MultiLit: ‘Adults Learning Literacy’ was set up for Claymore residents as a joint initiative between a local church and Housing NSW to teach illiterate residents to read using the MultiLit program. A 65-year-old woman has just graduated from the program. “Opening Up a World of Words for Nora”, The Macarthur Chronicle, 29th October 2009.
Professor Kevin Wheldall and MultiLit: Professor Kevin Wheldall “is not a well-known Australian hero, but he deserves to be”. MultiLit reported as transforming the educational prospects of children in Darwin, Sydney, Cape York and Gladstone. The Exodus Foundation employs MultiLit to help Year 6 children who would otherwise face high school next year with Year 3 reading skills. “Editorial: Making up lost time”, The Australian, 24th October 2009.
MultiLit: After 18 weeks of MultiLit tuition, students at Millner Public School in Darwin had improved their age in reading accuracy by an average of 17 months. “Results for phonics make great reading”, The Australian, 24th October 2009.
MultiLit: In July 2009 the fourth report was released in a series commissioned by Heads of Australian Governments in 2002 to provide regular reporting against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage. In its report in relation to the target for reading, writing and numeracy, the committee detailed four programs; the first program outlined was MultiLit and the second was MiniLit. Report of the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision on Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage July 2009.
Professor Kevin Wheldall and MultiLit: Professor Kevin Wheldall was inducted into the Macquarie Innovators’ Hall of Fame on May 6 2009 for the development and implementation of MultiLit. “Kevin Wheldall inducted into the Macquarie University Innovators’ Hall of Fame”, Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin 40(1), June 2009.
MultiLit: A Year 6 student has made improvements in reading accuracy levels and spelling, following attendance at the MultiLit clinic in North Ryde. “Toby’s literacy leap”, Manly Daily, 7th April 2009.
MultiLit: Letter to Editor response to Miranda Devine’s column. Writer mentions that MultiLit is demanding in terms of time and resources and questions the persistence of some reading gains made. “Whole language approach to literacy reaps rewards”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23rd March 2009.
Professor Kevin Wheldall and MultiLit: Professor Kevin Wheldall and MultiLit referred to in Miranda Devine’s assessment of the debate following Prof Brian Cambourne’s e-mail. State Education Minister Verity Firth and federal Education Minister Julia Gillard tie literacy and numeracy funding to programs such as MultiLit that can be backed up by evidence based research. “The crazy politics of learning to read”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22nd March 2009.
MultiLit: Letters to the Editor from Brendan Nelson MP refers to MultiLit’s success with low progress readers at The Exodus Foundation. “Ideology pushers stunt children’s literacy growth”, The Australian Letters Blog, 20th March 2009.
MultiLit: Following a decision by the NSW Government to conduct a trial using MultiLit, Prof Brian Cambourne, Associate Professor in Education at Wollongong University sent a group e-mail to literacy educators proposing they flood the education minister’s office with e-mails undermining MultiLit and phonics as an approach to teaching reading by associating it with the idea of failure. “Teachers in subliminal bid to bar phonics”, The Australian, 19th March 2009.
MultiLit: NSW Education Minister, Verity Firth announces government planned pilot study trial of MultiLit reading program. “Different reading methods on trial”, The Australian, 14th March 2009.