Learning Matters Ltd

The best part of what we do is working alongside schools, leaders, teachers and ākonga to make meaningful, lasting change. That's why we're looking for experienced educators and leaders to join Learning MATTERS as Education Implementation Coaches.

This role is all about partnering with schools, delivering professional learning, coaching teachers, supporting leadership teams, and helping build sustainable literacy practices across Aotearoa.

If you're a relationship-builder, a lifelong learner, and someone who loves seeing educators grow in confidence and capability, we'd love to hear from you.

You'll be joining a collaborative, supportive team that's committed to improving literacy outcomes for children, families and schools across New Zealand.

🔗Applications are now open via SEEK: https://bit.ly/JoinLearningMATTERS

You'll find the full role description, requirements and application details over there.

October marks Dyslexia Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and deepen understanding. From the very beginning, we have committed ourselves to advocating for literacy learning differences and emphasising the importance of quality instruction for our most vulnerable learners. This advocacy is the foundation upon which Learning MATTERS was built. And while Dyslexia Awareness Month is in October, we know that dyslexia is a lifelong journey.

Each year in October, our social media focuses on this kaupapa, and this year is no different.

This year feels particularly significant. As Learning MATTERS celebrates 10 years of working alongside educators, schools, whānau, and communities, we have had the privilege of witnessing a growing understanding of dyslexia across Aotearoa. Important conversations that once sat on the margins are now helping shape classrooms, workplaces, professional learning, and system-wide change.

Recently, we were honoured to be awarded stewardship of the Dyslexia-Friendly Quality Mark (DFQM), a responsibility we see as another opportunity to help strengthen inclusive, dyslexia-friendly practices across education, training, and workplaces. Because when dyslexia is understood and supported, people are better able to thrive in learning, employment, and everyday life.

Over the past decade, one thing has remained constant: meaningful change happens through collective effort. Through the dedication of educators, leaders, specialists, whānau, advocates, and learners themselves, we have seen greater awareness, stronger evidence-informed practice, and more people confidently sharing their experiences of dyslexia.

But there is always more to learn, more stories to hear, and more opportunities to create environments where every learner can succeed.

Throughout Dyslexia Awareness Month, we'd love to hear from our community. We'll be sharing information, resources, reflections, and questions designed to spark conversation and deepen understanding of dyslexia.

💬Our first question is: What's one thing you wish more people understood about dyslexia?

We'll also be running a few giveaways throughout the month, so be sure to follow along and join the conversation.

Which LMIT® pathway is right for you?

Both pathways start with the same strong foundation:
✅ 5 days of intensive training
✅ 8 Community of Practice meetings
✅ 12-month learning journey
✅ Ministry-funded (criteria applies)

From there, your pathway depends on your goals.

Choose LMIT® Certification if you require:
- Deep theory and knowledge building through 14 online modules
- Practicum and coaching support
- A case study project
- The opportunity to gain LMIT IDA Certification

Choose LMIT® Lite if you require:
- The core LMIT learning experience
- Ongoing community support
- Applied coaching focused on literacy practice
- A lighter time commitment alongside your existing responsibilities

Both pathways are designed to support confident, consistent literacy intervention practice in schools.

🔗 Learn more about which pathway might be the best fit for you or your team via the link in our bio.

As schools begin planning for 2027, now is the perfect time to see what successful Structured Literacy implementation looks like in practice.

Our Impact School visits offer a unique opportunity to observe real classrooms, hear from educators on the journey, ask questions, and take away practical ideas you can apply in your own school.

These visits provide a valuable opportunity to connect professional learning with the realities of day-to-day classroom and school-wide practice.

🔗Learn more and register via the link in our bio

One of the most common questions we hear from schools working to strengthen literacy outcomes is: "What should our next step be?"

The answer is different for every school.

For some, it's building teacher capability and creating a shared understanding of effective literacy practice. For others, it's strengthening assessment processes, improving consistency across classrooms, or reducing the time spent searching for resources and creating systems from scratch.

That's exactly why iDeaL was created, to support schools at different stages of their literacy journey and help turn change into action.

The goal isn't to give educators more to do. It's to make literacy implementation more manageable by bringing together the professional learning, assessment tools, teaching resources, reporting, and leadership support schools need in one place.

When the systems are clearer and the resources are easier to access, teachers can spend less time piecing things together and more time focused on teaching and supporting learners.

For Term 4, schools can access the full iDeaL for Schools platform at a special pro-rata rate:
✔️ $65 + GST per teacher
✔️ $27 + GST per teacher aide

With no commitment beyond the end of 2026.

🔗Learn more and sign up via the link in our bio

Offer closes end of day today, Friday 25 September.

Our Magnetic Handwriting Whiteboard is a student-sized, double-sided whiteboard that gives you a dedicated space for handwriting practice, with plenty of flexibility on the other side.

One side has our Sky, Grass, Dirt lines for handwriting practice. Flip it over and you’ve got a blank magnetic surface for all sorts of classroom activities.

Small enough for students to use independently, and useful well beyond handwriting.

Grab yours: https://shop.learningmatters.co.nz/products/magnetic-handwriting-whiteboard-double-sided

You can travel halfway around the world, listen to Rwanda's Minister of State for Education, and find yourself reflecting on the very same challenges we're facing in New Zealand.

At Harvard last week, Carla had the privilege of hearing Hon. Claudette Irere speak candidly about leading change across Rwanda's education system. What struck most was how familiar many of those challenges sounded.

Whether we're talking about literacy reform, curriculum change, or improving outcomes for learners, the question isn't simply what needs to change. It’s how.

Read more: https://bit.ly/LearningMATTERSBlog

How do you intentionally plan for Active Participation in your lessons?

Active participation isn’t something that happens by accident - it’s planned for to ensure frequent responses and 100% engagement.

Tendai, at St Joseph's Oamaru, intentionally plans for active participation in every single lesson. Here’s a peek at some of her go-to strategies:

➡️Choral Response & Partner Practice Warm Calling:
Students practice answers together first - either as a full class or with a peer. Tendai then uses name sticks to warm-call individual students. Because everyone has already rehearsed the answer, it keeps accountability high while keeping anxiety low.

➡️Supported Delivery:
When called on, students stand up to share. Their partner stays ready to offer support or co-deliver the response - making public speaking a low-stakes team effort.

➡️Structured Partners (1s & 2s):
Assigning roles (Partner 1 and Partner 2) alongside a clear sentence stem eliminates wait time and gives clear direction on who speaks first. It also ensures students practice academic vocabulary in complete sentences.

➡️Mini Whiteboards:
A powerful tool for checking for understanding. When every student writes and holds up their board, everyone is doing the thinking, and everyone is active in the learning.

Planning for frequent responses keeps learning active, visible, and inclusive for every learner!

What’s your favourite strategy to boost active participation in your classroom? Share your wins below!

Congratulations to Tracey Reily from West Melton School in Christchurch, who was the lucky winner of our prize draw at the ICP conference here in Auckland this morning. 🎉

Thank you so much to everyone who came and said hello, shared their stories of success with Learning MATTERS and the results they are seeing for tamariki in their kura, and to everyone we made new connections with.

We’re excited to continue these conversations and strengthen our partnerships with you all.

Ngā mihi nui,
Jo and Fee