Ep. 207: Dr. Gene Kerns - Literacy, Background Knowledge, and Executive Function

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If an American 10th grader is assigned to read the autobiography "Virat Kohli: Legend of a Great Player," about the world-famous Indian cricketer known as the best limited-overs batsman in history, they might read the pages, but would they truly grasp the meaning of Kohli’s remarkable accomplishments on the global sports platform? Americans who don’t play cricket, let alone know much about its rules, may struggle to comprehend due more to unfamiliarity with the context and meanings of terms such as "wicket," "innings," and "century" than an inability to read the words, sentences, paragraphs, or chapters. In short, knowledge matters when it comes to learning and deriving meaning through reading.

In this episode, Dr. Gene Kerns, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Renaissance Learning and co-author of the 2021 book "Literacy Reframed: How a Focus on Decoding, Vocabulary, and Background Knowledge Improves Reading Comprehension," returns to discuss the role of knowledge in building literacy competence and the urgency of making knowledge the cornerstone of learning. Once students have mastered the mechanics of reading, their literacy development depends on educators’ ability to enhance their background knowledge and expand their vocabulary. Executive function plays a crucial role in students’ ability to monitor comprehension and bridge knowledge gaps. Together, these skills enable students to become competent learners who understand how to persist and achieve their goals.

About Dr. Gene Kerns
Gene is a third-generation educator with teaching experience from elementary through the university level and K-12 administrative experience. He currently serves as Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Renaissance Learning.

With more than 20 years of experience in leading staff development and speaking at national and international conferences including South by Southwest (SxSW) EDU, London’s Westminster Education Forum, the ASU/Global Silicon Valley (SGV) Summit, the 42nd Annual Mexico TESOL Conference, and the Global Education Technology Forum of China. His former clients include administrators’ associations across the country and the Ministry of Education of Singapore.

Gene received his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Longwood College in Virginia, and also holds a Doctor of Education (Ed .D.) from the University of Delaware with an emphasis in Education Leadership.

His most recent work has been focused on assessment and literacy. His first book, inFormative Assessment: When It’s Not About a Grade is published by Corwin Press in both English and Arabic. His second book, Unlocking Student Talent, was released by Teachers College Press in December of 2017.  This newest book, Literacy Reframed, was released in 2021 through Solution Tree.

Books:

• Unlocking Student Talent: The New Science of Developing Expertise

About Host, Sucheta Kamath
Sucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.

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