Science of Reading: The Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S1-17. Etymology of the English language: Freddy Hiebert Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Elfrieda "Freddy" Hiebert, author and founder of the Text Project, shares insights from her research on vocabulary, the etymology of the English language, and the importance of teaching morphology to enable kids to make connections.

Quotes:

“Vocabulary is the base of building knowledge.”

“Vocabulary represents your knowledge and knowledge is what determines your level of comprehension.”

Show notes:

The Text project

Teaching Words and How They Work by Freddy Hiebert

Twitter

Facebook
Podcast Discussion Guide

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S1-16. Leading a district adoption: Jared Myracle Apr 01, 2020

Show notes

Jared Myracle, Chief Academic Officer of the Jackson-Madison County School System in Tennessee, shares his district’s experience in adopting the science of reading and navigating the change management process. He stresses the importance of high-quality instructional materials and implementation fidelity.

Quotes:

“Don’t be satisfied with where you are. Where could you be if every student was guaranteed this type of education?”

“Imagine what your results could be if you did ensure that all students were able to experience systematic phonics instruction and opportunities to build background knowledge throughout their K-12 years.”

Resources:

The Hidden Mistake School Leaders Should Avoid This Year by Jared Myracle

The Urgency I Feel Around Instruction – and Why I Look to Curriculum by Jared Myracle

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S1-14. Maximizing our educational reach via technology: David Steiner Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

David Steiner, Professor and Executive Director of the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University, and Susan examine how school closures are impacting learning across the nation, how districts are responding to the rapidly-changing environment, and why maximizing our educational reach via technology should be a priority.

Quotes:

“This is a wake-up call to districts to really see that this digital inequality cannot persist.”

“Don’t make the ideal the enemy of the possible.”

Resources:

USDOE Fact Sheet March 20, 2020

Report: The Problem with Finding the Main Idea by David Steiner
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S1-15. A principal on the shift to the science of reading: Ernesto Ortiz Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

Ernesto Ortiz, principal at an elementary school in Pennsylvania, discusses how to understand when materials are meaningfully “research-based,” how his school made the shift to the science of reading, and how he is supporting his students with remote learning resources to continue their literacy development at home.

Quotes:

“We need to be more informed than influenced so that we can look at things with a critical eye.”

“As leaders, we need to remain calm and steadfast so we can navigate throughout these unprecedented times.”

Resources:

Hard Words by Emily Hanford
Equipped for Reading Success by David A. Kilpatrick
The Simple View of Reading
Scarborough’s Reading Rope
The Reading League
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers by Louisa Cook Moats, Ed.D.
Language at the Speed of Sight: How We Read, Why So Many Can't, and What Can Be Done About It by Mark Seidenberg

Ernesto's blog: Decoding Leadership
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S1-13. Science of Reading Special Episode: Remote Learning Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

We’ve been thinking a lot about you -- and our hearts go out to you during this confusing and uncertain time. Helping our students continue to learn in this unusual and unsettling situation is not easy. And here at the Science of Reading podcast, we want to do what we can to support you where we can.
Resources
Science of Reading: The Podcast
Science of Reading: The Facebook Community

S1-12. Neuroscience and early literacy: Dr. Bruce McCandliss Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Susan and Dr. Bruce McCandliss, a professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, chat about combining neuroscience with education. How does neuroscience help us understand the changes going on in the brain of a child learning to read? Why do some children struggle so profoundly? He shares his research into focusing the student’s attention on letters and sounds versus on the word as a whole.

Quotes:

“Teachers play a huge role in shaping brain development for reading.”

“This is where education and neuroscience are coming together to create a dialogue in the space of how we support children.”

Resources:

Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel Beck
Where Is Educational Neuroscience? by John T. Bruer, PhD
2019 Education Trends by Carrie Gajowski, MA
Minds, Brains, and Learning: Understanding the Psychological and Educational Relevance of Neuroscientific Research by James P. Byrnes
Podcast discussion guide
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Episode timestamps*
02:00: Introduction: Who is Bruce McCandless?
02:00: Bruce's Journey into Early Literacy and Neuroscience
05:00: Cognitive Science vs. Neuroscience
07:00: Educational Neuroscience and Brain Development
22:00: The Role of Teachers in Shaping Brain Development
39:00: Future Directions in Educational Neuroscience
45:00: Conclusion and Takeaways
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

S1-11. The science of reading in middle school: Jasmine Lane Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

Jasmine Lane, a high school English teacher, discusses what teachers need to do to push education forward for all students. She also shares how education has changed her life, how her students have been impacted by their early literacy teachers, and how high schoolers fill in the gaps for things they missed early on.

Quotes:
“The science of reading–every child deserves to be able to read.”
Resources:

Jasmine's Blog
Blog: Project Forever Free
Podcast discussion guide
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S1-10. Myths and misconceptions about universal screening: Nancy Nelson Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

Dr. Nancy Nelson, Research Assistant Professor at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, discusses myths and misconceptions around RTI, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and universal screening in reading instruction.
Quotes:

“Relying on data allows us to engage in a systematic process to implement systems to meet the needs of all kids.”
Resources:

DIBELS® at the University of Oregon
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S1-09. The cognitive science behind how students learn to read: Carolyn Strom Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Carolyn Strom, Professor of Early Childhood Literacy and Innovation at NYU, discuss her research and interviews with pre-school teachers and how students learn to read, her view on the science of reading and the cognitive science behind it all. She shares her insights on the importance of neuroscience, culturally responsive teaching and dives into Linnea Ehri’s four phases of learning how to read.
Quotes:

“Our brains are not wired to read…we have to do a neurological backflip to teach our brains to read."

“You can’t think about a tree without thinking of its environment the same way you should not be thinking about a kid’s reading development without thinking of their environment.”

Resources:

Reading in the Brain: The New Science of How We Read by Stanislas Dehaene

Carolyn Strom NYU Bio

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S1-08. Evidence-based literacy practice in the classroom: Tim Shanahan Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Literacy expert and author Tim Shanahan discusses his views on teaching reading in middle school as an extension of evidence-based early literacy practices. What are some of the challenges and what should reading instruction include? Tim and host Susan Lambert dive into boosting comprehension, how the English language is always changing, and how to structure reading instruction across content areas such as history, science, and math so students are equipped to comprehend those texts as well.

Quotes:

“It is absolutely essential in any comprehension lesson that the kids come away with knowledge.”

“Not dealing with vocabulary early on is like leaving ticking time bomb for later.”

Resources:

Shanahan on Literacy website and blog posts

Podcast: A conversation with Tim Rasinski

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