The Churchill Fellowship Impact Funding Program
To extend the impact of my Churchill Fellowship, I applied for the Churchill Fellowship Impact Funding and received a grant to develop high-quality online training modules for secondary teachers about how to support struggling readers.
I aim to develop online quality-assured training modules to upskill the literacy knowledge and classroom practices of in-service secondary teachers and provide schools with specific, practical guidance about how to help older struggling students catch up. This on-demand professional learning will provide an overview of adolescent literacy and why some students have difficulty with reading so teachers can enhance their ability to address the diverse needs of older struggling readers.
The Snow Foundation Grant (2024)
I received a generous funding from the Snow Foundation, a family philanthropist organisation, to design and deliver professional learning opportunities for secondary teachers in search of effective strategies to support teens who struggle in reading. In combination with the Churchill Impact Funding, this project consists of providing a hybrid learning model, including an online course and in person training in Canberra for up to 80 secondary teachers willing to learn more about how they can support older struggling readers in their schools.
The NIFDI Grant: Institute to become an effective DI trainer (2023)
I received a grant to attend the 48th Annual National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes organised by the National Institute for Direct Instruction, held in Eugene July 25-19 (Oregon, US) and successfully completed the 5-day training course about ‘Becoming an Effective DI Trainer” which helped expand my capacity for providing training and support to the DI implementation across Australian schools.
Photo: Linda Carnine, Owen Engelmann and myself
I have extensive experience with DI programs, including Spelling Mastery, Corrective Reading and Connecting Maths Concepts and can provide training to schools upon request (fees involved).
The Director's Special Recognition Award (2023)
In July 2023, I received a Director’s Special Recognition Award at the 2023 Faith in Learning Excellence Awards held in St Christopher’s Cathedral by the Catholic Education of Canberra and Goulburn (CECG). It has been an incredible ride since I first started in the role of Senior Officer Literacy Specialist in January 2022, being part of an incredible system-wide teaching and learning improvement, known as Catalyst. I have been very lucky to contribute to this initiative and continue to support our teachers to deliver evidence-based practices in each and every classroom so every child can be a competent reader. A huge thank you to Ross Fox, Director of Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn, and Pat Ellis, Education Lead, for the level of support they continue to show me.
The Schools Plus-Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award (2019)
In 2019. I was awarded one of 12 national Commonwealth Bank-School Plus teaching awards in recognition of my success in improving literacy and numeracy outcomes in at-risk adolescents at Como Secondary College. I received a prize valued at $45,000 to assist with my professional development, roll out a new education project in my school and take part in an overseas study tour to a high performing education system. The Fellowship program included coaching, a study tour in Singapore, and opportunities to engage with leading education experts to develop network, skills and capacities; as well as joining a growing community of alumni who strive to impact education across Australia.
Level 3 Classroom Teacher (2018)
In 2018, I received my Level 3 Classroom Teacher (L3CT) status in recognition of my leadership skills and provision of professional learning opportunities delivered to my colleagues within my school and beyond. Recognised by the Western Australian Department of Education, the primary role of the L3CT is of an instructional nature, modelling high standards of teaching in the classroom and continually improving professional teaching practice.