Building higher performing primary schools through whole school literacy strategies

Building higher performing primary schools through whole school literacy strategies

Event Details

This seminar will explore the characteristics of high performing schools; the striving for consistent implementation of evidence-based programs, time efficient tracking of student performance and the investment in getting things right when students are first learning to read, spell and write. The session will focus on effective explicit literacy instruction in conjunction with time efficient tracking. The seminar will outline and demonstrate some of the PLD programs, but will also demonstrate how other teaching materials can be utilised.

The seminar has been designed to have a broad appeal. It is relevant to all primary school staff that are involved in primary school literacy learning. The outcomes for the day have been divided into different areas to highlight the potential key outcomes for each person registering.

Each person registering will receive a free copy of PLD's best seller 'The Phonic Sight Word Sequence' (which provides a scope and sequence and screening options for Foundation to Year 6). The value of the book is $65 (ex GST).

School leaders, Literacy Coordinators and Literacy Support Staff will gain:

• An understanding of the characteristics of high performing primary schools.
• An understanding of the processes that school leaders can coordinate so that teachers operate more effectively within the classroom.
• An understanding of the specific evidence based systematic teaching that is required within classrooms and across a school, to facilitate positive literacy outcomes.

Foundation Staff will gain: (i.e. Prep. in QLD & Vic, Reception in SA)

• An understanding of how to be a high performing classroom, delivering strong outcomes within this most important year of schooling.
• An understanding of how students typically learn to decode 1st, spell 2nd and write 3rd.
• Clarity on the 2 core skills that facilitate decoding, the 3 core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
• An understanding of the pre-literacy skill development that needs to be scheduled early in the school year, so that the prerequisites for literacy learning are established.
• Options for time efficient pre-literacy tracking followed by time efficient early literacy tracking. Both sets of tracking then culminate in a plan for the anticipated skill development over the four school terms.
• Clarity on how to introduce reading, spelling and writing in an early childhood manner so that early literacy learning is enjoyable.

Year 1 & 2 Staff will gain:

• An understanding of how structured synthetic phonics instruction can be delivered.
• Options for catering for the range in ability evident within every junior primary classroom.
• Improved skills related to phonic dictation (as a medium to facilitate the transfer of phonic concepts into written work.)
• Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments designed to identify what the needs are within a class.
• Options for poor readers, spellers and writers.

Year 3, 4 5 & 6 Staff will gain:

• An understanding of how to teach ‘word attack’ (i.e. decoding and spelling skills) within the context of a potentially significant range in student ability.
• Clarity on how to allocate a proportion of the literacy block to the explicit instruction of spelling and decoding ‘word attack’ skills and also how to facilitate the transference of these spelling words (and ever increasing sophisticated vocabulary concepts) into writing.
• A synthetic phonics approach for the students operating at a junior primary level and for the age appropriate or advanced students a phonic-based approach that focuses upon word meanings and opportunities to transfer concepts into writing.

Who is this seminar relevant to?
School leaders, literacy coordinators, literacy support staff, Preparatory (QLD, Vic), Reception (SA)  Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 and assistants.

Presenter:
Diana Rigg Educator and Speech Pathologist and the Director of PLD Promoting Literacy Development. Ba. Arts (Ed), BaEd, CPP-Dyslexia (UK), MaEd, MaSpPath.Diana is a teacher, speech pathologist and a parent. Diana combines postgraduate education and speech pathology qualifications with an understanding of the education system. Diana's work aims is to educate and equip those working with 3-11 year old children with specialised techniques, programs and assessment tools. This provides a platform for an innovative and practical approach to literacy. PLD has been recognised as a recommended SSP (Structured Synthetic Phonics) program nationally by AUSPELD. PLD was also recognised by Professor Louden (2015) in his 'High Performing Schools' research paper for the WA Department of Education. In 2018 PLD was awarded the national award Primary Publisher of the Year.

Schools can Register their Teachers using the Workshop Registration Form below.  Payment can be via credit card (preferred) or Invoice.

Download the Workshop Registration Form

Important Notes 

1. Payment is required prior to the date of the Professional Development Workshop in order to secure attendance and is not refundable.
2. For information on our Cancellation and Transfer Policy, please click here.
3. This workshop contributes to the 10 Queensland College of Teachers continuing Professional Development Requirements. You will receive a certificate on the day of event.