Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education

This week I meet early reading specialist and Montessori-trained teacher Randall Klein about making early reading playful and motivating. Klein explains the “science of reading” as research that supports instruction moving from sound and speech to print and symbol, beginning with phonemic awareness and mapping letter sounds (not names) to pictures. He outlines a simple sequence: isolate beginning sounds, teach alphabet sounds in small clusters through varied games, then move to decoding with pictures and letter tiles, progressing from three- and four-letter words to sentences and decodable texts, emphasising repetition and practice at school and home. He describes adaptable classroom centres, digital Zoom versions of his games, the role of rhyming and audiobooks for vocabulary, and when to refer struggling readers to specialists such as Orton–Gillingham. He calls for accountability in curricula and teacher knowledge of children’s alphabet and decoding skills, and offers free resources, a PDF of games, a website, and contact details.
Randall Klein Bio
Randall Klein is an early reading specialist and longtime Montessori educator who helps children ages 3–7 build the foundational skills they need to read with confidence. His work centers on one simple but powerful idea: when a child is struggling, the problem is usually specific, and instruction should be just as specific. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, Randall looks closely at where a child is in the reading process and matches practice to the exact skill that needs attention next.That perspective shaped the Klein Method of Early Reading Mastery, his sequence of skills and hands-on practice activities designed to move beginning and struggling readers toward early reading success. Randall’s approach focuses on the building blocks that matter most in the earliest years of reading: phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, decoding, and word identification. He specializes in translating the Science of Reading into practical strategies that teachers and parents can actually use with real children, not just in theory.Randall also brings a distinctive teaching model to the conversation: he teaches young children to read via Zoom. He says online tutoring creates more opportunities for repetition, practice, and game-based learning, while also allowing for a wider range of activities than many in-person settings. That makes his work especially relevant for families and educators looking for effective early reading support across distances, including children around the world.Through Early Reading Mastery, Randall has created a body of materials that includes workbooks, worksheets, literacy centers, instructional videos, a visual catalog of games, and the Klein Method tutorial. His products include Sounds, Letters, Words, Sentences, and Numbers, and his early reading workbooks are available on Amazon.com. He also offers a free consultation for parents seeking help with early reading skills.Randall’s professional mission is rooted in structure, repetition, and developmentally appropriate instruction for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and at-risk learners. In his own words, his goal is to build a “well-defined sequence of skills and practice activities” that helps children move successfully toward reading mastery. He emphasizes that with the right sequence and hands-on materials, educators can increase reading readiness before first grade and reduce reading failure among first graders.In the broader early literacy landscape, Randall’s work speaks directly to the growing demand for systematic, explicit reading instruction. He is focused on the gap between reading theory and classroom practice, especially for teachers and parents who need concrete tools they can use immediately. His teaching materials and demonstrations are designed to make foundational literacy skills visible, repeatable, and easier to implement with young children who need more support.Randall is also an experienced presenter and professional-development speaker on beginning and struggling readers, and his work is especially well suited to video podcast interviews because he can demonstrate instructional strategies, games, and activities on camera. For hosts looking for practical, high-value content on how children actually learn to read, Randall brings a clear point of view, a hands-on framework, and a strong visual teaching style
Download some free reading games from Randall Klein00:00 Welcome and Setup01:34 Meet Randall Klein03:00 Reading as Play05:05 Science of Reading10:30 Skills Sequence19:12 Games and Zoom22:19 Classroom Adaptations25:27 Early Start and Rhymes30:00 Dyslexia and Referrals34:42 Policy and Accountability39:05 Resources and Contact42:16 Closing Thanks


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After three months focused on special education, I recap debates on routes into special education teaching, SNA issues (including the 72-hour proposal), professional development and respect, special classes/schools, and flawed SET allocation models. I highlight how “choice” often means simply finding any available place, and argue placements must be explainable, reviewable and judged by children’s lived experience—learning, participation, attendance, wellbeing and belonging—rather than “a bum on a seat”. I outline disagreements about specialist provision versus full inclusion (including concerns about a New Brunswick-style model without supports), raise risks around diagnosis and proposed placement criteria, and conclude that a dedicated convention on special education and urgent, independent reviews of allocation and training are needed.
The full report can be found here:
Summary of Podcast
00:00 Convention Kickoff00:57 Podcast Format Explained02:26 Special Education Recap05:35 Rethinking Choice08:37 Placements And Transitions13:46 Inclusion Debate19:21 Need For Bigger Forum20:51 Teacher Learning And Training23:49 Allocation Models Mess27:43 Diagnosis And Safeguards30:35 Minister Takeaways37:08 Closing Thanks


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In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Aoife Hughes, a professional ADHD coach and educator, during ADHD Awareness Month. Aoife shares her story as a late-identified ADHD and autistic woman, her experiences in school and a 20-year teaching career shaped by anxiety, change, and burnout, and how she moved into ADHD coaching after training in the US. She explains ADHD coaching as life coaching through the lens of ADHD, using a strengths-based approach and partnership rather than prescribing strategies. We discuss barriers for neurodivergent teachers, missed ADHD in girls, masking as “bracing” and its impact on learning, and practical classroom supports like movement and thinking tools. Aoife questions tick-box “ADHD-friendly” labels and argues for whole-community neuro-affirming education grounded in neuroscience, and says that as minister she would train policymakers, school leaders, staff, parents and pupils on neurodivergence, trauma, disability, poverty and racism.
* Website: Aoife Hughes Coaching
* Newsletter Subscription link: https://learn-ahc.mykajabi.com/signup
* ADHD Starter Kit for Parents: ADHD Support for Parents | Starter Kit - (adult one launching soon)
* IG / FB @aoifehughescoaching
* ADHD Webinar Series with Wexford Education Centre: April 2027: Welcome to Wexford Education Centre (2) - Welcome to Wexford Education Centre, Ireland
00:00 Welcome and Podcast Intro01:48 Meet Aoife Hughes03:05 From Teaching to Coaching09:10 What Is ADHD Coaching13:45 Neurodivergent Teachers16:43 Masking and ADHD Girls25:02 Making Classrooms Neuroaffirming30:25 Do School Supports Help34:32 Beyond ADHD Friendly Labels37:32 Are Schools Fit for Purpose41:51 Minister for a Day43:21 Where to Find Aoife44:40 Final Reflections and Wrap


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In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Ronan McGovern about ADHD and its impact in Irish primary and secondary schooling. Ronan outlines his education and career path from Dublin to accounting, King’s Inns, PwC New York and an MBA at Stanford, where a classmate identified ADHD traits and he later received a diagnosis at age 34. He reflects on being held back in school by inattention, note-taking difficulties, a need to move, and negative experiences including corporal punishment, while also recognising teachers who focused on him as an individual. Drawing on work with Stanford’s Neurodiversity Project, he discusses universal design, the overlooked creativity of neurodiverse people, and internships as a practical inclusion strategy. Ronan shares approaches that would have helped him learn Irish: video, rhythm and sound, plus explicit grammar and structure; and recommends voice-to-text supports and mindfulness, alongside early diagnosis and intervention.
00:00 Welcome and Overview
00:47 Meet Ronan McGovern
01:42 Career Path to Stanford
03:39 Late ADHD Diagnosis
05:59 School Years Revisited
10:23 Coping and Sensory Needs
12:27 Universal Design in Schools
14:22 Why Support Lags Behind
16:23 Stanford Research Takeaways
19:06 Creativity and Neurodiversity
21:27 Famous ADHD Role Models
22:35 Why Leaders Stay Quiet
23:27 Famous Neurodiverse Founders
24:36 Learning Irish With ADHD
25:28 Teach Through Sound First
26:26 Grammar Patterns Matter
29:18 Book And Classroom Fixes
30:55 Early Intervention In Schools
32:07 If I Were Minister
33:09 Tech Ideas For Classrooms
35:00 Where To Follow And Wrap Up


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In this episode, I speak with Debbie O’Neill, principal of Scoil Eoin in Crumlin about Department-level proposals to remove diagnosis as a criterion for access to special classes and special schools, replacing it with a needs-based model relying on school-written reports assessed by an unnamed independent body. We discuss the context of a reported 257% rise in children requiring classroom support alongside only a 7% increase in SET hours since 2017, and the implications for resourcing systems linked to diagnosis (SERC). We compare international examples cited in documents (Portugal, New Zealand, Denmark and England), contrasting wraparound in-school clinical supports abroad with limited Irish provision, and warning of New Brunswick’s failed rapid inclusion approach. We outline actions for teachers and principals through unions and patrons, and long-term requirements including smaller class sizes and adequate clinical staffing.00:00 Podcast Intro00:33 Support Needs Surge01:47 Debbie Joins02:43 Removing Diagnosis05:18 How It Works Now06:24 New Needs Model09:34 Resource Reality Check11:37 SERC Allocation Risks13:50 Full Inclusion Push16:36 New Brunswick Fallout19:14 Portugal Done Right23:24 Wraparound Services Gap25:49 In School Therapy Myth29:00 Why Now Money Motive30:47 Inclusion Driven by Money33:04 Patrons Sold a Story34:20 UK Model Falling Apart35:27 Denmark Numbers and Resources38:26 New Zealand Framework Lessons41:52 What Teachers Can Do Now46:20 Making Inclusion Work Long Term49:56 Final Call to Action


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