8.9 Teacher Preparation

8.9 Teacher Preparation

Author: Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi March 8, 2026 Duration: 1:12:01

Shannon and Mary welcome Dr. Ellen Ballock and Julia D'Onofrio from Gordon College to talk about teacher preparation programs. Discover how they design and implement teacher prep programs focused on literacy instruction, the science of reading, and practical teaching methods. Our guests shed light on the importance of comprehensive training, common misconceptions in literacy education, and the roles of explicit instruction and evidence-based practices. They also delve into how their curriculum bridges gaps in teacher knowledge, ensuring future educators are well-equipped to foster student success.   This episode will likely remind you of your own teacher training and inspire you, making you feel hopeful about the future of our field and for new teacher candidates.

01:16 Meet Today’s Guests
05:10 Teacher Prep Shifts Nationwide
10:54 Data Language and Decision Making
14:36 Unlearning Balanced Literacy
18:06 Teaching Phonemic Awareness to Adults
22:06 Modeling Explicit Instruction
25:39 Morphology and Word Study
29:49 Curriculum Partnerships and Fidelity
32:01 Adapting Curriculum with Scaffolds
35:50 Redesigning for Comprehension
38:13 Gateway Checks for Think Alouds
40:39 Coaching Struggling Candidates
43:53 Writing Methods and Sentence Work
48:22 Sentence Composing Mentor Models
52:11 Practicum Pathway and Feedback
01:03:04 Doctoral Program for Change Agents
01:07:19 Closing Thanks and Takeaways

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE EPISODE:

  1. Gordon College
  2. Sentence Composing (Don Killgallon)
  3. Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence Composing Approach by Don and Jenny Killgallon *Amazon affiliate link
  4. NCTQ
  5. Early literacy observation tool (Massachusetts)
  6. Moat's Survey of Teacher Knowledge
  7. How Spelling Supports Reading  article by Louisa Moats
  8. Gordon College's Science of Learning Doctoral Program

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In the Reading Teachers Lounge, hosts Shannon Betts and Mary Saghafi pull up a chair for a conversation that feels both deeply professional and warmly familiar. These two elementary reading teachers and Atlanta neighbors discovered a shared, fervent passion for literacy over a local dinner, realizing they were kindred spirits in their mission. That initial chat never really ended, and now it forms the heart of this podcast. Each episode invites you into their ongoing dialogue, where practical classroom strategies, reflections on what works, and thoughtful discussions about reaching every single learner are all on the table. It’s a space designed for fellow educators, dedicated parents, and anyone invested in how children learn to read, offering tangible ideas rather than abstract theory. The tone is collaborative and grounded in real classroom experiences, reflecting a joint belief that literacy is foundational. By tuning in, you gain access to their collective experience and earnest curiosity, all focused on the complex, rewarding world of teaching reading. This isn't about performance; it's about sharing a genuine professional conversation from their lounge to yours, making the Reading Teachers Lounge a unique podcast for those who live and breathe language education.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 129

Reading Teachers Lounge
Podcast Episodes
Mindfulness About Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:27
Shannon and Mary discuss the concept of metacognition - thinking about the way you think. We discuss tips about how to teach your students how to evaluate their performances, learning, and reading. Resource Links:NOTE: A…
All About Consonants [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:34
Consonants deserve their own episode! We can't let vowels steal all the glory. Learn about the building blocks of language: vowels/consonants, blends, digraphs. Learn more about how we teach our students about consonants…
Let's Talk About Phonemic Awareness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:36
Mary and Shannon sort out the complex terms that are related to phonological processing. What is the difference between phonological awareness and phoneme awareness? We discuss how we teach these skills and provide resou…
A Conversation about ZPD and Rigor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:52
Shannon and Mary discuss how to determine "just right activities" for their students by working within the ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) and how analyzing your students' scores can lead to developing rigorous activi…
B and D Reversals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:33
Shannon and Mary have a conversation about reversals of letters and numbers. Many parents and teachers are concerned about reversals, but the truth is that all reversals do need to be explicitly taught. Some children wil…
The Big Secret: Recognizing a Struggling Reader [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:48
Shannon and Mary talk about coping behaviors that struggling readers use to hide the "big secret" that they can't read. They share details about students' actions that teachers can look for in the classroom to gather mor…
A Conversation About Dyslexia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:02
Mary and Shannon discuss Dyslexia. There are a lot of misconceptions that are due to lack of training. Many teachers are somewhat familiar with dyslexia and may even say that they have previously taught students with dys…
All About Sight Words [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:23
Are you teaching sight words in your classroom? Parents, are you supporting your child's practice in learning sight words? It's important to have a large bag of tricks. Listen as Shannon and Mary discuss many different i…
All About Syllables [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:24
Shannon and Mary discuss the final pattern of the six syllable types: 'consonant+le'. Listen and join the conversation as they review CLOVER (closed, consonant + le, open, vowel teams, magic-e, and r-control syllable typ…
All About Vowel Teams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:28
Vowel teams are combinations of vowels (two or more) that make one sound. When students begin learning about vowel teams they have to demonstrate an understanding of sound symbol relationship where multiple vowel teams r…