EP.156🌶️ 

Value:

This episode breaks down the article everyone’s talking about and asks the hard question it raises: If synthetic phonics has been mandated for years, why haven’t outcomes for struggling readers changed? We talk directly with Dominic Wyse about the research, the data, and what gets lost when literacy policy becomes rigid instead of responsive.

Promise:

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what the research actually says, where policy oversimplifies reading instruction, and why real classrooms demand more than one approach. No slogans. No extremes. Just an honest, uncomfortable conversation that respects teachers, centers kids, and refuses to pretend this debate is settled.

Article discussed:https://phys.org/news/2025-12-england-synthetic-phonics-approach-children.html 

Wyse, D., Esposito, R., Ranken, E. & Sumner, E. (2025). Mapping the Field of Effective Teaching and Interventions for Children with Reading Difficulties: A Systematic Tertiary Review, Qualitative Meta Synthesis, and National Survey.Reading Research Quarterly.https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.70075

 

Wyse, D. & Hacking, C. (2024). Decoding, Reading and Writing: The Double Helix Theory of Teaching. Literacy. DOI: 10.1111/lit.12367 Winner of the Wiley Research in Literacy Education Award 2025.

 

New paper

Wyse, D., Aarts, B., Anders, J., de Gennaro, A., Dockrell, J., Manyukhina, Y., Sing, S., & Torgerson, C. (2025). Teaching grammar and writing: A randomised controlled trial and implementation process evaluation of Englicious.Journal of Writing Research. https://www.jowr.org/jowr/article/view/1346

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Ep. 155

We had a surprise guest: Mark Seidenberg!🙌🏻

💜 Value & Promise

In this episode, educators are invited into a research conversation that is still unfolding.

You’ll hear Mark Seidenberg discuss his latest article while educators engage in real time with questions, reactions, and pushback.

This episode offers

• A window into how researchers think aloud as ideas are examined, questioned, and clarified

• Space to sit with uncertainty rather than rushing to conclusions

• Insight into the complexity surrounding structured literacy, overteaching, and instructional balance

• A shared starting point for continued inquiry

Our promise for this episode is transparency.

We are actively working through what the research suggests and what it may mean for classrooms. Many listeners are asking for deeper research and greater clarity around implementation, and we hear you. We will be digging further into the evidence and continuing this conversation in future episodes.

If you value thoughtful exploration, intellectual honesty, and research discussed in community, this episode delivers.

No BS.

Just real research, real questions, and a commitment to keep going. 💜🙌🏻

Your thoughts?

“Although the authorities in this field usually acknowledge the obvious point that nondyslexics do not need as much instruction as dyslexics, in practice the adoption of ‘structured literacy’ has led to overteaching.” - Mark Seidenberg

This is us (Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner Damski) and The Literacy View-Real Teachers Letting Loose community, in an open, uncensored chat digging into his latest article together.

Article For Discussion: https://www.seidenbergreading.net/blog/oexqqvuvpmotni4qb9f30dvrfbwj05

💬 Real-time reactions
🧠 Pushback, questions, and clarifications
🔥 Crowd-driven conversation
🚫 No BS

Read it. Skimmed it. Fired up by it. Confused by it.
You belong in this conversation.

Send us a text

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Ep. 154

Value

Cuts through the curriculum noise by explaining why so many debates miss what actually drives reading comprehension. Clarifies how curriculum, instruction, strategies, and prior knowledge interact so educators can think more clearly about what really supports understanding.

Promise

Listeners will leave with sharper language to explain what’s broken in common curriculum conversations, a clearer picture of why comprehension succeeds or fails, and a more grounded way to evaluate literacy programs without falling into false choices or slogans.

Article:
https://www.nomanis.com.au/hubfs/Nomanis%20Issue%2019/NOMANIS%2019_SEPT25_Ashman.pdf?_gl=1*nda3x6*_ga*YTZ3ck1rMlFjSHNNTEctcjIzc2tTVUhTbmNuZXBtc3AzN2lFbURHUENBTnNsZUJjdEFFTnJkT0JDRUl4dWx3MQ..*_ga_LL9B4H2PH7*MTc2ODgxOTI3OS4xLjEuMTc2ODgxOTI3OS4wLjAuMA..

