Science of Reading: The Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S2-09. Unveiling insights from assessment data: Danielle Damico Dec 30, 2020

Show notes

Join Danielle Damico, Director of Learning Science at Amplify, as she explores the impact of the pandemic on at-risk students and those in need of intervention. She shares the insights drawn from DIBELS 8th Edition and highlights how data is now more important than ever in understanding where students are—whether assessments are administered in person or through a digital platform. Finally, she leaves our listeners with best practices to nurture readers moving forward and ensure growth and success through the end of the year.

Quotes:

“Teachers and students need the right tools to help accelerate student learning and growth–especially in early literacy.”

“We need to lean on the data we can collect and the science of reading.”

Resources:
Instructional Learning Loss Brief
Amplify Literacy Hub
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-08. Behind the scenes of the National Reading Panel: Tim Shanahan Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

One of our most popular guests, Tim Shanahan, returns! In our most recent episode, he reminisces about the creation of the National Reading Panel in 1997 and the release of its subsequent groundbreaking report. He highlights how reading instruction has evolved and discusses how new research seems to be changing the landscape of the “reading wars” he thought were settled long ago.

Quotes:

“We continue to learn, and we continue to refine.”

“When people are trying to tell you how you should teach, I think you need to ask some real basic questions about what evidence supports those recommendations.”

Show notes:

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Episode timestamps*
01:00: Celebrating the National Reading Panel Report
02:00: Context and history of the National Reading Panel
11:00: The experiences of being a panel member
15:00: Reflections on the panel's work and its legacy
21:00: Current relevance of the nation reading panel report
25:00: Defining the term science within the context of reading and literacy research
35:00: If you were to do the national reading panel again, what would change?
44:00: Advice for Educators and Conclusion
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

S2-07. Research, comprehension, and content-rich literacy instruction: Sonia Cabell Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Join Sonia Cabell, Assistant Professor of Education at Florida State University, as she shares findings from her research trials on content-rich literacy curricula and whether activating students’ background knowledge alongside explicit phonics instruction is more effective than traditional approaches. She also explains what constitutes “compelling evidence” in the science of reading and why students need to interact with both written and spoken language while learning to read.
Quotes:
“The knowledge that you have about a particular subject matters for your reading comprehension.”
“When I think about content-rich English language arts, I think about how we can integrate science and social studies into the language arts in ways that make sense.”
Resources:

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-06. Fostering growth and instructional change: Kelly Moran Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

Join Kelly Moran, Curriculum Supervisor of Chardon Local Schools in Ohio, as she shares her journey of implementing a curriculum based around the science of reading. Hear about the steps her district took to reshape literacy instructional practices and about the challenges they faced along the way. Find out how the fostering of reading achievement in students renders all efforts worthwhile.

Quotes:

“We’re really taking advantage of every minute of direct, explicit instruction we have with our students.”

“Once we invested the time in professional development and high-quality materials aligned to the science of reading, we could see a difference.”

Resources:

Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It: A Scientific Revolution in Reading by Diane Mcguiness
Natalie Wexler’s The Knowledge Gap

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-05: The Right to Read Project on nurturing automatic readers: Margaret Goldberg and Alanna Mednick Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

Join Margaret Goldberg and Alanna Mednick from the Right to Read Project as they address the science of reading and its translation into easy practice for educators. They break down the Seidenberg and McClelland Four-Part Processing Model and explain how it relates to the simple view of reading. They also reflect on how educators should approach reading as scientists and be ready to teach in a way that may be uncomfortable for a time—the “labor of love” stage of literacy instruction.

Quotes:

“We should anticipate reading difficulties and we should be prepared to be able to address them.” —Margaret Goldberg

“We need to go at the pace of the child and we can’t leave anything up to chance.” —Alanna Mednick

Resources:

The Seidenberg & McClelland Four-Part Processing Model
Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print by Marilyn Adams
Nancy Young’s Ladder of Reading
Right to Read Project

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-04. Telling the fuller story: Afrika Afeni Mills Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Join Afrika Afeni Mills—a leader at BetterLesson—as she discusses how to integrate students’ schemas to nurture language comprehension in early literacy, discuss the difference between asset- and deficit-based teaching, and highlight the impact “windows and mirrors” have on students’ classroom experiences.

