Preparing learners for reading success in Highschool Preparation Courses
Practical professional development to support reading skills development
19 January 2023 I The Queensland Institute
QI trainer, Ceara McManus, and JPIC teaching staff share strategies to support readers.
As the 2023 school year begins, teachers across Queensland are excited to welcome students back to campus.
That excitement was clearly evident this week as The Queensland Institute (QI) team joined teachers at John Paul International College (JPIC) for their Term 1 professional development day.
Every year at JPIC, teachers help international students to meet academic entry standards and develop study, language and cultural skills to ensure a smooth and successful transition to their studies in Australia.
Mr David Ferguson, Director of International at JPIC, shares,
“Our teaching team are continuing our strong focus on improving the reading of our students in our Primary Preparation and Highschool Preparation courses. Providing practical teacher professional development is part of our broader strategy to prepare our students for even greater reading success this year.”
In Term 1, JPIC collaborated with QI to provide a customised PD workshop for their teachers. 20 teachers joined the 2-hour workshop facilitated by QI trainer, Ceara McManus, to review strategies to help students access information and respond to texts in English.
The session began with teachers reflecting on what it means to have ‘good reading skills’ (McManus, 2022), before experiencing a range of practical activities to meet specific learning outcomes.
All teachers were highly engaged, sharing creative and inclusive approaches to developing reading skills in their own classroom contexts.
JPIC Deputy Director, Mrs Jo Kwai, said,
“Many thanks again for a wonderful morning of PD with your team sharing some excellent reading tips and strategies. Our team enjoyed it immensely.”
The QI team was delighted to join our colleagues in professional development. We applaud the JPIC team on their commitment to engaging and inspiring their learners to be confident readers in English to support success in mainstream school.
Further reading
McManus, C. (2022). Fostering a love of reading: Experiences from an online extensive reading program. EdTechSIG blog.
School permission to share granted 20 January, 2023.
If you would like to find out more about QI’s services and how we can help at your school, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
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