Doug Lemov on Fluency's Impact on Comprehension | Literacy and the Science of Learning

Jul 8, 2025

David Paige, a Professor of literacy education at Northern Illinois University, dives into the intricacies of reading fluency and comprehension. He discusses how automatic word recognition and sustained attention are crucial for deep understanding. The conversation tackles the challenges of digital distractions and advocates for traditional literacy practices. Paige emphasizes the importance of reading hard-copy books to enhance fluency, suggesting that reintroducing focused reading time can drastically improve students' engagement and memory retention.

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INSIGHT

Reading's Recent Brain Evolution

Reading is a very recent skill evolutionarily and brains haven't evolved specifically for it.
Our brains repurpose other areas through neuroplasticity to support reading, shaping how we read and learn.

ANECDOTE

Teen's Distracted Reading Example

A teenager attempts to read on a couch but is repeatedly interrupted by text messages.
This fractured attention shapes how he connects with the reading material and rewires his brain.

INSIGHT

Tech Rewires Attention Span

Technology and screen addiction have reshaped students' attention spans.
This has led to fractured attention and challenges focusing on sustained reading tasks.

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When we read fluently, we recognize words without effort. We also maintain an engaged pace (automaticity) and perceive expression (prosody), all of which support attention and leave working memory free to make meaning from a text. This is a complex achievement, and many students have fractured attention spans. What can educators do to account for interruptions and focus on building fluency, which is key to developing comprehension?

Host Doug Lemov looks at the science of how we read and the foundational aspects of literacy that teachers can purposefully support in the classroom. Today’s students are surrounded by digital distractions and struggle to focus with stamina, and many schools have responded by teaching shorter texts. But the change in student attention shows that it is malleable.

“What if, rather than reducing the attentional demands of what we read, we tried to build up students’ capacity to focus by carefully attending to the details of how they read?”

Doug details how educators can curate an environment where students regularly read attentively, thoughtfully, and deeply for sustained periods of time. They can reintroduce reading time in the classroom, have students read hard-copy books together, and build in social exchanges so students are motivated to interact with one another in thoughtful and sustained ways.

Researcher and literacy expert David Paige joins the conversation to explain the importance of sustained attention and fluency as it relates to working memory. In particular, oral reading can be a critical teaching tool, and read-alouds are powerful for students of all ages. When students read with prosody, they don’t just understand the meaning of the words in a passage; words begin to sound like spoken language, and students gain a more engaged internal reading “voice.”

“We can change students’ reading habits from the outside in.”

This podcast is produced by the Knowledge Matters Campaign and StandardsWork. Follow the Knowledge Matters Campaign on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Search #knowledgematters to join the conversation.

Production by Tressa Versteeg. Original music and sound engineering by Aidan Shea.