This course is designed for teachers in the earlier stages of their career. It will help Early Career Teachers in developing their practice, with an emphasis on their professionalism. The course will provide participants with practical strategies and deeper understanding of the theory and practice of good management and good teaching.
4 March 2026 at Suite 1.04, 1 Lowden Square, Wollongong, NSW 2500
19 March 2026 at NSW Teachers Federation, 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills
19 August 2026 at NSW Teachers Federation, 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills
All CPL courses run from 9am to 3pm.
$110
Please note, payment for courses is taken after the course takes place.
Lila Mularczyk
Lila Mularczyk’s commitment to education was recognised by being honoured with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM). Lila has been contributing to public education for 40 years. She currently is undertaking a portfolio of work including leading or participating on multiple National and State Education Boards and Reference Groups and projects (including, PEF, ACE, UTS, UNSW, NSWTF and CPL.) tertiary professional experience officer, coach and mentor, UNSW Gonski Institute, State and Vice Chair ACE, supporting HALT’s, tertiary lecturer, work in and for schools, research, contract work, critical friend, innovation projects etc.
Prior, Lila was the Director, Secondary Education, at the Department of Education. Immediately prior to this, Lila was President of the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council (SPC) from 2012 to 2016. As President and as a school Principal, Lila represented Public Education around Australia, and frequently globally, at conferences over many years. Lila was Principal at Merrylands High School for 15 years until 2016.
We will focus on oral language development as the basis for developing literacy through the cyclical use of a range of strategies. This will be achieved through consideration of how students need to make meaning in curriculum contexts with a particular emphasis on developing knowledge about language, particularly grammar and vocabulary.
The focus of this three day course presented by Kathy Rushton and Joanne Rossbridge is to develop understandings and strategies for participants who support EAL/D students in both small groups and mainstream classrooms.
Practical strategies will be provided to foster the use of English Language (L2) while encouraging students to use all the linguistic resources that they bring to school, including the use of their first language (L1). Consideration will be given to the wellbeing framework and supporting students in an inclusive environment which honours and confirms their identity, language, and culture.
Open All
Day 1 – Friday 24 July 2026
Day 2 – Friday 7 August 2026
Day 3 – Friday 21 August 2026
At NSW Teachers Federation, Surry Hills
All CPL courses run from 9am to 3pm.
Day 1 – Speaking and Listening
Principles of second language learning
Lexical density and grammatical intricacy: The relationship between grammar and vocabulary development
The Mode Continuum
Elaborated and restricted codes and the relationship between L1 and L2
Strategies for developing oral language through planning and the cyclical use of range of activities, e.g. communicative activities, group work, drama, rhymes, chants, poems. Link back to the mode continuum.
Select a picture book and, based on today’s session, prepare strategies. Explanation of task for Session 2.
Day 2 – Reading
Introduction of Field, Tenor and Mode.
Before, during and after reading and in preparation for writing with a focus on: – field building activities to acknowledge and build on cultural knowledge (before) – intonation, pronunciation, punctuation and spelling (during) – inferential comprehension (after)
Strategies for categorising vocabulary and working with language features
Share strategies for selected picture book with a small group
Explanation of task for Session 3.
Day 3 – Writing
The teaching and learning cycle
Identifying strategies for developing writing through a joint construction.
Strategies for supporting written like text, eg Readers Theatre, Dictogloss, Running dictation, Advance /Detail
Making links to the community through writing for a purpose
Prepare notes for the joint construction of a Literary Recount and an Exposition using selected text.
Joanne Rossbridge
Joanne Rossbridge is an independent language and literacy consultant working in both primary and secondary schools and with teachers across Australia. She has worked as a classroom teacher and literacy consultant with the DET (NSW). Her expertise and much of her experience is in working with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Joanne is particularly interested in student and teacher talk and how talk about language can assist the development of language and literacy.
Kathy Rushton
Kathy Rushton is interested in the development of language and literacy especially in disadvantaged communities. She has worked as a classroom teacher and literacy consultant and provides professional learning for teachers in the areas of language and literacy development. Her current research projects include a study of multilingual pre-service teachers and the impact that teacher professional learning has on the development of a creative pedagogical stance which supports translanguaging and student identity and wellbeing.
Primary and Secondary teachers who support EAL/D students in both small groups and mainstream classrooms.
$660 for 3 days
Please note, payment for courses is taken after the course takes place.
Three whole day workshops with participants actively engaged in each session and undertaking reading and assignments between sessions.
“Perfect balance of theory vs practical strategies. The theories and strategies will be impossible to forget – putting it into practice between session was great.”
“Loved the depth of knowledge on all aspects of literacy in the context of EAL/D learners.”
“So glad I attended – have learnt so much and feel inspired to share what I have learnt.”
“Presenters are absolutely fabulous! The perfect amount of banter and professionalism. They are experts in their field, and it shows. They invite the learner in – whatever level of knowledge they are coming with.”
JPL Articles
Critical Literacy in English and History: Stages 3 & 4
This course is a great opportunity for early career teachers to work with highly experienced and effective educational leaders and colleagues from across the public education system.
We offer a relaxed and safe setting for participants to meet and work with teachers from different schools and colleges and encourage the sharing of teaching and learning strategies, resources, and successes.
The course is designed for teachers aspiring to develop their approach in classroom management through the use of effective teaching strategies to engage all students in learning. It will provide participants with practical strategies and deeper understanding of the theory and practice of good classroom management and good teaching.
Participant engagement and interaction with each other as well as presenters will be emphasised throughout.
This course focuses primarily on preventative strategies for teachers to create positive classroom environments. During the course, we will also address the structures required to effectively implement responsive strategies for supporting individual students who require additional support due to challenging behaviours.
14 May 2026, Surry Hills
29 July 2026, Tamworth
5 August 2026, Canberra
13 August 2026, Blacktown
16 September 2026, Surry Hills
4 November 2026, Newcastle
All CPL courses run from 9am to 3pm.
$110
Please note, payment for courses is taken after the course takes place.
Early Stage 1 to Stage 6. Teachers in the earlier stages of their careers.
Face to face
Liliana Mularczyk
Other presenters tbc
“Presenters were amazing. Resources are great. A really enjoyable and informative day.”
“Specific and practical behaviour management strategies/approaches. The expertise and enthusiasm of presenters was inspiring.”
“I found this PL very useful and would recommend this to my colleagues.”
“Consolidated and extended my understanding of effective classroom practice.”
The Supporting Students with Autism in K-6 course is designed to:
develop an understanding of the wide range of characteristics of students with Autism ;
explore a range of strategies which address the needs of students with Autism in the areas of language and cognitive development, communication skills and social behaviour;
develop specific strategies to help students with Autism access the curriculum, manage their own stressful reactions and modify their behaviours
Participants will also write a social story that addresses the individual needs of students; and develop an understanding of how to set up an effective learning environment for students with Autism.
2 June 2026, Online via Zoom
18 May 2026, Surry Hills
Dr Rose Dixon
Dr Roselyn Dixon has been a special education teacher in both mainstream and special education settings in primary and secondary schools. Rose has been in academia and involved with Inclusive Education for more than 25 years. She has published research in the fields of social skills and behavioural interventions for people with a range of disabilities including students with Oppositional Defiance Disorders and Autism.
She has been actively involved in examining the relationship between digital technologies and pedagogy in special education and inclusive classrooms for students with Autism as well as the implications of the NDIS on people with disabilities in rural and remote communities. Rose is an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Education, University of Wollongong, where she was previously the Academic Director of Inclusive and Special Education. She continues to support doctoral students in Inclusive and Special education with a focus on Autism.
Completing Supporting Students with Autism in Years K-6 will contribute 5 hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Students/children with Disability addressing standard descriptors 1.1.2 & 4.1.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Teachers in K-6
$220 (Federation members only)
JPL Article
Supporting students with autism: Strategies that really work in the classroom
