Science of Reading: Decoding - What Every EdLeader Should Know

The Science of Reading is undergirded by theories of how students learn to read and comprehend text. The theory most often cited is Scarborough's Reading Rope as conceived by Dr. Hollis S. Scarborough. Dr. Scarborough believed that the elements of Word Recognition and the elements of Language Comprehension all weave together into the rope of Reading Comprehension. Just like a true rope, the more strands present and the stronger each strand is, the stronger the rope is. It is surmised that if a student is weaker in one strand, the strength of the other strands can still help the student comprehend what she is reading.

In this new podcast series on the Science of Reading - What Every EdLeader Should Know, Dr. Rob Jackson, host of the EdLeader podcast, has one goal, to peel apart the individual strands of reading comprehension and build our shared understanding of what EdLeaders need to know about learning to read.

So metaphorically, we grab Scarborough’s reading rope and separate the strands of Word Recognition and Language Comprehension. Within the Word Recognition strands, we find the strand that most people think of first when considering the act of learning to read, the strand of decoding.

Our good friends at Reading Rockets define decoding this way: “Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven't seen before.”

Join Dr. Jackson as he attempts to peel apart the individual strands of reading comprehension and build our shared understanding of what EdLeaders need to know about learning to read.

Show notes are available at: www.drrobjackson.com
@Dr_Rob_Jackson
@EdLeaderPod