Presented at ResearchED Canberra, Saturday 29 August: Beyond the Pencil. The slides, the session handout and the three research briefs are now on the Research​ page.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The Groundwork Handwriting System
A research-informed handwriting instruction system for teachers and occupational therapists, connecting handwriting, phonics, and literacy with a complete resource suite and evidence-based professional learning.
WHAT IS THE GHS?
Handwriting is a literacy skill
The Groundwork Handwriting System is built on a single premise: handwriting is not just a fine motor task. When children can form letters automatically, the cognitive resources that would otherwise be spent on letter formation are freed up for the higher-order work of writing, thinking, and communicating. The GHS provides teachers and occupational therapists with the tools, resources, and clinical reasoning to make that happen.
It is grounded in the Integrated Hourglass framework, drawing on the cognitive science of learning, Ayres Sensory Integration, and the research evidence on handwriting and literacy. Where that evidence is strong, the GHS follows it. Where it is thin, the GHS is transparent about what we know, what we don't, and what clinical reasoning fills the gap.
Grounded in the Cognitive Science of Learning
Drawing on cognitive load theory, explicit instruction, and the links between handwriting automaticity, reading, spelling, and written expression.
Integrated with phonics and literacy
Resources are designed to work alongside phonics-based reading instruction, not in parallel to it. Handwriting and literacy reinforce each other.
Honest about the evidence
The GHS is transparent about where the research is strong and where it is not, particularly around line sizing, dosage, and formation scripts.
GHS RESOURCE SUITE
Everything you need, ready to use
Included with every registration
Every participant receives the full GHS Resource Suite and the GHS Worksheet Generator upon registration, with unlimited use and no ongoing fees: over 2,100 Word documents (530 per font set) plus print-ready PDFs of the worksheets and lined papers. The whole suite downloads to your own computer, so it is always to hand, with or without a network connection.
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The suite is built in four state fonts: ACT/NSW, QLD, SA and VIC, and every participant receives all four, so tutors working online across state lines are covered. The PDFs and the Worksheet Generator are ready to use immediately; customising the Word versions uses Aussie School Fonts Plus, an EdAlive product licensed separately (Home/Teacher tier from $99.95).
GHS Worksheet Generator
Type this week’s words, choose the paper, print in seconds: word practice, syllable lists, dictation and letter formation on any Groundwork paper. 10 million+ combinations.
Cross-curricular worksheet templates
64 page layouts for everyday writing tasks across the curriculum, ruled on the GHS lines in every line size: 484 editable Word masters per font set, plus blank lined pages.
Letter formation animation PPT
52-letter animated PowerPoint with a teacher prompt and a student script on every slide: explicit formation instruction, taught the same way in every classroom.
Movement lexicon and formation scripts
A consistent teaching vocabulary for every movement, and the formation script for all 52 letters, collected in the Movement Lexicon Reference Guide.
Letter formation practice worksheets
Six worksheet families from 36mm to 18mm, in colour-coded and guideline versions, every family covering all 52 letters, plus letter-group practice sets.
Graduated lined paper series
A graduated series from 24mm to 12mm across six scaffolded steps, designed around the Groundwork line progression system, in A4 portrait and landscape.
Lined paper progression flow chart
A clinical decision-making tool to guide line size selection for individual children across the progression, from the first letter to standard ruling.
Read Me First teacher guides
Three guides, for the slides, the worksheets and the templates: the five-step teaching routine, how to choose line size and format, and the research behind each decision.
Four state fonts, all included
ACT/NSW, QLD, SA and VIC: every participant receives all four sets, over 2,100 Word documents plus print-ready PDFs, downloaded to your own computer and yours to keep.
The three research briefs behind the system are free to everyone, no sign-up needed: plain-language summaries of the links between handwriting and literacy, what the evidence supports, and where the research is limited. firstot.com.au/research
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
What the sessions cover
The GHS Professional Learning is delivered online via Zoom in two parts: a 3.5-hour main session followed by a 1.5-hour follow-up Zoom. Together, they provide a complete grounding in the research, the tools, and the practical application of the Groundwork Handwriting System. Cohorts are capped at 12 participants to ensure a small-group setting that facilitates high-impact feedback on your materials and cases, allowing for personalised support tailored to your classroom or caseload.
NOTE: One cohort each term is offered across three shorter weekday evening sessions.
MAIN SESSION
3.5 HOURS VIA ZOOM
A comprehensive introduction to the GHS, covering the research base, the Groundwork line progression system, and hands-on resource creation.
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The research links between handwriting, reading, spelling, and written expression
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Where the evidence is strong and where it is not
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How to use the Groundwork line progression system
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Creating phonics-integrated handwriting resources
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When to refer and what to look for in the classroom
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Where handwriting sits in a dual-stream clinical framework
FOLLOW-UP SESSION
1.5 HOURS VIA ZOOM
A structured follow-up session to review implementation, troubleshoot, and consolidate learning after participants have had time to apply the GHS in their classroom or clinical setting.
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Implementation review and Q&A
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Troubleshooting specific cases or contexts
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Consolidating resource use and line progression decisions
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Connecting the GHS to broader literacy and OT planning
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Classroom Teachers • Learning Support Teachers • Occupational Therapists • Allied Health Practitioners • School Leadership
INVESTMENT
Pricing
INDIVIDUAL
$345
Per person
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Capped at 12 participants
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3.5-hour main session
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1.5-hour follow-up Zoom
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Full GHS Resource Suite and Worksheet Generator per participant
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Certificate of completion
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Early bird 15% off: closes two weeks before each cohort’s main session
Book your course below
WHOLE-STAFF TRAINING (ONE ORGANISATION)
$1,800
Designed for a consistent approach across a school or service. Dates by arrangement.
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All staff from one school, allied health practice or community organisation
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3.5-hour main session: Zoom or on-site
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1.5-hour follow-up: Zoom
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Full GHS Resource Suite and Worksheet Generator per participant
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Single invoice for the organisation
Contact James for more information
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NOTE: Travel charges apply for on-site training outside of Canberra