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This post relates to a discussion on a whole of school approach to spelling. The original poster is an existing user of PLD resources for stage 1, grade 1 and was required to assist the school with expanding the PLD across the entire school.

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Five From Five, AUSPELD and Learning Difficulties Australia have collaborated to create an evidence-based framework for schools which aims to dramatically reduce the number of children who finish primary school unable to read.  The pledge aims to ‘reduce to near zero the number of children who finish primary school unable to read by providing primary […]

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It is quite common for children to arrive into Foundation without a dominant hand. Research suggests that while a majority of children show a preference by 3 years of age, and others by school age, some students actually establish dominance as late as 8 or 9 years old. As teachers are not Occupational Therapists, how […]

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Its great to know that you are having an impact, particularly on our new wave of teachers graduating each year. We were on forwarded this status update from the ECU M17 Class of 2010 – They saved the best for last! student Facebook group by the wonderful Dr Lorraine Hammond – Course Co-ordinator graduate diploma of education (primary), at the ECU school of education.

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Have you seen The King’s Speech? Oral Language is one of the skill sets required for literacy so I was particularly interested in seeing the film. Based on the true story of the Prince of Wales prior to becoming King George VI, the story is centred on the problem of the Prince’s severe stutter. (In the UK they apply the term ‘stammering’). If stuttering is not treated by the onset of puberty it will never be cured but only managed at best.

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The WA Department of Education schools focus for 2020 has just been released, have you had a chance to check it out? If not, you can view or download a copy here as a PDF: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/dl/1zxeed For 2020 Western Australian schools are, among others, focusing on: Support learners to make the best start with access […]

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What are Elkonin Boxes: Elkonin boxes or sound boxes are a teaching tool used to represent each sound or phoneme contained in a word (Elkonin, 1963). A series of connected boxes are used to represent each sound (not the letters) in a word. For example, three boxes are placed under the word ‘fish’ to represent […]

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We love getting feedback from users of our programs and learning the impact these programs can have in everyday classroom situations. We recently received the following email regarding our Developing Narrative Skills Program which we have shared with you today.

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In an era where young children are exposed to so much technology, it appears this trend has not always been beneficial to their  development. Research has shown that in Australia, despite increases in overall prosperity, the developmental outcomes for children appear to have worsened …

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Teachers and parents are bombarded with resources designed to improve the learning outcomes in a classroom or home environment. Unfortunately, being in possession of a great resource doesn’t always translate to great outcomes. While the people teaching our children must be commended for their dedication and hard work, they also need support from their teaching resource providers to ensure maximum benefit from their precious classroom time.

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Let us be calm when reading the 2019 PISA results and not point the blame solely at teachers. The report reminds us that there is much work to be done at the teacher training level, the curriculum level and also the classroom/school level.  Firstly, the recommendations from the Independent Review of the Teaching of Early […]

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Do you know how the National Curriculum affects preschool children? In a recent cover page article in the West Australian titled ‘Teaching three Rs urged for pre-school”, a case was made for teaching academic concepts to children before they reach primary school. Understandably, both parents and teachers are concerned about what this means for them and the children in their care.

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This post relates to a discussion on a whole of school approach to spelling. The original poster is an existing user of PLD resources for stage 1, grade 1 and was required to assist the school with expanding the PLD across the entire school.

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It’s clear there’s a broad gap between research findings being published and the application of the same findings in the classroom.

In a recent Weekend West Opinion article,”Read the signs – it’s time for a brave new teaching world”, by Alanna MacTiernan, a bold challenge is proposed to our education system as a whole. Failing a significant number of our students and adhering to outdated and unsupported research frameworks, it’s disturbing reading. I wish I could say I’m surprised but I’m not.

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PLD recommends commencing explicit SSP instruction as early as possible in Term 1.  Some schools new to implementing PLD used a pupil-free day at the end of the previous year, or the beginning of this new school year, to review handover screening whilst watching the online courses.  However, there will be other schools that are […]

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It is quite common for children to arrive into Foundation without a dominant hand. As teachers are not Occupational Therapists, how do you help establish a student’s dominant hand as left or right and why is it so valuable to do so?  Research suggests that while a majority of children show a preference by 3 […]

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Commencing in Semester 2 has its advantages because staff can become familiar with PLD’s programs, and implementation issues can be resolved all before the start of a new school year. This article provides a comprehensive guide to kickstarting PLD in Term 3. The implementation of PLD can be initiated at any point during the school […]

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Whilst initiating a new Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) program in Term 4 might seem unnecessary, it offers distinct benefits. It allows staff to familiarise themselves with PLD’s screening and tracking procedures, teaching sequences, and downloadable manuals. This preparation sets them up to commence the next school year with ample resources, confidence, and expertise to implement […]