Curriculum Development in Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education

Juliet McCaffery, Jane Mace & Joan O’Hagan

Published by: The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) February 2009 ISBN: 1-871737-95-8 The views expressed in this guide are not necessarily the views of the National Adult Literacy Agency. The content of is the copyright of NALA. Any article may be reproduced by permission and with relevant credits. NALA © 2009.

Contact NALA:National Adult Literacy Agency76 Lower Gardiner StreetDublin 1 Telephone +353 1 855 4332 Fax +353 1 855 5475 Email literacy@nala.ieWeb www.nala.ie

To the reader 3

Introduction 5Curriculum 5Thecurriculumdevelopmentcycle 7What’sintheguide? 8

Context 1: Adult basic education (ABE) in Ireland 11

Policy 12Servicesandprovision 14Qualityandqualifications 15

Part A: Concepts and principles 19

Concepts 20 Contextandskills 20 Numeracy:theequalpartner 24 Holisticlearning 28Principles 32 1.Thelearning-centredcurriculum 32 2.Personaldevelopmentandsocialaction 37 3.Anactiveandexpressiveprocess 45

Part B: The curriculum at work 51

The curriculum development cycle 52 Planning 55 Assessment 56Roles 59 1.Exploringpossibilitiesforlearning 59 2.Beingateacherandguide 66 3.Encouragingreflection 70Learning and teaching 76 Responsiveteaching:theLourdesplant 76 Learningpossibilities:carsanddrivingtheory 83 Findingtheevidence:theelectricitybill 85 Needandcontext:mathsinprison 88

Contents

Part C: Strategies 91

Approaches 92 Reading 93 Writing 96 Numeracy 99 WorkingingroupsResources of relevance 106 Learningoutcomesinaction 106 Integratingnumeracyandcriticalthinking 107 Writingandreflection 108 Numeracyandsocialpractice 109Activities 110 Gettingtomyplace 111 Dailyroutines 112 Pictures 117 Learningandstudentpublishing 123

Context 2: Ideas and research 127

Literacyandnumeracyassocialpractice 128Curriculumforchange 130Multipleintelligences 132Effectivepracticeinteaching 134Studentempowerment 135Numeracy 137

Glossary of terms 140References 145Appendices 152

Tothereader

Thisguidehasbeenwrittenprimarilyfortutors,organisers,resourceworkersandpolicymakerswithresponsibilityforsomepartofadultliteracyandnumeracyeducationinIreland.Youmayhaveyearsofexperienceorjustbestartingout.Thepeoplewehaveinmindmostofallaretutorsand,asyouwillsee,tutors’experiencesfeaturefairlywidelythroughoutthisreport.

Wesuggestthatwhoeveryouare,andwhateveryourresponsibility,youshouldreadPart A –wherekeyconceptsandprinciplesaresetout.Theseprovidetheframeworktoguideyouthroughwhatfollows.

Afterthat,whereyounextturntowilldependonyourcurrentpriorities.FortutorsandorganisersinIreland,thepicturesetoutinContext 1 maybefamiliarandreadingitmayseemunnecessary.However,itistheretoenableyoutoseetheplaceofyourownsituationwithinalargerpicture–andtoremindyouofopportunitiesandtendenciesyoumayhaveforgottenarethere.Forotherreaders,thisoffersapictureofthecontextforthisparticularguidesoyoucanchoosehowtoadaptormakeuseofthematerialthatfollowsinyourownnationalorregionalcontexts.

Throughoutthedocumentyouwillfindreferencetoandideasforpracticalwork.Ifpracticalworkisyourfirstpriority,youcouldturnstraighttoPart B,inwhichyouwillfindthecurriculumdevelopmentcyclelinkingtogethertheprocessesinwhichtutorsandstudentsareengagedindevelopinglearningtogether.

Part Chasideasandsuggestionsforstrategiestoachievethislearning,namelyapproaches,resourcesandactivitieswhichfitwiththecurriculumforchangepresentedbytheguide.Ifyouarecurioustocheckoutwhatothertutorsgetuptoinplanning,checkingprogress,assessingandreflecting,youwillfindthesemattersdealtwithinseveralplaces(especiallyinA2 andB3).

Weencourageyoutoreadallthreepartswithyourownquestionsandcontextsinmind(andpossiblyapencilinyourhand).Inallthree,andparticularlyinPartB,youwillfindcommentariesandanalysesofthelearningrevealed.

Asanactivereader,youwillhaveyourownthoughtsontheseandyoumayfinditusefultotreatthesesectionsasdiscussionmaterialinyourtutormeetingsortraining,asabasisforexchangingyourownexamplesandreflections.

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AstotheresearchdigestinContext 2,thisaimstoprovidebusypractitionerswithasummaryofstudiesthatinfluencedandinspiredthethinkinginthisguide.Itisalsotheretoshowsomeofthewiderangeofworkdevelopinginthisfieldandofthestimulatinglinkstobemadebetweenthedevelopmentoftheoryandpractice.

Oneotherthing:inconversationsaboutadultbasiceducation,literacyisoftenmentionedmorethannumeracy.Throughoutthisdocument,however,youwillfindthatnumeracyistreatedashavingequalimportance:itis,infact,the‘equalpartner’.Wehopethistoowilloffermaterialfordiscussionanddevelopmentinallsortsofways.

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Introduction

Thiscurriculumguideisbasedonanunderstandingthatliteracyandnumeracyareasocialpractice.Beginningfromasetofkeyconcepts,itoffersexamples,commentaries,questions,strategiesandresourceswithinwhichtoframethelearningandteachingofadultliteracyandnumeracy.Itprovidestutorswithawaytorecogniseapproachestheyarefollowingalreadyandtoimaginehowtheycouldextendandenlargethese.Italsooffersaresourcetoshowkeystagesinthedevelopmentofeffectivelearning.

Curriculum

Inthisguide,theword‘curriculum’isusedtomeanthewaythattutorsandstudentsnavigatetheirwaythroughlearningexperienceswithaviewtoincreasingskillsandunderstanding.Inthisconception,curriculumisadynamicidea:amovingthreadthatkeepslearningconnected.Tutorsandstudentsworktogethertodevelopthislearningthroughapatternofrepeatedconnections,enablingit,bitbybit,toexpandandgrowinmorethanonedirection.Asthelearningandteachingapproachshows,itishelpfultorecognisethatthislearningmovesinwards,backwardsandsidewaysaswellasoutwards,forwardsandupwards.

PracticeinadultliteracyandnumeracyeducationinIrelandisstudent-centred,startingwiththestudent’sexperienceandmovingoutwards.Tutorsandstudentstogetherdevelopstrategiesforteachingandlearningbasedonstudents’purposesandneeds,withtheaimofencouragingstudentstowardsanincreasinglyself-directedapproachtotheirownlearning.Thecurriculuminthisguideframesthatworkwithintheprinciplesandconceptsseentobemostdesirableforthattobeachieved.

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Therehavebeenmanyotherusesoftheword‘curriculum’ofwhichtwo–‘product’and‘process’–havebeenthemostcommon.The‘product’modeltendstostressobjectivesandmeasurableoutcomesoflearningwhereasthe‘process’modeltendstoemphasisetheexperienceoflearningandtheideaofactivediscovery.

Bothhaveadvantages.The‘product’modelaimstoreducevaguenessastowhatanylearningactivityissupposedtobefor.Thedisciplineofworkingoutlearningoutcomeskeepstutorsfocussedontheideathatthetaskistopromotelearning,withtheintendedoutcomesdiscussedandsharedwithstudents.However,toomuchattentiononpredefinedoutcomesmaymeanstudentsmissotherlearningopportunities.

The‘process’modelpaysattentiontotheinteractionbetweenteachingandlearning.Itembodiestheideathatanyprocessorinteractioncangiverisetolearning,positiveornegative.Itfocussesonhowlearninghappens.Theriskwiththisapproachisthatthelearningexperiencemayremainsomethingthathappensonlyintheclassroom.

Thecurriculummodelsuggestedinthisguide,combinestheadvantagesofboththe‘process’and‘product’modelsinthatitensuresthatattentionisgivenbothtorichlearningexperiencesintheclassroomandtolearningwhichisofvalueinstudents’socialcontextsintheworldoutside.

Itisamodelofcurriculumwhichseeslearningasaboutpersonalandsocialchange(sometimesreferredtoasa‘curriculumforemancipation’)–ameansforstudentstobeabletotransformtheirexperienceinawaythatcangivethemgreatercontrol.Akeyprincipleofsuchacurriculumforchangeisthatthereshouldbelivelytwo-waytrafficbetweenwhatgoesonintheclassroomandinastudent’slifeoutsideit.Thisguideisdesignedtohelpthatexchangetohappen.

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The curriculum development cycle

Thisentailsacyclicalprocessofpreparing.AswewillseeinPartB,thecurriculumdevelopmentcycleisacontinualprocessthroughwhichliteracyandnumeracylearningisplanned,undertakenandreviewed.

Preparation:

• Identify context – ofstudents’personalandcommunitylife; – theirusesofliteracyandnumeracy.• Assess learning aims – theirlearningpurposes; – theirstrengthsandareasfordevelopment.• Clarify service – thegroundrules; – thechoicesofprovision.

Teaching and learning

• Agree learning plan – explorepossibleanimatingthemes; – identifylearningoutcomes; – negotiateandagreelearningplan.• Plan strategies – topic-basedlearning; – focussedliteracyandnumeracywork.• Assess progress – recogniseworkachieved; – recordareasfordevelopment; – plannextstage.

Review and evaluate

• Review context – checkifdifferentsincestartingthislearning; – noticeanychangesinliteracyandnumeracyuses.• Record learning – celebratelearningachievements; – identifyareasfordevelopment; – plannextstage.• Evaluate service – reflectonstudent’sexperienceofservice; – discusspossibleimprovementstobemade.

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Inthisprocess,youcanseethatthereisrepeatedattentiontocontext,aimsandlearning.Thisprovidesacontinualremindertokeepthefocusonthestudent.

Context–thestudentshouldfeelcomfortableaboutwheretheyarestartingfromandwhattheyaretravellingthrough.

Aims–thestudentshouldbeclearastowheretheyareheading.

Learning–studentsshouldfeelthattheirinterestsandstrengthsareappreciatedandtheirdifficultiesidentified.Thisismostimportantofall.

Thegroundrulesandchoicesinthe‘service’orsettingforthelearningshouldalsobecleartoallparticipants.

Context,aimsandlearningarepartofacyclicalprocessinwhichtutorandstudentscooperate.Theyprovideconnectingpointstowhichtutorandstudentsreturnatregularintervals–bearinginmindtheconstraintsandopportunitiesoftheserviceinwhichthistakesplace.Whetherteachingandlearningistakingplaceintheworkplaceorthecommunity,atrainingcourseorwithinthefamily,thenatureoftheservicewillinfluencewhatchoicesareavailable–choicesonwhichstudents,ofcourse,havetheirowninfluence.

Withinthecycle,asyoucansee,thereisalsoarecurringpatternofactivityaroundplanning and assessment:inpreparation,thetutorworkswiththestudenttoassesshisorherstrengthsandareasfordevelopmentwithinanappreciationofthestudent’soverallaimsandpurposes;inteachingandlearning,thelearningplanisnegotiatedandagreedandthestudent’sprogressisassessedandrecognised;andinreviewing,planningthenextstagefollowsanassessmentofachievementsandareasofdevelopment.

YouwillfindallthistreatedinmoredepthinsectionB1.

What’s in the guide?

Thefirstandlastsectionsoftheguideprovidethecontextforthethreecentralparts:bookends,asitwere,toholdthethreesubstantialpartstogether.

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Context 1 presentsthecontextinIrelandofadultbasiceducationintermsofpolicy, services and provision,andframeworks forqualityandqualifications.

Part A: Concepts and Principles beginswithasectionsettingoutthreekeyconceptsinthiscurriculumguide.Theserecognisethatcontext and skills areinterdependentandintegrated,thatnumeracy isanequalpartnerwithliteracy(distinct,butalsopotentiallyoverlapping)andthatlearning isbestunderstoodasaholisticmatter,whichcallsonarangeofcapacitiesorintelligencesandinvolvesfeelingaswellasthinking.

Theprinciplessetoutinthesecondsectionprovideareminderthatfora curriculum for change tobeeffective:• itmustbelearning-centred–fortutorsaswellasstudents;• literacyandnumeracyshouldberecognisedaskeystoboth

personaldevelopmentandsocialaction;and• learningismostempoweringwhenitisactiveand

expressive.

Part B: The Curriculum at Work hasthreesections.Thefirstpresentsthecycleofcurriculum development inwhichtutorsandstudentsarecontinuallyengaged.Thevariouscomponentsofthecycle’sthreemainstagesareelaborated:preparation,teachingandlearning,andreviewingandevaluating.

Inthesecondsection,thewaysinwhichtutorsacttoenablethisprocessareshownas‘roles’,amongwhicheachtutormovesatstagesinthecycle:

• Exploring possibilities for learning–meetingstudentsindividuallyoringroups,encouragingthemtoshareideasontopicsandapproachesthatwillbenefittheirlearningandsupportthemintheirdailylives;

• Being a teacher and guide–planningandmonitoringlearningthatwillbothsupportandchallengestudents,readyifnecessarytochangeorabandontheplaninresponsetostudents;

• Encouraging reflection –helpingstudentstoreflectonandtoevaluatethelearningexperience,whilebeingawarethatstudents’interestschangeandgrow.

Thethirdsectioncontainsfourexamplesoftutorsworkingstrategicallywithstudentstofulfiltheirlearninginterests,withdetailedcommentaryoneach.

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Part C: Strategies Thisopenswithapproachesspecifictoteachingadultliteracyandnumeracy.Whileitisnotthejobofthisguidetobeamanualonteachingtechniques,itseemedimportanttoincludeasectioninwhichtutorscanbeawareofgoodteachingideasbasedonrecentclassroomresearch(theresearchbackgroundforwhichcanbefoundinContext2).Overthelastfewyears,awiderangeofteachingmaterials,inpaperandelectronicforms,havebeenpublishedinIrelandtosupporttutors’creativity.Forthesecondsection,wehavechosenaselectionofthosewhichparticularlyconnecttotheframeworkpresentedinthisguideandgiveindicationsofwheretolookfurther.

Thethirdsectionprovidesasetofactivitiesdevelopedduringthecourseofpreparingtheguide,anddesignedtogeneratelearningandreflectionamongadultbasiceducation(ABE)students.Thefirsttwo(‘Gettingtomyplace’and‘Dailyroutines’)exploretheusesofliteracyandnumeracyinstudents’lives.Thesearefollowedbytwomoreshowingthepotentialofphotographyforstimulatingreflectiononlearningandontheeverydaycontextsinwhichliteracyandnumeracycomeupforstudents(‘Pictures–evaluation’and‘Pictures–contexts’).Finally,‘Learningandstudentpublishing’suggestswaysinwhichtheprocessofstudentpublicationcanengagestudentsintheprocessofeditingboththeirownwritingandwritingbytheirpeersand,insodoing,showsomeexplicitlearningoutcomesofvaluetotheirlearning.

Context 2 (thesecondbookend)Ideas and Research providestheresearchcontextfortheguide.Hereyouwillfindasummaryofsomeoftheideasandtheorieswhichhaveinspiredtheconcepts,principles,strategiesandresourcestheguidecontains.Thesestudiesrefertothetopicsof:• curriculum for change;• literacy and numeracy as social practice;• multiple intelligences;• effective teaching;• peer tutoring;• confidence;• student development;• numeracy.

Thissectionisofnecessitybriefandselective.Abibliographyinthereferencessectionprovidessignpostsforfurtherreading.

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Context 1: Adult Basic Education in Ireland

Context1:AdultbasiceducationinIreland

NALA’sunderstandingofliteracyisencompassedinitsdefinition:

Literacy involves listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information. It includes more than the technical skills of communication: it also has personal, social and economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate change.

Good practice in adult literacy work starts with the needs and interests of individuals. It is concerned with personal development and building confidence as well as technical skills. (NALA 2005a: 9-11)

Theviewsandexperiencesofstudentsarecentraltoadultliteracydevelopmentatnationalandlocallevel.Bothongoingworkandnewinitiativesareinformedbythestudents’perspectivesandliteracyandnumeracylearningisunderstoodtobepartofacontinuumofpersonal,educationalandcommunitydevelopmentavailabletoadultsinawiderangeofsettingsandlearningcontexts.

Policy

TheOECDInternational Adult Literacy Survey(IALS),publishedin1997,identifiedthat1in4adultsinIrelandwereatthelowestofthefiveliteracylevelssurveyed.ThepublicationofIALSmovedadultliteracytowardstheforefrontofpublicpolicyandontotheagendafornationalplanning.InthefirstWhitePaperonAdultEducation,Learning for Life(2000),theDepartmentofEducationandScienceidentifiedadultliteracyasatoppriorityinadulteducationandsetoutaNationalAdultLiteracyProgramme.Fundingforadultliteracyincreasedconsiderablyandin2006theadultliteracybudgettotalled€30million,comparedwith€1.1millionin1998.

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AdultliteracywasthesubjectofadedicatedreportfromtheOireachtasJointCommitteeonEducationandScience(2006),andtheissueremainsaconsistentfeatureofnationalplans:

AdultliteracywasthesubjectofadedicatedreportfromtheOireachtasJointCommitteeonEducationandScience(2006)andtheissueremainsaconsistentfeatureofnationalplans:Towards 2016,theten-yearFrameworkSocialPartnershipAgreement2006-2015,prioritisesadultliteracyintheareaofadulteducation.Itreferencestheexpandingroleofadultliteracydevelopment,familyliteracy,theimplementationplanofthenationaladultliteracyadvisorygrouppublishedbyNALA2andtheroleoftheVECs.Itincludesacommitmenttoconsiderappropriatesupportstructuresinthisareaandtoexpandparticipation.

The National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013allocates€2.2billionforthefurthereducationsub-programme,whichgivesprioritytoadultliteracyandnumeracyworkandtobasicskillsdevelopmentinworkplaces.

The National Skills Strategy,presentedinTomorrow’s Skills,the5threportfromtheExpertGrouponFutureSkillsNeeds(2007),outlinestheskillsneededforacompetitiveeconomyupto2020.Itsetsqualificationstargetsthatinvolve330,000workerswhocurrentlyhaveaJuniorCertificateorlowermovingonestepup.Italsorecommendsthatasfaraspossibleliteracyshouldbeprioritisedandembeddedintoallpubliclyfundededucationandtrainingprovision.

The National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 (NAPS Inc) setsatargettoreducetheproportionofthepopulationwithliteracydifficultiesagedbetween16and64to10-15%by2016.

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Services and provision

‘Adultbasiceducation’(ABE)isusedasabroadtermtoembraceadultliteracyandnumeracyworkandawiderangeofeducationalandvocationaltrainingcoursesatbasicorfoundationlevelinmanydifferentcontexts.Distanceeducationandindependentlearninginitiativesareincreasinglysignificant.ThecontextofadultbasiceducationworkinIreland,asithasevolvedoverthelast20years,iscomplexandinvolvesawiderangeoforganisations(seeAppendix3).

AdultliteracyandnumeracyservicesarepartofabroadrangeofadulteducationservicesprovidedbyVocationalEducationCommittees(VECs).Atlocallevel,theserviceisledbytheadulteducationofficerandmanagedbyadultliteracyorganisers,sometimesworkingwithresourceandoutreachworkers.TheVECadultliteracyservicesprovidearangeoflearningoptionsincludingone-to-onetuition,grouptuition,familyliteracyandEnglishforSpeakersofOtherLanguages(ESOL).One-to-onetuitionismainlyprovidedbyvolunteertutorsandgrouptuitionbypart-timepaidtutors,withmostlocaladultliteracyandnumeracyservicesprovidingaminimumoftwohourstuitionperweek.ManyVECsalsoofferprogrammeswithmoreintensivelearningopportunities.

Literacyandnumeracydevelopmentisanintegralpartoftheworkofmanydifferentorganisations.FÁSprovidesliteracysupportonseveralofitsprogrammes,especiallyintheCommunityTrainingWorkshops(CTCs)andcoursesforCommunityEmployment(CE)schemeparticipants.FÁSalsofundsliteracydevelopmentinworkplacecontextsintheprivatesector.

LocalauthoritiesareengagedinworkplaceprogrammeswhichincludealiteracyfocusandtheCongressCentresrunbytheIrishCongressofTradeUnions(ICTU)provideliteracyandnumeracycourses.Literacyisalsoprovided,asadiscreteorintegralpartoflearningprogrammes,inothersettingsincludingcommunityeducationanddevelopmentprogrammes,theNationalLearningNetworkanddistanceeducationinitiatives.TheVECsworkinpartnershipwithmanyoftheaboveprogrammesintheprovisionofliteracytuition.Educationinprisonsandpost-releasecentres,whichisrun

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jointlybylocalVECsandtheIrishPrisonService,alsogiveshighprioritytoliteracyandnumeracytuition.

Partnershipsarethereforecentraltoadultliteracyandnumeracydevelopment.Familyliteracyandnumeracyprogrammeshelptodeveloplearninginafamilycontextandofteninvolveapartnershipbetweenadultliteracyservices,schoolsandlocalcommunities.LocalAreaPartnerships,communitydevelopmentprojectsandvoluntaryorganisationsregardadultbasiceducationasanaspectoftheirinvolvementincommunitydevelopment,andinmanyareasESOL(EnglishforSpeakersofOtherLanguages)isasignificantfeatureofprovision.ThroughoutthecountrylibrariesplayanimportantpartinsupportinglocalinitiativesandatnationalleveltheLibraryCouncilisakeypartnerinpromotingadultbasiceducation.Increasingly,distanceeducationandindependentlearninginitiativesbasedonapartnershipapproachplayanimportantrole.

Quality and qualifications

Inordertoensurethebestpossibleexperienceforstudents,providersworktotherequirementsofqualitystandards,assessmentandqualificationssystems.Thiscurriculumguideconnectstoandofferssupportfortheframeworksandsystemsalreadyinuse.

National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)TheNationalFrameworkofQualificationswasestablishedin2003bytheNationalQualificationsAuthorityofIreland(NQAI).Itcreatedasingle,internationallyrecognisedstructurethroughwhichlearningachievementsmayberecognisedandrelatedtoeachotherfromLevel1toLevel10.

