LDA is an association of teachers and other professionals dedicated to assisting students with learning difficulties through effective teaching practices based on scientific research.
Announcements
Professor Maryanne Wolf, 2016 AJLD Eminent Researcher Award recipient, to speak in Australia early September 2016 - Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne
LDA is delighted to again be hosting a visit by a reading researcher of international standing. Professor Maryanne Wolf is the Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, has publishedhundreds of scientific articles onreading, reading difficulties and learning disabilities, is the recipient of many awards, the author of RAVE-O, an intervention program for struggling readers, and her popular book, Proust and the Squid: The story and science of the reading brain,which describes the way our reading brain has developed over many centuries and explores the implications for today’s children who need to function in a technology-driven society.
Maryanne Wolf is also recipient of the LDA 2016 AJLD Eminent Researcher Award, to be presented during her visit to Melbourne. LDA Members are invited to hear her acceptance at LDA’s AGM on Saturday 10 September.
Click here for further information on her background and publications
Click here to read How the Reading Brain Resolves the Reading Wars Maryanne Wolf A Literate Nation White Paper 2013
LDA and AJLD Awards for 2016
2016 LDA Eminent Researcher Award to Professor Maryanne Wolf
2016 LDA Mona Tobias Award to Dr Roslyn Neilson
2016 LDA Bruce Wicking Award - Lynne Ivicevic
Professor Wolf will be presented with her award at the LDA AGM on the 10th September in Melbourne, following her speaking tour and Dr Neilsen and Lynne Ivicevic will also present at this event.
LDA 2015 50th Anniversary LDA and AJLD Awards – Click here to see the complete 2015 LDA Celebration Awards report
AJLD Eminent Researcher Award to Professor Max Coltheart
AJLD Early Career Researcher Award to Dr Tanya Serry.
AJLD Early Career Researcher Highly Recommended to Dr. Anne Bellert
LDA Mona Tobias Award to Professor Brian Byrne.
LDA Tertiary Student Award to Dr Danielle Colenbrander.
Other upcoming LDA Events
Click here for Conference & Seminar information.
Current Issues
FIVE from FIVE – Live
The Centre for Independent Studies’ FIVE from FIVE project aims to improve literacy levels by bridging the gap between evidence-based research on reading instruction, and policy, and practice. LDA has joined the FIVE from FIVE Alliance to help every child receive the most effective reading instruction from their first day at school.
The Centre for Independent Studies released their research report Read About It: Scientific Evidence for Effective Teaching of Reading by Kerry Hempenstall, edited by Jennifer Buckingham, here:
Dr Jennifer Buckingham, senior research fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies, Director of the Five from Five Reading Project August 3 2016 The Australian, Opinion, “NAPLAN results show core learning skills are in retreat” – click here
Hear Jennifer speak at the LDA Sydney Maryanne Wolf event – (fully booked)
LDA Position Statement - Approaches to Reading Instruction
LDA Supports approaches to reading instruction that adopt an explicit structured approach to the teaching of reading and are consistent with the scientific evidence as to how children learn to read and how best to teach them.
Click here to read LDA's Position Statement as published in the LDA Bulletin.
Click here for an extended version of LDA's Position Statement with substantiating references.
Interventions to Remediate Learning Disorders
Efficacy research review of current LD brain changing interventions by Auckland University’s Centre for Brain Research and School of Psychology, provides an objective overview of a number of popular brain-training interventions.
Click here to read this 2015 report.
Is Reading Recovery failing the New Zealand Literacy Strategy - what is the evidence?
Click here for the recently published NSW evaluation of Reading Recovery and relevant Reading Recovery resources.
Click here for an excellent 08/02/16 interview on Radio National with Professor James Chapman: "Is Reading Recovery Working?"
To hear LDA’s President Dr Lorraine Hammond’s 15/02/16 interview on Radio National in relation to teaching reading systematically and effectively, Click here
The National Curriculum
Click here to see LDA's submission or click here to see the Review.
Winter 2016 issue of LDA Bulletin now FREE to download!
Take advantage of LDA’s special offer to non-members of LDA to download the Autumn 2016 issue of the LDA Bulletin. Click here to download.
Members of LDA can access back issues of the Bulletin from the Members Only section of this website. To join LDA, click here.
Recent Publications
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Volume 48, No 2, Winter 2016 |
Volume 20, No 2, November 2015 |
Subscribe to our monthly LDA e-News |
Current & past issues  |
Past issues |
NOTE: LDA Members can access complete back issues of these publications and pre-publication Journal articles when logged into the LDA Members Only section, via the latest articles item in the Taylor & Francis main menu.
Professional Learning
Leaving Nothing to Chance - How Explicit Instruction can prevent early literacy difficulties.
Presented by Dr Lorraine Hammond and Brooke Wardana
Tuesday 18th October 2016
Bentleigh West Primary School, Bentleigh Vic.
Explicit Instruction gives struggling students an academic advantage when learning to read. With many schools in Australia introducing an explicit approach to literacy, this practical seminar will outline the challenges for schools, what’s involved in planning instructional sequences, and how to deliver Explicit Instruction in the areas of reading, writing and spelling in the early years
Click here for further info
September 2016 - LDA National Tour with Professor Maryanne Wolf
LDA was honoured to host Professor Maryanne Wolf in Australia, a unique opportunity for teachers, speech pathologists, psychologists, researchers and policy makers to hear such an acclaimed researcher who has significantly contributed to our understanding of the neurological underpinning of the reading brain and whose theoretical perspective has led to practical interventions which have assisted thousands of students who struggle with reading.
Click here to read Professor Wolf's article How the Reading Brain Resolves the Reading Wars (2013)
The FIVE from FIVE website is at: http://www.fivefromfive.org.au/ – a resource for teachers, principals, parents and policy makers with up-to-date credible information
Professional Learning Courses
A Free Online Course, Supporting Children with Difficulties in Reading and Writing Click here for details.
A new online course in teaching systematic synthetic phonics & its integration with wider reading, spelling and writing.
Click here for details.
Post Graduate Course Information. Click here for information
March 2015 – LDA National Tour with Dr Louisa Moats
Dr Louisa Moats, recipient of LDA’s AJLD Eminent Researcher Award, visited Australia in March 2015. Dr Moats has contributed widely to the body of reading and spelling instruction knowledge, and written extensively on the importance of code-based literacy instruction and better teacher preparation.
Click here to read Lousia Moats article Systematic, not "balanced" instruction in the October 2014 LDA Bulletin.
Click here for Louisa Moats significant paper Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science and more Louisa Moats Resources.
August 2015 - Professor Julian Elliott and the “dyslexia debate” in Australia
Julian (Joe) Elliott, Professor of Educational Psychology at Durham University in the UK and co-author of the book The Dyslexia Debate, delivered a series of presentations focusing on issues raised to clarify the key arguments in this debate and to consider its relevance to the way in which students with reading difficulties are identified and supported.
Click here for relevant Dyslexia Debate research and resources, and to hear Professor Elliott speak.
Resources:
Post Graduate Course Information
MOTIf: An assessment resource for researchers and professionals
Book Shop - essential Explicit Teaching & Response to Intervention Numeracy & other resources