Science of Reading: The Podcast

• S9 E10: Phonology as a settled science, with Jane Ashby, Ph.D.

  In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Jane Ashby, professor in the Reading Science doctoral program at Mount St. Joseph University. They define the concept of “settled science” as a jumping-off point before digging into phonology and the argument for not always basing your teaching practice on the newest research. Dr. Ashby touches on the impact of phonology on comprehension, the Matthew Effect, and why the term “instant words” is more accurate than “sight words.” You’ll walk away from this episode with two practical exercises Dr. Ashby recommends for teaching students to transfer oral segmenting and blending to reading and writing tasks.Show notesConnect with Jane Ashby: Mt. St. Joseph UniversityResourcesTeaching Phonemic Awareness in 2024: A Guide for EducatorsRead: Phonological recoding and self-teaching: sine qua non of reading acquisitionMore: The Four-Part Processing Model for Word RecognitionRead: Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy.Join our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingConnect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-b1512761/Want to hear more of Dr. Ashby? Listen to the bonus episode! Quotes“To store a vocabulary word, it's not enough to have the meaning. You have to have the entry for it, and the entry for it is the sound form of the word.” —Jane Ashby“The greatest gift you can give a kid is letting them know that you see that they're special and that they have something unique that they bring to the world. But the second piece is really, can you help them become a confident, independent reader?” —Jane AshbyEpisode timestamps*2:00 Introduction: Who is Jane Ashby?6:00 Defining and contextualizing “settled science”13:00 Phonology as settled science17:00 Instant words vs sight words20:00 How phonology impacts comprehension26:00 Connection to the Matthew Effect31:00 Listener mailbag question: How do you suggest teachers teach students to transfer oral segmenting and blending to reading and writing tasks?37:00 Teaching phonemic awareness guide39:00 Research that should influence teacher practice41:00 The greatest gift you can give a child*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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• S9 E9: Identify Developmental Language Disorder in your classroom, with Tiffany Hogan, Ph.D.

  In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Tiffany Hogan, a professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, who studies the connections among speech and language and literacy across time in children. Together, Susan and Dr. Hogan explore the complexities of language, the components that form language, and the significance of language for literacy. Dr. Hogan explains Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)—its characteristics, its prevalence, and the challenges in recognizing it. She emphasizes the importance of supporting children with DLD and the role of educators in making a difference long-term. She also provides listeners with effective strategies for supporting children with oral language deficits, offers insights into the relationship between background knowledge and language, and answers questions from our listener mailbag.Show notes: Connect with Tiffany HoganX: @tiffanyphoganFacebook: sailliteracylabInstagram: @seehearspeakpodcastPodcast: seehearspeakpodcast.comResourcesWebsite: DLDandMe.org Read: A Review of Screeners to Identify Risk of Developmental Language DisorderWebsite: Raising Awareness of Developmental Language DisorderListen: SeeHearSpeak podcast with Tiffany HoganPolicy Paper: If we don’t look, we won’t see: Measuring language development to inform literacy instructionListen: Focused implementation: Doing less to do more, with Doug Reeves, Ph.D.Join our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingConnect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-b1512761/Listen to Beyond My Years: Building an education network to make change, starring A. Simone McQuaige.Quotes: “Neurodiversity means that we have lots of different ways to think, and we each come to the table with different brain structures” –Tiffany Hogan, Ph.D. ”Oral language difficulties are a crystal ball into reading comprehension” –Tiffany Hogan, Ph.D.“You, as an educator, can be the one that really makes a difference for that child. It only takes one person to make a huge difference in the life of a child” –Tiffany Hogan, Ph.D.Episode timestamps*02:00 Introduction: Who is Tiffany Hogan?04:00 Defining language05:00 Language development and its Impact on literacy10:00 Variability in language learning11:00 Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)18:00 Challenges in Identifying and Supporting DLD20:00 The Importance of Vision Screening21:00 Universal Screeners for DLD24:00 Listener mailbag: How can educators most effectively help students with oral language deficits in early childhood prepare and develop literacy?28:00 The Connection Between Language and Background Knowledge30:00 Understanding DLD and Its Challenges33:00 The Role of Speech Language Pathologists35:00 Final Thoughts

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• S9 E8: Cognitive science-informed teaching, with Natalie Wexler

  In this episode, Susan Lambert rejoins podcast alum Natalie Wexler to discuss Natalie’s new book Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning. Listeners will gain insights into why this topic is important, what this book offers educators, why Natalie was so drawn to writing this book, and what cognitive science-informed teaching looks like in general. Natalie addresses how cognitive load theory works in practice with literacy, misconceptions about focusing only on phonics, and scaling science-informed instruction. Natalie also answers a question from the listener mailbag about encouraging colleagues to adopt an evidence-based approach.Show notes: Connect with Natalie Wexler:Website: nataliewexler.comPre-order Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning: https://ascd.org/books/beyond-the-science-of-reading?variant=125006Substack: Minding the Gap, by Natalie WexlerResources:Listen: Special: Why the Science of Reading isn't just about reading, with Natalie WexlerListen: Conversation with Make It Stick author Peter C. Brown Listen: Cognitive load theory: Four items at a time, with Greg AshmanSubstack: The Bell Ringer by Holly KorbeyJoin our community Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingConnect with Susan Lambert: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-lambert-b1512761/Listen to Illinois administrator Serena Klosa on Beyond My Years!Quotes: “We’re overlooking the ways in which the typical approach to teaching reading comprehension and writing actually conflict with what cognitive science tells us about how people learn to do those things.” —Natalie Wexler“We spend much more time trying to teach…them to read, but we kind of expect them to just pick up writing. You know, for most kids, it does not happen.” —Natalie Wexler“No matter how good you are at making inferences, if you don't have the requisite background knowledge, you're not gonna be able to do it.” —Natalie Wexler“It doesn't work to just ask inexperienced writers to just write down stuff. That is not going to provide the cognitive benefits.” —Natalie WexlerEpisode timestamps*02:00 Introduction: Who is Natalie Wexler?04:00 Natalie’s new book07:00 What is the science of learning?11:00 Connecting the science of learning to reading, writing, literacy14:00 Automaticity and cognitive load theory17:00 Transferable vs non-transferable skills22:00 Strategies to release cognitive load when learning new skills24:00 Learning to write, writing to learn.29:00 Bringing science informed teaching to scale32:00 What readers will take away from the book33:00 Mailbag question: How can one person get more colleagues to use an evidence-based approach?36:00 Final thoughts*Timestamps are approximate

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• Special Episode: Award-winning ways to put science into practice

  Amplify’s 2024 Science of Reading Star Award winners share insights from their daily work. They reflect on why it’s so critical to stay grounded in evidence-based literacy practices and how they bring those practices into their schools and classrooms. Listeners will be inspired by the creative ideas of educators who are making a difference in the lives of students across the country. Winners honored in the episode in order of appearance are: Amber Hines, Vance County Schools, NC; Elizabeth Caton, Windber Area Elementary School, PA; Jamie Vannoy, Wirt County Primary Center, WV; Christine Michalik, Cicero School District 99, IL; Andrea Mason, County Line Elementary School, GA; A. Simone McQuaige, Prince George’s County Public Schools, MD. Show notes:Apply for the 2025 Amplify Science of Reading Star AwardsLearn more about our 2024 Star Award winnersSubscribe to Beyond My YearsQuotes: “There is no, ‘Let's try this. Let's try that.’ When it's evidence based, you know that it's proven to be effective.” —Amber Hines“It's important that we are aligning our practices to standards and what the students are required to do—but also what they need.” —Elizabeth Caton“If we don't make a conscious effort to utilize evidence-based practices, we are going to be failing our most at-risk populations.” —Jamie Vannoy“All students should have the opportunity for multiple readings of the same text to build comprehension, to build fluency.” —Christine Michalik“It's really important to utilize assessments, [to] make sure that my students are getting exactly what they need based on the data that I get from assessments, but also based on the data that I get from regular progress monitoring.” —Andrea Mason“This is not something that can be just done at the schoolhouse. It involves the community and all of our community stakeholders.” —A. Simone McQuaige

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• Special: Lessons from the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, with Missy Testerman

  This week, we’re highlighting an episode of Beyond My Years, our sibling podcast that gives you exclusive access to all the wisdom of veteran educators. Beyond My Years host, Ana Torres, learns from the best as she sits down with 2024 National Teacher of the Year Missy Testerman. Missy teaches Ana about being open to new ideas and perspectives, offers tips on building relationships with families, and discusses the importance of slowing down. Missy doesn’t shy away from tough topics, like managing the “who knows best” struggles among administrators, teachers, and parents, and knowing when it’s time to step away from teaching, In addition, Classroom Insider Eric Cross and Ana discuss understanding your community, being more flexible in presenting your lessons, and seeking mentorship and continuous growth. Show notes:Connect with Missy TestermanInstagram: @missytesterman2024ntoyLinkedIn: @missy-testermanX: @missytestermanSubscribe to Beyond My Years https://amplify.com/beyond-my-yearsFollow us on Instagram @amplify.education Connect with Eric Cross: https://www.ericcross.org/ Connect with Ana Torres: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anayansi-ana-torres-m-ed-26a10654/Quotes:“Find a mentor. Someone you trust. Listen to that person, watch that person, ask that person questions. You know, you don't have to figure this out on your own. People want to help you and you have to take that help. It's not a sign of weakness. It's a sign that you want to be better.” —Missy Testerman“I want them to be proud of where they came from, always, because that's part of their story. It's always going to be an important part of their story.” —Missy Testerman“I have no magic answers. I have some experiences and I have a little bit of wisdom from three decades of time spent in the education field, but I absolutely do not have it all figured out.” —Missy Testerman“The reality is that the journey toward wisdom in any career, especially in education, has to be slow and steady.” —Missy Testerman

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