Ateachlevel,theoverallstandardsaresetforqualificationsinthesameareas:Knowledge;Know-HowandSkill;Competence.DifferentawardingbodiessetstandardsforawardsateachleveloftheNFQ.

TheQualificationsAct(2001),whichsetuptheNationalQualificationsAuthority,alsoprovidedfortheestablishmentoftheFurtherEducationandTrainingAwardsCouncil(FETAC)asthenationalawardingbodyforfurthereducationandtraininginIreland.FETACgivespeopletheopportunityto

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gaincertificationforlearningineducationortrainingcentres,intheworkplaceandinthecommunityandhasspecificresponsibilitiesforthedevelopmentandcertificationofawardsatLevels1to6.

FETACsetsstandardsforawards,validatesprogrammesleadingtotheseawards,setsoutassessmentpolicyinrelationtothemandformallymakesawards.Providersareresponsibleforthedesignoftheprogrammeandarangeofprogrammesmayleadtothesameaward.Levels1to3areparticularlyrelevantforstudentsinadultbasiceducationandtraining.Attheselevelstheprocessofassessmentforqualificationsisbasedonportfoliopresentation.Thismeansthatstudentscanbuildtheirworktowardscertificationandachieveawardsattheirownpaceinasupportedcontext.Itispossibletoachievebothminorawardsandcertificatesateachlevel.Inaddition,studentsareencouragedtoworkthroughanintegratedapproach,basingtheirportfoliosonthekindsoftasksandsituationstheyfaceintheireverydaylives.

FETAChasrigorousqualityassuranceprocessesforallproviderswhowishtooffercoursesleadingtoFETACqualifications.

Supporting quality in literacy workSinceNALAwasestablishedin1980,therehasbeenaconsistentconcerntoidentifyandpromotethoseelementsthatmakeforgoodqualityadultliteracyandnumeracywork.Guidelines for Good Adult Literacy Work(NALA1985,1991),thefirstdocumenttosettheseout,providedguidelinesfororganisation,training,materialsandfunding.Initsthirdrevision(NALA2005),thisremainsacalltostriveforexcellencewhereverthisworktakesplace.

Meanwhile,bythelate1990s,improvementsinfundingandorganisationenabledtheissueofqualityinliteracyworktobeexploredfurther.Inconsultationwithstudentsandpractitioners,theEvolving Quality Framework for Adult Basic Education(EQF)(NALA2002)wasdeveloped,reviewedand(aswithGuidelines)revisedmorethanonce.Thisframework,withaclearstatementofaimsandachievablegoalsforgoodqualityadultbasiceducationprovision,isintendedtohelpcentrestodevelopandimproveaspectsoftheirprovisiononanongoingbasis.Theframeworkcontinuestoevolvethroughuseandthereviewprocess.

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Thevariousorganisationsinvolvedinadultbasiceducationhavequalityassuranceproceduresandrequirementsforalltheirwork.

Assessment for learning in adult literacy educationWorkontheEvolving Quality FrameworkledtothedevelopmentofMappingtheLearningJourney(NALA2005b),aconsistentassessmentframeworkforteachingandlearninginadultliteracyandnumeracy,basedonnationalpracticeandinternationalresearchandprovidingguidanceandsupportforlearningfrombeginnerstagethroughtoNFQLevel3.ThefourcornerstonesinMapping the Learning Journeycloselymatchthesub-strandsintheNFQ,asshownbelow:

Mapping the Learning Journey Framework

NQAI National Framework of Qualifications

Fourcornerstones Areas

1.Knowledgeandskillbase Knowledgeintermsofbreadthandkind

Know-howandskill–rangeandselectivity

2.Rangeofapplication Competenceintermsofcontext

3.Fluencyandindependence

Competenceintermsofrole

4.Depthofunderstanding Competenceintermsofinsight

Teaching andlearning

Assess progress– recognisework

achieved.

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Curriculum guideTheconcepts,rolesandstrategiesinthisguideweredevelopedfromexistingpracticeandstudiesofrelatedtheory;theexamplesandmaterialsformaprocessoftutorsandstudentssharing,testingandevaluatingideas.

Thethinkingbehindtherequirementsofquality,assessmentandaccreditationweaveinandoutofthewholeoftheguide.

Forexample:

• issuesof‘quality’aresetoutaspartofthevaluesystemofadultbasiceducationinIrelandandaresponsibilityofallparticipants(sectionsA2,B2andC3);

• assessmentispresentedasareflectiveapproachtolearningandprogress(sectionsA1andB1).

Possibilitiesformappinglearningtoevidenceoflearningoutcomesthatcontributetocertificationarediscussed(sectionA2)andillustrated(sectionsB2,C5).

Part A: Concepts and principles

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A1:ConceptsInthissectionweconsiderthreefundamentalconceptsattheheartofanadultbasiceducation(ABE)curriculumforchange:• theinterconnectionbetweencontext and skill neededto

ensureeffectivelearningandteachingofadultliteracyandnumeracy;

• literacy and numeracy astwoequalandoftenoverlappingsubjects,withpotentialforlinksbetweenthem;

• theimportanceofacknowledgingadult learning as a holistic matter,variedinapproach,andinvolving–for anylearner–boththefeeling(affective)andthethinking(cognitive)selves.

Context and skills

Skillsandknowledgeareessential;practiceinusingthemindifferentcontexts,equallyso.Adultstudentsbringwiththemahugerangeofexperience,bothaslearnersandasusersofliteracyandnumeracy–yet,alltoooften,theycometoABEwithpoorexpectationsoftheirownabilitiestodealwithnewlearning,seeingtheirownadultliteracyandnumeracylivesasamatterofskillstheydonotpossess.ThetaskofanempoweringABEserviceistotransformtheseexpectationsandenablestudentstoseeliteracyandnumeracyindifferenttermsandidentifywhattheyalreadyknow.

Therearetwowaysofusingthewords‘literacy’and‘numeracy’.

Themostcommon–theskillsview,andtheonewhichtutors,aswellasstudentsmayhaveuppermostintheirminds–seesthemastheabilitytousewrittenlanguageandmathematics.Thisisavalidview;ithelpstutorsandstudentstoidentifystrengthsandweaknessesandtalkaboutwhatneedsworkingon.However,itisalsoanarrowonewhichcanpreventusseeingagreatdealoftheliteracyandnumeracyactivitythattakesplaceinreallife.

Asocialpracticeviewcanhelptochangenegativefeelingsthatstudentsandtutorsmayhaveaboutalackofskills. Thisviewseesliteracyandmathematicsas‘thewaysthatpeopleusewrittenlanguageandnumbers’invaryingcontexts,with

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varyingpurposes.Peopleuseliteracyandmathematicsinsocialsettings,insocialrelationships,withlevelsofconfidenceandcompetencevaryingaccordingtoourexperienceoftheparticularcontext.Withthisperspectiveinmind,weareabletonoticethatthesametextormathematicaloperationfeelseasytousinonesituationandimpossibleinanother–dependingonwhoelseisinvolvedandwhatisatstake.Whatitoffersstudentsandtutorsisafreedomfromthinkingintermsof‘right’and‘wrong’,‘correct’and‘incorrect’.Instead,wecanseeliteracyandnumeracytasksashavingbeenaccomplishedeffectively,ornot,forthepurposeatthetime.

Thisoffersusaway,too,ofseeingmistakesandmisconceptionsasdistinctanddifferentkindsoferror.Inmathematics,forinstance,asinpunctuationorspelling,therearedifferentkindsofmistakes(youwillfindmoreonthisinPartC).Studentsmaychoosethe‘wrong’operation,makecalculationerrors,dothingsinthewrongsequence,getinamuddle.Thismaybebecausetheyweretoohastyorbecausetheymisunderstoodwhattheyhadbeentold.Othererrors,bettercalledmisconceptions,mayindicateconceptualconfusionwhichtheteacherneedstohelpthelearnertoaddress.Theseareusuallyreasonedwaysofthinking,notrandomwronganswers.Theyoftenarisefromover-generalisingarule.

Thecontextalwayshassomeinfluenceonperformance.Underpressure,inapostofficequeue,withpeoplewaitingbehindandsomeoneinauthoritybehindthecounter,apersonwhocouldconfidentlyfilloutaform,withtime,attheirkitchentablemaypanicandgetit‘wrong’.Theissueofcontextiscrucialtothesocialpracticeview.Inthisview,contextdenotesmorethanthephysicalsettingofagivensituation.Italsoconnotesitstimeandplace.

Twootherlessvisiblefeaturesarealsoimportant:• theimmediatepurposesandrelationshipsofthepeople

involved;and• thelargerworldofwhichthesepurposesandrelationships

arepart.

Participantsmaybevisible–inajobintervieworsnookermatch,forexample–ortheymaybehidden–astheauthoroftheinstructionsforawashingmachineoraletter,forexample.

Preparation:

Identify context– ofstudent’spersonal

andcommunitylife;and

– theirusesofliteracyandnumeracy.

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Whatmattersisthecombinationofsettingandinteraction:thewaythattheperson’sreading,writingorcalculatingareinterconnectedwithotherpeople.

Withthesocialpracticeview,tutorsknowthatstudents’learningpurposesmayberevealedasmorethanamatterofskillsdevelopment.Purposesforlearningmaybeexpressedinthosetermsatfirstbut,withtime,enlargetootherthings.Astudentmaystartbywantingtohelptheirchildrenwithschoolmaths;later,theymaydiscoverthattheyhaveanenjoymentinlearningmoremathematicsforitsownsake.Theymaybeginbywantingtobeabletospellbetterinordertodealwithbasicformsandthenrevealthat,actually,theyhaveaconsiderableinterestinthewritingofstories.

Inthesocialpracticeview,aliteracyornumeracysituationisan‘event’whichinvolveswrittenormathematicallanguageinsomeway,aspartofpurposesandrelationships.AttheheartofcurriculumdevelopmentforABEistheskilfuluseofliteracy,numeracyandcommunicationbyspeakingandlistening.Weneedtheseskillsandwepossesstheminvaryingdegreesinvaryingcontexts.Withlowskilllevels,studentsmayexperiencelimitedconfidencetomeetthechallengesofdifferentcontexts.Withenhancedskills,theyfeelmorecapableofapplyingwhattheycandoinonesituationtoothers,withconfidenceandfluency.Withthesocialpracticeview,exploringprogressinvolveslookingbeyondknowledgeandskillsandthelearningexercisesundertakenintheclassroom.

AstheMapping the Learning Journey User Guideputsit:

Because the framework includes the three process cornerstones – depth of understanding and critical awareness, fluency and independence, and range of application – learners get a much more rounded picture of their abilities than a simple statement of competence in knowledge and skills. (NALA 2005b section 4.3)

Thecurriculumforchange,bringingtogetheracombinationofskillandcontext,enablesstudentstoenrichtheirusesofliteracyandnumeracyinallsortsofcontextsandsettings.Whileworkingonskills,atutorwithasocialpracticeapproachcanalsoengagestudentsininfluencingorchangingthecontextinwhichtheyareusingthem.Anexampleofthisis

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describedintheNALApublicationprovidingguidelinesonproducinglearningmaterials:

The setting is a Community Training Centre, where the trainees were having difficulty reading the instructions for a woodwork task. The trainer thought: ‘Who better to simplify the sheets than the trainees who were having difficulty with them’ He asked the trainees to tell him what they thought the instructions might mean and, as they told him, he wrote down what they said, read it back and agreed a version that the trainees felt was clearer to use. He then developed vocabulary-building activities, including word-matching exercises. (NALA 2006a: 8)

Thisstoryshowstwoliteracyevents.Intheworkcontext,traineesstruggledtomakesenseofatextneededforthemtocarryoutatask.Intheclassroomcontext,theyengagedindiscussiononitsmeaningwiththetutorandsetaboutrewritingit.Intheprocess,thetutorensuredtheyacquiredsomecriticalreading,editingandvocabularytoolsthattheycouldapplytoothersettingsandsituations.

Agoodwayofthinkingabouttheideaof‘socialpractice’withstudentsistoreflectonhowweworkoutaroutefromoneplacetoanother.Weaskotherpeopleabouttheirexperienceofmakingthisjourney.Welookuptimetables,readmaps,writenotes–usetexts.Theprimarypurposeistomakethejourney.Reading,writinganddoingmathematicaloperationsareonlypartofwhatwedotoachieveit;talking,listeningandgesturingarelikelytoplayasbigapartintheiractivityaspuzzlingoverinstructions,tablesorscreensfullofinformation.Thisisnotaweakness;itisnotbecausewecan’treadordosums;itisthewaywedothings.Askingotherpeople,givingeachotherahandwithreading,writingandmathematicsishowmostpeopledealwiththings.It’samatterofusingthewaythatworksbestforyoutofindoutwhatyouneedtoknow.

StillfromtheNALA/ElectricPageTVseriesReally Useful Guide to words and numbers–programmeontrainjourneys,firstbroadcast2006

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Numeracy: the equal partner

Asecondkeyconceptforthecurriculumforchangeisthatadultliteracyandnumeracyareseparatebutequalsubjectsthatoftenoverlap.Itisprobablytruethatpeopleengageinnumeracymoreoftenthantheyrealise.Yetmanyadultliteracytutorsandorganisersseemtoregardthemselvesasunqualifiedtoexplorediscussionsaboutnumeracywithstudents.Othersfeelthatthestudentsthattheymeetdonotraisenumeracyasaprobleminthesamewaythattheyraiseliteracyanddonotseeanypointinexploringthepossibilitiesofnumeracymatters.Inthissection,wediscusssomeviewsabouthownumeracyandmathematicsrelate,suggestthatdiscussionbytutorsandstudentsoftheseviewscanhelpthemtolookafreshathowtoapproachnumeracyandmathematics,andshowhowtutorswhofeelthattheir‘technical’mathematicalskillsarerelativelyweakcanneverthelesssupportstudentstodevelopstrongnumeracypractices.

Aspartoftheconsultationforthisframework,weinterviewedsixstudents,18tutorsandsevenotherpeopleinvolvedinABEonthetopicofteachingnumeracy.Betweenthem,theyworkedfor13differentorganisations.Althoughweemphasisedourinterestinnumeracyissues,wefoundthatparticipants’responsesoftenfocussedatleastinitiallyonliteracyandsometimesthisfocuscontinuedevenwhenpromptedfornumeracy.

Forsome,numeracywasseenaspartofliteracy;forothers,ithadarathermoreseparateidentity.Whilesometutorssawnumeracyasincludingelementsofliteracyandmathematics,otherswerenotevensurewhether,letalonehow,numeracyshouldbetaught.Notallliteracyservicesoffernumeracyprovision.Insome,itisanimplicitpartof‘literacy’provisionbutisnotmarketedassuchandisthusprobablyinvisibletopotentialstudents.

However,inothers,wefoundthattheorganisershadcarefullysupportedsomeliteracytutorstoeaseintonumeracyandactedaschampionsfornumeracyamongcolleaguesandstudents.

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Itseemsthatliteracytutorstendtothinkaboutnumeracyandmathematicsinoneoftwoways:

1.Numeracyisasmallpartorsubsetofmaths.‘Basic’maths(i.e.wholenumbersanddecimals)needstobemasteredbefore‘higher’maths(e.g.algebra).Numeracyshouldbeassessedinisolationfromliteracy.

2.Numeracyis‘bigger’thanmathematics.Tobenumeratemeansmorethan‘beinggoodatmaths’.Itmeansmaths,plus‘otherthinking’,suchas:• using common sense (forexample,ifestimatinghowlong

togettothestation,anumeratepersonwillprobablyaddsomeextratime‘justincase’);

• understanding the context (suchashowtousetheunderstandingofgeometrytomakearight-angledborderinagardenlayout);

• wanting to change the world in some way,notjustunderstandit(asamathematicianmight);anumeratepersonmightwanttohelphergrandchildrenwiththeirmathshomeworkorcalculatecarbonfootprints.

1.Numeracyisasmallpartorsubsetofmaths

Numeracy

Maths

2.Numeracy=somemaths+someotherthinking

Otherthinking

NumeracyMaths

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Numeracy

ThesecondofthesedefinitionscertainlyresonateswiththeNALAdefinitionofthenumerateadultassomeonewhohas:

the confidence to manage the mathematical demands of everyday living, work-related settings and in further education, so that effective choices are made in our evolving technological and knowledge-based society. (NALA 2004b)

Mathssupports,butdoesnotautomaticallydeliver,effectivenumeracy.Conversely,ausefulnumeracyeventcanhappenintheabsenceofsophisticatedmathematics:

Asked how she dealt with numeracy situations, one student described how she had gone to a travel agency to inquire about a fare to the USA. She noticed that the price difference depended on how long you were staying when you got there. She questioned the difference and was not satisfied with the explanation given.3

Thisstudent’stechnicalmathsskillsmaynothavebeenstrongenoughtomakecompletesenseoftheinformationshewasgivenbutshewasnumerateenoughtoseethediscrepancyandtoquestionit.

Tutorswhofeeltheirownmathematicalskillsarenotyetasstrongastheywouldlikethemtobecanstillprovidevaluablelearningopportunitiesinnumeracy.Astudentwhohadbeenlearningaboutdatesandtimesinclassreportedaspecificandveryusefulbenefitinhowshenowdealtwithnumeracysituationsinthestreet:

‘[Before], I would always have parked in a multi-storey car park. Now I can buy a ticket for anywhere around town and scratch it and note the time I have to stay there.’4

Thetutorinthiscasemayormaynothavehadahighlevelofpersonalmathsskillsherselfbutshecertainlyhelpedthestudenttotransfermathematicalknowledgeintoareal-lifesituation.

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Tutorswhowanttoexplorenumeracyissueswithcurrentorpotentialstudentsmightalsofinditusefultodiscusswiththemtheirassumptionsandbeliefsaboutmathematics.

Forexample,sometutorsandstudentsmaybelievestronglythatmathematicsisahierarchicalsubject,inwhichthestudentneedstoacquirecompletemasteryoftechniquesateach‘level’beforeengagingwith‘harder’mathematics.Thismightforexampleleadtutorsandstudentstobelievethatuntilallthe‘timestables’areatthestudent’s(ortutor’s!)fingertips,itwillbeawasteoftimeto‘moveon’topercentages.Butinreallife,peoplewhodon’tknowwhateighttimessevenaremayneverthelessbewellawarethata30%discountisbetterthan10%,orthata3%payincreaseforawellpaidmanagernetsthemmorecashthana3%increaseforsomebodyonalowwage.

Stickingrigidlytoa‘Mathematicsisahierarchicalsubject’beliefisabitlikebelievingthatyouneedtobeaperfectspellerbeforeyoucanwriteorteachwriting.If,instead,tutorsandstudentstendtoseemathematicsasanetworkofideas,theymaybemorelikelytofindwaysofmovingaroundthisnetwork,developingtheirunderstandingofdifferentsections,inaniterativeway.5

Similarly,tutorsandstudentsmightfinditstimulatingtodiscuss:• whethermathematicsisbestlearnedthroughpracticeor

throughdiscussion;• whetherlearnerslearnbestwhentheyworkontheirownor

whentheyworkcollaboratively;• whetherit’sbesttofindoutwhichpartsofmathematics

studentsalreadyunderstandandmoveonfromthere,ortoteachmathematics‘fromthebeginning’,assumingnopreviousknowledge.

Thepointhereisnottocreatefalsedichotomiesbuttosupporttutorsandstudentstobecomeawareofanyassumptionstheycurrentlyhold,toexplorethoseassumptions,tolookafreshathowtoteachandlearnmathematics,andtouseapproachesandtechniquesalreadyincommonuseinliteracywork.6Onceagain,itisgoodtorememberthatinalearning-centredcurriculumforchange,tutorsarenevertheabsoluteexperts–innumeracy,orinanythingelse.

2�

Holistic learning

Thethirdconceptisthatofholisticlearning:thatis,thatlearning–especiallylearningofliteracyandnumeracyinadultlife–isaholisticmatterwhichinvolves,foranylearner,boththeirfeeling(affective)andtheirthinking(cognitive)selves,andwhichengagesdifferentstrengthsindifferentlearners.Forholisticlearningtooccur,students’emotional(oraffective)learningneedstoberecognisedaswellastheircognitiveabilitiesandtheirlearningstrengthsdiscoveredandusedtoenablethemtoincreasetheirconfidenceintacklingtheirperceivedweaknesses.Thereareimplicationshereforthetutor.‘Confidence’iscentredverymuchonhowweseeandrepresentourselves,eitherpositivelyornegatively.Thehabitofnegativitycanbeshiftedindiscussionwithothers–particularlyifweholdontoa‘socialpractice’understandingofliteracyandnumeracy.

Letusseehowastudentexpressesit.Speakinginadiscussiongroupabouthowclassroomlearninghadaffectedheruseofnumeracyinothersettings,shegavethisexample:

I was ordering a birthday cake and when the girl inside the counter started telling me the sizes in numbers, I asked her to show me boxes that were in the shop. Then I had an idea as to what size of cake I wanted.7

Forthisstudent,thethree-dimensionalpictureofferedbytheboxeswasamorevaluablemeasureofthecakesizeshewantedthanhearingthesizesreferredtoinspokennumbers.Thestoryshetellsisclearandpositive.Itsummarisesanexchangebetweentwopeople:arequest,aresponse,afurtherrequest,asecondresponse,andthestoryteller’scommentattheendThespeakerwasexplainingherpreferredwayofestimatingsizeandshapeand,indoingso,givinganexcellentexampleofaholisticunderstandingof‘intelligence’.Thisshowsthevalueofholisticthinkingaboutmathematics:nonegativejudgement,justastatementofhowitwas.

Tutorswhoarealerttotheroleofexploringpossibilities,whoholdontothesocialpracticeviewofwhatwedowithliteracyandnumeracy,canopenupstudentstotheirstrengths.Theycanenablestudentstoreflectcriticallyonsituations,noticingthatwhileinthiscontexttheyarelessthanconfidentinagiven

Holistic learning

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literacyornumeracyevent,inanotheronetheyarecapableofdealingwithit.

Meanwhile,closelyboundupwithideasaboutlearningisthatof‘intelligence’.Olderadultstudentshavegrownupwiththeideaofpeoplehavingeitheraloworahigh‘IQ’or‘intelligencequotient’(themeasuredevisedtofindouthow‘intelligent’achildoranadultmightbe,largelybasedontheirabilitytoreasonoutaprobleminwordsandonpaper).Thisbelongedtoanideaofintelligencethatwasinheritedandfixed:yougotitfromyourparentsanditwouldremainthesamewhereveryouwere.

Theideaof‘multiple’ intelligences, bycontrast,saysthateachpersoniscleverinoneormoreofseveralways–andthattheycanshowthisinotherwaysthanthroughformaltests.DerivedfromtheworkofanAmericanpsychologist,thisideaproposesintelligencetobenotasinglefacultybutarangeofhumancapacities,describedbyeightdifferentintelligences.Theideaallowsustoseelearningnotasprogressalongasingleline,butasgrowthinvariousdirections.

Ininterpretingandusingmultipleintelligencestheory,adultliteracyandnumeracytutorsfoundthattheyneededtobeclearabouttwothings:

1.Multipleintelligencesaredifferentfromlearningstyles.Theysawlearningstylesaspreferencesinhowwetakeininformationwhichwillstayconstantinanysettingandsawmultipleintelligencesasreferringtothewaysapersonworkstoprocessanddevelopunderstanding–wayswhichwillvarywiththedomainorcontentinquestion.

2.Multipleintelligencesarethemeanstolearning,notthegoalofalesson,sotutorsdonotneedtofeeltheyhavetoteacheverythingineightdifferentways,theysimplyneedtoofferchoiceinthelearningopportunities.(ViensandKallenbach,2004)

MultipleintelligencesideashaveappealedtoIrishadultbasiceducationforsometime.SomegeneralsuggestionsforhowtutorscouldapplythemtotheirplanningworkareofferedbyJohnMcGrath,ABEtutorandtrainerinListowel:

Preparation:

Assess learning aims– theirstrengthsand

areasfordevelopment.

‘Multiple’ intelligences

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None of us can include all intelligences in every lesson plan but these could offer some possibilities to keep in mind:• use the spoken/written word (verbal/linguistic);• bring in numbers, calculations, logic, cause and effect,

etc.(logical/mathematical);• involve the whole body, mime, role play, ‘frozen pictures’

(body/kinaesthetic);• use group and pairs exercises, co-operative learning

(interpersonal);• give choices, evoking feelings and/or memories

(intra-personal);• bring in music and sound, rap, etc., or set key points to

rhymeormelody(musical/rhythmic);• use visual aids, visualisation, colour, art, metaphor, etc.

(visual/spatial).

Goodexamplesoftheapproachareavailableinanincreasingrangeofpublishedresources.

Forstudentdiscussion,therearethreepagesofdiscussionmaterialinoneofthelearnerworkbookssupportingtheTVseriesRead Write Now.

NALA’sMissling the Tobar: Travelling the Road,basedonthepublishedwritingoffouradultliteracystudents,whilenotmentioningmultipleintelligencesitself,offersanumberoflearningresourceswhichrecognisearangeofstudentstrengths(NALA2006b).Attheendofeachsectionareteachingandlearningactivitiesrelatedtoeachofthebooksprovided.Thesesuggestionsinclude:discussiontopics,matchingandsortinggames,ideasforencouragingstudentstobringrelevantmaterialin,mapwork,researchprojects,quantityandnumberwork,datahandling,problem-solvingandfieldtrips.9Learning,withthisrangeofoptions,offersitselfasmultidirectionalaswellasholistic:ameanstogrowincriticalthinkingaswellasinskillandconfidence.

Similarvarietystrengthenslearninginmathematics.NRDC’sresourcepack,Thinking Through Mathematicssuggestssomeusefulexercisestosupportstudentstobecomeactiveparticipantsintheirownlearningbycommunicatingeffectivelyaboutmathematicalideas.Forexample,ina‘back-toback’

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exercise,onestudentdescribesashapeandtheothertriestodrawit,oronegivesdirectionstoaplaceandtheother‘translates’thatbydrawingamap.(NRDC2006)

In this section we have looked at three concepts which are central to an ABE curriculum for change: the interdependence between context and skill, the status equal partner with literacy; and the recognition of adult learning as a holistic matter. We move now to the principles at the heart of these concepts.

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A2:Principles

Theword‘principle’hasanassociationofsomethingwestrivetokeepto,anaspiration,asetofcriteriaforustocheckhowfarweareholdingontocorevalues.Inthiscontext,keyprinciplesremindusofourcommitmenttotheconcepts.Expressedinastatement,theprinciplesattheirheartbecomeclear.

Foracurriculum for change tobeeffective:• itmustbelearning-centred–fortutorsaswellasstudents;• literacyandnumeracyshouldberecognisedaskeystoboth

personaldevelopmentandsocialaction;• learningismostempoweringwhenitisactiveand

expressive.(NALA2005a:4)

Thisoffersusthreeprinciplesandwhatfollowsaresomenotesandexamplestobringthemtolife.

1. The learning-centred curriculum

Workingwithacurriculumforchangemeansthattutorsandstudents:• startfromthestudent’sexperienceoflife,learning,literacy

andnumeracy;and• setouttotransformthisexperienceinwaysthatgive

studentsgreatercontrol.

Tomakethispossible,acurriculumforchangehastoavoidaprimaryfocusonwhatisgoingtobetaught;itneedstobelearning-centred.Thismeanstwothings:first,thatlearning,ratherthanteaching,isatitsheart;andsecond,thatallparticipantsinvolved–tutorsaswellasstudents;partnerorganisationsaswellasABEproviders–standtolearnfromthework.

Tutorsmakemistakesasoftenasanyoneelse(anditcansometimesbecomfortingforstudentstoseethattheydo.)Effectivetutorsarereadytorecognisewhenthingsarenotworking,thinkaboutalternativestrategies,andlearnfromtheexperience.

The learning-centred curriculum

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Thisfocusonlearningkeepstheattentioncentredontheprocessofdevelopmentandchangeforallparticipants.Awarenessofthelearning-centrednatureofthecurriculumisimportantthroughoutthecycleofcurriculumdevelopmentastutorsandstudentsplan,actandreflectonthelearningactivities.Thefollowingaccountsshowtwotutorsreflectingonlearningtheygainedfromtheirstudentsandhowthatlearningenabledthemtoadapttheirteachingtobemoreeffective.Itisnocoincidencethatbothconcernthetellingandmakingofstories–andofattentive,oractive,listeningwhenthelistenerispreparedtogivetheirfullattentiontothespeaker.Threemovescansupportthiskindofattention:asking,promptingandrecapping.

Inthefollowingexample,atutortellsofanexperiencewhenshelearnedfromherstudent.Inheraccount,youcannoticethreemomentswhenwecanglimpseher,inherownlistening,makingthesemoves.

Carol the storytellerMaryMarkey,Co.Kildare

At the beginning of July each year, our scheme in Naas runs a summer school. Each day for one week, there are a variety of workshops which vary from year to year. In 2003, we had a storyteller from Dublin who came and told all sorts of yarns, folklore, and it was open to tutors and learners. This storyteller happens to be my brother. I say this only to explain that I have heard a lot of his stories over the years either at home or at other events.

Students of the ABE group that I tutor were there and when we rejoined in September, the topic of the summer school came up. People were talking about the various workshops they had attended, which ones they particularly enjoyed and what they had learned from them. One member of the group, Carol, in her early 40s, explained that she had been at a wedding during the summer and had told some of the stories at the wedding. I was very interested to know which ones. She said, ‘the one about the summer dress, the pinstripe suit and the one about the guy buying the swimming togs’. I realised that I could not remember the end of any of those stories and none of the others who had attended the storytelling workshop could either. She told them to the class.

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As she told each story with gusto, I still couldn’t see the punch line coming. After the laughing died down, we talked about our memory skills. Her memory was very finely tuned and she relied on oral skills. It reminded me how stories in Ireland were passed down. Folklore and legend have always been an essential part of Irish culture, with the emphasis being on story-telling, an oral tradition. In Gaelic and Norman-Gaelic Ireland, the poet or ‘file’ was the guardian of knowledge and, as such, enjoyed high status in society.

The folk-tales and legends of Irish culture were handed down through generations of such guardians and the telling of such tales to the community was a great social tradition. Carol had a wonderful memory for stories and used her memory skills to compensate for her difficulties with writing. I, on the other hand, rely so much on writing things down to remember them that I couldn’t remember any of the stories even though I had heard them all before. Carol could entertain the group and the wedding party in a way that I never could.

CommentaryAtthestartoftheirclass,Maryencouragesthestudentstotalkaboutthesummerschool.Wecanimagineherinthisstageofthediscussionasking students,inturn,tosharetheirrecollectionofhowithadgone.(‘Whereyouthere,Sean?’‘Whatdidyouthink,Ruth?’‘Didanyoneelsegotothatsession?’)Thisisoneofthethreemovessheseemstomakeinactivelistening(and,assheisworkingwithagroup,shewillneedtobeactivelylisteningaswellforanyonewhohasnotalreadyspoken).Then,Caroljoinsinwithareferencetotheweddingthatshehadgonetoduringthesummerbreak.Maryreportsthatshe‘wasveryinterestedtoknow’ofthestoriesthatweretoldatthisevent.Atthisstage,shewillbeshowingherinterestnotsomuchbyquestioningasbyprompting Carol,whohasalreadysharedsomething,tosaymoreaboutit.(‘Thatsoundsinteresting,Carol.Couldyoutellusanyofthestoriesyourememberbeingtold?’)Inherthirdmove,realisingthatsheherselfcouldnothaverecalledthesestories,sheisofferingakindofrecapping –tellingCarolagainwhatitisshehastoldthemand,insodoing,encouragingCaroltoshareonemorelayer:thestoriesthemselves.

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Threegoodmovesforanactivelistener–andallreleasingadditionalknowledgefromthespeaker.

Carol,inMary’sview,washerselfagoodlisteneraswellasagoodstoryteller.PerhapsnoteveryonewouldbeasgoodatlisteningasCarolwho,asMarysays,alsohasa‘wonderfulmemory’forwhatshehears.MaryinviteshertoretellthestoriestotheclassandthistimeMary,astutor,islisteningagain–withherearsopenforthelearningthatishappening.Whatshehearsissomethingthatshecanbuildon,givingCarolthegroup’sattentionaswellasherown,andwhatshethendoesistohelpthemnotice,consciously,whattheyaredoing.Thisisthetutorasreflectivepractitioner–readytoappreciatethatsheisnottheonlyonewithknowledgeintheclassroom,toseeanopportunitytohelpstudentsnoticeoralskillsandcraft,andtocelebrateamomentoflearningthatshehasgained,aswellasthem.

Thesecondstoryofalearningtutorshowsoneinasituationmanyreadersmayrecognise:thelearningisgoingwell,inaway,butthereseemstobealackofenergyandfun.Whenthistutortriedsomethingdifferent,itwaspartiallysuccessfulbut,intheprocess,hesawthatthereweresomegapsinknowledgeandunderstanding.Inordertoaddressthis,hetookariskwithathirdapproachandthistime,therewasawholenewfeelinginthegroup.

Students create a storyPeterCleary,SouthTipperary

These classes took place in a training centre where the trainees attend daily and undertake learning in work skills, social skills, technology and personal development in a friendly co-operative environment.

For the past year I have been working with a group of four special needs students at the centre: Mary, Margaret, Paula and Paul. We had been doing a lot of work on the technical skills of writing and spelling, name and address, days of week, months, etc. Although this had been going well, I felt the class lacked fun and the opportunity for students to put their learning in context.

Teaching andlearning

Plan strategies– agreetopic-based

learningactivities;– planfocussedliteracy

andnumeracywork.

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I tried using easy books to help the learners with reading and spelling but soon found that these students did not understand beginning, middle and end of a story. So, to help students get a better understanding of stories, I decided we would try to create our own. In class, on the white board, I drew a number of streets and asked the class for a name for the fictitious town. They came up with the name ‘Ourtown’. We then proceeded to name the streets, create characters and name the type of shops that you would have in a town. Each learner also picked a character to be in the town: the manager of Aldi, the policeman, the shopkeeper, the credit union worker. (I was the priest but the class felt I should also be a vampire by night). This exercise generated a lot of fun and conversation.

Next we talked about the story of the town and the things that might be happening among the people. The students really enjoyed this, likening it to the TV soap operas of which they are very fond. ‘Ourtown’ has not been in existence long but already there has been at least two murders. The story is progressing well and I’m looking forward to the next instalment.

Reflection: This has been a very useful learning experience both for me and for the students. The exercise took place over three one-hour classes but could be the basis for an ongoing activity. Above all, it was fun for all and as the students left each session, they would talk about what they were going to do with the story next and students who had not done work outside the classes before brought in ideas for the story. In short, they had become generally more interested and involved in their own learning, which had included: – a better understanding of the structure of a story, creation

of characters, plot and sequence; – interaction between individuals in the group; – practice with social sight words like shop, bank and post

office; and – increased awareness of roles in the community such as

policeman, priest and shopkeeper.

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CommentaryThisisthetutorlearningfromobservation,takingariskandfollowingstudentinterest.TheactivityofcreatingastoryinagroupinthewaythatPeterdescribesisaspecialkindofcomposition,callingonatutor’sskillandexperienceinencouragingstudentstocontributeideas,taketurnsandtrythingsout.Asfarasthisgoes,theworkwasentirelyoral–withalotoflearningasaresult.Withtime,andthetutorsupportingthestudents,thestorycouldbeputonpaperandsharedwithotherstudents(thereismoreonthisintheActivitiessectioninPartC).

Inclassrooms,problemsandbarrierscropupallthetime.Thisisnotafailingonthepartofthetutor.Thelearningtutorisonthelookoutforthem.Whatthisonedidwasto:• recognisetherewasaproblem;• analyseit;• tryoutasolution;• noticeitwasn’tworking;• tryasecondintervention;• observeandreflectontheresult.

Peterwaslisteningandlookingandencouragingstudentstodothesame.Heofferedthemthebasisofastorythattheycoulddevelop.Then,inhisreflectivenote,heanalysedthelearningthattheyengagedin,intheprocessofdoingthis.Thisisdetailedwork.Intermsofthecurriculumdevelopmentcycle,itisessentialtotheprocessofreviewingandevaluatinghowthelearningisgoing.Itisthetutortakingresponsibilityforhisorherpartinthatlearningbeingsuccessfuland,having‘identifiedareasfordevelopment’,returningtothepointinthecurriculumdevelopmentcyclefor‘tryingout(analternative)teachingandlearningstrategy.’

2. Personal development and social action

Literacyandnumeracyskillsdevelopment,personaldevelopmentandsocialactioninter-relateinmanywaysthatarefamiliartoexperiencedliteracypractitionersandstudents.Personal development isencouragedwhen,fromthefirstencounterwithaservice,astudentexperiencesrespectandagenuineinterestinherorhisconcerns.

Review andevaluate

Evaluate service– reflectonstudent’s

experienceofit;– planfocussedliteracy

andnumeracywork.

3�

Initialassessment,asitissometimescalled,meansorganisersortutorswelcominganewstudent,appreciatingtheirneedforaquietspacetofindoutmoreabouttheserviceandtodiscusstheirinterestsandneeds.CrumlinCollege’sguidelines,forexample,suggestthatthefouraimsofthisfirstconversationareto:– allowthestudenttospeakfreely;– enabletheorganisertoworkoutwheretheyareat;– clarifytheoptionsavailabletothestudent;and– workoutjointlywhatismostsuitedtothestudentfor

thepresent.

Thisapproachencouragestutorsand/ororganisersto:‘startthechatwithsomeformofopen-endedquestionsuchas“Whatbringsyoualonghere?”’.Theorganiserprovidesthetutorwithwhateverinformationsheorhehasbeenabletogatherfromthisconversation.Ofcourse,newvolunteertutorsmaybenearlyasnervousasthestudent,butasCrumlinCollege’strainingnotessuggest,thatcanbeasourceofmutualconsolation.Theimportantthingisto‘drawoutyourstudenttoestablishhisorherneedsandinterests.’10

ABEstudentsoftendescribehowtheydevelopedconfidenceandself-esteeminthecourseoftheirlearningprogrammes,alongsidetheliteracyornumeracyskills.Asthestudentdevelopsnewskillsinthecontextofarespectfulandaffirmingtutor-studentrelationship,theyalsodeveloppersonalconfidence.Thisinturnincreasestheirabilitytotakeonawiderrangeofliteracyornumeracypractices,todevelopnewskillsortobecomemorefluentandindependentinusingthosetheyalreadyhave.

Personal development isperhapsbestdescribedasthekindofchangethatenablesastudenttopushasidetheinternalbarriersthathadbeenholdingthemback.Wheretheyhadpreviouslyfelttooanxiousorreticenttotakeariskinsituationsinvolvingwrittenlanguageandmathematics,theynowfeelfreer,inawiderrangeofsettings,tomaketheattemptandgetovertheirfearsofotherpeople’sjudgements.

Astheydeveloptheirconfidenceandskills,studentsmaydecidetotakepartincommunityorsocialactionforthefirsttimeoronalevelthattheymaynothavedonepreviously.Examplescanincludeawiderangeofactivitiesandchoices:joiningtheliteracyschemecommittee;attendinga

Preparation

Identify context– ofstudent’spersonal

andcommunitylife;– theirusesofliteracy

andnumeracy.Assess learning aims– theirlearningpurposes;– theirstrengthsand

areasfordevelopment.Clarify service– thegroundrules;– thechoicesof

provision.

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parent-teachermeeting;joiningthecommitteeofthelocalschool;registeringtovoteforthefirsttime.Manyprefertotakepartinasmall-scaleactivityratherthananypubliccampaignsoranythingthatcouldberegardedasactivepolitics.AsGeraldineMernaghnotes:

‘Students may not see themselves as taking on problems within their community. Their community action could be student community action, such as taking part in reading evenings’ (Informal conversation, WIT, Waterford, November 2006).

However,itisalsotruethatplentyofstudentswouldliketomakethingsbetterwheretheyliveandworkandtherearewaystomakeconnectionsbetweenthisinterestinimprovinglifeandtheliteracyandnumeracyeventsthatariseoutofturningthatinterestintoaction.

ThisexperienceofagroupofyoungtraineesatNewbridgeYouthTrainingandDevelopmentCentre,workingonaprojecttodowithhealthandfitness,providesausefulexample.Theprojectinvolvedthemusingreading,writing,numeracyandverbalcommunicationtoinvestigatehealthissues,aspartandparcelofapracticalfitnessprogramme.Thetutorhadheardthemtalkingabouttherebeing‘nothingtodo’inthetown,nofacilitiesforsportandfitness.Sheaskedthemtoconsiderwhetherthiswastrueandtheydidasurveyoftheirtowntofindoutjustwhatfacilitieswereavailabletoyoungpeople.Theirsurveyconfirmedtheirperceptions.Thetutortheninvitedthemtothinkiftherewasanythingtheycoulddotohelpchangeit.Thestudentsdecidedthattheywouldwritetotheirtowncounciltoletthemknowtheresultsofthesurveyandtorequestimprovedfacilities.AsCentremanagerKathleenCramerrecalled:

The students went on to get a campaign going to get a skateboard park for Newbridge (we got agreement, but no park yet). They drew up petitions, got signatures, organised public meetings and met the county council, so there was plenty of opportunity to use oral and written language. It was very successful in terms of confidence building and demonstrating how decisions at council level are taken. One student was a keen skate boarder and he started the whole campaign himself. (email to NALA, September 2007)

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Thisapproachhelpedthestudentstodeveloptheirliteracyskills–ofreadingandexpressivewritinginthiscase–atthesametimeasdevelopingasenseofthemselvesaspeoplewhocanhaveavoiceandhelpinfluencechange.

Incommunitydevelopmentwork,educationalactivityfollowsasustainedperiodoflisteningtopeoplefirstexpressingtheirconcerns.AlanRogers’usefulcatchphrase‘literacysecond’isrelevanthere.11

Asthisnextaccountreveals,theapproachistolistenfirstandgivesupportwithliteracyandnumeracysecond.

Community development, literacy and numeracyKarinaCurley,NorthOffalyandNorthWestKildarePartnershipCompany(OAK),November2006

Our community workers start work on a housing estate in consultation with workers from other agencies who may already be working there. To date, we have worked intensely in four estates. We have learned that inviting people to attend meetings by putting up notices and invitations does not work. The best way is face-to-face contact. If there are people already active in the community, our workers work with them to make door-to-door contact with others. Only then do we hold a public meeting.

At that initial meeting, we identify issues that seem relevant to the people there. Over time, the needs are discussed and prioritised, and we encourage residents to form a group and undertake committee skills training. It is then that our support workers need to show sensitivity to any literacy and numeracy needs. Once the group is formed, we support them to develop the aims and objectives, constitution and ground rules which they need for it to become a residents’ association.

We offer time to discuss issues and mentor those who take on roles such as secretary or treasurer. This support will carry on until members feel empowered to carry out these roles unaided. They are encouraged to switch roles and thus gain new experiences. Literacy and numeracy support is an integral part of this process – for example, the secretary

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learns ways to write and keep the minutes. All committee members will learn about fund-raising, sourcing funding and keeping accounts of monies acquired and spent. They are also supported to liaise with other key contacts in the area such as county council officials and elected representatives; to write grant applications; and to source funding for education and training needs. Such additional training has included child protection training, childcare training, computer training and attendance at arts and crafts courses.

A key outcome has been the willingness of residents to represent their area on committees and groups in the wider community, and – more importantly – to feel empowered to have a voice on such groups. Also of significance is that parents begin to recognise and demand greater support for their children. Parent and toddler groups, homework clubs and youth development activities are some of the activities that have emerged as a result of the work.

CommentaryOrganisationsfundedtodocommunityworkarelikelytohavetoshowdifferentoutcomesthanthosefundedtoensureprogressinlearning.ReadersmayfeelthatthisaccountisnotrepresentativeoftheirownABEservicewheretheideaof‘literacyandnumeracysecond’mayseemabitofaluxury.Theaccountisausefulreminder,however,intothecontextfromwhichmanypeoplemayfirstcomeintoABE:thecontextofbeinginvolvedin–orthinkingaboutgettinginvolvedin–theirlocalcommunitiesand,intheprocess,gettingdrawnintoliteracyandnumeracyeventsthatcropupintheorganisationsthatemerge.

