SLANSW Professional Learning Summit
The Strength of Story
SLANSW Zoom Room
This first SLANSW Professional Learning Summit for 2023 focuses on the pivotal place of fiction in the development of readers. Author and activist Susanne Gervay, will present the Keynote, “Search for Identity is the Journey”, where she will discuss the developmental journey of adolescents, and the complexities this journey entails. The Primary and Secondary streamed sessions will be presented by Reading Australia Fellowship recipients Jantiena Batt and Edwina West.
Jantiena Batt is the Director of Early Childhood Projects for the ACT Education Directorate. In this session Jantiena will present her research on the way educators and families respond to texts. Her action research project inquired into whether the story was presented by the adult as story driven or issue based.
Edwina West is an English Teacher at Oakhill College in Castle Hill, Sydney. In this presentation Edwina will discuss what is known about aliteracy, the causes and implications of the decline in reading for enjoyment. She will present the findings of her research into how Australian Fiction might be a way to combat aliteracy in Australian youth.
Following these presentations, participants will have the opportunity to engage in workshops, closely linked to the Summit theme of understanding the role fiction can play in developing readers. Participants will collaborate with colleagues to review, revitalise and reimagine their school library’s reading and writing programs to incorporate their professional learning from the day.
A highlight of this Summit is the presentation of the SLANSW Awards for 2022. Through the conferring of these awards the Association recognises the professional leadership, vision, innovation, publications, research and collaboration of its members and those whose work influences the development of literacy, and in particular, information, digital, critical and creative literacy.
Details of the full summit program are available here.
Featured speakers include
Susanne Gervay
Susanne Gervay goes where “angels fear to tread.” She is an author and activist who advocates for peace, inclusion, and feminism through story. In her latest book, The Edge of Limits, she goes further and reveals the reality of CONSENT. Susanne is an ambassador for Room to Read, Patron of Monkey Baa Theatre, heads The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (ANZ), and Role Model for Books in Homes. Her literature “demonstrates with great power that we can teach our children profound truths and timeless values.” Professor of English, D.R. Pattanaik, Banaras Hindu University.
At the SLANSW March Summit Susanne will be presenting Search for Identity is the Journey. As an author and educator, Susanne will go to the heart of teen and young adult relationships and discuss the developmental journey of adolescents; a time when the area of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning, and problem solving is developing, which, when coupled with the hormonal surge of puberty, can lead to impulsive and negative behaviour.
While some are influenced by racism, antisemitism, misogyny, domestic violence which is intolerable, they all face the difficult search for identity. It’s the pressure of parental expectations, school challenges, self-doubt, peer groups, testosterone, the complexity of ‘identity crisis.’ The Edge of Limits honestly and sensitively portrays the complexities of our boys as they confront sexuality, power, consent and girls. It goes to the hard places of identity and tackles the issue of consent.
Jantiena Batt
Jantiena Batt is a school leader working as Director of Early Childhood Projects in the ACT Education Directorate. She has worked in a range of settings and sectors, including education and care services, OSHC, preschool, schools and, as a literacy and numeracy coach over the last 20 years. In 2022, Jantiena received the Reading Australia Fellowship for Teachers of English and Literacy, supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.
At the SLANSW March Summit Jantiena will present Sharing stories – Is Your Response Story Driven or Issue Based? In this session, Jantiena will present her research on the way educators and families respond to texts. Her action research project investigated whether the story was presented by the adult as story driven or issue based.
We know that children engage with literature from birth and the way families and educators interact with the text in the formative years has the potential of impacting on a child’s disposition and understandings. This research focuses on the way educators and families respond to texts when they are presented with books that include nonheteronormative family structures with children.
Edwina West
Edwina West is an English Teacher from Oakhill College in Castle Hill, Sydney. She has a great personal interest in the benefits of reading, not only academically but also personally and socially. This has been the inspiration for her Reading Australia Fellowship research which centres around Aliteracy – the worrying and growing trend of actively choosing not to read. Edwina has investigated how Australian literature can help to combat Aliteracy, focusing on what teachers can do about this persistent issue.
At the SLANSW Summit in March Edwina will present on Aliteracy and Australian Fiction. In this presentation, Edwina will discuss what is known about aliteracy, the causes and implications of the decline in reading for enjoyment, as well as present the findings of her research into how Australian fiction might be a way to combat aliteracy in Australian youth.
If you’ve ever considered what can be done about the decline in reading for enjoyment and what English Teachers and Teacher Librarians can do about it, this is a session not to be missed.
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
