Separating the science of reading from SoR marketing isn’t easy. The constant flood of pseudo-scientific claims makes it increasingly difficult to identify effective teaching practices. Oversimplifications and misinterpretations are being used to legitimize approaches that lack solid evidence. How can we distinguish between evidence-based reading instruction and well-marketed myths? Starting with Source and Purpose Knowing the source of information can help us make sense of the motivation behind it– Is
A Classroom Teachers’ Guide to Reading Research
April 1, 2025
Minding the Research to Practice Gap Following the reading research is more challenging than it sounds. There are thousands of studies and it’s hard to know where to start. For classroom teachers, making sense of studies is extra challenging because a lot (but not all!) of the research has been done in contexts that we can’t replicate– intensive doses of reading intervention, delivered one-on-one, in environments with fewer competing priorities.
Doubt Crept In: Questioning My Faith in Reading Research
August 7, 2024
Uh oh I thought that the more I knew about the science of reading, the better my teaching would become. And I’ve staked so much of my identity on this belief that my newfound doubt has shaken me terribly. At a recent conference for reading researchers, I realized: “There is a whole world of reading science that is not meant for me.” Panicked, I said to a researcher-friend: “Please tell
