Professional Learning Options
Online Courses
WA Seminars
SA Seminars
QLD Seminars
VIC Seminars
Teaching students unable to read, spell and write within primary school - online course
When educators find themselves with student unable to read, spell and write, it is easy to feel ill-equipped to deal with the specific needs of this particular group of students.
Learning to read, spell and write in foundation - online course
Developing the skills for success: The Foundation school year is incredibly complex to teach. Those working within the Foundation year require strong theoretical knowledge, the ability to deliver their instruction in an explicit and focused manner and time efficient tracking processes to determine the rate of progress and then next elements to introduce.
Pre-literacy in the early years - online course
Developing the skills for success: The EARLY YEARS are a period of significant potential learning. It is essential that balanced within an early childhood framework key skills (for later literacy and learning) are developed. The explicit instruction of phonological awareness, alphabet sounds and oral language is imperative. Within this course ‘age appropriate’ ( i.e. fun, engaging but rich and clear) learning experiences will be demonstrated (with PLD programs and also with general resources.
Raising writing standards through the medium of dictation - online course
Dictation is a time efficient structured option and addition to literacy blocks, which facilitates progress in a relatively short period of time.
Synthetic phonics within the junior primary - online course
This course includes over 2 hours of video content and over 240 slides you can refer to during the course and download so you can refer to them later.
Teaching the alphabet in a manner that supports reading, spelling and writing - online course
This is a short course, which delivers a practical research-based approach to teaching the alphabet. It is essential that people working with children within their early years understand how to skilfully instruct this essential area so that children are equipped for their transition into early reading, spelling and writing.
Synthetic phonics and beyond - online course
This course includes over 2 hours of video content and over 240 slides you can refer to during the course and download so you can refer to them later.

Literacy and Learning in Kindergarten (WA)
116 Parry Street
Perth, WA 6000
9:00am to 3:00pm (map)
The PRE-KINDY AND KINDERGARTEN YEARS is a period of huge potential learning. These years are optimised when an ‘early childhood’ approach is balanced with explicit instruction.
This seminar explores:- What the research explains are the most essential pre-literacy skills for 3 & 4 year olds; phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge and oral language – vocabulary and the ability to speak in grammatically correct sentences.
- How can these skills be facilitated? Answer: 3-5 minute sessions presented several times in a day.
- Screening: After 6 weeks of instruction skill acquisition is reviewed by presenting a sub-test on the PLD Pre-Literacy Screen.
- The tracking of progress will identify the children who require additional attention and will focus staff.
- Short ‘speech pathology’ derived oral language activities which facilitate the ability to speak in grammatically correct sentences.
- Researchers consistently advocate for early intervention and preventative programs in the early years.
- Children receive their best start when an early childhood approach is balanced with explicit systematic instruction.
Check Dates and Register for 2019
Monday 21 January 2019
Tuesday 19 March 2019
Thursday 18 April 2019
Tuesday 11 June 2019
Wednesday 17 July 2019
Wednesday 28 August 2019
Tuesday 8 October 2019
Tuesday 12 November 2019
Wednesday 22 January 2020
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Literacy and Learning in Pre-Primary (WA)
116 Parry Street
Perth, WA 6000
9:00am to 3:00pm (map)
The PRE-PRIMARY school year is a complicated year level to teach. Students can achieve within this crucial year, if educators are knowledgeable about how children acquire early literacy skills.
This seminar explores:- How children typically read first, spell second and write third.
- The two core skills that enable a child to decode, the three core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
- Pre-literacy skill development early in the school year, so that the foundations for literacy are established.
- A time efficient pre-literacy assessment to track skill development and readiness for reading and spelling.
- How to introduce reading, spelling and writing in an early childhood manner so that early literacy learning is enjoyable.
- Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments.
- Short ‘speech pathology’ derived oral language activities which facilitate the ability to speak in grammatically correct sentences.
Check Dates and Register for 2019
Tuesday 22 January 2019
Wednesday 20 March 2019
Thursday 18 April 2019
Tuesday 11 June 2019
Wednesday 17 July 2019
Wednesday 28 August 2019
Tuesday 8 October 2019
Tuesday 12 November 2019
Wednesday 22 January 2020
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Literacy and Learning in Year 1 & 2 (WA)
116 Parry Street
Perth, WA 6000
9:00am to 3:00pm (map)
Researchers consistently express the returns are greatest when children are first learning to read.
This seminar explores:- How to implement explicit synthetic phonics.
- How focused instruction can be delivered to a class with a range in student ability.
- Repeated reading of texts to increase fluency.
- Phonic dictation as a medium to transfer phonic concepts into written work.
- Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments designed to identify the range in ability so teachers can be more focused in their instruction.
- Assessments and instruction techniques for students not reading and spelling.
- Techniques to apply for poor or reluctant writers.
- Oral language instruction which facilitates the ability to speak in complex, grammatically correct sentences.
- Narrative retelling and generation to increase comprehension and written expression ability.
Check Dates and Register for 2019
Wednesday 23 January 2019
Thursday 21 March 2019
Tuesday 23 April 2019
Wednesday 12 June 2019
Thursday 18 July 2019
Thursday 29 August 2019
Wednesday 9 October 2019
Thursday 14 November 2019
Thursday 23 January 2019
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Literacy and Learning in Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 (WA)
116 Parry Street
Perth, WA 6000
9:00am to 3:00pm (map)
By middle and upper primary, students typically present with a diverse range in ability.
This seminar explores:- A non-standardised spelling placement test in order to determine the specific range within the class.
- How to allocate a proportion of the literacy block to the explicit instruction of spelling and decoding ‘word attack’ skills and also how to facilitate the transference of these spelling words (and ever increasing sophisticated vocabulary concepts) into writing.
- A synthetic phonics approach for the students operating at a junior primary level.
- For the stronger students, a phonic-based approach that focuses upon word meanings and opportunities to transfer concepts into writing.
- Oral language instruction and how to facilitate students' ability to speak in complex grammatically correct sentences.
- As narrative programs have been associated with increasing comprehension and written expression ability, narrative retelling and narrative generation processes are also outlined.
Check Dates and Register for 2019
Thursday 24 January 2019
Friday 22 March 2019
Wednesday 24 April 2019
Thursday 13 June 2019
Friday 19 July 2019
Friday 30 August 2019
Thursday 10 October 2019
Thursday 14 November 2019
Friday 24 January 2020
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School Leaders: Building High Performing Primary Schools
116 Parry Street
Perth, WA 6000
9:15am to 11:15am (map)
With the growing focus on measurable progress, it is becoming even more important to have real, useful data to see how classrooms in your school are tracking. But how is it possible to actually get meaningful data regarding how students are performing in your school?
PLD have developed tools that are easy to setup and maintain which provide useful, meaningful insight into student performance in your classrooms. Following the success of rolling out these tools in many classrooms across WA, this info session looks at the importance of meaningful data and how PLD’s resources can provide this in your school. We will also be providing a sneak peek into an upcoming project in this area which we are confident will be of interest. This event is perfect for Principals, Deputy Principals and Literacy Coordinators.Check Dates and Register for 2019
Tuesday 26 March 2019 (Perth)
Wednesday 5 June 2019 (Bunbury)
Thursday 5 September 2019 (Perth)
Wednesday 23 October 2019 (Bunbury)
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Higher Performing Students, through the implementation of evidence-based literacy instruction. (QLD)
Dates: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Tuesday 21st of May 2019
Tuesday 10th September 2019
Price: $180.00 Members (SPELD members), $225.00 Non-Members
(map)
Workshop Overview:
This seminar will explore the characteristics of high performing schools; the striving for consistent implementation of evidence-based programs, time efficient tracking of student performance and the investment in getting things right when students are first learning to read, spell and write. The session will focus on effective explicit literacy instruction in conjunction with time efficient tracking. The seminar will outline and demonstrate some of the PLD programs, but will also demonstrate how other teaching materials can be utilised.The seminar has been designed to have a broad appeal. It is relevant to all primary school staff that are involved in primary school literacy learning. The outcomes for the day have been divided into different areas to highlight the potential key outcomes for each person registering.Each person registering will receive a free copy of PLD's best seller 'The Phonic Sight Word Sequence' (which provides a scope and sequence and screening options for Foundation to Year 6). The value of the book is $65 (ex GST).School leaders, Literacy Coordinators and Literacy Support Staff will gain:
- An understanding of the characteristics of high performing primary schools.
- An understanding of the processes that school leaders can coordinate so that teachers operate more effectively within the classroom.
- An understanding of the specific evidence based systematic teaching that is required within classrooms and across a school, to facilitate positive literacy outcomes.
Foundation Staff will gain: (i.e. Prep. in QLD & Vic, Reception in SA)
- An understanding of how to be a high performing classroom, delivering strong outcomes within this most important year of schooling.
- An understanding of how students typically learn to decode 1st, spell 2nd and write 3rd. Clarity on the 2 core skills that facilitate decoding, the 3 core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
- An understanding of the pre-literacy skill development that needs to be scheduled early in the school year, so that the prerequisites for literacy learning are established.
- Options for time efficient pre-literacy tracking followed by time efficient early literacy tracking. Both sets of tracking then culminate in a plan for the anticipated skill development over the four school terms.
