Teacher Professional Development 2026 – Australia
We are pleased that you have chosen to teach the iTaLAM program and are delighted to share our annual teacher professional development plan for 2026. This program has been carefully designed to respond to the real, on-the-ground needs of your teaching teams.
This year, we will focus on several key areas:
- Reading – A dedicated reading strand has been developed within iTaLAM, including a reading assessment designed for struggling or new students in Years 2–5. The assessment is simple, accurate, and effective. Our goal is clear: no student is left behind, and all students will be able to read by the end of the year.
- iTaLAM 2 and iTaLAM 3 – A new curriculum focused on language proficiency: communicative spoken Hebrew and accurate, fluent reading.
- Communicative Spoken Hebrew – During the training sessions, we will practise new and experiential tools that encourage students to speak authentic Hebrew naturally and confidently.
- Teaching Hebrew in Hebrew – We will provide practical tools for teaching Hebrew in Hebrew in the classroom, enabling teachers to achieve tangible outcomes in spoken language.
The 2026 Professional Development Program Includes:
- Melbourne Professional Learning Day
This will take place on Tuesday, 18 August (following the ZFA Conference in Melbourne) and will be delivered by a language specialist travelling especially from Israel: Vital Geiger, Literacy Coordinator and Speech Pathologist at iTaLAM.
The day will focus on practical pedagogy, language skill development, and the implementation of iTaLAM materials, with particular emphasis on the new strands. Teachers will gain practical methods, experiential teaching strategies, training in a modern communicative approach, and guidance on using new and authentic texts to advance language acquisition - One-Day School Visit by Vital Geiger
(Providing targeted support tailored to each school, based on precise needs agreed in advance.)
Vital will visit your school to deliver fully customised professional development, developed in collaboration with the school team and aligned with the specific needs of your educators.
The first week of visits will be allocated to schools in Melbourne, and the second week to schools in Sydney. - Complementary Zoom Sessions
As previously communicated to teachers, Zoom sessions will be held throughout the year on topics selected by school leadership. These sessions will take place across the year and will respond to current needs in the field. In the first quarter, the following sessions will be held:Tuesday, 3 February (7:30–8:30 pm)
Introduction to the new iTaLAM 2 program
Tuesday, 10 February (7:30–8:30 pm)
Building discourse and dialogues using iTaLAM 2
Tuesday, 10 March (7:30–8:30 pm)
The challenge is possible – How to teach all the letters and vowels in one year using the Ariyot reading program
Prices:
| Registration Date | Price |
|---|---|
|
Early bird Registration until March 15, 2026
|
350$ per teacher |
|
Registration after March 15, 2026 |
400$ per teacher |
