My Top Books on the Reading Science

You've heard about the "science of reading" and now you want to learn more -- but who do you trust and where do you turn first?

Here are my top 5 must reads to get a strong grasp of the research in clear teacher/parent friendly terms!

1. The Reading Mind by Daniel T. Willingham- This relatively quick read is a very comprehensive synthesis on how the brain learns to read. It is a great starting point to get your toes wet and gain a broad perspective on the current science and what it means for literacy instruction. Willingham's clever spin also makes it fun and engaging! He's also pretty active and resourceful on Twitter @DTWillingham

2. The Art and Science of Reading by Christopher Such- Another quick read that would be an equally comprehensive starting point to get the "big picture" of the reading research. Here, Such synthesizes the most recent evidence but delineates existing practices that may not be aligned to converged empirical findings. He is very transparent with his own curiosities and wonderings while also remaining neutral enough for you to form your viewpoint as he weighs the evidence. 

3. Reading Reflex by Geoff and Carmen McGuinness- This is an oldie but goodie! The McGuinness' have masterfully laid out the logic of how the written English code was designed. Taking a speech to print logic, the authors explain how traditional phonics approaches may not be the most efficient. It was mainly intended for parents to read and then teach their own children to read/spell in a rather short amount of time. They claim that any kinder/early1st grade student could learn the entire code (to include advanced graphemes and multisyllabic word decoding) in as little as 6 months time. 

4. Shifting the Balance by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates- Burkins and Yates explain the instructional shifts they've personally made in light of the "science of reading" research. As longstanding "balanced literacy" teachers, Burkins and Yates understand how difficult change can be when it comes to teaching practices. As such, they highlight the science without fully compromising the positive elements a balanced literacy structure entails. 

5. Blind Spots by Kimberly Berens- In this book, Berens very clearly illustrates how teachers can use what we've learned from the behavioral sciences in a way that promotes learning efficacy for all students. More importantly, she identifies common myths educators have blindly believed for decades. I had many "ah-ha" moments during this read -- particularly when Berens explains that the definition of learning is "change over time". If little to no change is occurring in a student's skill-set, then by definition, little learning has actualized.

If you want to dig in a bit deeper with the experts... here are 5 more! 

Reading in the Brain by Stanislas Dehaene & Language at the Speed of Sight by Mark Seidenberg- Learn about the science directly from the source! Dehaene and Seidenberg are cognitive scientists who have conducted the actual studies we try to translate into practice as educators. Through fMRI observations, Dehaene and colleagues discovered the "letter box"-- a specific area in the brain that only exists in anyone who is literate. Similarly, Seidenberg synthesizes past and current evidence to translate the complex findings of computerized connectionist models that mirror the statistical learning our brains utilize to learn to read.

Early Reading Instruction: What Science Tells Us about How to Teach Reading by Diane McGuinness- In this book, McGuinness takes readers on an extensive overview of how the code is set up and explains why existing traditional reading instruction has continuously failed students. She does this by reviewing the studies commonly referenced by the National Reading Panel findings back in 2000. Her insightful interpretations are unparalleled --- you will learn a great deal of information that will help you determine if your current instructional practices are efficient, which are not, and why. 

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf- Simply put, Wolf is an exquisite storyteller and takes readers on a magnificent journey. She artfully explains the extraordinary evolutionary leaps the brain has made to achieve literacy. Her expertise and knowledge of the research is extensively broad and revered by all! 

Make it Stick by Peter Brown and Colleagues- This is a great book if you want to learn about how we learn! A valuable tool I wish I had as a classroom teacher long ago. The authors explore the ways in which adults and children alike become expertly skilled at something. Their use of analogies throughout the book are effective and their explanation of spaced deliberate practice is especially powerful!