Episodes
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School change is hardā¦but it can be done! Join us as we talk about what it takes to transform a schoolās culture of practice to be more aligned with the scientific evidence base on reading, and why itās worth the effort. Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry of The Reading League will share how a single school or entire district can transition successfully to teaching reading based on science, and how that transition can dramatically improve overall literacy and student outcomes.
Join us as we discuss:
What it takes to transform a school toward alignment with the scientific evidence base on readingCommon obstacles and tips for overcoming themExamples of what is possible from The Reading Leagueās real-life work with schools -
We know from decades of rigorous research how students learn to read and how they should be taught. Nevertheless, many elements of evidence-based reading instruction are missing from Kā2 classrooms. Join this fascinating and applicable discussion with one of educationās most respected researchers, Dr. Barbara Foorman, as she shares the research-based facts about what is often missing and how to rectify that in the school or classroom.
Dr. Foorman will share a range of helpful curriculum specifics, word-identification strategies, differentiation, and more.
Listeners will leave this discussion with new understanding of:
What's missing in Kā2 reading instruction?How to fill the gaps in Kā2 reading instruction with evidence-based practicesWays to differentiate instruction so all students learn to readThe importance of (a) privileging word-identification strategies over picture and syntactic cues to ensure accurate word identification, and (b) handwriting fluencyStrategies to apply in the classroom by using assessment data to form flexible reading groups and to encourage writing in support of reading -
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In this conversation, Dr. Pamela Snow will discuss oral language in early childhood and across the school years, with a focus on its importance and role in developing, and being developed by, reading skills. She will also discuss the importance of applying public health principles to early reading instruction, to maximize success for all through evidence-based reading instruction and support.
Language and literacy are a two-way street that is not always well understood. Oral language abilities promote reading abilities and vice versa, and as research has shown, early reading success loops back to oral language skills. How can educators use this knowledge to help ALL students learn to read?
Join this fascinating conversation with Dr. Snow, a respected researcher, author, and professor of cognitive psychology in the School of Education at La Trobe University in Australia. She will share her experience and insight into research findings about why early oral language skills are the essential engine children need to bring to school (and indeed, have strengthened through their school experiences). Dr. Snow will discuss why children need to be exposed to more complex vocabulary and syntactic structures than typical conversation affords, and how teachers of these early learners can help their students master the skills they need to become lifelong readers and communicators.
In this podcast, youāll learn:
How decoding and language comprehension need to work together in reading acquisition and ongoing developmentWays to incorporate explicit teaching of morphology and etymology in early stages of systematic phonics instructionWhy children who do master reading early have a lasting edge on those who do notWhat teachers of early learners can do every day to help students build both oral and reading skillsImportance of the scientific method in informing policy and practice in schools and the importance of avoiding pseudoscientific approaches, no matter how appealing they may seem -
Join us for this interesting conversation with our guest Literacy Expert Susan Ebbers who will share the research and strategies surrounding learning to read.
Ebbers will illustrate how research supports the entwining of phonology, orthography, morphology, and vocabulary when teaching children to read, and to read more capably and with greater comprehension; and how this type of multidimensional approach is even more effective when integrated within the context of phrases, sentences, passages, and stories. Ebbers will also discuss the role self-efficacy plays in nurturing a motivation to read despite difficulties.
She will share ways to help students build skills systematically while also building confidence as well as strategies to:
Reinforce basic decoding and āsight wordā recognition Reinforce phonics, including polysyllabic decoding, in context Develop vocabulary and basic morphological awareness Engage interest and boost self-efficacy within the context of readingWe hope you will join us for this important conversation.
Integrating Language Components: Examples from Power ReadersĀ®
Featured Download -
Join us for this lively and informative discussion between two literacy powerhouses. Dr. Claude Goldenberg, a bilingual literacy expert and author, and Dr. Louisa Moats, author of Speech to Print, Spellography, and creator of LANGUAGE! LiveĀ® and LETRSĀ®, as they explore the universals for teaching children to read in any language. What does reading science tell us about how students learn to read in a language other than their own? Is there a science of reading instruction that is applicable across language contexts?
Our experts will discuss the relationship between oral and written language learning and the implications of this relationship for teaching students with varied language backgrounds. They will also explore the common debates still being resolved within the EL teaching community and how to ensure the best literacy learning for every childāregardless of their native language.
Our guests will discuss:
Universal principles and guidelines for teaching children to read and write in any languageSome fundamental ideas and practices about teaching ELs that any teacher should knowThe role of oral language comprehension and use when learning to read and write in a second languageChronic gaps between white, black, and Hispanic students in the U.S., and evidence to support doing more to help students who are not achieving. -
Join this robust discussion about the key features of the Structured Literacy approach proven to work for students with dyslexia. Listeners will learn useful strategies and classroom tips with an emphasis on mastery learning and student outcomes.
