The future of learning to read

Jason Yeatman is an expert in the neurobiology of literacy whose lab is fostering a virtuous research cycle between academia and school communities, aligning scientific inquiry with real-world needs of students, parents, and educators. His lab has developed ROAR – the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading—a gamified, web-based dyslexia screening tool. ROAR provides fast, precise, and scalable assessments, helping educators identify and get support to struggling students. We’re aligning cutting-edge reading science with the challenges teachers face every day, Yeatman tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.Listen to the end to hear a question from one of our listeners for Professor Renee Zhao, as well as Professor Zhao's response. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to [email protected] Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Jason YeatmanRapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR)Jason and his team just launched ROAR@Home BETA, a parent research portal. Any parent who listens can sign up for ROAR here - https://roar.stanford.edu/signup/Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces Jason Yeatman, a professor of pediatrics education and psychology at Stanford University.(00:03:12) Why Reading?Why Jason dedicated his career to studying reading acquisition.(00:04:12) Are We Built to Read?How reading is a relatively new invention using older brain systems.(00:06:41) Reading as a ContinuumWhether reading ability is distributed like other genetic human traits.(00:07:53) Defining DyslexiaReframing dyslexia as a label for support, not a binary diagnosis.(00:10:19) Phonological AwarenessUnderstanding how speech sound recognition underpins reading.(00:13:37) Nature vs. NurtureThe influence of both genetics and environment in reading ability.(00:16:40) The Origin of ROARAn online reading assessment tool created during the pandemic.(00:19:06) ROAR’s EffectivenessThe accuracy in which ROAR can assess reading capability.(00:22:45) Reading Interventions That WorkExpanding support with evidence-based interventions for all ages.(00:25:25) Personalized DiagnosesTailoring interventions based on detailed individual skill diagnostics.(00:26:36) Scaling ROARScaling ROAR via an academic research-practice partnership model.(00:29:34) Infrastructure Behind ROARThe team and technology required to scale ROAR in schools.(00:31:54) Future of Reading AssessmentExpanding ROAR to include other dimensions of reading development.(00:33:44) Reading Across LanguagesWhy English poses more reading difficulties than many languages.(00:35:34) Listener Q&ANew segment answering audience questions from past episodes.(00:37:46) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.