Dr. John Woodward is a nationally recognized mathematics author, writer, and speaker. He is the past dean of the school of education and professor emeritus at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.
As a researcher, he focused on mathematics interventions for academically low-achieving students, particularly in elementary and middle grades. Dr. Woodward has published more than 80 articles and presented on mathematics education issues throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada, Asia, and Europe. He is the senior author of TransMath, a math intervention program for middle school students. He also is the co-developer of NUMBERS, a math professional development program for K–8 teachers.
The public release of ChatGPT by OpenAI late last year has captivated, if not terrified, certain sectors of public education. A simple interactive screen allows users to create a range of “authentic looking” documents. ChatGPT essays are either free or fractional in cost.
Some have called ChatGPT the “calculator moment” for writing assignments. Is there a similar, potential effect in math? Should we be welcoming or fearful of this technology?
This podcast will explore programs like ChatGPT and what they mean for mathematics instruction. We’ll discuss other current technologies used in math education today, and reflect on potential, near-term improvements and how upgrades like the “intelligence assistant” now being developed by Microsoft using ChatGPT might be used in math classrooms.
Dr. Woodward will discuss:
Dr. Anita Archer serves as an educational consultant to state departments and school districts on explicit instruction and literacy. She has presented in all 50 states and many countries including Australia. She is the recipient of 10 awards honoring her contributions to education. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of three universities including the University of Washington, University of Oregon, and San Diego State University. She has co-authored numerous curriculum materials including Phonics for Reading (Curriculum Associates), a three-level intervention program REWARDS® (Voyager Sopris Learning®), a five-component literacy intervention program; and a best-selling textbook, Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching (Guilford Publications).
Dr. Louisa Moats has been a teacher, psychologist, researcher, graduate school faculty member, and author of many influential scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on the topics of reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation. Dr. Moats is the author of LANGUAGE! Live®, a blended reading intervention program for grades 5–12, and the lead author of LETRS® professional development and the textbook, Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Dr. Moats is also co-author of Spellography, a structured language word study program. Dr. Moats’ awards include the prestigious Samuel T. and June L. Orton award from the International Dyslexia Association® for outstanding contributions to the field; the Eminent Researcher Award from Learning Disabilities Australia; and the Benita Blachman award from The Reading League.
The “science of reading” refers to a vast body of multidisciplinary research providing a rationale for what must be taught to ensure almost all students can learn to read. Our podcast guests have championed this movement and supported organizations such as the International Dyslexia Association®, The Reading League, Decoding Dyslexia, The National Council on Teacher Quality, and The American Federation of Teachers who are advancing awareness of reading science.
But is this movement enough to develop more effective literacy instruction? Join us as our guests discuss why it may not be, unless teaching practices themselves receive more attention.
The “what” or content of reading instruction is often characterized with reference to the “five pillars” or “five components” that were each addressed by The National Reading Panel Report of 2000. Most state standards and policy guidelines name these essential components of instruction: phoneme awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Often added to the list are oral language, spelling, and writing. The content-related issue now being debated concerns the interrelationships of these components, their relative emphasis—for whom and at what point in reading development—and what level of content mastery to expect. We know the impact of curriculum content is diluted without systematic, explicit, cumulative teaching of the lessons.
Our experts will discuss:
Susan Smartt, Ph.D., is a former senior research associate at the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality at Vanderbilt University. She holds a doctorate in school psychology from Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in special education and reading from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. In her research at Vanderbilt, Dr. Smartt studied improving teacher preparation for reading teachers. She also provided educational consulting services and teacher training to states and local school districts focusing on school reform, reading intervention for low-performing schools, using data to inform practice, developing response to intervention/MTSS initiatives, and implementing scientifically based literacy programs. Dr. Smartt owned and directed a reading clinic for more than 20 years, where she provided comprehensive psychoeducational assessments, dyslexia evaluations, and tutoring services. She has been a classroom teacher, a reading coach, a reading specialist, a principal, a university faculty member, and a researcher. She was an early contributor to the development of LETRS® and past president of the Tennessee Branch of the International Dyslexia Association®. Her publications include authorship and co-authorship of journal articles, edited volumes, and books about research-based reading intervention and policy initiatives, including Fundamentals in Literacy Instruction and Assessment (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2020), with Martha Hougen, Ph.D. In retirement, Dr. Smartt tutors students with dyslexia, provides advocacy services for students, and volunteers as a mentor for the TN Achieves Initiative.
What happens after a formative literacy assessment? How can educators translate the results into targeted interventions and improved reading outcomes? This applicable and informative presentation from Dr. Susan Smartt, a respected literacy expert, helps educators make sense of what to do after the assessment and how to best use the valuable data gleaned from those assessments to inform intervention—and move all students toward literacy success.
To help educators address the challenging literacy needs of their diverse learners, our discussion will cover appropriate approaches to intervention and how to determine what approach is best based on assessment results.
Dr. Smartt will explore:
During his respected career, Dr. Antonio Fierro has been able to apply his many years in the classroom and as a literacy expert to help schools and districts teach reading to every student, regardless of previous experience or native language. His vast experience contributes invaluable insight into their products and services. Dr. Fierro is a former Texas State Teacher of the Year and was a member of the LETRS cohort of literacy consultants led by Dr. Louisa Moats for almost 20 years.
Dr. Fierro has contributed to several literacy curricula for English learners along with Tools 4 Reading President Dr. Mary Dahlgren. He is the co-author of Kid Lips, their curriculum that teaches the articulatory features of English phonemes to young children with additional support for English learners. His areas of interest include early literacy instruction, improving the learning experience of pre-service teaching candidates, and the research and practice that impacts English learners. Dr. Fierro is also dedicated to advancing the knowledge base and understanding of dyslexia and other reading disabilities as his son, Antonio Jr., has dyslexia. Dr. Fierro currently sits on the board of The Reading League.
Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed.D, is a Bilingual Speech Language Pathologist, Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor. She is the President of Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas which was established in 1993. She is also a research associate with the Texas Institute for Measurement Evaluation and Statistics at the University of Houston.
Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is the author of Esperanza (HOPE), a Spanish language program designed to assist students who struggle with learning to read. Her research interests include the development of early reading assessments for Spanish-speaking students and the development of reading interventions for bilingual students. She serves as the Chairperson of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities and is a Past Vice-Chairperson for the International Dyslexia Association. Elsa has authored curricular programs, book chapters, and journal articles related to oracy and literacy development for English language learners. Her book, Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction addresses the Science of Reading and provides strategies for successful implementation among this diverse population of students.
Today’s educators are teaching the most linguistically diverse student population in United States history. To ensure educational equity for English learners, teachers must be skillfully equipped with instructional practices rooted in the science of reading.
The “science of reading” refers to a vast body of multi-disciplinary research that provides a rationale for what must be taught to ensure that almost all students can learn to read. However, do all reading science practices apply equally when teaching English learners?
Our podcast guests have championed using the science of reading with the English learner as a top priority in everything they do.
Drs. Cardenas-Hagan and Fierro will discuss the opportunities and the challenges educators encounter when teaching reading to English learners. They’ll explore:
Kareem Weaver is the co-founder and executive director of FULCRUM, which partners with stakeholders to improve reading results for students. He is the Oakland NAACP's 2nd vice president and chair of its Education Committee. His advocacy is featured in the upcoming film The Right to Read. Weaver previously served as New Leaders’ executive director of the Western Region and was an award-winning teacher and administrator. He has an undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and a master’s degree in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Weaver believes in the potential of all students, the brotherhood of man, and the importance of service above self. His educational heroine, for literacy instruction, is the late Marva Collins.
For people who have seen the documentary The Right to Read, you’ve heard of Kareem Weaver because his work is featured in the film produced by LaVar Burton. Weaver is an Oakland-based activist with the NAACP, and as an experienced educator his mission is to create a world where all children can read.
Join us for this inspiring conversation as we talk with Weaver about dyslexia, the science of reading, and what American schools need to do to help all students read at grade level. Our discussion will cover why literacy gaps are especially pronounced among certain students, the need for early diagnosis of dyslexia, and what educational changes Weaver continually fights for in his quest to help all students learn to read. Weaver brings unique insight to this discussion from a parent’s perspective because his daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia as an older student, and as an educator who knows literacy is a right every person is entitled to.
For 25 years, in 13 countries, in 45 states, for more than 3 million people…Antonio Sacre has told stories.
His tales of growing up bilingually in a Cuban and Irish-American household have inspired children worldwide to gather their own family stories and become storytellers themselves. His stories have been published in award-winning books and audio recordings. His professional developments and keynote addresses have helped educators teach writing to students from prekindergarten through graduate school. Now, his stories are being developed for film and television.
He teaches at the UCLA Lab School, and lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and two cats. Yes, he's a cat guy.
Join this fascinating conversation that surrounds storytelling—an age-old oral tradition—and how it can be used to improve reading and writing in the classroom.
Our guest, Antonio Sacre, a professional storyteller, children’s book author, and educator, will discuss the simple technique of storytelling and how teachers and specialists can use it to help unlock the writer in every student and get them excited about reading.
Listeners will find this podcast inspiring, captivating, and immediately applicable to classroom instruction. Sacre will discuss the science behind why and how storytelling works to support reading, how to share a good story, and the types of stories that motivate students to want to read and write more.
We hope you’ll join us as our internationally renowned expert leaves you with stories to tell, the capability to share stories more effectively, and keys to teaching them to students across the curriculum.
You’ll learn:
Denise Eide is an educator, speaker, social entrepreneur, and curriculum designer. She has worked in the field of literacy instruction for more than 25 years and has authored 23 books and more than 20 supplements based on the information presented in Uncovering the Logic of English.
Reading is the most important skill children need to master to be successful in school and life. However, students increasingly are struggling with this most basic of academic abilities. When children have difficulty reading, they can quickly fall behind their peers. Luckily, there are ways to improve almost any child's reading proficiency with good instruction that’s based on science.
This fascinating discussion with renowned author Denise Eide will explore how the English language works, and the importance of spelling in developing better readers. Eide, who was mentored and inspired by literacy giant Robert Sweet (one of the nation's most-powerful champions of phonic-centered reading reform) will share why students need to be taught the building blocks of words: phonograms and spelling rules, and how understanding the reasons for the spellings of words can transform teaching and learning. Eide will share the “rules” she outlines in her book, ways to teach students to analyze the reasons for English spellings, and much more.
We hope you’ll join us for this fascinating podcast!
John Arthur is the 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year and 2021 National Teacher of the Year finalist. He is in his tenth year of teaching at Meadowlark Elementary, a Title I school in Salt Lake City. Arthur is a national board certified teacher, a Utah Teacher Fellow with the Hope Street Group, and an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at Westminster College.
Alisa Cooper de Uribe is the 2021 New Mexico Teacher of the Year and the 2022 Teach Plus NM Fellow of the Year. She has taught first grade at New Mexico International School in Albuquerque since 2012. Her classroom follows the 80/20 model of two-way language immersion, and she provides the majority of instruction in the target language of Spanish. She plays a key role in the development of an International Baccalaureate Programme of Inquiry, weaving together inquiry-based learning and language development.
Anthony Swann became the first sitting teacher to be appointed to the State Board of Education in Virginia by Governor Ralph Northam in 2021. He has had the privilege of teaching every elementary grade except kindergarten. His experience also includes two years in North Carolina. Swann has been in education for 16 years as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and recently was named as the assistant principal of Monterey Elementary in Roanoke, VA. He was chosen to be the 2021 Region 6 Virginia Teacher of the Year as well as the 2021 Virginia State Teacher of the Year. In 2018, he began the program, “Guys with Ties,” to teach boys the importance of honesty, integrity, and character inside and outside the classroom. Swann earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Averett University and a Master of Education in educational leadership from Regent University.
It’s critically important to provide all students (MLLs, students with IEPs, high achievers, those with dyslexia and other reading difficulties, etc.) with targeted, effective reading instruction and interventions—this is a well-known fact. However, these students can be tougher to engage, and special teachers, with unique approaches designed to motivate and help every student feel heard, have strategies that bring literacy learning to the forefront while engaging students in ways not always imagined.
This lively discussion with three award-winning teachers will open your eyes and inspire every educator to strive for what is possible for every student. Each of our panelists were named Teacher of the Year in their respective states. Our host, John Arthur of Utah, was also honored at the White House as a finalist for National Teacher of the Year.
Join us as these three energetic educators share specific strategies and practices they use to help all children overcome challenges, feel seen and heard, and gain new literacy skills that will serve them for a lifetime. Our guests will share tips and ideas useful in any classroom and with any student, with special emphasis on those who struggle as readers and often don’t know how to advocate for themselves. This episode will connect the dots for listeners between engaging literacy instruction/intervention and empowered student voices.
Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy, a literacy professional development organization working across the United States. She has been in the literacy field for more than 40 years as a teacher, administrator, and teacher trainer. She is the creator of The Writing Rope framework, and has authored multiple literacy professional development programs, including The Key Comprehension Routine, The Key Vocabulary Routine, Keys to Beginning Reading, Keys to Content Writing, Keys to Early Writing, and Understanding Dyslexia. Beginning in 1975, she worked for 23 years at the Landmark School, a pioneer in the development of literacy intervention programs. Sedita was one of the three lead trainers in Massachusetts for the Reading First Program and was a LETRS® author and trainer. She received her M.Ed. in reading from Harvard University and her B.A. from Boston College.
Writing is a task as complex and multifaceted as reading—but it’s often taught as a single skill. Our podcast guest is Joan Sedita, the successful author of the popular book, The Writing Rope. Her book and the innovative framework she created weaves multiple skills and strategies into five fundamentals of a comprehensive writing curriculum: critical thinking, syntax (sentences), text structure, writing craft, and transcription (spelling and handwriting).
We hope you’ll join this informative discussion as Sedita shares the guidelines that demystify the process of helping students learn to write and write to learn. Our conversation will explore ways educators can plan and deliver comprehensive, explicit, and evidence-based writing instruction, aligned with IDA’s Structured Literacy approach, and based on the latest research. The focus of the book is on grades 4–8, but much of what Sedita will address can be used in earlier grades and high school.
She will share:
When you examine your teaching approaches and how to best help students with dyslexia, it can be easy to assume special data will be needed to help these students improve their foundational reading skills and move toward grade-level literacy.
However, the data you already have from regular assessment practices, like that collected from Acadience® Learning measures, can provide invaluable insight to help you tailor instruction and ensure all students—especially those with dyslexia and other reading challenges—receive the appropriate and timely intervention they need to succeed.
Our guest for this EDVIEW360 podcast is Matthew K. Burns, a literacy, assessment, and special education expert who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of the most-vulnerable children, including those with disabilities, from high-poverty backgrounds, and for whom English is not their native language. Dr. Burns will share how schools can help shape K–12 practice and improve literacy using existing data.
He will also discuss how educators can:
We hope you’ll join us for this fascinating podcast!
Dr. Louisa Moats has been a teacher, psychologist, researcher, graduate school faculty member, and author of many influential scientific journal articles, books, and policy papers on the topics of reading, spelling, language, and teacher preparation. Dr. Moats is the author of LANGUAGE! Live®, a blended reading intervention program for grades 5–12, and the lead author of LETRS® professional development and the textbook, Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Dr. Moats is also co-author of Spellography, a structured language word study program. Dr. Moats’ awards include the prestigious Samuel T. and June L. Orton award from the International Dyslexia Association® for outstanding contributions to the field; the Eminent Researcher Award from Learning Disabilities Australia; and the Benita Blachman award from The Reading League.
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Louisa Moats, author of LETRS® professional learning and LANGUAGE! Live® reading intervention, as we talk candidly about the power of printed books and materials and how educators can best select and use them to encourage student motivation and engagement—while helping all students build essential reading skills.
Dr. Moats will share her thoughts about digital fatigue, the power of print, in what ways teachers and students should be trusted to select what they read both inside and outside of the classroom, and more.
This conversation will provide thought-provoking information for all administrators and teachers who work with struggling readers, especially those in middle school and beyond.
Tom Murray serves as the director of innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of All4Ed, in Washington, D.C. He has testified before the United States Congress and has worked alongside that body, the U.S. Senate, the White House, the U.S. Department of Education and state departments of education, corporations, and school districts throughout the country to implement student-centered learning while helping to lead Future Ready Schools and Digital Learning Day. Prior to moving to his role in Washington, D.C., Murray served as an elementary teacher, middle school teacher, middle school principal, elementary principal, and at the district level in Bucks County, PA. He is most passionate about creating cultures of innovation, where teachers are empowered to create the types of learning experiences today's modern learners need to thrive.
In addition to his role at Future Ready Schools, Murray works directly with school and district leaders for administrative retreats, opening convocations, and professional learning days.
Murray also is a cofounder of #edtechchat, a weekly educational technology Twitter forum, where hundreds of educators from around the world discuss topics related to the effective use of educational technology.
It’s no secret: School and district leaders set the tone for the culture within the organization. Although every employee is ultimately responsible for creating an environment where students want to be, school leaders must model the way. How can principals looking to implement change create an innovative, sustainable culture that consistently models future ready learning, relies upon a level of teaching and learning backed by science, and promotes a high level of literacy success for all students?
Join us as we talk with our guest, best-selling author Thomas C. Murray, a lifelong educator who is now the director of innovation for Future Ready Schools®. In his current role, Murray works with districts to create the types of learning experiences today’s modern learners need to thrive. As a previous secondary and elementary principal, he knows the importance of helping every child learn to read proficiently, and how to intervene when children don’t have the literacy skills needed by third to fifth grades. On a daily basis, he works with principals and superintendents on systems change, sustainability, and equity and resolving culture-change obstacles standing in the way of students achieving the level of literacy success that allows each one to truly be future ready.
Join us as we talk with our guest and explore:
Dr. Ruth Kaminski, is co-author of Acadience® Reading (previously published as DIBELS Next®) and the co-founder of Acadience Learning. Dr. Kaminski is also the lead author of the early childhood literacy assessment, Acadience®Reading Pre-K: PELI®. Dr. Kaminski’s academic background includes degrees in speech pathology, early childhood special education, and school psychology. She has conducted research on assessment and preventative interventions for preschool and early elementary age children for the past 30 years. Dr. Kaminski has extensive experience consulting with Head Start agencies and public schools throughout the United States and abroad. In addition, Dr. Kaminski brings more than a decade of experience as a classroom teacher and speech/language clinician with preschool-age children.
In this podcast, Dr. Ruth Kaminski, coauthor of Acadience® Learning K–6 and other respected assessments, will discuss the many aspects of assessment that make it a meaningful and essential tool for preventing reading disabilities and promoting reading success.
Join us as we talk with Dr. Kaminski about the reasons educators should rely upon assessment for curriculum alignment, progress monitoring, and classroom planning.
We’ll explore:
Natalie Wexler is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It (Avery 2019). She is also the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (Jossey-Bass, 2017), and a senior contributor to the education channel on Forbes.com. Her newsletter, Minding the Gap, on Substack, is available for free. Click here to view past posts and subscribe.
Her articles and essays about education and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, the MIT Technology Review, The American Scholar, and other publications. She has spoken about education before a variety of groups and appeared on a number of TV and radio shows, including Morning Joe and NPR’s On Point and 1A.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Sussex (UK), and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a reporter, a Supreme Court law clerk, a lawyer, and a legal historian. The author of three novels, she lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and has two adult children.
Writing is potentially the most powerful lever we have for building knowledge and improving reading comprehension. It can uncover gaps in background knowledge that prevent students from accessing grade-level material. And, because writing helps new information stick, it can also boost students’ academic performance.
But writing is the most difficult thing we ask students to do. If inexperienced writers are asked to write at length, they can easily become overwhelmed as they juggle everything from spelling to word choice to organizing their thoughts. And if students are asked to write only about personal experience or topics in a separate writing curriculum, writing won’t help them acquire the knowledge they need to succeed in school.
Join this informative podcast as we talk with esteemed researcher and author Natalie Wexler. She will share ways to make writing less overwhelming by starting at the sentence level and how to include writing activities in the content of the core curriculum. This is an approach that shouldn’t be limited to English classes. It can have powerful effects in any subject—and at any grade level.
Add your email here to sign up for EDVIEW360 blogs, webinars, and podcasts. We'll send you an email when new posts and episodes are published.
Pamela Austin is Director of Instructional Technology for Voyager Sopris Learning with more than 12 years’ experience training and supporting districts implementing Voyager Sopris Learning literacy and numeracy solutions including LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), a professional development course of study. She has more than 30 years’ experience as an educator, previously working as a literacy specialist at the Center for Development and Learning, a nonprofit educational consulting firm based in the greater New Orleans area. As an educator in the New Orleans Public School system, Austin worked as an elementary teacher, reading interventionist, and a school site reading coach, leading to a central office position as a field literacy facilitator supporting 10 to 12 schools in the district.
Greg Hullett is an Account Executive for Voyager Sopris Learning with more than seven years' experience in sales and supporting educators with curriculum and instructional technology. He has partnered with many districts and schools across the U.S. to provide solutions to educators’ needs for student achievement. Greg is an actor and musician in the local Dallas-Ft. Worth theater community. A few of his favorite shows include Chicago, 9 to 5, Cabaret, and Mamma Mia.