This week I presented the Learning Difficulties Australia Weekly Wednesday Webinar. Below you will find access to the recording as well as my slides.
Title: 'From research to practice: What's involved in getting literacy right from the start?'
Description: In this presentation I outline the work that's gone into setting up English and Literacy in a foundation primary school that is committed to best practice. Approaches to curriculum, instruction, assessment, intervention, and practice improvement are discussed. This model is not being presented as an exemplar, as effectiveness will be determined over time. Rather, this presentation is intended to promote discussion about what effective approaches and models can look like in Australian primary schools, given the evidence we have available to us.
A word of advice: Teachers and leaders often get overwhelmed by individual and school level change. This is usually because, given the endless options, they don't know where to start, or they start by trying to do a bit of everything at once. Whether it is your own practice, or whole school change, pick one thing, work hard at it until you're satisfied with it, then move to the next thing. Rushing and overloading invariably lead to subpar results. For whole school change, give yourselves five years. Set goals with specific, realistic, observable, measurable steps for each, and you'll get there.
Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrTid758pA
Slides: