What Leaders Need To Know About Learning to Read

1. Agenda

This agenda provides an outline of the key sessions for Module 2.

2. Module Booklet

This booklet provides a complete description of the module and includes:

• An overview of the module
• Planned learning outcomes
• A summary of the sessions
• Readings for the module
• Relevant reports
• Related web links
• Follow-up activities / Homework tasks
• Session format and notes
• References used

3. PowerPoint

This PowerPoint was used by Associate Professor Deslea Konza.

4. Video

5. Support Material

Support materials were provided in hard copy to the Principals during the module presentation. The order in which they are listed is the order in which they were used during the delivery.

6. Homework Tasks

There was an expectation that Principals would engage with a series of ‘Homework Tasks’ between each of the modules. This expectation is consistent with the research evidence on what works in Professional Development. This evidence is very clear that ‘real’ learning occurs in the context in which one works rather than in a one day presentation.

The homework task for Module 2 was:

Task 1
The Literacy Practices Guide was developed by Associate Professor Deslea Konza. This was designed for Principals and staff to use as a check list for classroom observation and reflection about effective literacy teaching and learning in the primary years.

Principals were asked, on return to their schools, to work with a volunteer group of staff to observe and reflect what was happening in their school’s classrooms.

The Literacy Practices Guide has proved to be one of the most successful instruments developed in PALL. Most Principals reported that this was a good foundation to start a Disciplined Dialogue with their teachers.

Please note there are two Literacy Practices Guides.

The second guide was used by Anne Bayetto in her presentation and is a modification and further development of the one developed by Deslea.

7. Feedback Sheet

This was used to gather feedback from the Principals on the sessions delivered in this module so that the developers could make necessary adjustments to future modules.

8. Supplementary Material

Anne Bayetto distributed Principals with a copy of a Reception 4 Term Overview which provides a timetable for introducing the foundation year skills common to all quality synthetic programs. It was developed by The Specific Learning Difficulties Association of South Australia (SPELD – SA).
Synthetic Phonics

A series of practical websites to assist teachers in the areas of listening and speaking.
Listening and Speaking

Another series of links to a variety of effective reports, etc on literacy.
Literacy Reports / Reviews / Other

Anne provided a list of some useful reading websites.
Useful Sites to Follow-up PALL Module 2 – Reading Websites

This is a fantastic resource for teachers as it provides them with a range of practical applications to use in their classrooms in each area of the Big Six. It was compiled by a group from the Fogarty Learning Centre, Edith Cowan University.
Implementing the Big Six

This was developed by the Learning Difficulties Team, Centre for Inclusive Schooling, Department of Education, Western Australia, 2009.
Scope and Sequence: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Spelling

Written by Anne Bayetto, Flinders University, School of Education
Article on Fluency

Written by Anne Bayetto, Flinders University, School of Education
Article on Vocabulary

Written by Anne Bayetto, Flinders University, School of Education
Article on Oral Language

Written by Anne Bayetto, Flinders University, School of Education
Article on Letter-Sound (Phonics)

Anne Bayetto prepared this document.

• Perspectives about reading – Anne Bayetto
• References – Anne Bayetto

9. Podcasts

In the first podcast, Leonie Trimper (the then President of the Australian Primary Principals Association), provides a context for the production of these podcasts as part of the PALL project.

Associate Professor Deslea Konza follows with a brief overview of what is required for the Teaching of Reading including an introduction to the Big Six of Reading.

1. Oral Language – Deslea Konza

Deslea provides the evidence that all levels of reading will be affected if children do not have good oral language skills.

2. Phonological Awareness – Deslea Konza

Focuses on relating letters to sounds.
Deslea describes the steps required to enable children to develop a word awareness to be able to blend and segment sounds.

3. Phonics – Deslea Konza

Phonics or Letter- Sound Knowledge stresses the importance of teaching letter-sound relationships. The focus is on how critical the skills of synthesising sounds and blending sounds into words is to reading.

4. Vocabulary – Deslea Konza

Deslea emphasises the importance of Vocabulary to reading and describes practical steps to build a child’s vocabulary.

5. Fluency – Deslea Konza

Fluency is when the magic happens. This focuses on fluency being the culmination of the other four areas and the basis for comprehension. It describes how learning to read becomes reading to learn and the range of activities that the teacher can use to develop this skill.

6. Comprehension – Deslea Konza

This strategy depends on all the other five critical components being in place.

Comprehension needs to be taught not practised. The focus is on strategies before / during / after.