Writing the way to better reading, with Judith Hochman, Ed.D.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Judith C. Hochman
Judith Hochman, Ed.D., is the former head of The Windward School and the founder of the Windward Teacher Training Institute in White Plains, New York, as well as the former superintendent of the Greenburgh Graham Free School District in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. She is the founder of The Writing Revolution, a not-for-profit organization which disseminates evidence-based strategies for writing instruction. Dr. Hochman is the author of Basic Writing Skills: A Manual for Teachers and coauthor of The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades (2017, 2024).
Meet our host, Susan Lambert
Susan Lambert is the Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Humanities at Amplify, and the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast. Throughout her career, she has focused on creating high-quality learning environments using evidence-based practices. Lambert is a mom of four, a grandma of four, a world traveler, and a collector of stories.
As the host of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Lambert explores the increasing body of scientific research around how reading is best taught. As a former classroom teacher, administrator, and curriculum developer, Lambert is dedicated to turning theory into best practices that educators can put right to use in the classroom, and to showcasing national models of reading instruction excellence.
Quotes
“I had an epiphany that our students really had to learn writing as a second language.”
“Having students write a lot is not teaching writing. It's just like if you put a lot of books in a classroom, students don't magically begin to read.”
“I often talk to teachers and remind them that they can be their own researchers in their own classrooms—to try something small… . Watch to see the impact that it has; make adjustments when needed, and if it's working for the kids and you're actually seeing outcomes.”
“This is not learned by osmosis, and it's not learned by vague feedback like, ‘Make it better,’ or, ‘Add more details.’ You've got to be very granular. This is not a naturally occurring skill in human development for any of us.”
“What's good for elementary school is good for high school and beyond. The principles of teaching someone how to write coherently and with clarity don't change.”