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Season 9, Episode 5

What makes a literate brain, with Lori Josephson

On this episode of the podcast, Lori Josephson joins Susan to talk about her new book Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen. Lori discusses her journey into literacy and how she saw the need for an accessible, digestible book about the brain science behind learning to read — one that would be enjoyable for adults and students alike. Lori explains what a neuron is and shows how understanding neural networks is essential to understanding learning to read. She also delves into the importance of getting everyone in a student’s life involved in their literacy development. Lori and Susan also answer some listener-submitted questions, prompting discussions on how to help older elementary students who lack foundational skills and advice for educators who work with students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Meet our guest(s):

Lori C. Josephson

Lori Josephson is an expert in dyslexia who is a Fellow of the Orton Gillingham Academy and holds a master’s degree in special education–learning disabilities. She has had the privilege of teaching hundreds of struggling students how to make sense of print and text. She has also had the honor of working with thousands of teachers, training them how to teach and reach their students using methods based upon the complex brain processes involved in attaining literacy—the body of knowledge now referred to as the Science of Reading.

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Meet our host, Susan Lambert

Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.

As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Lambert is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.

Transcripts and additional resources

Quotes

“I firmly believe that no matter how old you are, you still need to learn the same information.” —Lori Josephson
“In my mind, I use this equation. Knowledge equals motivation, equals active learning, equals resilience, equals success.” —Lori Josephson
“Creating a literate brain is a team sport. Everyone needs to be involved. The parents, caregivers, teachers—they need to be engaged in an interactive way.” —Lori Josephson
“Literacy is a civil right. It's also a gift. It's an opportunity to share thoughts, feelings with others that can be revisited and saved.” —Lori Josephson