Integrated approaches to teaching adult literacy in Australia: a snapshot of practice in community services
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- The project brief
Key messages The aim of this project was to examine and document the ‘integrated approach’ to delivering language, literacy and numeracy skills using the community services industry as a case study. This industry recognises these skills as crucial.
Executive summary Practice in English language and literacy instruction has broadened and deepened over recent decades, as has the conceptual base underpinning emerging practice. In Australia this change has resulted in the growth of ‘integrated training’, in which the acquisition of literacy skills are ‘built in’ to the broader skills development, and where literacy learning is placed in authentic and real-life settings. Integrated approaches continue to develop in response to the reforms of the National Training Framework, in which language, literacy and numeracy has become more explicitly described in training packages, and delivery options have become more flexible. The aim of this project was to examine and document the integrated approach to delivering language, literacy and numeracy skills in the community services industry. This study combines an overview of the Australian literature tracking the influences leading to the ‘building in’ of language, literacy and numeracy to vocational training, with some observations of practices in three training sites in this industry in Victoria, through interviews with trainers/facilitators at the case study sites and analysis of teaching processes using the ‘video stimulus recall’ methodology, a methodology previously used in educational contexts where participants are replayed the videotape after the lesson to assist discussion about the events recorded. The research project addressed the following key questions:
Observations at three training sites in Victoria suggest that a generalist vocational facilitator is equipped to deliver an integrated approach, provided they have a framework for conceptualising linguistic practices in the workplace context and within the training package, and can facilitate strategies and activities to develop critical workplace communication. The specialist language, literacy and numeracy teacher needs to have a sound knowledge of the requirements of the specific industry and workplaces, as well as of the relevant industry competencies to understand the reading, writing, oral communication and numeracy skills required by learners in their programs. Despite some challenges with understanding training packages, practitioners on the whole were able to demonstrate great flexibility in response to training packages and a remarkable consistency of instructional strategies to enhance the language, literacy and numeracy skills of students. These strategies were situated in workplace practices and were activity-oriented. Facilitators recognised the central role of communication across the whole qualification and clustered areas of knowledge and skills to develop their curriculum. However, restrictive funding models that do not provide for specialist professional development leave registered training organisations to make commercial decisions about levels of support required by learners. The literature review and the case studies demonstrated that the following features are central to successful integrated approaches to language, literacy and numeracy teaching within vocational programs:
The project brief Little research into teaching and learning practices in adult literacy has been undertaken in Australia. Research funding in this country does not support studies of the effectiveness of a range of program types. Consequently, the full range of practices is not known. However, studies have been conducted in the United States which identify and compare different approaches to adult literacy delivery, and a typography of programs has been developed (Garner 1998). This study attempts to understand and describe one of the most prominent and distinctively Australian approaches, the integrated approach, operationalised in a limited number of sites in community service training settings. Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0023 word doc -> Number: caveat in the [Will/Will and Codicil/Estate of] word doc -> List of accessible executive records word doc -> National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme word doc -> This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2002 word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2000 word doc -> Priority Existing Chemical word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011 word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying 0023 -> Recommendation of the executive director and assessment of cultural heritage significance under s. 32 Of the heritage act 1995 Download 421.52 Kb. Share with your friends:
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