About Us:

We learn with and through literacy practices.

Quality teaching and learning is about more than just covering content. We believe learning involves uncovering understanding and discovering the ways we can communicate it with others.

With that in mind, this blog is about creating a space (a ‘village’, if you like) for secondary teachers to explore how they might approach reading, writing and thinking in their classrooms. As Australian educators, we realise how important it is to share this from an Australian perspective!

At The Literacy Village, we aim to:

• Share approaches to reading, writing and thinking for teachers of English and other learning areas

• Review good quality, engaging texts for students across learning areas

• Share practical literacy strategies that can help students use reading, writing and speaking as tools for deep learning

Who we are:

Nicole Marie

Hello there and welcome to The Literacy Village!

My name is Nicole Marie and for ten years I worked as a secondary English, Literature and Humanities teacher and literacy leader. I hold a strong belief in the power of literacy as a force to improve and transform people’s lives and its potential to enable people’s full participation and engagement in society.

Currently, I’m facilitating multiple intakes of the Leading Literacy Course and an area-wide primary and secondary reading project Victoria. I am also a literacy consultant who has worked on a variety of projects ranging from in-school consultancy to area-wide literacy workshop and community of practice facilitation.

In 2014 I completed a Master of Education specialising in (you guessed it!) literacy, and in 2017 I received a Victorian Excellence in Education Award in the Outstanding Secondary Teacher category. I’ve also been lucky enough to visit schools in the US, Timor-Leste and Laos. In 2019 I completed an internship at the Center for Teaching and Learning in Maine, a demonstration school that 2015 Global Educator of the Year Nancie Atwell founded. Here, I enriched my understanding of how to engage young adolescents in thought-provoking and empowering reading and writing experiences.

When it comes down to it, I’m basically a giant ‘teacher-nerd’ who loves seeing students grow, get curious and author their own learning. I love connecting and learning with other teachers, too, and am excited about seeing this ‘village’ develop.

Laura Newman

Thanks for visiting Literacy Village. I am a Melbourne-based educator with a passion for literacy and student agency. I taught Media and Humanities and was student Engagement Coordinator and Learning Specialist at a senior secondary college in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs. I became obsessed with improving my classroom literacy practices early in my career, and was an active member of my school’s literacy working group. In 2017 I completed my Masters research into digital literacies across the curriculum at the University of Melbourne. After a few years of voracious reading, trialling and practice in this area, I joined the team at Wilcob Education Consulting to develop, design and facilitate teacher professional learning in literacy. I consult with schools on literacy audits and deliver staff professional learning in literacy across the curriculum.

In 2019 I became the School’s Coordinator for Oxfam Australia’s Schools Program, supporting students to learn, think and act as global citizens. I believe that supporting teachers is key to achieving great educational outcomes and so I’ve been very active across teacher organisations. I’m currently Executive Officer for Social Education Victoria, the professional teachers’ association for Civics and Citizenship, Politics and Sociology.

I think that mastering language empowers students, and I believe that good literacy practices are based around choice, interaction and the needs of the learner in front of you.

Judy Douglas

Every day I feel fortunate that what I love is the same as what I do in my work. Who wouldn't feel rewarded working with interesting people who share the similar goal of improving and empowering young people through education?

As an educator and consultant with schoolED Consulting, I work with, and lead, improvement in teacher practice (both my own and others) with a particular passion and expertise in literacy, with a focus on developing independent readers and writers in our classrooms (both students and teachers).

I have taught (English and Literature 7-12) and worked in schools from primary to Year 12 as a literacy coach, literacy coordinator, Head of English, Teaching and Learning Leading Teacher and as a Teaching Fellow for Melbourne University’s Masters of Teaching (Secondary). I currently work with school leaders in the implementation of their strategic plans, as well as being an instructional coach with individual teachers.

Mostly, I feel inspired by the opportunities we have to develop curious, critical, and creative readers and writers; and exploring the ways we can do this. Through The Literacy Village I look forward to connecting and collaborating with ‘like-minded’ people in meaningful and purposeful discourse.