Thelearninginvolvedin‘fund-raising’and‘keepingaccountsofmoniesacquiredandspent’engagesparticipantsinthekeyfeaturesofnumeracyandtherelated‘otherthinking’(seeNumeracy: the equal partner).Theyarewhatwemightcall‘timeandmoneymanagement’–thecalculatingandestimatinginvolvedinanyplanningandbudgetingactivity.Thepersonalandcommunitylearningthatis‘andnumeracy’mayformamajorpartofthedevelopmentwhichpeoplestandtogainintheapproachdescribedhere.

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Theexperienceof‘studentempowerment’summarisedinthe Ideas and researchsectionisalsorelevanthere.Studentdevelopment,supportedbytheNALAworkinthisarea,involvespeoplewhomayneverhavebeentoameetingbefore,gainingtheskillsoflisteningandspeaking,organisingagendas,arrivingatconsensusandrecordingdecisions.Allofthisisliteracyworkthatcouldbepractisedinclassroomsettings,usingroleplayandscenariosthatstudentsthemselvescouldsuggest.Itmeansapplyingthe‘literacysecond’mottointhecommunityoftheclassroom:checkingoutstudentexperiencesoftakingpartinorganisationsandidentifyingtogethertheliteracyandnumeracylearningtheymightfinditusefultoexplore.Itcouldmeanpausingattheplaceinthecyclewherethe‘preparation’couldbedoneforanotherphaseofplannedlearning.

OurnexttwoexamplesgivethefocustomathematicallearningandcomefromworkoutsideIreland.GelsaKnijnikworkedduringthe1990sasateacherandresearcherinasettlementoftheBrazilianLandlessMovement,organisedtoachievelandreforminBrazil.Theeducationalactivitysheworkedwithwascentredonthesettlement’smainproductivity(growingandsellingmelons),wasdesignedwiththecommunityand,sheargues,contributedtotheBrazilianLandlessMovement’spoliticalstruggle.Thesetwoexperiencesshowsomethingoftherelationshipbetweensocialactionandmathematics.

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The measurement of landHere12Gelsadescribestwoapproachestothemeasurementofland:aconventional,‘academic’method,measuringthelandintermsofhectares(squaresof100metreseachside)andameasurementbasedonthelengthoftimeneededtoworktheland.

Thediscussiontookplaceinacontextwhereideasaboutthe‘size’oflandareverysignificantforpeopleinvolvedinastruggleoveritscontrolandownership.

Two of the peasants used the ‘tractor time used to hoe’ as a parameter to determine the size of a surface. One of them explained to the pupils13: “One places the tractor on the land. Working with it for three hours makes exactly one hectare.”

The question of measuring the land with time was analysed jointly with the pupils and the farmers. What appeared to be ‘inappropriate’, as the pedagogical work began, was then more clearly understood by the group as examples of linear distances expressed by measure of time…

For farming purposes, the hour of tractor use is more relevant data than the precision related to square meters of land. As a peasant said, “a few meters more, a few meters less, it doesn’t really matter too much.”

CommentaryThisaccountsuggestshowthesocialcontextfromwhichmathematicalthinkingemergesmayinfluencethatthinking.Thepurposestowhichmathematicsisbeingputmaygenerateavarietyofmathematicalideasorprocedures,andtheteachingandlearningprocessinvolveschoicesabouthowtorespondtoandvaluethisvariety.Aswesawinthisexample,differentwaysofthinkingaboutthe‘size’ofthelandwereexpressedindifferentpiecesofmathematics.GelsaKnijniktookan‘ethnomathematics’14approach,seeingmathematicsasa‘culturalsystempermeatedbypowerrelations’.Thismeanssheiscommittedtoacknowledgingallkindsofmathematicalthinking,notmerelythevarietyshewastrainedin.Italsomeansthatshetakesitforgrantedthatsheshouldexplorestudents’

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waysofthinking,ratherthaninsistingontheconventionsof‘academic’maths.

Inthesecondexamplefromthiswork,weseehowtheplannedworkofthegroupisdisruptedbyahailstormwhichdestroyedmostofthemeloncrop.Thestormhadruinedthestudents’livelihood.Howcoulditnotaffecttheirlessonplan?

The hailstormThegrouphadbeenplanningtodosomemathematicsrelatedtothesizeofthecropanditslikelysalevalue.Butthehailstormcatastrophebecameakeydeterminantofwhetherandwhatmathematicswouldbestudied.Thesocialcontextdeterminedthecurriculuminboththe‘process’and‘product’sense.InGelsa’swords:

The young people of the more advanced classes refused to discuss the subject. As one of them said: “What has happened has happened, one cannot think about it”. They would not even analyse the size of the loss. As one of the girls said: “It was a total loss.” This was greater than knowing how much the total was!

Gelsaandherstudentsdideventuallydosomepedagogicalworkrelatedtothisdisasterbytakingupasuggestionmadebyawomaninthegroup:

She brought [up] the question of agricultural insurance. This was a theme which allowed one to take up the discussion on melon production again in the various classes, even though the assessment of the losses, which more directly involved mathematics, was impossible to perform, having met with resistance on the part of pupils.

CommentaryAtutormayhaveaparticularsetofdesirablemathematicallearningoutcomesinmind,butiftheprimarypurposeoftheeducationalactivityistosupportthelifeofthecommunityinwhichtheirstudentslive,sheorheneedstobereadytoadaptthese.Gelsaexpressesthisthus:

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We got the community (especially the melon producers) to participate in the pedagogical process in order to qualify the ways of production, and not simply for the purpose of collecting ‘frozen’ elements which would allow the study of mathematics.

IntheIrishcontext,similarissuesarise.IntheearlierexampleabouttheworkoftheNorthOffalyandNorthWestKildarePartnershipCompany,communitydevelopmentworkersandstudentsdecidedthattheywantedtobeinvolvedinaparticularpieceofsocialactionandderivedaliteracyandnumeracycurriculumfromthat.InBrazil,tutorandstudentsdidlikewise.Bothsituationsrequireddecision-makingaboutwhatcountsasvalidnumeracy.Suchdecisionsareattheheartoftheco-operativenegotiationbetweentutorandstudentsaboutwhatandhowtolearn.

3. An active and expressive process

Thethirdprincipleconcernstheideaof‘activeandexpressivelearning’andtherightofstudentsto‘exploretheirneedsandinterests,settheirowngoalsanddecidehowtheywishtolearn’(NALA2005a:16).

Activelearningmeansenablingstudentstobeconfident.Critically,thestudentrecognisestheirownresponsibilityfortheirownlearningandthelearningenvironment.Itmeansstudentslisteningaswellastalking,generatingknowledgeandapplyingittosolveproblems–inessence,bothdoingthingsandthinkingaboutwhattheyaredoing.

Thecurriculumforchange,groundedinthesocialpracticeor‘context’viewofliteracyandnumeracy,supportsstudentsbothtopractisetheirclassroomlearninginothersettingsandtoencouragethemtobring‘outside’experienceintotheclassroomwork.Thismeansrecognising,too,theplaceofparticipationincommunitylifeintheprocessofdevelopingliteracyandnumeracyindependence.

Whatdoesitneedforthistohappen?Ashortanswerisaphrasetakenfromawriterabouthighereducation:‘abenignenvironmentforlearning.’15AsGrettaVaughanfromCo.LimerickVECsuggests:

Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes.Plan strategies– topic-basedlearning;– focussedliteracyand

numeracywork.

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The environment has to give the message that learning happens in a different way in this place and that that type of learning is highly valued here. For learners whose only experience of learning has been institutionalised and formal, curriculum as a means of change starts as soon as they walk through the door of the learning place and the welcome they receive there. I’ve seen change happen at this point when they realise they are in an environment where it’s alright to be who they are, that they are listened to and valued as people. (email to NALA, November 2006)

ThefollowingnoteofactivelearningfromacollectionputtogetherbytutorsinGretta’sadultliteracyserviceoffersanexampleofthewaythatmanytutorsencouragetheirstudentstobringtheirliteracyandnumeracylivesoutsidetheclassroomintotheirlearningworkwithinit:

Trip to ScotlandThisstudenthasagoal:shewantstotraveltoScotlandalonetovisitherdaughter.Inclass,weworkedonflightdates/times/destination;researchedinformationonGlasgowandEdinburgh;didglobeandmapreading;createdflashcardsonuseful‘airportwords’;anddidnumeracyworkonthesterling-euroexchangerate.Afterthetrip,thestudentgaveanoralandwrittenreportonthetrip,wrotealetterofthankyoutoherdaughter,readanddiscussedprogrammesandbrochureswiththeotherstudents,andwroteastoryofthetripforastudentpublication.

Thisisatutorbeingalerttothestudent’scontextandpurposesforclassroomwork.Shehascreatedthetwo-waytrafficbetweenthemthatwenotedintheintroductionisfundamentaltothecurriculumforchangeandenabledherstudenttolearnandapplyherskillsandknowledgeinmorethanonesetting.Activelearningmeansstudentsbecomingactivecontributorstoclassroomworkinthisway.Withmanystudents,thisisnotgoingtobeachievedquickly;achangetolife-heldviewsoflearningandteachingmaybeneeded.

ThefollowingaccountfromCelineGyvesshowsagoodillustrationofthis:

Preparation:

Identify context– ofstudent’spersonal

andcommunitylife;– theirusesofliteracy

andnumeracy.

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ThePrimaryHealthCareprogrammestartedinSeptember2002andconsistedof12Travellerwomen,theiragesrangingfrom20to60years.TheaimoftheprojectwastoenablethemtousethenewknowledgeandinformationgainedfromthecoursetoinformotherTravellersandpassonafreshappreciationofgoodhealthtothenextgeneration.Althoughtheyoungermembersofthegrouphadallattendedschool,initiallythereweregapsanduncertaintiesindifferentareasoftheirliteracydevelopment.Allweresufferingfromlowself-esteemandlackofconfidenceandamajorpartofourworkwashelpingthemtofeelgoodaboutthemselves.

Thecoursewasdesignedinawaythatwouldenablethewomentodeveloptheirliteracyandnumeracyskills,whichwerequitevaried,andhelpthemtransfertheskillsthattheyalreadypossessedtodevelopothers.Thiswasachallengingtaskforbothtutorsandstudentsandwasachievedinverysmallsteps.Thestudentswerealreadylivingfull,interestinganddiverselivesandimaginedthistobeofnovalueoutsidetheirclose-knitcommunity.However,theexperienceinspiredthetutorstodevelopmaterialsothatthenew-foundvalueinthestudents’livesbecamethefoundationforpersonalgrowthanddevelopment.

Literacysupportwasbuiltintoallaspectsofthecourseandusedpracticallytocarryoutexercisesthatwouldenhancetheworkthestudentswerealreadyinvolvedinwithintheircommunity.Thesuccessfromaccreditedandnon-accreditedcoursesworkedasacontinuousreinforcementandslowly,individuallyandcollectively,confidencebegantorise.

Aspirationsandgoalswereveryvaried.Forsome,thiswaswritingaChristmascardforthefirsttimetorelationsinEngland;forothers,itwasrepresentingTravellersonTravellerForumslocallyandnationally.However,everyoneagreedthatthisnew‘muscleliteracy’neededtobeconstantlyworkingifrealchangewastohappen.Gradually,thestudentsbecameactiveparticipantsinthelearning,bringinginnewspaperarticlesandmagazinesfromhome.Overthenextthreeyears,somemovedontoundertaketrainingtobeliteracytutors.TwohavealsobeenappointedasTravellerhealthdevelopmentworkers.

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TheresaMcCarthy,oneofthe12originalstudentsinthegroup,wrotealettertotheprojectaboutherexperiences(July2007).Thefollowingextractstellussomethingofherfeelingsaboutwhatthechangemeantforher:

It has made me aware of a lot of issues and the need for more health education for the Travelling Community. I know myself that I would have felt less resentful about many of the questions that I was asked when I was in hospital if I had understood why they were being asked. I am less inclined to take it for granted that people are discriminating against me because I am a Traveller. I can see other people’s points of view but I can also put across my point in a calm way that will be listened to…

Theresaundertookanadultliteracytutortrainingcourse,becameaone-to-oneliteracytutor,andthentutorforaliteracygroupwithTravellerwomen.Shereflects:

From all the courses and work I have done, I have gained a lot of experience. I know how to work to improve things for myself and my community… I feel I have gained a lot of experience by seeing how places are run. I was on the board of the Family Centre for three years. I am now on the board of management of the Traveller Training Centre. I have got a lot of help and support along the way and I feel I can support others… I have come a long way since I left school at 13.

CommentaryTheaimofthisprogrammeisveryclear:achangeinattitudeandconfidencealongsideachangeinskills.Thereisahelpfultwo-foldrecognitionofthestudents’context:ontheonehand,ofthe‘fullandinterestinglives’whichtheywerealreadyliving;ontheother,oftheneedtoexpect‘verysmallsteps’intheirliteracyandnumeracyskillsdevelopment.

Theresa’sletterprovidedaveryheartfeltaccountofherlearningjourney.Thisbriefextracthelpsustoseetheconnectionshewasabletomakebetweenherpersonaldevelopmentandsocialaction,throughhertutors’willingnesstolearn,andthroughthecommitmenttolearningasanactiveandexpressiveprocess.Noneofithappenedquickly.

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Alladultlearningbenefitsfromstudentspractisinganddevelopingwhattheydoinclass.Homeworkisatermmanystudentsandtutorsshyawayfrom,quiteunderstandably.Progressanddevelopmentismorelikely,however,ifstudentsdokeepalivethelearningtheyhaveachievedandapplyit.Itmeanstheyneedtobeencouragedtoaskthemselves:‘What kind of work could I do before next week to improve my skill and confidence in this?’

Homework,afterall,doesnotalwayshavetomeanworksheets:itcanmeanfindingwaystosupportstudentsinbecomingincreasinglyactiveandindependentintheirlearning.Inthinkingaboutthis,tutorscouldkeepinmindtheadditionalquestion:‘What could students bring in next week to contribute to the work we do in the classroom?’ (Formoreonthis,seePartC.)

Inthinkingabout‘activeandexpressivelearning’,tutorsalsoneedtobearinmindoneotherthing.AsthefollowingexamplefromGayeEnrightinWicklowshows,theveryideaof‘active’maybeopentodifferentinterpretationsandmeandifferentthingstodifferentstudents:

Alit is 25. He grew up in Northern Europe, had lived in Ireland for three years, could articulate well, but had written skills which, in his own view, were barely adequate. He was given a one-to-one slot and a group session from the literacy provision, on a learning plan to include comprehension activities using CD and writing techniques.

After three weeks, Alit said: ‘Look, what I want is for you to do dictation to me, so as to practise writing.’ The dialogue that followed went something like this:

Tutor:Sure…Isthereanytopicyouhadinmind?Alit: No,youtheteacher.Tutor:Wouldyoulikemetoshowyousometextandyou

canchooseonethatyou’remostinterestedin?Alit: Maybe,butyouknowasteacher.Idowhatyougive

melikewhenIgotoschoolathome.Tutor:Andisdictationwhatyouwantinthegroupsession

aswell?

Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes.Plan strategies– topic-basedlearning;– focussedliteracyand

numeracywork.

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Alit: Tutor,maybeyoudon’tunderstand.AthomeIworkascarpenter.Ifyoucometometolearntohangdoor,Itellyouwhattodo.Idon’task‘wouldyouliketotryitthiswayandthat?’IteachyouhowtodoandyoudowhatIsay.

Tutor: Ididn’tthinkofyourEnglishclassthatway…ok…So,ifyoutakeoutyourcopy,I’llstartthedictationstraightaway.

Alit: Thankyou.AndwillyoucorrectmistakesImakewhenImakethem?Itpleasesmetogetthemrightsoonafteramistake.

Tutor: Yes,whateveryousay.

Gaye’s reflection:The scenario helped me to reassess my response and sensitivity to student teaching and learning problems. The direct presentation method that Alit chose was uncomfortable for me as I felt it placed Alit in a mostly passive role, but actually this move launched us into being able to approach the teaching and learning together. Alit was affording me the opportunity to improve the climate for his learning and to form an adult working relationship.

CommentaryBroadlyspeaking,itseemsthatAlitbelievedthathewantedtoreplicatesomeoftheschoolapproach.Yettheexamplehetook–ofcarpentry–wasfromhisadultexperience.Hewantedspecificdirectionasastudentandwasnotreassuredbybeingofferedchoicebythetutor.

Atthesametime,itappearedthatbyaskingforwhathewanted,Alitwasalsoassertingthestudent-directedapproach.Heaskedforthisparticularexercise,possiblyaspartofarangeofactivities:oftenaverysensiblethingforstudentstodo.Ifstudentdirectionistobethekeyprinciple,ourresponse,asGaye’swas,needstobetogoalongwiththesuggestionasagoodideatotryout,notasaconcessiontoanuninformedstudent.

Thisisacomplexexample.Itshowsthatstudent-directednessdoesnotmeancomplyingwitheverystudentsuggestion,butinvolvestutorsengagingwithstudents.Itisanexampleofastudentasactivelearner,actingasaguidetohowhewantstolearnandchallenginghistutor’sassumptions.

Inthissection,wehaveshownexamplesofthreekeyprinciplesthatcangroundtheworkofthecurriculumforchange:• thelearning-centred

curriculum;• personaldevelopment

andsocialaction;and• activeandexpressive

learning;

Wehaveseenhowreflectivetutorsmakeuseoftheirownlearningtoadapttheirplansinlightofstudentresponses;howencouragingstudentsintheirowndevelopmentcanmakeconnectionswiththeirinterestinsocialandcollectiveaction;andhow‘active’learningcanbeunderstoodasbeingactivecontributorstotheclass,activeinmovingontonewlearning,andactiveinengagingwiththeteachingbeingoffered.

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Part B:The curriculum at work

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PartB:Thecurriculumatwork

Havingidentifiedconceptsandprinciplesthatunderlyacurriculumforchange,wewillnowlookmorecloselyattheprocessinwhichstudentsandtutorsworktogethertodevelopitandwillseehow,indifferentroles,tutorscansupportstudentparticipationinthisprocess.

B1:Thecurriculumdevelopmentcycle

Tutorsandstudents,workingtogetheronlearningliteracyandnumeracy,areengagedincurriculumdevelopment.Aspractitionersareonlytoowellaware,thisactivitydoesnothappeninastraightline,travellingneatlyfromstageone(whereastudenthasXamountofknowledgeandskill)tostage10(wheretheyknoweverything).Itisbothmorechallengingandmorecreativethanthat.Thingshavetobereturnedto.

Newlearninghastoincorporateandrepeatoldlearning.Lookingbackneedstohappen,aswellaslookingforward.Sometimes,thingsseemtogooffsidewaysbeforereturningtowhathadseemed,originally,tobeacentralpurpose.Itseemsbesttoshowthisintheformofacycle:acyclicalprocessinwhich,alongtheway,tutorsholdontothekeyconceptsofthecurriculum,usingthemtoguidestudentsinopeninguptheirlearninginterests,increasingtheirskillsandbuildingnewconfidence.Thesekeyconcepts,torecap,being:• theinterconnectionbetweencontext and skill;• therecognitionofliteracy and numeracy asequalpartners;

and• theunderstandingofadult learning as a holistic matter.

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Thisdiagramisbestunderstoodasa‘forwardspiral’orcycleofchange,withthesamesequencebeingrepeated,buteachtimestartingatamoreadvancedstagebecauseofchangesincontext,learnerpurposesandlearningoutcomescarriedoverfromthepreviouscycle

Preparation:

• Identify context – ofstudents’personalandcommunitylife; – theirusesofliteracyandnumeracy.• Assess learning aims – theirlearningpurposes; – theirstrengthsandareasfordevelopment.• Clarify service – thegroundrules; – thechoicesofprovision.

Teaching and learning

• Agree learning plan – explorepossibleanimatingthemes; – identifylearningoutcomes; – negotiateandagreelearningplan.• Plan strategies – topic-basedlearning; – focussedliteracyandnumeracywork.• Assess progress – recogniseworkachieved; – recordareasfordevelopment; – plannextstage.

Review and evaluate

• Review context – checkifdifferentsincestartingthislearning; – noticeanychangesinliteracyandnumeracyuses.• Record learning – celebratelearningachievements; – identifyareasfordevelopment; – plannextstage.• Evaluate service – reflectonstudent’sexperienceofservice; – discusspossibleimprovementstobemade.

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Asyoucansee,therearethreemainphasesinthesequence,eachreappearingandreconnectingwiththeothers.Wecouldcallthisarecursiveprocess.Whiletutorandstudentmoveonfromonesteptothenext,theyalsoreturnandmoveonagain.Inthepreparationphase(alreadytouchedoninA2),thetaskisforstudentandtutortoexchangesomeessentialinformation:• thestudent’scontextandpurposesforlearningandtheir

experiencesofliteracyandnumeracyuses;• thetutor,settingorserviceinwhichtheywillbeworking

(includingthechoicesofhowandwhentuitionisofferedandthe‘groundrules’ofhowthingswork:time-keeping,confidentiality,andsoon).

This,then,isthephasefor‘initialassessment’ofthestudents’purposesandabilitiesinliteracyandnumeracy–and,atthesametime,thestudents’assessmentoftheplacetheyhavecometo.Butitisalsoaphasethatmayrecursometimeafterthestudenthasbegunwithaprogrammeoflearning.Astudent’schangeofcircumstancesmayneedexplanation.Theymayhavefoundnewaimsandpurposes.Theserviceorprogrammemayhavealtereditstimetable,orbeabletooffernewchoices.

Thesecondphaseisthetimewhenthefullrangeofteachingandlearninggoeson,astutorsandstudentsworkouttogetherwhatthemesmightbeofmostinterestandusetothestudent,inlinewiththestudent’saimsandobjectivesinengaginginthelearning(seeB3andPartC).

