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. 📩 Subscribe to The Reading Symphony on Substack Get practical literacy tips, science-of-reading insights, and evidence-based strategies to help children become stronger readers. Subscribe here: 👉 https://katiemegrian.substack.com/ 👤 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