Quotes:

“A lot of the foundational work starts by making sure that we’re inquisitive about the resources we’re providing students.”
“We don’t spend enough time thinking about students’ families as their first teachers.”

Resources:

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-03. The Reading League and the science of reading: Maria Murray and Pamela Snow Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

In our first international episode, join The Reading League CEO and President Maria Murray and La Trobe University Professor of Cognitive Psychology Pamela Snow as they reflect on the long history of the science of reading. They’ll explain the true definition of “the science of reading” and explore why this knowledge has not been translated for the practitioners that need it the most—teachers. Our guests will also discuss the pandemic’s silver lining: the opportunity to reflect on instructional practices and how to best support educators and students now, and in the future.

Quotes:

“The science of reading informs approaches in all areas of reading.” —Maria Murray
“We’ve had knowledge for decades that has not been translated for the practitioners that need it the most.” —Pamela Snow

Resources:

TheReadingLeague.org
FB Group: The Reading League Teacher Group - The Science of Reading is For YOU!
Annual Conference: The Science of Reading: Now More Than Ever
David Kilpatrick’s “Essentials of Assessing and Preventing Reading Difficulties”

Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-02. Reflecting on past literacy experiences: Tamara Morris & Justin Pita Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Join Amplify interns Justin Pita, undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, and Tamara Morris, graduate of Stanford University, as they share their reading journeys. They highlight the major disparities and barriers that affected their academic experiences and reflect on how action must be taken by caregivers and educators to ensure that students across the nation have access to equal opportunities for achievement in literacy so that no student gets left behind.
Quotes:
“You don’t have to be great to start. You have to start to be great.” —Tamara Morris
“Students nowadays don’t have the opportunities to hone in on literacy as much as we want them to.” —Justin Pita
Resources:
HighJump Chicago
Kumon
Join our Virtual Literacy Symposium on Thursday, Oct 15!
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

S2-01. Confronting the data: Dr. LaTonya Goffney Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

Join Dr. LaTonya Goffney, Superintendent of Schools for Aldine Independent School District in Texas, as she recounts her two-year journey with her team of district educators to adopt a new early literacy curriculum. Hear how they successfully challenged the traditional adoption process, studied the science of teaching reading, analyzed student data and experiences, and developed a district-wide set of beliefs and expectations.

Show notes:

The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America's broken education system--and how to fix it by Natalie Wexler
Want to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.

Quotes:

“If you can read, you can go anywhere. Reading is a gateway to opportunity.”
“As leaders, we have to be prepared to challenge the notion of low expectations."

Episode timestamps*
01:00: Introduction: Who is LaTonya Goffney
04:00: Challenges in Literacy and Initial Steps
06:00: Developing a New Literacy Framework
13:00: Implementing the New Curriculum
23:00: Overcoming Obstacles and Building Commitment
35:00: Looking Ahead: Future Steps and Advice
42:00: Conclusion and Final Thoughts
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

S1-28. A look back at Season One Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Join us in reflecting on Season One and preview what’s in store for an exciting Season Two. In this special episode, we visit the highlights of Season One, with key clips from Emily Hanford, Natalie Wexler, Ernesto Ortiz, David and Meredith Liben, and Shawn Joseph, and other moments that inspired us and changed how we think about literacy.

Quotes:

“When our first episode launched last year, we had no idea what it might become, only hope that you would find it helpful to grow your knowledge and impact."

“So much progress has been made in spite of some recent challenges—or maybe because of them.”
Resources:
Virtual Literacy Symposium on Oct. 15, 2020

Learning to Read: Primer Part One

Learning to Read Primer: Part Two
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