Atthisphaseofworkingtogether,tutorsandstudentsmayconsidervariouswaysofexploringthesethemeswhile,atthesametime,engaginginreviewing,evaluatingandidentifyingwhatseemstoworkbestforthestudent’slearning.Reflectionwillbeneededonhowthestudentseeshisorhercontext,thelearningandtheservice,discussingwiththetutorquestionslike:• Howisitgoing?• Whathasbeenachieved?• Whatneedschangingintheoriginalplan?(seeB2)

Welooknowatthetwokeyactivitieswhichrecurthroughoutallphasesofthecycle:planningandassessment.

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Planning

Tutorsandstudentsstopandreviewandmoveonandstopagain,eachtime(allbeingwell)atastagealittlebeyondwherethestudentwasbefore.Asthistutorindicates,thereneedstobediscussionatregularintervalsaboutthis:

Students decide for themselves something they would like to achieve or accomplish over a six-week period. For example, I have one student at the moment who wants to learn the time. Another wants to be able to do simple subtraction without using a calculator. We discuss how we will go about achieving these goals and work on it from there. (Mary Walsh, Listowel, November 2006)

So,atregularintervalsinthecyclicalprocess,tutorsfindthemselvesthinkingabouthowtoplanthenextphasebasedonanychangesobservedbytutorandstudentastohowthingsaregoing.Forlearningtobereallyeffective,thisneedstobedonebothforindividualstudentsand–ifthecontextisgrouplearning–forthegroup.Itisanimportantpartoftheworkthattutorsdo;atthesametime,theskilledtutorsaretheoneswhohaveaplanandarealsoreadytoadapt.

Whatisclearisthat,forprogresstobemade,tutorsneedtodiscoverandworkwithstudentstoidentifytheirlearninggoals–theessentialgroundonwhichtheplanningshouldbebased.

Tutorsspendagreatdealoftimeplanningandpreparinglessons,exercisesandworksheets.Thisisabsolutelynecessary.However,forthelearningtobeuppermost,itisimportanttofocusfirstonthelearningtobeachievedandthenthinkaboutwhatwouldhelptoachieveit,ratherthantheotherwayround.(SeeB2fordetailonwritinglearningoutcomes).Twoquestionsguidethetutorinhisorherplanningandreviewing:‘whatdoesastudentwanttolearn?’and,onceinclass,‘howwellamIhelpingherorhimtolearnit?’

Inpreparingtoteach,boththesequestionsinformtheworkofplanningwhattodonext.Inacurriculumwhichisgenuinelystudent-directed,thetaskofthetutoristousehisorherknowledgeofstudentintereststoinformtheplannedactivityontheskillsthetutorknowsthestudentwantsorneedstoworkon.Thistutordescribedherapproachtoplanninginthisway:

Planning

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All the participants in my group wanted to work on writing and spelling…I wanted somehow to relate it to their interests and move away from just worksheets. I knew from spending time with them what these interests were and so I suggested that we write a short piece for our centre’s newsletter entitled ‘Interesting facts about…’ By the end of the lesson, each student had written four or five interesting facts on such topics as racing pigeons, working on a farm, and dogs. (Lavinia English, South Tipperary, May 2007)

Inthisapproach,studentsarecreatingthematerialforthemselvestopractisewritingandforotherstoenjoyreading.Thetutorhasplannedtheworkandawayintoit–butkeptfreethespaceforhowitwillbedone.(See‘Approaches’inPartCformoreonplanning.)

Individuallearningplansforeachstudentcanaddressthegapsandissuesidentifiedintheinitialassessmentwithinthecontextoftheoverallobjectivesforthestudentandforthegroup,takingaccountofthecourseortheservice.Anindividuallearningplanshouldaimto:• recordthestudent’scontextandgoals–whattheywant

tolearn;• includearecordoftheinitialdiscussionsandthepre-course

assessment;• setrealisticobjectivesinliteracyandnumeracytobe

achievedduringthelearningprogramme;• includethefourcornerstonesof:

–knowledgeandskill,–depthofunderstandingandcriticalawareness,–fluencyandindependence,–rangeofapplication;and

• provideforselfandtutorassessmentatregularintervals.16

Assessment

Assessmentisaboutcheckingandnoticinghowthingsaregoing.Itincludessomesortoffeedback.Foractiveandexpressivelearningtobearealexperience,thisfeedbackneedstofocusonencouragement,notcorrection.Likeplanning,itissomethingthatneedstobedonerepeatedly.

Asaframeworktoprovidefeedbackontheirlearning,Mapping the Learning Journey(NALA:2005b)enablestutorsand

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studentstoseebothlearningandfeedbackaspartofa‘bigpicture’,comprisingthefourcornerstonesjustreferredto,ofwhichthefourth,knowledgeandskills,ismadeupofthefollowingareasoflearning:• communicationbyspeakingandlistening;• writingtoconveyinformation,ideasandfeelings;• readingwithunderstanding;and• usingnumberstocarryouteverydaytasks.

Mapping the Learning Journey’s‘holistic’viewoflearningpointsoutthatgainingnewskillsandknowledgeintheclassroomcontextmaynot,ofitself,meanstudentsfeelabletochangethewaytheydealwithaliteracyornumeracysituationinanothercontext.Astudentmaylearnhowtoperformacertainkindofactivityinliteracyornumeracyand,withinthecornerstoneofskillandknowledge,theyhaveaccomplishedsomethingimportant;theyhavechangedfrombeingsomeonewhocouldnotperformthis,tosomeonewhocould.

However,foracurriculumtobefullychange-making,thisstudentneedstofeelthatthechangewilloccurfortheminothersettings:thattheir‘rangeofapplication’satisfiesthem,their‘fluencyandindependence’–alongwithan‘understandingandcriticalawareness’ofhowthisuseofliteracyandnumeracyformspartofanoverallpattern.

Suchlearningdoesnothappeninoneclasssession.Ithappensovertime.ThestoryofMichelleofferedinMapping the Learning Journey(MLJ)helpsusseethis.

Michelle wanted to write her own name and address. She found it difficult to do this. Her tutor devised a simple cloze task. The main words were supplied, with some letters left blank. After a lot of practice, Michelle was able to complete the task and write her own name and address. With her tutor’s help, she then moved on to a point when she was able to insert whole words, not just letters, to complete a more complex cloze task, still using the words of her name and address. At this stage, within the range of application, she was in the safe setting of the training centre and, in mapping her progress, she and her tutor agreed to leave this section blank on the MLJ form.

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Some months later, Michelle needed to fill in a passport application form. Her tutor persuaded her to get the form herself from the post office. While she did not actually fill in the form at the post office, she was persuaded to go there and get the form herself, rather than rely on her tutor to get it for her. In the classroom, she filled in her name and address without any mistakes. Her tutor helped her with reading the form. But she did the writing on her own. So here was progress, both in her range of application (she had fetched the form herself) and in independence.

Then Michelle told her tutor of an incident that had occurred around this time when she was out with friends. Someone had passed around a book of raffle tickets. To buy one, Michelle had to fill in her name and address on the ticket stub. She did this.

For Michelle, progress had occurred at each stage. But change in the holistic sense had only really happened once she felt able to carry out the literacy task in a setting that was not the classroom – the place where she usually did writing17. She had changed to become a person who could write her name and address in any situation. The work that she and her tutor had done together to achieve this is a good example of an effective curriculum for change. As a result of the ‘rich’ learning opportunities, Michelle had – eventually – been enabled to progress across all four cornerstones.

Withintheframeworkofconceptsandprinciplessetoutsofar,theaimisthat all the activities offered to students over time should aim to be ‘rich’ – that is, relevant to the student’s life and interests, related to situations that she or he could imagine, and set in a context she or he could recognise. (Itisnotexpectedthatallactivitiesineveryindividuallessonshouldachievethisbutitissomethingfortutorstoaimfor.)‘Rich’learningopportunitiesmayneedplanningforacrossseveralsessions.

Youwillfindfurtherthinkingonassessmentinthenextsectionundertheroleof‘Encouragingreflection’,andmorenotesoncertificationintheexamplesinB3.

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B2:Roles

Inthepracticalworkofpromotinglearning,thetutorhasthreekeyrolestoplay.Intheseroles,thetutorisalternately:

• exploringpossibilitiesforlearning–alerttotheideasandexperiencesthatofferpossibleareasfordevelopment;

• beingateacherandguide–leadingandbeingreadytoadaptplansorassumptionsaslearninggrows;and

• encouragingreflection–enablingthestudenttostepbackfromwhathasbeengoingoninthelearningandreflectonit.

Inthissectionthereisanintroductiontoeachrole,withexamplesandcommentarytofollow.

1. Exploring possibilities for learning

Inthisrole,thetutorhasthiskindofquestioninmind:

‘What would the student find useful and interesting to learn here?’

Aswehavealreadyseen,thisrequiresthetutorsandorganiserstogivetimetopromotedialogueanddiscussion.Intheclassroomsetting,itmeansencouragingstudentstoshareideasontopics,anglesandapproachesthatwouldbenefittheirlearning.

Activelearninganddiscussionbothrequirequestion-andanswerworktobeusedeffectively.Therearetimeswhenitisimportantforthetutorstotalktostudentsontheirownabouttheirinterestsinexploringparticulartopicsordevelopingspecificskills.Atothertimes,itcanbemuchmoreeffectivetomakethetopiconeinwhichawholegroupengages.Ingroupswherethereisoftenamixofabilityandpurpose,somestudentsfinditdifficulttospeakup;othersseemtofindithardtostoptalking.Ifthisseemstobeachallenge,itcanbeusefulto:• agreegroundrulesforturn-taking;and/or• appointacoupleofgroupmemberastimekeepers.

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Inordertomovediscussionawayfromsomethingentirelytutor-ledtowardsstudentslearningtolistentoandvalueeachother’scontributions,itisusefultoencouragetheirattentiontoeachother.Therecanbeclearbenefitsforstudentlearningindoingthis,asthistutorfound:

In one of my sessions, I used the simple technique of asking a shy female learner ‘Is he right?’ each time a more confident male answered a question. Both learners were highly amused by this and a questioning banter – ‘Are you right? Are you sure? How do you know?’ – developed between them. This triggered a change in the young woman from not trusting her own judgment, not committing to answer, and contributing little in the group, to enjoying a challenge and being willing to have a go. (Nieduszynska 2006)

Studiesinto’whatworks’inadultliteracyandnumeracytuitionhaveshownthatgoodlearningishelpedbygooddiscussion.Toputitanotherway,talkiswork.(MoreonthisinContext 2: Ideas and Research).Facilitationiswhataskilledtutorororganiserdoes,notonlytoexplorepossibilitiesforlearningbutalsotogetagreementongoals,plansandactions.Itshutsoutanychanceofa‘know-it-all’teachertransmittingabodyofknowledgetoignorantstudentsandhelpsstudentsto:

‘…decide what they want to accomplish, reminds them of their responsibility in achieving it and encourages and helps them to complete an agreed task of activity.’ (Prendiville 2004: 13-14)

AspartofaBacktoEducationInitiative(BTEI)summerprogrammeinListowel,TrassaO’ConnorworkedwithagroupofTravellersonaStorysacksproject.18Inthis,shesaid,shesawherselfveryclearlyasafacilitator,askingthegroup:‘What do you think? This is how I will do it. How will you do it? Let’s get on with it.’

Shewenton:

It was a mixed group. A few could read well enough. You really have to know the group. A lot going on outside is brought in. Half wanted to make sacks, half didn’t. We discussed the pros and cons of buying stuff in shops or making things from home. I said we should try and make

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things so there is no competition. I explained and discussed this. About the third session, one said, ‘I’ll do it’ – and they all did. (Trassa O’Connor, Listowel, December 2006)

Atthestart,manyhadnotwantedtodothestorysacks.Gradually,theycameroundtotheidea,theclinchbeingwhenonesaidshewoulddoit.Wecan’treallyknowhowthegrouparrivedatthisagreement.Toknowtheanswertothis,wewouldneedtoknownotjustwhatwentonintheclassroom,butwhatconversationsandthinkingwentonbetweenclasssessions.Whatthetutorfeltshewasdoingwas‘facilitating’asituationwheretherewouldbe‘nocompetition’,wherestudentscouldworkonequaltermswithoneanother.By‘reallyknowing’(andrespecting)thegroup,sheseemstohavesucceeded.

Therearethreemainwaysinwhichatutormayapplythisrole.Sheorhemay explore what students already know; offer new possibilities and interests; or try out a different way of doing things. Wewilllookateachhere.

ExploringwhatstudentsalreadyknowThesocialpracticeviewhelpsustorememberthattutorsandorganisersarenottheonlypeoplewhoknowsomethingabout,anduse,literacyandnumeracy.Certainly,thetutoristheexpertpractitionerwho‘models’waysofreading,writinganddoingmathematicaloperations,butthestudentsalsohavewaysthatthey‘copewith’or‘manage’theirliteracyandnumeracypurposesandneeds.Tutorscanberolemodelsinshowingtheenjoymenttobehadfromactivelyexercisingreading,writingandmathematicalskills.Studentscanalsoberolemodelsinsharinghowtheydealwithliteracyandnumeracyeventsinvariouscontexts.Inanexploratoryrole,thetutorgivesafocustohowtheydothisandwhethertheymightliketodothisdifferently,inwhatsettings,withwhatpurposes.

Listeningoutforthis,withinthesocialpracticeunderstanding,meanstutorsremindingthemselvesaswellasstudentsthatliteracyandnumeracyactivitiesgoonoutsidetheclassroom;andalsothat,sometimes,studentsmaybeabletodealwithliteracyornumeracysituationsinsurprisinglysuccessfulways,giventheabilitiestheydisplayintheclassroom.

Togaininsightsofthissort,tutorsneedtobeopentothesepossibilities.NualaLowenwrotetoofferanexampleofthis,

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inhowsomethingastudentcalledSallysaidhadshownNualaadifferentlightonSally’smathsabilities.Intheclassroomcontext,Sallyhadvoicedasenseofinadequacyinhelpingherchildwithherschoolmaths.Later,chattingwithNuala,itturnedoutthat,inherhomesetting,shedidnotseemtohaveanytroublewithanotherkindofmaths:

‘She told me that due to a recent power cut, the children were bored and they decided to play a board game, the Simpson’s Monopoly. They had great fun. She was in charge of the money and giving it out.’ (Nuala Lowen, Bray, Co Wicklow, December 2006)

Thisreflectsthedifferencebetween‘streetmaths’and‘schoolmaths’.19Peoplemayuseandbeconfidentaboutsignificantlydifferentmathematicsindifferentcontexts,andmathematicslearnedinonecontextwillnotalwaystransfertoanother.Italsoremindsusthatexploringpossibilitiesoflearningmeansexploringwhatstudentsalreadyknow.

Thefollowingexampleshowsanexercisethroughwhichtutorsandstudentscandothisand,insodoing,generateideasforfurtherlearning.ThetechniqueisderivedfromThinking Through Mathematics(TTM).

The tutor encourages pairs of students to discuss mathematical statements, decide for each one whether it is always, sometimes or never true, and justify their reasoning. Then all the students share and discuss their ideas. The tutor facilitates the discussion to promote deeper understanding of the mathematical ideas and becomes aware of issues that may need further work.

Interestingstatementstoconsidercanbecreatedatall‘levels’ofmathematicalsophistication.TTMoffers,forexample:

‘Numbers with more digits are greater in value – Max gets a pay rise of 35%. Jim gets a pay rise of 25%. So Max gets the bigger pay rise’; and ‘If you divide the top and bottom of a fraction by the same number, the fraction gets smaller in value.’

Tutorscanalsoexploreandvalidatewhatstudentsalreadyknow,andsupportthemtodeepentheirknowledge,by

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initiatingdiscussionaboutdifferentwaysofperformingmathematicalprocedures,orsimplybyinvitingstudentstocountaloudinwhateverlanguagesareavailabletothem.Whenstudentsshareandexplaintoeachothertheirmethodsfordoingsubtractionormultiplication,theyarelikelytodeepentheirunderstandingoftheirownmethod;andwherethemethodhasconnectionswithaparticularculture,learningaboutthoseculturesisalsolikelytoemerge.20

Wherestudentssimplycountaloudfromoneto10usingavarietyoflanguages,thetutorcanfacilitatediscussionaboutsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthewords,andtogetherthegroupmaybeabletorelatethosetowhattheyknowaboutthehistoricaldevelopmentofthevariouslanguages.Countingbeyond10islikelytoleadtointerestingdiscussionofhowlargernumbersarecreated.Forexample,studentsmightcomparetheEnglishderivationof‘fifty’from‘fivetens’withtheYoruba‘aadota’,whichderivesfrom‘twentythreewaysminusten’.

OfferingnewpossibilitiesandinterestsAsecondwaytoexplorepossibilitiesforlearningisfortutorstooffernewpossibilitiestostudentswhoarelikelytohavelimitedexperienceofthepleasuretobehadinusingliteracyornumeracy.Thecurriculumforchangemodelistheretoofferthemopportunitiestomovebeyondtheneedsorconcernsthattheystartwithanddiscovernewpossibilitiesandinterests.Aswehavealreadyseen,onewaytobeginthisprocessistoshowstudentshowmuchtheyalreadyknoworhavelearned.Tutorscanthenofferopportunitiestostudentstomovebeyondthisareaandexperimentalittle.

Twoexamplesillustratethis.GayeEnrightinCoWicklowdescribeshowMargaretKeatingworkedasatutorwithagroupofparentstakingpartinafamilyliteracycourse.ThegrouphadaskedhertotakethemthroughthesameEnglishexamprogrammethattheirchildrenwouldbecontendingwith.Thiswasthefirstyearofthethree-yearJuniorCertificatecourse.Gayewrote:

Margaret agreed with them to look at some of the poetry on the syllabus and through her introduction to poetry appreciation, the students became very interested in poetry. They had some lively group discussions. The poetry reading

Preparation:

Identify context– ofstudent’spersonal

andcommunitylife;– theirusesofliteracy

andnumeracy.

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seemed to offer them a safe environment in which they felt they could speak of personal experiences. Margaret was flexible in her approach and a respect and trust grew between her and the group.

As the weeks progressed, she noticed that individual students were growing in confidence and becoming less dependent on her for direction. They began to express awareness of being able to grasp poetry in a way which had eluded them in their own schooling. While engaged with some of the syllabus items that their children were undertaking in school, the topic of accreditation and what is involved in examinations and assessment came up. Margaret told them that many of the tasks they had already completed could be included as material for an accredited FETAC course and that they could go on learning in the same way while building on this work. After discussion, it was agreed to continue meeting beyond the usual family literacy short course in order to complete a FETAC Communications Module at Level 3 or 4, leading to a FETAC minor award.

Poetrycanbeaninvitationatanylevelofliteracylearning.22Theencouragementthatpoetryoffersisthatitisalwaysconcernedwithrhythmandthespokenword.Learningtoenjoyreadingpoetrywasabigstepforthisgroup;feelingtheywereontheinsideoftheeducationsystemanddealingwithanexamsyllabuswasanother.Throughgettingasenseofwhatwasaskedoftheirchildren,theygainedanappetiteforachievingacertificatethemselves.

Margaret’ssuggestionaboutorganisingtheirworkforaccreditationpurposesmetwithevidentinterestfromthestudents.Whatshedidwasshowthemhowthelearningtheywerealreadydoingcouldbepreparedinthisway.Clearly,thiswouldmeanextrawork–forher,aswellasthestudents.Butitdidnotmeanhavingtochangethelearningandteachingtheyweredoingalready.

Inthesecondexample,tutor-trainerJaneSmithgivesanexampleofthissameapproachwithanindividualstudent:

Mark had worked on a writing assignment created by his tutor to help him record events he wanted to remember in the upcoming week. They then looked to see how they

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could map this work under writing in the ‘Knowledge and Skills cornerstone’ of MLJ. They agreed that Mark was at the top level of the beginner level of writing and they recorded a ‘3’ in three of the elements and a ‘2’ in the fourth (indicating that Mark was showing a skill level at the top of this level).

TheimportantthingtonoticeisthattheclusterofskillsdefinedbyMapping the Learning JourneywritingatbeginnerlevelcorrespondstothelearningoutcomesspecifiedforFETACLevel1inwriting.SotheycouldassumethatMark,inthisonesample,haddemonstratedthathiswritingskillswereatthelevelrequiredforaLevel1portfolio.Inotherwords,hisworkwas‘accreditation-ready’.Whentheyalsomappedthetasktothe‘Processcornerstones’(whichshowhowataskiscarriedout),thisshowedhowitmettheassessmentcriteriafortheFETACportfoliowork,inthatithadbeendoneinaclassroomsetting(fulfillingthe‘familiarcontext’forthislevel)withsomephrasessuppliedbythetutor(asinthe‘supportedlearning’expectedatthislevel)togetherwithothersprovidedbyMark(showinghis‘developingawarenessofaroleforhimselfinhislearning’).Since–withintheseconditions–Markworkedindependentlyonthetask,theworkalsofulfilledtheFETACcriterionforthislevelof‘substantiveachievementonhisown.’Atthislevel,FETACencouragesrepetitivesimilartaskstoprovideevidence,soMarkcouldcompletesubsequentpiecesofworkinthefullknowledgethathewouldbeworkingtowardsaminorawardinwriting.

Exploringpossibilitiesforlearninginthiswaymeanstutorandstudenttogetherexploringpossibilitiesfordemonstratingthestudent’sprogressandachievement.Wenowcometoathirdwayofexploringthesepossibilities.

TryingadifferentwayofteachingandlearningTeachingandlearninghastoincludeplanningbut,ofcourse,tutorshavetoadjustandadaptallthetime.Thispointinthecycle–whereatutorrenegotiates,agreesandplanswhattodonext–isonethathastobereturnedto,sometimessoonerthanexpected.Theplanintheheadthatworkedwithonegroupofstudentsisacompletefailurewithanother.Theideayoucarefullypreparedworkslesswellthanyouthoughtitwould.Thisstoryshowsatutorbeingwillingtogiveuptheplanhehadstartedwithandfindingadifferentwaytoworkforthesamelearningoutcomes.

Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes.

Review andevaluate

Record learning– celebratelearning

achievements.

