As an Occupational Therapist, this podcast is the most informative that elevates my treatments and approaches that support literacy development.

I’ve listened to about half a dozen of these episodes and I don’t know if just happens to be the ones I pick, but there always seems to be a strong anti-teacher, anti-public school message. I found this podcast because I am interested in the science of reading, but it’s honestly hard to stay open minded and learn when teachers are assumed to not give a darn about their students and their education.

I use these episodes as part of teaching reading to high schoolers with dyslexia and teaching future reading teachers at a local college.

I hoped this show would talk about the science of reading, but it puts out puff pieces about school literacy programs instead. This content does not help me grow as a teacher.

I listen to this almost every day on my commute to work (I’m an elementary teacher.) It helps me get excited for my day and gives me good ideas to try out in my classroom. There are a wide range of topics and the podcast is well-paced.

I thought this was about science / potential energy and forces and motion acceleration and kinetic energy I’m maddddd

The first five episodes are about how teachers are horrible to children, and how they have been letting them down for years, and that children only aren’t learning because they’ve had horrible teachers. Not a single mention behind any of the science of reading methods or practices or theories. Just some interviews with some people who hate teachers

Fascinating.

I learn so much from this podcast. I am definitely a more informed teacher.

As an educator I was very interested in this episode and o help me understand my own dyslexic tendencies and how to help my students. Tim Odegard was asked several times “What is dyslexia?”, he kept talking about interventions, preventions, and assessments that was helpful but I really wish the question had been answered from his point of view. Bummer.

I’m an adjunct professor in the education department of a small university. I use these podcasts as a learning tool for my students. I love that they have the opportunity to hear directly from experts in the field. Thank you for the rich content and incredible guest selection.

Your the best podcast er ever please can I cast with you but I’ll do anything

I am addicted to your podcast! I have learned so much and am comforted that all I am learning in grad school in Longwood University’s RLL program is inline with the science of reading!

Thank you for your work to bring some many different voices to this podcast! I love what I am learning from you and I appreciate the sensitivity you have for learners who are varied in skill and experience. Please consider child first language in the future. A child is a child first and primarily. Secondary is his or her special learning needs. “A child with a learning disability” rather than “an LD child”. Twenty years in education and my 22 year old daughter brought this to my attention from her training at university. Thank you again for the impact you are making for the next generation of teachers and students! Well done!

The host interrupts her guests and constantly says "mmm" when she agrees or doesn't know how to respond to the guest. Don't host a podcast if you don't know how to carry a conversation except by saying, "mmm."

As a fellow proponent of the science of reading and a recently certified reading specialist…I love the insight and wisdom I can glean from this podcast.

Love the guests and how much research is done to let us teachers know what should be done in our classrooms (science of reading practices) instead of what is being mandated to be done (workshop models). Wish we now could get more time for science and social studies content to be given just as much press! Unfortunately these subjects are being pushed off because of time for reading and math focus. Maybe more with thematic units and interdisciplinary units. Thanks for podcasting!!

How amazing is this episode!?! Wow! I work with students with a variety of abilities and challenges and would love to hear from more adults/teens to help us see through their eyes on how their disability directly affects them in a variety of areas, as well as how they’ve learned to find and build upon their strengths. This is a truly inspiring episode. Thank you for sharing!

Each episode had been 10x more helpful than any staff meeting or PD I’ve attended. The episodes leave me wanting more and thankful for the links so that I can continue to learn about the various topics that are discussed. I only wish my admin and colleagues would listen as well so that our school could grow together and understand the research.

I love this podcast so much, but please please pleaseeee fix the audio quality! It’s so imbalanced, I have to skip entire episodes because I can’t hear the person being interviewed. Consider hiring an audio mixer.

I’m a first year teacher and this is eye opening! I’m starting from S1E1 and MAN! I’ve experienced all these struggles in my 4th grade classroom! So thankful for this podcast & helping me understand my students better!

The first 2 seasons were great. This last season is hard to listen to. The host always seems to be doing something else when the guest is talking and has a lag of response followed by a disinterested sounding “mmmm” or inserts a random “uh-huh” and “yeah” to try to cover for not actually paying attention. Also, there’s so much computer noise and clicking that needs to be dealt with. It’s very distracting and unprofessional. I wish the podcast was still as strong as it was in the beginning. I used to recommend people to listen to this podcast, but now I tell them only the first two seasons because it’s embarrassing to recommend something so poorly recorded and mediated now.

I am a first year first grade teacher. Graduated UC Irvine in 2020 with my MAT and started teaching bilingual learners during a pandemic all on Zoom. Summer before this, I started getting into SOR. This podcast is professional development. I’m obsessed! PD on the go, no-nonsense and diverse perspectives. This podcast is better than most books and workshops on the topic.

I love this podcast! I’m a speech language pathologist so my students have different with auditory comprehension and also reading skills like phonological awareness. Can you do an episode to discuss the implications of memory and reading! Auditory and/or visual memory?

Self absorbed academics inflated with debased coin of valuable content. A podcast of specialized experts in reading which is amateurishly produced. So much money wasted on their research yet where is the yield? Don’t waste time. At least a reference is given to search elsewhere. Sad for their captives—the university students—$$$.

In listening to the podcast I’ve heard repeatedly “teachers may be skeptical about change”. I think it’s quite the opposite. Teachers have known about the problems with the way in which we have taught decoding and comprehension for a long time. However our hands are tied with our curriculum. We are rated on our ability to implement the curriculum regardless of our personal beliefs. One of the biggest knowledge gaps I’ve experienced is having every student read different texts of their choice and then expecting students to all have the same academic outcome. Teachers did not invent the word facilitator of education. Textbook companies that have profited off of our students’ suffering have. Children need teachers who carve explicit academic pathways that engage students and drive their thirst for knowledge. To do this well we need vetted vertically aligned curriculum At least textbooks created equity.

Great podcast. As an SLP, I wish you would consider including an episode with and SLP like Jan Wasowicz or Pamela Snow. I think many teachers do not know that they already have professionals in their buildings that have completed coursework in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, discource, etc. We can be a great resource for teachers.

I agree the titles should be listed by topic not author. So far I only listened to the Willingham interview and was disappointed. I hope I misheard him as saying balance literacy seems to have valid points and that conclusions drawn from research often have little implications for the classroom? I hope I misunderstood and no other teacher listening heard that message. I would love an interview with author Dr. Melissa Farrall about assessment issues related to literacy and language. I love her books and have heard her speak many times. Dr. Ken Pugh, Dr. Louisa Moats, and Dr. Guinevere Eden would also be great guests! Thank you for creating a podcast on this important topic!

Yes I would love if it was titled by topic. I’m really enjoying the podcast!

I enjoyed the content of the episode with Doug Lemov, but it was extremely hard to understand what he was saying. At times it seemed like he was whispering, but I could hear the host perfectly. Please have your guests speak into the microphone at an audible level.

This is an amazing podcast and a great resource for any educator that seeks to grow and strengthen their knowledge about literacy and reading. Every time I listen I gain a better understanding of my role as a teacher and the importance of teaching with the science of reading at the forefront. The only small detail I wish was improved (perhaps a bit silly) is how the episodes are labeled/titled. I wish they were titled by topic so they’d be easier to search through. I have an interest to listen to all of them at some point but if I was seeking a specific episode as a resource to share with colleagues or to remember for future reference- that small detail makes it extremely difficult to access. Just a thought from a very interested teacher💕

Really enjoyed the simple way he explained the art of reading that the young mind grows through in order to read fluidly and with understanding.

I loved this podcast. Thank you for having a guest who addressed the challenge of teaching students who are in upper elementary, middle and high school who were never taught to read. Would like to know more about how to maintain strong teaching of these Tier 1 students while still addressing their gaps.

Thank you for putting this out into the world! I’d love to hear an interview with David Kilpatrick and also Nora Chahbazi, founder of EBLI.

Thanks for creating! I’d love to hear Maryanne Wolf and I second the Kilpatrick vote.

Some guests are very hard to hear but I love the content of your podcast

Great information so far...would love to hear Kilpatrick!!

Love the podcast so far! Great research based information. I can wait to listen to the Tim Rasinski episode!!! Would love to hear Kilpatrick on an episode too.

This podcast helps bridge the research about what can and should be taught in classrooms to the masses. Thank you!

This podcast is fun and informative! A great way to learn more about an important topic.