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4.5 PD HOURS

Event Details

24/11/2026

9.30am - 3.00pm - Log on between 9.15am and 9.30am Victorian Time

Live Streamed Webinar

Primary Teachers and all Learning Support Staff

$294 + GST

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Booking Conditions

No applications for this program will be accepted after all vacancies have been filled. Unsuccessful applicants will have their monies refunded in full. Cancellation prior to two weeks before the program date (cut-off date) will incur a 15% service charge per applicant. This program will be payable in full for cancellations made on or after the cut-off date or for failure to attend the program. All cancellations must be in writing and emailed to us. In the event of insufficient applications this program will not proceed and registration monies be fully refunded. In the event of this program being cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances registration monies only will be refunded as Critical Agendas will not accept liability for the payment of any other associated costs. Critical Agendas reserves the right to vary the advertised programs prior to commencement. Please note Critical Agendas reserves the right to transfer participants from face to face to webinar format with price adjustments (if required), should minimum numbers not be met for face to face event

Unlocking Literacy The Power of Synthetic Phonics

Systematic Synthetic Phonics instruction has been identified in Australia and other English-speaking countries as the most successful approach to the teaching of reading and spelling, particularly for students with specific learning difficulties. Most teachers ‘do’ phonics, but can instruction and student gains be optimised? In this course, participants will learn about the features of high-quality phonics instruction and become familiar with terrific programs, strategies, multisensory activities and resources they can use in designing an effective program.

SESSIONS

  1. Phonics instruction at my school
  2. Research findings on reading and spelling performance and their implications for instruction
  3. The features and structure of high quality systematic synthetic phonics programs
  4. Evaluating and comparing programs
  5. Multisensory activities and resources for teaching synthetic phonics
  6. Planning for systematic phonics instruction in your literacy program
Critical Agendas Speaker
Presented by Critical Agendas

Shirley Houston

Shirley Houston is an independent educational consultant with 40 years of teaching experience. She has a Masters degree in Special Education and has taught students in years K-12 at government, Catholic and Independent schools, in Australia and in America. She has lectured at several universities in Western Australia and at the Central Institute of Technology. Shirley has an enduring passion for work with children and adults who have specific learning difficulties and is a long-standing Board member of The Dyslexia- SPELD Foundation of Western Australia. She runs teacher-training, advises companies on educational product development and tutors students with diverse needs.

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