Introducing the Literacy for Life Dynamic Duo

Pam Harders and Jane Stirling have a combined 14 years teaching experience in research, development and practice of the Scaffolding Literacy teaching approach at the University of Canberra.

Pam Harders holds a 4 year Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Inclusive Education from the University of Canberra. Pam Harders holds strong convictions about everyone’s right to learn to read and spell and write. Pam is an educator with extensive teaching experience in K-10 classrooms in both public and private settings as well as tertiary practice in undergraduate and post graduate courses at the University of Canberra. She pursued post-graduate Scaffolding Literacy studies under Wendy Cowey and Dr Brian Gray in the late 1990’s and has been practising and teaching this pedagogy ever since with passion and flair.

Jane Stirling has been living and breathing the Scaffolding Literacy pedagogy since its inception. Jane’s academic studies have been based at the University of Canberra. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree and will soon be completing her Master of Education (Honours) research, specialising in early literacy education. She teaches to make a difference in the lives of children for whom literacy is an everyday struggle and trauma. For many years Jane was the Coordinator of the Parents as Tutors Program at the University of Canberra, and she is currently undertaking research into the implementation of Scaffolding Literacy in an early childhood context. Jane, also, has taught undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the University of Canberra. Her mission is to enable her students to access academic discourse and to experience the wonder of entering the other worlds of books.