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)

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