S5 E20 - If They Knew It, They Would Do It

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In this episode of the Structured Literacy podcast, Jocelyn challenges the common teacher assumption that students "know" content simply because it was taught, arguing that if students truly knew it, they would demonstrate it consistently. Drawing on cognitive load theory and John Sweller's research that learning is a permanent change to long-term memory, she critiques language like "we've taught that" or "they've done that" which focuses on teacher actions rather than student outcomes. 

Jocelyn provides five practical steps for shifting from content coverage to ensuring genuine learning: noticing and reframing deficit language, evaluating plans for depth over breadth, working collaboratively to address "box-ticking" instruction, planning regular retrieval and consolidation opportunities, and collecting evidence of actual student learning rather than relying on assumptions. 

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