Science of Reading: The Podcast

Amplify Education
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Science of Reading: The Podcast will deliver the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Via a conversational approach, each episode explores a timely topic related to the science of reading.

  1. 5D AGO

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

    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 podcastJoin our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan LambertQuotes: "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

    52 min

  2. FEB 4

    Special episode: Cultivating critical thinkers in your classroom, starring Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.

    We're excited to share a special episode from our friends at our sister podcast, Beyond My Years. Host Ana Torres is joined by nationally recognized educational consultant and thought leader, Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., to discuss what critical thinking is and how to help students develop it. He also explains why critical thinking is crucial for long-term academic success. Mitchell also gives gives educators four clear steps that they can implement to effectively nurture critical thinking skills in their classrooms. Ana is then joined by Beyond My Years Classroom Insider extraordinaire Eric Cross, who discusses how he encourages his students to hone their critical thinking skills in class. Show notes: Binge all of Beyond My Years podcast Season 2 now: https://amplify.com/bmySubmit your questions on comprehension Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new companion professional learning page  Visit Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D,’s websiteConnect with Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., on LinkedInConnect with Ana TorresConnect with Eric CrossJoin our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan LambertQuotes: "When you are a school administrator, you can't be confused as to what your identity is. People expect you to step in with voice, with passion, with vision, and direct the path." —Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D. "That's how you know you're in a classroom with critical thinking: We're not rushing the conversation. We're enjoying it." —Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.  "There's an art and science to teaching, and I think that they're two different things." —Eric Cross "The importance of modeling can’t be overstated." — Ana Torres Timestamps*: 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Ana Torres & Eric Cross preview Ana's conversation about critical thinking 04:00 Introducing Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D. 10:00 Why should critical thinking be top of mind for educators? 15:00 Where should teachers begin when trying to help students develop critical thinking skills? 20:00 Questioning that reveals classrooms in which teachers honor students' thinking 24:00 You can't get to a higher level if you don't have the knowledge. 28:00 For a lot of us, this work is more than just a profession it's a calling 30:00 Classroom Insider conversation with Eric Cross 37:00 Recap of Classroom Insider takeaways 39:00 Closing thoughts from Susan Lambert *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    43 min

  3. JAN 28

    S10 E10: How language skills shape reading success, with Charles Hulme, D.Phil., and MaryKate DeSantis

    Susan Lambert is joined by emeritus professor of psychology and education and the University of Oxford, Charles Hulme, D.Phil., and founder of Left Side Strong LLC, MaryKate DeSantis. They dive into the critial connection between oral language development and reading comprehension. They also explore exactly what oral language development is, how to screen children for deficits in oral language abilities, and the most effective strategies educators can use for intervention. Show notes:  Submit your comprehension questions!Access free resources on our companion professional learning page. Connect with Charles on LinkedIn.Learn more about Charles.Connect with MaryKate on LinkedIn.Learn more about Left Side Strong LLC.Listen to our episode with Wesley Hoover, Ph.D.Listen to our episode with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D.Listen to our episode with Tiffany Hogan, Ph.D.Listen to Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast.Join our Facebook group.Read Book Language: What It Is, How Children Can “Get It”.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes: "Language comprehension is really what leads us to reading comprehension." —MaryKate DeSantis "We talk about learning to read, but we also need to talk about reading to learn. A lot of what we learn in our lives is through reading, and reading is certainly a powerful drive of vocabulary and language development." —Charles Hulme, D.Phil. "Language skills are unconstrained, meaning the sky's the limit. As long as you continue to engage in any sort of way, your language skills can continue to develop throughout your lifetime." —Susan Lambert Timestamps*: 00:00 How language skills shape reading success 06:00 Defining reading comprehension 08:00 Reading is language. Without language, there would be no reading. 12:00 Importance of language skills for comprehension 16:00 Our main purpose in life is to communicate with others 21:00 Development of language skills 23:00 Moving the needle on literacy achievement 28:00 How students can help develop students' language capacity 31:00 Screening to assess oral language skills 35:00 Why early language instruction is effective and sustainable 39:00 Key takeaways 41:00 Focusing on language is worth the time 43:00 Closing thoughts *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    47 min

  4. JAN 14

    S10 E9: From research to reality: Breaking down comprehension barriers, with Phil Capin, Ph.D.

