How to Teach Readers

This podcast episode is an audio recording from a recent conversation with Peter Afflerbach, author of Teaching Readers (Not Reading): Moving Beyond Skills and Strategies to Reader-Focused Instruction (Guilford, 2022). Several community members were able to join us and ask questions of Peter. We discussed a variety of topics related to his book, including: * Peter’s influences as a reader, teacher, and researcher * Paying attention to and appreciating the different factors for teaching readers * Beginning with the affective and conative resources when teaching readers * The importance of administrative support for teachers to have time to collaborate * What writers such as Emily Hanford and Natalie Wexler get wrong in their reporting A closing post to this study will be shared soon; subscribe today to receive it and future posts. Time stamps for prepared questions * 0:30 - Peter’s bio * 2:15 - Q1: “Which individuals influenced you as a researcher and as a teacher?” * 7:00 - Q2: “From your book, what do you regard as the most important professional contribution of yours or colleagues to the field of literacy instruction?” * 10:00 - Q3: “Have you always prioritized teaching readers over teaching reading? Or has this been a change for you over the years - an evolution?” * 12:00 - Q4: “Any factors that a teacher might consider focusing on first when shifting toward teaching readers?” * 16:20 - Q5: “What are some important trends occurring in education that we should be paying attention to?” * 18:00 - Open Q & A with attendees begins. Key quotes “The best classrooms are the ones where we pay attention to individual differences.” “Literacy is important but it is not the end point; it’s the tool that kids use.” “Science revolves around demonstrable findings and replicating them.” Recommended people and resources * Paul Thomas (@plthomasEdD) * Maren Aukerman, Literacy Research Association (https://literacyresearchassociation.org) * Peter’s Recommendations for Revision of The Reading Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit readbyexample.substack.com/subscribe