Free

Improving students’ literacy outcomes is a shared goal for educators across Australia and research shows systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective way for students to achieve literacy success.

In this workshop, you’ll hear insights into evidence-informed practices and receive practical recommendations on how your school can improve its spelling and reading outcomes using Sound Waves Literacy resources.

Who’s this for?

• educators looking for a new systematic synthetic phonics program or those new to using Sound Waves Literacy resources
• classroom teachers, learning support teachers and teacher aides
• stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• an overview of the English spelling system 
• insights into evidence-informed practices for teaching reading and spelling
• a detailed look at the key areas of instruction required for literacy success – phonemic awareness, synthetic phonics, morphology and etymology
• an overview of the benefits of whole-school systematic synthetic phonics instruction
• unpacking our curriculum-aligned Scope and Sequence, which builds from Foundation to Year 6
• a breakdown of an effective systematic synthetic phonics lesson, starting with explicit teaching and culminating with consolidation practice
• a look at how students learn to read and how decodable readers are an essential tool for building word recognition and fluency
• an introduction to the Sound Waves Literacy resources, which explicitly teach phoneme–grapheme relationships, focus concepts and early years reading instruction

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for a minimum of 60 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

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Free

Building on the insights and recommendations introduced in Part 1 of this professional learning series, this workshop will delve deeper into strategies and resources to help you strengthen your instruction and drive literacy success in your school.

Who’s this for?

• anyone who has attended our Part 1 of Effective Systematic Synthetic Phonics Instruction
• classroom teachers, learning support teachers and teacher aides using Sound Waves Literacy
• stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators using Sound Waves Literacy

What’s covered?

• a review of the English spelling system and the key challenges it presents when teaching literacy
• the importance of the connection between reading and spelling
• a review of the key areas of instruction required for literacy success – phonemic awareness, synthetic phonics, morphology and etymology
• an in-depth look at our cumulative Scope and Sequence, which builds from Foundation to Year 6
• a detailed breakdown of a sample week of literacy lessons using systematic synthetic phonics, explicit teaching and targeted practice
• a look at how students learn to read and how decodable readers are an essential tool for building word recognition and fluency
• an overview of spelling and reading assessments, including an explanation about how to incorporate targeted remediation
• practical ideas to support and extend students who require differentiated instruction
• hands-on practice with segmenting and identifying tricky graphemes
• a deep dive into the range of Sound Waves Literacy resources to support effective instruction, including lesson slideshows, assessment and tools for differentiation

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for a minimum of 60 minutes to 90 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

Request a school workshop

Free

All educators know the first few years of schooling are crucial to establishing a strong framework for reading and spelling success.

With recent updates to the curriculum and a number of reports outlining the large number of Australian students not mastering the necessary reading skills, schools are actively seeking to implement effective, evidence-informed reading practices and resources.

This workshop will equip you with essential knowledge and practical recommendations to implement structured literacy lessons using systematic synthetic phonics and decodable readers.

Who’s this for?

• early years classroom teachers, learning support teachers and teacher aides (Foundation–Year 2)
• stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• a look at the core components of learning to read and spell, including the research-based model The Simple View of Reading ^{1, 2}
• an overview of the importance of building strong phonemic awareness in the early years
• insights into the instructional principles that underpin a systematic sequence of introducing phoneme–grapheme relationships
• an in-depth look at the Sound Waves Foundation and Year 1 resources, where you’ll delve into a sample weekly schedule and unpack each key lesson component
• an explanation of the key features of effective decodable readers and how they should be incorporated into early years literacy lessons
• a review of effective spelling and reading assessment schedules to monitor student progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and provide targeted remediation where required
• a deep dive into the range of Sound Waves Literacy resources used to support high-quality reading and spelling instruction

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 60 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

References
1. Hoover, WA & Gough, PB 1990, ‘The simple view of reading’, Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 127–160, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401799
2. Hoover, WA & Tunmer, WE 2018, ‘The simple view of reading: Three assessments of its adequacy’, Remedial and Special Education, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 304–312, https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932518773154

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Free

The message is clear – for schools aiming to improve their students’ literacy outcomes, using decodable readers as part of their systematic synthetic phonics instruction is vital.

This workshop is designed to provide educators with a comprehensive look at how students can build their word recognition and fluency by applying their phoneme–grapheme knowledge to decodable readers.

During this session you’ll be introduced to the Sound Waves Decodable Readers and find out how they can be used to deliver effective, systematic reading practice for beginning readers.

Who’s this for?

• educators familiar with Sound Waves Literacy’s synthetic phonics lessons who want to improve their knowledge and effectively utilise Sound Waves Decodable Readers
• early years classroom teachers, learning support teachers and teacher aides (Foundation–Year 2)
• stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• a look at the core components of learning to read and spell, including the research-based model The Simple View of Reading ^{1, 2}
• an explanation of the key features of effective decodable readers and how they should be incorporated into early years literacy lessons
• a guided read-through of a Sound Waves Decodable Reader
• practical strategies for implementing and differentiating reading instruction to ensure every student has a positive and successful experience
• a review of effective reading assessment resources
• a review of the suite of Sound Waves Literacy resources used to support high-quality reading and spelling instruction

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 60 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

References
1. Hoover, WA & Gough, PB 1990, ‘The simple view of reading’, Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 127–160, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00401799
2. Hoover, WA & Tunmer, WE 2018, ‘The simple view of reading: three assessments of its adequacy’, Remedial and Special Education, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 304–312, https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932518773154

Request a school workshop

Free

For schools seeking targeted support, we offer custom workshops tailored to meet your specific professional learning needs. Whether you’re looking for guidance on a particular feature, a quick refresher, or something more focused such as an assessment overview, this workshop can be customised to fit your school’s unique requirements.

Request a school workshop

Free

Looking to improve maths outcomes with a whole-school, curriculum-aligned numeracy program? Discover how Maths Trek can transform your school’s numeracy outcomes in this practical workshop.

You’ll explore Maths Trek’s structured framework and intuitive resources designed to support explicit teaching and streamline your lessons. Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility model ¹, Maths Trek supports student mastery of core maths skills, while the real-world contexts of investigations foster deeper understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills.

This workshop will provide valuable insights and recommendations on how your school can advance its maths outcomes with Maths Trek.

Who’s this for?

• educators looking for a new numeracy program aligned with the latest version of the curriculum or those new to using Maths Trek
• classroom and learning support teachers
• stage leaders, numeracy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• insights into how Maths Trek was developed in alignment with research-based best practices for effective maths instruction, incorporating Rosenshine’s Principles ²
• an overview of the structured, curriculum-aligned framework used in Maths Trek
• a review of essential teaching practices, including explicit instruction, targeted consolidation, differentiation and assessment
• an in-depth look at Maths Trek investigations, focusing on how real-world contexts develop students’ mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills
• an introduction to Maths Trek’s teaching and learning resources to help you explicitly teach core maths and problem-solving skills, and improve numeracy outcomes

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for a minimum of 60 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

References
1. Sharratt, L 2019, Clarity: What matters most in learning, teaching, and leading, Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
2. Rosenshine, B 2012, ‘Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know’, American Educator, vol. spring 2012, pp. 12–39, https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/Rosenshine.pdf

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Free

Critical thinking helps students transform their understanding of everyday maths concepts into something meaningful and useful.

But how can you incorporate critical thinking into your maths instruction? And how can you improve your students’ critical thinking skills? In this workshop you’ll discover practical ways to develop these essential skills in your maths lessons with relatable examples and hands-on strategies.

Who’s this for?

• anyone who has attended our Delivering Impactful Numeracy Lessons with Math Trek session
• classroom and learning support teachers
• stage leaders, numeracy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• an overview of the vital role critical thinking plays in the classroom
• a review of explicit and implicit teaching techniques to help develop students’ critical-thinking skills
• insights into the effective use of cognitive verbs
• a summary of practical ways to incorporate relatable examples and promote students’ critical-thinking skills
• a detailed look at how critical thinking is embedded into the Maths Trek program for easy and successful implementation

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 60 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

Request a school workshop

Free

For schools seeking targeted support, we offer custom workshops tailored to meet your specific professional learning needs. Whether you’re looking for guidance on a particular feature, a quick refresher, or something more focused such as an assessment overview, this workshop can be customised to fit your school’s unique requirements.