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A tutor had spent much of Monday morning trying to get his students to tell each other what they had done at the weekend, with little success. Eventually, he moved on to the next item in his plan for the session: the teaching of telephone skills. Provided with ‘props’ in the form of two disconnected telephones, one at each end of the long table, the students were asked to dial each other and then carry on a phone conversation with a partner at the other end of the table. ‘What will we talk about?’ asked one. ‘Ask about what you did at the weekend,’ came the reply from the tutor. For the next few minutes, the students did just that. (Reported by John McGrath, North Kerry, March 2006)

Boththeexercisesthatthetutorhadplannedwereintendedtoimprovecommunicationskills.Atelephoneconversationappealedmoretothestudentsthanjusttalkingabouttheirweekend.Wasthedifferenceonlyaboutthefactthatthistimethe‘props’gavemoreofasenseoftheatreaboutit?Wasitsimplymorefun,orwasitamoreactiveexercise,likelytofeelmorerelevanttoreallifesituationsthanthefirstone?Eitherway,theresultmeantanexercisethatthestudentsevidentlyenjoyedandonewhichcouldalsobeusedasevidence(ifappropriate)forthemtoachieveaFETACLevel1learningoutcomeinlisteningandspeaking:

‘the student will be able to communicate about the past, present and future activities’.

2. Being a teacher and guide

Intheroleofteacherandguide,thetutoristhinkingaboutquestionslike:‘What kind of objectives do I have for this?’ and‘What kind of learning outcomes do these offer students and what strategies would help us achieve them?’

Alerttostudentinterestsandreadytoadapttothelearningmoment,thetutor’staskistoplanandmonitorlearningandsupportandchallengestudents–ready,ifnecessary,toabandoncarefullyplannedactivities.Whatsheorhehasinmindislearning–and‘outcomes’and‘goals’toclarifywhatkindoflearning.Wewilllookatbothofthesenow.

1.) A ‘learning outcome’stateswhatastudentwillhavelearnedbyaparticularmoment.Thefocusisonwhatsheorheisnowabletodoandtheword‘learn’isnotusuallyusedinthe

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outcomephrase.Soalearningoutcomeusuallybeginswiththewords:‘Astudent(orlearner)willbebetterableto…’Strictlyspeaking,aphrasetoindicatetimingisneededthatidentifiesamomentwhenthiswillhavebeenachieved.Thelearningoutcomesofalessonplan,forinstance,mightsay:

‘By the end of this session, the student will be able to…’

Thelearningoutcomesofacourseorprogramme,ontheotherhand,wouldsay:‘Bytheendofthiscourse,thestudentwillbeableto…’Ithelpstowritethesefairlypreciselyandtospecifynotonlywhatthelearnershouldbeabletodobutalsotheconditionswhichapplyandthestandardexpected.Forexample:

‘…the student will be able to write a short (condition) postcard (skill) without any spelling mistakes (standard).’23

Tutorsoftenthinkoflearningoutcomesasonlytodowithaccreditation.Theyareactuallyusefultoolsforplanningandreviewofgeneraluseandvalue.Thekeytowritingthemistousewordsthatexpressthemassomethingwhichthestudentcanshowtosomeoneelse.Thismeansthatwordslike‘know’and‘understand’arenotappropriate,sinceknowledgeandunderstandingissomethinginsideus.Moreappropriatearewordslike:identify,use,nameorlist.TheselearningoutcomesforLevel1reading(adaptedfromthosewrittenforLevelXFETACCertificateinCommunications24)couldbefurtheradaptedtofitanystudent’slearningplan,andbehelpfultolookatafteraperiodoftimeassomethingagainstwhichtocheckthestudent’sprogress.

Bythetimetheysubmittheirportfolio,learnerswillbeableto:i. recognisesomefamiliarwordsindependently;ii.interpretsomecommonsymbolsandsignsinfamiliar

contexts;iii.demonstrateawarenessoftextconventions,print

materialandthealphabet;iv.makesenseofsimplepersonallyrelevantsentences

containingfamiliarwords;v.usewordidentificationstrategies;vi.identifythenatureoffamiliardocuments.

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Noticethoseverbsandverbphrases:recognise,identifyandsoon.Itwouldbeworthaskingyourselfwhetheryouagreethattheyareactionsthatcouldbeshowntosomeoneelse).

2) GoalsInhelpingstudentstosetgoals,theacronym‘SMART’isuseful.Itreferstothesmallerstepsthatstudentsneedtotaketomovetowardstheiroverallaim.Forstudentstogainasenseofsuccess,thesestepsneedtobespeltoutinawaythatishelpful.Forexample,astudentwhowants,ingeneral,tobeableto‘writeletters’could,withcarefuldiscussion,arriveataninterimstepexpressedas:

‘By July, I will have written and sent a letter to my brother without help.’

Thiswouldgiveheratargetwithallfiveofthe‘SMART’features.Itwouldbe:

Specific(alettertoherbrother);Measurable(withouthelp);Achievable(it’sonlyoneletter);Relevant(shehassaidshewantstowritetohim);andTimerelated(byJuly).

Helpingstudentstosetgoalsandtargetsthatareallofthesethingstakestime,skillandexperienceonthepartofthetutor.Theirvalueisinofferingstudentscriteriaforsuccessthattheyhavesetthemselves.

Specificgoalsandtargetscanprovide:

A clear outcome A clear range A clear situation or purpose

Iwillbeableto

use capitallettersforpeople’snames forthemembersofmyfamily

read thesportspage togettheracingresults

add three2-digitnumbers tocheckthehoursIhaveworked

Measurable targets,thatisprovideacriterionfortheirachievementwhichisspecific,asagainstalargeandunspecifiedgoalsuchas‘toimprovemyspelling’.Makingthemachievable meansgivingoutcomeswhichwillallowthestudenttorecognisehisorhersuccess,suchas‘I will be able to spell the words I need for…’

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Relevant materialandtaskswillalwaysgeneratemoreenergythanthosewhichseemtohavenorhymeorreason,andtime-relatedwordingprovidesatimeframethatthetutorandstudentcanagreeisrealisticandmanageablewithinthestudent’sabilitiesandcircumstances.25

Allthisseemstosuggestthatplanningandgoal-settingisanentirelyindividualmatter.Itisimportantforthistobeso,butworkingwithgroupstohelpthemidentifygoalsandplansisanimportantpartofstudentlearningtoo.Forthescopingstudy,onegroupofstudentsreportedhowtheirtutoraccomplishedthis:

‘As a group, we work together with a flipchart and this is put up and we work individually with our tutor to make out a personal plan.’26

Fromanothermeetingofstudents,27averyactivecultureofparticipatoryplanningwasevident,withpositivecommentssuchas:

‘I love planning because you end up with a plan in your head’ and ‘I like being part of putting my programme together.’

Planningiscertainlyaboutsmallsteps(orSMARTtargets)butitisalsoaboutseeingbeyondthedetailorthesinglesession.Itcanbeasketchedoutlineofawholecourseasmuchasadetailedlessonplan.Onestudentdescribedthecollaborativeapproachusedbyhistutortoworkonthiswithhim:

‘Myself and my tutor would sit together and make out a four to five week learning plan and then we would review it and change some materials that weren’t interesting or were not effective.’28

Tutorswhoarebothteaching/guidingand‘exploringpossibilitiesforlearning’willencouragestudentstobeguidesthemselves,takingresponsibilityforthelearningtheyfinditusefultodo.Tutorscanconveythisencouragementfromthemomenttheyaskthenewstudentwhattheyknowalreadyandwhattheywanttoknow.

Thefollowingaresomeofthequestionsthatanumeracytutorsaidsheusesforthispurpose.Shecertainlywouldnotfirethem

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alloffinthelistastheyarehere;rather,shewouldusethematintervalsduringacarefulconversation,takingtimeforthestudenttorespondandcontributehisorherownquestions:

Tell me about you and maths. How are you with it? What’s it like?

What do you think maths is? How do you think you are with maths? How do other people think you are with maths?

Some people say maths is just for brainy people or swots. What do you think yourself? If you could be really good at maths, what would you like to be able to do?” (Catherine Byrne, email, April 2007)

3. Encouraging reflection

Forthisrole,keyquestionsare:

‘How did this go? What was the quality of this experience?’ and‘What would make it better now – or next time?’

Thissectionfocussesonthreekindsofreflection:• reflectingonlearning(self-assess);• reviewingthislearningagainstgoalsandtargets,

commentingonthequalityofthelearningprogramme(reviewandevaluate);and

• contributingideasastowhatmightenhancetheprogramme,forthemandothers(createandchange).

Wewilllookatallthreehere.

Self-assessAsalreadyindicated(inB1),assessmentissomethingthatshouldformacontinualpartofteachingandlearning.Discoveringwhatstudentswantorneedtolearnispartof‘initial’assessment,andmaytakemorethanoneconversationoveraperiodoftime.Observing(andrecording)whatkindoflearningishappening,affirmingstrengthsandidentifyingareasfordevelopmentareallpartof‘formative’assessment.Thisinvolvestutorsactivelylisteningtostudents(asdiscussedinA2)andusingexpertisetoobserveandgiveconstructivefeedbackontheirachievementsorobstacles.

Thisformativeassessment,or‘assessmentforlearning’,isaprocessinwhichtutorsneedtodomorethanobserve;they

Preparation:

Assess learning aims– theirlearningpurposes;– theirstrengthsand

areasofdevelopment.

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needtoaskstudentshowtheythinktheyaredoingandactivelyengagetheminsharingwhattheythinktheyhaveunderstood.Asoneresearcherputit,itisthroughquestioningandstudentfeedbackthatatutorisableto:

‘…gain insights into problems with understanding and then adjust the teaching programme accordingly.’ (Ecclestone: 2006)

Beingchallengedtoreviewisakeypartofhelpfulself-assessment.Sometimesthiscanmeanhelpingstudentstoseethatthewaytheyalreadydealwithliteracyornumeracyisastrength,notaweakness.Iftheyasksomeoneforhelp,orcopyadifficultspellingfromalabel,ortaketheproblemhometoworkonatmoreleisure–thesecouldallbeseenassuccessfulstrategiestoovercomeadifficulty,ratherthanafailuretodoso.Constructivefeedbackfromotherstudents,aswellasfromthetutor,isinvaluableforencouraginglearning.

Forlearningtobeeffective,thiskindofprocessneedstogoonallthetime.Itisaninformalprocessbutitisaregularandpurposefulpartofthecurriculumforchange,givingstudentsalanguagetoexpresswhatthey’redoing.Itmeanssayingthingslike:

‘Let’s go back to where we thought we’d get. How do we think we’re doing?’

Itmeansgivingtimeforthestudenttoanswerthequestion.Italsomeansstudentsbeingencouragedtoknowtheirstrengthsandweaknessessothattheycansay:

‘I’m good at this, but I need to work on that.’

Anditmeansstudentsbeingencouragedtocelebratetheirachievementsbyinsharingthemwiththeclass,theirfamilyandtheircommunities.

ReviewStudentself-assessmentisanactivitythatshouldhappenateverysession.Reviewingprogressisbestdoneatlongerintervals:onceaterm,perhaps(Mapping the Learning Journeysuggeststhreetimesayear).Learningtolearnisanimportantpartofthewholecommitmenttoadultbasiceducation.(ThisprocesscanitselfberecognisedthroughFETACaccreditation.)

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Asalreadyindicated,partofthisworkinvolvesthetutoraskingquestions.Animportantpartofitentailsencouragingstudentstodoso,too.‘You can ask anytime here, ask the instructor on the street if you meet them,’29saidonestudent.Formanystudents,thiscanbeanewandimportantexperience.Asoneputit:

‘When asked by our tutors what we were interested in covering, we were all able to have our say. At school before, you couldn’t ask for anything, but it’s different here.’30

ReviewingandevaluatingareanimportantexpressionoftheprinciplesofgoodpracticeidentifiedinA2.Toworkwell,bothneedtobeworthwhileforthestudentsandtakenseriouslybythetutors.

Evaluationasksthequestion:

‘What did you think of this session (or course)? How could we do it better next time?’

Toworkwell,participantsneedremindingofwhattheyhadoriginallyhopedfororexpected.Asimpleformofevaluationquestioncanthenbethethree-part:

‘What would you like more of, less of, or the same?’

Anopen-endedquestioncanbeuseful;onetutorinvitesparticipantstousefivewordstosumupasession.Onceeverysooften,alongergroupexercise(suchasdescribedinC3)offersanopportunityforstudentstodiscoverandexpresstheirviewsonthelearningexperience.Agoodideaforgroupsistoofferstudentsa10-minutemeetingbeforetheendofasession,andforthetutortoleavetheroom.Thisneedspreparation.Itworksbestwhenstudentshavecometoknowitwillbeoffered.Itcanbepresentedasanopportunitytopractiserunningmeetings,offeringasitdoesanexperienceofturn-taking,listeningtoeachotherandfindingawaytoreportback.

Evaluationisanimportantwaytofindananswertothetutor’ssecondquestion:

‘What learning is going on here – and what can I say (or do) to help it grow?’

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Itisnotenoughtosetupasituationwherestudentsareaskedthequestion,however.Inordertopayattentiontotheanswerthatcomesup,tutorsandorganisersneedtogivetimetolookatwhatstudentsactuallysay,togooveranywrittenrepliesornotesofdiscussionandtospendtimeontheirownhonestreflection.DublinAdultLearningCentre(DALC)providesalltheirtutorsandco-ordinatorswithaguidelineoncarryingoutgroupevaluations.Thisstartsbystipulatingthatnotutorshouldundertakeanevaluationwithagrouptheyalreadyteach.Theaim,fortheCentre,istoexplorethekeyquestionfortheirstandardqualitycheck,namely:howgoodistheservice?31ThefollowingextractfromDALC’sguidelinegivesanideaofhowitcombinestwoevaluationapproaches–structureddiscussionwithaquestionnaire:

Guidelines for group evaluations Ifyourgroupisbeingevaluatedpleasegivethetutorevaluatingyourgroupalistofwhatthegrouphascoveredintheyear.

Ifyouareevaluatingagroup,thisisthedrill:

1.Brainstormwiththegroupwhattheyhavedoneinthepastyear.Puttheirfeedbackuponaflipchart…Ifthereareareastheyhaveforgotten,youcanpromptthemtoseeiftheyremember.

2.Thenaskthefollowingquestionstodiscussasagroup.Onceagain,putthecommentsupontheflipchart:(a)hascomingbacktolearningmadeadifferenceinyourlife?(b)wouldyourecommendittoafriend?(c)isthereanythingyouwouldchange?

3.Handoutthequestionnaire…Readthequestionswiththegroup.Askthemtowriteyesorno…Explainthatthetutorswillhelppeoplewhofinditdifficulttofillout.32

Thequestionnaireisdividedintothreegroupsofquestions,askingforthreekindsofanswers.Thequestiongroupsareaboutthestudents’ownlearning,theteachingmethodsandthecourseingeneral.Thetypesofanswersinvitedfromthestudentrespondentsarethethreequestionnairecategoriesofyes/no,ratingsandopen.

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Forexample:

Yes/no: Doyouparticipateinthegroup?Ratings: Howdorateyourclass?Pleasetickabox(poor,fair,good,verygood,excellent).Open: Whatdidyoufindmostusefulorhelpfulonthecourse?

Itisnotsurprisingthatadultbasiceducationstudents,likeanyoneelse,donotalwaysfindquestionnairesinterestingoreasytocomplete.AsDALCfinds,studentfeedbackislargelypositivewiththeonlywrittencriticismsbeing‘wedidn’tdoenoughreading’or‘theworkistooeasy’.Theprocessofreflectionofferedbycreatingthetimefordiscussion,however,canbearlonger-termfruit.Itisacommitmenttotheprincipleofstudents’entitlementtoparticipateanddirectthelearning.

(3) Create and changeFromtimetotime,tutorsandorganisersinadultbasiceducationworktogetherwithstudentstoplanoutings,visitsorprojects,whichmayneedthinkingaheadbyasmuchasmonthsorayear.Ideasfortheseprojectsortripsveryoftenoriginatewithaplannedsessionofdiscussionbetweentutorsandstudents.Lessoften,perhaps,butwiththesamespiritofattentiontostudentinterest,theideamaycomeoutofaninvitationtodosomethingdifferent.Thefirstoftwobarreltopwagonprojectsbeganwithsuchaninvitation.Thesecondgrewoutofaneedtofindanewtopicforlearningandtheinspirationofferedtoonegroupofstudentsbytheworkofanother.

Bothprojects,oneinCork,theother(later,andinspiredbyit)inClonmel,involvedgroupsofTravellerstudentsdesigningandbuildingtraditionalbarreltopwagonsandputtingtheseonpublicdisplay.Eachinvolvedayear’sprogrammeoflearningandworkoverall.Thisishowthefirstonebegan,inthewordsofMaryO’Sullivan,organiserwiththeCorkTravellers’LiteracyScheme:

The 2005 Cork European Capital of Culture people asked us to come up with a project. We were told to think big and to think of something that would leave a legacy within the group. Bridget Carmody, a Traveller woman, came up with the idea of the barrel top wagon. We talked to lots of Traveller groups about it. The idea generated energy and sparked off memories of when people lived in barrel

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top wagons. Even though we weren’t aware of it, it pulled everything up. It pulled up issues about home and freedom of travel, issues affecting the community. The high level of participation of Travellers evolved into a whole learning process that is actually ongoing. (Interview with Margaret Murray, June 2007)

TheClonmelTravellermenhadbeenattendingtheadultliteracyserviceforoverayear,workingontheirliteracyandnumeracyskills,withaparticularinterestinpassingthedrivertheorytest.Inameetingtodiscussthenextstepintheirlearning,itwasagreedtheyshouldtakeatriptoCorktovisit,amongotherthings,thebarreltopwagonbuiltbytheCorkTravellerWomen’sNetwork.

Duringtheirtrip,theClonmelTravellerswereimpressedbytheactivitiesandprojectstheysaw.Asoneputit:

‘Visiting Cork and seeing what could be achieved gave us the idea that it was something that we could do ourselves.’33

BackinClonmel,organiserMaryRocheandtutors,withFÁSfunding,translatedthisideaintoalearningprogrammeofwriting,reading,buyingandselling,communityresearchandorganisation,withtheaimofcompletingabarreltopwagonbythefollowingyear.TheresultwasdisplayedintheSt.Patrick’sDayParadeayearlater.

BothprojectsgrewoutoftutorslisteningtoandrespectingtheculturalconcernsoftheTravellerwomenandmenrecallingtheirchildhoods.Fromthatattentionandrespectcamethesuggestionofwagon-makingasthecoreoftheirfuturelearning.Akeypartoftheprocessmeantgivingtimeforstudentreflectionstobecomecurriculumplans.

In this section we have looked at three key roles that tutors of adult literacy and a cycle of curriculum development: exploring possibilities, being a teacher and guide, and encouraging reflection.

We have seen that, for productive learning to take place, the skilled tutor moves between these to discover and develop student interests and abilities.

Review andevaluate

Review context– checkifdifferentsince

startingthislearning;– noticeanychangesin

literacyandnumeracyuses.

Record learning– celebratelearning

achievements;– identifyareasfor

development.Evaluate service– reflectonstudent’s

experienceofit;– discusspossible

improvementstobemade.

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B3:Learningandteaching

Ofallthemomentsinthecurriculumdevelopmentcycle,theonedescribedbelowisdeceptivelysmall.

Inreality,thismomentinvolvestutorsapplyingalltheirskillsandintuitiontoworkwithwhatstudentsaretellingthem,todiscoverwhatmaybethetopicorthemewhichmost‘animates’them–andthentolinktothisthemesomelearningthatcouldbegenuinelychange-makingforthestudent.Itinvolves,too,abalancebetweenplanningandimprovising.Whenitworkswell,itcanproducesomeofthemostcreativemomentsinadultbasiceducationwork.

Inthissection,welookatfourexamplesofthisnegotiation,followedineachcasebyacommentaryanalysingthelearningthatresulted.Ineachcase,thetutorsinvolvedareworkingstrategically(moreonthisinPartC).Intheirmindsaretheguidingprincipleswehaveoutlined.Theirpriorityisnottocarryoutactivitiestheyhaveplanned,comewhatmay,buttoenablethepersonalandsociallearningofacurriculumforchange.Theirstrategiesforachievingthesemeanthattheyaremovingbetweenthetutorrolestodiscoveranddevelopstudentinterestsandabilities.

Thefirstisastoryofhowcurriculumdevelopmenttookplaceina10-weekcoursewithTravellerwomen,34followedbyananalysisoftheliteracyandnumeracyactivitieswhichtheparticipantsengagedinandthelearningachieved.

Responsive teaching: the Lourdes plant MargoKelly[CityofDublinVEC]

TwotutorsworkwithagroupofwomenfromtheTravellingCommunity,teachingliteracyandnumeracysessionstwomorningsaweek.Theyfoundthattherecanappeartobealackof‘interest’andalowlevelofmotivationtoexpandinterestsandtodevelopnewskills.Thisis,thetutorsthink,forarangeofreasonsrelatedtosocial,culturalandeducationalissues.Therewasaneedtofindwaystotriggerinterestandengagementinanorganisedlearningproject.

Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes;– negotiateandagree

learningplan.

Responsive teaching

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Tea break talk Duringateabreakearlyoninthecourse,thetutorsoverheardaconversationamongsomeofthewomen.Theyweretalkingaboutaparticularplantwith‘miraculouspowers’.Thewomencalledit‘TheLourdesPlant’.Lotsofthewomenjoinedinandseemedtoknowsomethingaboutthisplant.(Thisincludedthebeliefthatifahusbandandwifehadaquarrelinfrontofit,itdied;ifchildrenmisbehavedinfrontofit,itdiedoritbegantolookunhealthy.Itprotectedthetrailerfromfireandfromsickness).

Thetutors–oneofwhomhadexpertiseingardeningandcommunityhorticulture–alsojoinedintheconversation.Someofthewomenhadtheplantandsomedidn’t:allwantedtohaveitafterhearingthestories.Amongthewomenwhohadtheplant,therewasafearofsomethinghappeningtoitanditdying.Thiswasstoppingthewomendoinganythingtotheplantapartfromalittlewatering.Theydidn’tre-pottheplant.

Theconversationcontinuedfortherestofthemorning’ssession.Itdevelopedintoaconversationaboutplantsingeneral.Thewomenwereveryinterestedandtalkedaboutthekindsofplantsthatwouldsuittheirhomesandimmediateenvironment.Oneofthemagreedtobringherplanttothenextsessiontoshowpeoplewhatitwaslike,andalsobecauseitneededtobere-pottedandshewasreluctanttodothisherself.Theyalsoagreedthatmaybethey’dtakecuttingsfromit–dependingonhowstrongandhealthytheplantwas.

Muchoftheknowledgeandlanguageinvolvedinthisinitialdiscussionwasnewtothewomen.Nobodyhadknownwhata‘cutting’was,whatitmeanttosay‘re-pot’aplant.Theword‘soil’wasnewandtechnical(differentwordsbeingusedinthewomen’severydayvocabulary),aswastheknowledgeofsoil/muck/dirtasalifeenvironmentcontainingallsortsoforganisms.

Interest grows Marybroughtintheplant.Thetutorsrealisedthatitiscommonlyknownas‘TheWanderingJew’.Thiswasgoodnewsbecauseit’saveryhardyplantandthetutorknewtherewouldbea100%successrate:theplantwashealthyand

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suitableforcuttings.Thegroupmadeaplan.Theylistedthingstobeboughtinthegardeningshopinordertore-pottheoriginalplant,takecuttingsandtopotthose.Afterthebreak,fiveofthewomenandonetutorheadedouttothegardeningshop.

Thereststayedwiththeothertutorandgottheroomreadyforthework,spreadingnewspapersforthepottingareaandusingcomputerstomakelabelsforthepots.Intheshop,thewomengotthepots,thesoil,thewateringcans,theglovesandotheritemsontheirlist.Noneofthewomenhadbeeninagardeningshoporflowerandplantshopbefore.Theywerefascinatedbythecolours.Theyexchangedviewsonplantstheywouldliketoseeintheirowngardensorcontainers.

Theywentbacktothecentreandjoinedtheothers.Thetutordemonstratedhowtotakeacuttingandeachwomantookacuttingfromtheoriginalplant.Thetutordemonstratedhowtopotthecuttingandeachwomanputthreecuttingsintoeachpot.Theythenputthelabelsintothepotsandeachwomanwrotehernameontheoutsideofthepot.Theyfinishedbywateringtheplants.Inthecourseofdoingallofthat,thetutorschattedwiththewomenabout‘soil’,‘nutrients’andtheimportanceoflightandwater.Theynoticedthatthewomendidn’tstartlookingattheclock,orasking‘canwegonow’or‘isitfinished?’,oranyoftheusualwanting-to-get-awayroutines.Intheirevaluationofthemorningsession,itwasclearthattheyhadthoroughlyenjoyedthesessionandwerekeentolearnmoreaboutgardeningandplants.

Making the case for funding Thenextsessionstartedwiththegroupcheckingtheyoungcuttings(whichtheyhadleftonthewindowsillofthegroupworkroom).Thegroupdiscussedcontinuingtoworkwithplantsasthecoreoftheirprogrammewiththeliteracytutorsoverthenext10weeks.Theydiscussedwhatitwouldcostandtheneedtoputtogetheracostingtogivetothedirector.Theyagreedtoaskthedirectortocometoameetingofthegroupatwhichthememberswouldpresenttheaimsofthehorticultureprojectandoutlinealltheadvantagestojustifythecostings.Theyspenttherestofthesessionworkingonthese.

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Beforethethirdsession,thetutorcalledthedirectorofthecentreandgaveherthebonesofwhathadhappenedandaskedifshewouldattendameetingofthegroupsothatthegroupcouldpresentacaseforfundingforamoduleonhorticulture.Thedirectoragreedtothetutor’sproposalthatthewomenshouldcosttheprojectthemselvesandmeethertoputinthefundingapplication.

Thedirectorcametothemeeting;thewomenmadetheircase;thedirectoragreedtothefunding;andtheprojectproceeded.

The learning Theprojectinvolvedplanningwhattodo,choosingplantsinstockandvisitingthegardenshoptogetthesupplies.AswellasimprovingtheworkenvironmentthroughplantingandbuildingtheirFETACHorticultureportfolios,thewomenbegantoapplywhattheywerelearningtotheirownhomes–introducingplanting,sharingtheknowledgeandactivitywithchildrenandpersuadinghusbandstoputuphangingbasketbrackets.Astheweekswenton,theirconversationsandthequestionstheywereaskingshowedtheirgrowinginterestinandunderstandingofgardeningandoftheenvironment.

Whilefiveofthe16womeninthegroupcompletedportfoliosforaFETACLevel3andotherswereworkingtowardsthis,anequallyimportantoutcomewastheconfidenceevidentinthewaythatthewomenengagedinaconsultationprocesswithDublinCityCouncilwhich,coincidentally,hadbeenmakinganotherattemptatthattimetoengagewithresidentsinthesitewheretheylivetoimprovethesite.Formanyweeksthewomenhadbeentalkingabouttheburningofrubberinacorneroftheirhousingcomplexwhichhadbeenaffectingthehealthofoldpeopleandchildren.Atfirst,thewomendidnottalkofgoingtothismeeting.Itwasnotsomethingthathadinstantlysprungtotheirmindsasthethingtodo.Theyusuallyleftmeetingsforthementogoto,andthemeetingwouldcoincidewiththeirliteracysession.

Invitedbythetutortothinkandtalkagainabouttheproblemthatconcernedthemandaboutwhattheycoulddoaboutit,themainresponsetheycameupwithwastogotothemeeting.Theyweremakingtheconnectionbetweenwhattheywerelearninganddoingintheclassandintheirhomes

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withwhatthecouncilwastryingtodo.Theythoughtthatiftheentrancetotheoverallsitewassorted,itwouldbesomethinggoodforeveryonetoenjoy.

Itwasagreedthatinsteadofattendingthecentrethatmorning,theywouldgotothemeeting.Theyweretheonlyresidentsthere(althoughtwootherresidentsgaveapologies–attendancewasdifficultonthatparticularmorningforothersonthesite).Atthemeeting,thewomentookfullpartingivingtheirviewsandsuggestionstothecouncilrepresentatives.

CommentaryAsthisaccountillustrates,tutorsofadultliteracyandnumeracyneedtobe(andbeallowedtobe)flexibleinhowtheyplanandleadprogrammes,sothattheycan‘taketheballonthehop’andberesponsivetowhatmightcatchthestudents’interest.Tutorshavetobealerttopossibilities,notingandbuildingonthecasualinterestsemergingoutofinformalconversation,developingaseriesofopportunitiesforlearningandextendingparticipants’experienceofandskillsinliteracyandnumeracy.

Theideafortheprogrammehadcomefromtutorsfacingaproblemofstudents’apparentlackofinterestinadultbasiceducationlearning.Beingalertto‘animatingthemes’,theyhadlistenedtostudents’informalconversations,sharedinformation–andseenthepossibilitiesforintegratingliteracyandnumeracydevelopmentwiththestudents’interest.Whatmighthavelookedtofunderslike‘doinggardening’,withlittlerelevancetostudentlearning,openedupanarrayoflearning.

Inaddition,thestoryoffersanotherexampleofthelinkbetweenliteracy,personaldevelopmentandsocialaction(asdiscussedinA2).Thefactthatthewomen‘wantedtoattendthemeeting’calledbythecouncilwassomethingnewtothem.Inpreparingforandattendingthemeeting,theyengagedinarichrangeofliteracyandnumeracyactivity.Whenitcametotheevent,theyweretheonlyrepresentativesofthecommunitypresent;themeetingagreedawayforwardtodealwiththeenvironmentalproblem.

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WecanuseMapping the Learning Journey(MLJ)tohelpusanalyseallofthis.IndividualstudentsmayhavebeenworkingatanyoneofthethreeMLJlevels(beginning,middleorupper).BylookingatthedescriptionsofwhattheydidandthecornerstonesinMLJ,wecanseehowthelearningofallofthemcouldbelinkedinthefollowingwaytoeachareaoflearningwithintheassessmentframeworkthatMLJprovides.

1. Fluency and independenceStudentspractisedandusedthefourskillsinameaningfulcontext,withrepeatedactivitiesinallfourareasandagradualdecreaseoftutorguidance(usingpeersupportbypairandsmallgroupworkonreading,writingandcalculatingtasks,introducingindividualworkasconfidenceincreased).

2. Range of applicationTherewasanorganicmovefromaninformalsettingandstyleofdiscussion,throughnon-formaltoformal;andfromfamiliarsetting(group,tutors)tolessfamiliar(centremanager)tounfamiliar(councilrepresentativeandformalsetting).

3. Depth of understandingTheworkentailed:– studentsapplyingspecificvocabulary;– howwordscanhavedifferentmeaningindifferentcontexts;– communicationprocesses;– differentstylesandregistersfordifferentaudiencesand

purposes;– basicawarenessoftheenvironment;– increasedknowledgeofplantsandthelivingenvironment

andoftheeffectoftheenvironmentonpeople’swellbeing;– environmentalresponsibilities;– rightsandroles(theirown,asindividualsandasagroup,

andthoseoftheimmediatecentrecommunityandofthelocalcouncil.

Atthesametime,thestudentswereincreasing:– anawarenessoftheirownknowledgeasindividuals(through

thetellingofstoriesandsharingoftraditions);– thevalueofthecollectiveknowledge,experienceand

folkloreoftheTravellingCommunity;– theirabilitytoinfluencedecisionsabouttheprogrammeand

tohaveanactivelearningpartnershipwiththetutors.

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4. Knowledge and SkillsIt’sworthdetailingtheprogressinthefourareas:

Oracy:– developinguseofeffectivespokencommunication

practiceswitheachotherandtutorbothduringinformalandfocusseddiscussions;

– duringmorestructuredgroupdiscussions,preparingthe‘case’tomanagement;thinkingstrategically,negotiating,discussingthearguments;

– witheachother,withmanagement,withstrangers(suchasthegardeningsuppliesshopstaff)andwiththelocalcouncilrepresentativeoutsideofthecentre.

Reading:– labelsontheplantsandequipmentintheshop;nameson

packetsofbulbsandseeds;readinginstructions(seeds,plants)andrelevantsectionsofgardeningbooksandcatalogues;readingnotes(group-generatedtextor‘script’forthemeetingwithmanagement)aspartofpreparingtomakeagoodverbalpresentationofthecase;reading(andmaking)diagramsanddesignsaspartofplanningwheretoplantorpositionwhat,athomeandinthecentre.

Writing:– shoppinglistforequipmentandplants;notes(somefull

sentences,othersphrases,otherskeywords)inpreparationforthemeetingwiththemanagerandthemeetingwiththecouncil;forsome,writingforFETACportfolios;writinglabelswithnamesofplantsandwiththeirownnames.

Numeracy:– calculatingthenumberofplantsneeded;costoftheproject

topreparefundingpresentationtomanager;howmuchtobringtothegardenshoponoutingsforpurchases;developingconceptandlanguageofmeasurement,spaceandshape(wheretopositiontheplants,inrelationtoeachotherandtosurroundings);helpingtoworkoutarealistictimescalefortheproject;keepingagardeningdiaryandmakingagardeningcalendar.

Theplanningofthesesessionshadtakenanexploratoryform,withtutorsparticipatinginaninformaldiscussionaboutasharedinterest.Acrossthethreesessions,newknowledge

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andskillsinliteracyandnumeracyweregainedbutthetutorshadnotformallyplannedwhichonesthesewouldbe.Fromallthisexperience,thewomenhadanopportunitytogainasenseofbeingagentsofchange,ofhavingavoice.Personaldevelopment,socialactionandliteracydevelopmenthadgonehandinhand,facilitatedbytutorsintegratingliteracydevelopmentintothestudents’real-lifeinterestsandconcerns.

Oursecondstoryshowsanothertutor,MaryWalsh,atutorinListowel,workingtocreatelearningopportunitiesfromherstudent’sinterests.

Learning possibilities: cars and driving theory At our Community Training Centre, students aged from 15 to 19 undergoing training and possibly a pre-apprenticeship course tend to associate any learning with school – not a positive experience for most.

As literacy tutor there, supporting four other tutors, I try to overcome this by making the learning situation as different from their memories of school as possible. My priority is to take the fear out of learning and replace it with fun and enjoyment, using language appropriate to the student, being empathic to what is happening in their life and ensuring the learning is relevant to them, (for example, to help convey the idea that the learning is a team effort, I tend to use ‘we’ instead of ‘you’ and ‘I’).

As I am dealing with teenagers, I try to be enthusiastic, energetic and motivated myself. I also like to camouflage the literacy and numeracy they are learning to get them to learn without realising. What I did with David is an example of this.

David is 17 and interested in buying a car. One day he was sitting outside the waiting room, looking at the newspaper. When I went over and saw he was looking at advertisements for cars, I asked him about it and learned he wanted to buy a car and learn to drive it. So I used this interest as a basis for his learning.

We used the Driver Theory Test on the computer for practice. David and I read the questions and the possible answers. We did this many times, David pushing himself

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each time to surpass his previous result until he passed and was ready for the real test. We practised filling in the form and, when that was ready, we applied for the test. We then progressed to the Provisional Licence Form and spent time getting familiar with that and filling it in. (This form is difficult enough for anyone with literacy difficulties.)

We were ready to look for a suitable car. We picked out appropriate advertisements in Kerry’sEye newspaper, progressing to BuyandSell and using the index to look up cars within our price range. We used the internet to look up cars on AutoTrader. We read different advertisements, getting familiar with the language and the abbreviations, etc.

From there, we discussed car finance and how to get a loan. This provided the opportunity to introduce numeracy to the learning. David assessed his financial situation, made a list of all expenditure for the week, realised how much he had left and decided how much he could afford to pay back for a car. We discussed the expense of putting a car on the road, insurance, tax, maintenance.

CommentaryThisisaninterestingpictureofatutorworkingasguideandteacher,‘camouflaging’theteachingandlearningforastudenthavingtoovercomebarriersastowhatkindofexperiencelearningcouldbe.Inalltheworkshepersuadedhimtodo,Davidwasusinganddevelopinghisliteracyandnumeracyskillsalmostdespitehimself,withoutanydirectassociationtolearning.Indoingthis,Marydescribesherselfasworkingtocreateabalanceofequalityandguidance.Shetellsusthatinspeaking,shestressesthe‘we’oftheirwork–andinthistext,shedoesthesame.Thetwoofthemareworkingontheprojectsidebysideuntil,atacertainmoment(andinonesentenceofheraccount),Davidassesseshisfinancialsituation,listshisexpenditure,realiseshissituationanddecideswhattodoaboutit.

Byshowingagenuineinterestinhisenthusiasm,MarywasabletodrawDavidintoliteracyandnumeracyactivityalmostbystealth,incidentally.Thisisbasiceducationbeingputtouse;itisalsoliteracyandnumeracyasitoccursinsocialpractice.

Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes;– negotiateandagree

learningplan.Plan strategies– topic-basedlearning;– focussedliteracyand

numeracywork.

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ForDavid,Maryimplies,learningthesethingsinamoreformalwaywouldhaveheldnoattraction.Forhislearningtofeelrelevantandalive,thetutorasguideneededtobeguidedherselfbywhathetoldherofhisinterests.Shehadtoworkwiththeopportunitiesshewasgiven,withintheconstraintsofhisexperienceandthesettingsheisworkingin.Theresultwasanequalbalanceofnumeracyandliteracybeingappliedtosolvetheissueshewantedtoexplore:therelativecostsofdifferentcars,thecorrectanswerstodrivingtheoryquestions,thebudgethewouldneedtopossessanduseacar.Forhislearningtobefullyholistic,Davidwouldneedtobeabletoshowtheskillsheusedtoexploretheseinarangeofcontexts,andwithafullerdegreeofindependence.Heisontheway.

Everydayliteracyandnumeracyeventscancontainchallengesforunpractisedpeople.Thearrivalofanelectricitybillisonesuchevent,asthisaccountfromLillianHahessysuggests.First,shesetsoutapictureofAngela,thestudent.ShethenprovidesanaccountoftheproblemthatAngelafacedindealingwiththeestimateshereceivedforherelectricityusewhichshebroughttoherliteracyclass.Lilliangoesontodescribewhattheydidtogethertoresolveit.Lastly,LillianoffersananalysisofthelearninginvolvedinAngela’sworkwithheronthis.

Finding the evidence: the electricity bill Angela is a single woman in her late forties. She has a mild intellectual disability. She lived with her mother until the mother died about 10 years ago. She now lives alone in the family home. She is very independent and participates well in the community. She attended a ‘special school’ for her secondary school years.

Angela now works in a training centre for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. The centre provides courses in personal development, computers, crafts, etc. Angela actually works in the kitchen as the centre has a restaurant which is open to the public. The people who attend the centre also work in the restaurant under supervision. Angela would be seen as one of the senior members there. This year, she also started work one day a week in a local business. This is seen as a progression into the wider community. She works in the café here also. She loves this day where she meets a whole different set

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of people. Her work in both places is mainly making salads and sandwiches and she also helps with the clearing up and washes up.

When Angela’s mother was alive, she used to read with her mother’s help but after her mother died Angela stopped reading until she came to adult learning classes. Angela’s house is an old house where the meter is inside the house and when the man comes to read it, she is always at work. The norm then is that the man drops a card in the door to say he couldn’t gain access and Angela could read the meter herself and ring in her reading to the free phone number printed on the card. If she didn’t do this, her next bill would be an estimate. This had happened quite a few times before Angela brought in the card to show me and explain what it was all about. I explained the process to her, why it is important to have an up to date reading, where to find the meter, which numbers to read, etc. I then explained to her that when she rang the number she would probably get a voicemail message. We had a big discussion about this, what she would probably hear, etc. We then wrote down the information she would need when she made the call, her name, her account number and the reading. We practised this in class and discussed what might go wrong.

The next time she received a card she went through the whole process but had left it too late. I hadn’t stressed that this needed to be done as soon as she got the card. She had left it about a week and still received an estimated bill. So then we had a discussion about computer-generated bills and how, if she didn’t ring her reading in straight away if wouldn’t be included on the bill.

Alloftheseelementsaddedup,aswecansee,tonotjustaliteracyeventbutanumeracy-literacyeventcombined:partofasystemofrecordingandreportingconsumptionthatanindustryrequiresofitscustomers.

CommentaryOnceagain,thisisatutorpreparedtoadaptherplan,explorepossibilitiesraisedbythestudent’sconcerns,guidethestudenttodevelopherskillsandofferassessmentpossibilitiestoshowthelearninggained.

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ThereismuchinthisstorytoprovideanopportunityfortutorandstudenttoworktogethertofindevidenceofAngela’slearning.IndividualelementssuggestmaterialtosatisfyseveralSpecificLearningOutcomes(SLOs)inFETACLevel3CommunicationsandMaths.

Lilliansuggestsherehow,iftheactivitiesthatAngelaneededtodoathomewerepractisedinclass,thisworkcouldbesubmittedasevidenceofherlearninginaFETACfolder.

FETAC Activity Satisfying these SLOs

Communicationslevel3

Readingthebill,recognisingtheESBsymbol

2.1Interpretcommonsignsandsymbols

Thephonecallrecordedinclassaspracticeandsubmittedasaudiotape

3.1Extractmainfactsfromaspokensource

3.2Startandmaintainaconversation

Readingthecarddeliveredinthedoor;readingthemeter;readingthebill

4.1Usearangeofreadingtechniquese.g.scanning,skimming

4.2Respondappropriatelytoeverydayvisualandwrittenmaterials

4.3Locateinformationinarangeofreferencesources

Writingaremindernotetomakethephonecalltoringinhermeterreading

5.1Usewritingtocarryouteverydaytasks

Mathslevel3

Readingthemeter

Readingthebill

Adding/subtractingunitsofelectricity

1.3Roundoffnaturalnumbers1.4Addnaturalnumbers1.5Subtractnaturalnumbers1.8Applymathematicaloperation

neededforpracticaluse

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Teaching andlearning

Agree learning plan– explorepossible

animatingthemes;– identifylearning

outcomes;– negotiateandagree

learningplan.

Plan strategies– topic-basedlearning;– focussedliteracyand

numeracywork.

Otherpossibilitieswouldbe:• writingoutthestepsforcompletingthewholeactivityof

readingthemeterandmakingthecallastudent(satisfyingSLO5.3–writesimpleinstructions);

• areflectivepieceonthiswholeactivity(satisfyingSLO7.1–discusswaysinwhichinformationtechnologyaffectseverydaylife);

• thestudentreadingthispieceonaudiotape(satisfyingSLO3.5–expresspersonalopinions);

• ifshedescribedtoothersintheclasshowshehadmadethephonecallandthatwasrecordedontape,thatcouldsatisfySLO3.3–describeevents,proceduresandprocesses.

Therearemanyopportunitiestomakelinksbetweenthestudent-directedlearningactivitiesandthelearningoutcomesneededforcertification.Tutorsneedtohelpstudentsstandbackfromlearningactivitieslikethoseinthisstoryanddiscusswiththemtheopportunityforshowingtheirachievementsinaformthatwouldhelptowardsacertificate.Itmeanstutorsbeingabletoseetheirrolesofexploring,guidingandencouragingreflectionincombination.

Need and context: maths in prisonOurfourthexampleshowsatutor,CatherineByrnewhoworksatWheatfieldPrisoninDublin,findingherwayintowhatastudentalreadyknowsaboutnumeracy,‘reclassifying’theknowledgehealreadyhastomakehimawareofthis.Weseeher,too,reclassifyingtheideaofhim‘needing’(ornotneeding)tolearnnumeracy,identifyingpossibilitiesforhimtoextendthisknowledgeandoccupyhismindinaprisonsetting.

Numeracy: getting started My principal approach to numeracy and maths is to focus on what they know, see what they can do and show that that is already maths – thinking of it as applied maths (as applied to real life), focussing on numeracy in tasks that are not exclusively numeracy. It is like an image of fishing or sieving: I try to catch information as it goes through and see how it relates to maths. It is an attempt to reclassify existing knowledge: ‘So you were a fitter? You must be great at managing numbers’ – or see if they did DIY or cooked. I aim to listen to the story and reframe the details to show how much they know – in this case, about maths.

