I am a big fan of Michelle's and SMART Spelling.  I have been looking for a GOOD whole school approach (not a programme) to spelling for a long time.  Once I had been to Michelle's SMART Spelling PD I just had to get the whole staff PD.  Michelle did a whole school PD for us at our school and by morning recess she had everyone enthusiastic to get started!  Her presentation is VERY engaging, and we learnt so much about how language works and how to teach this to all children.  SMART Spelling covers all the bases.  It is inclusive, differentiated and finally we have spelling rules that make sense!

Ree Rogan, Literacy Leader, Barwon Heads Primary School

"We cannot praise the online SMART spelling course enough! The videos were clear, informative and the most fantastic part was re-watching certain clips to really master the information that was presented. It has been a terrific platform which we would highly recommend to other schools."

Mary Swoffer, Head of Junior School, Cobram Anglican Grammar

Kialla Central Primary School is moving into our third year of implementing the SMART Spelling Approach.  Our staff have found a new passion for teaching spelling. It is practical way to teach spelling and it just makes sense!  Our students talk the talk, walk the walk & are transferring it to their writing, reading and across other curriculum areas.  We are massive fans of Michelle, her work and generosity in sharing her resources!  Thanks Michelle! 
Debbie Humphries, Principal, Kialla Central Primary School

Lemnos is a small school of 9 students who all have social and emotional needs, we have a high indigenous population and our kids were very reluctant writers. It was to the point where writing sessions would be a trigger for meltdowns for a lot of our kids. So much has changed as a result of Smart Spelling and our students are having a go at writing and producing written work! We made a class book the other day, it was so exciting! I truly believe that this is due to their increased confidence since they have begun your program.

Robyn Niclasen, Lemnos Primary School

 I recently completed the SMART Spelling Video Course online, and can highly recommend it. I found it very user friendly and easy to follow. It is a great program and something I have already stated implementing into my classroom. Michelle is so relatable, and her program really makes sense! It was great to be able to make comments as ask questions after each video and I also found it helpful to re-watch the concepts I wasn’t too sure about. Thanks Michelle.

Laura Rawnsley, Tecoma Primary School

 The SMART spelling online course is extremely informative and engaging. You are able to work through the course at your own pace, as it is broken into 14 short video segments which are supported by clear notes. Not only does this training improve your professional knowledge and understanding of teaching spelling, but it provides you with excellent practical lessons, strategies and ideas that you can use in your classroom straight away. No longer is spelling seen as a never-ending list of rules and exceptions for both you and your students to learn.

Jude Griffiths, Singapore

At St. Joseph's we have a whole school approach to spelling. All our teachers and learning support have been trained with Michelle to make a whole school impact on our spelling, reading and writing results. All our children have an understanding of the process each week that goes on in spelling sessions. The how to teach the words has made a huge impact on our learners. We have noticed a massive difference to our learners with their spelling using SMART spelling. 

Lucy Keath, Principal, St Joseph's Cobram

At California Gully P.S. back In 2016 the school was in desperate need of/for a common understanding and language around spelling and a whole school approach. Two teachers had an opportunity to attend Michelle’s PD in November of that year. Both teachers came back from the professional learning opportunity excited at what they saw as a logical and sequential spelling program. As a result I booked Michelle to present the SMART Spelling approach to the entire staff in March of 2017. Following the professional development staff were 100% committed to following the SMART Spelling approach and the spelling results are steadily increasing. The SMART Spelling approach is not only limited to teaching and enhancing spelling skills. It has had a great impact on the student’s oral language skills and in turn their writing. The grade F-6 teachers found the SMART Spelling approach efficient in its routines, vocabulary, rules and implementation. The word lists provided a range from simple to more complex words (green, orange, red). This enables the learning focus (graph, diagraph, trigraph etc) to be the same for the whole class, while differentiating the lists for students of differing abilities.  I have now moved schools and with similar needs at Huntly Primary School have started implementing the SMART Spelling approach across the school, as the evidence of its success at my previous school cannot be disputed.

 Jason Lee, Principal, Huntly Primary School

  Thank you Michelle. This has been fascinating. I have always loved language and teaching reading and spelling, but I have learnt lots of new strategies through your videos.  I am going to have such fun teaching my students using these new strategies.

Sue Gasser, Moldova

Our school has instituted the SMART Spelling programme for the past two years and have found it to be very beneficial. Testimonials from teachers are always available, but the viewpoint of administration with new programmes may be of benefit. As a leader, it is exciting to see teachers empowered to adequately cater for all ability levels of their students. The programme is school wide, so handovers at the end of the year are easily understood and the students may begin the new year from where they left off. Because it is so teacher friendly, staff have found it easy to implement. Finally, my personal favourite is that spelling rules are still explicitly taught – the children are not expected to learn by osmosis. Yes, I am very happy with this programme.

Bruce Horman, Head of Junior School, Covenant College Geelong

My favourite thing about the SMART Spelling Approach is how it really ‘lets kids in on the secret’. The explicit nature of the approach doesn’t shy away from using correct terminology with even the youngest of learners and empowers them to see themselves as capable and confident, readers, writers and spellers. I also love how whilst it is explicit and direct the weekly study approach provides the opportunity for word and spelling inquiry to also support an inquiry based philosophy to teaching and learning. After completing this course I am left feeling inspired and invigorated to start using this approach in my classroom. Thank you Michelle.

Maddison Cooper, Singapore