Guest Substack: https://fillingthepail.substack.com/p/explicit-teaching-is-inclusive

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Value

Sloppy literacy language is everywhere and it is costing teachers clarity, confidence, and credibility. When words lose their meaning, instruction suffers.

Promise

This Breaking News episode gets brutally clear. You will leave knowing exactly what Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, phonics, curriculum, and program actually mean so you can cut through the noise, shut down misinformation, and make decisions grounded in evidence rather than buzzwords.

Article Discussed:https://share.google/f4nJjmn5c2ld4Q8mK

Podcast Version-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-curriculum/id1691952694?i=1000744596597

.

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Episode: 152

Structured Literacy vs. Balanced Literacy: What the Research Really Says (The Verdict You Can’t Miss)

Research: https://share.google/Xz1J9wiFEjrOo8O8i

Nathaniel Hansford Bio:https://share.google/pbTnMqtKGOwSvdg8k

Kathryn Garforth

Bio:https://share.google/RaPZEL2bXHRZXjTEG

Value

This episode delivers the research backed justification for a structured literacy approach. If you have ever questioned your instructional decisions or needed clear proof to share with administration, this conversation gives you the evidence to stand firm.

Promise

You will walk away with the language and confidence to advocate for structured literacy with certainty. This episode equips you to show that the research is settled and the case is clear.

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Ep:151-What If We've Been Teaching Spelling All Wrong?

VALUE
Spelling isn’t a side dish. It’s one of the most powerful drivers of reading and writing success. In this episode, researchers Brennan Chandler and Jessica Toste break open decades of data and show how real spelling instruction builds orthographic mapping, boosts decoding and encoding, and transforms writing for all students. If you’ve ever felt like kids are stuck, this explains why.

PROMISE

You’ll leave knowing exactly what spelling practices actually move the needle and which ones are a total time sink. Expect straight talk, clear takeaways, and research you can use tomorrow to level up reading and writing for every learner.

Article Discussed:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40875456/

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Episode 150

PROMISE:

This episode gives you easy, evidence-aligned ways to make reading exciting  even for kids who say they hate it.

VALUE:

You’ll learn how a simple gamified approach, Student Detectives, boosts motivation, stamina, and engagement without fancy tech or complicated prep.

🔍 

What We Cover

• How “detective-style” reading transforms reluctant readers
• What the research (2020–2024) actually shows about gamified literacy
• Why traditional reading programs don’t hook certain learners
• Quick, classroom-ready ideas you can use  tommorow!
• https://thedetectiveexperience.com/

____________________________________________

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Episode 149

🎧 What This Breaking News Episode Delivers

Dr. Timothy Shanahan joins us to bring absolute clarity to one of the most misunderstood topics in literacy.

Educators get a clear explanation of what background knowledge truly is and what it is not. You will learn how to separate fact from fiction and understand what the research actually supports without jargon or confusion.

By the end of this episode, educators will be able to spot misinformation quickly, understand the real story behind background knowledge, and feel more confident using evidence aligned practices in their classrooms.

No fluff. No confusion. No BS.

https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/

Latest Book: https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570036/leveled-reading-leveled-lives/

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Episode-148

In this episode, we unpack the myth, separate inspiration from evidence, and explain why phonics, though imperfect, remains the most equitable and effective foundation for teaching all children to read, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In this episode, we unpack the myth, separate inspiration from evidence, and explain why phonics, though imperfect, remains the most equitable and effective foundation for teaching all children to read, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Article discussed:https://open.substack.com/pub/daviddidau/p/the-dyslexia-miracle-school-is-no?r=6k3ev&utm_medium=ios

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Episode 147

Hey No BS Besties 💜

October was Dyslexia Awareness Month and we went LIVE for a special interactive taping of The Literacy View. This conversation gets to the heart of what matters most — truth, clarity, and every child’s right to learn to read.

🧩 

Evaluating for Dyslexia in the Schools

Can your school psychologist evaluate your child for dyslexia?

Many families are told to seek private testing but that is not the full story 🧐

We are bringing compassion, research, and real answers to this important issue.

🎤 Featuring

Andrew Shanock, Michael Paff, Kelly Caci

Send us a text

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