Unlocking reading: Comprehension strategies vs. knowledge building, with Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.
In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert welcomes back researcher and author Daniel Willingham, Ph.D., to discuss reading comprehension. With only so much instruction time in the day and research supporting both comprehension strategies and knowledge building, it can be tough to know what to prioritize in the classroom. Daniel holds nothing back in outlining exactly where educators should focus their time. Together, he and Susan explore the limitations of comprehension strategies, the place for critical thinking skills in relationship to knowledge, and recognizing when messaging around knowledge has gone too far.Show notes:Access free, high-quality resources at our brand new companion professional learning page: http://amplify.com/science-of-reading/professional-learning Resources:Read: Developing Curriculum for Deep Thinking: The Knowledge Revival, multiple authorsRead: Raising Kids Who Read, Daniel WillinghamRead: The Reading Mind, Daniel WillinghamListen: The basic science in reading instruction, with Daniel WillinghamListen: Background knowledge, with Susan Neuman Listen: Research, comprehension, and content-rich literacy instruction: Sonia CabellJoin our community Facebook groupConnect with Susan LambertQuotes:“Your brain is really good at only bringing out the information from long-term memory that is relevant for the context. All of that's happening outside of awareness.” —Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.“When reading is really humming, when it's really working well, it's like visual perception. You're just enjoying the view and you're oblivious to all of the cognitive machinery in the background that's letting you see.” —Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.“Expecting that knowledge-rich curriculum is going to solve all problems… that's [not] what a reading program is. No, a reading program is multifaceted and needs to have lots of components.” —Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.“Knowledge accrues slowly and it's going to take a while. You need to be patient.” —Daniel Willingham, Ph.D.Episode timestamps*2:00 Introduction: Who is Daniel Willingham?05:00 Knowledge and reading comprehension08:00 What it takes to be comfortable reading10:00 Academic or disciplinary knowledge11:00 Comprehension strategies20:00 Applications of knowledge that can be difficult to appreciate25:00 Inferences can be automatic26:00 Taking the “knowledge is important” message too far31:00 Critical thinking and knowledge building32:00 How to decide what knowledge is important to teach36:00 Book: Developing Curriculum for Deep Thinking39:00 Final thoughts and advice*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute