About Nicole
Nicole Reardon
BA (VisArts), GradDipEd (Primary)
Certified Barton Tutor
Practicing MSL (Multisensory Structured Language) Educational Specialist (IMSLE, Aus)
AMADA - Nicole is an Accredited Member of the Australian Dyslexia Association (AMADA Registration: 420385). This is a qualification awarded after coursework, professional development instruction, and over 100 hours of teaching individual students using MSL techniques.
I was a primary school teacher for 10 years in Queensland and one year in the USA before becoming a parent. It was then that I began tutoring students. Over time, I’ve narrowed my tutoring focus and research to the rewarding work of teaching people to read and spell.
I home educate my two children and am registered with the Home Education Unit (HEU) in Queensland. This means I create and write an individualised education program for my children, reporting on their progress yearly. I’ve been doing this since 2013.
I didn’t plan on becoming a literacy specialist. When I started tutoring, I specialised in teaching MATHS. I used to think English wasn’t fun because there were too many variables and I couldn’t see the patterns. After being exposed to the Barton Reading and Spelling System and doing further research into structured literacy and the Orton-Gillingham appoach, I became excited when I realised I could see the patterns in English and understand the rules. Like many students of the Barton System, I exclaimed, “Why wasn’t I taught this in school?!” Furthermore, “Why wasn’t I taught to teach like this in my teacher training!?”
I love using a multisensory approach to teach reading and spelling. This means that more than one sense is engaged in each learning activity. Body movements, seeing, hearing, touching and speaking are combined to enable new learning to be transferred from short term-memory to long-term memory. I also love incorporating games into my lessons to support and reinforce the students’ new skills.
I feel great joy in seeing students achieve their OWN goals with their developing reading and spelling skills, after they have worked so hard during our time together.
If you want to help provide the tools your child needs to confidently approach reading or spelling in a new way, schedule an appointment with me today.
“Being a parent of a child with learning differences is both challenging and rewarding. For me, Nicole is a great source of encouragement, positivity and support. I am extremely grateful for her understanding and compassion.”