From Research to Recess: The Science Behind Great Teaching

About From Research to Recess: The Science Behind Great Teaching

Join educators Hillary Statum and Deedee Wills on From Research to Recess: The Science Behind Great Teaching. This podcast breaks down educational research into real-life strategies for K-2 classrooms. From the science of reading to classroom management and occasional book studies, we make teaching tips practical, doable, and just what busy teachers need. Grab your coffee and tune in!

Publisher

Deedee Wills and Hilary Statum

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Aug 2025

Latest episode

13 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Sept 2026

   The Science of Reading Is Growing But Are Classrooms Keeping Up?

   The science of reading has become a major part of the education conversation—but knowing what the research says and putting it into practice are two very different things. This conversation explores how the science of reading has evolved over the last decade, why evidence-based legislation and curriculum don't automatically lead to better classroom instruction, and where educators still need more support. From intervention programs that fall short to products marketed as “evidence-based,” the discussion looks at the very real gap between research and day-to-day teaching. Most importantly, it considers what it takes to translate research into practical strategies teachers can actually use without asking them to become curriculum designers themselves. Episode Highlight Knowing the science of reading isn't enough. The bigger challenge is translating that research into effective, sustainable classroom practices—and giving teachers the support they need to make that happen. Show Highlights How the science of reading has grown in public awareness and education policy since 2015 Why districts may still use materials that don't align with evidence-based reading instruction Where intervention programs and marketed “evidence-based” solutions can fall short Why teachers need practical implementation support—not simply more information about the research How better translation between research and classroom practice can create more realistic expectations and stronger instruction Episode Chapters 00:00 — Introduction to the science of reading conversation 01:47 — Growth and legislation around the science of reading 04:05 — Gaps in intervention programs and evidence-based practices 06:04 — Challenges implementing the science of reading in classrooms 07:58 — The role of ed tech and marketing in education 10:00 — Teacher support and burnout related to reading instruction 12:05 — Why translating research takes time 14:10 — Systemic support and realistic expectations 16:01 — Conclusion and future conversations RESEARCH ARTICLE: We Need an “Engineering of Reading”: Why the “Science of Reading” May Not Be Enough (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mbe.70053) WHERE YOU CAN FIND US: Hilary Statum: ⁠⁠⁠https://pencilstopigtails.com/⁠⁠⁠ (https://pencilstopigtails.com/) Deedee Wills: ⁠⁠⁠https://mrswillskindergarten.com/ (https://mrswillskindergarten.com/)

2. 

   6 Sept 2026

   What's It Like Being a Teacher in American Today

   Hilary brings a report to the table, and the numbers are rough. 77% of teachers say their job is frequently stressful. 68% say it's overwhelming. 70% say their school is understaffed. And 52% say they would not tell a young person starting out today to become a teacher. Deedee and Hilary talk through why these teacher stress statistics feel more true than ever right now. They cover the pandemic's lingering effects on student behavior, why parental involvement numbers are so low, and how cell phones and chronic absenteeism are showing up in classrooms today. Then Hilary tells the story behind the data. A full time classroom teacher for almost 20 years, she describes a specific school year, not long after the pandemic, when she came home crying every day and her husband asked her to stop teaching. She moved to part time and things leveled out. It's a real look at teacher burnout signs from someone who has been in the classroom long enough to know the difference between a hard week and a hard year. If you have ever asked yourself why teachers are quitting or wondered whether your own stress is normal, this episode is validation, not just data. Sound bites: "77% of teachers say that their job is frequently stressful" "Only fifteen percent of teachers say they're satisfied with their pay" "The longer you've taught, maybe it starts to wear on you" "You're not alone in your feelings" HIGHLIGHTS: 00:01 Introduction 00:21 Hilary introduces the report on teacher stress today 01:27 The core stats: 77% stressed, 52% would not recommend teaching 02:22 Eight in ten teachers say the pandemic's impact is still negative 06:29 Parental involvement numbers and why they matter 08:01 Absenteeism, anxiety, and cell phone distraction in the classroom 12:46 Only 15% of teachers are satisfied with their pay 13:23 Fulfillment and enjoyment: newer teachers vs. veteran teachers 14:29 No time in the day for grading, planning, and emails 15:52 Hilary's story: crying every day and moving to part time 18:19 Final thoughts: you are not alone RESEARCH ARTICLE: What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today? WHERE YOU CAN FIND US: Hilary Statum: ⁠⁠⁠https://pencilstopigtails.com/⁠⁠⁠ (https://pencilstopigtails.com/) Deedee Wills: ⁠⁠⁠https://mrswillskindergarten.com/ (https://mrswillskindergarten.com/)

3. 

   23 Aug 2026

   Teaching Better Sentences with Lessons from The Writing Revolution

   Strong writing starts at the sentence level, and even our youngest writers can begin building the skills they’ll eventually need for paragraphs and longer compositions. This conversation explores practical ways K–2 teachers can make sentence instruction explicit, meaningful, and easy to weave into routines they’re already using. From The Writing Revolution and sentence-level instruction to picture-supported paragraph development, the discussion focuses on helping children understand how sentences work before asking them to tackle more complex writing. You’ll hear practical ideas for incorporating writing into dictation, decodable text work, science, social studies, and other parts of the school day. The conversation also explores the role of grammar vocabulary with young learners. Do kindergartners need to know terms like noun and verb, or does that terminology add unnecessary cognitive load? The discussion highlights why teachers need a strong understanding of sentence structure while considering how grammatical language can be introduced to children in context. One of the biggest takeaways is that paragraph writing doesn't have to begin with a traditional paragraph. For young writers, pictures can provide a concrete anchor for developing multiple sentences around one idea. As children become more proficient, those sentences can naturally develop into the paragraphs they'll encounter in later grades. Build sentences into routines you already have. Sentence writing can become part of dictation, decodable reading follow-up, science, social studies, and other content rather than always being treated as a separate subject. Use pictures as a bridge to paragraph writing. A picture can anchor one idea while students write multiple related sentences about it. A series of pictures and pages can help young writers organize events before they're ready for more traditional paragraph structures. Teach students to recognize how sentences work. Comparing complete sentences and fragments, fixing run-ons, unscrambling sentences, and exploring statements, questions, exclamations, and commands gives children hands-on experience with sentence structure. Turn index cards into an easy sentence-building activity. Students can write one word on each card, trade their scrambled sentences with classmates, and reconstruct them. The activity can be extended by asking students to transform statements into questions, combine sentences, or separate combined sentences. Strengthen sentences before rushing into paragraphs. Oral rehearsal, explicit sentence instruction, conjunctions such as because, but, and so, and collaborative sentence construction can help children develop the foundation they need before moving into more complex writing. The goal isn't simply to get children to write more. It's to help them understand how sentences are constructed, give them plenty of opportunities to practice, and gradually help them connect those sentences into organized ideas. With simple materials and intentional instruction, sentence work can become a natural part of the K–2 classroom. RESEARCH: Grammar and The Writing Revolution (https://readwritethinklearn.com/blog/grammar-and-twr/) WHERE YOU CAN FIND US: Hilary Statum: ⁠⁠⁠https://pencilstopigtails.com/⁠⁠⁠ (https://pencilstopigtails.com/) Deedee Wills: ⁠⁠⁠https://mrswillskindergarten.com/ (https://mrswillskindergarten.com/)

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6 ratings

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