In this powerful and personal episode, Donell Pons introduces her husband, Curtis, and his lifelong challenges with dyslexia. Through their candid conversation, listeners take an emotional journey, from the honeymoon revelation of Curtis's reading difficulties to his decision to leave college despite academic success. Curtis shares his experiences navigating careers and finding support, while Donell reflects on the challenges of identifying and addressing dyslexia, both for their family and in the broader education system. 

This episode illuminates the profound impact of reading difficulties, the importance of early intervention, and the transformative power of advocacy and perseverance. Curtis's story of overcoming the odds and Donell's unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of those with dyslexia and in education is truly inspiring.

This is part one of the Literacy Talks miniseries Dyslexia Talks, hosted by Donell Pons.

Show Notes
Resources:

• Foundational Literacy for Adult Education—Reading Horizons Elevate®
• Foundational Literacy for Dyslexia—Reading Horizons

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Our hosts have a chat with Michael Atkinson, a recent high school graduate and youth advocate with Decoding Dyslexia Utah. Michael shares his personal journey with dyslexia, from his early diagnosis in first grade to the strategies and accommodations that have helped him succeed academically. Listeners will gain invaluable insights into a student's experiences with dyslexia as Michael candidly discusses the challenges he has faced, the importance of self-advocacy, and the unique strengths often associated with dyslexia. 

Through Michael's inspiring story, we learn how educators can foster an environment of high expectations and support for students with learning differences, empowering them to reach their full potential. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding and supporting individuals with dyslexia.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Michael Atkinson, Youth Advocate with Decoding Dyslexia Utah
• Karee Atkinson

Resources:

• Decoding Dyslexia Utah Youth Advocates

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In this episode of Literacy Talks, the terrific trio discusses the importance of teaching reading and writing in tandem. They explore teachers' challenges in prioritizing writing instruction, from lack of confidence to limited time and resources. The conversation highlights effective strategies for embedding writing throughout the day, building student identity as authors, and providing explicit instruction in writing skills and processes. 

The hosts emphasize the need for a balanced, intentional approach that celebrates the joy of self-expression as growing readers develop their writing abilities. Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips to elevate the role of writing in your literacy programs.

Show Notes
Resources:

• How Does Writing Fit Into the ‘Science of Reading’?—EdWeek
• Writing as a cognitive process—Cambridge
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft—Stephen King
• Invisible Ink: Building Stories from the Inside Out—Brian McDonald
• think SRSD

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This episode of Literacy Talks explores the persistent challenge of bridging the research-to-practice gap in literacy education. Hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny examine the complexities of translating research findings into effective classroom practices, highlighting the crucial role of implementation science and the need for collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners. 

The discussion emphasizes the importance of systemic support, empowering teachers with the knowledge and resources to apply research-based strategies, and leveraging technology and AI to facilitate the research-to-practice pipeline. Throughout the conversation, the hosts offer practical insights and strategies for educators to navigate this divide and ensure that the latest literacy research positively impacts student outcomes.

Show Notes

Literacy Leaders:

• Margaret Goldberg
• Julie Washington
• David Kilpatrick
• Tiffany Hogan
• Barbara Wilson
• Stanislas Dehaene
• Stephanie Stollar
• Linda Diamond
• Mark Seidenberg

Resources:

• Doubt Crept In: Questioning My Faith in Reading Research by Margaret Goldberg
• Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read

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This episode of Literacy Talks delves into the unique strengths and needs of multilingual learners (MLLs). Hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny share valuable insights and practical strategies for effectively teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension to MLLs. They emphasize the importance of honoring students' home languages, building on their existing linguistic knowledge, and creating a welcoming, celebratory environment that empowers all students. 

Listeners will appreciate the cognitive advantages of learning multiple languages and come away with concrete ideas for supporting the literacy development of this rapidly growing student population. Whether you're a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, or administrator, this episode offers essential guidance for ensuring multilingual learners thrive.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Stanislas Dehaene

Resources:

• What’s the Difference Between ESL, EFL, ESOL, ELL, MLL, and ESP?—Reading Horizons Blog
• English Learners in Public Schools—NCES
• What Languages Do We Speak in the United States?—US Census Bureau
• Mylanguages.org
• Colorin Colorado
• Acadience
• Wordsmyth
• Stanislas Dehaene Summit 2024 Virtual Keynote
• The Syntax Project

Terms:

• ELL: English Language Learners
• ESL: English as a Second Language
• ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages
• ML/MLL: Multilingual Learners
• BIC: Basic Interpersonal Communication
• Text engineering: a strategy that modifies grade-level texts to help students understand them better. The goal is to make the text more accessible without simplifying it or lowering its complexity.

