The Six Shifts Podcast: Insights and Innovations for Educators
Education Podcasts for Teachers
Welcome to The Six Shifts Podcasts, a collection of recordings for exploring the shifts we describe in both “Six Shifts” books–that’s 12 shifts altogether!–These podcasts offer a high-level overview of some of the science and the classroom strategies shift-by-shift.
With the support of our publisher, we’ve made these short recordings and sent them out into the world. While we were busy doing other things, they found an audience. A really wide audience.
We never imagined that the podcasts we made during the pandemic, with Jan recording from a closet and Kari recording from the corner of a cluttered bedroom office, would speak to so many educators as they grappled with the same changes we’d grappled with ourselves. Over and over, we’ve been humbled to hear–both in person and via email–how helpful these recordings have been for getting started on a journey toward making learning to read easier for kids.
In fact, teachers like you seem to find these short conversations compelling enough to listen to them more than 60,000 times, which means they are among the top 5% of all podcasts. Crazy, right?! We had no idea until our publisher told us.
So, thank you for listening and letting us know (by voting with your ears) that these short and sweet overviews about how to make learning to read easier for your students are among the best education podcasts for making reading science simpler and the subsequent changes to instructional practice more doable.
Are you unfamiliar with the podcast?
Beginning Readers
Podcast Series
Part 1 – How to Get Readers Off to a Strong Start
Our K-2 Podcast Series is an invitation to anyone interested in teacher podcasts focusing on how to support beginning readers in getting up and running. This series describes all six shifts in the “K-2” book (really for teachers of any student, any age who has had difficulty with beginning to read). One by one, we address the misunderstandings, how they happened, and insights for shifting. We also preview the high-leverage routines that can make the science of the shift come to life in your classroom.
Beginning Readers - Episode 1: Intro
In this insightful episode of “The Six Shifts,” join Jan Burkins and Kari Yates as they delve into the heart of modern literacy education. They explore the integration of scientific reading methods into balanced literacy classrooms, based on their book Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom. This conversation, filled with personal anecdotes and professional insights, is a must-listen for educators seeking to bridge traditional and contemporary teaching approaches. A journey through rethinking literacy practices awaits in this engaging and thought-provoking episode.
Beginning Readers - Episode 2: Shift 1
In Episode 2 of “The Six Shifts,” authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, alongside Dan Tobin, focus on the first shift in literacy instruction: rethinking reading comprehension’s beginnings. They challenge traditional views, emphasizing the role of language comprehension from birth in reading development. The episode unpacks common misconceptions, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of oral language’s impact on reading. It’s a must-listen for educators looking to align their teaching methods with scientific insights into how reading comprehension evolves.
Beginning Readers - Episode 3: Shift 2
Episode 3 of “The Six Shifts” podcast, hosted by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, focuses on the second shift, recommitting to phonemic awareness in literacy instruction. The authors discuss common misconceptions about phonemic awareness, emphasizing its critical role in reading development and the need for intentional instruction in this area. The episode provides insights into effective phonemic awareness practices and offers practical applications for educators. This session is part of their ongoing discussion on integrating scientific reading methods into balanced literacy approaches.
Beginning Readers - Episode 4: Shift 3
Episode 4 of “The Six Shifts” podcast, featuring authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, focuses on the third shift: reimagining phonics teaching. They discuss the importance of intentional and systematic phonics instruction in early reading development, dispelling misconceptions like the unpredictability of English spellings and the notion that phonics must be boring. The episode highlights the need for educators to understand how the brain learns complex tasks and offers practical guidance for making phonics instruction both effective and enjoyable for young learners.
Beginning Readers - Episode 5: Shift 4
Episode 5 of “The Six Shifts” podcast features Jan Burkins and Kari Yates discussing the fourth shift in literacy education: revising high-frequency word instruction. They explore the misconceptions surrounding the memorization of sight words, emphasizing the importance of understanding the phonemic and orthographic aspects of these words. This episode challenges the traditional approach to teaching high-frequency words, offering insights into more effective strategies that align with how the brain learns and stores words.
