Satellite literacy tutorial helps teachers

A seminar on literacy by a top education expert was broadcast live via satellite to 450 schools around the country on 24th November, 2010.

The seminar’s main presenter was Professor Stuart McNaughton, director of the Woolf Fisher Research Centre in the Faculty of Education at The University of Auckland.

Besides watching the seminar, teachers and school leaders were able to ask questions during the free 90-minute broadcast, which was hosted by The University of Auckland Centre for Educational Leadership (UACEL).

UACEL Executive Director, David Eddy, says the literacy seminar was highly relevant to teachers and leaders in all types of schools and educational organisations.

“This seminar should have been helpful to any teacher or school leader who is looking at ways of lifting literacy results for their students who are not currently succeeding at school.”

The presenters addressed four critical literacy questions for schools leaders and teachers.

These include: what do we need to know about effective literacy teaching? And why is subject area literacy important?

Professor McNaughton was a member of the Government-appointed Literacy Taskforce and Chair of the New Zealand Literacy Experts Group. His current research focuses on effective teaching of literacy and language in the context of research-based interventions with clusters of schools.

Mr Aaron Wilson, a researcher at the Woolf Fisher Research Centre, who is completing a PhD on literacy and professional development, was also presenting.

The broadcast used the award-winning LENScience Connect e-learning platform developed by LENScience, University of Auckland’s ITS and Kordia, the satellite technology.

Jacquie Bay, Director of LENScience, says, “The broadcast was a natural extension of our programme, which is designed to enable the development of interconnected learning communities beyond geographical barriers.”