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The Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy

The Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy

Written by: Cue Learning Apiro Media
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The Teacher’s Tool Kit For Literacy is the free podcast for motivated teachers and school leaders who want the latest tips, tricks and tools to inspire their students and school community in literacy learning. Literacy expert and co-founder of Cue Learning Sharon Callen and special expert guests provide practical literacy insights that you can apply in the classroom today. At Cue Learning, our literacy specialists draw on over 30 years of teaching and international consulting experience to deliver world-class learning solutions. We equip, empower and support teachers to become their authentic selves, using the fullness of the Australian curriculum. To find out about upcoming webinars, and about how Cue can help you and your school, visit http://www.cuelearning.com.au/. And you can get even more amazing teaching resources, right now, at https://www.teachific.com.au/. To make sure you don’t miss any literacy learning tips and insights, please subscribe to our show on your favourite podcast player. Produced by Apiro Media https://apiropodcasts.com2022 Cue Learning Political Science Politics & Government Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Pillar 5: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – The Writing Cycle

    Pillar 5: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – The Writing Cycle
    Jun 14 2026
    In the fifth and final episode of their series, hosts Phil and Sharon are joined once again by De and Danielle, two Year 6 teachers whose approach to writing instruction has quietly transformed what their students believe they are capable of. The conversation centres on the writing cycle — the fifth of De and Danielle's five pillars — and the teachers are quick to challenge the assumption that writing is a neat, linear process. In their classrooms, writing moves forwards and backwards. Students draft, revisit, revise, and return to earlier stages whenever the work demands it. The "one-and-done" habit, deply ingrained across many schools, is something De and Danielle have worked deliberately and persistently to dismantle. The episode moves through the practical architecture that makes this possible. De and Danielle explain their school-wide editing code, which gives students a shared visual language for feedback, and walk through the self-edit, peer-edit, teacher-edit sequence that distributes responsibility across the classroom. Flexible conferencing — conversations that happen before school, between lessons, and in any available gap — is described as a cornerstone of the approach, always beginning with specific, genuine praise before moving to areas for growth. Two powerful student-centred practices take centre stage. "Pinking your win" asks students to highlight, in pink, the moment in their writing where they can see their personal goal being met — making individual progress concrete and owned. The hot task, completed independently at the end of each unit, gives students the chance to perform without scaffolding, while the cold task completed at the start of the unit sits alongside it as a record of how far they have travelled. Two students, Seb and Spenny, share their experience of the cycle from the inside — and what they describe is a process that has changed not just their writing, but how they think about improvement itself. JOIN TEACHIFIC NOW AND SAVE! Join Teachific today. Access thousands of resources and a growing number of 'anytime' courses within your membership. FURTHER INFORMATION Tune in to "Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy," a free podcast where accomplished literacy educator Sharon Callen and her team share valuable insights and tips. With over 30 years of experience, they provide strategic learning solutions to empower teachers and leaders worldwide. Subscribe on your favourite platform for exclusive literacy learning content. Apple, Spotify, Google, YouTube Read our insightful blogs, which make valuable connections between resources, podcasts and courses.Visit our Cue Learning website and sign up for the Teacher's Toolkit Weekly newsletter to stay updated on resources, events and discover how Cue can support you and your school.Explore Teachific, our vast collection of PDF resources, to enhance your teaching toolkit. And get even more support from our growing number of 'anytime' online courses.Connect with the latest news and other educators by joining our Teacher's Toolkit Facebook groupExplore upcoming live or online webinar events Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us directly at admin@cuelearning.com.au
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Pillar 4: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – Mastery Through High Impact Teaching

