In 2025, LDA celebrates it’s 60th anniversary of ensuring learning difficulties is the business of every teacher. Join us to celebrate this milestone with an afternoon of professional development, exhibitions, networking, wine, and canapes.
Details
Date: Saturday 22nd November, 2025
Time: 2 pm – 6.30 pm
Where: Treacy Centre
Address: 126 The Avenue, Parkville
Event Schedule
| Time | Program |
| 2:00 pm | Arrival/Coffee/Exhibitions |
| 2:20 pm | President’s Welcome |
| 2:30 pm | History of LDA |
| 2:40 pm | Keynote Speaker 1- Dr Robyn Wheldall Ensuring all children can learn Handout Please note that our original presenter, Laura Glisson, has notified us that she is unwell and unable to present. |
| 3:40 pm | Coffee Break/Exhibitions |
| 4:00 pm | Keynote Speaker 2 – Professor Sarah Powell (recorded session) Best Practices for Maths Intervention Handout |
| 4:45 pm | Award Lifetime members |
| 4:55 pm | Close |
| 5:00 pm | Drinks/Canapes/Exhibitions |
| 6:30 pm | Event Concludes |
Presentations
Ensuring all children can learn (Dr Robyn Wheldall – Director, MultiLit Research Unit
This talk will explore what educational and instructional psychology tells us about optimising learning environments for students of all ages. Factors such as attention and the pivotal role of interactions between teachers and students have an
important part to play in ensuring success for students and teachers alike. Guidance on making the classroom a successful place for students with diverse learning needs will also be shared.
Making Maths Matter (Professor Sarah Powell)
For all students, success with maths is vital in school and career. In this session, we will focus on five research-validated strategies that can make your maths intervention matter for students. Please note this is not a live session – Sarah has recorded this session specifically for our 60th anniversary.
About the Speakers
Dr Robyn Wheldall
Dr Robyn Wheldall has worked in the areas of learning difficulties, special education, behaviour management and literacy instruction and interventions for struggling readers for more than 30 years. For much of her career, she worked at Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC) and is a founding Director of MultiLit Pty Ltd, a university spin-off company established in 2006. In addition to her continuing role as a Director of MultiLit, Robyn is the Director of the MultiLit Research Unit and is a Vice-President of Learning Difficulties Australia. She is also a founding director of the Institute of Special Educators, is the Chair of the Industry Advisory Board for the Masters of Speech Pathology at the University of Technology Sydney, is a University Associate of Curtin University, and is a Research Fellow at Macquarie University.
Professor Sarah Powell
Sarah Powell is a Professor in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin and Associate Director of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. Her research, teaching, and service focus on mathematics, particularly for students who experience mathematics differently. Sarah is also the 2025 recipient of the Eminent Researcher Award of the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties.
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