This e-newsletter is the first with our new look. We hope presenting the newsletter in this new format supports Friends, their colleagues and partners to keep up to date with the advocacy work of the Foundation for Learning and Literacy (FFLL), along with easier access to resources curated on our website.

Friends of the FFLL
Recently we welcomed our 1000th Friend, an early career teacher who teaches an early childhood class in the ACT. The future of our profession is with young educators and young school leaders. Please share this newsletter with practising teachers and school leaders and start up a literacy and learning conversation with them about one of our new resources, or our 2025 advocacy campaign. They may also like to become a Friend.

Launch of the 2025 advocacy focus We all like a good story-imagine the possibilities
An Australian research report by Scholastic, shows that 86% of children said they loved being read books at home or liked it a lot. The main reason given was that it was a special time with parents. This report and other key reports can be found on the Research page of our new advocacy focus with our symposium partner organisations. See details of this in our Partner Activity.

New website Resources
For school and system leaders
•  Pasi Sahlberg suggests that fewer young people want to become teachers and experienced teachers are leaving the profession for the same reason. This reason, he argues, is that ‘teaching is getting harder’ and the support teachers’ need is not always available. The future he hopes for is one in which teachers are supported to ‘inspire young minds and build strong relationships.’ He also argues that the current focus on test scores should be replaced by a context in which ‘relationships matter just as much as academic results.’ These are challenging ideas as they imply that standardised testing as well as standardised teaching programs are obstacles to engagement and creativity. The implication for much contemporary practice is immense.

 
For school leaders, teachers and literacy coaches
•  Some students learning English can take at least 6 years to catch up to their peers. How can we support them better? Lu,L. & Hammond, J. 

•  Text Selection to facilitate reading instruction Mackenzie, N. & Tassone, M. Text selection is crucial in facilitating effective reading and writing instruction and has a significant effect on several pedagogical approaches to teaching reading. Text choice is informed by factors such as students’ needs and interests, the purpose of a text, knowledge of the reading process and instructional practices. Strategic text selections of authentic, decodable, predictable and readable texts allow teachers to implement targeted pedagogical practices that support diverse learning needs, promote engagement, and increase comprehension and fluency. Teachers are required to employ a range of teaching strategies and strategic text selection to encourage successful reading in the classroom. 

For system leaders and policy makers
•  Reading for emotion: we need more from the NAPLAN marking guide Lian, A. & Powell, A. (2025, Mar 17). In this examination of the NAPLAN writing test, the authors critically question the way writing in education is being framed as a ‘mechanical exercise’ through national testing. The authors argue that this framing denies key elements involved in the process of writing which children need to understand from the start. Their research draws on neuroscientific research that demonstrates that effective writing “orchestrates emotional shifts and engages the audience” and which is essential to an understanding of how writing works. The article calls on the need for essential shifts in the NAPLAN writing test, especially as such tests tend to ‘shape’ the ways teachers teach, and therefore how students develop and see themselves as writers.

Partner Activity
Launch of the 2025 advocacy focus We all like a good story-imagine the possibilities

As human beings we live our lives telling stories. Our stories carry the values communities share. A good story shares knowledge and experience, entertains and inspires us — and connects us to each other. Our collaborative partnership joins 17 literacy, literature and creative arts organisations under one umbrella, to launch our 2025 campaign. This year our message focuses on the amazing impact that joyful, imaginative storytelling and reading can create for individuals and our national and global communities. Learn more here and find ambassador videos from Tristan Bancks and Jane Vaughan.

• This year the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature (NCACL) is reaching out to all Australians interested in children’s literature for help. This treasured collection needs your help. Donations can be made here .

• The Griff Linc Research Group - Griffith University Literacy in Context, has launched this month. Find out more here .

Our FFLL Socials and News

There is a large range of current items related to all areas of literacy and learning in our NEWS area. Visit it often to keep up to date.

Please join us on LinkedIn here .

Friends are also invited to join our private FaceBook FFLL group .

Want to get in touch with us with your ideas? Write to learningandliteracy2020@gmail.com .

Recent News

• This News article tells the fantastic outcomes of an outback library’s writing group for young writers. 

• Author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson’s rhyming tales have enchanted children and parents the world over. Read more here .

The members of the Foundation for Learning and Literacy acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of the country that we call Australia.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future

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