This series of questions guided interviews with key stakeholders at the research sites.
Interview schedule for facilitators
Our interest is in how much people integrate the teaching of communication skills/reading, writing, speaking and listening into overall teaching of subject matter or whether they are taught separately … and we’re looking at four different training models.
We’ve chosen this training package because of the level of communication skills in the training package. The cue questions for facilitators were structured around a plan, prepare, teach and evaluate scenario. The interview prior to the video sequence covered plan and prepare. The video stimulus recall session covered teach and evaluation.
Cue questions
Can you tell us a little about the background of the students who are accessing the course? Purposes? Employed?
What language, literacy and numeracy levels would you expect students to have when coming into this course? Do you have an expectation of the level they will have reached at the end of the course?
Do you have a pre-training selection process? What is it based on?
What workplace tasks do you want them to be able to do by the end of the course?
In terms of their reading and writing?
In terms of their speaking and listening?
Computer skills?
What are the language, literacy and numeracy demands of the training?
As a classroom-based RTO what are the strategies you have to ensure that what happens in the classroom is reflective of what happens in the workplace?
Prepare
Which unit(s) will you be planning to cover in this session? How does this fit with the Packaging at this level?
Where does this fit in the sequence of learning?
What teaching activities have preceded this session?
Plan
What reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy skills have you identified in the unit(s) you are teaching in this session?
Are these skills also important in the workplace? What workplace documents do learners need to be able to read and write?
What strategies will you use to teach these skills?
Do you include assessing language, literacy and numeracy skills as part of your assessment plan?
Do you see language, literacy and numeracy skills development as part of normal delivery, like any skill area when you are planning training, or do you see it as an issue for only a small number of learners, or both?
If seen as an issue for a small number of learners:
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How do you know they are having difficulties?
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Do you change your teaching strategies knowing a small number are having difficulties?
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What strategies do you use to assist learners with language, literacy and numeracy difficulties?
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Do you have training materials and learning activities which support learners with identified language, literacy and numeracy needs?
Teach
Show video and stop to illustrate teaching of language, literacy and numeracy skills
What skills were you teaching at this point?
What teaching and learning strategies do you use to develop language, literacy and numeracy skills while developing vocational skills?
Evaluate
What has assisted you to develop teaching skills in this area?
If you could nominate one or two areas of professional development you think would be useful for yourself, what would they be?
Our interest is in how much people integrate the teaching of communication skills/reading, writing, speaking and listening into overall teaching of subject matter or whether they are taught separately and we’re looking at four different training models:
We’ve chosen this training package because of the level of communication skills in the training package.
Can you tell us a little about the background of the students who are accessing the course? Purposes? Employed? Pathways?
What language, literacy and numeracy levels would you expect students to have when coming into this course? Do you have an expectation of the level they will have reached at the end of the course?
Do you have a pre-training selection process? What is it based on?
Were many applicants rejected on these grounds? Do you know what has happened to these students?
What workplace tasks do you want them to be able to do by the end of the course?
In terms of their reading and writing?
In terms of their speaking and listening?
Computer skills?
What strategies do you have for teaching these skills?
What are the language, literacy and numeracy demands of the training?
As a classroom-based RTO what are the strategies you have to ensure that what happens in the classroom is reflective of what is required in the workplace?
In terms of assessment, what strategies do you have for ensuring the language, literacy and numeracy is at the benchmark level?
Is there assessment of these skills in the workplace setting?
What strategies do you have for assessing underpinning knowledge?
What strategies do you have to support students who are falling behind because of low levels of language, literacy and numeracy?
What strategies does the RTO have in place to make sure all the teachers here are conscious of the language, literacy and numeracy issues that might affect students?
Is there additional pd that you would like teachers to have in regard to language, literacy and numeracy in VET?
Interview schedules for enterprise managers/supervisors
Our interest is in the training student, not the children themselves, particularly the communication skills you think a child care worker needs.
Can you give us some back ground to your centre, the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of families and staff?
How important are communication skills in the day-to-day working at the centre?
Are there any skills which managers/supervisors would see as more important than others?
Are there some communication areas which are more difficult than others? What about dealing with parents, can that be difficult? Is it difficult with the diversity of languages you have here? Can you give us some examples of common reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy tasks in the workplace and that you see students dealing with in their training.
There’s a lot of writing around the walls, what is the purpose of it?
How do you see your role with the RTO in supporting the students in on-the-job training?
How do you compare on-the-job and off-the-job training?
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