Deslea Konza

Dr Deslea Konza began her working life as a primary school teacher in NSW, and after training in the education of deaf, blind and deaf-blind children, taught in special education for ten years. She joined the University of Wollongong as a lecturer, then senior lecturer in Special Education and finally as Director of Primary Education. In 1999, she completed her PhD in the effective teaching of students with attention and learning problems.

Deslea moved to Edith Cowan University in Perth as Associate Professor of Language and Literacy, and Director of the Fogarty Learning Centre. Her major focus during this period was on developing classroom teachers’ knowledge of reading development and how to teach struggling readers. She led more than 20 major literacy research projects in metropolitan, regional and remote areas across Australia.

Deslea is an expert adviser to ACARA, and has served on the editorial board of 12 national and international journals on literacy, special education and educational research. She has published books on reading and classroom management and authored or co-authored more than 100 other publications, including book chapters, peer-refereed journal articles, peer-refereed conference papers, invited monographs, research reports, curriculum resources and audio-visual resources on reading assessment. Deslea now works directly with education sectors across Australia as a reading consultant.