Science of Reading: The Podcast is launching a special mini-series dedicated to multilingual/English learners (ML/ELs)! Host Susan Lambert will chat with leading researchers and practitioners about how the Science of Reading supports ML/ELs and why this is so important. Through exploration of the key research and enlightening discussions, Susan and guests will discuss the optimal use of the Science of Reading to enhance students? classroom experiences and overall learning journeys. 

Listen to this trailer for a sneak peek and be sure to subscribe now so you don?t miss this exclusive mini-series?the first episode is out April 30!

Susan Lambert joins biliteracy expert and professor Lillian Durán, who holds a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota and researches the improvement of instructional and assessment practices with preschool-aged multilingual/English learners.

Durán begins by pointing out the difference between being bilingual and biliterate, then describes the key advantages of being bilingual and the unique skills students who speak multiple languages bring to school. She then discusses how the Simple View of Reading connects to Spanish, the double standard that often occurs when bilingual students are celebrated vs. when they are not, and the process of screening and assessment for multilingual/English learner students. Lastly, Durán compels educators to avoid viewing biliteracy and dual language support as a sub-population of their classroom and instead prioritize the development of students? home languages, whatever they may be, alongside English instruction.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?Language is inextricably linked to culture. We want to make sure these families and children feel valued and honored within our schools.? ?Lillian Durán, Ph.D.

?No matter what language you start to learn some of those skills in, there's a transfer and understanding of how to listen to sounds and how to put sounds together.? ?Lillian Durán, Ph.D.

Join Susan B. Neuman, professor of early childhood and literacy education at the Steinhardt School at New York University, in our Deconstructing the Rope series. She explains the important link between background knowledge and reading comprehension in the Science of Reading, and shares her five research-based principles to build knowledge networks in literacy instruction. She also highlights the connection between speech and reading, and previews her upcoming studies on the role of cross-media connections in children?s learning.

Show notes: 

Quotes:
?What you?re helping children do is create a mosaic, putting all those ideas together in a knowledge network. If you don?t do it explicitly, many children cannot do it on their own.? ?Susan B. Neuman

?We?ve got to start early. We?ve got to start immediately, and know that children are eager to learn and use the content to engage them.? ?Susan B. Neuman

Catherine Snow, Ph.D., Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, joins Susan Lambert on this episode to reflect on the state of language and literacy instruction in the U.S. They begin their conversation by discussing linguistics in young children and the relationship between language and literacy, before diving into Dr. Snow?s biggest takeaways from her work on the National Research Council report, ?Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children." Susan and Dr. Snow talk about building vocabulary, growing student curiosity in reading, and exposing students to academic language. Dr. Snow talks about the specific tools educators should be given for meaningful help in the classroom, shares her hopes?and fears?for the future of reading instruction in this country, and explains why she encourages teachers to let their classrooms be noisier.

Show notes:

Quotes:
?Part of preventing reading difficulties means focusing on programs to ensure that all children have access to books from birth and that they have access to adults who will read those books with them and discuss them.? ?Catherine Snow, Ph.D.

?I see academic language and exposure to academic language as an expansion of children's language skills that both contributes to successful literacy?successful reading comprehension?and gets built through encounters with texts, but also encounters with oral activities.? ?Catherine Snow, Ph.D.

?Let your classroom be noisier. Let the kids be more engaged and more socially engaged, because that is actually a contribution to their language development and to their motivation to keep working.? ?Catherine Snow, Ph.D.

Episode timestamps*
2:00 Introduction: Who is Catherine Snow?
3:00 Linguistics in young children
6:00 What is language? 
8:00 Language and its impact on literacy
14:00 National Research Council Report: Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
22:00 Building vocabulary and a love for reading
26:00 Academic language
28:00 ?Science of Reading? movement and the reading wars
33:00 Scientific research in the hands of educators in the field
36:00 Tools teachers need in their toolbox
38:00 Hopes and fears for the future of the ?Science of Reading movement?
41:00 Final advice
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

Greg Ashman?author of multiple books including A Little Guide for Teachers: Cognitive Load Theory, deputy principal, and professor?sits down with Susan Lambert on this episode to discuss cognitive load theory and how it applies to how students learn and how to best teach them. Together their conversation covers cognitive load theory, including an exploration of working memory and long-term memory; intrinsic load and extraneous load; biologically primary vs. biologically secondary knowledge; and how to apply these concepts in the classroom. Ashman also provides listeners with helpful advice on ensuring their teaching practices are based on evidence.

Show notes:

Quotes:
?I now know I shouldn't have felt guilty, but I also know that I could have taught that from the outset in a much more structured way where the students would have left understanding the concepts better without wasting time.? ?Greg Ashman

?This idea that kids don't need to know anything anymore, they just need to practice skills is really quite a pernicious and damaging idea.? ?Greg Ashman

?Think about the teaching methods that you're being presented with. Ask about the evidence and question whether this is really the optimal way of teaching literacy or whatever it is, or whether it's more based on wishful thinking.? ?Greg Ashman

Episode timestamps*
2:00 Introduction: Who is Dr. Gregg Ashman
5:00 Feeling guilty about the way you had been teaching
7:00 Book talk: A Little Guide for Teachers on Cognitive Load Theory
8:00 Defining cognition
11:00 Working memory and long-term memory
13:00 Retrieval of long-term memory
15:00 What is cognitive load?
19:00 Working memory holds 4 items: What is an item?
24:00 Automaticity
26:00 Biologically primary vs biologically secondary knowledge
31:00 Mythbusting: ?Long-term memory is like a computer system?
34:00 How can educators use cognitive load theory?
38:00 Explicit teaching 
42:00 Productive struggle and productive failure
49:00 Final advice
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

Dr. Sharon Vaughn, award-winning researcher and multi-published author, who has advised on literacy across 30 states and 10 different countries, joins Susan Lambert on this episode. She digs into how we can build reading comprehension rather than teach it, and what it means for comprehension to be a learning outcome rather than a skill. She and Susan touch on how to ask the right comprehension questions, how to ensure coherency in teaching background knowledge, and where it's easy to go wrong?with knowledge building and with the Science of Reading as a whole. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of which skills lead to comprehension and how to avoid strategy overload.

Show notes: 

Quotes:
 
?Comprehension is an outcome, and it's based on being able to read words accurately, know what they mean, have adequate background knowledge, and also being able to make inferences.? ?Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.

?I've seen things go awry. Good things get interpreted incorrectly. The Science of Reading has that potential ? where people could take that and sort of start creating their own meaning about what it means and start downloading that in districts and schools in ways that are counterproductive.? ?Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.

?If you look at the early studies from the late ?80s and early ?90s, they really were the building blocks for phonemic awareness and phonics and the way in which we have identified the foundation skills as being essential. We act like the Science of Reading is something new, and we've been building this for decades.? ?Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.

Episode timestamps*
02:00: What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide
04:00: Reading Comprehension: What it is and what it isn?t
09:00: How could we mess up background knowledge?
13:00: The relationship between vocabulary and knowledge building
21:00: Word knowledge and world knowledge, especially in the upper grades
24:00: Strategy of asking and answering questions
26:00: Text matters
27:00: Integrating stretch text
31:00: Collaborative strategic reading
39:00: Project PACT

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

Dr. HyeJin Hwang is an assistant professor and literacy researcher whose research interests revolve around reading comprehension and content learning in K?12 settings, particularly for multilingual students. In this week?s episode of the podcast, HyeJin Hwang talks with Susan Lambert about background knowledge (what it is, how it?s built, and more), the importance of broad knowledge, the connections between knowledge and vocabulary, and unit planning rather than lesson planning. English wasn?t Dr. Hwang?s own first language, and her research on supporting multi-language learners is informed by her own experiences learning English and later teaching English as a second language.  Whether you?re just starting to establish a solid foundation on knowledge building or you?re looking to explore the topic from new angles, this episode is the one to listen to.

Show Notes: 

Quotes:
?Knowledge building cannot wait? Start from the beginning of schooling, from early grades. Multilingual students and monolingual students, they both need support developing knowledge and literacy skills.? ?HyeJin Hwang

?In knowledge building, we usually like to go for cultivating in-depth knowledge. That means interconnected ideas need to be told throughout multiple lessons, multiple classes, rather than planning individual separate lessons.? ?HyeJin Hwang

?When readers have good broad knowledge, prior knowledge, then it is more likely the readers can recall text information ideas, and they can make better inferences about missing ideas in text.? ?HyeJin Hwang

Episode Content Timestamps*

2:00: Introduction: Who is Dr. HyeJin Hwang?
6:00: Comprehension models
8:00: What is background knowledge?
10:00: Activating and integrating background knowledge
15:00: Mitigating background knowledge issues
21:00: Strategy instruction
22:00: What should knowledge building instruction look like for students?
27:00: Advice for elementary school teachers to change their instruction
32:00: Broad knowledge and why it matters
38:00: Content knowledge and multilingual learners
44:00: Final thoughts and advice

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

A name known throughout the literacy world, Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D., directs UCLA?s Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice. She?s published over 170 scientific articles  and four books focusing on the science of the reading brain. In her conversation with Susan in this episode, she discusses the reading brain in a digital context and delves into some of the tensions of the present moment in literacy instruction: the Science of Reading beyond just phonics, the plea to preserve deep reading, and literacy and screens. She also talks about the topics she?s most focused on and the ones she feels are most pressing in general when it comes to research on the brain and literacy. And she ends with an impassioned message to teachers, expressing her deep respect and gratitude.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?What I would say to any teacher of balanced literacy: Let us bring our best selves and expand our knowledge. We both have things we can learn from each other. ? ?Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D.

?Pass on why you learned to be a teacher. Pass it on to your students. Let?s make that next generation of teachers truly excited about what we can do to release the potential of every child.? ?Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D.

Episode Content Timestamps*

2:00: Introduction: Who is Maryanne Wolf?
7:00: Cognitive neuroscience and how it relates to early childhood literacy
14:00: Elements kids aged 0-5 need to develop before build the reading circuits in the brain
21:00: Maryanne?s first book, Proust and the Squid
27:00: Maryanne?s third book, Reader Come Home
31:00: The reading brain in the digital age: What screens do to the reading brain
43:00: Maryanne Wolf and the Science of Reading movement
48:00: Discussing presentation with the Teachers College
55:00: Most important topics in the evolving world of reading research
58:00: Maryanne?s message to teachers of deep gratitude and respect 

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

As a writer of several books for teachers and parents, former kindergarten teacher, and current associate professor of language and literacy in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University, Tanya S. Wright, Ph.D., has maintained focus on a singular question: How can we most effectively work with students in the early education setting? In answering that question, Wright has researched and written on two interesting areas: vocabulary development, and best practices for literacy development in young children. Listeners will come away from this conversation with some great tips and strategies for developing vocabulary, working effectively with younger students, and integrating writing and vocabulary.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"We need kids to be able to sound out the words, but we also need them to know what they mean. Otherwise, the text won't make sense. So we really need to be working on both of these at the same time." ?Tanya S. Wright

"Really value what kids bring to the classroom, even if it's not perfect yet, or if it's not exactly what adults would say." ?Tanya S. Wright

"It's really important that we're thinking about purposeful, planned, and intentional vocabulary supports to make sure that everybody is included in the learning and can participate in the classroom." ?Tanya S. Wright

"Realistically, kids love to learn big words. They make use of them. They don't really differentiate it. So that's an adult imposition, right? Which ones are the big ones or which ones are the hard ones? If we use them with kids, they will use them too. And enjoy it." ?Tanya S. Wright

Episode content timestamps*:
2:00: Introduction: Who is Tanya Wright?
4:00: Journey to studying vocabulary: What is the importance?
6:00: What does it mean to know a word?
11:00: How do knowledge and vocabulary connect and why can't they be divorced?
17:00: Tips for being planned and purposeful with vocabulary instruction
22:00: Integrating vocabulary across content areas
27:00: What would you say to someone who says a word is "too hard" for a kid?
33:00: How has your thinking changed about the approach to vocabulary from when you started your research?
37:00: Final advice for educators

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to the nearest minute. 

Returning guest and recent doctoral degree recipient Dr. Jasmine Rogers rejoins the podcast to discuss findings from her research on Black language and teacher perceptions of Black language. Dr. Rogers shares strategies for how educators can better serve students by allowing them to be more themselves in the classroom. She also shares specific teacher approaches she's observed that listeners can apply in their own classrooms. Lastly Dr. Rogers inspires listeners with emotional stories?including her own?about educators learning and growing, and posits that starting with introspection can often have the greatest impact on the classroom.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"You address people as human beings because they're human and that's the right thing to do." ?Dr. Jasmine Rogers

"The history of our country, the history of who we are as individuals in our families, absolutely impacts who we are as teachers and how we show up in the classroom." ?Dr. Jasmine Rogers

"A lot of change is just being open to feedback, being curious, and ensuring that whatever you are doing, you are not causing harm to students." ?Dr. Jasmine Rogers

"If I was able to make a change, you 110 percent can make a change. And a lot of that is just being open to feedback, being curious, and ensuring that whatever you are doing, you are not causing harm to students." ?Dr. Jasmine Rogers

Episode Content Timestamps*

2:00: Recap of the last episode with Dr. Jasmine Rogers
4:00: How teachers respond when students use Black language in their lessons and how that impacts student behavior
11:00: Observation on teacher moves in the classroom, pre and post professional development
23:00: Tips for educators wanting to be more affirming in the classroom
26:00: Resources for learning the phonological features of different languages & the importance of relationship building and knowing your students
31:00: How we teach irregularly spelled words & syllable stresses
35:00: Emotional stories from educators & final encouragement from Dr. Jasmine Rogers

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

This episode?s guest is Margaret McKeown, Ph.D., a retired professor from the University of Pittsburgh, decades-long researcher, and former elementary school teacher. In it, Margaret and Susan address why vocabulary is so important, particularly for knowledge building; talk about the various elements of effective vocabulary instruction; discuss the key role of informal instruction in vocabulary building; and share best practices for assessing vocabulary. Listeners will come away from this episode with a deeper understanding of the how and why of vocabulary instruction, as well as tips for bolstering vocabulary instruction in their own communities.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?Good instruction needs to be interactive. We're using words. Vocabulary pervades the day.? ?Margaret McKeown

?Relax, because you're never going to be able to teach kids all the words that they really need to know, so just drop that.? ?Margaret McKeown

?There is no perfect set of words, so don't worry about which words you're using, just sort of tune your mind to the kinds of words that turn up in texts a lot, ones that go across texts, not so much ones that are just, domain specific, but what words am I going to read in a novel, a social studies text, a newspaper article? Those are the kinds of words.? ?Margaret McKeown

?If you do one thing, set up an attitude about words, this idea of reveling in words, and then just drop them in.? ?Margaret McKeown

On this wide ranging episode, Susan finally gets the chance to speak with famed education thinker and author John Hattie, Ph.D. Hattie has authored dozens and dozens of books. He?s best known for his book, Visible Learning, which now has a sequel. In this episode, he discusses his career and shares with Susan some of the biggest takeaways from his work. He also explains what meta-analysis is and discusses some of the biggest takeaways from meta-analysis in the education field. They both also delve into the importance of successful implementation. And, finally, Hattie shares his thoughts on AI and the future of education. This episode offers many practical tips for educators to realign with their mission and dig into why they do what they do and how to best make an impact.

Show notes: 

Quotes:

?Your job is not to get through the curriculum, your job is not to get kids engaged in authentic, real-world, exciting tasks. Your job is to have an impact across those many notions.? ?John Hattie, Ph.D.

?We're very good at finding problems and fixing them but we're not as good?we're not having the courage?to study expertise and scale it up. And that's my mission. Scale up the expertise we have.? ?John Hattie, Ph.D.

?I'm an evidence-based person. Sometimes I don't like the results, but that doesn't mean you get to deny it. Some people want to deny it. Some people want to get angry with it. And sometimes evidence does get in the way of a good opinion.? ?John Hattie, Ph.D.

In this episode, Susan Lambert talks to Gina Cervetti, Ph.D., about literacy development, knowledge building, vocabulary expansion?and the deep connections between all three. Gina explains why she sees knowledge and vocabulary as two sides of the same coin. She also attempts to expand the listener's understanding of what knowledge really is; it?s not just subject-area knowledge, it?s also cultural knowledge. In this process, she introduces the idea of conceptual coherence, the benefits of this approach to knowledge building, and  avenues for implementing it in the classroom. Lastly, Gina offers strategies for how teachers can effectively build students? vocabulary without relying on a vocabulary list which she notes is not backed by the research.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?Above all other things in education, literacy is a gateway to so many of the things that are essential for human flourishing and human choice.? ?Dr. Gina Cervetti

?I like to think about vocabulary, not as individual words, right, but as a set of labels for ideas that we want kids to be able to read about and talk about and write about.? ?Dr. Gina Cervetti

?It's really hard to teach individual words in ways where that learning is durable?Because it's not connected to something.? ?Dr. Gina Cervetti

?When you can see yourself or connect to the experiences you bring to a text it?s great for your comprehension.? ?Dr. Gina Cervetti

?Knowledge is so complex that it actually offers a number of different benefits. And different kinds of knowledge actually benefit literacy development in different ways.? ?Dr. Gina Cervetti

Many educators understand the value of reading aloud to students, but may not have yet unlocked the full power of these tools as an intentional, consistent, and joyful instructional approach. In this episode, we welcome Molly Ness, author or the recent book, Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK?8. Molly?a former classroom teacher herself, who also spent 16 years as a teacher educator?gives us an overview of the research on read-alouds, detailing the myriad benefits (linguistic, socioemotional, motivational, and physiological) they provide students. Molly also lays out strategies for effective read-alouds, instructions on how to properly plan and implement them, and specific examples of the pre-work process for texts like Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.

Show notes:

*Terms and conditions:
Discount valid on SolutionTree.com only. Enter promo code AmplifyPodcast20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on the paperback version of Read Alouds for All Learners. Offer expires December 15, 2023. Not valid for bookstores, distributors, or resellers. Continental U.S. only. Cannot be combined with other offers. For customers submitting a purchase order, payment must be received by December 15, 2023, to qualify for this offer.

Quotes:

"A read-aloud is an interactive language experience...where a teacher reads something, elicits a conversation from students. Those conversational turns are so essential in [a] read-aloud. It's a shared literacy experience around a text." ?Molly Ness

"What I don't think teachers understand, and I say this having been one of those teachers, is the intentionality that needs to happen in planning the read-aloud." ?Molly Ness

"When we add things like think-alouds and being explicit in our vocabulary, we are building [students'] metacognition and [their] abiliy to understand text." ?Molly Ness

"We all have those gaps in knowledge and life experiences, regardless of where we come from and regardless of our zip code and regardless of our personal or family situation." ?Molly Ness

In the premiere episode of Season 8 of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by guests Reid Smith and Pamela Snow to lay the groundwork for a season entirely centered on knowledge and knowledge-building. Reid and Pamela?of the SOLAR Lab at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia?recently co-authored (along with many others) a review of the literature on background knowledge and literacy. In this discussion, they share what they learned, including some surprising takeaways. This episode examines the  complexity of building background knowledge, the important role it plays in literacy, and the reasons we?ve decided to spend a whole season exploring it!

Show notes:

Quotes:
?We decided we'd embark on a knowledge-rich curriculum where we would make deliberate decisions about what it is that we would like our students to know about the world in which we live and thinking carefully about the coherence and sequencing of that knowledge.?  ?Reid Smith

?This idea of having a coherent curriculum that systematically builds knowledge and skills over time is something that we think is really important for our kids.? ?Reid Smith

?There's a group of students who, even when they know they have the background knowledge that's required to make inferences in a text, they find that really difficult, that they have difficulty identifying the pieces of knowledge that they actually have that are going to enable them to make inferences with a particular text.? ?Reid Smith

?Explicit teaching is an important way of building accurate background knowledge, building schema about a topic that, of course, is an important social equity lever for us to pull because not all students have equal opportunities.? ?Pamela Snow

?Background knowledge has a particularly strong effect for those students who don't have other compensatory mechanisms to be able to pick up the ball when they don't have that background knowledge.? ?Reid Smith

?The long-term memory makes no distinction between information that's correct or incorrect?so, of course, the incorrect knowledge would impact on our understanding." ?Reid Smith

?I think we respect teacher autonomy when we give them the knowledge that they need about how the English writing system works, right across the Reading Rope, and how the English language works, right across the Reading Rope.? ?Pamela Snow

In this episode, in honor of Dyslexia Awareness Month, we highlight Kareem Weaver's daughter Margaret "Margo" and nephew Elijah?both of whom learned they had dyslexia later in their young lives. After many struggles in school, Margo was diagnosed with dyslexia in high school. Meanwhile, Elijah was diagnosed with dyslexia only while he was incarcerated. Margo and Elijah discuss the impact of their diagnoses. Meanwhile, Kareem reflects on their stories and shares lessons learned for families and caregivers. Margo and Elijah also share their advice for educators and other young people about types of dyslexia.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"It made me realize I wasn't the problem; something was wrong with me. I just had a little bump in the road that was making it just a little bit harder for me." ?Margo Weaver

"It shouldn't take having to go to jail to get what you need to learn how to read. That's the bottom of it." ?Kareem Weaver

"Just try to take a deep breath in and ask questions." ?Elijah Valencia

"Even when they were trying to help me ... it's like they were expecting me to be learning at everybody else's pace." ?Elijah Valencia

"Real talk as a parent: We got to own up to stuff." ?Kareem Weaver

"When a kid can't read and life gets a hold of you, it's a life cycle. Next thing you know, you find yourself in situatins that you never would have imagined." ?Kareem Weaver

"Most parents are overwhelmed and they need an ally in the building." ?Kareem Weaver

"I just wish somebody kind of sat with me and told me that I wasn't stupid and that I was okay." ?Margo Weaver

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Reid Lyon, one of the leading experts in reading research. After years working for and with the highest levels of the U.S. government, Dr. Lyon stepped away from working on reading research. However, in May 2023, he released his "Ten Maxims: What We've Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read." Picking up where we left off last episode, Dr. Lyon continues to expand on what we know about how children learn?and explains how much of this information was known two decades ago when he was testifying before Congress. He also goes into what he sees in the current Science of Reading landscape, and what he hopes for the future, and how both of those things led to the creation of his "Ten Maxims."

Show notes:

Quotes:
?The Science of Reading is cumulative and we?re learning all kinds of new things.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?A more realistic look at reading is in fact to understand the complexity, but not be intimidated by it.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?When you?re working on something that?s so critical to a life?to a child?s life?belief systems don?t cut it. Evidence cuts it.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

Dr. Reid Lyon is one of the leading experts in reading research. After years working for and with the highest levels of the U.S. government, Dr. Lyon stepped away from his reading research. But in May 2023, Dr. Lyon released his "Ten Maxims: What We've Learned So Far About How Children Learn to Read." And of course Susan jumped at the chance to invite him onto the podcast. In a wide-reaching interview, Dr. Lyon traces his life story from the Vietnam War to the National Institute of Health. He also offers an expansive overview of what we know about teaching reading, how children learn?including a discussion of whole language vs. phonics?and his response to educators wondering what reading actually is and what methodology of teaching students to read is most effective.

Be on the lookout for Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Reid Lyon, being released next week.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?Phonics?that is, looking at letters, letter patterns, learning how to bring sound to associate to those letters?is absolutely essential, non-negotiable. It has to be learned. But it in no way is sufficient to be able to comprehend, which is the goal of reading.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?Reading is a complex behavior subserved by multiple systems in the brain that integrate and inform each other.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?It?s a symphony of neural activity that undergirds this very complex behavior of just learning how to read. So when people boil reading down into phonics or whole language, it?s just a false characterization.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?People somehow conflated this natural ability of oral language to develop?just expose kids, just shower them with language?to reading. And reading is by no means natural. It has to be taught. It does not reside in the brain systems.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

?We?re hampered by the teacher-knowledge issue. That?s not a teacher?s fault. That?s a college of education system that is bereft of responsibility. It operates on philosophical foundations. It operates on belief systems. It?s very politicized. It looks at reading as a right, which it is. But it doesn?t look at the instruction of reading as methodology?strategies, direct and comprehensive programs that can help most kids learn to read.? ?Dr. Reid Lyon

With a background as a classroom teacher, a master's in educational neuroscience, and a doctorate in special education, Dr. Neena Saha has seen all facets of education. In her work, she noticed a gap in the research-to-practice workflow for early literacy and dedicated herself to streamlining the process of finding and disseminating the best educational research for educators. Together, Susan Lambert and Neena discuss the need for reading researchers to work together and collaborate in a more focused and concerted group effort, the challenges of implementation, and how educators can best keep up with research that often feels overwhelming.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"What I did was focus really on dissemination, right? Getting rid of that hurdle of, you know, there's so many journals out there." ?Dr. Neena Saha

"You have to look at the full body, you're like cherry picking stuff if you're going to social media and the person with the biggest megaphone wins or whoever has the most interesting way of presenting it." ?Dr. Neena Saha

"We need a more concerted effort. There needs to be a bunch of researchers that come together and hash it out. It can't just be single ones here and there." ?Dr. Neena Saha

"Teachers or educators out there right now, when you're feeling overwhelmed and you can't figure out how to find the evidence, or some evidence, guess what? We're affirming for you that there's no easy way to do it...this is more of a systemic problem." ?Dr. Neena Saha

"It's not enough to do the science. You have to make sure it gets out there." ?Dr. Neena Saha

Growing up, Malcolm Mitchell considered reading and academics as a bare minimum means to get to play football. While his journey with football led to playing in the NFL, the work he is most proud of today is his literacy work and his own journey of learning to love reading, advocating for literacy, and writing children's books. In this conversation with Susan Lambert at the 2023 Plain Talk Conference?where Malcolm was the keynote speaker?Malcolm dives into his own process of teaching himself to become a proficient reader at the age of 19. Through the lens of his own struggles and triumphs, Malcolm shares a powerful testimony to the importance of cultural connection, access to books, community building, and understanding the true "why" behind reading to get students motivated to read.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"I saw that [reading] as the thing that would allow me to become the best version of myself." ?Malcolm Mitchell

"Reading is the most self empowering tool a person could possess." ?Malcolm Mitchell

"I knew that I needed to surround myself with a group of readers to help foster an even greater love or deeper connection." ?Malcolm Mitchell

"It's not whether people want to do something or not. It's whether they understand the value of it." ?Malcolm Mitchell

"Our challenge is to create an atmosphere that hopefully makes students willing to learn. And that opens the door for a teacher to do what they do best." ?Malcolm Mitchell

"High school is probably the most confusing place because the things that you need to do most to position yourself for a fruitful life are the things that are ridiculed" ?Malcolm Mitchell

Here to continue our discussion on dyslexia from earlier episodes in the season is an all-time leading expert on the topic: Dr. Sally Shaywitz, Co-founder and Co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. This literacy legend shares how she came to study dyslexia, the story of her seminal Connecticut Longitudinal Study, and all she's learned from her years of dyslexia research. Shaywitz will cover some of the biggest myths about dyslexia and also explain the "sea of strengths" possessed by people with dyslexia.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"It's so important to screen, to learn early that you may be at risk and then to follow up with more testing that may confirm you're dyslexic. When you have something, but it doesn't have a name, it leads to anxiety." ?Dr. Sally Shaywitz

"There are so many people who are slow readers who are brilliant thinkers. That's our 'sea of strengths' model." ?Dr. Sally Shaywitz

"We are so genetically driven to speak ... but we're not genetically driven to read." ?Dr. Sally Shaywitz

When it comes to literacy education and cross-domain learning, it?s critical to understand the relationship between reading and writing. In this episode, Susan talks to Steve Graham all about writing?and how it can be used to strengthen literacy. Graham served as chair of the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides on elementary and secondary writing, and is the current Regents and Warner Professor at Arizona State University. Together, he and Susan discuss ways to support student writing, hindrances to writing development, the importance of teaching handwriting skills, and why writing is essential to any literacy program.

Show Notes: 

Quotes:
?Our development as writers might be something that you can think of as open-ended?it can expand ever outward.? ?Steve Graham

?Handwriting gets better, spelling gets better?students become better at constructing sentences in their writing. They tend to generate more content, and the quality of their writing may improve as well.? ?Steve Graham

?Any kid who has trouble with handwriting [or] spelling usually dislikes writing much more than their peers that do not have those difficulties, and they typically don't produce as much. And what they produce usually is just not as coherent or well connected.? ?Steve Graham

?What we see with exceptional teachers is they have their kids write. And at least through grades one to six, when students write, the quality of their writing gets better and their reading comprehension gets better.? ?Steve Graham

?Kids need to write, they need to write for a variety of purposes. And they also need to write for real reasons, for real audiences.? ?Steve Graham

?We want to create a community in which kids can thrive as writers and take risks.? ?Steve Graham

?We want to make sure that we're using reading and writing for the functional purposes of learning, because they make a huge difference. They're really the basic building blocks around which we acquire and understand information.? ?Steve Graham

When we surveyed listeners, more than half of respondents said they wanted more conversations about teaching students with dyslexia! With that in mind, in this episode Susan is joined by Dr. Tim Odegard from Middle Tennessee State University. Odegard is a professor of psychology and holds the Katherine Davis Murfree Chair of Excellence in Dyslexic Studies. As someone with dyslexia himself, Odegard brings a unique perspective to this discussion where they debunk the idea of "the gift of dyslexia," discuss neurodiversity and talk about what needs to be done to change the system.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?It's not easy, but life isn't easy and it's not fair and you don't get to write the rules. But how you play the game and how you persist is what defines you as a human being.? ?Tim Odegard

?Sure. You can turn lemons into lemonade, but all they're saying ism that it's a gift because you find a way to persevere, and any hardship could be that way, but when you're in the thick of it and you're actually living it, and you're just trying to get the ability to do your work and not feel like you're stupid. That's not a gift.? ?Tim Odegard

?We need to change the dialogue and say, this is about what's right for all kids. And this isn't about just dyslexia, that?s the byproduct of doing what's right for all children.? ?Tim Odegard

From reading street signs and menus to checking the weather, and using a ruler, there are so many examples of how a student's math and literacy adventure continues beyond the classroom. That's why we're sharing another bonus episode?this time from our friends at Math Teacher Lounge, to show the connection between math and children's literature.

