Tag Archives: Adult Literacy and Numeracy

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CAVSS in the digital age

Technology has become an important component of adult education and training.

When I first started delivering the Course in Applied Vocational Study Skills (CAVSS) there was no computer in sight. Over the past decade I have seen an increase in use and need for technology. I teach with a number of lecturers in a variety of industries (Trades, Aged Care, Disability). Much of my work is with Cert III in Engineering (Fabrication). Many apprentices have unrealistic expectations of Engineering. They expect it to be a practical subject and are unprepared for the amount of theory and mathematics involved. And increasingly, we use technology as part of training and in the workplace. Technology has become an important component of their training.

Students access course information and assignments from Blackboard which also has web links, presentations and videos. They use the internet to research and access information and watch videos from web sites such as Miller’s welding video library and YouTube. Some of their assessments are online. They create workplace journals on the computer and upload photos from their mobile phones.

There are learning guides, charts, tables, manuals and drawings to read and interpret. A huge demand for literacy and numeracy skills.

 

FabricationToolbox 300px A good resource is theTotal Fabrication flexible learning toolbox

Each day, the apprentices use maths skills in their jobs in order to complete projects and other job duties. Maths is used to determine material requirements and costs, interpret drawings and specifications, draw using measurements, and read codes.

There are countless resources on the internet for maths. I will illustrate just one here.

Apprentices learn to draw using only a compass, straightedge and pencil (Construction in geometry). These construction techniques give tools to draw things when direct measurement is not appropriate.

These skills are transferred to marking out on sheet metal using, dividers, steel rule and scribe.

Many of the apprentices cannot understand the written instructions and find a demonstration of the steps easier to follow.

A useful site is:http://www.mathopenref.com/constructions.htmlgiving step by step instructions and animations.Example: constructing a 90° angle 90deg angle 300px

The apprentices are required to interpret technical drawings and sketch isometric projections. Many students find instructions in a book are difficult to follow. Students have found the following video useful and inspiring.

 

Apprentices use a number of Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD) programs. Autosketch is used to create precision drawings. See the simple example to the right. Autosketch eg 250px

Apprentices learn to construct templates using geometric development. They develop the templates on paper or on sheet metal. Lots of maths skills and knowledge required. Reading and following instructions on geometric development is quite daunting for many of the apprentices. The Total Fabrication Toolbox has a section on template making.

Constructing shapes using triangulation is particularly difficult for apprentices to learn. They find a demonstration useful.  I assist with each step, drawing, measuring and calculating. Another strategy is to watch an Animation. Follow link for demonstration on constructing transitional shapes.

 square to round 250px The apprentices use a program, Plate ‘n’ Sheet Development, to generate templates and check their layout and measurements.I needed to learn how to operate this program so that I would be of use to the students.There are a number of mathematical concepts, including geometry and measurement, which students need to know to be able to complete this task.

 Conclusion

In addition to providing traditional literacy and numeracy support I am increasingly providing more digital literacy support.

Technology may provide the motivation to learn the theory and mathematics adults need for their training and in the workplace and it may facilitate more meaningful learning for them.

Lina Zampichelli

CAVSS Lecturer

C Y O’Connor Institute

 

 

 

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Professional development news

Lots of PD news this time!

PD within the WA ALaN network

Firstly, within the ALaN network, some of this year’s projects are getting under way with webinars and workshops.

“What’s in a number!” has made a great start with the first webinar already complete. Webinars will be approximately fortnightly until mid 2014. This project is designed to help everyone teaching maths/numeracy to improve their maths skills and gather evidence for the numeracy core unit of the Grad. Cert. (soon to become Grad. Dip.)  of Adult Language Literacy and Numeracy Practice.

“Adult Literacy and Numeracy Professional Development Workshops” at  Kimberley Training Institute have been scheduled and start with “Teaching Numeracy” sessions in late July and August.

The “Digital Literacy in the CGEA” webinar series is underway looking at implications of, and strategies for encompassing, digital literacy/digital texts in CGEA delivery.

