What's broken in our education system? Natalie joins Susan for a provocative talk about her latest book, The Knowledge Gap, and how a knowledge-based curriculum can bring equity into the classroom, and students' futures.Quotes“Kids actually love to learn stuff. They love to feel like they’re experts. It does wonders for their self-esteem.” - Wexler“Once teachers try it and can see what can happen…they’re going to say ‘I’m never going back to what I was doing before.” - WexlerResourcesNatalie Wexler’s books:The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America's broken education system--and how to fix itThe Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and GradeNatalie Wexler’s articles:“Elementary Education Has Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case for Teaching Kids Stuff” (The Atlantic, August 2019)“Why American Students Haven't Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years” (The Atlantic, April 2018)Additional resources:Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham’s education blogWant to discuss the episode? Join our Facebook group Science of Reading: The Community.Episode Content Timestamps*2:00: Introduction: Why is Natalie Wexler?4:00: The meaning of "content"6:00: How did the problem of not teaching content evolve? Why do we need to teach content?10:00: Observations from a knowledge-based classroom13:00: Education reform and the current attention on knowledge building17:00: Classroom teachers: Addressing misconceptions and confusion, and insight26:00: The knowledge gap issue beyond just the individual teacher34:00: The connection between content and writing36:00: Top things for listeners to take away from this episode*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

FROM FEBRUARY 24, 2023In today’s episode, we discuss the structure and content of the literacy block. How can we teach using structured literacy in small groups? Kinder teacher Casey Jergens and author Natalie Wexler join us to connect theory and practice. Casey previously taught using a guided (leveled) reading approach with lots of small group time. In recent years, he’s switched to focus on Tier 1 instruction aligned to structured literacy, which supports access for all students. ResourcesElementary Classrooms Are Too Noisy For Kids To Learn by Natalie Wexler Casey’s Twitter HandleNatalie Wexler’s Twitter Handle  We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.Grab free resources and episode alerts! Sign up for our email list at literacypodcast.com.Join our community on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, co-authors of 'The Writing Revolution,' share insights into their innovative approach to writing education. They emphasize the importance of starting instruction at the sentence level and integrating writing across all subjects. The conversation covers effective strategies like using sentence starters, the role of planning and revising, and how grammar should be taught contextually. Hochman and Wexler reveal how these techniques can significantly enhance comprehension and retention, transforming students into confident writers.