contents 3... · 2018-10-31 · how a speld qld assessment changed elliott’s educational journey...

2-3 ExecutiveOfficer’sReport

3 ThankyouCivicSolutions

4-5 ScheduleofEvents

6-7 HowaSpeldQldAssessmentchanged Elliott’seducationaljourney

8-9 SpeldQld2018-19ManagementCommittee

10-19 Article:TheEducationElephant intheRoom

TERM 3 2018

CONTENTS

Executive Officer’s Report

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WhatanexcitingwaytoendwhathasbeenanotherfunandeventpackedtermatSpeld.Thereisoldsayingthatbadthingscomein3’s….WellasyouknowIamnotonewholikestofollowthenormandthisweekIhad3goodthingscomingmywaytoputaspringinmystepandlaunchmeintomyholidays…

Let me share with you 3 of my favourite things from this week alone.

Thefirst wastheAGMmeetingonMondaynight….NowIamnotoneformeetingsandgenerallytheyarenothighlightsinone’slife,howeveronMondaynightImet7amazing

peoplewhowereelectedontoourcommittee.Theycomefromadiversityofbackgroundsandhavetheirownpersonalstoriesoftheirinvolvementwitheithermembersoftheirfamily,studentstheyteachorpeopletheysupportwhohavealearningdifference.TogetherundertheskilfulleadershipofJoeKellyMPforGreenslopes,theywillworkwithustocelebrate50yearsofservicetopeopleinQueenslandwhohaveaLearningDifference.

Ofcoursethishappytimealsomeantwesaidfarewellto4longservingmembersofthecommittee:

• DrKenAvenell,whohasbeenanamazingsupportformepersonallyoverthepast4yearsandhasbeeninstrumentalinestablishingkeypartnershipsforSpeld,

• ShaunZiegenfuszwhohasassisteduswithhiswealthofknowledge,

• TraceyLennonwhohasinspireduswithherwritingandabilitytorunthebestsausagesizzleatourParentExposandbaratthecocktailparty,and

• LibbyRosentreterwhosharedherskillsandexpertiseaswellasmanylaughs.

Thank you all for your amazing contribution and journey with Speld.

Iamforevermindfulthatthisorganisationwasestablishedbyagroupofpassionateparentswhowantedsupportfortheirchildrenastheymovedthroughtheeducationsystem.MrsPatriciaSavagewastheinspirationalfounderofSpeldinQueenslandin1969,andIdidhavethehonourofmeetingheratourcocktailpartyin2014.SowhenamessagecamethroughourFacebookpageafterourcommitteemeetingsaying…..

“I personally know Pat Savage is proud of how Speld has evolved”,Iwasoverthemoonandsoclockedthatasmysecondhappyevent.

Itisclearthatdyslexiaisadifficultlearningdifferencetoidentifyandforalongtimemanyhavenotwantedtotalkabouttheirstrugglesastheymovedthroughschool.Andsotomythirdhappyeventfortheweek….WhilstwaitingformycoffeetodayandflickingthroughtheCourierMailmyeyeswereinstantlydrawntothisarticle.

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Thank you Civic SolutionsWewerefortunatetoreceiveanextremelygenerousdonationfromCivicSolutionstoofferourAssessmentServicacrosstheStateforthesamepriceasweofferitinBrisbane–achallengeconsideringourgreatdistancesbutonewhichIamhappytoreportwehavemetthispastyear.

Withthisdonationwewereabletomeettheneedsoffamilieswhoforfinancialorsocioeconomicdifficultieswouldnototherwisehavebeenabletoaccessourservice.TheopportunitytoprovidethisservicewasonlypossiblebecauseofthegenerousdonationfromCivicSolutions.

FundsfromthispastsponsorshipallowedSpeldQldtofinanciallysupportatotalof73studentsinruralandremoteQueensland,orfamilieswithextenuatingcircumstances,tohaveanassessment.

SpeldQldAssessorsthisyearvisited:

• Cairns• Gladstone• Townsville• Roma• Biloela• Chinchilla• Bundaberg• Gatton• Goondiwindi• Proserpine• Longreach

SpeldQldwouldliketosincerelythankCivicSolutionsfortheircontinuedgenerosityinsupportingpeopleexperiencinglearningdifferencesthroughoutQueensland.

Aswepreparetolaunchintothepreparationsforour50thyear,IamexcitedandreassuredthatwearegoingtomakeadifferenceandwecanassistthosewhoworkwithpeoplewithDyslexiaandotherlearningdifferencestobesuccessfulintheirjourneythroughlife.

WeofcoursehaveasourPatronthedelightfulandextremelytalentedAustralianChildren’sLaureate2014–2015andSeniorAustralianoftheYear2015,JackieFrenchAM,whowillplayanimportantroleinourcelebrations.Wearealsolookingforotherstojoinusin2019,especiallyatoureventatParliamentHouse.Ifyouhaveanycontactsforpeoplewhohavemaderemarkableachievementsandhavedyslexiawewouldlovetohearfromyou.

AndsoasanothertermdrawstoaclosecanItakethetimetoonceagainthankyouallforyoursupportandencouragement,haveasafeandhappyholidaywithfamilyandfriendsandIlookforwardtoworkingwithyouallagaininterm4.

MarionMcMahon

Executive Officer’s Report cont...

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Schedule of Events Term 4 2018

Presented by Courtney McNally

CourtneyisaDSFregisteredpsychologistandTalkforWritingtrainerwithexperienceworkinginaneducationalsetting.SheisastrongadvocateofT4Wandthecapacityithastoengageandsupportstudentsofallagesandabilitylevels.

SincejoiningtheDSFtrainingteam,CourtneyhasdeliveredT4Wworkshopsacrossthestateaswellason-siteatDSF.ShehaswitnessedtheimpactofT4Winschoolsettings,aswellasfirsthandthroughusingtheT4Wapproachinsmall-grouptuition.