Our expert will discuss:
What is taught in the Structured Literacy approachHow the Structured Literacy approach is taughtWhy Structured Literacy is proven for students with literacy challengesThe difference between Structured Literacy and typical literacy practicesStrategies and activities for the classroom -
For people who have seen the documentary The Right to Read, youāve heard of Kareem Weaver because his work is featured in the film produced by LaVar Burton. Weaver is an Oakland-based activist with the NAACP, and as an experienced educator his mission is to create a world where all children can read.
Join us for this inspiring conversation as we talk with Weaver about dyslexia, the science of reading, and what American schools need to do to help all students read at grade level. Our discussion will cover why literacy gaps are especially pronounced among certain students, the need for early diagnosis of dyslexia, and what educational changes Weaver continually fights for in his quest to help all students learn to read. Weaver brings unique insight to this discussion from a parentās perspective because his daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia as an older student, and as an educator who knows literacy is a right every person is entitled to.
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When John Hattieās original Visible LearningĀ® book was published in 2008, it instantly became a sensation. Recently, this revolutionary educator returned to his groundbreaking work and published a new edition. The research underlying Hattieās book is now informed by more than 2,100 meta-analyses (more than double that of the original), drawn from more than 130,000 studies, and has involved more than 400 million students from around the world.
If youāve read the book, you know this is more than just a new edition. This book is a sequel that highlights the major story, taking in the big picture to reflect on the implementation in schools of Visible Learning, how it has been understoodāand at times misunderstoodāand what future directions research should take.
Join us as we talk with Hattie about the need for education to move beyond claiming what works to what works best by asking crucial questions like: Why is the current grammar of schooling so embedded in so many classrooms, and can we improve it? Why is the learning curve for teachers after the first few years so flat? How can we develop teacher mindframes to focus more on learning and listening? How can we incorporate research evidence as part of the discussions within schools?
During the podcast, we will discuss these topics:
What Hattie means by visible learningThree ways of making learning visible: student voice, student artifacts, test scores, and how the teacher interprets that information, and decides where to go next with a studentās learningThe importance of play in early learningThe need for intentional alignment of learning and teaching strategiesThe evidence base and reactions to Visible LearningThe Visible Learning modelThe influence of home, students, teachers, classrooms, schools, learning, and curriculum on achievementThe impact of technologyIf youāre in education either as a researcher, teacher, student, school leader, teacher trainer, or policy maker, this episode is for you!
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Todayās educators are teaching the most linguistically diverse student population in United States history. To ensure educational equity for English learners, teachers must be skillfully equipped with instructional practices rooted in the science of reading.
The āscience of readingā refers to a vast body of multi-disciplinary research that provides a rationale for what must be taught to ensure that almost all students can learn to read. However, do all reading science practices apply equally when teaching English learners?
Our podcast guests have championed using the science of reading with the English learner as a top priority in everything they do.Drs. Cardenas-Hagan and Fierro will discuss the opportunities and the challenges educators encounter when teaching reading to English learners. Theyāll explore:
The importance of structured language teaching, for all kids, but especially English learnersThe need for teachers of English to understand how language works, which allows instructors to better scaffold the instruction for English learnersThe specifics of that scaffolding of instruction, and tips on what educators can and should do to help English learners achieve reading successSpecifics of teaching reading, including assessment and MTSS, through the lens of the English learnerWhy itās critical that classroom instruction includes pedagogy and approaches that take into consideration the anthology of bilingualismāa pedagogy that reflects the understanding of how two languages interact.The need to preserve heritage languages and cultures, while providing encouraging biliteracy or multiliteracy skills for all studentsResources and guidance available from The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), which provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. -
What happens after a formative literacy assessment? How can educators translate the results into targeted interventions and improved reading outcomes? This applicable and informative presentation from Dr. Susan Smartt, a respected literacy expert, helps educators make sense of what to do after the assessment and how to best use the valuable data gleaned from those assessments to inform interventionāand move all students toward literacy success.
To help educators address the challenging literacy needs of their diverse learners, our discussion will cover appropriate approaches to intervention and how to determine what approach is best based on assessment results.
Dr. Smartt will explore:
Dyslexia and other reading challenges, and best practices for the right intervention at the right timeExplicit instruction and Structured Literacy, and the reasoning behind these instructional approachesDesigning Tier II and Tier III small-group instruction and monitoring student progressThe importance of integrating five essential components of reading during instructionWays to effectively target the specific "trouble spots" literacy assessments have identifiedHow to take the guesswork out of intervention and transform struggling students into skillful readers -
The āscience of readingā refers to a vast body of multidisciplinary research providing a rationale for what must be taught to ensure almost all students can learn to read. Our podcast guests have championed this movement and supported organizations such as the International Dyslexia AssociationĀ®, The Reading League, Decoding Dyslexia, The National Council on Teacher Quality, and The American Federation of Teachers who are advancing awareness of reading science.
