LC002 – Foundation Course

High-quality Spelling Instructional Routines and Principles

Evidence-based routines and principles for structured, explicit spelling instruction.

Price: $110 • Access: 60 days

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Course Detail

This 4-part module unpacks evidence-based instructional routines and principles for teaching spelling, grounded in Triple Word Form Theory. The module includes a range of downloadable and editable support resources to help you design or refine your spelling program and scope and sequences suitable for your context. The following topics are addressed:
Part A: How to design and implement a spelling instructional routine informed by Triple Word Form Theory.
Part B: Daffern’s four core pedagogical pillars and accompanying principles that underpin effective spelling instruction.
Part C: How to monitor progress of taught spelling skills using ART PhOrM™.
Part D: Where spelling instruction fits within the broader English curriculum or syllabus; how it can be structured to support reading and writing across a day, a week and a fortnight; and how to design a context-relevant scope and sequence aligned with Triple Word Form Theory.

Course Features

  • Evidence-based instructional routines grounded in Triple Word Form Theory
  • Clear guidance for designing structured, explicit spelling instruction
  • Practical frameworks for monitoring student spelling development
  • Guidance for embedding spelling within reading and writing instruction
  • On-demand videos (4)
  • Follow-up Tasks
  • Includes downloadable tools for program design and scope and sequence planning

Course Instructor

Dr Tessa Daffern is an experienced educator, researcher and literacy consultant with more than 25 years’ experience across schools, universities and professional learning contexts. Tessa specialises in evidence-based spelling instruction, with particular expertise in phonology, orthography and morphology, and is committed to supporting educators to strengthen language and literacy learning in their classrooms.

This course addresses AITSL standards 1.2.2, 2.3.2, 1.5.2, 2.1.2, 2.2.2, 2.3.2, 2.5.2, 3.2.2, 3.5.2 and 3.6.2

NESA Registered PD Provider

Course Content

13 sections • 2hr30min+ total length

How to design and implement a spelling instructional routine informed by Triple Word Form Theory.

Download and read Dr Daffern’s PhOrM Lesson Sequence Overview.

View Cognition in Spelling (2 minutes)

Download Dr Daffern’s Planning Templates for Designing an Instructional Routine. Use one of the editable templates to draft your own series of lessons. Implement your lesson series and reflect on its effectiveness.

View a series of PhoRM demonstration lessons in a Year 4 class (38 minutes). Download the instructional notes and teaching resources to accompany these lessons.

Daffern’s four core pedagogical pillars and accompanying principles that underpin effective spelling instruction.

Download and complete Dr Daffern’s Reflection Task Pillars Effective Spelling Instruction

How to monitor progress of taught spelling skills using ART PhOrM™.

Download and read The ART of Learning to Spell Acquisition Retention Transfer

Download and use Dr Daffern’s editable Qualitative Assessment Task Checking for Transfer to create and implement your own 2-step formative assessment task of spelling skills you have taught over several weeks.

Where spelling instruction fits within the broader English curriculum or syllabus; how it can be structured to support reading and writing across a day, a week and a fortnight; and how to design a context-relevant scope and sequence aligned with Triple Word Form Theory.

Download and review Dr Daffern’s various examples of programming files – Overview Instructional Routines and Scope and Sequences.

draft or refine your existing programs as needed.

Course access: 60 days from date of registration

This module is suitable for school educators in the early, primary and middle school years.

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Strengthen Literacy Instruction with Confidence

Evidence-based professional learning designed to support explicit spelling and literacy instruction in today’s classrooms.

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