In this episode, Mathematizing Children's Literature authors Allison Hintz and Antony Smith join Math Teacher Lounge hosts Bethany Lockhart Johnson and Dan Meyer to discuss what would happen if we were to approach children's literature, and life, through a math lens, and how we can apply those techniques to classroom teaching.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?We started asking ourselves what would happen if we considered any story a chance to engage as mathematical sensemakers.? ?Allison Hintz

?We think of stories as mirrors or windows. We really want to be mindful of story selection, of whose stories are told and whose stories are heard.??Allison Hintz 

?Modeling what I, as a teacher, notice or wonder about helps set the expectation for what kind of response would be encouraged.? ?Antony Smith

In this episode, we take on the difficult topic of literacy education in the American juvenile justice system. Susan is joined by Hilderbrand Pelzer III, who discusses his experience as an educational leader in the Philadelphia prison system. Pelzer talks about what he saw and learned?and explains why he advocates for aspiring teachers to work with incarcerated youth. This passionate and moving discussion breaks down the myths surrounding literacy's relationship with juvenile incarceration and also leaves listeners with advice on how to become more involved in their own communities.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?Once we have our understanding and expectations, what are the opportunities we are going to put in place to help them thrive? It?s as simple as that. Expectations and opportunities.? ?Hilderbrand Pelzer III

?Teacher preparation training should be [taking place] inside correctional settings. Why? Because inside correctional settings, you will see all the challenges that we talk about? [the teachers] will not run away from challenges. They will be able to understand, navigate, and already have a plan of action to help.? ?Hilderbrand Pelzer III

?These are real stories about children living their [lives] unable to read. It?s not data. They?re telling you they?re in a situation of incarceration and they?ve figured that their life is over as a result of not being taught in school.? ?Hilderbrand Pelzer III

?I said, ?Well, I?m gonna be at the Philadelphia prison system,? and he looked at me like my career was dead...not knowing that my career started in juvenile prisons. Going from this to that [felt] like, ?I?m about to do something extraordinary.?? ?Hilderbrand Pelzer III

We're excited to share a special episode from our friends at the Science Connections podcast!

Literacy learning doesn't end when a student leaves their English class; it continues to develop, grow and be challenged across all subject domains. In this episode, host Eric Cross sits down with Susan Gomez Zwiep, former middle school science teacher and senior science educator at BSCC Science Learning. She shares research that shows the benefits of integrating science and literacy, strategies for applying these ideas in the classroom, and what she's learned through her own experiences.

Show notes:

Quotes:

"If we wait until students develop English proficiency to allow them access to quality learning, we've lost a tremendous number of students that could not only benefit from science, we could benefit from their entering this science conversation." ?Susan Gomez Zwiep

"When kids were excited about this thing in a Ziploc bag, they didn't care. They communicated however they could?sometimes in their primary language or in their home language, sometimes in imperfect English ...but you and large, they just communicated." ?Susan Gomez Zwiep

"This expansion of language including non standard dialects and even home language, is really important for letting students bring their whole selves into the classroom."

"...The kids were coming into the office and had transitioned to communicating in English, especially when they wanted to talk about science, and they really wanted to talk about science, 'cause they were super excited about the stuff that they were learning." ?Susan Gomez Zwiep

Susan interviews Danielle "Nell" Thompson, literacy multi-hyphenate and the creator of the Big Sky Literacy Summit. This August, the summit returns with a star-studded lineup of mentors, sages, teachers, and leaders, and in this episode, Nell shares how her own background?working with students in Alaska and Mississippi, among many other places?has helped shape this year's conference theme. She and Susan discuss the importance of mentorship in advancing evidence-based literacy practice and literacy instruction.

Show notes:

Quote:

I was feeling like the numbers were too great and that the systems were broken. ? If I could build better systems, I could also support the educators' success within those systems." ?Dr. Danielle "Nell" Thompson

While in New Orleans at the Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference, Susan sat down with keynoter Zaretta Hammond. Zaretta shared her thoughts on the importance of scaffolding in literacy education. In this episode, Susan and Zaretta also look back on Zaretta?s impactful book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students and talk about scaffolding, mastery, and the importance of learning how to learn.

Show notes:

Quotes:
?What I have come to believe is the obstacle is the way. So what worries me becomes my research project. What worries me becomes my new mission.?  ?Zaretta Hammond

?For me, justice is the mastery. I'm a movie fan and so I, in this case, think of Master Yoda all the time. You know, he said there's no try or not try. You're just doing it. Either you're teaching them to read or not.? ?Zaretta Hammond

?When that scaffold stays [up] too long, it becomes a crutch and the child actually believes they cannot learn without it.? ?Zaretta Hammond

?So this idea of somehow we get overprotective and we don't want them to fall. We don't want them to fail. We don't want them, you know, their self, self-esteem, to be bruised. We are actually doing that when we delay this because the only way we learn is through error. And we have not reframed errors as information.? ?Zaretta Hammond

?Number one, you assign yourself, and number two, you always go for mastery. Not a grade. No one will ever ask you about your grades four years after college, ever. Go for mastery. They will ask you what you know how to do.? ?Zaretta Hammond

After three years and more than 3 million downloads, Science of Reading: The Podcast recently conducted its first ever taping in front of a live audience. The recording took place on March 9, 2023, in New Orleans at the Plain Talk About Literacy and Learning conference. Susan Lambert was joined by none other than Kareem Weaver, NAACP activist, whose first appearance on this podcast remains an all-time favorite among listeners. This time around, Kareem gave Susan a behind-the-scenes look at his involvement with the new film: The Right to Read. Kareem also offered insights into his latest work with NAACP. Plus, Kareem addressed the topic of accountability: can we make the changes we need to make when it comes to literacy instruction without holding some people accountable?

Show notes:

Quotes:
?You could look at it from every endeavor, every social sector. Literacy is at the core.? ?Kareem Weaver

?Hope it's not a strategy. It's great to have hope, but that can't be the strategy for our kids and our systems that serve 'em.? ?Kareem Weaver

?There has to be some accountability at a human level for people to open up and be willing to believe enough.? ?Kareem Weaver

?People often get so caught up in their own feelings and their own agenda and what they can't wait to do and they forget about the people they're supposed to be. Leadership starts with service.? ?Kareem Weaver

?Many of us have divested ourselves from our own values to accommodate the narratives and lies we've been told to calm the dissonance.? ?Kareem Weaver

?I believe in our potential to solve big problems if we're honest with each other and if we ask the right questions and push the right way.? ?Kareem Weaver 

This season is all about tackling the hard stuff, and there is no harder pill to swallow than being told by a student that you don't know how to teach reading?especially when you realize they're right! After this happened to Jamey Peavler, Co-Director in the Reading Science Graduate Program at Mount St. Joseph University, she leaned in and took the opportunity to completely rethink her approach to literacy instruction. Now, her research focuses on maximizing small-group instruction. In this episode, she'll share her findings and her advice, as well as some best practices for small-group instruction and balancing small- and whole-group work.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?We have this mindset of that small-group differentiated golden standard, but there's a certain amount of instruction, again, [that] all kids need and there isn't a lot of difference between those things.? ?Jamey Peavler

?There's a certain amount of proactive, preventative foundation-building work that should be done for all kids. We can do that more efficiently in a whole-group setting and then reserve that small-group setting for what truly needs to be differentiated, because not everything has to be differentiated.? ?Jamey Peavler

?If we can set aside the idea of introducing a new program, and instead focus our core instruction on how that language and how those routines could actually be intensified in that small-group setting, we're going to minimize that cognitive overload.? ?Jamey Peavler

?What we know about overlearning is when you get that fluency down and that generalization down, you are more likely to accurately reach adaptation sooner. So it's not causing harm for the kids who have already learned that skill.? ?Jamey Peavler

?When you mess up, it's okay. Just mess up again tomorrow in a different way.? ?Jamey Peavler

For the second episode in our new season focused on tackling the hard stuff, we're taking on a question that listeners have asked: how can we apply the Science of Reading in a Montessori setting? To help explore that question, we're joined by the three authors of the recent book Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom: Aligning Reading Research and Practice. Listen to Dr. Susan Zoll, Dr. Natasha Feinberg, and Dr. Laura Saylor as they explore the shared qualities between the Science of Reading and Montessori approach. They share tips and guidance for literacy instruction both inside and outside a Montessori setting and end with an impassioned call to educators from all approaches to come together and learn from each other for the benefit of students everywhere.