But is this movement enough to develop more effective literacy instruction? Join us as our guests discuss why it may not be, unless teaching practices themselves receive more attention.
The āwhatā or content of reading instruction is often characterized with reference to the āfive pillarsā or āfive componentsā that were each addressed by The National Reading Panel Report of 2000. Most state standards and policy guidelines name these essential components of instruction: phoneme awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Often added to the list are oral language, spelling, and writing. The content-related issue now being debated concerns the interrelationships of these components, their relative emphasisāfor whom and at what point in reading developmentāand what level of content mastery to expect. We know the impact of curriculum content is diluted without systematic, explicit, cumulative teaching of the lessons.
Our experts will discuss:
How policy and practice guidelines about the science of reading often mention the importance of āsystematic, explicitā instruction. Yet, the āhowā of teaching seems to be getting short shrift in comparison to the emphasis on the āwhat.āWhy the right reading content must be married to best teaching practices of the ādirect instructionā varietyThe importance of structured language teaching, especially for students who are struggling, with an emphasis on languageWhy developing expertise in lesson delivery and evaluation is a long-term but very rewarding undertaking which will transform the āscience of readingā into āsuccess for allā -
The public release of ChatGPT by OpenAI late last year has captivated, if not terrified, certain sectors of public education. A simple interactive screen allows users to create a range of āauthentic lookingā documents. ChatGPT essays are either free or fractional in cost.
Some have called ChatGPT the ācalculator momentā for writing assignments. Is there a similar, potential effect in math? Should we be welcoming or fearful of this technology?
This podcast will explore programs like ChatGPT and what they mean for mathematics instruction. Weāll discuss other current technologies used in math education today, and reflect on potential, near-term improvements and how upgrades like the āintelligence assistantā now being developed by Microsoft using ChatGPT might be used in math classrooms.Dr. Woodward will discuss:
How simple uses of technology today can add value to mathematics instruction and how it helps with assessment, instructional decision-making, and accountabilityHow assessment information can be synthesized across a classroom of students to help teachers make critical instructional decisions about groupingHow to use technology to assist teachers and save timeKey issues of concern for systems like ChatGPT, including that they do not rank or evaluate the quality of the information captured from the web, and ways to confront those issuesWays to use ChatGPT to solve math problems, improve instruction and student engagement, and the programās limitations and benefitsWe hope youāll join us!
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Join this fascinating conversation that surrounds storytellingāan age-old oral traditionāand how it can be used to improve reading and writing in the classroom.
Our guest, Antonio Sacre, a professional storyteller, childrenās book author, and educator, will discuss the simple technique of storytelling and how teachers and specialists can use it to help unlock the writer in every student and get them excited about reading.
Listeners will find this podcast inspiring, captivating, and immediately applicable to classroom instruction. Sacre will discuss the science behind why and how storytelling works to support reading, how to share a good story, and the types of stories that motivate students to want to read and write more.
We hope youāll join us as our internationally renowned expert leaves you with stories to tell, the capability to share stories more effectively, and keys to teaching them to students across the curriculum.
Youāll learn:
Tips about making read-a-louds come to life and the research that supports storytelling, with a focus on ELLsFive secrets to effective storytellingāand how those secrets help build literacy skills in studentsHow personal storytelling builds empathy and student connectionWays to augment multicultural literacy -
Reading is the most important skill children need to master to be successful in school and life. However, students increasingly are struggling with this most basic of academic abilities. When children have difficulty reading, they can quickly fall behind their peers. Luckily, there are ways to improve almost any child's reading proficiency with good instruction thatās based on science.
This fascinating discussion with renowned author Denise Eide will explore how the English language works, and the importance of spelling in developing better readers. Eide, who was mentored and inspired by literacy giant Robert Sweet (one of the nation's most-powerful champions of phonic-centered reading reform) will share why students need to be taught the building blocks of words: phonograms and spelling rules, and how understanding the reasons for the spellings of words can transform teaching and learning. Eide will share the ārulesā she outlines in her book, ways to teach students to analyze the reasons for English spellings, and much more.
We hope youāll join us for this fascinating podcast!
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Itās critically important to provide all students (MLLs, students with IEPs, high achievers, those with dyslexia and other reading difficulties, etc.) with targeted, effective reading instruction and interventionsāthis is a well-known fact. However, these students can be tougher to engage, and special teachers, with unique approaches designed to motivate and help every student feel heard, have strategies that bring literacy learning to the forefront while engaging students in ways not always imagined.
This lively discussion with three award-winning teachers will open your eyes and inspire every educator to strive for what is possible for every student. Each of our panelists were named Teacher of the Year in their respective states. Our host, John Arthur of Utah, was also honored at the White House as a finalist for National Teacher of the Year.
