Ep.160

Does Teacher Talk Really Matter? What the Evidence Shows with Dr. Yan Jiang

In 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.

Value

In 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 instruction

This conversation helps unpack how research in this area is conducted and why interpreting findings about classroom language requires nuance.

Promise

In 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.

.

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Value

In 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.

Promise

We 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 ONE

THE ONLY

Dr. 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_ios

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Ep.158

Value:

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=8aEkWaHbevQ1EieT

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Ep.157

Value

A 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.

Promise

You’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.

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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 paper

Wyse, 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/1346

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Ep. 155

We had a surprise guest: Mark Seidenberg!🙌🏻

💜 Value & Promise

In 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 inquiry

Our 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 Seidenberg

This 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 BS

Read it. Skimmed it. Fired up by it. Confused by it.
You belong in this conversation.

Send us a text

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Ep. 154

Value

Cuts 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.

Promise

Listeners 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-inclusive

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Value

Sloppy literacy language is everywhere and it is costing teachers clarity, confidence, and credibility. When words lose their meaning, instruction suffers.

Promise

This 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/f4nJjmn5c2ld4Q8mK

Podcast Version-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-curriculum/id1691952694?i=1000744596597

.

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