Claim OwnershipShanahan on Literacy
Subscribed: 54Played: 1,055
Subscribe
© Copyright 2023
Description
Timothy Shanahan is a renowned expert on the teaching of literacy. This podcast addresses practical issues in teaching students to read and to read better.
87 Episodes
Reverse
Over the past decade there has been a public outcry for more phonics instruction in our schools. This has resulted in legislation across the country. Now, the discussion seems to be shifting -- reading authorities who played a significant role in this movement are complaining that we are overdoing the phonics thing. This podcast explores how much phonics there should be.
Many schools have adopted fluency learning targets based upon fluency norms. Recent research shows that students are able to comprehend text reasonably well even with lower fluency levels. Does that mean that we are overdoing it with fluency instruction? The answer may surprise you.
If you would like to get into a good argument, tell someone when reading instruction should begin. I'm always surprised at how many people have an opinion on that topic, and how vociferously they sometimes share it. This podcast will reveal what we know about the best time to start teaching reading -- maybe it will help you the next time you're in that argument -- but it will likely be of more value to parents and primary grade teachers.
This podcast explores the unfortunate implications of confusing curriculum and instruction. Teachers would do better to distinguish those concepts and to coordinate the one with the other.
Reading ability is often measured through oral reading fluency. These days that means having students read passages aloud and counting the numbers of words per minute read accurately. While this has value, it can lead teachers to encourage reading speed over the other elements of fluency (accuracy and prosody). It is important to remember that speed and automaticity are not the same thing, though we use speed as a proxy for the latter. This podcast reviews research that suggests another possibility for evaluating automaticity.
For years, teachers were told that teaching English grammar had no impact on reading comprehension or quality of writing. A more recent substantial body of evidence reveals the importance of sentence comprehension in comprehension. This podcast examines that evidence and makes instructional suggestions that can help increase reading achievement.
Each year, Shanahan on Literacy identifies the highest rated national, regional, and international Literacy Charities. Find out which ones you want to help -- and which might be a source of support for your students and school.
Research indicates that teaching reading at students' "reading levels" provides no advantages and may do harm when it comes to learning. However, many teachers are less worried about learning, and more concerned about the impact teaching with complex text may have on students' classroom behavior and motivation for reading. This podcast explores those concerns.
Recently, there have been claims that reading achievement is being suppressed because schools are teaching reading with excerpts and other short pieces rather than with complete books. These critics say that they want to go back to a time when reading was taught with complete books. This podcast explores those claims and reveals what research has to say on the matter.
Are we making our instructional decisions based upon comprehension data or learning data? Is our purpose to make sure that students gain immediate comprehension of the instructional text or is it to improve kids' reading ability so they will be more successful with future texts? The answer might surprise you.
I've argued against teaching reading at students' instructional levels. Does that mean that I'm against running records and informal reading inventories? What could such tests possibly provide if you aren't teaching with leveled books? This podcast will answer those questions and many more.
This podcast explores the role that pictures play in teaching decoding, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.
This podcast explains the nature of disciplinary literacy and lays out a description of what role it should play in the elementary school reading curriculum.
Middle school reading scores are stagnant or dropping all over the country. What can we do about that? This podcast explores what a science of reading based response should look like. If you want to help upper elementary, middle school, and high school readers, please tune in!
This episode explores the idea of teaching students with leveled books at their so-called instructional reading levels. For 70+ years, educators have been told that this was the key to optimum amounts of learning. This podcast challenges that idea.
"Experts" make lots of recommendations about how to teach oral reading or text reading fluency. One of those recommendations is that it is important to "model" oral reading for the students. The research is nearly silent on this issue, so what makes sense?
This episode explores what it meant by the term "science of reading" and it distinguishes that idea from a "science of reading instruction." The issue here has to do with what kind of evidence should be used to determine how best to teach reading.
This episode explores the effectiveness of Orton-Gillingham approaches to the teaching of phonics as well as which method is best for facilitating growth in decoding -- teaching students connect letters to sounds or sounds to letters.
This podcast explores the pluses and minuses of benchmark reading testing, including considerations of test frequency, time of day the tests are administered and who proctors the tests.
Many kids only want to read graphic novels. Is that a problem? This podcast explores the pluses and minuses of graphic novels when it comes to learning to read. It includes practical suggestions for parents and teachers.
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States