Making every lesson count with Dr Nathaniel Swain

Effective teaching is deliberate, informed and refined over time.

In this episode of Magnify Matters, host Tim Edwards is joined by Dr Nathaniel Swain - teacher, instructional coach and founder of Think Forward Educators - for a conversation on what effective teaching looks like in today’s classrooms.

Drawing on his experience across schools, universities and instructional coaching, Nathaniel explores how the science of learning can support teachers to make better decisions — not by adding complexity, but by bringing clarity to what works.

Together, Tim and Nathaniel explore:

• Why time is the most precious resource in the classroom and how to use it well.
• The importance of explicit, whole-class instruction as a starting point for learning.
• How knowledge builds knowledge and why strong foundations matter.
• The role of working memory, cognitive load and structured teaching.
• How to build challenge and extension without creating multiple lessons.
• The power of checks for understanding and responsive teaching.
• Why great teaching is both structured and adaptive.

Whether you are in the classroom, leading a team or supporting system improvement, this is a conversation about making every minute of learning count.

Now join us as we explore what truly matters in education.

Mentioned in this episode

• Magnify Sandhurst
• Catholic Education Sandhurst
• Dr Nathaniel Swain

Dr Nathaniel Swain is a teacher, instructional coach and writer. He produces a blog for teachers called Dr Swain’s Cognitorium and is co-host of the Chalk Dust Podcast with Rebecca Birch. Nathaniel works directly with schools and systems and through an online learning platform called Luminary.

Having worked at universities and government school systems in Victoria, Nathaniel has taught a range of learners in schools and tertiary settings. In 2019, Nathaniel founded a community of teachers committed to the Science of Learning: THINK FORWARD EDUCATORS, now 30,000 members and growing. He also has a book titled 'Harnessing the Science of Learning: Success stories to help kickstart your school improvement'.

Catholic Education Sandhurst rolled out Magnify Sandhurst, an evidence-informed, science of learning school improvement initiative, to its 51 Catholic schools across the Sandhurst Diocese at the beginning of 2025. Magnify Sandhurst focuses on how the brain learns, how literacy is effectively taught, uses a low variance, knowledge-rich curriculum and the creation of positive classrooms. Our practice is calm, predictable, and repeatable to maximise learning time in all classrooms. Magnify Sandhurst is deliberately bold and wide-ranging, generating whole-of-system improvement.

Catholic Education Sandhurst is home to 51 Catholic schools and six early learning centres across regional and rural Victoria, educating 15,298 students. We empower regional young people, their families, our staff and communities to have 'life to the full' (John 10:10).

Visit www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.