About the Workshop:

T4Wisauniqueprocessthatusesspokenactivitiestodevelopwritingskills.Qualitywritingiscreatedbyfirstexpandinganddevelopingstudents’orallanguageskillsandthenteachingthenecessarystepsforexceptionalsentence,paragraphandtextconstruction.

T4Whasthepotentialtodramaticallyimprovestudents’writing.Theapproachalsooffersstudentswithlearningandlanguagedifficultiesanopportunitytodevelopstrongerwritingskills.FeedbackfromstudentsindicatesthattheyfindT4W‘fun,engagingandmotivating.’

ThistwodayworkshopoffersteachersanoverviewoftheTalkforWritingapproachandprovidesopportunitiesforhands-onparticipationinthestepsofthisexceptionallyeffectiveinstructionalapproach.TheworkshopaddressestheuseofTalkforWritingforbothfictionandnon-fictionandcovers:

• Planning,bothforaunitofwork,basedoninstructionalneedsofstudents,andatawhole-schoollevel;

• The“ThreeI’s”–Imitation,InnovationandInvention–whicharethebasisoftheTalkforWritingapproachandwhichallowstudentstomovefromdependencetoindependenceintheirwritinginasystematic,scaffoldedway;

• Providingeffectivefeedbacktostudentsinordertopromoteskilldevelopment;

• Accurateassessmentofwriting,inordertotrackstudentprogressandguideteachinggoals;and

• Developmentofgrammaticalskills,withafocusonfunctionalapplicationofgrammarinwriting,through‘warm-up’gamesselectedtomeetspecificinstructionalneedsofstudents.

Date:Thursday18October2018Friday19October2018(2days)

Time:9:00am—3:00pmeachday

Venue:SpeldQld141MertonRoadWoolloongabba

Cost: $360.00Members $450.00Non-Members

Register onlinewww.speld.org.au/events

MorningTeaandLunchwillbeprovided.

Dietaryrequirementsarerequiredatthetimeofregistration.

Assistive TechnologyDate: Tuesday 16 OctoberTime: 9.00am to 3.00pmPresenter: Ainsley RobertsonCost: $120.00 Members | $160.00 Non Members

This workshop explores what assistive technology is and how it can bring independence, confidence and joy to learning.

Practical tips and strategies are provided relating to how best use devices such as iPads, tablets, PCs and other technology to effectively support those with learning differences.

Some of the topics explored will include:

• What is Assistive Technology (AT)?• What are the main types of AT?• Assistive Technology Choices ~ Mac or Windows?• Why use the Apple iPad?• iPad essentials• Useful settings and tips for all devices• Finding free accessibility support

And many more...

Singapore Maths & DyscalculiaDate: Friday 2 NovemberTime: 9.00am to 3.00pmPresenter: Judy HornigoldCost: $180.00 Members | $225.00 Non Members

This one-day workshop will explore how the Singapore approach to teaching maths can meet the needs of children with dyscalculia and general Maths Difficulties.

In particular, how the five core elements of the Singapore Approach can support the weaknesses of children with difficulties in Maths. These five core elements are metacognition, visualization, number sense, generalisation and communication. Each will be explored together with practical strategies such as bar modelling, the use of ten frames, Cuisenaire rods and other appropriate manipulatives.

The workshop will be very hands on with plenty of practical ideas and activities and will be suitable for anyone who works with children experiencing difficulties in Maths. It will address both primary and secondary phases.

REGISTRATIONwww.speld.org.au/events

All workshops include tea/coffee and lunch.

T: 3391 7900 F: 3392 4190 E: [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We can provide Professional Development for Staff at your School throughout Qld.

Various topics available. See website for details

www.speld.org.au/professional-development

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Understanding Learning DIfficulties: A Practical GuideDate: Thursday 22 NovemberTime: 9.00am to 3.00pmPresenter: Marion McMahonCost: $180.00 Members | $225.00 Non Members

In this practical full-day workshop the highly regarded Understanding Learning Difficulties Guide will be reviewed and effective ways to make use of it explored.

Successful strategies for assisting students with developmental learning disorders, such as dyslexia, will be identified.

The Guide includes a wealth of valuable information and a comprehensive overview of evidence-based remediation and accommodation strategies.

Schedule of Events Term 4 2018

How a Speld Qld Assessment changed Elliott’s educational journey

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WithpermissionfromKirsten,weareabletoshareElliott’sinspirationaljourneywithyou.Wehopeyourheartsareasfilledwithhopeasourswere.

Inmid-late2016,mysonElliottwashighlystressed,anxious,stuttering,facetwitching,unabletosleepwithoutnightmares,revertedtobed-wettingandseeminglyunravellinginallaspectsoflearning.Facedwithanunsupportiveanddismissiveteacheratthetime,IchosetohavehimdiagnosedbySpeld.DanielleCopplindiagnosedhimwithlimitedprocessingspeed,SLDinMathematicswithadditionaldifficultiesinspellingandidentifiedsymptomsofanxietyanddepression.Thediagnosiswasareliefnotjusttous,asparentsbutinElliott’swords“SoI’mNOTdumb!”henowrealisedhejustlearneddifferentlyfromothers.

ArmedwithwisewordsfromMarionandofficialreport,inpreparationforthefollowingschoolyearof2017ImetwiththePrincipaloutliningElliott’sdiagnosisandrequirementsforlearningandbestsuitedstyleofteacher.ThePrincipalwasmostsupportiveandplacedElliottinYear5withanamazing,experiencedandhighlylateralthinkingteacherwhonotonlyembracedtheprovidedreportandaccommodationsbutalsoutilisedthestrategiessuggestedforElliottwithothernon-diagnosedstudents.Bymid-wayof2017thestuttering,facetwitching,bed-wetting,nightmareshadallstopped.Amoreconfident,happierboyhadstartedtoemerge–hewantedtoactivelyparticipateinclassmore,formfriendshipsandsimplystartedtolovelearningagain.Hismathsandspellingresultsimprovedsubstantially,givinghimtheencouragementthatheneededtopersevere.Theparent–teachercommunicationwassupportive,frequentandpositivemakingthewholeexperienceevenbetterforElliott.

Byterm4of2017,hehadbeenpre-selectedasaSchoolLeaderforthefollowingyear(year6)inoneoftheir4portfolios:Community–givinghimatruesenseofbelonging,buildinghisconfidenceanddevelopinghisalreadystrongabilitytoorallyexpress.Additionally,withtheinformationofanewSTEMdepartmentandjuniorRoboticsteambeingcreatedtoberolledoutin2018,hisyear5teacherwasinstrumentalinfightingastrictpre-selectionsystem(Needingband6+ofNaplanMathsasrequestedbythenewExecutivePrincipaloftheprimaryandsecondaryschool)askingthenewlyappointedSTEMteachertore-considerinaddingElliotttothesmallgroupofselectedchildrenduetohislateralthinkingabilityandloveofbuildinglegoandmechanisms.TheSTEMteacherwentoverElliott’sdiagnosiswithhisteacher,metandwatchedElliottinplayingwiththeroboticsmanytimesbeforesubstantiatinghischoiceinselectingElliottwiththeExecutivePrincipal.Inhiswords“hemaynotbethefastest–buthethinksdifferentlyandwhenlookingatinnovatorsofourworld,that’swhatweneed”.ThebarhadbeensetveryhighbytheSeniorcampusroboticsteam…regional,state,nationalroboticschampionsandranked#13thintheworldthisyear.TheExecutivePrincipalhadmadeitclearthatshewaslookingforthejuniorstobecomefuturechampionstoo.

Attheendof2017inpreparationfor2018’sYear6,IfollowedthesamemethodofapproachasIdidin2016,writingtothePrincipaloutlininghisrequirementsanddiagnosis.Again,hematchedElliottwithafabulousYear6teacherwhoadditionallyhasbeenmentoringastudentteacher,whokeenlyhasbeenwantingtolearnhowbesttohelpElliottintheclassroom.ThisyearhasbeenwatchingandtalkingwithElliottanumberoftimes.Heisalsopreparingwithabiggerteam,tocompeteforthefirsttimeinFirstLegoLeague’sworldwideIntoOrbitchallenge….workingonfindingsolutionstoreal-lifespaceproblemswithrobotics.

OFFICE IS CLOSED DURING THE STATE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

24thSeptember-7thOctober2018

Assessmentswilltakeplaceduringthistime.

WhilstMathsinclassstillcontinuestobetrickyforElliott,withtherightapplicationofhisaccommodationshecontinuestodohisbestandwell-thebiggesthelphascomeintheformofRobotics.Roboticshasgivenhimacompletelydifferentunderstandingofapplyingmaths.Notbeingtechnicalmyself,Ispentagreatdealoftimelookingforcalculatingaidsforroboticsprogrammingegworkingoutwheelrotationsindegrees,%ofspeedetc.

“Mum,sometimesinclassIthinkhowwouldIusethis{mathsproblem}inrobotics?AndthenIthinkofhowIwouldprogramitinmyrobotanditmakesitsomucheasier!”.HeteamedupwithafriendinRobotics…whoisverymathematicalandverygoodatprogrammingquickly,whereasElliottlaterallythinksaroundbuildproblemsolvingbetter.Anicepartnership.Thepairenteredtheir1stroboticscompetitionregionallyinAprilandwontheiragedivision,comingsecondtotheNationalChampions(ourhighschoolteam)intheOpendivision.Suchawonderfulboosttohisconfidence!

Recently,thepaircompetedattheStateRobocupLineFollowRescuecompetitionheldatUQStLucia.Thefieldwaslarge,withmanyprivateschoolentrantsfromacrossthestate.TheywonthePrimaryDivisionandarenowpreparingtoflytoMelbourneinOctobertorepresenttheschoolandstateattheNationalRobocupLineFollowRescueChampionships!Notbadforarookieteam,oneofwhichhasalearningdifficultyinmathsandlimitationinprocessingspeed!Addingtohisachievements,thisweekhehasbeenpre-selectedfor2019tobeontheRobo-Kings(SecondaryCampusroboticsteam)bytheState’sawardwinningSTEMteacher,leadingElliotttobecomepassionateaboutRoboticsandwithhiskeeninterestinMarineSciencewouldlovetomoveintothisfieldofstudiesinthefuture.Thisallseemedimpossiblein2016.Elliott’sjourneyobviouslystillcontinues,buthisjourneywouldhavebeenVERYdifferentifwedidnotknowhowbesttosupporthim.Hisdiagnosishasnotlimitedhim,ratherempoweredusasparentsandhisteacherstohelphimlearnanddeveloptobecomehisbest.Theprimaryschooldeputyandhisteacherarenowpreparinghimandfutureteacher/sfor2019–thestartofhishighschoolingyears.HisSTEMteacherisadditionallypleasedwithhis“gamble”inselectinghim,nodoubtteachinghimthatpassionandaheadforthinkingoutsidethesquarecanbeequallyifnotmorepowerfulthanhowapersoncancompute.

Inpicture,ElliottstandsholdingthetrophyattherecentstatechampionshipsbesidehisteammateandSTEMteacher.

Warmregards,Kirsten

How a Speld Qld Assessment changed Elliott’s educational journey

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2018 - 2019 Speld Qld Management Committee

Joe Kelly MPPresidentJoehaslivedintheGreenslopesareaforover17yearsandisapassionateadvocateforhislocalcommunity.JoeisactiveinseveralcommunitygroupsincludingP&Cs,disabilityservicesandenvironmentgroups.

Joseba LarrazabalJosebaistheExecutivePrincipalofKedronParkStateHighSchool.Heleadsanoutstandingstaffwhotirelesslyworktoinspiretheirstudentstobethenextlife-longlearnersandleadersshapingthefutureofournationandtheworld.

Kirrily BoultonKirrilyisHeadofCorporateAffairsattheEndeavourFoundationandhasagenuinecommitmenttomakingadifference.ShehasencouragedandsupportedEndeavourFoundationtobeastrongadvocatefortherightsofpeoplewithadisability.

SpeldQldAGM2018outgoingandincomingCommittee

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2018 - 2019 Speld Qld Management Committee cont...

Paul KeenePaulisaSeniorPolicyAdvisorwiththeQueenslandStateGovernmentandaformerQueenslandPoliceOfficerof12years.Paulhasagenuineinterestinpromotinginvolvementofpeoplewithdisabilitiesinpoliiticsinthedisabilityareaandisalsoinvolvedwithourneighbours,TheWoolloongabbaMen’sShed.

Tony BrownTonyisasemi-retiredbusinessmanwithagenuinecommitmenttosupportingpeoplewithlearningdifferences.TonyhaspreviouslyheldexecutivepositionsontheP&CatSetonCollegeandSevilleRdStateSchool.

Ian ChapmanIanistheDirectorofVideoMediaProductionsandwithalifetimeinelectronicmediahasfilledmanyroleswithintheindustry.Afteranumberofyearsinradio,IanprogressedtotelevisionasWriter/ProducerwiththeTENNetworkandeventuallySeniorCreative.HelaterworkedandtrainedoverseasbeforereturningtoAustraliannetworkrolesinproduction,salesandpresenting.

Dr Briony WainmanBrionyisaprofessionaleducatorwith17yearsteachingexperienceinsecondaryandtertiaryinstitutions.Sheispassionateaboutimprovingthelearningexperienceforstudentsthroughmultiplemodalities.

Ray AshfordRayhasworkedinarangeofdiverselocationsacrossQueenslandasaTeacherwiththeDepartmentofEducationQueensland.HehasundertakenmanyroleswithinDET,however,hismostrecentroleisasaHRManager,providingservicesto137BrisbaneCatholicEducationschools.

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Duringmyfiftyyearsofteachingchildrentoread,Ihavewitnessedthefallofschoolchildren’sreadingstandardsandtheequallydistressingdeclineofrespectfortheteachingprofession.There’s an Education Elephant in the roomandI’dreallyliketotellyouaboutit.

Beforethe1980’s,acceptanceintoteachertrainingwasviapassinganEnglishandMathematicsexamandapanelinterview.TeacherTrainingincludedthedevelopmentofchildren’spsycho-socialandmotorskillsandorallanguage,psychologicalcognitivelearningtheories,andhowtoteachthesystematicpre-reading,reading,andhandwriting,spelling,andmathematicsskills. Nowadays,mosteducationcoursesareArtscourseswithlittleornomentionoftheabovetopics.The Education Elephant in the room is in most university education courses.

Asayoungprimaryteacher,Ifollowedthesuccinctcurriculaofteachingliteracyandnumeracyskills,whichsupportedwhatIhadlearned.Nowadays,therearevolumesofEnglishcurriculathatarefullofwordsthathavelittlerelevancetoeffectiveteachingofhowyoungchildrenlearntoreadandspell,especiallyinF–2whenthefoundationskillsNEEDtobelearned,beforetheycanbuildoninYear3-6.

The Education Elephant in the room is in the English Primary curriculum.

WhenItaughtinprimaryschoolsbeforethe1980’s,it was unheard ofthatanychildwouldgotoYear3withoutknowingthefoundationreading,spelling,writingandmathematicsskills.Duringthe1980’stheideologyofwholelanguage,nowcalledbalancedliteracy,camefromUSAviaUK.Readingwasseentobeanaturallyacquiredskilllikeorallanguage,assumingthatyoungchildrenwouldlearntoreadbybeingreadto.Theideacamefromstudiesofhowaccomplishedadultreadersreadbut NOT how most young non-reading children need to learn. Weknowfromcognitivescientistswhilstorallanguageisinherent;readingisaskillthatneedstobetaughtinordertobelearnedbymostchildren.

Thistrendof‘childdiscovery’learningalsoinvolvednotesting,noaccuratereportingtoparents,nodiagnosticdescriptorsandnoinstruction.Theteachingofspelling,grammarandpunctuationwasdeemedunnecessary,with the word ‘phonics’ forbidden.Readingwasaboutmeaningonlyandchildrenweretaughtto‘read’bymemorizingandguessingwordsbypicturecluesandmeaningofcontext,nomatterhowincorrect.Praisewasgiventoallchildrenwhomadeaneffort,regardlessoferrors.Correctionwasnolongerneeded.Spellingwasnolongertaught.Primaryteachersbecamefacilitatorswho‘guided’childrenthroughinterestingandstimulatingexperiences,withanassumptionthattheywouldall‘learn’.Testingtoseeiftheyhad‘learned’wasnotrequired.

The education elephant in the room and illiteracybyJoRogers

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The Education Elephant in the room is in most primary school classrooms.

EducationacademicsfromuniversitieswhohadsecondaryandtertiaryArts/EnglishorMathematics/Sciencebackgroundscameintoteachertraining,educationpolicymaking,curricula,educationbureaucracies,educationresearch,teacherunionsandmanyjoinedEnglishteachingorganizations.

The Education Elephant in the room began to appear in all of these Education rooms.

By1990concernsaboutAustralia’sfallingreadingstandardsbegantodawn.In1996aNationalSurveyfoundthat27%Year3and29%Year5children‘didnotmeetminimumperformancestandardsofliteracyrequiredforeffectiveparticipationintheirfurtherschooling.’In1997,20%ofyoungadultshadverypoorliteracyskillsand28%could‘alsobeexpectedtoexperiencedifficultiesinusingmanyoftheprintedmaterialsthatmaybeencounteredineverydaylife’;inotherwords48%werefunctionallyilliterate’.(ABS)ConcernswereraisedinBusinessbyemployergroupsandinAuditorGeneralsreports. In2005theNelsonRoweNationalInquiryintoTeachingofLiteracyinAustralia(NITL)reportwasformallyacceptedbyFederalParliament.Itlookedatscientificevidence,soitwasfactual;notanopinion.ItfoundthatthelowilliteracylevelsinAustralianschoolswereunacceptable,thatteachingofreadingwasnotbeingtaughtin(allbuttwo)teachertrainingcourses,thatbestpracticeofteachingreadingwasnotinEnglishcurriculaandnotbeingtaughtinprimaryschools.The report found that scientific evidence for best practice for the teaching of reading was “to teach the systematic, direct and explicit phonics instruction so that children can master the essential alphabet code-breaking skills required for foundational reading proficiency.”

ItsrecommendationswereagreedtobytheCouncilofAustralianGovernmentEducationMinistersin2006tobeimplementedbyEducationdepartmentsintoschoolpractice.ButthereportwastotallyignoredbyEducationDepartmentsandmostoftherestoftheeducationcommunity. The Education Elephant in the room now stood in official bureaucratic due process.

InDecember2008,alltheCOAGEducationMinisterssignedtheMelbourneAgreementfor2009to2018thatincludedthat…..”AllyoungAustraliansbecomesuccessfullearners,confidentandcreativeindividualsandactiveandinformedcitizens”……”andtheagreementarticulatesthecommitmentofallAustralianGovernmentstoensurethatallAustralianschoolstudentsacquiretheknowledgeandskillstoparticipateinsociety…….”

The education elephant in the room and illiteracy cont...

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Asilliterateschoolchildrenareexcludedfrombeingsuccessfullearners,lackconfidenceandcannotbecomeinformedcitizens,thishighlyregardedagreementfallsveryshort.

The Education Elephant in the room is in the offices of all Education Ministers (except recently S.A.)

By2008,Nationalliteracyandnumeracytestsattemptedtoimprove schools’ accountability and give parents an independent indicator of their child’s literacy and numeracy progress.ACARAalsoformedtheNationalCurriculumandMYSCHOOL.TeacherunionsandalliesvowtoendNAPLAN,whichtestswhatchildrenshouldbelearningviatheircurriculum.Reportedstressonchildrencanbetotallyavoidedbyresponsiblebehaviorbyadultsaroundthem.SometeachersandmanyparentslikeNAPLANtests.

The Education Elephant in the room is in teacher unions who block any reform except for more funding and exceed their brief.

In2011PIRLSresultsshowed24%ofYear4studentswereilliterateandthatAustraliawas27thininternationalliteracyranking.In2016PIRLSresultsshowedYear4illiteracywas21%withAustraliarankedas21st.Itwasnotedthattherewasalso a significantly long tail of under-achievement, which is also needs to be addressed.

Australia’s literacy rating with UNICEF has consistency fallen since 2000 and now Australia’s literacy rates as 39th out of 41 countries.

PeoplewonderwhyNAPLANliteracyresultsaremuchbetter.Withquestionsandonly4multiplechoiceanswersallowinga25%chanceofafalsepositiveresult,reportsofteachersreadingoutthequestionsandno-oneknowingexactlywhattheNationalMinimumBenchmarkscoresreallyare,theanswerstothatquestionliesomewhereintherealong with the Education Elephant in the room.

JusthowmanyAustralianschoolchildrenareilliterate?In2017,studentenrollmentswere3,849,225withabout296,094studentsineachyearlevel.Soabout70,000+childreninYear4areilliterateandhavebeenforthepast5years,andunlesstheirparentscanpayoutsidespecialistteacherslikemetoteachthemtoread,willbeforthenext6yearswhentheycanleave,iftheyhaven’talreadygottenthemselvesexpelled,asawayofescapingtheirdailydoseoffailure.

So, over 400,000 Australian school children are illiterate over all year levels at any one time, and they cannot engage in the school curriculum to get themselves an education. This incidence has been known about for over twenty years, so millions of children have been irreparably psycho-socially damaged for life, by not being taught to read and write during their primary schooling. Is there a case to answer?


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The Education Elephant in the room has been known in statistics since 1996 and especially since 2005.

IfallFoundation,Year1andYear2teachers,ledbytheirschoolprincipals,hadfollowedtheNITL2005recommendations,theilliteracyratewouldhavedroppedtoasmallpercentbyPIRLS2011andAustraliawouldhavebeenwellin the top 10 countries in literacy where we belong. AndtheseilliterateAustralianchildrenwouldhavebeentaughttoreadandthenbeenabletogettheireducation.

The whole language/balanced literacy advocates and teacher unions have consistently blocked all efforts to this reform. Academicdebateanddifferencesofopinionareusuallyfine,butthisisaboutscientificevidencevs.ideologythathasnoevidence,onlyopinion.Anditinvolves the emotional damage and ruining of innocent children’s lives. ThereisanAfricansaying,“Whenelephantsfight,it’sthegrassthatgetstrampled.”

The Education Elephant in the room of those blocking this reform is a very arrogant elephant. SpecialeducationteacherslikemefromaroundAustraliahavekeptmeetingoverthistime.Atconferences,we’velistenedtoeducationalpsychologists,speechtherapists,pediatricians,cognitivescientistsandeducationresearcherspresentingtheirscientificevidenceastobestpracticeandmadesureitmatchedourown.Wediscussedourcommonexperienceswithschools,parentsandchildren.

PoorInternationalliteracyresultsareexcusedwith‘childrennoteatingbreakfastornothavingenoughbooksinthehome’or‘notsleepingwell’,whichwerenoexcusebefore1980’s.Then,wegavebreakfasttothosechildreninneed,joinedthemuptolocallibrariesand we taught them to read.

Teachingprivately,wegettoknowtheparentsandweknowtheyarewellreadandhavemanybooksintheirhomes,readtotheirchildrenoften,feedthembreakfastandreadbedtimestoriesbeforetheygotosleep.Butwedohearallabouttheirchildren’sanxietiesaboutschool;oneparenttellingofherchildheadbanginginhissleepfrom3ambutonlyonschooldays.Ihaven’tyetmetapoorparentin29yearsofprivateteachingofchildrentoreadbecauseschoolshavenotdonetheirjob.

