Siboney is a writer, editor, and teacher. She has been running workshops for children, adolescents, and adults for over 25 years, and is passionate about fostering creativity and encouraging writing.

Siboney’s workshops cover everything from creative writing skills to discursive writing to developing extended writing skills across the secondary curriculum. She offers sessions for students Stage 3-6, as well as Professional Development workshops for teachers (with most of her Teacher Professional Learning sessions being NESA registered).

Siboney has written extensively for educational institutions (including the Australian College of Applied Psychology) and publishers (including Blake Education). She has had numerous works of short fiction published, has been selected for the QWC/Hachette Australia Unpublished Manuscript Development Program, and has been long and short-listed for a number of writing awards.

Siboney has a Master of Philosophy in Creative Writing (UQ) and is about to embark on her PhD in Creative Writing (Griffith University). She has presented at Teacher Conferences and Literary Festivals, and has been a HSC marker of both Extension 1 and Extension 2 English.

Duration: One full day
Suitable for: Extension 2 English students

Workshop overview

This full-day workshop examines each of the requirements of the Extension 2 English syllabus and provides a ‘plan of attack’ for ensuring students have all the information and strategies they need to create wonderful Major Works.

Elements of the Writing Process to be covered include:

• How to choose the form, themes, and voice for your Major Work.
• How to approach the writing process using a systematic protocol of creation, evaluation, and revision.
• Sophistication of ideas and execution are what score the highest bands in the HSC and this workshop shows students how to demonstrate deep engagement and create erudite work.

Key aspects of the Syllabus will be covered including:

• Viva Voce: What is involved and how to prepare.
• Literature Review: Why it’s important and how to do it.
• Critique of your Creative Process: What should the critique focus on and how to write it.
• Creative Work: How to make your writing shine.
• Reflection Statement: Crafting reflections that justify decisions and demonstrate a clear understanding of the syllabus.

Duration: One full day
Suitable for: Stages 3-5

Workshop overview

Completing the Creating Fearless Writers course will contribute 6 hours of PD addressing Standards 2.1.2, 2.5.2, 3.1.2, 3.3.2, 5.2.2 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

This course is designed to:

• inform teachers about best practice research regarding student writing
• show teachers how to inspire students to write, extending both student confidence and mastery
• help teachers organise and sequence lessons into effective teaching programs
• show teachers a range of strategies they can employ immediately to get students writing often and without fear
• build teacher confidence so that they feel inspired and competent in employing these strategies in their own classrooms and schools
• demonstrate the link between explicit, challenging, and achievable learning goals and student engagement, behaviour, and outcomes
• show teachers how to provide timely, effective, and appropriate feedback to students about their writing in ways that enhance student agency

Duration: One full day
Suitable for: Stage 6

Workshop overview

Completing the Telling Tales: How to Teach Creative Writing course will contribute 6 hours of PD addressing Standards 2.1.2, 2.5.2, 3.1.2, 3.3.2, 5.2.2 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

This course is designed to:

• demystify the creative writing process, from initial idea through to final publication
• demonstrate the link between creativity and enhanced cognitive ability, drawing on research findings to validate the strategies taught in this course
• address the very common fears many adults (including teachers) have around their own creative writing ability and how this can (inadvertently) impact our teaching of creative writing
• give teachers classroom strategies for teaching all aspects of creative writing
• demonstrate a student-led approach to creativity that fosters lateral thinking, encourages empathy, and rewards students for stepping beyond their comfort zones
• equip teachers so that they feel able and inspired to take their teaching of creative writing to whole new levels