Show Notes
In this podcast episode, literacy expert Misty Adoniou discusses evidence-based teaching with host Phil. Misty explains her background and emphasises the importance of classroom experience in teaching. She defines evidence-based teaching as methods resulting in observable positive learning outcomes, rooted in scientific experimentation and peer-reviewed research. Misty highlights the role of context in educational research, explaining how variables make it challenging to replicate results across different classrooms. She stresses the scientific nature of lesson planning and teacher decision-making, critiquing the notion of pre-packaged programs as non-scientific and disrespectful to teachers' expertise. Misty concludes by celebrating the joy of teaching as a process of solving daily scientific challenges to support student learning.
More from The Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy
In this final episode of the series, hosts Phil and Sharon sit down with Year 6 teachers De and Danielle to unpack the writing cycle — the fifth pillar of their approach to writing instruction. The teachers argue that authentic writing is recursive, not linear, and walk through the practical tools that make this possible in a real classroom: a shared editing code, flexible conferencing, peer editing, pinking your win, and the cold-to-hot-task structure that makes every student's growth visible.
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In this episode, Phil and Sharon return to Fairview Primary School in Collie, Western Australia, where Year 6 teachers Danielle and De reveal how they make their core belief a daily classroom reality: that every student can produce quality writing. Through structured planning tools, a richly resourced writing environment, staged editing processes, and relentlessly high expectations, they show exactly how confidence and quality are built — one student at a time. Student interviews with Riley and Kobi provide powerful, first-hand proof that the approach genuinely works.
In this landmark first episode, Phil and Sharon introduce a 2026 series dedicated entirely to the art and craft of teaching writing. Joining them are Danielle Monique and De Ludlum — two Year 6 teachers from regional Western Australia who have spent five years building something extraordinary. Through honest conversation, practical detail, and the occasional laugh, they reveal how Pillar 1: Purposeful Planning, transforms not just what children write, but how they see themselves as writers. This is essential listening for every classroom teacher.