Ali Shaw

I am currently employed as a Reading Recovery Tutor, working in the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions. This is my fifth year working in this role. I train Reading Recovery teachers and provide ongoing professional development and support for trained Reading Recovery teachers. I also work alongside school leadership teams to support the implementation of an effective literacy intervention for young children. These interactions often include conversations regarding what makes effective school-wide literacy practice; unpacking together how the deepening professional knowledge and expertise gained from the Reading Recovery training positively impacts classroom teacher practice. More recently this includes Early Literacy Support – I support the Reading Recovery teacher and classroom teacher as they work together to meet the literacy needs of a small targeted group of students in the classroom setting. Through close observation of each child’s literacy responses teachers are able to build on what they already know, giving immediate feedback on and teaching for strategic decision making in both reading and writing. In this way the teacher/s become  highly responsive practitioners, making finely nuanced teaching decisions about where to next, for this child/group of children.

A particular area of expertise is to provide specialist guidance for children not making accelerated progress and how aspects of classroom literacy experience can be adapted to actively foster their progress.

I keep abreast of current research in literacy and am always keen to discuss underlying theoretical perspectives for how children learn to read and write. I am passionate about growing teachers' expertise to help ALL children become independent, capable readers and writers, confident in knowing who they are and able to access the full curriculum.

I have experience running workshops for teachers in both ‘Administering and Analysing the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement’ and ‘Administering and Analyisng Running Records’.

Previously a classroom primary teacher of 14 years, I am confident, passionate and hard-working. I show initiative and work collaboratively alongside others. I respond to new challenges positively and actively problem-solve ways to  improve both teachers and children's growing expertise and sense of agency. I engage in a culturally responsive way, celebrating diversity and foster experiences that support children (and teachers) to thrive in their language, identity and culture.