Knowledge for Teachers

About Knowledge for Teachers

In the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, host Brendan Lee will be chatting to researchers, teachers and experts about what evidence-informed education is and the nuances involved with actually implementing effective and sustainable school based education.

Publisher

Brendan Lee

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Jan 2023

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

83 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Oct 2026

   S04E12 - Paul Kirschner and Nidhi Sachdeva on The Hidden Difference Between Good Teaching and Expert Teaching

   In this episode, Brendan Lee is joined by renowned educational psychologist Professor Paul Kirschner and teacher educator Dr Nidhi Sachdeva to discuss their new book, Becoming an Expert Teacher. Together they dismantle the myth that great teaching is an innate talent and explore why simply racking up years in the classroom often leads to a performance plateau rather than true expertise. Listeners will discover why the teaching profession has a completely inverted practice to performance ratio compared to elite athletes and how to realistically implement genuine deliberate practice during a busy school week. The episode also highlights the critical difference between surface-level brooding and the structured reflection required to build rich mental models. You will also hear the fascinating backstory behind Paul's famous 2006 paper Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work. Whether you are a new graduate or an experienced educator, this conversation provides a practical and research-backed roadmap to continuously refine your craft and master the unexpected moments in the classroom. * Use the code 26AEV2 to receive a 20% discount on Becoming an Expert Teacher Resources mentioned: Becoming an Expert Teacher (Book by Paul Kirschner and Nidhi Sachdeva) Science of Learning (Substack by Nidhi Sachdeva) How Learning Happens (Book by Paul Kirschner and Carl Hendrick) 10 Steps to Complex Learning (Book by Jeroen van Merriënboer) "Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work" (2006 Paper by Paul Kirschner, John Sweller, and Richard Clark) "Should There Be a Three-Strikes Rule Against Pure Discovery Learning?" (2004 Paper by Richard Mayer, referred to as his "three strikes" paper) How Teaching Happens (Book by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal) Donald Schön's 1982 work on teachers as "reflective practitioners" (A reference to his book The Reflective Practitioner) Paul Kirschner: Twitter/X: @P_A_Kirschner Linkedin: @paulkirschner Website: kirschnered.nl Substack: paulkirschner173727.substack.com Nidhi Sachdeva: Twitter/X: @nsachdeva Linkedin: @nidhi-sachdeva-toronto Substack: scienceoflearning.substack.com Brendan Lee: Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft Website:learnwithlee.net Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/ Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

2. 

   19 Sept 2026

   S04E12 - Zero Staff Turnover: The "Secret Sauce" of a High-Performing School

   How does a large, busy school move from "islands of excellence" to a coherent, low-variance instructional model? In this episode, Brendan Lee sits down with staff from the Junior School of Trinity Anglican College, Albury— Simon Fairall (Deputy Principal - Junior School), Lauren Naldrett (Dean of Studies - Junior School) and Kirby McDonald (Classroom teacher and Practice and Pedagogy lead)—to unpack their multi-year journey into the Science of Learning. We dive deep into how to manage teacher cognitive load by strategically sharing curriculum planning and resource development. The practical reality of navigating change management, moving from individual teacher flair to system-wide instructional coherence and how applying the instructional hierarchy and deliberate practice routines can fundamentally shift classroom engagement. This conversation is a masterclass in building a culture where research-grounded practice and a deep sense of professional belonging go hand-in-hand. Resources mentioned: Facts on Fire (by Dr Brian Poncy) La Trobe University AIS NSW Literacy Project You can connect with Trinity Anglican College: Instagram: @trinityanglicancollege/ Facebook: @TrinityAnglicanCollegeAlburyWodonga Website: https://www.trinityac.nsw.edu.au/ You can connect with Brendan: Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft Website:learnwithlee.net Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/ Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

3. 

   22 Aug 2026

   S04E11 - Dr. Haili Hughes on How Teachers Really Get Better

   In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, Brendan Lee is joined by Dr Haili Hughes. Haili is an Associate Professor at La Trobe University with over twenty years of experience leading secondary schools in England. They explore the realities of implementing evidence-informed instruction and how school leaders can avoid the lethal mutations that turn sound cognitive science into rigid compliance checklists. Listeners will discover why the rise of AI actually makes a teacher's deep subject knowledge more critical than ever. Haili also breaks down the stark difference between awkward roleplay and highly effective instructional rehearsal. Finally, she explains why true teacher wellbeing is never about cake in the staffroom, but rather sensible systems and genuine professionalism. This is a must-listen for educators seeking practical and research-grounded strategies to drive real improvement. Resources mentioned: Teaching WalkThrus Tant, Maddox & Phillipsi - The Science of Learning and Generative AI: A Guide for Secondary Teachers Jamie Clark's one-pager on problems and principles Direct Instruction videos Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction Coaching for Adaptive Expertise (Upcoming book) Doug Lemov - Teach Like a Champion Oak National shared resources Ochre Education shared resources EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) research on implementation and professional development AERO (Australian Education Research Organisation) classroom resources Resources from subject associations (such as the English Association, Historical Association, Royal Society of Physics and Royal Society of Chemistry) You can connect with Haili: Substack: @hailihughes X / Twitter: @HughesHaili Bluesky: @hugheshaili.bsky.social LinkedIn: Haili Hughes You can connect with Brendan: Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee Facebook: @learningwithmrlee Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft Website:learnwithlee.net Substack: knowledgeforteachers.substack.com/ Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

Who has been a guest on Knowledge for Teachers

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Karina Stocker
• Dr Russ Fox
• Kent Johnson
• Andrew Kieta
• Kimberly Nix Berens

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

23 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

58

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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