S10 E11: Learning to read vs. reading to learn, with Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

From Science of Reading: The Podcast by Amplify Education

February 11, 2026 · 51 min · Season 10 · Episode 11

About this episode

Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D. discusses the differences between learning to read and reading to learn, using athletic training as an analogy.

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D., distinguished professor emeritus from the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins Susan Lambert to distinguish between reading comprehension, learning from a text, and the process of learning to read. He compares learning to read with athletic training, explaining that just as athletes need to vary their workout intensities to maximize their strength, students need to vary their text difficulty to maximize their com...

People in this episode

Host: Susan Lambert

Guest: Timothy Shanahan, Ph.D.

Topics covered

reading comprehension
learning to read
text difficulty
athletic training analogy
education

Keywords

reading comprehension
learning to read
text difficulty
Timothy Shanahan
education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Illinois at Chicago