- Clarity on how to introduce reading, spelling and writing in an early childhood manner so that early literacy learning is enjoyable.
Year 1 & 2 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how structured synthetic phonics instruction can be delivered. Options for catering for the range in ability evident within every junior primary classroom.
- Improved skills related to phonic dictation (as a medium to facilitate the transfer of phonic concepts into written work.)
- Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments designed to identify what the needs are within a class. Options for poor readers, spellers and writers.
Year 3, 4 5 & 6 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how to teach ‘word attack’ (i.e. decoding and spelling skills) within the context of a potentially significant range in student ability.
- Clarity on how to allocate a proportion of the literacy block to the explicit instruction of spelling and decoding ‘word attack’ skills and also how to facilitate the transference of these spelling words (and ever increasing sophisticated vocabulary concepts) into writing.
- A synthetic phonics approach for the students operating at a junior primary level and for the age appropriate or advanced students a phonic-based approach that focuses upon word meanings and opportunities to transfer concepts into writing.
Who is this seminar relevant to?
School leaders, literacy coordinators, literacy support staff, Preparatory (QLD, Vic), Reception (SA) Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 and assistants.Presenter:
Diana Rigg Educator and Speech Pathologist and the Director of PLD Promoting Literacy Development. Ba. Arts (Ed), BaEd, CPP-Dyslexia (UK), MaEd, MaSpPath.Diana is a teacher, speech pathologist and a parent. Diana combines postgraduate education and speech pathology qualifications with an understanding of the education system. Diana's work aims is to educate and equip those working with 3-11 year old children with specialised techniques, programs and assessment tools. This provides a platform for an innovative and practical approach to literacy. PLD has been recognised as a recommended SSP (Structured Synthetic Phonics) program nationally by AUSPELD. PLD was also recognised by Professor Louden (2015) in his 'High Performing Schools' research paper for the WA Department of Education. In 2018 PLD was awarded the national award Primary Publisher of the Year.Dates for 2019:
Tuesday 21 May 2019 Tuesday 10 September 2019Relevant Material:
To download the PLD Whole School Literacy Strategy click HERE. To request hard copies of the PLD Whole School Literacy Strategy click HERE.Links:
SPELD QLD website. SPELD QLD Event Listing Show Less
Higher Performing Students, through the implementation of evidence-based literacy instruction. (SA)
Dates: 9:00am to 3:00pm
Thursday 23rd of May 2019
Thursday 12th September 2019
Price: $180.00 Members (SPELD members), $225.00 (Non-Members), $150.00 (Tutors and Full Time Students)
- Includes Morning-Tea and Lunch (map)
Workshop Overview:
This seminar will explore the characteristics of high performing schools; the striving for consistent implementation of evidence-based programs, time efficient tracking of student performance and the investment in getting things right when students are first learning to read, spell and write. The session will focus on effective explicit literacy instruction in conjunction with time efficient tracking. The seminar will outline and demonstrate some of the PLD programs, but will also demonstrate how other teaching materials can be utilised.The seminar has been designed to have a broad appeal. It is relevant to all primary school staff that are involved in primary school literacy learning. The outcomes for the day have been divided into different areas to highlight the potential key outcomes for each person registering.Each person registering will receive a free copy of PLD's best seller 'The Phonic Sight Word Sequence' (which provides a scope and sequence and screening options for Foundation to Year 6). The value of the book is $65 (ex GST).School leaders, Literacy Coordinators and Literacy Support Staff will gain:
- An understanding of the characteristics of high performing primary schools.
- An understanding of the processes that school leaders can coordinate so that teachers operate more effectively within the classroom.
- An understanding of the specific evidence based systematic teaching that is required within classrooms and across a school, to facilitate positive literacy outcomes.
Foundation Staff will gain: (i.e. Prep. in QLD & Vic, Reception in SA)
- An understanding of how to be a high performing classroom, delivering strong outcomes within this most important year of schooling.
- An understanding of how students typically learn to decode 1st, spell 2nd and write 3rd. Clarity on the 2 core skills that facilitate decoding, the 3 core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
- An understanding of the pre-literacy skill development that needs to be scheduled early in the school year, so that the prerequisites for literacy learning are established.
- Options for time efficient pre-literacy tracking followed by time efficient early literacy tracking. Both sets of tracking then culminate in a plan for the anticipated skill development over the four school terms.
- Clarity on how to introduce reading, spelling and writing in an early childhood manner so that early literacy learning is enjoyable.
Year 1 & 2 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how structured synthetic phonics instruction can be delivered. Options for catering for the range in ability evident within every junior primary classroom.
- Improved skills related to phonic dictation (as a medium to facilitate the transfer of phonic concepts into written work.)
- Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments designed to identify what the needs are within a class. Options for poor readers, spellers and writers.
