Human Chapters

It was a deep privilege to engage in a hearty conversation with Trina and Doug about their Chapter, Language is Literacy and Literacy is Language. Trina and Doug generously discuss the following:

- A pivotal moment that connected Trina and Doug

- The importance of oral language language skills from the onset of school and for life

- The complementary skill sets they both had morphed into their long term work with a focus on researching oral language, development of assessment tools (CUBED 3, DYMOND Diagnostic Assessment, etc) for oral language, creating interventions such as Story Champs to teach students via personal stories, ongoing research in the area of oral language and its role in literacy

- Students' capacity to understand language from a young age- How this crucial piece of the puzzle is so often overlooked in school-aged population

- The power of stories and its ability to connect humans

Trina can be contacted on:

Instagram = @trinastoolbox

Bluesky = @trinastoolboxFacebook =

Trina Spencer Email = [email protected]

Doug can be contacted on:

Facebook = @dougpeterson

https://languagedynamicsgroup.com/ - their assessments and interventions are available on this website. CUBED 3 is free to download.

This conversation will be available on  ⁨@humanchapters⁩  YouTube channel and Podcast. Please share it with others.

It was an absolute honour to engage in a highly enjoyable conversation with Melanie about her Chapter, Chasing Interesting...Back to School. Melanie generously shares the following points and more:

- A pivotal point in her high-school journey included her home-schooling herself for 6 months to joining an academically select school

- Her breadth of interests leading her to chase curiosities that interested her since she was a child

- A broad range of jobs from being an au pair in Paris to finding herself in Morocco, and landing a range of positions in Education

- Returning to uni to tackle a PhD in looking at how secondary schools support students with learning difficulties

- Her overall love and passion for education and equitable outcomes for all students

An enormous thanks to Melanie for the time, energy, and effort in sharing her Chapter and to everyone that will engage in it.

This conversation will be available on Human Chapters YouTube channel, podcast platforms, and Facebook page. Please share it with others that may resonate with the conversation.

It was an absolute honour to engage in an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation with Tanya about her Chapter, The Holocaust Experience and its Influence on a 1st Generation Survivor. Tanya generously shares the following and more:

- Her father's childhood

- The importance of Education

- Her father's first published book, “Saviours: The Story of a Jewish Altar Boy” by Henri Korn

- The impact of her parents' journey on her own journey

- Tanya's path to Speech Pathology

- Her PhD on matters of language and literacy- Her and her colleagues' work in The Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab at La Trobe University (https://solar.blogs.latrobe.edu.au/)

- Her future aspirations

Her father's books can be found on:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Saviours-Story-Jewish-Altar-Boy-ebook/dp/B00DCHA7T2 - Amazon link

https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/discovery/fulldisplay/alma9911782353607636/61SLV_INST:SLV - State Library of Victoria link

Tanya can be contacted on:

[email protected]

An enormous thanks to Tanya for taking the time, energy, and effort in sharing this Chapter and to everyone that will engage with it. It will be available on  @humanchapters  YouTube, Podcast, and Facebook page.

It was a deep honour to engage in a conversation with Eamon about his Chapter, The Role of Speech Pathology in Education: My Journey. Eamon generously shared the following points and more:

- His career path (work in early intervention, education, and his current position at La Trobe University - an Academic Intern for Science of Language and Reading Lab)

- The moment he was introduced to the world of literacy and the navigation of a speech pathologist's role within that

- The subjects he is teaching at La Trobe and research he is supervising.

An additional note from Eamon included: A quote from Tiffany Hogan’s 2025 AIM Institute Research to Practice Symposium presentation – “it’s the role of the system to create the conditions for evidence based practice to occur”. I think this is obviously true of how the system can support professionals within schools to experience success, but also the professionals providing services to schools (e.g. speech pathologists). We need to think about how speech pathology services can be effective within an MTSS framework of service delivery. We want to set speech pathologists up to be collaborative, effective and efficient in their work within Education.

Eamon can be contacted on:

Twitter (x) - @EamonGCharles

LinkedIn - Eamon Charles

[email protected]

Please share this conversation with educators, speech pathologists, and others that may resonate. It will be available on  ⁨@humanchapters⁩  YouTube channel, podcast platforms, and Facebook page.

It was an absolute honour to engage in a conversation with Shaun about his PhD Chapter, School Aged Students with DLD: Educational Needs and Supports. A summary of some of the points Shaun generously shared included:

- A brief explanation of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).- His PhD process and findings for school aged students with DLD. Note - this work is in its publishing process

- A systematic review of academic achievements of primary and secondary school students that he and his colleagues have published - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36382072/

- The interconnectedness between language and literacy skills.

