Teaching Literacy Podcast

You’ve probably heard about syntax. Maybe you’ve seen a slide in a presentation that showed a strand of rope labeled as syntax. Or perhaps you learned about sentence structure in school and completed assignments where you had to diagram sentences. But do we really know what syntax is, why it matters, and how to teach it? My guests today are here teach us about syntax. Their names are D...

Teaching reading comprehension is a challenging task. There are many different aspects to teaching reading comprehension and doing it well is a feat. My guests for this episode are here to help us teach reading comprehension better. Their names are Kristin Conradi Smith, Tamara Williams, and Ellen Frackelton. In this episode we cover what the NRP reported about reading strategies, where the implem...

What is the relationship between teachers’ knowledge, belief, self-efficacy, and instructional practice? My guest today studied 34 rural teachers to learn more. Her name is Dr. Karen Kehoe and she is the Director of Dyslexia Services at the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University. In this episode we discuss what the sample of teacher knew...

The last few years, it seems everyone’s been talking about phonemic awareness – what works best, how to teach it right, and even how much of it students really need. Today, I’ve got two experts with me, Dr. Florina Erbeli and Dr. Marianne Rice, and they’ve been digging deep into these questions and more. Dr. Erbeli is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University, and Dr. Ma...

Welcome to another episode of TLP! In this episode, we discuss assessments— their cost, time, and accuracy. Two guests, Dr. Courtenay Barrett and Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller, partnered with a school to explore these questions. Dr. Barrett is an assistant professor in the school psychology program at Michigan State University, and Dr. Truckenmiller is an associate professor in special education at Mich...

2023 was a great year here at TLP. I am looking forward to an even better 2024. To kick things off I’ve prepared a special episode where I discuss my New Year’s resolution–thinking like a scientist. In this episode I describe what thinking like a scientist means, why it matters, and the three other frames of thought that often conflict with scientific thinking. I also provide exa...

Dr. Evan Ortlieb joins us to discuss the 2023 edition of the What’s Hot in Literacy survey. This survey was started by Dr. Jack Cassidy in 1997 and is now conducted by Dr. Ortlieb and Dr. Stephanie Grote-Garcia. In this episode we discuss what was hot, what is recieving increased interest, and should be hot. Dr. Evan Ortlieb is dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at South Dak...

Dr. Dana Robertson joins us to discuss his chapter “Explicit Instruction” in the book “Principles of Effective Literacy Instruction.” We discuss his evolution of thought around explicit instruction, how to balance engagement and being explicit, and discuss the how explicit instruction relates to the gradual release of responsibility. We would love it if you consider sharing...

Dr. Molly Ness joins us to discuss her recent book ‘Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8.’ In this episode we discuss the benefits, common misconceptions, steps for conducting a read aloud in your classroom and much more. Reference: Ness, M. (2023). Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day,...

Dr. Margaret Vaughn and Dr. Seth Parsons join us to discuss their recent book “Accelerating Learning Recovery for All Students: Core Principles for Getting Literacy Growth Back on Track.” We discuss a range of topics including schoolwide action teams, MTSS, partnering with communities, and much more. I always learn a great deal from these two scholars, this is an episode you won’...

Welcome to a new school year! I hope your summer was fantastic. In this episode I share what I’ve been up to, a bit of history about the podcast, and where the show is going. Be sure to check it out!

Dr. Young-Suk Grace Kim joins us on this episode to discuss the Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Reading (DIER). DIER builds on and adds to other models of reading (i.e., SVR or Scarborough’s Rope). It encompasses a wide range of factors, including morphological awareness, text reading fluency, and higher-order cognitions, all integrated into a single framework. Additionally, the DIER mo...

In this episode of TLP, I am thrilled to have Dr. Shayne Piasta on the show. Dr. Piasta is a listener-favorite from Episode 37 and is joining us to discuss alphabet instruction. Our conversation comes from an excellent chapter she wrote in the newly-released Handbook on the Science of Early Literacy (Cabell et al., 2023). If you enjoyed her insights from Episode 37 on early literacy, you won&#8217...

Welcome to the show! In March 2022, the IES released a practice guide for teachers entitled “Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9” In this episode, I interview four of the panelists who wrote this guide–Dr. Deborah Reed, Dr. Jade Wexler, Dr. Kimberly St. Martin, and Dr. Joe Dimino. This episode is jam-packed of takeaways for your classroom and make sure to c...

Thanks for a great 2022! Looking forward to TLP in 2023! In this episode, I talk about alignment between preschool writing standards and early elementary writing standards in state that adopted the Common Core. My guest is Laura Tortorelli who is an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Highlights include insight into how preschool are early writi...

Welcome to another episode of TLP! This is a fantastic episode where Dr. Danielle Colenbrander breaks down for us irregular words and what we know about these words from research. Dr. Colenbrander is a post-doctoral research fellow at Macquarie University and the lead author of two recent articles we discuss in the episode. A big thanks to my new co-producer, Patrick Wells who helped make this epi...

This is a great interview that covers a lot of ground. We discuss teacher content/pedagogical knowledge, phonological awareness instruction, and phonics instruction, why it all matters, and what it means for instruction. My guests are Dr. Shayne Piasta from the Ohio State University and Dr. Alida Hudson from Texas A&M University A big thanks to my new co-producer, Patrick Wells who helped make...

Welcome to a new school year! This is a fantastic interview to kick things off. In this episode I am talking with Dr. Courtney Hattan and Dr. Sarah Lupo about knowledge, what it means for reading comprehension, and how to think about leveraging knowledge in the classroom. I am also excited to announce that there is a new co-producer with me on TLP. His name is Patrick Wells and he is a first year...

Welcome to this episode of TLP! My guest is Dr. Kathleen Brown who directs the reading clinic in the college of education at the University of Utah. Her work focuses on beginning reading instruction, word recognition, instruction, comprehension, instruction, intervention models for at-risk and struggling readers, and teacher professional development in reading instruction and intervention. Dr. Bro...

Welcome to this episode of TLP! My guest is Dr. Devin Kearns, who is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Kearns’s research focuses on reading disability, including dyslexia and school-aged children with an emphasis on linking educational practice to cognitive science. In this episode we discuss helping...

In this episode I interview Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling about her new book Structured Literacy Interventions: Teaching Students With Reading Difficulties Grades K-6. Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling is a professor emerita in the department of special education at Southern Connecticut State University. Her research interests have focused on reading development, literacy difficulties, and how teacher knowled...

Maybe you have bought materials from Teachers Pay Teachers to use in your classroom. Or maybe you borrowed curriculum from another teacher that you used to supplement your instruction in the classroom. This is supplemental curriculum at work and my guest today has some interesting findings about this phenomenon. His name is Daniel Silver and he is a 4th year PhD student at USC. In this episode we...

Today’s guest is a returning guest. I’m very excited to re-interview on the show, Dr. Margaret Vaughn. Dr. Vaughn is an associate professor in the College of Education at Washington State University. Dr. Vaughn recently completed a systematic review of teacher visioning in a systematic review, which forms the basis of our conversation today. I would also highly recommend checking out D...

Welcome to a new year! In this episode I invited Dr. Zoi Philippakos associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Knoxville, Tennessee to discuss her recent book Developing Strategic Young Writers Through Genre Instruction Resouces for Grades K-2. It’s a great book, she also has a related book for 3-5 that I highly recommend checking out as well. Enjoy the episode!

2021 was fantastic! Looking forward to a great year of literacy in 2022!