Hi, I’m Amanda

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I’m an Instructional Literacy Coach and I’m passionate about leadership and literacy, specifically supporting teachers, educators and leaders to bring confidence, clarity and consistency to the classroom.

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I established Hands on Heads Consulting (hands.on.heads), to support and inspire educators in their literacy practice. During my 12 plus years in the teaching profession, I was a Primary Classroom Teacher, experiencing both lower and upper primary year levels. As my career progressed, I held positions of leadership, including Literacy Coach (Year 5/6), International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Coordinator and Head of Curriculum (Junior School). I loved collaborating with my colleagues to research, inquire, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based literacy practices while building the capacity of classroom teachers to impact learning and engagement.

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Now, as an Instructional Literacy Coach and Consultant I find myself in and out of classrooms across Australia, working with upper primary and lower secondary classroom teachers and school leaders. Every day, I work with educators just like you to ensure confidence in the classroom, clarity with the curriculum and consistency across learning areas.

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As a teacher, educator and leader, I embraced a multidimensional approach to literacy and learning. My teaching practices were acknowledged as innovative, explicit and evidence-based by luminaries such as Lyn Sharratt and Jen McVeity. As an Instructional Literacy Coach, my approach is no less multidimensional- implementing work with teachers and leaders to foster curiosity, strengthen their professional growth and build their literacy capacity. I’ve collaborated with Seven Steps to Writing Success as an Expert Reviewer and with the Australian Council of Educational Research, providing feedback about the Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT R). Through Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, I participated in the School Improvement Literacy Program and was involved in the Data Collective with Lyn Sharratt. I’ve undertaken professional learning with Philip Holmes-Smith for the analysis of NAPLAN Data and with Dr Sandy Heldsinger for Brightpath Writing Assessment, with Kath Murdoch’s Getting Personal with Inquiry Learning, and with the International Baccalaureate for Making the Primary Years Programme Happen.

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When I’m not working with schools, you’ll find me up to my elbows in sticky notes sprawled across my desk, or deep diving into the latest evidence-based, innovative best practices both in literacy, education and leadership. Otherwise, you’ll find me baking at the beach, or in the pilates studio, never before an almond latte with my gratitude journal!