Dyscastia

In this episode, we have Liana McCurry back to talk about her Churchill Fellowship findings on what the top PISA performing countries are doing with maths instruction and how we can use that information to improve outcomes for kids living with learning difficulties. Show notes Liana McCurry’s Churchill Fellowship [https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/liana-mccurry-sa-2022/] has come just in time. Liana travelled abroad to investigate best practices in teaching mathematics that provide the best outcomes for all students. Australia’s PISA ranking plummeted from 10th internationally in 2003 to 30th in 2018, where it fell below the average for the first time. How we teach mathematics in Australia is the prime suspect for this decline.  Dyscastia Episode 14 [https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-14-maths-and-learning-difficulties/] was recorded prior to Liana’s departure, where we discussed intervention in Maths.  Early in the conversation, constructivist learning theories [https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html] are discussed as a big part of the problem in the context of how this approach to learning and teaching exacerbates cycles of social disadvantage. Anyone who taught in the late 80s and 90s in Australia has (tried) to work with curriculum frameworks that are broadly based on constructivist theories.  In discussing the differences between the curricula of the countries Liana visited and Australia’s mathematics curriculum, Ben Jensen’s work was mentioned. The ERRR Podcast #77 [https://www.ollielovell.com/benjensen/] is well worth a listen if you want to know more about the shortcomings of Australia’s curriculum.  Greg Ashman gets a mention, as Greg is an outspoken critic of the direction of the Australian maths curriculum. Greg recently gave an excellent interview on the Science of Reading Podcast [https://amplify.com/episode/science-of-reading-the-podcast/season-8/episode-11-cognitive-load-theory-four-items-at-a-time-with-greg-ashman/], where he gives a stunning account of cognitive load theory. Greg also sits on the other side of the mic in his own podcast, where he and Amanda VanDerHeyden [https://gregashman.podbean.com/e/amanda-vanderheyden/] talk maths instruction.     https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/liana-mccurry-sa-2022/ https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/liana-mccurry-sa-2022/   Comments and questions are welcome! We would love to hear about your experiences teaching mathematics directly and explicitly as opposed to other methods. We’re also interested in your experiences with bringing review and maths fluency into your instructional approaches. If you’ve taught in any of the countries Liana visited, we’d love to hear your reflections.

In this episode, we chat about daily review with David Morkunas, current head of teacher efficacy at Brandon Park Primary School, previously a teacher at Bentleigh West Primary School.   David Morkunas is a primary school teacher from Melbourne and currently works at Brandon Park Primary School, where his role is to help support whole school improvement in maths. David first made a name for himself by speaking about the importance of Daily Review at conferences, including Sharing Best Practice and ResearchED. David is a fierce advocate for evidence-based teaching and learning, with a particular interest in how knowledge is transferred to long-term memory.   Bill first met David as a graduate teacher while running the Bentleigh West Primary School Study Tour for South Australian educators, and he and David have remained in touch since.  Show notes In this episode, Michael and Bill talk with David about something very close to all our hearts – review. Anybody working in the explicit (direct) instruction and evidence-informed instruction space has become familiar with the importance of deliberately planned and scheduled review of previously learned material. For educators new to review, it’s a case of “Where have you been all my life?”  Once maligned as non-progressive  ‘rote learning’ or ‘drill and kill’ in teaching circles, review has come back to classrooms with a vengeance, and teachers are seeing the difference in student learning outcomes.  Review is strongly supported by evidence and features in Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction.  [https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf] We cover a wide range of topics and ideas in this episode. David mentions EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction) as an instructional method used at his previous school, Bentleigh West Primary School.  The conversation moves to the role of review for transferring new information into long-term memory. Bill mentions a Research Ed talk [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOLPfi9Ls-w&t=430s&ab_channel=ResearchED] by Emeritus Professor John Sweller (the father of Cognitive Load Theory), which discusses the narrow limits of change principle, a master stroke of evolution which made working memory a protective mechanism for long-term memory due to its extremely limited ability to deal with novel information, thus making it very difficult for new information to change long term memory without multiple repetitions.  Shortly after, David mentions Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCsQHe-NpaM&ab_channel=GrowthEngineering], a famous model teachers use to explain the importance of spaced reviews to lessen the rate at which newly learned information degrades over time after being first learned (flatten the curve of forgetting).  The importance of gaining and holding student attention first and foremost is discussed, and David mentions an episode of the ERRR podcast [https://www.ollielovell.com/craigbarton3/] where the importance of having students pay attention is discussed and how this supersedes any other instructional/pedagogical considerations. OCHRE Education [https://ochre.org.au/] gets a few mentions from as a source of materials schools can use if they aren’t building their teaching materials in-house. The difference between active review and students just reciting what is on a screen is discussed. David explains that students must actively pull something (retrieving) from long-term memory in active review. This distinction is explored, and David mentions a conversation with Ingrid Sealey from Teach Well  [https://teach-well.au/]that changed some of his thinking on how to structure the review.  Spaced retrieval apps are mentioned as a way for us (grownups) to learn new things. One such app is Anki [https://www.ankiapp.com/], which both David and Bill have used.  Next, the question of when to review is tossed around, and David, Michael and Bill search for the holy grail – some rule of thumb or algorithm that tells us when the best time to review information is. Bill talks about how, in the Playberry Laser [https://playberrylaser.com.au/] Literacy Program, he and his colleagues are always thinking about how to achieve the review sweet spot.  Success comes up as the driver of student attention and genuine motivation. David, Michael and Bill discuss how Australia’s infatuation with making learning fun instead of focusing on effective teaching has had disastrous results. David talks about digital tech and books by Cal Newport,  [https://calnewport.com/]one being “Deep Work”, which talks about all of us (adults and kids) needing to cultivate the ability to concentrate for long periods to create good things in the world. David mentions a podcast episode by Greg Ashman [https://gregashman.wordpress.com/2018/07/06/new-evidence-on-fostering-motivation/] on student motivation.  David’s presentation for LDA is well worth a watch  David’s Webinar on Spaced, Interleaved and Retrieval Practice for LDA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC6-RQziKNU&t=882s&ab_channel=LearningDifficultiesAustralia] is worth watching. Playberry Laser has some lessons up online [https://playberrylaser.com.au/demonatration-lessons/] where review can be seen in action, as well as some other excellent teaching at St Francis School Lockley’s South Australia.  Comments and questions are welcome! If you’re an educator, we would love to hear about your experiences with integrating structured daily review into your teaching. If you have a child in a classroom or school where daily review has been implemented, we’d love to hear about your impressions.

Sue Griffith Sue is a registered teacher with many years of experience in primary teaching. She has specialist Maths training in programs designed to support students experiencing difficulties or delays in Maths skills, including students with dyscalculia and/or dyslexia. * QuickSmart Numeracy Intervention * Ron Yoshimoto Multisensory Maths program – based on the Orton-Gillingham principles * Singapore Maths Sue designs individual courses that are explicit, structured, multisensory and manipulative-based for students who are underachieving in Maths. Programs utilised are all evidence-based interventions. Students learn to think mathematically and develop understanding beyond rote memorisation. Programs focus on fostering a positive attitude towards Maths and the foundational skills, including but not limited to: * Place value and the decimal system * Basic Mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division * Basic number fact knowledge and multiplication tables * Fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios * Problem solving strategies * Application of Number knowledge to concepts of Time, Money and Measurement Sue also offers young people support in Literacy. * She has specialist training in ‘Teaching Students with Dyslexia’ and follows the Multi-Sensory Playberry Dyslexia Program which is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach. * Sue also has a Graduate Diploma in Education, specialising in Literacy and Language. * Sue designs literacy support programs such as ‘The Writing Process’ to suit individual student needs. Sue believes all children can succeed in improving their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Please contact her to discuss how she can best support your child in their learning. Lilly Shanahan Lilly Shanahan is a dedicated Year 12 student at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide, South Australia. As someone who lives with dyslexia and dyscalculia, Lilly has navigated a variety of educational settings and individual learning plans (ILPs) throughout her academic journey. Her varied experiences in different school environments have given her a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by learning with specific learning disabilities (SLDs). Lilly’s personal insights into effective ILP strategies are invaluable. As a guest interviewee in this episode, Lilly shares her firsthand experiences and offers practical advice for kids, parents, and teachers. Her contributions provide a relatable and insightful perspective on how to navigate and optimize ILPs, making her story a source of inspiration and guidance for those facing similar educational challenges. Show notes During the episode, we mention a few things that may not be familiar to every listener. We always try to be as accurate as possible about what we say in all Dyscastia Podcasts. However, things do change, and if we have accidentally omitted information or something we have said is no longer the case, particularly in regards to policies in the individualised education plan space.  Here are some links that might help. Special Provisions in Exams:  Students can apply in all states of Australia for special provisions in tests and exams. Different authorities generally for a documented history of special provisions for timed assessments. IEPs that document special assessment provisions will be an important part of this evidence. South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Currently, South Australia looks to have the best information page of all the states and territories. This section of the SACE Board website provides information on how students can apply for the types of special provisions [https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/web/special-provisions] discussed during this episode. A quick look took me to these pages for other States and Territories: Victoria: Special provisions Fact Sheet [https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/administration/special-provision/Pages/SpecialProvisionFactsheets.aspx#:~:text=Special%20Provision%20provides%20students%20completing,school-based%20assessments] New South Wales: Disability provisions for exams [https://education.nsw.gov.au/parents-and-carers/inclusive-learning-support/high-school/how-your-child-can-be-supported-in-high-school/disability-provisions-for-exams] Queensland: Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) — formerly known as special provisions [https://myqce.qcaa.qld.edu.au/assessment-and-results/external-assessment#:~:text=Access%20arrangements%20and%20reasonable%20adjustments,who%20experience%20illness%20or%20misadventure.] Australian Capital Territory: Equitable Assessment and Special Consideration [https://www.bsss.act.edu.au/act_senior_secondary_system/assessment,_scaling_and_the_atar/equitable_assessment_and_special_consideration] Northern Territory (it seems the NT have adopted SA’s approach) : Special provisions in the SACE [https://www.sace.sa.edu.au/web/special-provisions] Western Australia: Special Provisions [https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/examinations/special-provisions] Tasmania: Reasonable Adjustments for TASC External Assessments [https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/students/years-11-and-12/preparing-for-exams/reasonable-adjustments/] USA We live in Australia, so we are not familiar with US processes, but these links seem like a good place to start: * The 13 disability categories under IDEA [https://www.understood.org/en/articles/conditions-covered-under-idea] * Understanding IEPs [https://www.understood.org/articles/understanding-individualized-education-programs] * The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) [https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/] Special Provisions Mentioned – What to consider when deciding what to offer a student. Below are some of the topics discussed in the episode. A key takeaway is that any provision or accommodation that might make its way into a student’s plan will have upsides and downsides that need to be balanced. A glaring omission from our conversation was assistive technology. Unfortunately, the conversation just didn’t take us there. Assistive tech is an incredibly important part of the picture for students with difficulties and the possible topic of a future episode. As you read these,  you may notice that these are options that can be made available to all students. Many ideas discussed in this episode make a difference for all students and get teachers thinking about what exactly is being assessed.    Asking what’s helped in the past This is often missed in the mess of creating an individualised plan for students. Even though a student may have never had a formalised plan, they may have had teachers make day-to-day accommodations that have helped. Secondary students are more likely to know what helps them! Primary students may not; however, when schools ask students, “What have teachers done that has helped you learn?”, students do feel more supported.  It is important also to understand that there will be times when adults have noticed that one approach has made a big difference, but the student has not. Students will probably be aware of approaches that have helped them to worry less about schoolwork, but adults may be more aware of what has improved the quality of student work. I guess what we’re saying is students won’t always be right about what has made a difference, and nor will adults. The conversation is what makes the difference.  Be prepared to try different approaches Something that makes a big difference for one student may not be so effective for another. This is a result of how students are differently affected by learning difficulties. As well as this, some approaches will be more effective for different types of work. There’s no shortcut to finding out what makes a difference for a student. We just have to try different things and make sure we are candid with students about how they’ll need to give approaches a decent try before writing it off. Instant success, although wonderful, is rare.  Additional time to complete assignments Being given additional time can be a lifesaver; however, Lilly and Michael made the important point that sometimes additional time can be a curse. If a student has received additional time for an assignment from all teachers, it can just create a due-date bottleneck. Part of having a SLD (and ADHD) can be difficulty managing time and task and we all, in spite of our differences, need to learn approaches that help us meet deadlines. Some students will need explicit coaching on lining up due dates with available time. Typically, parents pick up this task, but it can be exhausting. Anything schools can do to help students pace themselves toward due dates is appreciated by families. Some of the best tips on this comes from a book called Teaching Tough Kids by Mark LeMessurier. [https://www.marklemessurier.com.au/main/products/teaching/#:~:text=Teaching%20Tough%20Kids%20offers%20a,problem] It’s a highly recommended resource.  Reduced word count This is perhaps the best-known addition to individualised plans for students who have difficulties with the volume and quality of written output. Reducing the volume of written work can make a big difference. Here’s the difficulty – reduced word count can create its own set of challenges as it requires students to condense what they know into fewer words! It’s important to remember that SLDs like Dyslexia or Dysgraphia make it harder to get what you know onto paper in a coherent way. They don’t limit a student’s depth of understanding about a topic. As well as this, regardless of the word count, students will still have to go through the scut work of sequencing their ideas and deciding on what order to lay them out.  Exemplars of student work A long-standing piece of good practice for all students is showing them past work from other students that shows what exemplary work looks like. Different students use these differently; however, students with SLDs often pay particular attention to the sequencing (layout of paragraphs) and also some of the language choices used in exemplars. Plagiarism must always be taken into consideration; however, borrowing a particular arrangement of language is really how we all learn to write more effectively. If you are not sure where to start with providing samples, this might help the Australian Curriculum work samples resource. [https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/work-samples/] Alternative ways students can show learning We discussed a range of other ways students’ knowledge of a topic can be assessed other than through lengthy written assignments. When deciding on accommodations like this, we need to think very hard about what we are assessing. One student famously said about a History teacher, “ “What doesn’t this teacher get? If he keeps insisting that I write heaps, all he’s testing is my learning disability, and I’ll just keep proving that I’ve got a really big one.” If we are assessing how well students can follow the conventions of a particular written form, then absolutely, students need to write to show evidence in writing. If we are assessing students’ understanding of the factors that led to WW1 then for students with SLDs, the writing will become a barrier to them showing what they know and understand.  It pays to think carefully about what alternatives to offer students and whether these will suit what you are assessing. Here is a list of some alternatives to long-form written tasks:  * Heavily scaffolded writing frames (usually a feature of good teaching anyway) * A PowerPoint presentation with embedded audio where the student goes into greater depth than the on-slide print * Some information in paragraph form * Some in dot-pointed form * Captioned Illustrations (cartoon style) where appropriate * Dual-coded infographic * A well-captioned timeline to show a series of events * Recorded oral presentation – video themselves explaining/teaching the concept to a family member or a fictional class * A recorded session where they teach someone else the content * Live oral presentation * PowerPoint with embedded audio * A combo of the above modes It is important to note that regardless of which alternative is chosen, a student will always have to know the content and put that knowledge into a sequence that makes sense. We are not modifying in regards to what a student knows; we are modifying the ways in which that can demonstrate that knowledge. If students don’t know the topic, there’s just nowhere to hide!  A note on good old sticky notes: some students benefit from being taught how to write one concept or idea on a sticky note and do this for all the ideas they wish to include in their assignment. They then place these on a surface and arrange and rearrange until they have a sequence they are happy with. Then, they can think about how they will connect these ideas to form a complete piece of work. Recorded oral assignments A game changer for many students is the chance to record themselves talking about a topic or teaching someone else (and even answering questions from the person they’re teaching) can be a much better way for them to show what they know.  The sky is the limit here. Again, students still need to know the content, cover what’s expected in the assessment rubric and have a coherent sequence of ideas.  Interview with the teacher (In place of or supplementary to written assessment) Bill once worked with a great dyslexic student called Charlie. Charlie was doing year 12 and was probably one of the best students of History Bill had worked with. In the lead-up to an exam, Bill and Charlie revised key dates and factors that led to the event that would be assessed in an essay question in the exam. Charlie knew the content forward and backwards. His analysis was sharp, and his knowledge was deep. Two weeks later, Bill has a crestfallen Charlie in his office. His exam result was disappointing. Charlie had lost a significant number of marks due to not being able to pull it all together in essay form under the pressure of time. Dyslexia had robbed Charlie of time, and the additional 10 minutes he had been provided just hadn’t been enough to make up for the processing time that dyslexia took from him. It was too late to change the mark, but Bill lamented that if that teacher had pulled Charlie aside for 10 minutes after the examination (unannounced, so Charlie wouldn’t have any preparation time) and asked him to expand on some aspects of the essay, Charlie’s grade would have gone from a C to an A.  This could have been an option in Charlie’s IEP. Of course, in high-stakes assessments, an accommodation like this may need to be approved by a higher power. However, the option of a student interview, where a teacher asks students a set of prepared questions or asks students to elaborate on points that may not have been expressed as they’d have wished to under timed conditions, can make a huge difference.  Timed homework With an understanding of how much angst and heartache homework tasks can cause for students with learning difficulties, many teachers have set time requirements (and ceilings) for homework rather than setting tasks that need to be completed. As Lilly and Michael discussed, although this can reduce meltdowns, teachers do need to consider that a student without learning difficulties will get much more done in a set time than a student with an LD. It can also be very difficult to walk away from a homework task after a set time just when the penny has dropped and a student has finally started making headway.

