Melissa Kirby

Melissa Kirby is the founder of First Linguists Pty Ltd, an Australian literacy and language education company. She is an entrepreneur, researcher, and the founder and creator of the MISS Y APPROACH® and the Drystones Literacy System. These are original literacy systems that support the teaching of foundational literacy and language through evidence-informed and culturally responsive practices.

Melissa has completed:

• Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood)

• Master of Special Education (Learning Disabilities and Behaviour Management)

• Master of Research (Foundational English Language)

Literacy Knowledge and Experience

In Melissa’s past work-life, she trained in various literacy pedagogies, yet there was something missing from the teaching of early literacy process.

Post research- she went on to develop three original interdisciplinary frameworks that draw on human experience and nature. Her systems thinking, language, and principles were guided by the science of reading. Her work connected ecological knowledges and learning languages pathways. Its a model and system designed and applied to any language. Melissa followed the science of reading rules this time around, yet also made the science of reading rules a fit and match for everyone.

Human Capital

Melissa has experience in user experience (UX) design and human-centred design.

She is also a graphic designer who develops educational resources and visual learning materials.

Melissa enjoys photography and has a strong interest in capturing people, places, landscapes, and the stories they tell. Her PaperBaak Legacy project was evident of the talent in the older generation. The older generation are role models for their family.

Institutional Capital

Melissa's research explored culturally enhanced approaches to teaching literacy.

Her research found that educators often combine creative and flexible teaching practices with established literacy programs and curriculum requirements.

Although Melissa did not include her own teaching practices in her academic research, she later documented her educational philosophy and literacy system in her published books and products.

https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/158157

Publications

Melissa Kirby – Author and Creator

Her work spans phonemic awareness, phonics, foundational literacy, systems thinking, and community-based educational practice. Many of her publications were written years before publication as a hobby and have since been released as part of a growing body of work with the idea of supporting educators, schools, universities, health, housing, and community organisations.

Publications

Foundational Literacy and Educational Practice

• Kinship Ways for Teaching Foundational Literacy (2023)
  Drystones System Thinking
  Published – Out of Stock (limited printed copies available)

  CURRENTLY ONLINE COURSEs

  If there is book I’ve always dreamed of writing it is this one. The dream of making change, going back to come forward. There will be times where stones are thrown at you, pick them up and build your own dry-stone wall and create a beautiful literacy architecture.

• Dirt Bingo (2023)
  Published – Out of Stock (limited printed copies available)

  I consider this a divine experience, far from the randomness of bingo. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

• Landmarks of Brewarrina (2024)
  Published – Out of Stock (limited printed copies available)

  Face to Face training

  One experience does not represent all. This book was written to honour my mothers knowledge and wisdom of the Barwon river in Brewarrina. A woman who has taught me to stand in my truth, to push forward even when the tidal wave of negativity can pull you back. Throughout the small book, there are pockets of wisdom from me.

• Little Campfire Yarns (2024)
  Available as a Kindle eBook

  ONLINE COURSE

  Based on life experience & immediate family experience- related to (Sustainability and Lessons in Science)

• Knowledge in Networks (KIN) (2025)
  Paperback. Limited printed copies available.
  Originally written many years earlier, this publication explores pedagogy through process and learning from nature. Presented face to face and currently exploring online options.

Diamond Power Hour Series

Quick and Easy activities to support literacy learning. Spin and Colour or Spin and Write.

• Diamond Power Hour: Phonics and Irregular Words (2026)
  Available on Amazon.

• Diamond Power Hour: Sounds, Word Families and Irregular Words (2026)
  Available on Amazon.

First Linguists® Literacy Series

Miss Y Series

• Miss Y & The Alphabet Community (2025) Published with Miss Y Approach method. Method on Youtube.
  Phonemic Awareness
  Paperback.

My Friends Series

• My Friends (2025)
  Phonics
  Paperback.

• My First Friends (2026)
  Phonics
  eBook.

• Boomerang Island Self-Published (2026)

Each title is produced in four differentiated versions, creating a collection of 16 books designed to support a range of literacy and learning needs. The series works in synergy with the First Linguists® face-to-face training sessions.

Limited printed copies are available.

In 2026, Boomerang Island was also published as a standalone book, based on stories Melissa Kirby originally wrote many years earlier. Creative works the property of Melissa Kirby.

About First Linguists®

First Linguists® is an innovative educational framework combining evidence-informed literacy instruction with relational, community-focused, and nature-based pedagogy. Its resources are designed for use across:

• Early childhood education

• Schools

• Universities

• Health services

• Housing organisations

• Community organisations

• Professional learning and workforce development

First Linguists® Pty Ltd welcomes future partnership opportunities across the education sector and beyond, recognising that its innovative pedagogical approaches have applications extending well beyond literacy alone.

Cultural Capital

She has spent more than twenty years learning with her mother, who inspired her passion for learning more about the English language code to teach foundational literacy. I have learned over the years that you must look after your own professional development if you live in regional areas. you have to keep at it- keep learning. Although my Master of Research concluded that Aboriginal teachers used subversive strategies while teaching literacy-they still kept their most powerful teaching weapon to themselves and didn’t share in the research- one day they tell more of their story in some shape or form. I look forward to completing my PhD in the near future.

Melissa has developed her cultural knowledge by listening to family members, working with diverse communities, and choosing roles that expanded her skills and experience. These experiences continue to influence her work in literacy, education, and community engagement.

Family Capital

Melissa was born and raised in Brewarrina, at the foot of the Ancient Fish Traps. She values the memories she made growing up with her parents who were the major influence in her life. If she needed cultural knowledge- her parents were there.

She is the proud mother of a teenage daughter. Together they enjoy agriculture, sitting around the campfire, and sharing stories, agriculture is a strong point for Melissa, she enjoys ecological knowledges. These experiences continue to inspire both her personal life and entrepreneurship.

Throughout her career, Melissa has taught and supported children, families, and communities with diverse learning needs. She has consistently advocated for improved literacy outcomes and believes that everyone deserves the opportunity for a fair and better life.

When a group of people grow together, learn together, they are on the same pathway to success- lag behind and it becomes catch up time. Closing the reading gap is one thing, maturing with education is another. The educated are quick off the mark, they generally have better reading and writing skills- this leads to improved thinking and helps when you type fast on a keyboard. Typing on a keyboard requires a different level of energy, memory and thinking at the speed of light to make you type fast. Literacy can be achieved without seeing, without talking, it takes a good teacher who knows their craft but to also notice the learner and what they need and want. Melissa knows too well a student can reject the curriculum or the curriculum rejects the student, or excuses will be made because one does not like change.

Melissa designed her Language pedagogy, system and model on the love of family, children learn best from the love of a parent and grandparent- we want the teacher to take on that role, nurture the learning, be open to change teaching style and lead the learning and show that caring is natural so learning becomes natural.

Melissa is a thinker, dreamer, researcher, pedagogue, friend and creator of original literacy systems developed for the Australian context and beyond, she is original with her ideas and prides herself on working hard to bring her ideas to life-sleepless nights, plenty of reading and taking notes. Listening is the most important thing about conversing-rest your brain-improve learning.

I am grateful for the ongoing support of friends over the years who stuck by me (you know who you are-some I have not yet met), saw my potential- pushed me to be a better writer, better thinker and just to be myself. We all have so much to offer- I do not like rules, don’t force old protocols and rules on self, it can be destructive, my advice is be yourself and go out there to achieve everything humanly possible- be original.