Join us as these three energetic educators share specific strategies and practices they use to help all children overcome challenges, feel seen and heard, and gain new literacy skills that will serve them for a lifetime. Our guests will share tips and ideas useful in any classroom and with any student, with special emphasis on those who struggle as readers and often donāt know how to advocate for themselves. This episode will connect the dots for listeners between engaging literacy instruction/intervention and empowered student voices. -
Writing is a task as complex and multifaceted as readingābut itās often taught as a single skill. Our podcast guest is Joan Sedita, the successful author of the popular book, The Writing Rope. Her book and the innovative framework she created weaves multiple skills and strategies into five fundamentals of a comprehensive writing curriculum: critical thinking, syntax (sentences), text structure, writing craft, and transcription (spelling and handwriting).
We hope youāll join this informative discussion as Sedita shares the guidelines that demystify the process of helping students learn to write and write to learn. Our conversation will explore ways educators can plan and deliver comprehensive, explicit, and evidence-based writing instruction, aligned with IDAās Structured Literacy approach, and based on the latest research. The focus of the book is on grades 4ā8, but much of what Sedita will address can be used in earlier grades and high school.
She will share:
The essential skills all students must learn to become proficient writersHow to help students use writing to enhance their learning across different content areasWays educators can plan effective writing assignments in different content areas -
When you examine your teaching approaches and how to best help students with dyslexia, it can be easy to assume special data will be needed to help these students improve their foundational reading skills and move toward grade-level literacy.
However, the data you already have from regular assessment practices, like that collected from AcadienceĀ® Learning measures, can provide invaluable insight to help you tailor instruction and ensure all studentsāespecially those with dyslexia and other reading challengesāreceive the appropriate and timely intervention they need to succeed.
Our guest for this EDVIEW360 podcast is Matthew K. Burns, a literacy, assessment, and special education expert who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of the most-vulnerable children, including those with disabilities, from high-poverty backgrounds, and for whom English is not their native language. Dr. Burns will share how schools can help shape Kā12 practice and improve literacy using existing data.
He will also discuss how educators can:
Use data to target reading interventions for students with dyslexiaIdentify breakdowns in the learning process to better increase reading skillsMatch reading interventions to student needImprove studentsā reading skills through schoolwide Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, such as Response to Intervention, and school-based teams, like problem-solving teams and professional learning communities.
We hope youāll join us for this fascinating podcast! -
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Louisa Moats, author of LETRSĀ® professional learning and LANGUAGE! LiveĀ® reading intervention, as we talk candidly about the power of printed books and materials and how educators can best select and use them to encourage student motivation and engagementāwhile helping all students build essential reading skills.
Dr. Moats will share her thoughts about digital fatigue, the power of print, in what ways teachers and students should be trusted to select what they read both inside and outside of the classroom, and more.
This conversation will provide thought-provoking information for all administrators and teachers who work with struggling readers, especially those in middle school and beyond.
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Itās no secret: School and district leaders set the tone for the culture within the organization. Although every employee is ultimately responsible for creating an environment where students want to be, school leaders must model the way. How can principals looking to implement change create an innovative, sustainable culture that consistently models future ready learning, relies upon a level of teaching and learning backed by science, and promotes a high level of literacy success for all students?
Join us as we talk with our guest, best-selling author Thomas C. Murray, a lifelong educator who is now the director of innovation for Future Ready SchoolsĀ®. In his current role, Murray works with districts to create the types of learning experiences todayās modern learners need to thrive. As a previous secondary and elementary principal, he knows the importance of helping every child learn to read proficiently, and how to intervene when children donāt have the literacy skills needed by third to fifth grades. On a daily basis, he works with principals and superintendents on systems change, sustainability, and equity and resolving culture-change obstacles standing in the way of students achieving the level of literacy success that allows each one to truly be future ready.
Join us as we talk with our guest and explore:
What it means to be future ready for a student, teacher, administrator, and schoolLeveraging the The Future Ready Framework for sustainable changeWhy buying a great literacy program or intervention is not enough. If you donāt create a culture where people can learn it, believe it, and use it well, it canāt teach itselfHow do we make sure every child has the opportunity to learn? It goes well beyond technologyThe importance of community partnerships and relationships -
In this podcast, Dr. Ruth Kaminski, coauthor of AcadienceĀ® Learning Kā6 and other respected assessments, will discuss the many aspects of assessment that make it a meaningful and essential tool for preventing reading disabilities and promoting reading success.
Join us as we talk with Dr. Kaminski about the reasons educators should rely upon assessment for curriculum alignment, progress monitoring, and classroom planning.
Weāll explore:
The critical nature of assessmentWho should be assessed, when, and how often?How assessment can help teachers align their reading instruction with the science of readingThe various features of assessment that make it meaningful for teachers - Show more
