Other programme contributors

Louise Douglas

Diploma of Teaching. Co-author of WordLab. Creator of FRoGs.


LouiseDouglasProfileWith over 40 years of experience teaching primary school students in New Zealand Louise is a highly competent and knowledgeable educator.

While teaching in the classroom Louise recognised a need for more comprehensive resources to help students better understand and learn the structure of words. After many years of experience, she began writing and developing her own set of original teaching resources that includes a complete phonics teaching resource.

“I firmly believed in the close relationship between reading and spelling and of the importance of knowing about letter sounds and spelling patterns. I knew from experience that as children learn to spell, their knowledge of words improves and reading becomes easier.”

FRoGS was developed as a resource for teachers who wanted a systematic way of teaching letter sounds and spelling patterns.

Her invaluable work, published in 1999, has proven so successful that it has been the guiding foundation in the development of WordLab, an entirely new evidence-based programme for Years 1-8 students.

“It is exciting now to be developing this further into our new resource WordLab, especially now that the benefits of teaching knowledge of sounds and letter patterns are so widely recognised,” says Louise.

Of real excitement to me are the wonderfully interactive and engaging classroom spelling lessons that we are observing as teachers begin to use WordLab at all levels of the primary school.”

Louise is currently employed as the Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour at a primary school in North Canterbury. She is also undertaking a Post Graduate study in specialist education through the University of Canterbury.


The late Dr Alice Killackey

Founder of AVAILLL

DrAliceKillackeyProfile

The founder of AVAILLL enjoyed a lifelong interest in reading and education. The late Dr Alice Killackey was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.

Her higher education took place in California, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology from University of Santa Cruz followed by a Masters Degree from San Francisco State in cross cultural education.She completed her Doctor of Philosophy Degree at University of New Mexico. Her doctoral thesis contributed to the foundation of the AVAILLL literacy program which she created years later.

Her work on AVAILLL began in California and was developed further in New Zealand with the University of Canterbury in Christchurch where Dr Killackey lived and worked during the final years of her life.

Dr Killackey sadly passed away in 2009. Her daughter is attending Columbia University in New York City. The AVAILLL Trust is based in Oregon and directed by family members.

    WordLab

    A spelling programme
    for all levels

    More info

    FivePlus

    A short-term reading intervention programme (Years 2-3)

    More info

    SevenPlus

    A short-term reading intervention programme

    More info

    AVAILLL

    A research-validated reading enhancement programme

    More info
    “Teachers are very savvy and cautious when it comes to purchasing resources for their classroom. Funds are limited so must be spent on products that deliver effective results. Teachers recommend our products to their colleagues because they know they offer outstanding value.”Louise Douglas