Practical Ways to Engage Reluctant Readers

The first SLANSW online meet-up for 2025 will focus on Practical Ways to Engage Reluctant Readers.  Three inspiring presenters; Allison Tait, Jade Arnold and Amanda Craig will share their practical knowledge and participants will leave this session with lots of strategies and examples to implement in their school. This topic is relevant for primary and secondary Teacher Librarians and Library staff.

About Allison Tate

Allison Tait (A. L. Tait) is the internationally published, bestselling author of nine middle-grade novels, including The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher novels, Maven & Reeve Mysteries and ‘The First Summer of Callie McGee’, which was longlisted for the 2024 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award. Her tenth novel, ‘Willow Bright’s Secret Plot’, is coming in 2025.

Allison teaches creative writing for children at the Australian Writers’ Centre and is the co-host of the top-rating Your Kid’s Next Read podcast. Find out more at allisontait.com

About Jade Arnold

2.1.2 Apply knowledge of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area to develop engaging teaching activities. 

6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.

6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.

7.4.2 Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.

Certificate of participation available via request to: info@slansw.net.au

About SLANSW Online Meet-Ups

The one-hour meet-ups take place in SLANSW's Zoom Conference Room and include a presentation from a guest speaker, with facilitated discussion between participants. We aim to include Q&A time as a wrap-up of each online meetup.

A maximum of 100 places are available for each meet-up, so get your registrations in ASAP.

Participation in SLANSW online meet-ups is at no cost to members.  Non-members may access the meet-ups for $45 per session.

The one-hour meet-up takes place in SLANSW's Zoom conference room. 

Those who register for this event will receive an email within 24 hours before the event, with details to access this online session.

SLANSW Professional Learning Summit

Change the Narrative:

Day One - Bringing new viewpoints on Literacy

Parramatta Library, Parramatta Square

Day Two - Expanding our horizons with Technology

Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC), Parramatta

The 2025 March SLANSW Professional Learning Summit will be held in face-to-face mode over two days at the venues as shown above.

Our program is also structured to foster networking with like-minded library professionals and industry partners through our Trade Fair. As a SLANSW member you are encouraged take advantage of this great opportunity to build your professional expertise through keynote speakers and workshops which will add over 8 hours professional development over the two days.

Details of the full summit program are available here.

Featured speakers:

Graham Akhurst In Conversation with Dr Michael Griffiths

Graham Akhurst is a Kokomini writer who grew up in Meanjin. He is a Lecturer of Australian Indigenous Studies and Creative Writing at UTS. Graham began his writing journey in a hospital bed in 2011. He read and started journaling between treatments for Endemic Burkett Lymphoma. As a Fulbright Scholar, Graham took his love for writing to New York City, where he studied for an MFA in Fiction at Hunter College. He is a board member for the First Nations Artists and Writers Network and Varuna. He lives with his wife on Gadigal Country in Sydney and enjoys walking Centennial Park with a good audiobook. His debut YA novel, Borderland, was published with UWAP in October 2023.

Michael R. Griffiths is Senior Lecturer in English Literatures at the University of Wollongong. He is the author of The Distribution of Settlement: Appropriation and Refusal in Australian Literature and Culture (UWAP 2018) and his essays have appeared in Textual Practice, Discourse, and many other venues.

Professor Toby Walsh

Toby Walsh is an ARC Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of AI at UNSW. He is Chief Scientist of UNSW.AI, UNSW's new AI Institute. He is a strong advocate for limits to ensure AI is used to improve our lives, having spoken at the UN, and to heads of state, parliamentary bodies, company boards and many others on this topic. This advocacy has led to him being "banned indefinitely" from Russia. He is a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Science, and was named on the international "Who's Who in AI" list of influencers. He has written four books on AI for a general audience, the most recent is "Faking It! Artificial Intelligence in A Human World".

Alex Wharton

Alex Wharton is an experienced educator, writer, and advocate for media literacy education, with over two decades of teaching and leadership experience in Australian schools. Currently a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, Alex’s research focuses on supporting media literacy practices among families in regional New South Wales, exploring the intersection of digital literacy, critical thinking, and ethical engagement. A passionate advocate for the role of school libraries in fostering lifelong learning, Alex has collaborated with organisations such as the Children’s Book Council of Australia and Reading Australia to promote high-quality literature and innovative teaching resources. Alex’s professional expertise spans curriculum design, professional development, and empowering students and educators to navigate the challenges of the digital age with confidence and discernment. With a dynamic approach to education, Alex is committed to equipping communities with the skills to thrive in an interconnected world.

Workshop presenters:

Day One

Michelle Bradley (PETAA)  : Using diverse texts meaningfully

Anna Burkey (Reading Australia): Creating Reading Communities

Paul Scully (City of Parramatta Libraries): The evolving role of public libraries

Gail Erskine (CBCA): The SUN Project - CBCA Shadow Judging - illuminating children's literature

Anne Tsang (Parramatta Library Heritage Centre): Parramatta Library Tour

Nicola Evans & Jenny Ryan (Copyright Agency): Indigenous text list for schools

Gina Krohn (Glenfield Public School): Ideas for Engaging Readers with Author Backpacks

Janet Galimi (SORA): Foster a love of reading & learning through concurrent use lending models

Elisabeth Porreca-Dubois (Newcastle High School): A SMART-ER Reading Program: harnessing student voice and choice in reading

Day Two

Chris Betcher (Google for Education Specialist): From Search to AI: Google's Tools for Literacy and Learning in the Library

Dan Bowen (Microsoft): Reading progress, copilot, Minecraft and more!

Jane Abrams (Grok Academy (KIK Innovation)): PRIMM – an evidence informed strategy for teaching programming

Louise Mashiah (Baulkham Hills North Public School): Fun ways to engage students in library lessons using Technology

Jessica Lonard (St Patrick’s, Strathfield): AI in the school library context

Matthew Boggon (Castle Hill High School): Libraries and AI: Leadership

Hilary Schubert-Jones (Future You): Future You - Science as a Human Endeavour embedded into teaching

Natasha Junor (St Phillip’s Christian College): Igniting quality teaching through information resources

Jody McDonnell, Kate Parish & Nicholas Schroeder (St Vincent’s, Potts Point): Empowering Girls in High Schools to Navigate AI with Confidence and Integrity

Plus

Reading Engagement Panel: Coordinated by Karen Seeneevassen 

Includes representatives from: Australia Reads, Copyright Agency, Primary and Secondary TL’s

Hands on activities with: CANVA, Google, Microsoft, Grok Academy and Quizziz

Details of the full summit program are available here.

Please note SLANSW's Cancellation and Refund Policy for Professional Learning Events when registering for this conference

Suggested NESA Standards addressed by this Summit for Teacher participants

2.5.2 Apply knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies to support students’ literacy and numeracy achievement.

2.6.2 Use effective teaching strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected content relevant and meaningful.

6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.

6.3.2 Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.

7.4.2 Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.

Certificate of participation available via request to: info@slansw.net.au