Shanahan on Literacy

This podcast explores the relationship between phonics teaching and morphology instruction. Some authorities suggest that morphology should replace phonics, while others see it as a supplement to phonics that should be delayed until decoding is well in hand.

Discover innovative teaching practices that transform reading comprehension. Explore how knowledge, language structure, and strategic instruction can enhance students' understanding of complex texts. Uncover why traditional questioning formats fall short and learn effective routines that empower students to pinpoint key elements in texts. Emphasis is placed on the role of challenging reading materials in fostering growth and the impact of intentional instruction on comprehension skills.

There is new research into how much reading comprehension student are receiving. To carry out such studies requires the researchers to define what they mean by comprehension instruction... and that's where it gets interesting. This first of a two-part podcast explores what it means to teach reading comprehension in the Science of Reading era.

Explore the complexities of accommodating reading challenges in children. The discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining reading instruction rather than replacing it with listening comprehension. Delve into the pros and cons of supporting students with dyslexia, highlighting the need for balance in their literacy development. The conversation invites listeners to consider how best to empower children facing reading difficulties.

Should we be teaching syllabication? Some schemes for this are pretty time consuming. Is that kind of investment worthwhile? And, if we do teach students to break words into syllables what is the best way to do that and what should we teach them? This podcast will explore these issues.

This podcast explores the role that print awareness plays in learning to read. It sorts out the skills that matter from those that do not and explains how the essential ones can be best taught.

There is strong research that supports the idea of teaching students to recognize and use text structure to understand and remember the information from text. Accordingly, reading comprehension lessons often focus on teaching story structure and multiple expository text structures, too. But are those really always the best organizational plans to focus on. This podcast argues for some more content focused approaches.

Teachers are shifting from teaching at students' instructional levels to focusing on grade-level texts. The discussion highlights the importance of challenging students with complex materials. Listeners learn effective strategies for supporting struggling readers, such as scaffolding and pre-teaching vocabulary. Engaging students becomes a key theme, emphasizing how to build their confidence and improve reading skills with appropriate support. A fresh perspective on literacy empowers educators to rethink traditional approaches.

The podcast dives into the media's role in shaping reading education, critiquing its influence on literacy reform. It highlights the disparity in expertise among reading science authorities and the potential misinformation that can arise. Misconceptions about diverse linguistic backgrounds are challenged, emphasizing the need for evidence-based phonics instruction. Finally, it underscores the necessity for educators and journalists to rely on robust data rather than subjective opinions to enhance literacy outcomes.

School districts want higher test scores. Each year they promote programs of test preparation. Teachers are required to reduce the amount of reading instruction that they provide in the hopes that these efforts will make everybody look good whether the kids can read well or not. This podcast explores what it would take to end up with higher scores which reflect improved reading ability.