For Primary and Secondary Teachers
29 March 2025
ACU Ballarat Campus
The researchers and teachers of The Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy at ACU would like to invite you and your staff to an exceptional literacy event at the ACU Ballarat campus on Saturday, 29 March 2025.
The Advancing Literacy Conference and Workshop will feature concurrent presentations and workshops for primary and secondary teachers from all disciplines, as well as intervention specialists to introduce the latest research-based, explicit instructional strategies with immediate impact on teaching and learning. Literacy leaders and school leaders are encouraged to attend to gain further insights into the decision-making processes that will impact students' literacy achievement.
For the first time in Australia, Dr. Wes Hoover (Austin, Texas) will present on his lifetime of research on the Simple View of Reading and the Cognitive Foundations of Reading Acquisition to assist all teachers to understand the skills required for students to read and comprehend text.
Teachers and intervention specialists from Prep to Year 12 will then choose from concurrent workshop sessions for a full day of professional development.
The day will finish with a keynote presentation by Prof. Genevieve McArthur on the current science of literacy and mental health and the implications for teachers and schools.
Please note that a special offer is now available to send 5 members of your staff to the Advancing Literacy Conference for the discounted cost of $650 ($130per person instead of $160pp). Only 150 tickets are available and I encourage you to act quickly to secure seats for your staff.
See you at the event!
Time | Session | Presenter | Title of Presentation | Focus |
---|---|---|---|---|
Time
9:00am |
Session
Keynote presentation |
Presenter
Dr. Wesley Hoover |
Title of Presentation
Part A: The Simple View of Reading Part B: The Cognitive Foundations of Reading Acquisition |
Focus
Components of skilled reading; recognising & improving deficits |
Time
10:30am |
Session
Morning Tea |
|||
Time
11:00am |
Session
Primary Teachers & intervention specialists |
Presenter
Prof. Saskia Kohnen & Dr. Erin Banales |
Title of Presentation
Creating meaningful, yet efficient assessment schedules to drive effective instruction. Includes rationales for why and how to administer specific tests and how to score and interpret results. |
Focus
Assessment |
Time | Session
Secondary Teachers & intervention specialists |
Presenter
Prof. Rauno Parrila |
Title of Presentation
How do we know if students have the reading and language skills that they need to access the curriculum in high school? |
Focus
Assessment |
Time
12:30pm |
Session
Lunch |
|||
Time
1:30pm |
Session
Teachers of Years P-2 & intervention specialists |
Presenter
Prof. Saskia Kohnen & Dr. Erin Banales |
Title of Presentation
Developing effective lesson plans for systematic, explicit phonics instruction. Easily adaptable lesson plan designs for primary classrooms, including progression and revision steps and rationales for their use. |
Focus
Instruction |
Time | Session
Teachers of Years 3 -12 & intervention specialists |
Presenter
Prof. Anne Castles & Jessica Colleu Terradas |
Title of Presentation
Insights into the structure of words: Implications for reading, spelling and vocabulary in Years 3-6 and high school. |
Focus
Instruction |
Time
3:00pm |
Session
Keynote presentation |
Presenter
Prof. Genevieve McArthur |
Title of Presentation
The current science of literacy and mental health: Implications for teachers and schools |
Focus
Reading self-concept, anxiety, disengagement. |
Time
4:00pm |
Session
Close |
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