Enhancing Reading Comprehension and Self-Regulation in Young Learners

In this episode, we discuss two big areas in early education — dialogic reading techniques that deepen comprehension and strategies for building self-regulation skills, especially in post-pandemic classrooms. Both topics have a direct impact on how kids engage, bounce back, and learn.Main Topics:The science and application of dialogic reading to improve student comprehensionPractical prompts and question strategies to actively involve students during read-aloudsBuilding self-regulation skills as a cornerstone of classroom management and learning successHow the pandemic affected student self-regulation and emotional regulationSchool-wide approaches and teacher strategies to support executive function developmentUsing visual supports and modeling to build emotional awareness and regulationWhy social-emotional learning matters for academic and life outcomesTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction to dialogic reading and its research foundation02:22 - The peer and crowd prompts — what they are and how to use them03:30 - Why open-ended questions matter during read-alouds04:39 - Using annotations and margin notes to build comprehension and engagement05:37 - Moving beyond simple recall questions to richer language and connection prompts06:39 - How turn-and-talk supports active learning and language development07:43 - Connecting story content to students' personal experiences for deeper understanding08:12 - Story retelling and oral language practice09:16 - Recent research on the value of oral language and discussion in literacy09:40 - Why read-alouds are disappearing from classrooms — and why that needs to change10:00 - Resources and tools for dialogic reading prompts11:19 - How to balance questions across first reads and rereads12:42 - Looking at illustrations and understanding the illustrator's process13:14 - The link between self-regulation, emotional health, and academic achievement13:37 - Coming up: digital tools and their impact on self-regulationResources & Links: Dialogic Reading's Potential to Improve Children's Emergent Literacy Skills and BehaviorAdditional Research:Pillinger & Vardy (2022)A Systematic Review of the Dialogic Reading LiteratureThis is one of the strongest recent reviews because it analyzed many dialogic reading studies together and confirmed positive effects on language and literacy outcomes. The story so far: A systematic review of the dialogic reading literatureLepola et al. (2023)Opportunities to Talk Matter in Shared ReadingThis study highlighted the importance of children’s active verbal participation during read-alouds. Opportunities to Talk Matter in Shared Reading: The Mediating Roles of Children’s Engagement and Verbal Participation in Narrative Listening ComprehensionDong et al. (2024)Effects of Dialogic Reading Elements on Children’sLanguage DevelopmentThis research examined which dialogic reading practices were most effective and found strong benefits for listening comprehension and vocabulary growth. Effects of dialogic reading elements on children's language development WHERE YOU CAN FIND US:Hilary Statum:⁠⁠⁠https://pencilstopigtails.com/⁠⁠⁠Deedee Wills: ⁠⁠⁠https://mrswillskindergarten.com/