La Trobe’s Intermediate Science of Language and Reading short course is designed to support you to further develop your skills and knowledge about reading instruction and intervention for all children. The content integrates information from linguistics, cognitive science and neuroscience to derive best practice for reading instruction and intervention with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.

The course is provided over five 1.5-hour weekly online live webinars. These will also be made available as recordings.  Your online sessions are a blend of instructed and responsive learning where you will have the opportunity to engage subject matter experts for detailed responses.

Following each online session, you will be able to access learning resources, discussion forums, and practical tools to support you in applying the techniques learned in class. You can also choose to undertake self-assessment quizzes to track your learning process and understanding.

This program is delivered by La Trobe University SOLAR Lab Directors; Professor Pamela Snow and Assoc Professor Tanya Serry.

This course is designed for primary and secondary teachers but is also suitable for allied health professionals and parents who want to understand more about the Science of Language and Reading as this pertains to initial reading instruction and support for struggling learners.

There is a 10% discount for schools that enrol 10 or more staff, or in the case of schools with fewer than 10 staff, where all staff are enrolled.

Course content

Topics covered will include:

• Oral language: A deeper dive. Vocabulary across the tiers, discourse genres, inferencing and metalanguage.
• Cognitive Load Theory, explicit instruction, and leveraging neuroscience research in the classroom.
• Progress monitoring in reading: Making the most of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
• Developmental Language Disorder: The most common disorder you've never heard of
• Learning Difficulties: Early identification and intervention to close the achievement gap.

Extra requirements

1. Broadband internet access and an active email address that can be accessed at home during study periods.
2. Participants must have basic computer literacy skills (e.g. Word or other word processing software).