We recently chatted with Salome about her scholarship award and the work she’s been undertaking with the Midwest Network. The Midwest Network have seen outstanding increases in student outcomes over the past few years as they’ve worked together as a multi-school community to build a consistent approach to high-impact instruction. We asked Salome what this work has been like on the ground…

You have recently taken part in the Midwest Network’s Instructional Lead Series through Teach Well. What are some of your reflections on this Series in your personal context? 

This Series has allowed me to grow personally and professionally. It has connected me with like-minded, driven and enthusiastic leaders within the Midwest Network. The professional discussions, collaboration and coaching opportunities provided throughout the series have been invaluable and have developed my leadership capacity and skillset. In addition, it has been great to be able to bounce ideas off of, not only other schools and other leaders but with the passionate, knowledgeable and experienced Teach Well team too!

Congratulations on receiving a Fogarty Foundation Scholarship, can you tell us what you are excited about specialising in? 

Thank you. I am extremely passionate about Language and Literacy and believe that English not only underpins our personal futures but also is what is necessary to guide our paths and successes as a society. It is for this reason that I am excited to specialise in Learning Difficulties with a focus on supporting students with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Hyperlexia. I aim to further develop my skillset in identifying weaknesses in knowledge and abilities using evidence-based practices, to work towards bridging those gaps and creating successful and happy members of society.

Do you have other comments or reflections you would like to share with the Alumni network? 

I am grateful to share the space with like-minded individuals who strive to improve student outcomes. The dedication and passion displayed by fellow alumni in changing practices and participating in research-driven conversations is infectious. The invaluable experiences offered by Teach Well have sparked my passion for the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning, which has led me to meet some incredibly knowledgeable and experienced educators; for which I am thankful.

– Salome Ehlers, Primary School Teacher

Rebekah has been working with our friends at Ochre, creating high-quality lessons for Australian teachers. As an alumnus of both the Masterclass Series and the Instructional Lead Fellowship, we wanted to hear all about her recent contributions to education in Australia.

What made you decide to join the Ochre community and create lessons for teachers all over Australia?

I believe strongly in the importance of equity in education and am passionate about all students having access to quality education. This was why I decided to join the Ochre community and create lessons for teachers all over Australia. As an early teacher, I really struggled with the pressure of designing lessons and would often spend most of my planning time trying to source quality resources. The concept of Ochre, providing a bank of high-quality curriculum aligned resources available for free, appealed to me and I was keen to be involved in the process.

I initially had some hesitation to be involved, the time commitment was large (especially during holidays), technologies were new to me and having to film each lesson was confronting. However, I quickly realised that these were hurdles easily managed with the support of the team at Ochre. The feeling of achievement as each lesson and video was completed was greater than any challenges faced.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Ochre Education.

What skills, strategies and/or knowledge did the Teach Well Masterclass Series give you to support your lesson creation for Ochre?

The Teach Well Masterclass offered great support and preparation for lesson creation at Ochre. The Masterclass equipped me with skills in lesson design, and knowledge about the science of learning especially cognitive load theory and how to incorporate my knowledge of how students learn into the lesson design.

You have recently attended our Instructional Lead Fellowship workshops, what is something you are excited about bringing back to your school?

Teach Well’s Instructional Lead Fellowship has been greatly beneficial to my learning. I’m excited to bring back knowledge of the impact coaching cycle and incorporating this into our school coaching cycle. I would absolutely recommend the instructional lead fellowship for anyone in a coaching or leadership position at their school.

– Rebekah Winning, Primary Teacher & English Coach

This week we had our second alumni seminar for the year: “Promoting self-regulation and independence through high-impact instruction”. We looked at key high-impact instructional strategies that promote self-regulated learning and increase student independence. It’s so great to see so many alumni from our first cohorts in 2019 staying in touch too – it’s hard to believe this is Teach Well’s fifth year!

Three resources for our alumni

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Laura Glisson, our Language and Literacy Specialist here at Teach Well, for gaining a position on the Publication Committee at Learning Difficulties Australia, an association dedicated to assisting students with learning difficulties through effective teaching practices. Nice work, Laura!

Three resources for our alumni