For more information, or to become a participant in any of these, visit the network GoogleGroup (if you aren’t a member see this page on how to join) and check out the posts.

New DTWD events management system

DTWD has a new PD calendar system and you will need to create a user registration before you can register to attend DTWD LLN sessions including.

CGEA part 1 on August 22nd

This workshop for new CGEA teachers is designed to help them orient themselves, and their teaching approaches, to teach literacy and numeracy skills to adults. The workshop will focus on finding ways to establish a teaching/learning environment that most closely reflects the way that literacy and numeracy skills are acquired in the real world, by all of us.

CGEA part 2 on 10th and 11th September

This workshop for CGEA teachers is designed to explore the aspects of teaching adult literacy classes that challenge teachers as they attempt to meet the needs of all their students. The workshop will focus on finding ways to establish a teaching/learning environment that most closely reflects the way we all acquire literacy and numeracy skills in the real world.

Department of Education PD

The “Tracks to Two-Way Learning Induction“ workshop – replacing the ABC of Two Way Learning and  Literacy workshop is on the 15th and 16th of August. Registration details available soon.

Expressions of interest

Expressions of interest are being sought from those interested in attending any of the following:

  • Face-to-face numeracy workshops with Beth Marr – coming up soon
  • CAVSS training later this year
  • Teach Me Grammar in 2014

Please send a separate email for each one of the above that you are interested in attending to literacy@dtwd.wa.gov.au

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Conferences coming up!

There are a number of conferences coming up in the next few months beginning with our own WA Adult Literacy Council (WAALC) State Conference “Getting back to our roots: Literacy for empowerment” at the Central Institute of Technology, Leederville Campus on the  18th and 19th of July so if you are planning to attend you need to register soon. For more information and registration visit the Conference page on the WAALC website

Registration is now open for this year’s 2013 Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) Conference “Local Practices Global Contexts” to be held in Sydney from September 30th to October 2nd

For anyone with an urge to travel registration is also open for the 2013 US Conference on Adult Literacy “Together, leading change” is being held October 31st  to November 2nd in Washington, D.C.

Also coming up – there are no details on the website yet, is the 2013 Australian WELL Practitioners’ Conference in  Canberra on the 21st and 22nd November. Watch the website for further information.

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CGEA is now reaccredited until 2018!

The Certificates in General Education for Adults (CGEA) 2013-2018 is here at last.

As we expected, there isn’t a lot of change mostly adding digital literacy into the reading and writing stream. There are also some changes to elective rules and a welcome attempt to reduce the problem of tedious and repetitive assessment.

But, of course, there are all new numbers:

  • 22234VIC Course in Initial General Education for Adults
  • 22235VIC Certificate I in General Education for Adults (Introductory)
  • 22236VIC Certificate I in General Education for Adults
  • 22237VIC Certificate II in General Education for Adults
  • 22238VIC Certificate III in General Education for Adults

The courses are accredited for the period 1 July, 2013 to 30 June 2018.

The curricula can be downloaded from the Victorian Training Support Network

NOTE you will need to scroll to the bottom of the list to find the NEW CGEA.

Also NOTE that as previously ALL the curricula are bundled into each of the five differently named documents. This means that you  only need to download ONE of the docs. There are separate executive summaries for each qualification.

New national unit numbers can also be found on the TGA website – enter the National course number in the search box. At the time of writing this the courses were designated “Non-current” as the course become the current course on July 1 2013.  From this date all new students will enrol in the new qualification. Current students can continue to complete their qualification requirements according to the CGEA 2007-2013.

WA numbers have been assigned and are now available from VETinfoNet.

We will be sharing the work of identifying changes in the ALaN Network Google Group. For a start there is a PowerPoint (available in the Group) from the curriculum maintenance officer at Victoria University. If you find anything that you think other CGEA teachers should know about regarding the new curricula then please post in the GoogleGroup.

