Science of Reading: The Podcast

S10 E12: Filling the gaps with inferences, with Kristen McMaster, Ph.D.

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Kristen McMaster, Ph.D., Guy Bond Chair in Reading and professor of special education in the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Minnesota. Together, they explore how reading comprehension isn't just about what's on the page—it's also about what's not there—and share practical insights on how to support students in developing inference skills. Susan and Kristen also discuss the dual processes of activation and integration when making inferences; the distinction between teaching students to process text actively versus teaching students to apply comprehension strategies; and different types of inferences, including causal, bridging, and elaborative.Show notes:Submit your questions to our listener mailbagAccess free, high-quality resources—including our recent Science of Reading: The Podcast Essentials "Comprehension" episode—at our companion professional learning page Download our Comprehension 101 bundle: Access free comprehension resources, including e-books, and on-demand professional learningConnect with Kristen McMasterLearn more about Kristen McMasterListen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcastJoin our community Facebook groupConnect with Susan LambertQuotes:"Inferencing is really central to comprehension. We wouldn't comprehend if we didn't make inferences." —Kristen McMaster"I would encourage teachers not to underestimate the importance of supporting even the inferences that might seem obvious to us." —Kristen McMaster"Good comprehenders are often making very automatic inferences that they don't even realize." —Kristen McMaster"It helps to explicitly teach what an inference is in language that students will understand." —Kristen McMasterTimestamps*:00:00 Introduction: Filling in the gaps with inferences, with Kristen McMaster, Ph.D.05:00 Comprehension is how we make sense of the world around us09:00 The types of inferences: Causal, bridging, elaborative, and theory of mind17:00 How teachers can help students develop inference skills22:00 Creating an effective questioning strategy27:00 How teachers can preview a text and think about the inferences that might need to be made31:00 Supporting students who process texts in different ways37:00 The timing of comprehension questions40:00 The connection between oral language comprehension and text comprehension45:00 Final thought: Teacher's shouldn't underestimate the importance of inferences that might seem obvious.*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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

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 TorresTimestamps*:00:00 Introduction02:00 Ana Torres & Eric Cross preview Ana's conversation about critical thinking04:00 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' thinking24:00 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 calling30:00 Classroom Insider conversation with Eric Cross37:00 Recap of Classroom Insider takeaways39:00 Closing thoughts from Susan Lambert*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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 LambertTimestamps*:00:00 How language skills shape reading success06:00 Defining reading comprehension 08:00 Reading is language. Without language, there would be no reading.12:00 Importance of language skills for comprehension16:00 Our main purpose in life is to communicate with others21:00 Development of language skills23:00 Moving the needle on literacy achievement28:00 How students can help develop students' language capacity31:00 Screening to assess oral language skills35:00 Why early language instruction is effective and sustainable39:00 Key takeaways41:00 Focusing on language is worth the time43:00 Closing thoughts*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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 Introduction04:00 Phil Capin's career path08:00 Reading comprehension is the byproduct of a constellation of competencies11:00 The complexity of comprehension16:00 Dolores Durkin's findings on comprehension testing vs. teaching22:00 Students should engage with meaningful problems24:00 Comprehension instruction is organized by before, during, and after reading.27:00 The value of writing for comprehension31:00 Where comprehension strategies could be helpful39:00 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 teacher48:00 Closing thoughts*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute