Try one of the options below, or a topic plus year level, like "Foundation phonics".
· Literacy
AUSPELD is a national body comprised of representatives from various state SPELD associations and a recognised Global Partner of the International Dyslexia Association. Each SPELD organisation is extremely busy catering for large numbers of students and families. While the SPELD’s deliver assessments and diagnose dyslexia, they also advocate… Read More
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· Literacy
Students often write words correctly in spelling tests but struggle when applying their new knowledge to written work. Why? As a general rule, when transferring spelling into writing, students require the activation of many more skills. Explained simply, single word spelling is quite a simple cognitive task in comparison… Read More
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· Literacy
PLD’s decodable readers align with PLD’s Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) sequence. The type of words, word count, and amount of HFWs gradually become more complex as more phonic concepts are introduced. It is important to include decodable readers as part of your SSP program. Read More
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· Literacy
One of the most common questions PLD receives is “Should students focus on a new book each day, or should students reread the same book several times?” This is a great question and one where research will be referenced to guide a response. Included also will be a… Read More
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· Literacy
Tip #1: There is a Need for Better Terminology and Understanding “Sight Words” mean so many things to different people. The term “Sight Word” often provides a false impression that these commonly used words are to be learned by sight (or visual memorisation). Research does… Read More
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· General
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… Read More
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· Literacy
Let us be calm when reading the 2019 PISA Testing Report 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… Read More
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· General
Have you caught up on our previous posts, The Importance of Strong Oral Language and Vocabulary Skills for Later Literacy Success and Improving Oral Language? PLD believes oral language and listening skills form the foundations of… Read More
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· Literacy
With our increasing use of technology, is it necessary to teach handwriting in primary schools? Research suggests that the benefits of teaching handwriting go beyond simply writing (Dinehart, 2014). There is increasing evidence of a link between the fine motor skills required in handwriting and the development of… Read More
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· Literacy
Synthetic Phonics is the gold standard, evidence-based approach to teaching literacy, which suggests the fastest pathway into literacy is knowledge of alphabet sounds and phonic sounds. Students require alphabet knowledge in order to embark on the process of learning to read and spell. However, rather than letter naming ability,… Read More
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· Literacy
Evidence shows that rhyming is not necessarily the most evidence based of pedagogical choices or the simplest phonological awareness skill to master. Read More
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· Literacy
It is important to take the opportunity prior to the beginning of a new school year to reflect on what programs have best-served students within your school. As part of this process, educators should be guided by the Science of Reading research and perhaps take the time to… Read More
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· Literacy
Research repeatedly explains that it is essential to get it right when students are first learning to read. The bleak reality is that once students start to fall behind their peers, even with special funding and programs, it is difficult for many to catch up. With this in mind, this… Read More
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· Literacy
What are PLD Decodable Readers? Decodable texts are specifically designed for early readers. They provide reading material that enables students to apply their alphabet sound skills, their early phonic knowledge, phonemic blending and decoding skills. The decodable readers gradually increase in length and complexity and also gradually introduce sight… Read More
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· Literacy
PLD is working to preserve Indigenous languages through the creation of region specific resources. For over 10 years, PLD has worked with a range of Indigenous communities for over ten years, including developing a range of online courses to support the literacy requirements of Indigenous communities. You… Read More
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· General
With the changes in the National Curriculum, Foundation students (that is, Kindergarten NSW/ACT, Preparatory QLD/VIC/TAS, Pre-Primary WA, Reception SA and Transition NT), are required to acquire early reading and spelling and writing skills. This is new territory for educators working in the ‘Foundation’ years of literacy instruction. We have… Read More
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· General
Speech Pathology Week is here and director of PLD Literacy & Learning, Diana Rigg highlights the role of speech pathologists in schools in order to facilitate increased literacy outcomes. PLD has regularly stressed the way forward for literacy education in primary school is for speech pathology to have… Read More
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· Literacy
The team at PLD has always made it a focus to highlight the importance of phonics and Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) as part of a wider skill set for the successful teaching of students from the age of 3 up to Year 6. The entirety of PLD resources… Read More
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· General
In the recent WA Education Department report, which highlighted the success of PLD literacy programs, Professor Louden asked the question ‘What do high-performing primary schools have in common?’. Louden’s research reported that seven of the nine high-performing schools had adopted what the researcher referred to as ‘lower variation teaching’. Read More
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· General
In my time travelling to different schools and conducting seminars with educators, I often highlight the fact that attendance at school is important and essential for children to learn. However it’s important to point out that on its own, attendance will not raise literacy standards. This is particularly… Read More
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