In classrooms across Australia, approximately one in three children struggle to read at the level expected for their age. Earlier this year, research from The Grattan Institute highlighted the literacy problems facing Australian schools and called for ‘a reading revolution’.
In line with many other states and territories, from 2025, children in Prep to Grade 2 classrooms in Victoria will be taught using a systematic phonics approach. Teachers will spend a minimum of 25 minutes a day explicitly teaching phonics to children to help embed key foundational reading skills.
A new online phonics course has been developed by Haileybury – created by teachers for teachers – to help them deliver effective phonics classes from 2025. The first course in the Haileybury Phonics course, Phonics 101, is designed for teachers who haven’t had previous phonics training, or for teachers who want to refresh their phonics knowledge and skills. More courses will become available in the new year.
“Haileybury has delivered evidence-based literacy and numeracy courses, including phonics, for more than 18 years. Our teachers have a vast amount of experience in this field and for years they have supported other schools across the country to enhance their own literacy courses – so they know what works.”Grenville Green, Haileybury Deputy Principal (Junior School)
“This course brings together all those years of expertise to deliver an effective and succinct phonics course that will support teachers in any school to ensure children build their reading skills and their confidence in learning.”
Haileybury Phonics course, focuses on building teacher understanding of phonics and provides them with effective tools and strategies to use in the classroom to support student learning.
Importantly, it is available on demand so teachers can work through the course at a time and place convenient for them.
“The online course will cover the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of phonics and key terms that are important in developing teacher confidence,” says Mr Green.
It explores and unpacks key terms including phonemes, blends, short and long vowels, blending and segmenting. The ‘how’ section of the course shows teachers how to practically build phonics into their literacy lessons and includes video demonstrations that bring to life how Haileybury teachers deliver phonics. It also provides teachers with a toolkit of resources, templates and lesson ideas to use immediately in their classrooms.
"Our teachers have designed and developed this course to help build teacher confidence and to enhance the ability of their colleagues in other schools to apply phonics in their teaching."
“Teachers are dedicated to wanting the best outcomes for every student and this course supports those teachers who have the incredibly important job of helping some of our youngest students learn one of the most fundamental and key skills – how to read and write with confidence.”Grenville Green, Haileybury Deputy Principal (Junior School)
The Phonics 101 course is available for purchase from Wednesday, 4 December and goes live on Monday, 13 January 2025. It costs $295.00
For further details go to https://www.haileybury.com.au/careers/phonics-training-for-teachers.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Haileybury acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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