S10 E11: Learning to read vs. reading to learn, with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

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Feb 11, 2026

Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., distinguished literacy researcher and educator, explains the difference between learning to read and reading to learn. He explores how text difficulty, rereading, and productive struggle build comprehension. He likens reading practice to athletic training and discusses why understanding author intent is an ethical responsibility.

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INSIGHT

Authors Intentionally Shape Understanding

Authors design texts with affordances aimed at particular readers and those features can either help or hinder understanding.
Recognizing author intent and text features is central to making accurate interpretations.

ANECDOTE

Lincoln's Syntax Slows You Down

Shanahan uses Lincoln's second inaugural to show how unusual syntax can create liturgical tone and slow reading for effect.
The sentence order emphasizes feeling and memory rather than agency, which fits Lincoln's audience and purpose.

ADVICE

Choose Text Difficulty By Purpose

Use text difficulty intentionally: easy texts convey facts quickly, but hard texts provide learning opportunities for reading development.
Choose texts that create productive struggle when the goal is to teach reading, not just immediate comprehension.

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In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., distinguished professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins Susan Lambert to distinguish between reading comprehension, learning from a text, and the process of learning to read. He compares learning to read with athletic training, explaining that just as athletes need to vary their workout intensities to maximize their strength, students need to vary their text difficulty to maximize their comprehension, reading skills, and overall learning. Together, Timothy and Susan also discuss why reading comprehension is an ethical act and the power of simply rereading to increase comprehension.

Show notes:

Submit your questions on comprehension!
Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new companion professional learning page
Connect with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
Learn more about Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
Read the blog post "Don't Confuse Reading Comprehension and Learning to Read (and to Reread)"
Listen to Leveled reading, leveled lives, with Tim Shanahan, Ph.D.
Listen to Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D. on Beyond My Years
Listen to Season 2 of Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast
Join our community Facebook group.
Connect with Susan Lambert

Quotes:

"We're trying to teach kids to read, and a text that is immediately comprehensible leaves you very little to learn." —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"Reading comprehension is not just a psychological or cognitive action—it's an ethical action." —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"Comprehension is not automatic. It isn't just, 'Oh, if you decode, you're going to comprehend.'" —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"A good reader has to start out with a determination. 'My job here is to understand it, not just to read it.'" —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

Timestamps*:
00:00 Introduction: Learning to read vs. reading to learn with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
06:00 Reading comprehension is not just a psychological or cognitive action, it's an ethical action.
09:00 Authors know their readers and so they put in affordances aimed at the reader.
15:00 Timothy's motivation for writing his blog post, "Don't Confuse Reading Comprehension and Learning to Read."
17:00 A text that is immediately comprehensible, leaves you very little to learn.
19:00 You can increase the learning for most people if you increase the difficulty.
24:00 An argument for students to read more rigorous texts.
28:00 A good reader has to start out with determination.
35:00 The different between learning and understanding is an issue of remembering.
39:00 Teachers need to teach kids to be strategic.
42:00 Timothy Shanahan's new wrinkle in thinking about comprehension, understanding, and learning.
44:00 In conclusion: Kids should be reading texts with varying levels of difficulty.
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute