Episode 53 - Systematic Approaches to Translating Reading Research with Neena Saha, PhD
About Dr. Neena Saha
Neena began her career in education as a classroom teacher for children with exceptional needs. She received her Master’s degree in Educational Neuroscience from Columbia University and her PhD in Special Education from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. Dr. Saha’s doctoral work resulted in a patent. While at Elemeno®, she started the Reading Research Recap, a newsletter aimed at translating recent research into useful information for teachers. Elemeno® was acquired by MetaMetrics in 2021 and joined their team to help build out their early literacy products, tools and services. Neena left MetaMetrics full-time (she still consults) in 2023 to explore better ways of translating research at scale.
Episode Summary
Neena Saha, PhD, joins READ for an illuminating and entrepreneurial discussion about translating research to practice. In this episode, Dr. Saha offers insights on
- shifting how educators interface with research through an entrepreneurial lens.
- integrating and broadening the role of technology in sharing research.
- developing a systematic and explicit approach to the translation of research to practice.
Dr. Saha discusses opportunities and challenges for disseminating research more effectively and efficiently to teachers in all classrooms.
Top READ Bookmarks
Each episode, host Dr. Danielle Gomez identifies key takeaways or “READ bookmarks.”
1. What we can learn from other fields about research translation?
Dr. Saha cites examples from other industries that illustrate effective research translation as well as product design.
In medicine, she explains the systems that exist for research dissemination and training to ensure doctors are current with evidence on health.
I think there's many ways to translate research to practice. Building products or tools is one of them.
She offers insights from innovation in technology on leveraging user interfaces and products to share information.
2. Systems Implications Translation of Research to Practice
Dr. Saha calls for a systematic approach to translating research to practice by
- Ensuring translation is systematic, explicit, cumulative, and scalable.
- Encouraging further interdisciplinary production and consumption of research.
- Maintaining dissemination of current research.
- Fostering greater partnership and conversational work between educators and research.
We don't have a systematic way of approaching the classroom implications in research studies.
3. Leveraging Entrepreneurship in Education
Dr. Saha discusses the opportunity for technology and innovation to broaden the way we interface with research and encourages an intentional, evidence-based approach.
Resources
Learn more from these resources referenced in this episode:
READ:
- Entrepreneurship in Education
How Actors Change Institutions: Toward a Theory of Institutional Entrepreneurship (Battilana et al., 2009) - Classroom Implications for Fidelity of Implementation of Research
Customizing a Research-Based Reading Practice (McMaster et al., 2014) - A Recent Meta-analysis on Effective Professional Development
Effective Professional Development: New Theory and a Meta-Analytic Test (Sims et al., 2023)
WATCH:
LISTEN to Past Episodes on Translating Research to Practice
- Episode 52 – Translating Research for Scalable Implementation
- Episode 38 – DLD, Language, and Systemic Change in Reading with Tiffany Hogan
- Episode 31 – From Translation to Implementation with Nicole Patton Terry, PhD
- Episode 33 – Base Systems Needed for Change in Reading Education with Tim Odegard, PhD
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READ Podcast is produced by The Windward School and The Windward Institute. READ is hosted by Danielle Gomez.
About READ: READ, the Research Education ADvocacy Podcast connects you with prominent researchers, thought leaders, and educators who share their work, insights, and expertise about current research and best practices in fields of education and child development.
Note: All information and insights shared demonstrate the expertise and views of our guests and does not constitute an endorsement by The Windward Institute or The Windward School.