Beginning Readers - Episode 6: Shift 5
In Episode 6 of “The Six Shifts” podcast, authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates discuss the fifth shift, reinventing MSV (Meaning, Syntax, Visual) use in literacy instruction. They address the challenges educators face in adapting their teaching practices to align with scientific research. The episode explores common misunderstandings around MSV, emphasizing the importance of phonology and orthographic learning in reading development. This episode provides valuable insights for educators looking to update their teaching methods based on recent scientific findings.
Beginning Readers - Episode 7: Shift 6
Episode 7 of “The Six Shifts” podcast, featuring Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, discusses the final shift: reconsidering texts for beginning readers. This episode addresses the significance of selecting appropriate texts for early literacy and examines common misconceptions about text choice. The conversation underscores the importance of aligning text selection with scientific insights into how the reading brain works and how orthographic knowledge accumulates. This shift is crucial for effective early literacy instruction, focusing on the impact of text types on young readers’ development.
Developing Readers
Podcast Series
Part 2 – How to Keep Success Going for All Readers
The 3-5 Podcast Series, tailored for educators teaching grades three to five (or children of any age who are ready to move into more complex text), is a follow-up collection of teaching podcasts based on the second “Six Shifts” book, co-authored with Katie Egan Cunningham. This series delves into the complexities and nuances of supporting developing readers. Once again, we move through six shifts (really shifts 7-12), addressing misunderstandings and how these misconceptions developed. Finally, we preview the teaching moves that you can try out tomorrow as you begin to build momentum toward more brain-friendly reading instruction.
Developing Readers - Episode 1: Intro
In this podcast, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates discuss the background and origin of their new book, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the K-2 book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this conversation, Katie, Jan, and Kari talk about the vulnerability and riskiness involved with writing the book and the six commitments they made to the work and to each other. They also explore how the K-2 and the 3-5 books connect and how the shifts can help educators navigate the competing tensions of literacy instruction.
Developing Readers - Episode 2: Shift 1
In this podcast, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the first new shift: building knowledge. They explore the role that knowledge plays in reading comprehension and why content area instruction is so important. They challenge educators to give knowledge building the instructional time it deserves as an essential component of reading comprehension.
Developing Readers - Episode 3: Shift 2
In this podcast episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the second new shift, which involves rethinking the way we teach comprehension strategies. They unpack two important misunderstandings about strategy instruction in light of reading research. They suggest that a few strategic moves are sufficient for readers, and they encourage teachers to make brain-friendly adjustments to their instructional practices. Learn more about all twelve shifts at TheSixShifts.com.
Developing Readers - Episode 4: Shift 3
In this podcast episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the third new shift, which involves recommitting to vocabulary instruction. They talk about the roles of implicit and explicit vocabulary instruction and address concerns that formal vocabulary instruction will look like the lamented practices of yesteryear with looking up definitions, writing sentences, and taking tests. They address the connections between vocabulary, language comprehension, and reading comprehension and suggest that teachers adopt some high-leverage routines to make learning vocabulary easier for children. Learn more about all twelve shifts at TheSixShifts.com.
Developing Readers - Episode 5: Shift 4
In this podcast episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the fourth new shift, which addresses reclaiming the role of word recognition instruction in the upper elementary grades. They talk about the false assumption that students will know everything they need to about how words work by the time they reach third grade. The authors also introduce the “Filling-the-Gaps” challenge and the “Moving Forward” challenge and suggest that carefully selected high-utility routines can help with both of these. Learn more about all twelve shifts at TheSixShifts.com.
Developing Readers - Episode 6: Shift 5
In this podcast episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the fifth new shift, which invites teachers to revisit their fluency instruction. They talk about decoding skills, the relationship between silent reading and oral reading, and the important role of fluency in reading comprehension. They suggest that teaching fluency should involve carefully selected text and powerful instructional practice.
Developing Readers - Episode 7: Shift 6
In this podcast episode, Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, and Kari Yates, the authors of Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This much-awaited sequel to the first Shifting the Balance book introduces six more shifts for elementary teachers. In this episode, the authors discuss the sixth new shift, which is about reimagining independent practice in the literacy classroom. They talk about how children become active readers and the role of self-selected independent reading in that process. They suggest that teachers find a starting point in adopting these shifts because momentum has to start somewhere. Learn more about all twelve shifts at TheSixShifts.com.
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