    Pillar 4: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – Mastery Through High Impact Teaching
    May 31 2026
    In Episode 154 of A Teacher's Toolkit for Literacy, hosts Sharon and Phil sit down with classroom teachers De and Danielle to explore the fourth pillar of effective writing instruction: mastery through high-impact teaching. The conversation digs into the practical strategies that move students beyond basic competence and into genuine craft. De and Danielle introduce the master class as one of their most powerful tools — a short, targeted small-group session that runs alongside whole-class mini lessons. Unlike traditional remediation groups, master classes are open to every student. Stronger writers are extended and challenged while emerging writers receive focused support. Sessions are invitational, allowing students to come and go freely, which creates genuine engagement and builds trust between teachers and learners. Mentor texts sit at the centre of every unit De and Danielle teach. Rather than simply reading books aloud, they pull texts apart with students — examining structure, vocabulary, and authorial choices — and keep them accessible throughout the writing process as living models. Books by authors such as Gary Crew, Philip Bunting, and Tristan Bancks are chosen because they intrigue both teachers and students alike, and because they serve the classroom reading life well beyond the writing unit itself. Access to published authors adds another dimension to the programme. When authors visit — in person or via Zoom — writing becomes tangible and real for students. The class's encounter with Gary Crew is a standout moment, with students surprising even the author himself with the depth of their insight. Explicit instruction ties everything together. De and Danielle move through the I do / We do / You do cycle quickly, ensuring students reach independent practice in every lesson. Student Peyton's interview closes the episode powerfully, describing how being asked to restart a major piece from scratch becomes the turning point that transforms her understanding of planning, word choice, and revision. JOIN TEACHIFIC NOW AND SAVE! Join Teachific today. Access thousands of resources and a growing number of 'anytime' courses within your membership. FURTHER INFORMATION Tune in to "Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy," a free podcast where accomplished literacy educator Sharon Callen and her team share valuable insights and tips. With over 30 years of experience, they provide strategic learning solutions to empower teachers and leaders worldwide. Subscribe on your favourite platform for exclusive literacy learning content. Apple, Spotify, Google, YouTube Read our insightful blogs, which make valuable connections between resources, podcasts and courses.Visit our Cue Learning website and sign up for the Teacher's Toolkit Weekly newsletter to stay updated on resources, events and discover how Cue can support you and your school.Explore Teachific, our vast collection of PDF resources, to enhance your teaching toolkit. And get even more support from our growing number of 'anytime' online courses.Connect with the latest news and other educators by joining our Teacher's Toolkit Facebook groupExplore upcoming live or online webinar events Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us directly at admin@cuelearning.com.au
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Pillar 3: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – Independence in Learning

    Pillar 3: The 5 Pillars of Effective Writing Instruction – Independence in Learning
    May 10 2026
    Hosts Phil and Sharon return with classroom teachers De and Danielle to explore the third pillar of their writing framework: independence in learning. The conversation cuts straight to something that matters Deply in any writing classroom — the difference between students who follow instructions and students who genuinely own their work. De and Danielle explain that independence is not about removing support. It is the result of teaching so explicitly and consistently, with such clear curriculum alignment, that students eventually internalise the process and begin making real decisions about their writing for themselves. The tools that make this possible — anchor charts built collaboratively with students, shared meta-language, structured learning intentions, success criteria, and a multi-stage editing process — are discussed in generous, practical detail. What makes the episode particularly compelling is the student interviews. Three Year Six students, Jaxson, Lil, and Lucas, speak with striking clarity about their own development as writers. Each one independently identifies editing as the stage that has helped them most, and each can name exactly what they are working on and why. Their ability to articulate their growth — using precise language like cohesion, exposition, sentence structure, and audience — is itself a testament to the teaching they have received. The conversation also surfaces a central insight that runs through the entire episode: structure and creative freedom are not in tension. They are mutually dependent. When students know the writing cycle so well that navigating it requires no conscious effort, their attention is freed for the craft itself — the choices, the risks, the voice. Sharon, Phil, De, and Danielle close the episode reflecting on years of accumulated practice, a standout cohort, and the quiet satisfaction of watching students become writers who understand not just how to write, but why it matters. JOIN TEACHIFIC NOW AND SAVE! Join Teachific today. Access thousands of resources and a growing number of 'anytime' courses within your membership. FURTHER INFORMATION Tune in to "Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy," a free podcast where accomplished literacy educator Sharon Callen and her team share valuable insights and tips. With over 30 years of experience, they provide strategic learning solutions to empower teachers and leaders worldwide. Subscribe on your favourite platform for exclusive literacy learning content. Apple, Spotify, Google, YouTube Read our insightful blogs, which make valuable connections between resources, podcasts and courses.Visit our Cue Learning website and sign up for the Teacher's Toolkit Weekly newsletter to stay updated on resources, events and discover how Cue can support you and your school.Explore Teachific, our vast collection of PDF resources, to enhance your teaching toolkit. And get even more support from our growing number of 'anytime' online courses.Connect with the latest news and other educators by joining our Teacher's Toolkit Facebook groupExplore upcoming live or online webinar events Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us directly at admin@cuelearning.com.au
    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
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