In this episode, we chat with math teaching expert Liana McCurry. We delve into best practices for all students when teaching maths. We hope Liana's insights will help create inclusive learning environments where every child can succeed. For the full show notes, including Liana's R-6 scope, sequence and content breakdown, visit our website. https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-14-maths-and-learning-difficulties/ [https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-14-maths-and-learning-difficulties/]

In this episode, we talk with Psychologist Benita Ranzon about one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized conditions that affect kids and adults - ADHD. About Benita I have been working in private practice at Fullarton House since 2005. The focus of my practice is on educational issues for students and adults. * I offer diagnosis of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. * I provide learning and support strategies for home, school and work to enable people with reading, spelling, writing or maths difficulties to be successful. * I offer diagnosis and advice to parents of children with ADHD, as well as adults with ADHD. * I identify students with high intellectual or academic potential, sometimes called ‘gifted’ students, using the WPPSI-IV or WISC-V cognitive tests. I provide recommendations on curriculum differentiation and other supportive strategies at school and home   Show notes While ADHD is not a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, it does have a high association with these difficulties. Approximately 40% of people living with ADHD will also be living with dyslexia [https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-dyslexia-connection/#:~:text=Is%20There%20a%20Link%20Between,learning%20disability%20that%20affects%20reading.]. This has big implications for parents and teachers in terms of being vigilant about ADHD symptoms in our kids and being knowledgeable about how ADHD and learning difficulties may impact on each other. [https://www.additudemag.com/dyslexia-evaluation-adhd-comorbidity-overlap/] ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically begins in childhood and may continue into adulthood. It is characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that can impact various aspects of a person’s life, including academic performance, work productivity, and relationships.  ADHD is typically identified based on specific criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm]. They have a PDF fact sheet about AHD available to download [https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-ADHD.pdf]. You can see that the last time this was updated was in 2013! These criteria include the presence of symptoms in multiple settings, impairment in daily functioning, and the exclusion of other possible causes for the symptoms.   ADHD related links and resources we mention   Additude magazine ADDitude [https://www.additudemag.com/] is an online resource for families and adults living with ADHD and related conditions and for the professionals who work with them. They have great resources about kids living with ADHD. * For teachers [https://www.additudemag.com/category/parenting-adhd-kids/school-learning/for-teachers/] * For parents [https://www.additudemag.com/category/parenting-adhd-kids/] * For adults [https://www.additudemag.com/category/manage-adhd-life/] They also have an excellent YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@additudemag]. Jessica McCabe - How to ADHD Jessica runs a YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@HowtoADHD] that she describes as an ADHD toolbox. It’s mostly aimed at adults but has great tips and resources for understanding ADHD from a lived experience perspective.   Jessica’s TED talk sharing her ADHD success story.   Dr Russell Barkley We referred to Dr Russell Barkley [https://russellbarkley.org/index.html] a number of times during this podcast. YouTube is scattered with lots of bits and pieces of Dr Barkley’s numerous talks. Dr Barkley talks about ADHD from a medical perspective, and the video below goes into the clinical details of ADHD for parents. He is engaging, compelling and highly knowledgeable.   Comments and questions are welcome! We would love to hear about your experience with ADHD and any tips you can share about supporting kids living with ADHD. Please leave a comment on our website https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-13-adhd [https://dyscastia.com/episodes/episode-13-adhd]