Power of Productive Struggle: Rebuilding Students' Learning Power

Literacy Matters Empowered Conversations - Season 4 Episode 10

In part-two of this conversation, Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift sits down with Zaretta Hammond to explore how culturally responsive teaching intertwines the science of reading and the science of learning to build students’ cognitive capacity, agency, and academic prowess. They discuss the role of productive struggle in brain development, the importance of “word wealth,” and the unseen work behind true instructional equity. Zaretta offers practical insights for fostering inclusion, accelerating literacy for underserved students, and centering learning as both an emotional and empowering process.

About our guest: Zaretta Hammond, M.A., is a teacher, educator and national education consultant. She is the author of the bestselling Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (Corwin, 2015) and the newly released Rebuilding Student Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice (Corwin, 2025). Ms. Hammond is a former writing instructor who currently supports educators in how to integrate culturally responsive practices, the science of reading, and the science of learning to support deeper learning.


About our host: Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift holds a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, distinguished educational leader, and has been recognized with multiple awards for her achievements. She served as the lead curriculum developer for Learning Without Tears’ Get Set for School’s Language and Literacy curriculum, which received an AEP Distinguished Achievement award. In 2017, Cheryl was awarded the Investor Bank’s Educator of the Year Award.

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tags: #LiteracyMatters #ScienceOfReading #SmallGroupInstruction #TeachingTips #ReadingStrategies #EarlyLiteracy