    In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Phil Capin, Ph.D., assistant professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They explore why recommended reading comprehension practices aren't widely implemented in schools, and what educators can do to change that. Together, they also discuss how knowledge building is foundational to reading comprehension, how writing is a powerful tool in supporting reading comprehension, and why we should structure reading instruction based on what happens before, during, and after reading. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension: http://www.amplify.com/sor-mailbagAccess free resources at our professional learning page: https://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning/Connect with Phil Capin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-capin-02105550Read Hugh Catts' article, "Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension": https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1322088.pdfRead Catherine Snow's article, "Reading for Understanding": https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1465.htmlLearn more about Dolores Durkin's report, "What Classroom Observations Reveal about Reading Comprehension Instruction": https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED162259Read How People Learn: https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/9853/chapter/1Listen to the podcast episode with Nancy Hennessy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s3-09-deconstructing-the-rope-vocabulary-with/id1483513974?i=1000520380191 Listen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcast: http://at.amplify.com/bmy Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingQuotes: "We've underestimated the value of writing in supporting reading comprehension." —Phil Capin, Ph.D. "Reading and writing rely on a lot of the same language processes, and writing supports the consolidation of knowledge." —Phil Capin, Ph.D. "Students should engage with meaningful problems, and they should have a reason for learning." —Phil Capin, Ph.D. Timestamps*: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 Phil Capin's career path 08:00 Reading comprehension is the byproduct of a constellation of competencies 11:00 The complexity of comprehension 16:00 Dolores Durkin's findings on comprehension testing vs. teaching 22:00 Students should engage with meaningful problems 24:00 Comprehension instruction is organized by before, during, and after reading. 27:00 The value of writing for comprehension 31:00 Where comprehension strategies could be helpful 39:00 How much time should teachers dedicate to strategy instruction? 41:00 The strongest predictor of whether you're going to understand the text is the knowledge you bring. 46:00 Every teacher is a reading teacher 48:00 Closing thoughts *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    54 min

  5. 12/31/2025

    S10 E8: Beyond decoding: The power of syntax, with Nancy Chapel Eberhardt

    In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by educational consultant Nancy Chapel Eberhardt, who explains why focusing on syntax at the sentence level is just as important for comprehension as word-level decoding. Together, Nancy and Susan also discuss how syntax helps students process meaning while reading, why we should start early and teach syntax to students from the beginning, and a more functional approach to syntax. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension!Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn. Read Nancy’s article “Syntax: Somewhere Between the Words and Text.”Learn more about Nancy’s book Syntax: Knowledge to Practice.Learn more about the Syntax online course. Listen to last week’s syntax-focused episode, with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D.Listen to the podcast the episode with Nancy Hennessy, M.Ed.Read Maryellen MacDonald’s article “Book Language: What It Is, How Children Can ‘Get It’.”Listen to Season 2 of Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes: "Syntax is somewhere between the individual words and the meaning of the text. It's the processing piece that's going on there." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt "Syntax isn't just for older kids anymore. Syntax is really something that we can start promoting, developing, encouraging, embracing from the beginning." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt "I actually think that as teachers embrace this idea of syntax, they're going to have a lot of fun with it. It's way more fun to talk about the meanings of words than to just decode them." —Nancy Chapel Eberhardt Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Diving deeper into syntax, with Nancy Chapel Eberhardt 08:00 Comprehension is lifting the meaning out of text 11:00 Sentence-level abilities make as large a contribution as word reading for comprehension 14:00 The difference between syntax and grammar 20:00 Why syntactical knowledge is so helpful in the  comprehension process 24:00 Prosody helps us with our fluency with reading 30:00 Syntax is somewhere between the individual words and the meaning of the text 33:00 We've gone through several generations of students who aren't being taught syntax 37:00 It's  more fun to talk about the meanings of words 39:00 Start teaching syntax by thinking about the most essential build block 45:00 Connecting words are meaningless in the absence of other words 53:00 By spending more time instructing on syntax, we will reach more of our students. 56:00 Closing: Syntax is something we can start promoting, developing, encouraging, and embracing from the beginning. *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    1 hr

  6. 12/17/2025

    S10 E7: Syntax and comprehension, with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D.

