Leaving nothing to chance:
How Explicit Instruction can prevent early literacy difficulties
Professional Learning for Prep-Year 2 Teachers, literacy co-ordinators
andadministrators
Date: Tuesday 16th May, 2017
Time: 9.00 – 3.00pm
Venue: The Hills Grammar School
43 Kenthurst Rd, Kenthurst NSW 2156
Park via Gate 1 and follow the signs to the RJ Phipps Performance Centre.
Cost: LDA Members $135, non-members $150, students $100
Explicit Instruction gives struggling students an academic advantage when learning to read. This approach leaves nothing to chance and does not make assumptions about skills and knowledge that children will acquire on their own. In Australia, the National Inquiry into Teaching Literacy (2005) recommended the importance of systematic, direct and explicit phonics instruction so that children master the essential alphabetic code-breaking skills required for foundational reading proficiency. In Western Australia, Louden (2015) investigated high performing primary schools in socially disadvantaged suburbs and found that theseschools taught synthetic phonics in the early years in an explicit, systematic and direct way. With many schools in Australia introducing an explicit approach to literacy, this practical seminar will outline the challenges for schools, what’s involved in planning instructional sequences and how to deliver Explicit Instruction in the areas of reading, writing and spelling in the early years.
Dr Lorraine Hammond
Lorraine is a researcher and Senior Lecturer at Edith Cowan University in WA and President of LDA. She works directly with schools across Australia taking up Explicit Instruction and coaches teachersregularly. Lorraine will provide a practical overview of the instructional components and challenges for teachers and schools implementing this approach.
Brooke Wardana
Brooke is an outstanding early childhood teacher who featured in the documentary Outside the Square. ( She teaches at a high performing school in Western Australiaand provides professional learning and consultancy support to schools across Australia. Brooke will present a demonstration lesson with an early childhood class and explain the components of effective Explicit Instruction lessons.
Register onlinefor this seminar at:OR download and email a registration form
Queries to LDA by phone (03) 9890 6138 or email at:
Louden, W. (2015). High performing primary schools: What do they have in common? Department of Education, Western Australia.
/ Completing “Leaving Nothing to Chance” will contribute 51/2 hours of NESA registered professional learning addressing 2.5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher accreditation in NSW.