Beyond Words Ep. 9 | The Power of Gesture in Language Development with Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow

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Join host Garrett Oyama as he sits down with Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow, one of the world’s foremost experts on gesture and language development. Together, they explore how our hands reflect what we know, how gesture supports learning and communication, and why paying closer attention to movement can reshape how we teach, think, and connect.

🧠 Learn more about Dr. Goldin-Meadow’s work:

Thinking With Your Hands Book

contact: sgm@uchicago.edu

Beyond Words Ep. 8 | Memory, Language, and Meaning with Dr. Charan Ranganath

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In this episode, neuroscientist Dr. Charan Ranganath (author of Why We Remember) joins Garrett Oyama to explore how schemas, event boundaries, and the structure of language shape what we remember — and why. We discuss how memory works not just in the brain, but in real life: through storytelling, attention, emotion, and meaning. SLPs, therapists, and educators will also gain practical tools for supporting memory using language — from narrative scaffolds to emotional salience and linguistic cues that enhance recall.

Topics include:

• How the brain chunks experience into events
• Why schemas help (and sometimes distort) memory
• The blurred line between cognition and memory
• How to use language to support clients with memory difficulties
• Memory as prediction, not just storage

Learn more about Dr. Ranganath’s work:

https://www.charanranganath.com/

https://dml.ucdavis.edu/

https://www.charanranganath.com/book

Please like, subscribe, and share it with anyone curious about language, memory, and the brain. Your support helps keep the podcast going and growing.

Beyond Words Ep. 7 | The Neuroscience of Language: Brain Networks and Individual Difference with Dr. Ev Fedorenko

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Dr. Ev Fedorenko (MIT) joins host Garrett Oyama to explore how the brain processes language — and why the language network is far more distinct and specialized than previously thought. From the surprising isolation of this network to what this means for aphasia, speech therapy, and AI, this episode dives into some of the most exciting neuroscience of language today.

We discuss:

• Why traditional brain maps may be misleading
• How individual brain variability affects language recovery
• Why the language system doesn’t overlap with math, music, or logic
• What this means for clinicians and educators

🔗 Relevant Links

🧠 Ev Fedorenko’s lab: https://evlab.mit.edu