In this episode of Knowledge for Teachers, host Brendan Lee speaks with Natalie Wexler, education writer and author of The Knowledge Gap, The Writing Revolution, and Beyond the Science of Reading. Together they explore what truly drives reading comprehension and why knowledge rich instruction is essential for every learner. Natalie unpacks the surprising limits of treating comprehension as a set of isolated skills, explains how background knowledge shapes understanding in powerful ways, and shows why writing can be one of the most effective tools for securing learning. Listeners will also hear how cognitive load theory connects to literacy and what strong knowledge building lessons look like in real classrooms. A practical and thought provoking conversation for teachers and leaders who want to strengthen literacy through the lens of research.

Resources mentioned:

• The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler
• The Writing Revolution by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler
• Beyond the Science of Reading by Natalie Wexler
• Why Don’t Students Like School by Daniel Willingham

You can connect with Natalie:

Twitter/X: @natwexler

Linkedin

Website: nataliewexler.com

Substack: http://nataliewexler.substack.com

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter/X: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Linkedin: @brendan-lee-kft

Website: learnwithlee.net

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

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