This page is dedicated to a series of webinars usually advertised via Twitter.
Introducing Anne Glennie (based in Scotland), Abigail Steel (based in England) and Debbie Hepplewhite (based in Wales) – here are their blogs:
Anne Glennie: The Learning Zoo
Twitter @anneglennie
Abigail Steel: Blog
Twitter @abigail_steel
Debbie Hepplewhite: The Naked Emperor and Phonics Intervention
Twitter @debbiehepp
Anne, Abi and Debbie are phonics and literacy consultants/trainers – and also authors of literacy programmes. They are founding committee members of the International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction which has a very informative Forum.
For the series of free live webinars with Anne, Abi and Debbie (usually one hour long with additional time if necessary to address outstanding questions), Anne Glennie generates the invitations to the webinars, and hosts the events.
[Notification of other webinars of interest will also be added to this page.]
See below for a record of past events and notification of forthcoming events:
Webinar no. 1: 6.30pm to 7.30pm (UK time) Monday 1st February 2021
Theme: “Matched Texts”
The question was raised: What issues arise from the strong promotion, and pressure from inspection, of cumulative decodable ‘matched texts’? Is the promotion of ‘matched texts’ presenting as ‘too purist’?
The crux of the matter: Do people share a common understanding of the notion of ‘matched texts’, what these can look like, and the different ways they can support teaching and children’s learning?
Two Word documents were provided during the event and added to this page afterwards:
Matched Texts – Questions and Answers
Following the webinar which was over-subscribed and well-received, Ann Sullivan was inspired to create an infographic to illustrate the points raised by Debbie’s talk. Ann created an embryonic infrographic and then worked with Debbie to refine it for public use – particularly for the teaching and teacher-training profession:
Reading Purpose and Choice of Texts for Beginning and Developing Readers
The suggestion was then made to create a simpler version for the use of parents and carers. Ann worked with Lynne Moody and Debbie to finalise this parent-friendly version:
Reading with your child – at school and at home
Debbie and Abi were alerted to the increasingly ‘purist’ approach to ‘matched texts’ (reading books that match the letter/s-sound correspondences introduced in schools’ Systematic Synthetic Phonics programmes) in England’s context as Ofsted inspectors have particularly focused on the benefits of children being provided with cumulative, decodable reading books when asked to read aloud independently.
In response to concerned teachers contacting Debbie about this issue, Debbie wrote this blog post to support teachers in schools using her Phonics International SSP programme and/or the No Nonsense Phonics Skills series.
Webinar no. 2: 6.30pm to 7.30pm (UK time) Wednesday 17th February 2021
Theme: “The Maths of the Phonics – Retrieval Practice and Over-learning in Phonics”
The crux of the matter: People commonly refer to ‘Systematic Synthetic Phonics’ (SSP) as if all SSP programmes and provision are the same or similar. Is this really the case? What does SSP provision and practice look like for each and every child – is it generally similar or very, very different on close observation? What is the reality? Will a close look at the variation of phonics practice explain why so many children still get left behind and don’t make the same level of progress in literacy foundational skills as others?
***News of a free webinar with speakers Abigail Steel and Debbie Hepplewhite on Tuesday 16th March 4pm to 5pm (UK time)
Theme: “Getting phonics pace and progression right”
The crux of the matter:
- How can you evaluate the speed and pathway of a phonics programme?
- How to deliver phonics effectively to achieve the best results for your pupils
Thank you