Knowledge for Teachers S04E04 - Dr Trina Spencer: The Literacy Priority Most Classrooms Are Missing
In this episode of the Knowledge for Teachers podcast, Brendan Lee is joined by Dr. Trina Spencer, a leading researcher in language and literacy and the co-developer of Story Champs. They dive deep into why oral language is the true, widely misunderstood foundation of reading comprehension. Dr. Spencer challenges the status quo of literacy instruction by unpacking why we absolutely shouldn't wait for skilled decoding before teaching comprehension.
Tune in as they explore:
- Why the idea that academic language develops naturally is a damaging myth.
- Why some students struggle despite strong phonics teaching
- How just 30 minutes of explicit spoken language instruction daily can close the achievement gap.
- Why expecting teachers to act as instructional designers is an unfair burden.
If you are looking for practical, evidence-based ways to boost your students' language skills without adding impossible workloads, this conversation is a must-listen.
Resources mentioned:
- Story Champs
- trinaspencer.com/
- CUBED
- DYMOND
- MAP (Measuring Academic Progress)
- Spencer, T. D. (2021). Ten instructional design efforts to help behavior analysts take up the torch of direct instruction. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14(3), 816-830.
- Pamela Snow, Why the Big Six should actually be the Big Five.
- Doug Peterson
You can connect with:
Twitter/X: @TrinaDSpencer2
Instagram: @trinastoolbox/
Website: https://trinaspencer.com/
You can connect with Brendan:
Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee
Facebook: @learningwithmrlee
Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft
Website: learnwithlee.net
Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast: