Literacy programs developed by a UQ researcher are achieving remarkable results among more than 30,000 student users in schools across Australia.
Over the past six years, the Whole School Literacy Programs developed by Dr Carol Christensen from UQ`s School of Education, have been implemented in secondary schools from Cairns to Hobart.
Dr Christensen said that research on literacy showed how to ensure that all students attain high levels of literacy.
She argues that by Year 10, every student in a secondary school should be reading well, unless they have an intellectual disability preventing them from doing so.
Dr Christensen states that data from the schools she is working with demonstrates universal success in literacy across all students.
"With the Whole School Literacy Programs, we routinely improved the reading and writing ability of children by two to three years," Dr Christensen said.
"The achievements from the programs are not restricted to students' literacy rates. We made fundamental changes in motivation and saw improvements in subjects right across the board, as well as observing significant reduction in behaviour management problems."
There will be a conference on Dr Christensen's literacy programs at UQ on December 1. The conference will provide insights into the experiences and understandings that schools have gained in the process of implementing Whole School Literacy Programs.
Presentations will be given by schools implementing Whole School Literacy Programs and will address the practical, day-to-day realities of implementing a program that requires fundamental reform of practices in schools.
In the past two years all National Literacy Awards to secondary schools in Queensland have been given to schools working with Dr Christensen. Her programs are for all students - from beginning readers to those experiencing difficulties in basic reading and writing - even students who wish to achieve at tertiary level.
Interested members of the public, teachers and parents are all invited to attend the conference. Registration is free, however there is a $25 cost for those requiring catering.
Anyone interested in attending the conference should contact Dr Christensen on 07 3876 8046 or c.christensen@uq.edu.au.
Media: For any enquiries contact Dr Christensen on 0410 344 954.
Media representatives are invited to attend the conference which is being held in the Abel Smith Lecture Theatre (Bldg 23), St Lucia Campus, from 9am-5pm on Friday, December 1, 2006.
