Meet Catherine Ball

Biography

Catherine is a freelance ELT materials writer who has had a life-long interest in literacy acquisition. After completing a post-graduate diploma in Teaching English in her native Canada, she then spent many happy years teaching around the world in very different settings. She settled near Oxford, where she has had a diverse and rewarding career in primary and pre-primary publishing. She is passionate about creating materials for the ELT classroom that enable young learners to engage and achieve – and to enjoy the experience.
Enhancing Early Literacy
This interactive talk will explore how we can provide very young learners with the skills, knowledge and motivation needed to become independent and confident readers. Using phonics in the English language classroom is simple, fun and easy to incorporate into your classroom. The session will include a clear explanation of how synthetic phonics works, and how to use York Phonics materials and games to help children discover the joy of learning to read in English.