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In the Season 6 premiere of Literacy Talks, hosts Stacy Hurst, Donell Pons, and Lindsay Kemeny dive into their experiences at the Big Sky Literacy Summit 2024. They discuss standout moments, including John Maxwell’s transformative keynote and Dr. Tiffany Hogan’s insights on bridging research and practice. 

The trio also covers practical takeaways on oral language, dyslexia, and classroom routines, emphasizing the need for intentionality in teaching and data-driven decisions. Tune in for a reflective look at the conference and a peek into plans for the next Big Sky event.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• John Maxwell
• Dr. Danielle ‘Nell’ Thompson
• Dr. Tiffany Hogan
• Dr. Holly Lane
• Dr. Leslie Laud
• Dr. Julie Washington

Resources:

• Big Sky Literacy Summit 2024
• EdReports
• The Reading League

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Coming Soon: Reading Horizons Ascend™
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Switching between different cognitive tasks is critical in the classroom. Students learn one word can have multiple meanings. They move from one subject to another. This episode of Literacy Talks focuses squarely on cognitive flexibility, its role in executive function, and how literacy educators can help students build these skills to be confident, capable thinkers and readers.

So, get set to learn more about cognitive flexibility and why it matters. You can help students learn about changing their minds, switching from one idea to another, and simultaneously holding multiple viewpoints and thoughts. This episode gives us all a great deal to think about!

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Hollis Scarborough

Resources:

• Change of Mind: Cognitive Flexibility in the Classroom. International Dyslexia Association, Perspectives on Language and Literacy, Spring 2014

Literacy Lexicon:

• Cognitive flexibility: the mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, according to the context of a situation.
• SRSD: Self-Regulated Strategy Development

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Our trio of experts takes a deep dive into statistics, looking at the data and trends in general education and what those numbers might mean for literacy instruction. An example? The average student-to-teacher ratio in elementary grades is 15 students to 1 teacher. What does that point to? As our hosts see it, smaller class sizes can reduce some of the need for small-group instruction because teachers have more time to spend with students individually as needed.

That’s just the start of this eye-opening, number-crunching episode. You can count on gathering some insightful data from this episode of Literacy Talks.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders

• Maryanne Wolf

Resources

• Acadience
• ESGI

References

• Statista. “Average Salary of Classroom Teachers in Public Schools in the U.S. From 1980 to 2021.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Back-to-School Statistics” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Educational Institutions.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• CER. “K-12 Facts.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. News. “High School Teacher Salary.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Statista. “Estimated Average Salary of Public School Teachers in the United States in 2020-2021, by State.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• We Are Teachers. “12 Powerful Statistics That Prove Why Teachers Matter.”Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• Learning Policy Institute. “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Digest of Education Statistics.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: High School Teachers.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “National Teacher and Principal Survey: Average and Median Age of Public School Teachers and Percentage Distribution of Teachers by Age Category, Sex, and State: 2017-18.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Teacher Characteristics and Trends.” Accessed on April 21, 2022.
• NCES. “Characteristics of Public School Teachers.” Access

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As we work to improve how we teach phonics, phonemic awareness, and word recognition while adding in writing instruction and content knowledge, we’re all working toward a key goal. It’s reading comprehension.

In this episode of Literacy Talks, we turn our attention to comprehension and the tapestry of skills that come together for readers and learners of all ages as they read for meaning, knowledge, and the sheer joy of learning and discovery.

This episode delivers best practices for building knowledge and will give you a new understanding of—that’s right—understanding what we read!

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders

• Dr. Hugh Catts

Resources

• Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension—Hugh W. Catts, Winter 2022
• Developing an R&D Program to Improve Reading Comprehension RAND Reading Study Group (RRSG) 2003
• The Big Sky Literacy Summit
• NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
• Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition From Novice to Expert—Castles, Rastle, and Nation
• Reading for Understanding Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension—Catherine Snow, RAND

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As momentum continues to build for instructional practices and strategies rooted in the science of reading, sometimes controversies can arise. In this episode of Literacy Talks, Stacy, Donell, and Lindsay tackle some of the little disagreements among well-meaning, well-informed educators, all from the perspective of sharing information, supporting colleagues, and strengthening our literacy community. From best practices in introducing the alphabet’s letters and sounds to the concepts of blends and blending, get in touch with the topics and ideas that keep the literacy community talking.

Show Notes
Literacy Leaders:

• Dr. Shayne Piasta
• Dr. Steve Dykstra
• Dr. Sally Shaywitz
• Dr. Louisa Moats

Resources:

• Acadience
• Leap Frog Letter Factory

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Coming Soon: Reading Horizons Ascend™
From Pre-K readiness to advanced fluency, Ascend™ offers a consistent, needs-based reading experience across every grade, tier, and model—so every student can build mastery, one skill at a time. Learn More.