Cognitive science-informed teaching, with Natalie Wexler
In this episode, Susan Lambert rejoins podcast alum Natalie Wexler to discuss Natalie鈥檚 new book Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning. Listeners will gain insights into why this topic is important, what this book offers educators, why Natalie was so drawn to writing this book, and what cognitive science-informed teaching looks like in general. Natalie addresses how cognitive load theory works in practice with literacy, misconceptions about focusing only on phonics, and scaling science-informed instruction. Natalie also answers a question from the listener mailbag about encouraging colleagues to adopt an evidence-based approach.
Meet our guest(s):
Natalie Wexler
Natalie Wexler is the author of Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning, coming from ASCD on Jan. 21, 2025. She is also the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America鈥檚 Broken Education System鈥攁nd How to Fix It and the co-author, with Judith C. Hochman, Ed.D., of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades. She has a free Substack newsletter called Minding the Gap, and she was the host of the Reading Comprehension Revisited podcast, Season One. More information is available on her website, .
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.