    In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by research scientist and professor Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D., who explains why syntax instruction may be the missing piece in our mission to improve comprehension outcomes for all students. Together, Julie and Susan discuss why syntax is the part of the language system that matters for comprehension, how the same systematicity and rule governance that you find in teaching phonics also exists in syntax, and how explicit syntax instruction could be the next breakthrough in evidence-based literacy education. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension!Connect with Julie Van Dyke on LinkedIn.Learn more about Julie Van Dyke's research on her website.Watch an interview about Syntax Comes First: Understanding How Syntax Is the Backbone of ComprehensionWatch Dr. Van Dyke's webinar: Finding the Missing Link in Reading Comprehension. Access recent Perspectives issues via the IDA. Listen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcast.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes: "In English, syntax is word order. Syntax is the relationship between the entities in a sentence." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. "If you want to increase comprehension, you need to be explicit in syntax because that's the part of the language system that matters for comprehension." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. "Comprehension is the glue between the words. It's the process of gluing the words together, each word as you go." —Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. Episode Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Syntax and comprehension with Julie Van Dyke, Ph.D. 06:00 Nervousness around syntax instruction 11:00 Comprehension is the glue between words 15:00 The difference between grammar and syntax 19:00 How the brain learns language and how syntax is related to that learning 24:00 Oral language is much less complicated than written language 30:00 Explaining regressions 33:00 The need to be explicit in syntax instruction 36:00 How we develop fluency as syntax 44:00 Closing thoughts: Syntax can move the needle on the nation's report card *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    50 min

  7. 12/03/2025

    S10 E6: Understanding assessment, with Melissa Farrall, Ph.D.

    In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Affiliated Scholar at the Stern Center for Language and Learning, Melissa Farrall, Ph.D., to discuss understanding assessment. Melissa explains why it's beneficial for every educator to understand the fundamentals of assessment, especially comprehension assessment. Together, Melissa and Susan discuss the relationship between reading comprehension and language comprehension, why reading comprehension can be challenging to assess, and how, in a perfect world, educators would be trained both in the Science of Reading and assessment. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension!Access free, high-quality resources at our brand new, companion professional learning page.Connect with Melissa Farrall on LinkedIn.Learn more about Chall's Stages of Reading Development.Read Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and CognitionRead The Academic Achievement Challenge: What Really Works in the ClassroomListen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcast.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert. Quotes: "My view of reading comprehension is that it is thinking guided by print." —Melissa Farrall, Ph.D."If we supplement our evaluation with measures of listening comprehension, we can then get a sense of an individual's ability to make meaning." —Melissa Farrall, Ph.D."In a perfect world, we would have not just evaluators, but educators who are trained both in the Science of Reading and in assessment so that we can all sit at the same table and participate." —Melissa Farrall, Ph.D.Episode Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: Exploring comprehension assessment, with Melissa Farrall 07:00 The legacy of Jean Chall's research on the developmental stages of reading 10:00 "Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and Cognition" 17:00 Comprehension is thinking guided by print 21:00 Different ways of assessing reading comprehension 27:00 Kintsch's construction-integration model 30:00 Word recognition 33:00 Reading comprehension is not easily quantified 38:00 How background knowledge affect the meaning-making process 41:00 The two modalities of language comprehension 45:00 How today's educators might think differently about comprehension instruction 48:00 Closing thoughts *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    52 min

  8. 11/19/2025

    S10 E5: Reimagining comprehension assessment, with Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D.

    In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by University of Oregon College of Education Professor and Ann Swindells Chair in Education Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D., to explore how best to assess for comprehension. Gina elaborates on her extensive work developing more precise and informative measurements of reading comprehension and discusses think-aloud research, demonstrating how to infer for coherence, and examining how students who are struggling with comprehension tend to rely too heavily on making inferences or paraphrasing. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension!Access free, high-quality resources at our brand new, companion professional learning page.  Connect with Gina on LinkedIn.Read “Diagnostic and Instructionally Relevant Measurement of Reading Comprehension”Watch Dr. Biancarosa's recent Amplify webinar appearance: Where and How to Measure Comprehension to Drive ImprovementListen to Season 2 of Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast.Join our community Facebook group.Connect with Susan Lambert.Quotes: "A lot of what we know about reading comprehension comes from think-alouds where you ask someone to tell you what they're thinking as they read." —Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D "To model reading comprehension, [try] thinking aloud in front of a classroom of students in a way that is instructive for them, and also authentic to the reading process." —Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D. "Students are making causal inferences in their daily lives, when they watch movies, and when they're hearing stories. And so what we're really trying to do is get them to generalize these behaviors that they engage in outside of the task of reading, during reading." —Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D. Episode Timestamps: 02:00 Introduction: Gina Biancarosa, Ed.D. and comprehension assessment 08:00 How do we assess comprehension? 14:00 Think-aloud research 21:00 MOCCA (Multiple-Choice Online Causal Comprehension Assessment) 24:00 Causal coherence 30:00 Paraphrasers and elaborators 33:00 Comprehension assessment research 39:00 Professional development and comprehension assessment 42:00 Closing thoughts *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

    47 min
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Science of Reading: The Podcast will deliver the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Via a conversational approach, each episode explores a timely topic related to the science of reading.

Information

  • Creator
    Amplify Education
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    180
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Science of Reading: The Podcast
  • Show Website
    Science of Reading: The Podcast

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