Structured Literacy
Explore how Cognition Education can support your school with Structured Literacy Implementation and Professional Learning and Development.
Ministry of Education Funded PLD
Cognition Education is an accredited structured literacy provider for the Ministry of Education.
Learn more about funding applications online through the Ministry of Education – find out more here.
Registrations for Cohort 4 will open soon, please fill out our enquiry form below for information about upcoming PLD.
Cognition Education’s Structured Literacy Programme
Our Structured Literacy Programme is research-informed and designed to equip educators with the skills and strategies to support literacy progress in Years 0–8.
The programme integrates foundational structured literacy principles—such as:
- phonemic awareness,
- systematic phonics,
- vocabulary,
- syntax,
- comprehension,
- and diagnostic assessment
—with practical application tailored to primary and intermediate contexts.
Participants will engage in three days of interactive workshops, 8 online Communities of Practice, discuss best practices, and receive personalised coaching and feedback to build confidence and capability.
Key features include hands-on learning, culturally responsive practices aligned with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and collaborative Communities of Practice to enhance implementation and mastery. Our evidence-based approach ensures participants can monitor their progress and apply Structured Literacy strategies effectively to foster equitable learning outcomes.
Workshops available from Term 2 2025 in Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch and Online. Dates to be announced soon.
Structured Literacy Programme: Overview
Day 1: Foundations of Structured Literacy
- Explore the core principles of Structured Literacy for Years 0–8.
- Understand the science of learning and how it applies to literacy.
- Learn to plan and structure Phase One, Phase Two and Phase Three literacy blocks effectively.
Day 2: Developing Literacy Skills
- Focus on practical strategies for explicit teaching phonics, phonemic awareness, morphology, syntax, and vocabulary.
- Gain tools to support diverse learners, including culturally responsive practices and ESOL strategies.
- Using assessment for learning techniques to monitor progress, recognise student learning gaps and respond effectively to them.
- Deep dive into the 20 week and 40 week phonics check.
Day 3: Embedding and Sustaining Structured Literacy
- Learn to embed Structured Literacy practices into your teaching routines.
- Dive into differentiation and targeted interventions for accelerated progress.
- Reflect on implementation strategies and create an actionable plan to support long-term success.
Enquire today!
Complete an Expression of Interest for our Structured Literacy Programme
This PLD is funded by the Ministry of Education, but you will need an Application Reference Number. If you aren't eligible for funding, you can still enrol in this course and we will invoice you directly. Complete your details below and one of our team will be in contact with you shortly.
Access more Structured Literacy PLD
Online webinar series
A deep dive into explicit instruction
Elevate your teaching practice by building knowledge through our comprehensive webinar series focusing on “Explicit Teaching”, one of the key components of structured literacy.
Read more!
This five-part professional development journey is designed to equip kaiako with cutting-edge, research-based strategies in explicit teaching for literacy. Each session offers practical tools to enhance your instruction to boost student achievement. Participants will have the opportunity to share effective practices and gain access to research and resources.
Why Attend?
- Evidence-Based Approaches: Gain insights into the science of learning and explicit teaching methodologies proven to enhance literacy outcomes for all learners.
- Practical Application: Engage in interactive activities and receive ready-to-use strategies for immediate classroom implementation.
- Coverage: Discover the essentials of “Explicit Teaching” in literacy, including phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, reading and writing comprehension skills, and assessment for learning in literacy.
Each webinar combines expert insights with practical, classroom-ready strategies. Participants will engage in interactive activities, receive valuable resources, and have opportunities for Q&A with presenters.
Ideal for teachers and leaders committed to advancing literacy outcomes through explicit teaching methodologies.
$300 per teacher (note, this is not Ministry funded). Group registrations also available.
Contact us to express your interest.
PLD Bundles
Coaching and Mentoring support
Cognition’s literacy experts can provide specific Coaching and Mentoring support for Literacy PLD.
Bespoke PLD
PLD designed specifically for your school
Cognition also offers bespoke packages and can tailor a specific approach for your school. Contact us for more information.
Coming soon!
Literacy Leadership Communities (LLC)
Cognition is excited to bring our new LLC Workshops to you soon! These termly meetings enable schools to keep up to date with Ministry changes, and a chance to network with local schools.
Have a question for our literacy experts?
Contact us today!
Ask us a question!
Read more about Literacy
The Science of Learning in Education
The Brain and the Science of Learning: Understanding the Connection The science of learning, a field that leverages insights from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and educational research, is fundamentally linked to how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves...
Unlocking Literacy: The Rise of Structured Literacy in Education
In recent years, a buzzword has been circulating within education circles: structured literacy. From educators and policymakers to parents and advocates, structured literacy has become a focal point of discussion, sparking conversations about its efficacy in teaching...
The Core Components of Structured Literacy: Building Blocks for Reading and Writing Success
In the realm of literacy education, structured literacy has emerged as a powerful framework for teaching reading and writing, particularly for individuals with dyslexia and other neurodiverse learning challenges. At the heart of structured literacy are its core...
The art of inclusion for students with dyslexia
Mainstream inclusion, aligned with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the most suitable paradigm for the educational inclusion of all learners globally. Inclusive education values the human rights of all students, is responsive to all learning...
Once upon a time in Kaikohe West…
When Kaikohe West School applied for PLD funding and linked up with Cognition Education, its staff and students set foot on a path to seemingly limitless literacy success. Steering the way, education consultant Rebecca Thomas began with a korero with Kaikohe West...
Putting Story at the Heart of Your School – Lifting Literacy
Stories open up worlds and build imagination for our tamariki. They are significant for our children for various reasons: when you are read to you sit, listen, concentrate and engage your mind; it builds vocabulary and imagination, sentence structures and abstract...
Innovative Learning: Collaborative Practice through an Oral Language lens
The South Auckland Catholic Kāhui Ako had a 2018/2019 professional learning and development (PLD) focus on Innovative Learning, specifically collaborative practice. As part of the Kāhui Ako, St Mary’s Catholic School (Papakura Years 0-8) is committed to improving...
Enhancing Oral Language PLD through Video Recording and Reflections
Paekākāriki School is a year 0-8 primary school on the picturesque Kāpiti Coast of the lower North Island of New Zealand. It has a roll of 155 students, 6 classroom teachers and a range of support staff. The learners, the teaching team, the community and whānau are...
Interdisciplinary Oral Language: A Collaborative Approach
We know and understand the power of collaborative practice in teaching and learning. We also know that supporting our learners to collaborate effectively is a critical skill. Employers are telling us that the ability to work together to create impact is a skill they...
Contact
Level 8, 139 Quay Street, Auckland 1010
New Zealand
