Podclassed

There are not a lot of podcasts discussing real issues in education. Happy to see a new option with real experts and various viewpoints. And I love the name! #podclassed

Great first topic, and a job well done by Laura and her guests! I received my reading certification in 1990 at the height of the Whole Language era with not one course about how the brain learns to read or how reading should taught based on science. When I began my job as a reading specialist I realized how unprepared I was. Unbelievable that things have not changed for preservice teachers. Looking forward to hearing about solutions for this!

Loved this podcast! Listening to this was so helpful, but it makes me nervous for our upcoming IEP meeting with my daughter's school. My daughter is in 2nd grade and was recently diagnosed by a neuropsychologist with a neurocognitive impairment (executive functioning). Through this process, we've been looking at some of the studies and recommendations from the International Dyslexia Association. Last week, I was at my daugher's school for a STEM Night, and I was asking her teacher about their reading instruction. What I thought were a few simple questions about the program being systematic and cumulative, or explicit, or multi-sensory. Blank stares. It was like the experience when you research something you want to buy before you go to a store and get approached by a salesperson wanting to be helpful. You give them a try with a few questions and realize immeditately that you've researched the item more than they ever will (so frustrating). I don't think she's a bad teacher, or that I'm any kind of reading expert, but it seems like she's more of a tour guide for the programs the school gives her than a confident teacher of reading. The stuff I was asking about was in every, single, piece of research I looked at. I'm afraid I'm going to become that parent from hell that is always asking hard questions, but it's my little girl we're talking about. So while teachers are so often amazing people who do a job so many won't, for pay way below what they deserve; I don't believe many teachers are prepared to help the kids that struggle to read, and they are left behind. Keep up the good work on the podcast, sorry for the rant, but you know...parent.

Excellent podcast! If you're a teacher of reading, this one's for you. Teachers at the elementary or secondary level, professors in the department of education, and administrators in charge of hiring teachers or purchasing reading programs, PLEASE, take the time to listen to this podcast. The education of our students can improve but only if we know where we're headed and how to get there. Can't wait to hear more on the topic.