About this Event
Educational leaders and teachers from the Department for Education, Catholic Education SA and the Association of Independent Schools of SA are invited to attend the next Literacy Guarantee Conference which will feature a range of leading experts in literacy to support leaders and teachers more effectively meet the needs of all students.
Keynote address: Dr Bartek RajkowskiSpeech-Language Pathologist
Director, Adelaide Speech Pathology
Why teachers of English spelling need to be experts in the sounds of speech
Have you ever told a student that a word is spelled a certain way because English is weird?
In this keynote, Speech and Language Pathologist Dr Bartek Rajkowski will convince you that written English has an undeserved reputation for being illogical. He will explain why English words are spelled the way they are, and why teaching kids to read and spell requires us to be experts in understanding the relationship between English speech sounds and spelling.
After this presentation, participants will have a better understanding of:
• How the history of the English language is reflected in our spelling system
• Core skills involved in developing the ability to crack the code in written English
• Why evidence-based teaching of reading and spelling requires expert knowledge of the sounds of speech, especially when teaching students with reading and spelling difficulties
Bartek is a speech & language pathologist with extensive experience in the assessment, identification and remediation of reading and spelling difficulties. He is the director of Adelaide Speech Pathology Services where he has led a team of like-minded clinicians since 2001. Bartek is also the creator of Reading Doctor, a popular suite of evidence-based, interactive teaching tools designed to improve literacy skills in students who are learning to read.
Following his doctoral research investigating the relationship between phonological processing, orthographic processing and reading difficulties, Bartek developed a passion for helping teachers improve their knowledge of the structure of the English language, reading research and reading difficulties. He regularly presents his workshops to audiences around Australia and to speech & language pathology students as a casual lecturer at Flinders University.
Bartek is a prominent advocate for students with learning difficulties and has been involved with various lobby groups, including the team that helped persuade the Australian Government to implement the Year 1 Phonics Check. In 2020, Bartek was awarded Learning Difficulties Australia’s Mona Tobias Award, which is given in recognition of ‘an outstanding contribution to Australian education of people with learning difficulties’.
Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Introduction to the Science of Reading
This presentation aims to introduce you to the Science of Reading. We will do this through exploring:
• what science tells us about how the brain learns,
• connecting the Big 6 and Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and
• how to use the Science of Reading to inform teaching practice with consideration of the Simple View of Reading and cognitive load theory.
Presenters: Jo Culf, Dianne Floreani & Kathy Lyon
2. The what, the why and the how of phonological awareness instruction
Phonological awareness, phonemic awareness and phonics are terms that are commonly used interchangeably and incorrectly. This introductory workshop will clarify your understanding of the difference and importance of each of these core elements of reading development. During this workshop we will explore:
• Understanding the phonological structure of spoken words
• Assessing student needs to plan for phonological awareness instruction
• Planning for explicit and systematic instruction of phonological awareness skills
** This workshop is designed for educators with a developing understanding of phonological awareness.
Presenters: Vanessa Genrich, Fiona Sullivan & Kathleen White
3. Phonics Phor Phree - Part One - Department for Education - Reception to Year 2 Phonics and Spelling Scope and Sequence
**Please register for Phonics Phor Phree - Part Two - afternoon session to finish this workshop**
The highly anticipated DfE R-2 Phonics and spelling scope and sequence is now available, along with a range of accompanying resources, at no cost.
During this workshop, we will explore the core elements of effective phonics instruction and you will receive access to a range of free assessment tools and teacher resources.
The workshop will include:
• an instructional routine to explicitly teach systematic synthetic phonics
• a range of free formative assessment and diagnostic tools to inform teaching and planning
• a range of free teaching resources, including:
- card decks
- lesson planning templates
- assessment tools
Presenters: Jill Annicchiarico, Vicki Athanasopoulos, Ashlee deWet-Cowland & Ginny Pryor
4. Dyslexia - Part One - building an understanding of learning difficulties and dyslexia
Participants will develop a deeper understanding of:
• learning difficulties, with a specific focus on dyslexia
• the characteristics of dyslexia and indicators that may be seen in the classroom
• common myths related to dyslexia and dispel them for latest research findings
• the difficulties associated with dyslexia first-hand through a simulation.
