Kelly Gallagher - To Read Stuff You Have To Know Stuff: Helping Students Build and Use Prior Knowledge

In this episode, we (Mark Raffler and Sarah Shoemaker) connect with longtime Kent ISD mentor & author, Kelly Gallagher.  Kelly’s latest book:  “To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff:  Helping Students Build and Use Prior Knowldge” is the topic of today’s podcast.  "To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff" is not merely a catchy title but a fundamental principle of literacy education. Educators must prioritize building students' prior knowledge, fostering critical thinking skills, and creating a curriculum that reflects multiple, various perspectives and prepares students to engage with the world around them. 

In this episode, Kelly Gallagher addresses how his book came about and why “knowing stuff” in a digital world is still important. 

Here are some highlights from our conversation:

Kelly’s book emphasizes that reading is as much knowing as decoding.  He suggests that students may struggle with texts not because they can't decode the words, but because they lack the necessary background knowledge to understand the content.

To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff addresses prior knowledge, word and sentence level understanding, article level comprehension, and book level comprehension.  Interdisciplinary connections are emphasized.  Gallagher emphasizes the reciprocal relationships of reading and writing.

"Click and go" reading has created new neurological pathways in the brain, yet it's crucial to develop the ability to sustain attention and thought over longer periods, especially during critical developmental stages.

• "If you don't learn how to think critically while you're in that stage, you lose the ability to think critically the rest of your life."

The discussion centers on the crucial role of prior knowledge in adolescent literacy, comprehension, and critical thinking, as well as practical strategies for educators to build this knowledge in their classrooms.

Concluding with our normal podcast protocol, we ask for resources for educators to learn more about To Read Stuff, You Have to Know Stuff.  Check out our podcast resource page for all the links!

We wrap up this episode by asking listeners to share your thoughts on podcast topics - your voice matters!  Please visit bit.ly/LLCNtopics to tell us what you want future podcasts to focus on in relation to literacy.  

All resources in this LLCN Brief (and future podcasts) can be found at:  bit.ly/LLCNresources2425  Subscribe to the Literacy Leadership and Coaches Network podcasts here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/llcnbrief or your favorite podcast platform.

Please note the audio used as an introduction and in transitions in this podcast is under the Creative Common License and attribution is given as follows:Medicine by WinnieTheMoogLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/6256-medicineLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/