Parentstellofclassteacherssayingtheirchildwasdoingwellwhen they didn’t even knowtheirchildcouldnotread.Othersparentsaretoldtobepatient‘becauseonedayitwillclick’andweretoldthateveryyear.Someparentsweretoldthattheirchildwouldneverlearnordidn’twanttolearnbecausetheylackedintelligenceorweretoolazy.Othersweretoldtheyhad‘unrealisticexpectations’fortheirchildorwereoverlyanxiousandwere‘TheProblem’.WhenoneparentsaidataPSGmeetingshewantedherchildtolearntoreadtheprincipalandclassteacherlaughedather.Anotherprincipalsaidtoparents,“Kidsdon’thavetolearntoreadthesedaysanyway.”


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Someprincipalsandclassroomteacherssaythere’snotmuchreadingoccurringinthehomeorthateverythingwrongwiththatchildistotallytheparent’sfault.ThiswasagainclearlyapparentattherecentACE/CISPhonicsDebatewhichisonYouTube.

Buttheygetangrywithparentswholookoutsideschoolforsomeonetoteachtheirchildtoread.RecentlyaStateEducationMinisterblamedparentsfortakingchildrentotutorssothey‘performedbetteronNAPLANtests’,missingthepointthat parents are just desperate for their child to be taught to read.IalwaysfeelembarrassedwhenIapologizefortheteachingprofession.Parentshavelostrespect.Canyouimaginehowparentsofanon-reading9yearoldfeltwhenhisteachergavehimasofttoycat(Ginger)so‘hecouldteachthecattoread’,anideashehadlearnedatarecentnationalliteracyconference.Itwasontheconferenceprogramas“UsingSoftToysandPuppetstoteachLiteracy.”

Weseefrightened,anxiousyoungchildrenwithstoopedshoulders,downcasteyes,whocry,believingtheyare‘dumb’,sayingthatallthekidsandsometimestheteachersaysthey’redumb,thattheydidn’twanttogotoschoolandthattheywere‘nogood’.Theirsadlittlefaceswouldbreakyourheart.Olderchildrenbecomebrazentohidetheirdamagedselfesteemandshame.Teacherslikemeenjoyteachingthemtoreadsotheycatchupifit’snottoolatebutmostdon’tgeteffectivehelp.

There are no Education Elephants in the rooms of these parents and children, just tears of despair.

Iwonderwhysecondaryschoolsdon’tsaytoprimaryschools,“Stopsendingusilliteratechildren.Weshouldbefreetoteachoursubjectstoliterateclassesbutwecan’tbecausesomanystudentscan’treadorwrite.”Butsecondaryschoolsdon’thaveanyilliteratechildren,justmanybadlybehavedstudentswhocan’tread.

The Education Elephant in the room is in secondary schools.

Ithoughtprimaryschoolprincipals,asleadersoftheirschool,wouldsharetheseconcerns,soIlookedonthewebsiteoftheAustralianPrimaryPrincipalsAssociation.Isawreferencesandpodcastsaboutthe5keyelementsofteachingliteracybyreputableexpertsandaboutPrincipalsasLiteracyLeaders,butnothingelse.TheNationalSafeSchoolsFrameworkwasfocusingon‘waystosupportschoolswherestudents feel safe,supportedand included,butnoreferencetoexclusionviailliteracy.


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Ilookedatthe2018NationalConferenceprogram,thinkingthatthesehighilliteracyrateswouldbeaprioritytodiscuss.Icouldnotfindonesentenceabouthowtoraiseschoolliteracystandardsintheprogram.Ireadaboutthekeynotespeakers.OnewasaFrench/Germanhighschoolteacherwhowas‘athoughtleaderwhohelpedpeoplethinkdifferentlyaboutlearning’.Onewasamiddleschoolteacherandauthor,talking‘aboutchildrenenjoyingindependentreading’.I thought if children were taught the foundation reading skills, they would enjoy independent reading. Anotherwas‘anoptimistwhobelievesinabrightfutureandisbehindsomeofthemostexcitingtransformationsineducationtoday’butnomentionofhisteachingexperience.I thought of all the parents of first year school children who feel optimistic about their child’s future, but over 20% of them are in for a tragic shock and if all children were taught to read, that would be a transformation. Anothertopicwasabout‘leadershipandbehavioural’change,soIthoughtmaybeshecouldmotivateprincipalstomakesurealloftheirF-1-2teachersadoptedtheNITLrecommendationsthatareontheAPPApodcasts.Thelastkeynotespeakerwastotalkabout‘helpingpeopletopreparefortomorrowbytakingactiontoday’.Maybe,asschoolleaders,iftheprincipalsensuredeveryF-2classteacherfollowedNITLandtaughteverychildintheirclasstoreadusingscientificallyprovenbestpracticethatwould be great preparation for tomorrow.

Eachspeakerwasonlypresentingtheirpersonalopinionsandideas,justlikeGonski.

There will be an Education Elephant in the APPA conference room.

IlookedatthewebsiteoftheAustralianCouncilforEducationResearch.Theirlatestresearchwasabout“ManyAustralianschoolstudentsfeelthatthey‘don’tbelong’inschool”andabout‘anewtooltomeasurewholeschoolmentalhealthpromotion’.Ihopetheygivetheirresearchparticipantsarobustreadingtest,becauseschoolchildrenwhocannotread,feeltheydon’tbelongatschoolandhavementalhealthissuesthatGP’sandPediatriciansknowabout.

Ityped‘TeachingReading’.Thefirstdocument,‘TeachingReadingintheEarlyYears’wasacompletewholelanguagedocumentwhichIthoughtdisrespectfultoDrRowe’sinternationallyacclaimedNITLreport,ashewasanACERresearcher.Whole language/balanced literacy is opinion based on a flawed idea and still does not have any scientific evidence of support.

TheAdvancedProfessionalPrograminTeachingReadingis‘comingsoon’withmentionofthekeyfocusbeing‘Howareaderreadsatanytimeisdeterminedbywhatthereaderknowsaboutaspectsofthetext’,soundinglikeanotherWL/BLidea.


