in this article.
Creating an Instructional Playbook
One of the biggest sources of frustration between teachers and school leaders is due to not having a shared understanding. Whether it’s about pedagogy, curriculum, or school expectations, if everyone isn’t on the same page, they may as well be speaking different languages. That’s where instructional playbooks come in. They provide a clear, structured way to align educators—getting everyone on the same page, both literally and figuratively!
When teaching maths… Instead of this, Do this
I’ve worked with a number of schools and teachers over the past few years and I have come across many common challenges and questions. So, I thought it might be useful to put together these infographics that break down what teachers need to stop doing and what to do instead when it comes to teaching maths.
The Gradual Release of Responsibility in Action
In this article, Brendan Lee unpacks the gradual release of responsibility. You’ll read about how he uses it in his lessons now and he addresses some of the misconceptions of it. You can even see videos of him using it in a lesson.
5 SIMPLE STEPS TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
The blog discusses Brendan Lee’s recent focus on applying the science of learning with schools and teachers nationwide. Key points for school improvement include: establishing and aligning a clear vision, prioritizing the primary focus, sequencing steps incrementally, ensuring teachers understand this focus concretely, and recognising the complexity in implementation. Emphasizing the importance of incremental progress and deliberate planning amidst school complexities, the post outlines five essential steps to effective school improvement.
Implementing a Behaviour Curriculum
The topic of school behavior is widely discussed, but can be a taboo topic within schools. It poses a significant barrier to learning and retention of teachers due to constant disruption. Studies show that time spent managing behavior is substantial, and disruptive classrooms affect student learning negatively. Implementing a whole school approach and a behavior curriculum is essential for creating a positive classroom culture and improving learning outcomes.
5 Key Principles for Teaching Primary Mathematics Effectively
Currently, there are a lot of misconceptions about how to teach primary mathematics effectively. In this post, Brendan Lee offers five research-informed principles for teachers to follow in order to improve student learning outcomes.
Gradual Release of Responsibility for Teacher Development
We know how valuable the gradual release of responsibility model can be for supporting our students’ learning, but why don’t we also do it for teacher development? This article looks at how we could transfer the approach to support teachers’ practising new techniques in the classroom.
A Systematic and Structured Approach to Teaching Primary Mathematics (Part 1)
This article looks at how we can take a systematic and structured approach towards teaching primary mathematics. In Part 1, Brendan Lee gives an overview of the Pre-Lesson Phase and the Daily Review Phase.
The Nuances Of Changing Teacher Behaviour
We can provide the best professional learning for teachers, but often it doesn’t change what they do in the classroom. In this post, I look at why changing teacher behaviour can be so difficult and what we can do about it.
How teachers have a finger in every pie, but no time to eat it
Currently, teachers are facing a major workload crisis. This article looks at the different types of knowledge needed, how much time it actually takes to develop resources and questions why many teachers continue to insist on doing it all.
Why you can’t change someone who believes in balanced literacy
In this blog, I will look at why it can be so hard to get someone to change and four simple steps that we can follow to support them through the transformation in their thinking. 1. Agree on the problem 2. See the world through their eyes 3. Shrink the change 4. Clarify the solution
5 Rules For Using Data Effectively
So much is invested into schools based on data, yet I will argue in this article, a lot of school data isn’t reliable or valid. I will also analyse some of the mistakes many schools make when looking at data. Finally, I will offer 5 rules to follow in order to use data effectively.
Can we create professional learning that works for teachers? (Part 2)
This post will look at what we used for effective professional learning for teachers, how we used it and how it measured up against the Education Endowment Foundations Effective Professional Development guidance report. Finally, I reflect on how effective it actually was and what future recommendations I have.
Can we create professional learning that works for teachers? (Part 1)
Teacher professional learning is one of those things that all schools do, but not many do well. This article looks at why it needs to be done well and how we can do it using the evidence.
My Key Takeaways from Ambition Institute’s Blog Series on What is School Leadership
Ambition Institute recently released a blog series on What is School Leadership. These are my key takeaways.