Show notes:

Quotes:
?Maria Montessori was a scientist first. She developed her methods based on science.? ?Laura Saylor

?Reading is the human rights issue of our era in education and we want all children to be successful.??Susan Zoll

?I encourage everyone, get together with your colleagues, talk about the different pedagogy, talk about the different strategies that are out there, because that is what is going to help us become better in the field of education.?? Natasha Feinberg

?For those trained in both Science of Reading and Montessori education, there were clear and undeniable parallels between them.??Susan Zoll

?Teachers want students to be good readers. That is what is underlying our instruction? whether we are Montessori, whether we're teaching in a public school.??Natasha Feinberg

?If you're a Montessori and continue to use your Montessori language, absolutely follow your philosophy and the pedagogy, but also begin to engage with this language of research because it can elevate the conversation and it can expand our reach into the greater world of education.??Susan Zoll

?Come see what we do and know that we're willing to share.? ?Laura Saylor

?We all want children to have access to wonderful reading instruction. We all want children to have the opportunities and life that each of them deserves. And if we are not working together and we're busy labeling and [in a] silo then we really aren't going to have the collective impact we might have otherwise.? ?Laura Saylor

Claude ?Skeptic? Goldenberg, professor of Education at Stanford, rejoins Susan Lambert to kick off season seven of this Science of Reading podcast?all centered around ?tackling the hard stuff.? In this week?s episode, Claude and Susan take on the topic of what is actually true when it comes to the Science of Reading and how to navigate the noise to find it! Together they discuss the opportunities and challenges of social media, the importance of limitations of foundational skills, and striving to maintain hope even when the journey towards success gets overwhelming.

Show notes: 

Quotes:

"I wish there were a simple solution, but I don't really think there is."?Claude Goldenberg

"It's really gonna take leadership and clear communication and less one-sidedness by people who are influential thought leaders."?Claude Goldenberg

"We know that coaching and professional development and training and observations, we know all those things are important, but it's very important to be efficient because we don't have enough time."?Claude Goldenberg

"We've gotta be really scrupulous and careful about what we mandate and require and expect of teachers and provide them with the knowledge, information, and training that is really important."?Claude Goldenberg

"You can think of literacy as a structure, as something that gets constructed in your mind."?Claude Goldenberg

"If all you have is a foundation, you don't have much."?Claude Goldenberg

"It's really about the kids. I mean, it's really about the students, particularly those kids who are so dependent on schools because they don't have the resources and the opportunities and the affordances at home and in their communities."?Claude Goldenberg

"There are millions of those kids. They're so deeply dependent on the schools to do the right thing. We really owe it to them to get it right."?Claude Goldenberg

"We owe it to the teachers, we owe it to the kids, we owe it to the communities. That's my hope, that people will see the responsibility that we bear, to acknowledge the uncertainties, to acknowledge that we don't know everything."?Claude Goldenberg

We're thrilled to share that we are about to launch brand new seasons of our hit podcasts? Science of Reading: The Podcast, Science Connections, Math Teacher Lounge.

Listen to this trailer to learn more about what's to come in season 7 of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Tackling the Hard Stuff; season 3 of Science Connections, Science is the Underdog; and season 5 of Math Teacher Lounge, Math Anxiety. Click here to visit the new Amplify Podcast Hub and watch the video trailer promoting all three new seasons.

Show notes:

Learning is at the center of everything in education, so understanding how the human brain processes, retains, and retrieves new information is essential to student growth. In this special crossover episode, Susan joins forces with fellow Amplify podcast hosts Eric Cross from Science Connections, and Dan Meyer and Bethany Lockhart Johnson from Math Teacher Lounge, to discuss what learning really means across subjects. Susan is also joined by Peter C. Brown, author of the book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, to dive into the cognitive science behind how our brains learn and ways you can apply that research in your classroom right now!

Show notes: 

Quotes:
?As much as I'm into the science of learning, I really wanna be into, like, the humility of teaching? ?Dan Meyer

?Learning is this fluid thing. It's social, it's dynamic, it's experiential. It is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding, and developing these behavioral skills, but it's also embedded in this bigger context of your background, your identity.? ?Eric Cross

?For myself as an educator, I am just a lily pad as [students] hop across the pond, but I want to be the best lily pad possible. I want to give them the strongest surface. I want to give them the most security that I can.? ?Eric Cross

?There's new ways to solve the problem. There's new ways to look at the problem. There's new ways to take apart the problem and put it back together. And for me, that's when learning happens.? ?Bethany Lockhart Johnson

?The scientists have discovered that for something to be learned and retained, you need to help the brain do that by practicing, retrieving it from memory, and practicing explaining it in your own words to somebody else asking.? ?Peter C. Brown

?There's really great evidence that we can then teach our students or maybe even ourselves how to be a better learner.? ?Susan Lambert

?Joy in the classroom is a much better context for learning than anxiety.? ?Susan Lambert

Back in 2019, Natalie Wexler joined Susan Lambert as the very first guest on Science of Reading: The Podcast. Now?more than three years and three million downloads later?Science of Reading: The Podcast welcomes Natalie back on the show. She and Susan discuss what she's seen in the 3+ years since releasing her groundbreaking book The Knowledge Gap and delve into the importance of managing cognitive load, building long-term memory, writing, and the broader science of literacy. Lastly, Natalie shares what she hopes to see in the education headlines in the not-so-distant future.

Show notes:

Quotes:
?I'm a little worried that Science of Reading, narrowly defined, isn?t encompassing everything we need to do. And people are getting the idea that if they just add more phonics to what they're already doing, they'll have solved the problem.? ?Natalie Wexler

?Even if we do a great job on that foundational skills side of things, if we are not also changing current standard practice with regard to comprehension. If we don't start building kids' academic knowledge and vocabulary early, we are gonna find, at higher grade levels, kids are gonna be able to decode complex text, but they may not be able to understand it.? ?Natalie Wexler

?There are serious problems with how we have been approaching decoding instruction. There are equally serious problems with how we've been approaching comprehension instruction, and that's the message that I think is not getting out.? ?Natalie Wexler

?You can't get to the top without going through the bottom. You can't think critically about a topic that you don't have understanding or knowledge of, it's just not going to work.? ?Natalie Wexler

?Here's the catch about writing: It's hugely important. It can help cement knowledge and long-term memory, and deepen knowledge.? ?Natalie Wexler

?Even if you as a teacher have doubts about the curriculum. It's really important to give it your best shot and approach it with enthusiasm.? ?Natalie Wexler

?It's great to focus attention on problems with phonics instruction, but we also need to bring attention to problems with comprehension instruction and the failure to build a kind of knowledge that fuels comprehension.? ?Natalie Wexler

?What has amazed me is how many teachers and educators have nevertheless really embraced this message. And I think that really speaks to how much they care about their students. Change is hard, but they are undertaking it daily.? ?Natalie Wexler 

Todd Collins went from education outsider to literacy expert when he joined his local school board after a career in finance and technology. When Todd saw the literacy assessment number, his data-driven mind said "this isn't good enough" and got to work. Todd went on to organize the California Reading Coalition, a movement of educators, advocates, parents, and policymakers committed to improving reading instruction and outcomes for California's six million students. In this episode, he joins Susan Lambert to discuss what it really takes to make effective change; the importance of clear, ambitious goals and strong leadership in schools; and which numbers within literacy data are most important to focus on.

Show notes: 

Quotes:
?We have to help everybody kind of collectively align our voices and help people who wanna find out more about this, find out more about it.? ?Todd Collins

?If the pieces of the system aren't all working together, then you just don't achieve sustained change.? ?Todd Collins

?Leaders have a critical function. They communicate to everybody in a state or in an organization what's important. You don't have to tell 'em what to do, but you need to tell 'em what the goal is.? ?Todd Collins

?Teachers aren't the problem. Teachers are the solution.? ?Todd Collins

?We simply can't call ourselves a great school district unless we get great results for our most challenged and least resourced students.? ?Todd Collins

?It's not a new thing to be concerned about the low achievement among low-income students but it's a relatively new thing to do something about it.? ?Todd Collins

While working with students, one educator came to a realization that put her on a path to fascinating research in the Science of Reading. In this episode, Jasmine Rogers?manager and coach with the In Schools program at the DC Reading Clinic and an early literacy intervention lead at American University?shares her story and delves into her research on dialects and best practices for structured literacy instruction. She discusses Black language and how it connects with the language comprehension strand of Scarborough's Reading Rope. Jasmine also offers recommendations for classroom teachers who have bidialectal students.

Show notes:

Quotes:

?As a teacher, a Black woman, who speaks Black English, who knows the language, who is very well versed in structured literacy, if I overlooked this, if that caught me off guard a little bit, then that means that could potentially catch someone else off guard.? ?Jasmine Rogers

?With language comprehension, and considering in your native language, there may be a word that doesn?t necessarily match up with a language that you are learning in the classroom. So you have to then use your incredible cognitive skills that speak two completely different codes, comprehend what is happening, and then tie that back into, of course, the Rope to become a fluent reader.? ?Jasmine Rogers

?I consider Black English to be a very complex and complicated language?but I think typically in society it has been viewed very negatively. You can see in the media and in research where people have talked about it and used negative connotations. And I think those beliefs from society have seeped into the classroom.? ?Jasmine Rogers

?A strength of children that are bidialectal is the similar strength to students that are bilingual?they have an ability to take language that is different from theirs and translate it. That right there is an asset.? ?Jasmine Rogers

?The languages that we speak and bring from home also are not wrong. They?re simply different. And we?re gonna work together so that we take what we know differently and come together with a common language so that we?re communicating with one another.? ?Jasmine Rogers

?We have got to give our students access to this code so that they can become literate and run our society one day.? ?Jasmine Rogers

Throughout this season, we've explored different tiers of the education system. In this episode, we look at the role higher education plays in equipping teachers with the right training and tools. Our guest Donna Hejtmanek, a retired special education teacher and reading specialist, shares her disappointing first-hand experience of going back to school at the age of 58?an experience that made her realize many universities weren't training educators in the Science of Reading. Donna tells Susan the story of how she came to create the incredibly popular Facebook group Science of Reading?What I Should Have Learned in College, and discusses what it will take to change higher education.

Additional resources:

Quotes:

?The door's been cracked. It has to happen and it has to happen by having relationships with people. You just can?t walk in and just say, you know, this is the way it needs to be done. It's a slow process.? ?Donna Hejtmanek

?If you're trained in a certain way, you're only exposing yourself to those researchers doing those things and that type of information. And so you don't know other sources of information of other researchers and what else might be going on.? ?Donna Hejtmanek

?Learning the Science of Reading is not a, ?You get it in one day.? It's not like that. It's a journey and it takes time to assimilate everything you read and then turning that into a practice and shifting the thinking of millions of people.? ?Donna Hejtmanek

?You get better and better at it the longer you do it. So if we just stay stagnant and are closed-minded to new things that are out there, then we can't grow.? ?Donna Hejtmanek

Announcing the 2023 Science of Reading Star Awards!
The Science of Reading Star Awards are back to honor and celebrate another group of outstanding educators. Do you know someone who has empowered their students with the Science of Reading? Whether that someone is you or a colleague, nominate them to be the next star!

With Utah's recent passing of Senate Bill 127, a sweeping piece of literacy legislation, many are turning to the state as a model of what statewide implementation of the Science of Reading can look like. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Throndsen, Director of Teaching and Learning at Utah State Board of Education, joins Susan to tell the story of how Senate Bill 127 came to be and how they are continuing to make changes to schools across Utah. Together, they discuss what the bill included, the opportunities and challenges the bill provides when it comes to implementation, and advice for other states looking to enact literacy legislation. Throndsen also discusses her experience as a teacher and her journey with the Science of Reading.

Additional resources:

Quotes:

"Our students are the state's greatest asset, and we need to invest in them with all the energy and knowledge we have to do our best to serve them with urgency, compassion, and high expectations." ?Jennifer Throndsen

"If kids can't read, that really keeps them from accessing other content areas like science, social studies, and being able to engage in story problems in mathematics." ?Jennifer Throndsen

"Being able to read is today's civil right's movement." ?Jennifer Throndsen

"With requirements comes resistance. No matter how great the opportunity is." ?Jennifer Throndsen

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of the smash hit foundational reading series The Reading League?s ?Reading Buddies,? aimed at students in pre-K through third grade. Susan is joined by Andrea Dotto and Brendan Malafronte?artists, performers, and co-founders of children's story hour and media company Dusty & Dott?as well as "Reading Buddies" executive producer Toni Ann Walsh. Together, the four of them discuss how the show started and how Andrea and Brendan got up to speed on the Science of Reading, and share tips for educators and caregivers on how to make reading instruction fun for kids.

Additional resources:

Quotes:
?Our mission is to educate educators on the Science of Reading because we believe that if educators have that knowledge, they can transform kids' lives.?  ?Toni Ann Walsh

?Little by little you can learn to read, you can do something hard and we can do it together.? ?Andrea Dotto

?As a storyteller, I can go on a stage and tell a story and know, ?Oh, that song made somebody connect to a memory,? or ?These two hours, they got to escape whatever is bothering them at home.? That escapism is special and magical. But with reading buddies you get escapism and then you also get impact.? ?Andrea Dotto

?God bless teachers. They're incredible. And we are here to help you continue to be incredible. We're here to give you tools to excite your students and just complement everything that you are doing.? ?Brendan Malafronte

Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson, Deputy Chief of Curriculum and Instruction in the School District of Philadelphia, has played an integral role leading and sustaining a transition to the Science of Reading in the Philadelphia public school district. But making such a change across a large district is difficult. In this episode, Dr. Francis-Thompson (who goes by Dr. Ny) talks with Susan about Philadelphia?s experience. She also talks about her own experience learning about the Science of Reading, and offers tips to other district-level leaders and wisdom about providing all students with the liberation that comes through reading and leading?all with love at the center.

Additional Resources:

Quotes:
?I have never met a student that did not want to learn how to read or a family that did not understand the importance of their children knowing how to read.? 
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?We have to listen to our young people in order to be able to move with that sense of urgency.? 
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?Liberation is connected to our students being literate? In order for our students to truly be free, we [need to] understand the power that reading has in their future.?
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?We have to remember who we are serving and why we are serving them.? 
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?A lot of times when you?re in a large system and you?re leading a large system, it can become very robotic-like a machine. You do this, you get this, you do this, you get this. But there?s a human aspect that if you have not considered that human aspect, you could very well end up in the same place that you?re trying to move away from.?
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?And while it?s a five-year strategic plan, we do have a sense of urgency and I?m sure within that there are gonna be benchmarks and hundred-day plans and smaller plans to make sure that we are actually doubling down again on the things that truly matter, that are gonna lead, outcomes for our students here in the school district.?
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

?If we?re only in the business of educating some students, then what are we really doing? It?s important to look at the students that are not benefitting and really identifying the things that work for that population of students rather than continuing with practices that aren?t meeting the needs of the students we?re serving.? 
?Dr. Nyshawana Francis-Thompson

As the former chief academic officer at the Louisiana Department of Education, Rebecca Kockler made it her mission to empower districts to select higher quality materials. This involved a thorough and rigorous curriculum review, and allowing teachers to choose the program they wanted once they knew exactly what they were getting. This work built Kockler?s case for focusing on quality curricula as a vital part of student success. Using Kockler?s work in Louisiana as a case study, this episode shows why state governments should focus on logistics, procurement, and equipping educators with the information they need to make the best decision for their students.