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Iread‘FromAcquisitiontoMastery:Howreadingprofilesimpactoutcomesfor(2)strugglingstudents’andthoughtthiswaspoorlypresented’research’.ReadingthearticleaboutaQueenslandprimaryschool’sreadingprogramwasapuzzleasIreadpageafterpageofideologicalstatements;someomittingthekeyword‘phonics’.E.g.“Evidencebasedapproachtoteachingreadingthatwasexplicit,systematic,structuredandmulti-sensory”and‘..Writeletters,alphabet,phonologicalawareness,rapidautomaticnamingand‘phonologicalmemory’,atermI’veneverheardbutknowreferstoSTAM.Therewasnodetailofteachingusedandthearticleendedwithanegativecomment.I’vereadthesameauthor’sreportofthesametopicintheLDABulletin,Vol49Summer2017anditisacompletelydifferentpresentationwhichmentions‘synthetic’phonicsintheteachingprogramandgivespositiveconclusions.DrHempenstallisquotedassaying“Theimportanceofsystematic,explicitinstructioninliteracydevelopment”.HequotesDrRowe’sNITLaccurately,‘to teach the systematic, direct and explicit PHONICS INSTRUCTION so children can master the alphabet code-breaking skills for reading proficiency,”sothisomissionneedstobecorrectedandsomeinformationontheACERwebsiteneedsrevision.

Ilookedat‘SchoolEducation’andsawnumerousmentionsof‘improvingstudentlearning’butnothingabouttheteachingofreading,whichisrequiredtoachievelearning.

If you cannot read, you cannot learn.

Since the NITL 2005, many education texts and presentations have used terminology about ‘evidence based’ this and ‘evidence based’ that, without referencing any actual ‘evidence’.Thereisfrequentuseofthewords‘systematic’,‘direct’and‘explicit’asbeing‘evidencebased’,but with the omission of the NEXT word in Dr Rowe’s official statement, ‘PHONICS INSTRUCTION.’ Thismalpracticehasleadtoterminologybeingusedlike,‘explicitandsystematicteachingofpredication(guessing)strategies’,‘directteachingofmeaning’and‘systematicanalyticphonics’whichisimpossible.Thismanipulationoftheoriginalofficialstatementisacademicallyincorrectandshouldnotbeallowedtocontinue. Ireadthe2018conferenceprogramandsawthenamesoftwospeakers;oneofwhomwasquotedinanewspapersaying“ReadingstandardswillonlyimprovewhenincomingteacherATARscoresarehigher.”Theonlysessiononteachingearlyliteracyskillswasabout‘Findingtherightpathwayforeachchild’andIhopethatincludedthesystematic,direct,explicitteachingofphonemicawareness,letters,(synthetic)phonicsskills,andvocabulary,inthatdevelopmentalorderandnotthede-bunkedindividuallearningstyleidea.AnotherpresentationwasontheArtsapproachtoeducation,thatdramaaidsliteracy,whichhasnoscientificevidence.Otherswereabout‘Enhancinglearningthroughdesignpractices’,‘Teachinggeneralcapabilities’,butagain no mention of concerns about Australia’s high illiteracy rate and how it’s resolve has been officially known via Federal Parliament since 2005.

The Education Elephant in the room was at the 2018 ACER conference.


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TheEnglishorganizationwebsitesarefullofliteracyideaswhichareonlyrelevanttoupperprimaryandsecondarychildrenwhocanread.They’ve told their members not to teach the alphabet or phonics for decades. Nowtheyadvocateprediction/guessing,semanticsandsyntax,withmentionofphonicsaftertextandcallitanalyticphonics,which is irrelevant for young ‘Learning to Read’ learners, who need the systematic, simplest to complex approach of synthetic phonics. Noresponsibilityforthe20%ofilliteratechildrenthattheiradvocacyofanineffectivereadingapproachproducesisevertaken.Theypresentexpertswhostatethat“Decodingisaboutthemeaningofwords”andis“Notequaltophonics”,that“Morphemeswon’tleavephonemesalone”andthat“Theessentialroleofreadingismeaningwhichissemanticsandembedded/analyticphonics”inthewrongorder,andthat“Phonicscanonlybetaughtincontextwithmeaning”.Itdoesn’tmakeanysense.

When a non-reading child sees an unknown word in a sentence, how can he/she get meaning from words they do not yet know? They can learn about sounds in words from their oral language, then learn the letters, then that sounds can be represented by letters in words, then begin learning with the simplest element (synthetic phonics) that the letter C can say ‘c’, the letter A can say ‘a’ and the letter T can say ‘t’ and when those sounds and letters go together, they say ‘cat’ which THEN means a soft furry pet. Young children can only learn from sounds to letters to words to meaning, not the other way round. No one says ‘phonics in isolation’, its phonics to decode THEN link with meaning.

“Ifachildmemorizes10words,thentheycanreadonly10wordsbutifthechildlearnedthesoundsof10letters,thechildwillbeabletoread350CVCwords,4,3204soundwordsand21,5005soundwords”

TheypresentaUKspeakerwhowantstheUKYear1PhonicsCheck(whichhascreatedahugeimprovementinreading,andbroughtEnglandbackintothetop10countriesinliteracy)abolishedbecause“itwasdemoralizingforchildrenwhowerestillstrugglingwithCVCwordslikedog,pinandman.”Thesearethevery childrenwhoneedtobepickedupinmidYear1andtaughttodecodeCVCwords,thenmore.Ifnot,theywillbedemoralizedfortherestoftheirlivesandthatispreventable.Therecent‘survey’ofabiasedmembershipsampleisnotwhatcanbecalled‘evidencebased’.

There is an analogy with vaccinations for children in the Education Elephant in this room.

Iamwritingforthe400,000+illiterateschoolchildrenwhocurrentlycannotreadbecausetheNITL2005recommendationswerenotimplementedastheyshouldhavebeen.

Notbeingtaughttoreadbyscientificevidencedbestpractice,becausetheirteachersdidn’tknowhowandtheirschoolprincipalsdidn’tbother,hascosttheseinnocentchildrenandtheirparentsdearly.

The education elephant in the room and illiteracy cont... The education elephant in the room and illiteracy cont...

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Responsibilityforteachingchildrentoreadintheirfirstthreeyearsofschoolneedstobetakenoutofthe hands of educators who clearly do not know how, and placed in the hands of educators who do.

Iwasluckytobetaughthow,bymyteachingprofessionbeforethe1980’sandteacherslikemehavekeptusingtheseteachingreadingmethodswithsuccessallthistime,evenforseverelydyslexicchildren,whojustneedtobetaughtthemforlongerandthentheycanread.AsDrRowesaidin2006,“Itisnotrocketscience”.Norisitanideaoranopinion;itisascientificallyprovenfact.

Please Google “Ending the Reading Wars” by Professor Anne Castles, Professor Kathleen Rastle and Professor Kate Nation and distribute it widely through education. It is a complete research paper.

The 2009 – 2018 ‘Melbourne Declaration’ can still be redeemed by December 2018.Onbehalfofthose400,000+illiterateschoolchildrenIaskthatthispledgebehonourednow.

WeknowtheYear1LiteracyandNumeracyCheckisaprofessionallyvalidstrategythatwillgoaverylongwaytoaddressingpotentialilliteracyproblemsBEFORE YOUNG CHILDREN FAIL. Previousexcuseslike‘Teachersalreadyknowwhichchildrencan’tread’arenotconvincingbecausemanydonot.Andiftheydoknowthosechildren,whyaretheyignoringthembynoteffectivelyteachingthemfoundationreadingskillsusingbestpractice,sotheycanallreadbyYear3?

Otherexcusesare‘Childrenaretestedwhentheyfirstcometoschool’.Thatisgood,butitisalsogoodvalidprofessionalpracticetocheck18monthslatertoseeiftheyhaveprogressed,andrespondiftheyhavenot.Otherssaytherearetoomanytests.Mostprimaryteachersgivechildrenweeklyspellingtestsofunrelatedwordswhichtheyoftenfailso,againthatisnoexcuse.

Theyareagainst‘phonicsinisolation’,yetF-2childrenaresubjectedtomemorizeGoldenandMagicWordsoutofcontextbysightdailysothatargumentcanstopthere.

TestingdecodingofCVCnonsensewordisvalid,whendecodingwordslike‘fantastic’andknowinghowtosoundout‘tas’inthe2ndsyllableisrequired.

Argumentsabout‘decodingmeansmeaning,’omitanessentialact.Ifadultscometoanunknownword,say‘duopoly’,wedecodetheletterstosoundsweknow(phonics)thenlinkitwithourknownvocabularyformeaning.Ifitisnotinourvocabulary,weuseadictionaryorGoogleit,linkitwithmeaningandfileitinmemory.


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There are just no valid excuses against implementation of this Yr 1 check; just ideologues obstruction that produces an unacceptably high consequential casualty for young school children and their class teachers, who surely want to know how to teach EVERY child in their class to read.

EachAustralianStatecanchoosetoputthewelfareofAustralianschoolchildrenfirst;abovepolitics,abovepersonalegos,aboveideology,abovepersonalopinionandagreetotheYear1ChecktostartintheirStatein2019.TheSAtrialshavebeencompletedandthechildrenandteacherswerenotstressedandteachersreportedenjoyingtheprocess.

And70,000ofnextyear’sFoundationand70,000Year1studentswillnotfaceilliteracyandallthatheartachebringsthemfortheirwholelives.

Thealphabet,spellingofwordsinthedictionaryandchildren’scognitivedevelopmentdonotchangeovertime,sotheNITL2005recommendationsarestillvalidandcurrent.Anyonewhosaystheyarenotvaliddoesnotknowenoughabouthowtoteachyoungchildrentoread.

The2021Year3NAPLANand2022Year4PIRLSresultswouldbegintoshowtheimprovementsandAustralia’sscandalouslylowreadingrateswillbeginaconsistentlyupwardinsteadofdownwardcurve.

FollowNSW’s‘EffectiveReadingInstructionintheEarlyYearsofSchool”bookletwhichisgood,butlackstheimportantsystematic,direct,explicitsequentialspellingwordlistthatIattach.

PleaseputvalidinformationintothehandsoftheF-2classroomteacherslikeIhadhandedtomewhenIwasayoungteacher,andallowEarlyYearsPrimaryTeacherstofeelthatprofessionalprideofknowingtheyareavitalpartofgivingeachchildthegiftofreadingandallthatbringsthem. UpperPrimaryandSecondaryteacherswon’thavetostrugglewithdisciplinaryproblemstryingtoteachsemi-illiterateclasses,soallteacherswillbenefit,somethingteacherunionsdonotunderstand.Parents,taxpayersandemployerswillsupporttheseoutcomesandthepublic’srespectfortheteachingprofessioncanbegintoberestored.

Please show your support toeachStateEducationMinisterandShadowEducationMinistertoagreeonthisonecosteffectivestrategythatcandeliversomuch.Itisprofessionally,educationally,socially,economicallyandmorally the right thing to do.


Office Hours

Office Details141 Merton Road, Woolloongabba, Qld, 4102PO Box 8095, Woolloongabba, Qld, 4102

Hours of BusinessMonday to Friday 7.30am to 2.30pm (during School Term)

Telephone: 3391 7900Email: [email protected]

Library Facilitywww.speld.org.au/libraryEmail: [email protected]

Speld Qld Annual Membership FeesIndividual/Family: $77.00 Concessional: $55.00Professional/School: $198.00

Management Committee

PresidentJoe Kelly MP

MembersRay AshfordDr Briony WainmanKirrily BoultonPaul KeeneTony BrownJoseba LarrazabalAndy ElphinstoneIan Chapman

PatronJackie French AMAustralians Children’s Laureate 2014-2015Senior Australian of the year 2015

Speld Qld is grateful for strong support from Education

Queensland and our Politicians.

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