Using Whole Texts to Foster Student Agency and Critical Thinking

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of engaging with whole texts to enhance student agency and critical thinking skills.

This edWeb podcast is sponsored by Fishtank Learning. The edLeader Panel recording can be accessed here. In a world of short clips, excerpts, and isolated passages, the ability to engage with a complete, complex text is a superpower. While passages have their place in assessment, research shows that immersion in whole books is what truly transforms students into critical readers, writers, thinkers, and global citizens. In this edWeb podcast, Emily Wojtusik from Fishtank Learning is joined by ...

People in this episode

Guest: Emily Wojtusik

Topics covered

• student agency
• critical thinking
• whole texts
• education
• reading comprehension

Keywords

• whole texts
• critical readers
• student agency
• Fishtank Learning
• education

Sponsors

Fishtank Learning

More episodes of edWebcasts

• The Overlooked Pieces of the Science of Reading · June 11, 2026 · 57 min
• Building Confident Bilingual Learners with Purposeful Edtech · June 8, 2026 · 52 min
• Turning District Priorities Into Daily Practice: What It Takes to Make Initiatives Work · May 27, 2026 · 58 min
• Former Chiefs WebBrief: Our 250th Anniversary: What Students Are Learning About Civic Education in Our Schools · May 27, 2026 · 35 min
• Accessibility and UDL as Partners in Inclusion: From Compliance to Belonging · May 26, 2026 · 59 min
• PreK Assessment for Dual-Language Learners: Measure True Learning, Not Just English · May 26, 2026 · 58 min