S10 E2: Orthographic mapping is a cognitive process, with Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D.

In this episode of Science of Reading: The Podcast, Susan Lambert is joined by Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D., founder of The Reading Institute and director of the Advanced Certificates in Reading Science, Brooklyn College. An expert in orthographic mapping, Pace Miles explains why it’s a cognitive process, why that means it can’t be “taught,” and how we can instead leverage an understanding of it to inform instructional practices across reading, writing, and spelling to improve comprehension. Pace Miles outlines what it takes to develop good word-reading habits in emergent readers, and offers step-by-step advice on how to implement quick intervention when needed. Show notes: Submit your questions on comprehension! Access free, high-quality resources at our brand-new companion professional learning page. Connect with Katie Pace Miles: Website: Instagram: @thereadinginstitutenyc Resources: Book: Making Words Stick: A Four-Step Instructional Routine to Power Up Orthographic Mapping Article: ”Phases of Development in Learning to Read and Spell Words” by Linnea C. Ehri Podcast episode: The joy of reading aloud, with Molly Ness Join our community Facebook group: Connect with Susan Lambert: Quotes: "You don't teach orthographic mapping, 'cause, again, that's a cognitive process, but you can facilitate support for long-term storage of words." —Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D. "Never acquiesce to illiteracy. We all, as a community that supports all readers, have to figure out what instruction needs to be provided and what dosage over what duration of time … and it will happen." —Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D. "If you're focused only on phonics and not on spelling, you are going to miss a whole bunch of decoding instruction, word analysis work." —Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D. "You don't need a Ph.D. to have that knowledge. That should come in all teacher training. The complexity of the English language—every teacher I've ever met can handle it once we teach it."—Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D. Episode timestamps* 03:00 Introduction: Who is Katie Pace Miles? 04:00 Beginnings as a teacher 07:00 Book: Making Words Stick: A four step instructional routine to power up orthographic mapping 10:00 The motivation behind the book 13:00 Orthographic mapping as a cognitive process 17:00 Can you teach orthographic mapping? 19:00 Research behind the theory of orthographic mapping 24:00 Developing good word reading habits with emergent readers 28:00 Reading-spelling connection 32:00 Rubberband analogy: Developing speaking and reading skills in tandem 34:00 Orthographic mapping can support or impede comprehension 39:00 Intervention 43:00 Activities and strategies from the book 44:00 Final thoughts *Timestamps are approximate, rounded to nearest minute

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S10 E2: Orthographic mapping is a cognitive process, with Katie Pace Miles, Ph.D. is an episode from Science of Reading: The Podcast by Amplify Education.

This episode is 47:49 long.

This episode was published on Sep 24, 2025.

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