Elizabeth Watt

Description

“Reading Comprehension –

Comprehension is the reason for reading;

If students do not comprehend, then they are not reading!”

This session will unlock ways we, as educators, can help our students engage with, and make meaning of texts in multi-modal forms.

We will revise the 3 cueing systems and the reading process, and investigate the tools teachers can access in helping students learn to comprehend and in turn become life-long learners.

Audience

This session is aimed at Teachers and Teacher Aides working in the Early Years and Middle Primary (from Prep / Reception right through to Year 6). Learning Support teachers and Teacher-Aides will also glean some useful tips for use with students in their programs.

Strand

Early Years

Traditional Literacy (Reading & Viewing)

Materials

Participants will be given samples of some of the tools that will be shared in the session. You may like to bring a USB to save documents / templates for future use.

Format

This session wil be a mix of presenter talk and make-and-take by participants who will get to make one of the "tools" to use in your learning environment.

Biography

A teacher with over 20 years experience in the Primary years, Liz has become increasingly impassioned with the teaching of literacy in schools. She has 13 years experience as Teacher Librarian, ranging from a small 2-teacher school in the Gold Coast Hinterland, to one of the largest P-12 colleges in the state of Queensland. Liz enjoyed the opportunity to work at Tanglin Trust School, Singapore for 18 months, opening the Infant Library in 2007.

In 2009, as part of Education Queensland’s response to The Literate Futures Report of the Literacy Review for Queensland State Schools, “Framework for Action”, Liz was involved in the delivery of the 5 Day Literacy Professional Development to groups of Years 4 – 7 teachers from schools across the Gold Coast District.

Currently, in her dual roles as Head of Department and TL at Varsity College, she leads teams to develop the Prep to Year 3 curriculum, providing support and appropriate resources to teachers in the delivery of these plans.

Liz is a leader of the school's Whole College Literacy Committee, assisting with the development of documents and policies to support the teaching of literacy from Prep to Year 12. She is also actively involved in Early Years networks on the Gold Coast, recently sharing the DRAFT Prep Roadmap with other Heads of Curriculum and Deputy Principals, and Directors of Early Years Centres in the Gold Coast region.