Additional Resources:

Quotes:

?It was really our teachers who led so much of the charge to say, ?No, this is what we want. We believe kids should be held to high expectations. We believe they're capable, we believe they deserve it.??
? Rebecca Kockler, Program Director of Reading Reimagined within AERDF, CEO and Founder of Illuminate Literacy, and former Assistant Superintendent of Academics at the Louisiana Department of Education

Mimi Stewart is a state senator from New Mexico and previously worked as a public school elementary special education teacher for thirty years, with an expertise in reading literacy. Her unique background has turned into a passion for and a history of championing educational policies as a legislator. This episode focuses on how state government and state legislation can work to improve literacy instruction. She takes us through the process of creating a piece of literacy legislation, New Mexico Senate Bill 398, which passed in 2019. Sen. Stewart also shares the latest on that bill and also talks about what she?s now focusing on from her place in the legislature?like changing that way we teach teachers from a university level.

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?Think about how many young kids in school right now we are not reaching and that have that feeling that they're dumb and they can't get it. I had one kid say to me, Ms. Stewart, I think there's just a secret code. And I said to him, You are right. There is a secret code. It's called the alphabetic code, and you can learn that easily.? 
? Mimi Stewart, New Mexico State Senator, representing New Mexico?s District 17

Equal parts educational leader, educator, and life-long learner of reading science, Mitchell Brookins has leveraged his passion and dedication to affect change in the lives of the students and teachers he works with, as well as the many educators he has inspired online. In this episode, he opens up about the emotional journey he took?from realizing everything he?d been doing wasn?t working and that he?d never actually learned how to teach kids to read, to seeking out reading research and encountering the Science of Reading?a path that brought unparalleled transformation and success to his schools. Mitchell talks about how he is still learning  and keeping students at the forefront of what he does every day, ending on a powerful story of a student who changed his life forever.

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?My calling is so that children can one day stand on their own without scaffolds, that children will one day reap the benefits that literacy is liberty, that children will one day be able to teach someone else the power that only literacy can bring.? ? Mitchell Brookins

Community and education activist Naomi Peña and clinical psychologist Dr. Akeela Azcuy knew that, as moms of struggling readers themselves, they had the opportunity to advocate for not only their own children but all children. These two leaders and changemakers founded Literacy Academy Collective with the goal of one day creating a stand-alone New York City public school devoted to educating children with language-based learning disabilities as well as struggling readers. In this episode, our guests share their own families? experiences with dyslexia, how that impacted their activism, and how listeners at home can effect grassroots change in their own communities.

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?Leaders tend to forget that you get more out of parents if you collaborate with them, if you're honest.? ? Naomi Peña

?With the level and degree of training, understanding, and privilege that I had, it was still ? and still continues to be ? an overwhelming battle to get your child the services that they need.? ? Akeela Azcuy

As an educator, researcher, author, and leadership consultant?there is little within the education world that Doug Reeves has not done. Twice named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series, Doug has written more than forty books and joins Susan to discuss one in particular?Building to Impact. Together they dive into what evidence-based implementation looks like including the importance of de-implementation. Doug provides tangible advice for educators on what success looks like, how to define it for your school, and the ways to make it happen by focusing on one thing at a time until it becomes part of your school?s culture.

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?When was the last time in education, anybody heard of de-implementation? All we do is pile one thing on top of another, on top of another, and then we don't then, then we wonder why it didn't work.? ?Doug Reeves

?If you're not gonna have deep implementation, which requires a level of focus and allocation of time and resources, then don't bother.? ?Doug Reeves

?You have to have a singular focus and, and it's gotta be sustained year after year after year until it becomes part of your culture.? ?Doug Reeves

?You have to distinguish between an initiative, something that is new, and culture, something that's part of what we do every day and that is embedded. That is more important.? ?Doug Reeves

?The problem is this. If you only look at the results, then you don't know what caused it. Somebody has to look at underlying causes.? ?Doug Reeves

?It's really important for administrators to say, hey, I can deal with some chaos. I can deal with students making mistakes. That's real learning.? ?Doug Reeves

Episode Content Timestamps*

1:00: Introduction: Who is Doug Reeves?
3:00: Book Talk: 5D Implementation Playbook
5:00: Implementation science
8:00: Levels of implementation
9:00: Focused implementation
11:00: 5D Implementation: Discover
13:00: Implementation specialist
16:00: 5D Implementation: Double back
17:00: 5D Implementation: Design
19:00: De-implementation
23:00: 5D Implementation: Delivery
25:00: 5D Implementation: Double Up
27:00: How to scale implementation
29:00: Systematic implementation example: San Bernadino, CA
32:00: Advice for administrators
33:00: Book Talk: Fearless Schools, Building Trust and Resilience for Learning, Teaching, and Leading
39:00: "It's all about the students": What does that mean to Doug Reeves?

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

In this episode, we dive deep into the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation?s report card. Chester Finn, Jr., author of the new book Assessing the Nation's Report Card: Challenges and Choices for NAEP, joins Susan to talk about the NAEP assessment. They discuss how the assessment works, what it is and isn?t, and what benefits and opportunities it provides as the achievement gap continues to grow.

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?For this to work, we need both great teachers and great curricula.? ?Chester Finn

?The single most important thing NAEP cannot do [is that] it cannot in any definitive way explain why scores are what they are or are rising or falling.? ?Chester Finn

Episode Content Timestamps*

1:00: Introduction: Who is Chester E. Finn Jr.?
2:00: The History of NAEP
9:00: What is NAEP and how does it work?
16:00: Long term assessment
23:00: NAEP and achievement gaps
26:00: Next step with NAEP
29:00: State-level impact of NAEP results
31:00: Why isn't education more front and center in policy today?
34:00: Level of concern and literacy prognosis
37:00: Limitation and opportunities around NAEP
40:00: What does "It's all about the students" mean to Chester Finn?

*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

In our kick-off episode for season six, host Susan Lambert is joined by podcast alum Margaret Goldberg, the co-founder of the Right to Read Project.  They discuss the new, animated Science of Reading series Brain Builders, and how this free tool can be shared directly with students and with their caregivers. Importantly, Margaret also elevates the need to focus on the comprehension strand of the Science of Reading.

Show Notes:

Right to Read Project

Brain Builders animated videos

Brain Builders: VIP launch party

Knowledge at the Center of English Language Arts Instruction by Gina Cerveti and Freddy Heibert

Quotes: 

?We looked at Scarborough's Rope. If we're really focused just on word recognition, we're not going to get all of our kids to where they need and deserve to be."

 ?  Margaret Goldberg

?It's never too late to learn how to read. We can get you there.?

   ?  Margaret Goldberg

In this episode, Susan Lambert was joined by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities presented when teaching multilingual learners how to read. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech language pathologist and a certified academic language therapist. She is also the director of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas. On the podcast, she and Susan talked about how teachers can make connections between students? home languages and English in order to celebrate their language and give them new tools to better understand English. She stressed the importance of teachers educating themselves on their students? home languages so they can spot orthographic and phonological similarities and differences, and highlighted the importance of educator collaboration to drive student success.

Show notes: 

Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

Presentation: ?Making Connections for Structured Literacy Instruction Among English Learners?

Reading SOS special video series: Expert Answers to Family Questions About Reading

Online book study of Literacy Foundations for English Learners By Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan

Mylanguages.org

Podcast survey

Quotes:

?The more we?re able to read, the more we?re able to learn.?

          ?Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan 

?Sometimes as teachers, we feel so overwhelmed with, Oh, I don't know that language. How in the world am I going to introduce a whole new thing? Instead we should be starting to understand connections.?

        ?Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan 

Dr. Nancy Nelson, assistant professor of special education at Boston University, discusses myths and misconceptions around RTI, MTSS, and assessment screening in reading and mathematics instruction. She highlights what tools need to be in place for the RTI system to be implemented well, her work on DIBELS®, and the importance of dyslexia screeners.

Show notes: 

DIBELS® at the University of Oregon

Podcast Survey

Quotes:

?Relying on data allows us to engage in a systematic process to implement systems to meet the needs of all kids.?
           ?Dr. Nancy Nelson