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Literacy for empowerment?

The Western Australian Adult literacy Council (WAALC)  chose the title  Getting back to our roots: Literacy for empowerment for their 2013 Conference as a follow on from last year’s theme At the heart of the matter: identity and trust in adult learning.

But just what is literacy for empowerment? What roots are we getting back to?

When WAALC was incorporated back in 1986, the adult literacy field was rooted in the idea that adult literacy initiatives were needed to empower individuals and their communities to address injustice and inequality.  Students themselves were encouraged to set the objectives and to acquire skills they wanted and needed to make their lives better.

Today, such a notion may seem quaint and old-fashioned alongside the current emphasis on frameworks that define in little assessable chunks at graduated levels what literacy is required to be taught and learnt with the purpose of building Australia’s workforce skills. When practitioners try to match these modern frameworks to real people learning for real purposes, sometimes they find learner-centred activities are pushed to the fringes.

However, teachers still report that the most exciting things that happen in adult literacy classes can’t be counted against the frameworks. And many of them don’t clearly match to the objective of  the development of human capital to improve Australia’s productivity though I am sure in the long run, they do!  After all more justice and equality means more people can participate in the activities of society more fully, including employment.

So WAALC is working on a program that will acknowledge the reality of the system-driven frameworks while supporting practitioners to find ways to hold on to the importance of individual and community empowerment as a central objective of our work.

So if you want to contribute to this conversation, put 18-19 July 2013 in your diary. Registrations will open soon: keep an eye on the WA Adult Literacy Council website

Hope to see you there!

Cheryl Wiltshire

2013 WAALC State Conference Convenor

 

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Foundation Skills Training Package (FSTP) released

The FSTP is now available on TGA – Foundation Skills Training Package

This TP has not yet been implemented here in Western Australia because nominal hours have not yet been assigned. However it is time to assess possible uses for 2014.

The FSTP units are based on very small chunks of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) so they may be suitable for recognising discrete mathematics or numeracy, literacy and digital literacy skills and knowledge needed in industry contexts.  However, the units might not provide the broad set of generic skills to ascertain level appropriate for entry purposes into other courses, even when packaged together to make a qualification. They are most suitable to support students already in a vocational course.

As identified in the Western Australian consultation that preceded the development of this Training Package:

  • the bank of units are likely to be more more useful in WA than the full  qualifications
  • WA already has support for vocational students in the forms of CAVSS and USIQ so we may use the FSTP less than states that don’t have suitable products for integrated support
  • Teacher expertise is still the most critical need whatever the curriculum product used eg the high level skills to address literacy and numeracy learning needs. These skills include the need to address issues such as identity as a learner and the impact of previous learning failure as well as how to teach the many different sorts of LLN skills. Teachers also need to be able to create an environment that allows students to build on their strengths as they broaden and deepen their skills.

Please share your questions and observations as you dip into the TP, either here for the whole world to see or back in GoogleGroup if you want to discuss it just with members of the ALaN Network.

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ALaN WA Newsletter August 2012

Welcome to edition 5 of the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Network of Western Australia Newsletter!

Views expressed by contributors to the newsletter are their own and, unless expressly stated, do not reflect the opinions of their employers/organisations.

This contents page links individually to each article enabling you to go immediately to those of your choice. Alternatively, if you go to the main blog link, you can access the articles by scrolling down the page.

We welcome your comments and contributions to our newsletter. If you are an Adult Literacy/Numeracy practitioner in Western Australia or indeed, anywhere in the world, we invite you to subscribe and comment. If you interested in joining the GoogleGroup for our network, please visit our “How to join” page and complete the online form.

Contents

1. Training rangers in the Kimberley: a WELL project

Our  story this month is the Kimberley where ranger training is taking on a new dimension with the addition of a WELL program.

2. Language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) practitioner scholarships program

Scholarships for approved study.

3. Images “fit for purpose”

If you or your students ever upload or email images this article is for you. Using a free, simple to use tool to resize images for easier uploading.

