In the evolving conversation around literacy instruction, the “what” of Structured Literacy—explicit instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—often takes center stage. But in this episode of Literacy Talks, Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling makes a compelling case for turning our attention to the equally critical “how.”
With decades of experience as a teacher, researcher, and teacher-educator, Dr. Spear-Swerling shares her expertise on Structured Literacy instruction and how educators can ensure that it’s not only evidence-based, but also delivered effectively. This blog post dives into key insights from the episode and serves as a comprehensive guide for educators, administrators, and curriculum leaders looking to refine their approach to teaching reading.
What Is Structured Literacy—and Why the “How” Matters
Structured Literacy refers to instruction that is systematic, explicit, and grounded in decades of research on how children learn to read. It includes the “what”—the essential components of reading—and the “how”—the pedagogy that ensures those components are taught in ways students can access and apply.
While most teacher preparation programs include phonics instruction, Dr. Spear-Swerling argues that how phonics is taught is just as important as whether it’s taught at all:
If you teach ample phonics, but you do it in an ineffective way, that’s not so good. So how you teach is also important.
In other words, teaching phonics incidentally or without integration into other domains of literacy isn’t sufficient. Instruction must be intentional, connected, and designed to build from simple to complex.
The Pillars of Effective Structured Literacy Instruction
1. Explicit and Systematic Teaching
Dr. Spear-Swerling defines “explicit” instruction as teaching where the skills are modeled and practiced directly with students, rather than expecting students to infer them. “Systematic” refers to sequencing instruction in a way that moves from simple to more complex tasks, within and across literacy domains.
She emphasizes that good instruction doesn’t wait for mastery in one domain before introducing another. For example, comprehension can and should be developed even as students are still learning to decode:
Students do not need to master the foundational skills of word recognition before developing their comprehension abilities.
This is particularly crucial for early-grade teachers. Through practices like rich read-alouds, vocabulary development, and oral language activities, educators can lay the groundwork for strong comprehension from day one.
2. Assessment-Informed Instruction
Another core message from the episode is the importance of formative assessments to guide instruction. Rather than relying solely on end-of-year testing, Dr. Spear-Swerling recommends tools that help teachers pinpoint specific skills students need support with—especially in phonics and fluency.
For first grade, she highlights tools like:
Core Phonics Survey: Organizes phonics skills from simple to complex and helps target instruction.
Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) like DIBELS or AIMSweb: Used for oral reading fluency and comprehension screening in mid-to-late first grade.
She explains that assessment data can help teachers distinguish whether students are struggling with decoding, fluency, or comprehension—and tailor support accordingly.
Understanding Reader Profiles: The Simple View in Action
Dr. Spear-Swerling emphasizes the importance of understanding students’ reading profiles through the lens of the Simple View of Reading, which posits that reading comprehension = word recognition × language comprehension.
From this model, she describes three common poor reader profiles:
Students with strong language comprehension but poor word recognition (often characteristic of dyslexia).
Students with strong word recognition but poor language comprehension (possibly due to limited exposure to language or English Learner status).
Students with deficits in both areas (potentially indicating a mixed reading disability or broader language disorder).
Knowing a student’s profile helps determine not only what to teach but also the intensity of support needed. Students with disabilities often require smaller group sizes, more guided practice, and consistent progress monitoring.
Students who have disabilities will learn too, but they often need a smaller group size, more opportunities for practice, more opportunities to respond.
Early Intervention: Catching Vulnerabilities Before They Grow
One of the most powerful segments of the podcast is Dr. Spear-Swerling’s reflection on early intervention. She shares a story about a student with a family history of dyslexia who received one-on-one Structured Literacy instruction starting in kindergarten. By third grade, this student was not only decoding at grade level—he had surpassed expectations in spelling and fluency.
This anecdote reinforces that timely, intensive support can change a student’s academic trajectory. However, she notes that such intensive instruction is often not feasible at scale in public schools. That’s where early screening, educator training, and prioritization come into play.
Teacher Preparation: A Persistent Challenge
Despite improvements in awareness and standards, Dr. Spear-Swerling identifies teacher preparation—especially for pre-service general education teachers—as one of the biggest ongoing challenges. Many programs still fail to provide adequate depth in reading instruction, assessment, and how to integrate pedagogy with knowledge of the reading brain. The hard part is prioritization. You’re not going to do everything equally well… What are the things that are really important for that first-year teacher to know?
The hard part is prioritization. You’re not going to do everything equally well… What are the things that are really important for that first-year teacher to know?
She lists these as top priorities:
Understanding the components of reading and writing
Using assessment to inform instruction
Teaching spelling and written expression
Knowing how to model and scaffold skills explicitly
Teacher educators must balance limited time with the need to deeply equip candidates—and that requires difficult decisions about what to emphasize.
Encouraging Signs and Systemic Opportunities
Despite the challenges, Dr. Spear-Swerling sees encouraging signs. Reviews by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) show improvement in how reading is taught in teacher prep programs. Initiatives in states like Mississippi show that with the right support, systemic change is possible.
She also credits the collaborative spirit behind the recent Perspectives 75th anniversary issue, noting how many contributing researchers share a belief in the power of instruction to help children:
There’s a shared belief in the power of instruction to help children who have reading difficulties.
Practical Takeaways for Educators
Whether you’re a first-year teacher, a reading specialist, or a curriculum leader, the episode offers key action points:
Use assessments purposefully. Tools like the Core Phonics Survey and CBMs can target instruction with precision.
Don’t delay comprehension work. Use read-alouds and vocabulary development to grow oral language while students build decoding skills.
Recognize reader profiles. Tailor instruction based on a student’s pattern of strengths and needs.
Push for better prep and PD. Advocate for more robust training in Structured Literacy and how to teach it well.
Intervene early and often. Intensity and timing can make the difference between struggle and success.
Final Thoughts
The science of reading continues to gain traction—but without effective implementation, knowledge isn’t enough. Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling’s insights remind us that the how of instruction is just as essential as the what.
When we combine research-based practices with intentional, responsive teaching, we empower all students to become confident, competent readers.
Structured literacy is an approach that tries really hard to avoid unintentionally confusing children.
And that clarity, consistency, and care in how we teach may be the most powerful tool we have.
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