Ever been perplexed by the intricate dance of teaching reading? Let the wisdom of Elizabeth Bassford, Vice President of Content and Implementation at Curriculum Associates, be your guide on this educational odyssey. As we unpack her vision for revitalizing literacy education, you'll feel the urge to re-enter the classroom with strategies to elevate your reading instruction. This episode isn't just a conversation; it's a masterclass in overcoming the hurdles that have long crippled literacy achievement.
Elizabeth doesn't just talk theory; she gets down to the nitty-gritty of pragmatism in curriculum choices and the necessity of coherence in instruction. She'll empower you with advice to navigate the latter half of the school year, ensuring that all students encounter grade-level content and engage in the kind of productive struggle that opens doors to lifelong learning. Tune in for a rally cry to educators and decision-makers, stressing the importance of learning from the past to create a more literate future.
Curriculum Associates presents the Extraordinary Educators podcast with hosts Danielle Sullivan and Sarah Leveris. Here tips, best practices and successes to improve your teaching and leadership and drive student growth and learning. We're here for you.
Speaker 2:
Hi everybody, welcome to the Extraordinary Educator podcast. This is Danielle.
Speaker 1:
And this is Sarah, and this week we are joined by our fabulous colleague, elizabeth Vassford, who is the VP of content and implementation at Curriculum Associates.
Speaker 2:
And I always love talking with Elizabeth because she paints such a beautiful picture of what you can do when it comes to reading. Sometimes reading can be an enigma for educators, but it just listening to her makes actually both of us want to go back in the classroom and teach reading.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so get ready to be inspired and ready to dive in with your students. Here is our conversation with Elizabeth. Welcome, elizabeth, it is so great to have you back on the podcast.
Speaker 3:
Well, thank you, it's great to be here.
Speaker 2:
So what are some things top of mind for you these days?
Speaker 3:
Oh, you know a little bit of reading and then maybe a little bit of reading and what we're going to do about reading and how we're going to make reading better and how we're going to get more kids reading. You know, just another day in the life, but you know there are some.
Speaker 3:
There are some things that I've been pondering a lot lately, so I'd say, you know, within the past couple of months, because I like to cycle in and out of obsessions around reading is how can we be certain that we don't miss our moment this time? It is not the first time we've had a a radical full court press nationwide, with legislation and lofty goals, which we should never stop doing. But we also sometimes forget to peer in the rearview mirror and see what we must get right this time so we don't recreate the flaws of the past. That's what's on my mind.
Speaker 2:
I love that so much because I feel like in education we just keep reinventing the wheel. So what are some things that we need to learn this time and get right If?
Speaker 3:
I could talk to everyone making an important decision right now in reading, right like people who are going shopping for the support systems they need, and especially the curriculum or the instruction and the programs that they need to really get us out of that 30 year stasis we've been in, where we haven't moved the needle on NAEP, despite major efforts. I would say the number one thing I would ask people to do is envision themselves teaching whatever it is they're reviewing, because there is a rash of programs out there that are still carrying the legacy of reading first comprehensive core, and they are full of what Ed reports would call bloat. And so when teachers receive these programs and they go to implement them in their classrooms, they realize that the time the program is asking of them is longer than the time they actually have. And then, if every teacher is making a decision about what to cut, you've lost your investment toward coherence. So my lead story now, when I meet with teachers making an important decision, is can you see yourself teaching this in the time you actually have?
Speaker 1:
That's so powerful. And for those of you who are listening, not watching, Dadey and I are just sitting here nodding our heads because it's so true and it's surprisingly often forgotten, right, which is why you're saying this. So what about for teachers who are starting off January using what they already have, whether it's a bloated program or not? Is there any wisdom you have for them in terms of what to really focus on as they want to think about the second half of their school year?
Speaker 3:
First and foremost again, it's just been a major pillar of mind for a very, very long time is the access to grade level content for all. And even if you do a slow and gradual release of the almost, very hard to ignore reaction of changing the text all the time to a lesser text and helping kids who are struggling with grade level text get a little taste of it and get that taste of success so they can see themselves successful with it, you would be doing wondrous things for the life of that child. So we talk about equity all the time. True equity is that we don't keep children from the largest of grade level content. We actually find the lanes in by understanding what their needs are, what they can do and using those can do as the way in to introduce them to productive struggle with grade level text. That's a real big one, because without access to tier one the entire RTI triangle becomes moot.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely, and, as educators are listening to this, if they believe in that, yet they're feeling overwhelmed, frustrated. They don't have enough time. What's one next step they could do to start shifting their mindset or shifting their classroom practice towards the vision that you're sharing with us?
Speaker 3:
First and foremost, be exceedingly kind to yourself. You don't have to be a major rollicking success every single small group. But if you get a small group of kids who are maybe a year, a year and a half, even two years below grade level to enjoy a good conversation and then march through a couple of sentences of that text, I will send you flowers because you have done something great with your time. So we can't change the world overnight, but all we can do is agree to begin. And if we agree to begin, the mindset and the conditions we're setting in our classrooms are already radically changed. So I'm just out all the time talking to people about can you agree? This is what we must do. Can you agree that we have to help our children see that reading is not about doing compare and contrast again, that reading is about meaning making and discovering the world and discovering yourself, all that goodness that we need to sort of bring to the front burner. We just have to begin. We have to agree to begin.
Speaker 1:
We definitely do. Thank you so much, elizabeth. As always, we really appreciate your time, your expertise and your wisdom, and unfortunately, that is all the time we have for today.
Speaker 1:
Well, thank you very much for having me Happy reading everyone Get inspired by following us on social media and please tag us in your posts on Twitter, at curriculumassoch, and on Instagram, at myirety. If you have feedback about the podcast, a topic of interest or want to be a guest, email Extraordinary Educators at cainccom. Subscribe where you listen to podcasts and if you'd like to help more educators like you, join the conversation. Please leave a review.
Speaker 2:
And remember, be you be true, be extraordinary. The Extraordinary Educators podcast is produced by Curriculum Associates. Editing by Whiteboard Geeks, social media by Atstie Hannan, guest booking by Ceri LaBeiris, production by Hailey Browning. This podcast is copyright, material and intellectual property of Curriculum Associates.