Welcome to a special edition of the Knowledge Matters Podcast.
This episode is a special bonus—an audio recording of our recent webinar, Literacy and the Science of Learning. It is a dynamic, hourlong conversation between three exciting experts in the field: Dylan Wiliam, Doug Lemov, and Natalie Wexler, facilitated by Kristen McQuillan of StandardsWork.
In this webinar, the panel responds to listener questions based on the podcast season that shares the same title. They explore what happens in the brain when students read and write and why that matters for teaching and learning. We found the conversation so fascinating, we wanted to make it available in as many formats as possible.
Nearly 800 people joined the original webinar, representing more than 45 states and 40 countries. Listeners praised a “brilliant discussion” by “my edu-heroes” and described it as “excellent virtual PD.”
Resources mentioned in this webinar:
- Knowledge Matters Review Tool: A Guide for Evaluating K-8 Curriculum
- Knowledge Matters Season 3 Podcast
- “Reading Whole Books and Miracles in Education” by Natalie Wexler
You can watch this webinar as a video recording, as well as the rest of our webinars on our website.
In addition, new “Literacy and the Science of Learning” study guides are available for download. In these user-friendly guides, Dylan goes deep on cognitive load and how to boost long-term memory, Doug discusses fluency and the value in reading whole books, and Natalie dives into the power of writing to support comprehension, knowledge retention, and critical thinking. These guides ask big questions while also addressing practical concerns, with clear takeaways for teachers.