 |
Reading Teachers LoungeAuthor: Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi
This is the Reading Teachers Lounge where listeners can eavesdrop on professional conversations between elementary reading teachers. We are passionate about literacy and strive to find strategies to reach all learners. Shannon and Mary are neighbors who realized that they were literacy soul sisters at a dinner in their Atlanta neighborhood. Once they started chatting about reading they havent really stopped. Come join the conversation. Language: en-us Genres: Education, Education for Kids, Kids & Family Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
8.9 Teacher Preparation
Episode 9
Saturday, 7 March, 2026
Shannon and Mary welcome Dr. Ellen Ballock and Julia D'Onofrio from Gordon College to talk about teacher preparation programs. Discover how they design and implement teacher prep programs focused on literacy instruction, the science of reading, and practical teaching methods. Our guests shed light on the importance of comprehensive training, common misconceptions in literacy education, and the roles of explicit instruction and evidence-based practices. They also delve into how their curriculum bridges gaps in teacher knowledge, ensuring future educators are well-equipped to foster student success. This episode will likely remind you of your own teacher training and inspire you, making you feel hopeful about the future of our field and for new teacher candidates.01:16 Meet Today’s Guests05:10 Teacher Prep Shifts Nationwide10:54 Data Language and Decision Making14:36 Unlearning Balanced Literacy18:06 Teaching Phonemic Awareness to Adults22:06 Modeling Explicit Instruction25:39 Morphology and Word Study29:49 Curriculum Partnerships and Fidelity32:01 Adapting Curriculum with Scaffolds35:50 Redesigning for Comprehension38:13 Gateway Checks for Think Alouds40:39 Coaching Struggling Candidates43:53 Writing Methods and Sentence Work48:22 Sentence Composing Mentor Models52:11 Practicum Pathway and Feedback01:03:04 Doctoral Program for Change Agents01:07:19 Closing Thanks and TakeawaysRECOMMENDED RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE EPISODE:Gordon CollegeSentence Composing (Don Killgallon)Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence Composing Approach by Don and Jenny Killgallon *Amazon affiliate linkNCTQEarly literacy observation tool (Massachusetts)Moat's Survey of Teacher KnowledgeHow Spelling Supports Reading article by Louisa MoatsGordon College's Science of Learning Doctoral ProgramSupport the showGet Literacy Support through our PatreonBonus Episodes access through your podcast appBonus episodes access through PatreonBuy us a coffeeGet a FREE Green Chef box using our link
