Sound Waves Literacy
Meet the authors
Nicole and Mary are the dynamic duo who have authored our new suite of Decodable Readers. Bringing over 30 years of classroom experience and a wealth of linguistic knowledge – they are the perfect team for the job!
Nicole Forrest
Nicole sets the linguistic guidelines for the Decodable Readers, making sure the relevant phoneme–grapheme relationships are covered in every book. She is fascinated by language and is always on the lookout for wonderful words and unique story ideas. Nicole often calls Mary with new ideas from the most unlikely of places, like a tent in an outback paddock, a pillow pirate ship captained by her nieces or an old fishing shack with very patchy wifi.
Qualifications:
- Master of Applied Linguistics
- Graduate Certificate of Education (TESOL)
- Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies
- Bachelor of Education (Primary)
- 3 years of classroom teaching and intervention support experience
Mary Serenc
Mary has over 30 years of classroom experience, specialising in early years education. She is always dreaming up stories and poems. She scribbles all her great ideas on sticky notes which promptly fall off the wall into an abyss. She will not stop until a story is just right, and she certainly won’t tolerate a story that’s boring! Her stories burst with bouncy alliteration, delightful rhyme and lots of loud onomatopoeia.
Qualifications:
- Diploma of Teaching (Primary)
- Graduate Diploma of Education (TESOL)
- 30 years of classroom teaching and intervention support experience
Why are our authors passionate about early literacy development?
‘I believe literacy instruction is the most impactful area of primary teaching. Literacy is a significant equaliser for students – it helps ensure full academic participation and positive post-school outcomes. I wanted to create the Sound Waves Decodable Readers to provide teachers with an evidence-informed resource they could use to deliver rigorous, engaging early reading instruction.’
– Nicole Forrest
‘I have always been passionate about storytelling and poetry, and sharing literature with my students. Teaching children how to read is critical in unlocking the joy and knowledge that comes from reading. I wanted to create the Sound Waves Decodable Readers to provide children with the ‘training wheels’ they need to become independent readers.’
– Mary Serenc