Presenters: Sharnie Jamieson & Simone Meurant
5. Death to the spelling contract
Stuck for ideas to support spelling in the primary years? Tired of spelling lists? In this workshop, we will explore practical activities to support quality spelling instruction. These activities can be used with the whole class and differentiated to suit the needs of all learners. We will provide activities to target phonology, orthography, morphology and etymology.
Presenters: Jenny Bartold, Gaynor Furnell & Daina Wilson
6. Diving into vocabulary - the important role it plays in reading comprehension
Participants will develop a deeper understanding of:
• How oral language connects to reading development
• The importance of vocabulary and how it impacts on children’s reading
• How deep knowledge of vocabulary is established through experience and instruction including etymology and morphology
• Selecting words based on the three-tier vocabulary model
• Developing an explicit instructional routine for introducing target vocabulary
Resources will be made available to participants to support the explicit teaching of vocabulary.
Presenters: Penny Knights, Kate Knill & Zana Thiele
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
1. Introduction to the Science of Reading (repeat of the morning session)
This presentation aims to introduce you to the Science of Reading. We will do this through exploring:
• what science tells us about how the brain learns,
• connecting the Big 6 and Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and
• how to use the Science of Reading to inform teaching practice with consideration of the Simple View of Reading and cognitive load theory.
Presenters: Jo Culf, Dianne Floreani & Kathy Lyon
2. Strategies to support oral reading fluency (ORF)
Participants will develop an understanding of the main components of oral reading fluency. There will be opportunities to gain a deeper knowledge of whole class, practical strategies, for all students that will assist in building their oral reading fluency skills across subject areas.
(Those who have attended the year 2 ORF trial training would have already been exposed to this content.)
Presenters: Jill Annicchiarico, Vanessa Genrich, Zana Thiele & Kathleen White
3. Phonics Phor Phree - Part Two - Department for Education - R-2 phonics and spelling scope and sequence - putting it into practice
**Prerequisite – attendance Phonics Phor Phree Part One workshop (morning session) **
Spend 90 minutes in a small group working with a Literacy Coach from the Literacy Guarantee Unit. You will use your class data and the planning templates shared during the first workshop to start planning next term’s phonics lessons.
Bring your device to access online planning tools.
Presenters: Vicki Athanasopoulos, Ashlee deWet-Cowland & Ginny Pryor
4. Dyslexia - Part Two - differentiated not different - dyslexia in the classroom - appropriate supports for students with dyslexia within a mainstream classroom
**Prerequisite Dyslexia Part One morning session**
Participants will apply learning from Dyslexia Part One to:
• identify key strategies for students with dyslexia in the mainstream classroom across Reception to Year 10.
Presenters: Sharnie Jamieson & Simone Meurant
5. Death to the spelling contract (repeat of the morning session)
Stuck for ideas to support spelling in the primary years? Tired of spelling lists? In this workshop, we will explore practical activities to support quality spelling instruction. These activities can be used with the whole class and differentiated to suit the needs of all learners. We will provide activities to target phonology, orthography, morphology and etymology.
Presenters: Jenny Bartold, Gaynor Furnell & Daina Wilson
6. Diving into vocabulary (repeat of the morning session)
Participants will develop a deeper understanding of:
• How oral language connects to reading development
• The importance of vocabulary and how it impacts on children’s reading
• How deep knowledge of vocabulary is established through experience and instruction including etymology and morphology
• Selecting words based on the three-tier vocabulary model
• Developing an explicit instructional routine for introducing target vocabulary
Resources will be made available to participants to support the explicit teaching of vocabulary.
Presenters: Penny Knights, Kate Knill & Fiona Sullivan
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
William Magarey Room, Adelaide Oval, War Memorial Drive, North Adelaide, Australia
AUD 50.00