- Specific findings from his study e.g., the benefits of extra time, visual supports, and individualised supports.

- We also discussed different language concepts that may be difficult for students with DLD to grasp and their impact on different parts of schooling (academic, social-emotional, etc.).

Shaun can be found on several platforms and some of these include:

- https://thedldproject.com/

- https://www.instagram.com/shaunziegenfusz/

- https://www.speech.edu.au/event-details/supporting-the-1-in-14-students-with-developmental-language-disorder-at-school

This conversation will be available on  ⁨@humanchapters⁩  YouTube, Podcast platforms, and Facebook page. Please share it with others.

It was an exceptional honour to engage in a wonderful conversation with Charlotte about her Chapter, Working with Students with Disabilities and Ensuring Success. Charlotte generously shared some of the following points:

- Her less straightforward path in education.

- Insights into differences between practical observations and theories she was learning in her degree.

- Approaches she has been using effectively and high expectations that have been set for students.

- Her current role as a Learning Specialist- Her incredible passion in the space of teaching, learning, and equity...........

An enormous thanks to Charlotte for spending the time, effort, and energy in this conversation and providing moving insights. Thanks in advance for everyone else that will engage with this Chapter. Please share it with other educators and/or those that may enjoy the conversation.

This conversation will be available on  ⁨@humanchapters⁩  YouTube, Podcast, and Facebook page.

It was a deep honour to engage in a hearty conversation with Angie about her Chapter, Anything is Possible. Angie generously shares the following:

- Her career path and progress.

- Pivotal moments that got her thinking about teaching reading.

- 2 books that made a significant impact in her learning, application, and progress.

- Mentors and lessons she has learned in her time as a teacher, instructional coach, principal, superintendent, and consultant.

- The book authored by Angie Hanlin and Pati Montgomery, It's Possible.

An enormous thanks to Angie for spending the time, energy, and effort in sharing this Chapter. A mighty thanks to everyone that will listen to and share this conversation.

Angie can be contacted on:

Angela Hanlin & Associates is www.angelahanlin.com

X (twitter) account is: @AngieHanlin

Facebook : Angie Hanlin

Business email: [email protected]

The book she co-authored with Pati Montgomery is called, It's Possible! and it is available at Solution Tree and sold on Amazon.

In the spirit of International Women's Day, I am honoured and privileged to have a conversation with my dear friend, Sienna, about her Chapter, Embracing My Inner GBS Turtle. I'm deeply grateful for being surrounded by females I love, adore, look up to, and aspire to be. These include my mum, sister, cousins, grandmas, friends, mentors, colleagues, and so forth. International Women's Day is about acknowledging the core essence of empowerment, equity, strength, grit, and so much more.

Sienna generously shares the following:- Her hobbies, passions, and loves.

- A brief introduction of Guillain Barre Syndrome- Her recent diagnosis of Guillain Barre Syndrome.

- Her personal story and journey.

- An insight into access, communication, inclusion, and much more.- Some key take aways for everyone.

A mighty thanks to Sienna for the incredible conversation and openness to share her journey and for everyone else that will engage with it. Please share this with others. It will be available on  @humanchapters  YouTube, Podcast, and Facebook page.

It was a deep honour to engage in a conversation with Kiaya about her Chapter, Speech Pathology and Education. Kiaya generously shares the following points:

- Her passion in literacy and how Speech Pathology fits within it

- Her career points that have contributed to her robust knowledge within the discipline

- Her current workplaces (private practice and La Trobe University) and projects

An enormous thanks to Kiaya for spending the time, energy, and effort in this well-rounded discussion. Kiaya can be contacted via https://www.soundsfun.com.au/about .

This conversation will be available on  @humanchapters  YouTube channel, podcast, and Facebook page. Please share it with others and be sure to like, share, and subscribe to the various platforms.

It was a deep honour and privilege to engage in this conversation with Chantelle about her Chapter, My Breast Cancer Journey Laced with Silver Linings. Chantelle generously shares the following:

- Her breast cancer journey from suspicion through to diagnosis and treatment

- Her second pregnancy prior to beginning chemotherapy

- The silver linings interwoven through every part of this Chapter

A hearty thanks and vote of gratitude to Chantelle for taking the time to share this conversation publicly and to everyone else that will engage with it.

This conversation will be available to watch or listen to on  @humanchapters  YouTube, Podcast, and Facebook. Please like, share, and subscribe to these platforms as it will assist in sharing each important conversation.