Teaching content vs teaching skills. Two very important concepts that are important for students to have. But what’s the best approach and how do you teach them in a way that’s both interesting and impactful? 

Author of The Knowledge Gap, Natalie Wexler, joins host Amanda Bratten to share what she’s learned in her research and observation. It all started when Natalie discovered the lack of coverage of education reform in DC, which inspired her to write about education to help teachers blaze a new path forward. 

In this episode, she shares how long-term memory storage of relevant information helps relieve the burden on working memory, allowing for better understanding and retention of new information. She also discusses the Hochman Method of writing that she covers in the book she co-wrote with Judith Hochman, The Writing Revolution, and how this method reinforces existing knowledge in a practical, but interesting way.

Press play to learn more about the cognitive science behind teaching effective writing and how to bridge the knowledge gap in classrooms. 

You’ll learn: 

1. How to improve students' reading comprehension by teaching content knowledge along with reading skills
2. How to encourage knowledge building through writing
3. Why reorganizing classroom libraries by topic, not just reading level, will help your students’ comprehension skills

Timestamps: 

[02:01] Getting to know Natalie

[03:38] Inspiration for writing The Knowledge Gap

[07:21] Comparing skills-focused with knowledge-building curriculum in early elementary classroom 

[13:21] A good curriculum focuses on building knowledge logically through read-alouds and discussion

[18:54] The value of content-based questions and organizing classroom libraries by topic 

[25:51] Reinforcing methods from The Writing Revolution