4. Report from WAALC conference 2012

A must read whether you were able to attend the conference or not.

5. Certificate IV qualification for the delivery and assessment of foundation skills – update

The industry body took on board the feedback from stakeholders – we made a difference!

6. ‘Literacy and Numeracy Studies’ free journal

Checkout this free online journal

7. Certificates in General Education for Adults Review

The CGEA curriculum is up for review

8. LLNP Innovative and Research Project Funding round

A funding opportunity

9. CGEA Google Group Activity 2012

What’s happening in the group?

10. 2012 NSW ALNC Conference 10 December, 2012

An update on the conference at the end of the year

11.  Reading during the International Year of Reading!

Add your reading ideas

12. Adult Learners’ Week 2012 – Short Story Competition

Join the people’s choice voting for the short story competition

 

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Training rangers in the Kimberley: a WELL project

Over the past four years, Kimberley Training Institute (KTI) has delivered an innovative Conservation and Land Management (CLM) training program to Aboriginal rangers in remote areas of the Kimberley.

Over the past 18 months KTI has successfully used Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) funding to assist rangers in developing their literacy and numeracy skills,

resulting in improved completions of Traineeships, progressions to higher level qualifications, and increased employment opportunities.

Further one-on-one tutoring support is provided by KTI lecturers under the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS).

This program is a great example of co-delivery between LLN specialist and vocational lecturers. KTI is currently in the running for the Premiers Award.

Good luck!

 

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LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND NUMERACY (LLN) PRACTITIONER SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM

Department of Industry, Innovation, Science,  Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) funds a scholarship program  to address skill shortages in the adult LLN field in Australia by increasing the number of qualified LLN practitioners, particularly in regional areas.

The Program provides a scholarship of up to $5,250 to successful applicants to support them in undertaking approved study toward an adult LLN practitioner qualification commencing in the academic year following the application round. Suitable qualifications must be accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF); must include a specialisation in adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy practice; and may be delivered by either the higher education or vocational education and training sector.

Round 4 of this Program is expected to be advertised in September/October 2012 for studies commencing in 2013. Those interested in applying for Round 4 should continue to monitor this DEEWR website – it is possible that guidelines, including eligibility criteria could change.

 

 

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Report from WAALC conference 2012

This year the theme of the annual Western Australian Adult Literacy (WAALC) Conference was At the heart of the matter – identity and trust in adult learning.  The intention was to place people – teachers and learners – at the heart of educational quality and ask the question: what makes learning work for people?

The WAALC Conference Committee chose to address  the factors that make the difference between accessible, effective literacy services, and those which, for adult literacy learners, just replicate what didn’t work well enough in the first place.

This theme opened up discussion about the human element, and how what happens during initial schooling almost always impacts on, and must be acknowledged and addressed in literacy learning.  Conference delegates focused on what learners have told us, and showed us, and proved to us over and over again – that understanding, trust and commitment between teacher and learner is central to successful adult literacy learning.  Sixteen workshops were delivered at the conference to explore and renew our focus on the heart of the matter: ways of working that meet the needs of learners and, as a natural result, achieve better outcomes for the wider society as well.

The keynote speakers were Ruth Wallace, from Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory, and Susan Bates, recently returned to Western Australia from working in adult literacies in Scotland. Both provided practical advice about how identity and trust could be built to contribute towards literacy development, despite the conflicting demands on teachers and learners.

The response from adult literacy teachers across WA was brilliant, with wholehearted support for the opportunity to explore in depth what is At the heart of the matter – identity and trust in adult learning. 102 delegates attended the 2012 Conference over two days.  One delegate described the experience:

This year the theme was close to what I feel, what we often forget in the game of outcomes, certificates, reporting and paperwork – that at the heart of the matter we are dealing with human beings who are most often disempowered, and our role above all is to help them build confidence and empower them, help them to see and work from their own strength (Delegate, WAALC Conference 2012).