Request a school workshop

Free

Ready to strengthen your students’ mental computation skills? Request this workshop to discover how Think Mentals’ effective strategies break down maths problems into friendly, manageable chunks.

You’ll explore the program’s structured approach, time-saving teaching methods and engaging resources – all designed to help you explicitly teach key mental computation strategies. The strategies, coupled with plenty of scaffolded practice, promote maths fluency and foster a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, equipping your students for mental computation success.

Who’s this for?

• educators looking for a new mental computation program or those new to Think Mentals
• classroom and learning support teachers
• stage leaders, numeracy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• an overview of Think Mentals’ friendly approach to mental computation
• an understanding of how mental computation strategies are explicitly taught throughout the program
• an in-depth look at the features of Think Mentals Digital, including automatic marking and digital student portfolios, and identifying how to use them effectively across the week

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 45 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

Request a school workshop

Free

Let one of our Education Consultants take you through the key features of the Think Mentals program. In this quick demo, you’ll unpack the program’s friendly approach to mental computation and explicitly taught strategies, before exploring its time-saving teaching methods and engaging resources.

Request a demo

Free

Discover how to deliver stellar English lessons your way with English Stars. In this workshop you’ll explore the program’s extensive teaching resources and interactive student activities, and learn how to effectively integrate the program into your weekly schedule to meet the unique needs of your classroom.

Who’s this for?

• educators looking for a new English program or those new to using English Stars
• classroom and learning support teachers
• stage leaders, literacy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• unpacking the scope and features of English Stars
• a look at a variety of grammar concepts, comprehension modules and text types
• an overview of the program’s gradual release framework
• insights into using the resources with students across your week and year
• an understanding of how student data is collated to provide a snapshot of individual student and whole-class progress, supporting both formative and summative assessments
• an in-depth look at the variety of summative assessment types

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 45 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

Request a school workshop

Free

Let one of our Education Consultants take you through the key features of the English Stars program. In this quick demo, you’ll run through the time-saving teaching resources and range of student activities, before delving into the assessment tools, and comprehensive student portfolios.

Request a demo

Free

About

Let one of our Education Consultants guide you through the key features of the Writing Time series and demonstrate how these resources can enhance students’ handwriting skills.

What’s covered?

• an overview of the Foundation year
• an introduction to the Writing Time Hero Lines
• early years features that focus on letter formation and practice
• upper years features that focus on speed and legibility
• additional resources to support students’ handwriting development, including assessment tools, Writing Time Online interactive tools, and printable letter practice sheets

We can also provide a full set of the Writing Time books for you to peruse.

Request a demo

Free

BitMaths is a resource for Years 7 and 8 that is home to an abundance of content-rich modules that target higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving and reasoning.

Every lesson has been structured to follow a gradual release framework, providing a solid pedagogical foundation for your students to succeed.

The interactive elements unite seamlessly. From teaching slideshows to digital activities, BitMaths is better than a textbook in every possible way.

Don’t miss this opportunity to equip your students with the skills they need for the challenges of tomorrow through comprehensive lessons designed for today.

Who’s this for?

• junior secondary classroom and learning support teachers
• junior secondary stage leaders, numeracy leaders and curriculum coordinators

What’s covered?

• unpacking the unique and comprehensive teaching and learning resources in BitMaths
• an opportunity to see effective problem-solving and reasoning instruction in action
• an introduction to the BitMaths Reasoning Wizard and how it will help improve your students’ reasoning skills through scaffolded learning
• discussion on the benefits of a digital platform, including differentiation, automatic marking, real-time activity tracking, data collation and other classroom management tools

Length of workshop

This workshop runs for approximately 45 minutes, and attendees will receive a Professional Learning certificate of participation.

Request a school workshop

Free

Let one of our Education Consultants take you through the key features of the BitMaths program. In this quick demo, you’ll explore the student and teaching resources, including content-rich modules, digital activities and comprehensive student portfolios.

Request a demo