Jake Downs, host of the Talking Literacy podcast, welcomes guest Dr. Freddy Hebert, a renowned literacy researcher and CEO/Founder of TextProject. The conversation covers topics such as the importance of automaticity, the core vocabulary, reading volume, and shifts in text complexity over the decades. They also dive into how teachers can better support students’ reading proficiency, particularly in early grades, and discuss actionable strategies for educators. The episode concludes with reflections on the current state and future of reading research and instruction.
TextProject resources mentioned in the podcast:
Link to figures mentioned by Dr. Hiebert: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m36jgp8Dt055UrdEa73IQAFES7PPemc_/view
Figure 1 shows the reading accuracy by percentile in grades 1-8. Figure 2 shows the ratio of rare words from core reading programs 1957-2014.
Episode Overview
01:51 Welcome to the Teaching Literacy Podcast
02:28 Introduction to Reading Automaticity
03:36 Defining and Understanding Reading Automaticity
08:10 Core Vocabulary and Its Importance
11:28 Challenges with Rare Words and Proper Names
19:29 Implications for Teaching and Curriculum Design
31:00 Introduction to TextProject.org
31:21 The Importance of Reading Volume
32:19 Engaging Students with Texts
33:15 Statistical Learning and Vocabulary
39:56 Challenges in Reading Programs
46:15 Third Grade Reading Emphasis
48:58 Complexities of English Orthography
54:26 Optimism in Reading Research
56:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts