In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Kristen McMaster, Ph.D., Guy Bond Chair in Reading and professor of special education in the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Minnesota. Together, they explore how reading comprehension isn't just about what's on the page—it's also about what's not there—and share practical insights on how to support students in developing inference skills. Susan and Kristen also discuss the dual processes of activation and integration when making inferences; the distinction between teaching students to process text actively versus teaching students to apply comprehension strategies; and different types of inferences, including causal, bridging, and elaborative.

Show notes:

• Submit your questions to our listener mailbag
• Access free, high-quality resources—including our recent Science of Reading: The Podcast Essentials "Comprehension" episode—at our companion professional learning page
• Download our Comprehension 101 bundle: Access free comprehension resources, including e-books, and on-demand professional learning
• Connect with Kristen McMaster
• Learn more about Kristen McMaster
• Listen to Season 2 of Amplify's Beyond My Years podcast
• Join our community Facebook group
• Connect with Susan Lambert

Quotes:

"Inferencing is really central to comprehension. We wouldn't comprehend if we didn't make inferences." —Kristen McMaster

"I would encourage teachers not to underestimate the importance of supporting even the inferences that might seem obvious to us." —Kristen McMaster

"Good comprehenders are often making very automatic inferences that they don't even realize." —Kristen McMaster

"It helps to explicitly teach what an inference is in language that students will understand." —Kristen McMaster

Timestamps*:
00:00 Introduction: Filling in the gaps with inferences, with Kristen McMaster, Ph.D.
05:00 Comprehension is how we make sense of the world around us
09:00 The types of inferences: Causal, bridging, elaborative, and theory of mind
17:00 How teachers can help students develop inference skills
22:00 Creating an effective questioning strategy
27:00 How teachers can preview a text and think about the inferences that might need to be made
31:00 Supporting students who process texts in different ways
37:00 The timing of comprehension questions
40:00 The connection between oral language comprehension and text comprehension
45:00 Final thought: Teacher's shouldn't underestimate the importance of inferences that might seem obvious.
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., distinguished professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins Susan Lambert to distinguish between reading comprehension, learning from a text, and the process of learning to read. He compares learning to read with athletic training, explaining that just as athletes need to vary their workout intensities to maximize their strength, students need to vary their text difficulty to maximize their comprehension, reading skills, and overall learning. Together, Timothy and Susan also discuss why reading comprehension is an ethical act and the power of simply rereading to increase comprehension.

Show notes:

• Submit your questions on comprehension!
• Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new companion professional learning page
• Connect with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
• Learn more about Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
• Read the blog post "Don't Confuse Reading Comprehension and Learning to Read (and to Reread)"
• Listen to Leveled reading, leveled lives, with Tim Shanahan, Ph.D.
• Listen to Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D. on Beyond My Years
• Listen to Season 2 of Amplify’s Beyond My Years podcast
• Join our community Facebook group.
• Connect with Susan Lambert

Quotes:

"We're trying to teach kids to read, and a text that is immediately comprehensible leaves you very little to learn." —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"Reading comprehension is not just a psychological or cognitive action—it's an ethical action." —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"Comprehension is not automatic. It isn't just, 'Oh, if you decode, you're going to comprehend.'" —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

"A good reader has to start out with a determination. 'My job here is to understand it, not just to read it.'" —Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

Timestamps*:
00:00 Introduction: Learning to read vs. reading to learn with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.
06:00 Reading comprehension is not just a psychological or cognitive action, it's an ethical action.
09:00 Authors know their readers and so they put in affordances aimed at the reader.
15:00 Timothy's motivation for writing his blog post, "Don't Confuse Reading Comprehension and Learning to Read."
17:00 A text that is immediately comprehensible, leaves you very little to learn.
19:00 You can increase the learning for most people if you increase the difficulty.
24:00 An argument for students to read more rigorous texts.
28:00 A good reader has to start out with determination.
35:00 The different between learning and understanding is an issue of remembering.
39:00 Teachers need to teach kids to be strategic.
42:00 Timothy Shanahan's new wrinkle in thinking about comprehension, understanding, and learning.
44:00 In conclusion: Kids should be reading texts with varying levels of difficulty.
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

We're excited to share a special episode from our friends at our sister podcast, Beyond My Years.

Host Ana Torres is joined by nationally recognized educational consultant and thought leader, Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., to discuss what critical thinking is and how to help students develop it. He also explains why critical thinking is crucial for long-term academic success. Mitchell also gives gives educators four clear steps that they can implement to effectively nurture critical thinking skills in their classrooms. Ana is then joined by Beyond My Years Classroom Insider extraordinaire Eric Cross, who discusses how he encourages his students to hone their critical thinking skills in class.

Show notes:

• Binge all of Beyond My Years podcast Season 2 now: https://amplify.com/bmy
• Submit your questions on comprehension
• Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new companion professional learning page
• Visit Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D,’s website
• Connect with Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D., on LinkedIn
• Connect with Ana Torres
• Connect with Eric Cross
• Join our community Facebook group.
• Connect with Susan Lambert

Quotes:

"When you are a school administrator, you can't be confused as to what your identity is. People expect you to step in with voice, with passion, with vision, and direct the path." —Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.

"That's how you know you're in a classroom with critical thinking: We're not rushing the conversation. We're enjoying it." —Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.

"There's an art and science to teaching, and I think that they're two different things." —Eric Cross

"The importance of modeling can’t be overstated." — Ana Torres

Timestamps*:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Ana Torres & Eric Cross preview Ana's conversation about critical thinking
04:00 Introducing Mitchell Brookins, Ph.D.
10:00 Why should critical thinking be top of mind for educators?
15:00 Where should teachers begin when trying to help students develop critical thinking skills?
20:00 Questioning that reveals classrooms in which teachers honor students' thinking
24:00 You can't get to a higher level if you don't have the knowledge.
28:00 For a lot of us, this work is more than just a profession it's a calling
30:00 Classroom Insider conversation with Eric Cross
37:00 Recap of Classroom Insider takeaways
39:00 Closing thoughts from Susan Lambert
*Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute