Why Writing Instruction Is Essential | Dr. Stephen Ciullo

In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast...

Katie talks with Dr. Stephen Ciullo, Professor of Education, about what effective writing instruction actually looks like - and why many students, particularly struggling writers and students with learning disabilities, may need more explicit support.

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👤 About Dr. Stephen Ciullo

Dr. Stephen Ciullo is a Professor of Education whose research focuses on writing instruction for students with and without learning disabilities and on improving teachers' effectiveness in writing and content-area instruction. His work examines what writing instruction looks like in real classrooms and how research can be translated into practical strategies teachers can use with students.

🔗 Dr. Ciullo's Links:

Email: ciullo@txstate.edu

Bio: https://faculty.txst.edu/profile/1921294

Chapters

00:00 - Why Teachers Aren't Taught How to Teach Writing

01:00 - Meet Dr. Stephen Ciullo

03:21 - Why Writing Instruction Needs More Attention

05:57 - How Students Become Skilled Writers

07:24 - Skills Students Need to Become Better Writers

08:19 - Cognitive Load and Writing Strategy Overload

11:57 - What Research Says About Teaching Writing

12:18 - Why Writing Skills Don't Transfer Across Genres

14:13 - Teaching Text Structure and Purpose

15:10 - How Parents Can Support Writing Through Reading

17:11 - The Connection Between Reading and Writing

17:51 - Writing Problem or Comprehension Problem?

21:02 - Why Teachers Need More Writing Training

25:42 - What Effective Writing Instruction Looks Like

30:41 - Explicit vs. Incidental Writing Instruction

33:56 - Writing Support for Students With IEPs

34:36 - How to Write Better IEP Goals for Writing

37:37 - What Parents Should Ask About Writing Instruction

41:41 - When Your Child Struggles With Writing