Today, we're tackling the bedrock of all learning: Literacy. This episode, featuring international education expert Dr. Monica Medina, previews the course, Leading for Literacy, designed for principals, coaches, and coordinators. Dr. Medina, a National Distinguished Principal Award recipient with 25+ years of experience, shares how school leaders can build a cohesive, research-based literacy culture school-wide. We explore key findings from mind-brain research like Cognitive Load Theory, discuss the essential role of disciplinary literacy across all subjects (even P.E.), and examine the critical need for students to cultivate critical literacy skills in the age of AI and misinformation.

💬 Quotes from the Episode:

• "The thing that jumps to my mind... isn't just related to reading science, but it's related to learning science. And it's all the work around cognitive load." 🧠

• "Every teacher in a school is a literacy teacher. We all have different roles, we all have different jobs to do." 🍎

• "We know that initial research is telling us that our very youngest readers learn to read better and more quickly if they are using a print text." 📖

• "People are not educated about the different mediums that they use to get their information, and all information is equal to some people's. We know it isn't." 📉

📌 Key Insights:

• Harness Cognitive Load Theory: Effective literacy instruction must be broken down into bite-sized pieces of information with clear checkpoints, moving concepts from students' short-term working memory to long-term active memory.

• Literacy is School-Wide: Every subject—including math, science, and physical education—is responsible for teaching disciplinary literacy, which includes subject-specific vocabulary, practices, and ways of thinking (e.g., "think like a mathematician").

• Prioritize Critical Literacy: In the age of TikTok and AI, educators must explicitly teach students to be critical and analytical when evaluating information from all mediums (text, video, etc.), as not all sources are equally reliable.

• Print Power for Young Readers: Current research suggests that the youngest readers learn better with print texts, prompting questions about the tactile and visual elements of reading that screens may not replicate.

🛑 Conclusion:

This episode offers school leaders the framework to build a robust, coherent literacy culture based on the best available research, ensuring every teacher understands their role in student literacy development. If you are ready to gain the tools to champion reading, writing, and word study across all grade levels, be sure to explore Dr. Medina's course, Leading for Literacy! Find all the details and sign up at isss.edu/events. Keep exploring, keep learning, and go make a positive impact! 🚀✨