Year 3, 4 5 & 6 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how to teach ‘word attack’ (i.e. decoding and spelling skills) within the context of a potentially significant range in student ability.
- Clarity on how to allocate a proportion of the literacy block to the explicit instruction of spelling and decoding ‘word attack’ skills and also how to facilitate the transference of these spelling words (and ever increasing sophisticated vocabulary concepts) into writing.
- A synthetic phonics approach for the students operating at a junior primary level and for the age appropriate or advanced students a phonic-based approach that focuses upon word meanings and opportunities to transfer concepts into writing.
Who is this seminar relevant to?
School leaders, literacy coordinators, literacy support staff, Preparatory (QLD, Vic), Reception (SA) Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 and assistants.Presenter:
Diana Rigg Educator and Speech Pathologist and the Director of PLD Promoting Literacy Development. Ba. Arts (Ed), BaEd, CPP-Dyslexia (UK), MaEd, MaSpPath.Diana is a teacher, speech pathologist and a parent. Diana combines postgraduate education and speech pathology qualifications with an understanding of the education system. Diana's work aims is to educate and equip those working with 3-11 year old children with specialised techniques, programs and assessment tools. This provides a platform for an innovative and practical approach to literacy. PLD has been recognised as a recommended SSP (Structured Synthetic Phonics) program nationally by AUSPELD. PLD was also recognised by Professor Louden (2015) in his 'High Performing Schools' research paper for the WA Department of Education. In 2018 PLD was awarded the national award Primary Publisher of the Year.Dates for 2019
Relevant Material:
To download the PLD Whole School Literacy Strategy click HERE. To request hard copies of the PLD Whole School Literacy Strategy click HERE.Links:
SPELD SA website. SPELD SA Event Listing Show Less
Higher Performing Students, through the implementation of evidence-based literacy instruction. (VIC)
Date: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Price: $125 (map)
Workshop Overview:
This seminar will explore the characteristics of high performing schools; the striving for consistent implementation of evidence-based programs, time efficient tracking of student performance and the investment in getting things right when students are first learning to read, spell and write. The session will focus on effective explicit literacy instruction in conjunction with time efficient tracking. The seminar will outline and demonstrate some of the PLD programs, but will also demonstrate how other teaching materials can be utilised.The seminar has been designed to have a broad appeal. It is relevant to all primary school staff that are involved in primary school literacy learning. The outcomes for the day have been divided into different areas to highlight the potential key outcomes for each person registering.Each person registering will receive a free copy of PLD's best seller 'The Phonic Sight Word Sequence' (which provides a scope and sequence and screening options for Foundation to Year 6). The value of the book is $65 (ex GST).School leaders, Literacy Coordinators and Literacy Support Staff will gain:
- An understanding of the characteristics of high performing primary schools.
- An understanding of the processes that school leaders can coordinate so that teachers operate more effectively within the classroom.
- An understanding of the specific evidence based systematic teaching that is required within classrooms and across a school, to facilitate positive literacy outcomes.
Foundation Staff will gain: (i.e. Prep. in QLD & Vic, Reception in SA)
- An understanding of how to be a high performing classroom, delivering strong outcomes within this most important year of schooling.
- An understanding of how students typically learn to decode 1st, spell 2nd and write 3rd. Clarity on the 2 core skills that facilitate decoding, the 3 core skills that facilitate early spelling and the range of skills that facilitate writing.
- An understanding of the pre-literacy skill development that needs to be scheduled early in the school year, so that the prerequisites for literacy learning are established.
- Options for time efficient pre-literacy tracking followed by time efficient early literacy tracking. Both sets of tracking then culminate in a plan for the anticipated skill development over the four school terms.
- Clarity on how to introduce reading, spelling and writing in an early childhood manner so that early literacy learning is enjoyable.
Year 1 & 2 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how structured synthetic phonics instruction can be delivered. Options for catering for the range in ability evident within every junior primary classroom.
- Improved skills related to phonic dictation (as a medium to facilitate the transfer of phonic concepts into written work.)
- Time efficient decoding and spelling assessments designed to identify what the needs are within a class. Options for poor readers, spellers and writers.
Year 3, 4 5 & 6 Staff will gain:
- An understanding of how to teach ‘word attack’ (i.e. decoding and spelling skills) within the context of a potentially significant range in student ability.
- Clarity on how to allocate a proportion of the literacy block to the explicit instruction of spelling and decoding ‘word attack’ skills and also how to facilitate the transference of these spelling words (and ever increasing sophisticated vocabulary concepts) into writing.
- A synthetic phonics approach for the students operating at a junior primary level and for the age appropriate or advanced students a phonic-based approach that focuses upon word meanings and opportunities to transfer concepts into writing.