Dyslexia Duo Podcast Episode 88 - Dr. Pam Kastner

The Dyslexia Duo: Dr. Pam Kastner on Structured Literacy, the Instructional Hierarchy, and the Role of Syntax in Reading

Melissa Dean and Aimee Rodenroth of the Dyslexia Duo interview Dr. Pam Kastner, a longtime educator and former Pennsylvania state literacy lead, about her career and why she shifted from balanced literacy and whole language approaches to structured literacy after seeing students struggle and having a dyslexic granddaughter. Dr. Kastner contrasts structured literacy’s direct, explicit, systematic instruction with assumptions in balanced literacy, explaining the instructional hierarchy (acquisition, building fluency, generalization, adaptation), the need for accuracy first, immediate corrective feedback, many opportunities to respond, and avoiding hand-raising as a comprehension check. She discusses syntax as a key but underemphasized component of language that supports comprehension and writing, and stresses oral language development through rich vocabulary and complete sentences. She calls for stronger teacher preparation, leadership, and system-level support, and encourages parents that dyslexic children can learn to read and it is not the child’s fault.

00:44 Meet Dr. Pam Kastner

01:47 Career Journey in Education

05:12 Family and Purpose

07:30 Origin Story in Literacy

13:01 Why Structured Literacy

15:02 Instructional Hierarchy Explained

19:26 Accuracy and Errorless Learning

27:03 Data Driven Teaching

36:25 Dyslexia Services Promo

37:25 Why Syntax Matters