Early Action for Success professional learning

There are a number of professional learning opportunities offered throughout the year. The range of professional learning enables instructional leaders and school teams to support teachers and are underpinned by professional conversations within the school context.

The following professional learning is available to all EAfS schools in 2020:

* refer to the key term event resource for details of the professional learning pathways available in 2020.

The following recommended professional learning opportunities for teachers and instructional leaders are available to all schools. Details are available on the Literacy and Numeracy professional learning webpage.

• Additive strategies (K-8)
• Effective Reading: phonics (K-2)
• Effective reading: phonological awareness (K-2)
• Effective reading: vocabulary (K-2)
• Implementing the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment (K-2)
• Implementing the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment for teachers - eLearning (K-6)
• Introduction to the literacy and numeracy progressions - face to face (K-10)
• Introduction to the literacy and numeracy progressions - online (K-10)
• Mathematics building blocks for numeracy (K-8)
• PLAN2: How to - a technical guide to using PLAN2

Professional Learning pathways 2020

Four professional learning pathways are being facilitated in 2020 with support from academic partners. EAfS schools can choose to engage in one of these pathways alongside a team.

Learning pathway 1: Broadening knowledge of mathematics, literacy and language - with Dr Ryan Dunn

Participants will explore how the proficiency strands impact classroom practice, building on dialogical practices as a way to enact reasoning, developing domain specific vocabulary.

Learning pathway 2: Assessment informed practices for analysing and teaching spelling in the early years - with Dr Tessa Daffern,

Spelling is a complex literacy skill to learn and to teach, yet it is critical for the development of early reading and writing literacy. This project aims to build the capacity of teachers to use linguistic error analysis as an assessment strategy that informs teaching priorities in spelling across Years 1 and 2.

Learning pathway 3: Weaving connections between reading and writing in the early years - with Associate Professor Noella Mackenzie.

This project aims to focus on language knowledge of speaking, writing and reading and show connections through composing and responding. This professional learning opportunity will provide research informed processes to set students as successful writers. It will support the building of adaptive expertise in the teaching of writing through deepening pedagogy, identifying teachable moments and evaluating impact.

Learning pathway 4: Working deeply with maths practices 5+2 - with Dr Kristen Tripet and Ms Ruqiyah Patel from the reSolve team from Academy of Science, Canberra

Developing a knowledge building culture in the classroom by planning and explicitly connecting key mathematical concepts, selecting rich learning experiences and assessing student learning.

Academic partnership action learning projects 2019

Seven action learning projects were facilitated with support from academic partners.

Building professional conversations

Instructional leader capacity to engage and coach teachers through effective professional learning conversations (40 schools). Academic partner: Emeritus Professor Helen Timperley.

The place of drawing in the writing process

Build adaptive expertise in the teaching of writing through deepening teachers' understanding of writing and related pedagogies. Build on teachers' existing pedagogical knowledge while enhancing their instructional practices (20 schools). Academic partner: Associate Professor Noella Mackenzie.

Leading collaboration and trust in school leadership teams

Develop structures that strengthen the reflective and evaluative practice in teachers of EAfS schools (20 schools). Academic partner: Dr Simon Breakspear.

Framing writing through the lens of oral language

Enhance talk about language to assist the development of language and literacy skills of students in EAfS schools (20 schools). Academic partner: Joanne Rossbridge.

Working with the big ideas in number

Enriching understanding of the big ideas in numbers and deepening awareness of the ways in which these ideas link to one another and other aspects of the syllabus (100 schools). Academic partner: Professor Dianne Siemon.

Working deeply with the seven practices

Work with challenging tasks in mathematics across K-6 to delve more deeply into the seven practices, and extend students confidence in working with challenging tasks in mathematics (75 schools). Academic partner: Dr Steve Thornton and Dr Kristen Tripet.

Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) intervention trial

Intervention program to improve children's knowledge and confidence with mathematics (13 schools). Academic partner: Dr Ann Gervasoni.