The Truth About Small Group Reading Instruction and Why Nell Duke Says It Should Be Used Wisely

Ep.162VALUE 🔥What if we have been thinking about small group instruction all wrong?In this episode, Nell Duke brings the real talk on what actually matters in literacy instruction right now. We dig into the role of knowledge building, why science and social studies cannot keep getting pushed aside, and what it really means to use small group reading instruction wisely.This is not surface-level PD. This is the kind of conversation that makes you rethink your schedule, your blocks, and what students truly need to become strong readers.PROMISE 🎯You will walk away knowing exactly why your literacy block may need a serious shift and how to start thinking differently about small groups, comprehension, and knowledge building.If you have ever wonderedAre we overdoing small groups?Are we sacrificing knowledge for skills?What should literacy actually look like during the day?This episode delivers answers you can actually use tomorrow.Article: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-yes-small-group-reading-instruction-works-but-use-it-wisely/2025/12New Resource: https://greatfirsteight.org/Guest Bio:Nell K. Duke is the executive director of the Center for Early Literacy and LearningSuccess at Stand for Children, a professor of education and psychology at the University of Michigan, and the co-director of Great First Eight, a full-day early-childhood curriculum.Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep.161🔥 ValueIf you are questioning whether screens are helping or hurting your students or your own kids, this episode gives you clarity. We break down what screens may be doing to attention, language, and learning, and what actually matters in real classrooms and homes. You will walk away with concrete things to think about, discuss, and watch for.🔥 PromiseThis episode will challenge you to think more carefully about screen use and consider how it may be affecting kids in ways we cannot afford to ignore.Article discussed:https://hechingerreport.org/ipads-in-kindergarten-youtube-videos-at-snack-time-parents-are-pushing-back-on-screen-time-in-the-early-grades/Additional Articles:https://www.educationnext.org/logged-in-tuned-out-fifteen-years-billions-of-dollars-later-what-has-learning-tech-accomplished/Send a text Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep.160Does Teacher Talk Really Matter? What the Evidence Shows with Dr. Yan JiangIn this episode of The Literacy View, we sit down with Dr. Yan Jiang, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood and coauthor of a major meta analysis published in Review of Educational Research.Her study analyzes more than one hundred studies examining the relationship between teachers’ language practices and children’s language development from preschool through third grade.There is growing conversation in education about the role of classroom talk, oral language, and teacher interactions in shaping language development. But what does the research actually show?We take a close look at how researchers approached this question, how teacher language practices are studied across classrooms, and what patterns begin to emerge when the evidence from many studies is examined together.ValueIn this episode we explore• What researchers mean when they talk about teacher language practices• How studies attempt to capture and measure classroom talk• Why the distinction between quantity of talk and quality of interactions matters in research• How large scale meta analyses combine findings across many different studies• What educators should think about when hearing claims about language rich classrooms and oral language instructionThis conversation helps unpack how research in this area is conducted and why interpreting findings about classroom language requires nuance.PromiseIn this episode we promise to take you inside a new meta analysis that examines more than one hundred studies on teacher language practices and children’s language development.Together we unpack how researchers study classroom talk, what they actually mean when they talk about teacher language practices, and why measuring something as complex as classroom interaction is not as straightforward as it might sound.You will walk away with a clearer understanding of how this research was conducted, what kinds of teacher language practices researchers are examining, and how educators should think about claims connecting teacher talk and student language growth..Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

ValueIn this episode with Reid Lyon, we go straight to the source of the modern reading research movement. You hear firsthand what the research actually revealed about how children learn to read, where implementation has gone wrong, and why misunderstanding the science continues to create confusion in classrooms. This is not secondhand interpretation. It is direct insight into the evidence, the history behind it, and the consequences of getting it wrong. You walk away with deeper clarity about literacy acquisition and stronger conviction about what matters most.PromiseWe will not water this down.We will not rewrite history.We will not soften the hard truths about research and implementation.We will examine the science.We will confront the misinterpretations.We will connect the evidence to real classroom practice.No spin.No agenda.Just research, accountability, and clarity you can stand on.Kicking off March Madness with the LION OF READING! 🦁The ONETHE ONLYDr. Reid Lyon 🎉🎉🎉🎉This episode is probably the most important one we recorded on The Literacy View! 🥳🥳🥳Please share far and wide!Reid’s LinkedIn Bio-https://www.linkedin.com/in/reid-lyon?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_iosSend us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep.158Value:In this Valentine’s Pop-Up LIVE, we share the quotes that made us think, pause, and remember why this work matters. You’ll hear powerful moments from episodes across the year, honest reflections from our community, and the conversations that define The Literacy View.Promise:You will leave re-energized and grounded in your purpose, reminded that this literacy work is bigger than trends and bigger than programs. No curriculum sponsors. Just unfiltered, unafraid, unbiased conversation. 💜YouTube Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/jO89YbbcT50?si=8aEkWaHbevQ1EieTSend us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep.157ValueA clear explanation of Linguistic Phonics and how this approach teaches reading through the direct connection between spoken sounds and written spellings. You’ll see how focusing on a small set of sounds and spellings at a time, and using them repeatedly in reading and spelling, helps learning stick.PromiseYou’ll leave knowing exactly how this approach works in practice and how to use it to teach more efficiently without lowering expectations. The goal is faster progress, stronger accuracy, and fewer students falling behind.Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

EP.156🌶️ Value:This episode breaks down the article everyone’s talking about and asks the hard question it raises: If synthetic phonics has been mandated for years, why haven’t outcomes for struggling readers changed? We talk directly with Dominic Wyse about the research, the data, and what gets lost when literacy policy becomes rigid instead of responsive.Promise:You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what the research actually says, where policy oversimplifies reading instruction, and why real classrooms demand more than one approach. No slogans. No extremes. Just an honest, uncomfortable conversation that respects teachers, centers kids, and refuses to pretend this debate is settled.Article discussed:https://phys.org/news/2025-12-england-synthetic-phonics-approach-children.html Wyse, D., Esposito, R., Ranken, E. & Sumner, E. (2025). Mapping the Field of Effective Teaching and Interventions for Children with Reading Difficulties: A Systematic Tertiary Review, Qualitative Meta Synthesis, and National Survey.Reading Research Quarterly.https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.70075 Wyse, D. & Hacking, C. (2024). Decoding, Reading and Writing: The Double Helix Theory of Teaching. Literacy. DOI: 10.1111/lit.12367 Winner of the Wiley Research in Literacy Education Award 2025. New paperWyse, D., Aarts, B., Anders, J., de Gennaro, A., Dockrell, J., Manyukhina, Y., Sing, S., & Torgerson, C. (2025). Teaching grammar and writing: A randomised controlled trial and implementation process evaluation of Englicious.Journal of Writing Research. https://www.jowr.org/jowr/article/view/1346Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep. 155We had a surprise guest: Mark Seidenberg!🙌🏻💜 Value & PromiseIn this episode, educators are invited into a research conversation that is still unfolding.You’ll hear Mark Seidenberg discuss his latest article while educators engage in real time with questions, reactions, and pushback.This episode offers• A window into how researchers think aloud as ideas are examined, questioned, and clarified• Space to sit with uncertainty rather than rushing to conclusions• Insight into the complexity surrounding structured literacy, overteaching, and instructional balance• A shared starting point for continued inquiryOur promise for this episode is transparency.We are actively working through what the research suggests and what it may mean for classrooms. Many listeners are asking for deeper research and greater clarity around implementation, and we hear you. We will be digging further into the evidence and continuing this conversation in future episodes.If you value thoughtful exploration, intellectual honesty, and research discussed in community, this episode delivers.No BS.Just real research, real questions, and a commitment to keep going. 💜🙌🏻Your thoughts?“Although the authorities in this field usually acknowledge the obvious point that nondyslexics do not need as much instruction as dyslexics, in practice the adoption of ‘structured literacy’ has led to overteaching.” - Mark SeidenbergThis is us (Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner Damski) and The Literacy View-Real Teachers Letting Loose community, in an open, uncensored chat digging into his latest article together.Article For Discussion: https://www.seidenbergreading.net/blog/oexqqvuvpmotni4qb9f30dvrfbwj05💬 Real-time reactions🧠 Pushback, questions, and clarifications🔥 Crowd-driven conversation🚫 No BSRead it. Skimmed it. Fired up by it. Confused by it.You belong in this conversation.Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

Ep. 154ValueCuts through the curriculum noise by explaining why so many debates miss what actually drives reading comprehension. Clarifies how curriculum, instruction, strategies, and prior knowledge interact so educators can think more clearly about what really supports understanding.PromiseListeners will leave with sharper language to explain what’s broken in common curriculum conversations, a clearer picture of why comprehension succeeds or fails, and a more grounded way to evaluate literacy programs without falling into false choices or slogans.Article:https://www.nomanis.com.au/hubfs/Nomanis%20Issue%2019/NOMANIS%2019_SEPT25_Ashman.pdf?_gl=1*nda3x6*_ga*YTZ3ck1rMlFjSHNNTEctcjIzc2tTVUhTbmNuZXBtc3AzN2lFbURHUENBTnNsZUJjdEFFTnJkT0JDRUl4dWx3MQ..*_ga_LL9B4H2PH7*MTc2ODgxOTI3OS4xLjEuMTc2ODgxOTI3OS4wLjAuMA..Guest Substack: https://fillingthepail.substack.com/p/explicit-teaching-is-inclusiveSend us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected] 

ValueSloppy literacy language is everywhere and it is costing teachers clarity, confidence, and credibility. When words lose their meaning, instruction suffers.PromiseThis Breaking News episode gets brutally clear. You will leave knowing exactly what Science of Reading, Structured Literacy, phonics, curriculum, and program actually mean so you can cut through the noise, shut down misinformation, and make decisions grounded in evidence rather than buzzwords.Article Discussed:https://share.google/f4nJjmn5c2ld4Q8mKPodcast Version-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-curriculum/id1691952694?i=1000744596597.Send us Fan Mail Support the showDonate to support the show so it stays real, research-aligned, and independent.💜https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=88DP4YMVETHFQ🚨 Partner with The Literacy View No BS All Impact🫵 Coaching, PD, Retreats & Events 💜We collaborate with universities,schools, districts, leaders, teachers, and parents. 👉 Get Personalized Coaching That WorksAdvertising, Sponsorships & Affiliates 📢 Put your brand front and center in a fast-growing literacy community. 👉 Start Your Partnership TodayConferences & Summits 🎤 Bring the No BS Literacy View to your event. High-energy keynotes, live podcast tapings, and research-driven presentations that inspire and last. 👉 Invite Us to Your EventStay Connected 🌐 Visit Our Website 🛒 Shop The Literacy View 💬 Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18hEBrvwWz/ 📧 [email protected]