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John came in to the Education Unit to do maths one day and when we started chatting he told me he had trained greyhounds. He talked about how drugs were used to fix races and the money that was involved. He knew how certain drugs could speed up a dog and some would slow down a dog and by how much. He knew how many dogs were put down each year. He knew that there was demand now in other countries and that Irish greyhounds could in the future go abroad to be re-homed after finishing racing. He told me about the complexity of the betting and fixing system and explained some of the detail about the effects of drugs on finishing lengths and times.

John didn’t think he was any good at maths. When we talked about the maths skills he had just outlined – measurement, comparisons, percentages, money, distance, body weights, statistics, probability (to name a few) – he was surprised to think that this was maths. To John, maths was in books. He was on a short sentence. He attended class for several weeks before moving on.

CommentaryAsanumeracytutor,Catherinewasinagoodpositiontobearolemodelof‘appliedmaths’.Inthisconversation,shewastryingtoshowJohnthathewas,too.Thecontextofthisconversationgivesanaddedpurposetothis.Asaprisontutor,Catherinehadexperienceofstudent-inmatesfindingmathstobeausefuloccupationtopassthetime.Shereportedcommentslike:

Maths is good for the head in prison.

Maths stops you thinking in the cell.

Reading can wreck your head, but maths helps us relax in the cell.

I love these pages of puzzles at night.

ShowingJohnhowmuchhisknowledgeofthedogsinvolvedmathematicaloperations,shewasshowinghimhisstrengthsandpotential.

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John’sviewofhimselfandofwhatcountsasmathematicsechoesthefindingsofa1995study35inwhichtheresearchersfoundthatoncepeoplesucceedinusingandapplyingapieceofmathematics,itbecomes‘non-maths’.Itmaybeusefulfortutorstobearinmindthepossibilitythatpeoplewhodescribethemselvesas‘nogood’atmathsmayactuallyberoutinelyinvolvedinactivitiesthatuseagreatdealofinvisiblemathematics.(SeeC1foractivitiestoencouragestudentstouncoversomeofthemathematicstheyuseintheireverydaylives).

Intermsofthekeyquestion,‘Whatdoesthispersonneedtolearn–andinwhatcontext?’(discussedinB1),Catherineistakingaholisticunderstandingoftheword‘need’.Intermsofa‘functional’approachtonumeracy,Johnseemstobedoingfine,asshepointedouttohim.Thecontextinwhichshecouldseea‘need’forhimtolearnmoreisthatofhisconfinementinprison.UsinghismindtoexploremathematicaloperationswasabenefitJohnstoodtogainfromclassroomlearning.

This section has set out in some detail four tutors’ approaches to the process of curriculum development.

In recounting their work with individual students, Lillian Hahessy, Mary Walsh and Catherine Byrne each helps us see how the intensity of 1:1 work can be used to explore different situations each student was dealing with outside the classroom, and in so doing, enable them to reflect on ways they could deal with them more effectively. A similar approach by Margo Kelly, enabled a group to feel the empowerment of discovering and applying their own skills and knowledge to improve their conditions.

In each case the tutors were working with a priority to enable the personal and social learning of their students, rather than to keep at all costs to their plan. They were working strategically: the theme of the next part of the guide.

Preparation:

Identify context– ofstudent’spersonal

andcommunitylife;– theirusesofliteracy

andnumeracy.Assess learning aims– theirlearningpurposes;– theirstrengthsand

areasfordevelopment.

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Part C:Strategies

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PartC:Strategies

Strategic approaches toteachingmeanthetutorislinking together purpose with method, with the intention of ensuring that the choice of method hasagoodchanceof beingeffectiveforparticularlearningsituations.

PartCsetsanattitudeofmindtosupporttutorsindoingthis.Itisnotacomprehensivecollectionoftechniquesforteachingadultliteracyandnumeracy;rather,itlinksevidence-basedrecommendationsforeffectiveapproachestothisteachingwithaselectionoftheresourcesandactivitiesavailabletosupportthem.

Approaches

Thissectionofferssomestrategiestohelpteachersandlearnerstodeveloptheessentialknowledge,skillsandcompetenciestosupportstudents’progressandachievementinliteracyandnumeracy.Thesestrategiesareembeddedinthesocialpracticesapproachtomakesurelearningisrelevanttolearners’livesandpurposes.TheyaredrawnfromNALAandotherIrishsourcesandfromelsewhere.

DuringthelastfiveyearstheNationalResearchandDevelopmentCentreforAdultLiteracyandNumeracy(NRDC)hasbeenlookingingreatdetailatliteracy,languageandnumeracyclassroomsinEngland.WhilethecontextinIrelanddiffersfromthatinEnglandinmanyways,webelievethatthereareinsightstobegleanedfromtherichevidenceamassedthroughthiswork.Examplesbelow,therefore,includeobservationsandideastakenfromthereportsandguidesproducedfollowingtheseUKresearchanddevelopmentprojects.

Youwillnoticethatwehavenotincludedaseparatesectiononspeakingandlistening,whichareimportantelementsincommunication.However,asyouwillhavealsonoticed,therehasalreadybeenagreatdealofreferencethroughoutthisguidetothevalueoftalking,turn-taking,activelisteninganddiscussioninthelearningenvironment.

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InthethirdsectionofPartC,youwillfindaseriesofactivitiesthatfocusonwaystogeneratesharingamongstudentsoftheirideasandexperiencethroughstructureddiscussion.Ifyouareinterestedinexploringthisfurther,itwouldbeusefultogotoNALAforresourcesontheteachingofEnglishforSpeakersofOtherLanguages(ESOL).

ReadingWhatisreading?Asausefulstartingpoint,NRDCresearcherssuggestthatwecanthinkofitas‘creatingorderivingmeaningfromtext’.Comprehension isthemainpointofreadingandthisinvolvesmasteryofacomplexsystemofinterrelatedskills.Thetraditionaldivisionintotext,sentenceandwordrecognisesthattheseskillsoperateondifferentlevels.Althoughthissuggestsahierarchyofcomplexity,inpracticethethreelevelsneedtobetaughttogether.36

AnimportantfindingfromtheNRDCresearchwasthebenefitforstudentsofworkingtogether.Itseemsthatworkinginpairshelpsratherthanhindersprogress.Thisisnottosaythatindividualattentionhasnovalue.AdultbasiceducationstudentsinIrelandoftenspeakwithfeelingofthedifferenceitmakestohavetheirtutorgivingthekindofattentiontotheirlearningandtheirintereststhatthestudentshavenotknownbefore.

Somepeopleareabletoacquiretheseskillsveryeasily.Othershavegreatdifficulty.Thedifficultiesarenotcompletelyunderstood.Peoplewithspecificdifficultiesinreadingandwritingareoftendiagnosedasdyslexic.Thishasnorelationtointelligencelevelsbutmeanstheyhaveaspecificdifficultywithreadingandwritingandhavetospendmoretimelearningtheskillsandtakemoretimetoactuallyreadandwrite.

Strategiesthattheresearchersfoundtobeusefulforstudentlearningintheirobservationsofteachingreadingincluded:• givingfeedbackandappraisalimmediately;• discussionofvocabularyduringareading;• otherwordstudy(e.g.wordlists,puzzles,wordsearches);• usingadictionarytofindmeanings.

Teaching andlearning

Plan strategies– topic-basedlearning;– focussedliteracyand

numeracywork.

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Lessusefulforstudentprogressinreadingwasbeinglefttoworksilentlyandalone.Strategiesdeemedtobeeffectiveincluded:• oralreadingtodevelopfluencysuchasreciprocalteaching

inpairs;• explicitcomprehensionstrategies;• accuratephonicsteaching;• languageexperienceapproaches.37

Oral readingBythis,theresearchersmeanreadingaloudtooneormorepeople.Whattheresearchfoundwasthatwhileadultliteracytutorswereworriedthatstudentswouldfindthisintimidatingandremindthemofbadexperiencesinearlierlife,theywerenotalwaysawareofthevariouswaysthatitcouldbedone–inwaysthatcouldhelpstudentsdevelopinconfidenceandskills.Thesearesometheyofferintheguide:

Pairedreading.Thestudentreadswithateacher,assistantoranotherstudentatahigherlevel.Theystartreadingthetexttogetheruntilthestudentsignalsthatsheorheishappytoreadalone.

Modelled(echo)reading.Herethetutorreadsaloudfirstandthestudentrepeats.(Itisimportantnottoreadouttoolongachunk.Aphraseorshortsentenceatatimeisbest).

Explicitcomprehensionstrategies.Theseinclude:• scanningthetexttogaugethegeneralmeaning;• checkingforunknownwords,eitherdifficulttoreador

notunderstood;• usingclozeexercisestodevelopunderstandingof

sentencestructure;• askingandansweringquestionsverballyorinwritingto

checkcomprehensionandunderstanding;usingadictionarytoexpandvocabularyandfindmeanings.

ResearchinAmerica(NICHD,2000:15)foundeffectiveapproachesforteachingcomprehensionstrategiesincluded:• usinggraphicorsemanticorganisers(includingstorymaps);• answeringquestions–withimmediatefeedbackfrom

theteacher;• askingquestions–readersaskthemselvesquestionsabout

variousaspectsofthestory;• usingthestructureofthestorytohelprecallcontentto

answerquestions;

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• summarising–wherestudentslearntointegrateideasandgeneralisefromthetextinformation.

PhonicsSincereadingisprimarilyaboutcomprehension,toomuchfocusonaccuratewordidentificationcansometimesgetintheway.Phonics,however,taughtsystematically,hasaplace.Thestudyfoundthattutorssometimesteachphonicsonthespurofthemomentandabitmisleadingly.Iftheytaughtaphonicapproachovertimewithmoreplanning,however,itcouldhelpdealwith‘pocketsofmissinginformation’(Burton2007:13).Forausefuldebateonphonicsandsuggestedmaterials,theguiderecommends:http://www. focusonphonics.co.uk.

Alphabeticsisatermusedtodescribetheprocessthroughwhichpeopleunderstandandmanipulatethesystemintheirlanguageforlinkingletterorsymbolwithsound.Itincludesbothphonemeawarenessandphonics.Phonemeawarenessisbeingableto‘hear’howspeechismadeupofseparatesoundunits.

Somestudentshaveverygenuinedifficultyincorrelatingthegrapheme-phonemerelationship–matchingsoundandsymbol,eitherencoding(symboltosound)ordecoding(soundtosymbol).Whileitisessentialthatotherstrategiessuchaspredictingandguessingmeaningfromcontextareused,someabilitytoidentifythesoundsisuseful.Learningthesecanbeincorporatedintoanythemeandanysession.

Language experienceLanguageexperienceisateachingapproachusedinadultliteracyinwhichthetutor,actingasscribe,co-createsatextwiththestudent.Theideaisthatthepieceisinthestudent’swords;thestudent,freedfromconcernsabouttheirspelling,punctuationorhandwriting,canconcentrateontheprocessofcomposition.Theapproachisusedwidelyasameanstoproducereadingmaterialforbeginningstudents.

Withabeginningreader,thetextisbestkeptshortandsimple.Threeorfoursentencesareusuallyenough,andtypically,theymaybeginwith:Mynameis…Ilivein…Ihavetwochildren…Theirnamesare…

Theideaistoaimformaximumsuccessinbeingabletoreadbackthepiece.Thismeansthatoncethetutorhasscribbled

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downsomethingthatthestudentagreessayswhattheywant,thetutor’staskistocopyitintoalegibleform(byhandorwordprocessor)andreaditbackslowlytothestudent.Fromthenon,itisamatterofthestudentbeingabletouseacombinationofmemory,shaperecognitionandphonicstoreadthetextindependently.Thewritingcanthenprovidethebasisofwordcardsformatching,whichinturncanbemanipulatedwiththegradualadditionofotherwordstocreatenewsentences.Thesecretistokeepthewholeprocesssimpleandgradual.

WritingLanguageexperienceisalsoeffectiveasabasisforteachingwritingdevelopment,usingthescribedtextasthefirstdraftofsomethingthestudentcancopyandthenbeencouragedtodevelop.Thetextmaybequiteshortoritmaybeworkedontobecomequitelengthy.Themixofspeechandwriting,thegiveandtakeoftalkandcomposition,canbeanewexperienceformanyadultstudents.Itisexploratory;itisalsocreative.38

Thisaccountofatutorandstudentusingtheapproachshowsatutortakingastrategicapproachtotheworkofsupportingastudenttocreateatext.Itprovidesanexampleofthewayinwhichastep-by-stepapproachtoteachingwritingcanensurethatthestudentremainsatthecentreoftheprocessthestudentthroughfourdistinctsteps,highlightedhereinboldtype:

All his life,John had worked long hours on the family farm. In recent years, feeling there was no future in this for him, he had become desperate to find other work. The local authority advertised jobs he could do but the application forms ran to seven pages. With Sarah, the teacher of the basic skills class he attended, John worked out what he might say in answer to the questions (such as, ‘why do you think you should be considered for this post?’). Sarah took notes of what John said and read them back to him. They discussed improvements. She amended her notes and again checked them with him. When John was satisfied, Sarah made a fair copy for him to use in completing the form. (Mace 2004)

Sarah’sfourstepswerethatshe:• encouragedJohntoworkoutwhathewantedtosay;• tooknotesfromthis;• checkedthesenotesbackwithJohn;and• madeafaircopyforhim.

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Sarah’spurposewastoenablethetexttotrulybeJohn’scomposition.Thestepsshetookwerepartofadeliberatestrategytoachievethis.

FromtheNRDCresearchonwriting,thefindingsledtosomeclearrecommendationsfortutors.Toensurestudentsdeveloptheirwritingskills,tutorsshould:• placethefocusfirstandforemostonwritingas

communication;• encouragelearnerstocomposetheirowntextsandsupport

learnerstodothisthroughthecarefulsettingupofwritingtasksandtheuseoftalk;

• approachthetechnicalaspectsofwriting–spelling,grammaticalcorrectnessandpunctuation–withinthecontextofmeaningfulwritingtasksratherthanthroughdecontextualisedexercises;

• beflexibleandresponsivetolearners’needs,supportinglearnersastheydraft,reviseandproofreadtheirwork;and

• makelinksbetweenthewritingundertakenintheclassandlearners’livesbeyondtheclassroom.39

Theresearchersfoundthesepracticesillustratedbythefollowingteachingwhichtheyobservedduringtheirstudy(GriefandChatterton2007:51-52).

Using learners’ own writing to teach grammar Agroupcreatedapoemtogetheronthethemeofthecolourgreen.Whenthiswascompleted,theteacherusedthepoemtohelpthelearnerstoidentifythenounstheyhadusedwithinthepoem.Using spellings arising from writing task Teachersusedthepre-writingactivitiestoelicitkeywordsthatlearnersmightneedinthewritingtask.Indiscussingthese,theybothrevisedpreviouslytaughtstrategiesandintroducednewones.Itisimportanttoofferarangeofstrategiesandallowlearnerstochoosethosetheyfindmostuseful.

Addressing the specific demands of a particular writing task Thelearnersinonegrouphadidentifiedintheirinitialinterviewsthattheywouldliketoworkonformalletters.Atthestartofthesession,theteacherandlearnersspentsometimediscussingsubjectsforformallettersthattheymightactuallywanttosend.Havingestablishedthepurposesandaudiences

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fortheirletters,thegroupthenlookedatthestructureofformallettersandtheuseofparagraphsbeforetheywentontoplananddrafttheirletters.Theworkonparagraphswasexplicitlylinkedtotheagreedtaskofwritingaletter.

Ausefulinsightfromthestudyonteachingandlearningwasthefindingthatmanystudentsviewedwritingas‘aclassroomactivity’andforstudentstomakeanyrealprogress,theyneedtoseewaysofapplyingwhattheylearninclasstosituationselsewhere:

‘Practice that makes a strong link with the real world beyond the class may help learners to feel more confident, particularly in the everyday writing tasks they undertake at home.’ (Grief, Meyer and Burgess 2007)40

Inaddition,theyfoundthatencouragingstudentstoproducewritingforawideraudiencecanbeeffectiveindevelopingwritingskills.(Moreonthisappearsinthelastofthe‘Activities’inPartC).

Anadditionalfindingofthestudyonwritingwasthatstudentsprogressedbetteriftherewasahighpercentageofclasstimespenton(purposeful)talk.Asthestudysuggests:discussionprovidesanopportunitytoshareexperiences,stimulatememory,tryoutandrehearseideasandopinionsandteaseouttherightvocabulary(GriefandChatterton2007:12).Talk,inotherwords,canbework.Thewaythatreadingcanoftenhelpwritingisfortutorstoprovideexamplesofthekindofwritingtheyareaskingstudentstotackle;offer‘writingframes’topromptthewritingand(sometimes)offersomescribalhelp(asinthelanguageexperienceexampleabove).

Therearemanyresourceswhichdemonstratedifferentstrategiesandprovidesampleexercisesaimedatimprovingthetechnicalaspectsofreading,writingandspelling.AmongthemarethelearnerworkbookssupportingtheReally useful guide to words and numbersTVseries(www.rug.ie)andMisslingtheTobarwhichgivessampleexercisesforworkingwithlettersandwords.BothoftheseareproducedbyNALA.Therearealsoanumberofcomputerprogrammesandonlineresourcesincludingwww.readwritenow.ie,www.bbc.co.uk/skillwise,www.literacytools.ieandwww.niace.org.uk–find‘Writewhereyouare’,follow‘Startingpoints’;then‘editandwrite’.

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Settingupawritingtaskwithstudentsalsomeansgivingtimetoclarifythepurposeofthewriting,collectingideasorinformation,organisingtheseinformandmakingaplan.

NumeracyWhatconstituteseffectivepracticeinnumeracyclassrooms?TheNIACE/NRDCPractitioner Guideoffersasetofprinciples:

Encouraging active learner participationLearnerscometomathematicsclasseswithclearexpectationsoftheteacher,themathematicsandthewaysinwhichtheywillbeexpectedtolearn.Somemayexpectthattheteacherwillspendmostoftheirtimetalkinginfrontoftheclass,andmanymayhavepreviouslymeasuredtheirsuccessinmathsbyhowmanyworksheetstheyhavecompletedorhowmaytickstheyreceived,ratherthanbyhowmuchtheirunderstandinghasdeveloped.Somethinkaclassroomisaplacewherelearnersdonottalkmuchtogetherandthereforemayfinditdifficulttoadjusttocollaborativeapproachestolearning.Teachersneedtodiscusswithlearnersthebenefitsofmoreinteractiveteachingandlearningapproaches,andbeexplicitaboutwhytheybelievethesearelikelytobeeffective.

Building on what learners knowResearchsuggests(Swan,2006)thatbuildingontheknowledgelearnersalreadyhaveleadstomoreeffectiveteaching.Thismeansteachersneedtofindwaystouncoverthisknowledgeandunderstanding,whichmaybehidden,partialorlimitedbyaparticularcontext.Elsewhereinthisguidewediscussedsomeapproachestothis.Wesuggestedthatteachersshouldbealerttotheideathatstudents’‘street’mathsmaybestrongerthantheir‘school’maths,andthatteacherscouldusefullyencouragestudentstodiscussthevariousmathematicalalgorithmstheyuse.TheNIACE/NRDCPractitioner Guidesupportsthisideathatteachingwillbemoreeffectiveifitbuildsontheknowledgestudentsalreadyhave,askingstudentstodescribewhattheyalreadyknowabouta‘new’topic.

Mistakes and misconceptionsInrespondingtoideasofferedbystudents(whetherofferedindiscussionoronpaper),teachersandstudentsareoftenveryawareof‘makingmistakes’.Althoughliteracyteachersandstudentsoftendealwiththisideabyseeingalltext(verbalorwritten)asinsomeway‘draft’,numeracyteachersandstudents

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mayfeelunderpressureto‘gettherightanswer’,andto‘correctmistakes’immediately.TheNRDC/NIACEPractitioner Guidesuggeststhatexplorationbyteachersandstudentsof‘mistakes’and‘misconceptions’canbestimulatingandrewarding,encouragingteachersandstudentstoseethemaspositivelearningopportunitiesandtogenerate,welcomeandworkthroughsuch‘cognitiveconflicts’.

Organisation of classes: collaborative learningTherationaleforcollaborativelearningisthatpeoplelearnmathematicsbetterbysharingknowledge,exploringeachother’sstrategiesandbouncingideasoffeachother.Theylearntomaketheirthinkingvisibleandtolistentoeachotherwhentheyhavetoexplaintheirreasoningandjustifytheirstrategiesandanswers.Thinkingaloudconsolidatestheirunderstandingandalsoinvolveslearningtouseappropriatelanguage.

Meeting the needs of all learnersManynumeracyclasseswillhaveawidespreadofabilityandlevels.Therangewillobviouslyaffecthowtheclassworks.Toowideaspreadcanmakeitverydifficultforallthelearnerstoworktogether,whileanarrowerrangeoflevelscanenablemorefocussedteachingandlearningandmuchmoreopportunityforcollaborativegroupworkandproblemsolving.TheEffectivePracticestudyfoundthat,‘Beingflexibleandabletouseavarietyofapproachestoaccommodatelearners’needs’and‘Extendinglearnersbeyondtheircomfortzone’werekeyelementsofaneffectivelesson.Notethatitisimportantthatalllearnersareextended,notjustthoseathigherlevels.

QuestioningAkeypartofformativeassessmentinvolvesteachersaskinglearnersquestions.However,researchshowsthatmanynumeracyteacherstendtouselow-level,closed,factualrecallquestionsmorefrequentlythanhigher-level,openquestionsthatreveallearners’thinkingprocessesorrequirelearnerstousemathematicalreasoning.

Teachersneedclosedquestionsiftheywantindicativeinformationaboutknowledgeandunderstanding(‘Doyouknowwhat3x7is?’or‘Whatistheareaofthistriangle?’).However,whileclosedquestionscanclearlyserveapurposeasalearningcheck,theyoftendonotexposethinking

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processesandsogivelittleinformationtotheteacheronwhattodonext.Openquestions,ontheotherhand,canestablishthelimitsofalearner’sunderstanding,whattheystillneedtolearn,whatmisconceptionstheymighthave,andhowbesttoaddressthese.

Runningasthemesacrosstheseistheideathattopic-basedteachinggeneratesandsustainsstudents’interest,andthattheygenerallymakebetterprogresswhentheycollaborate.TheNRDCguidesuggeststhattopic-basedteaching(illustratedbyseveralexamplesinthisguide)ishelpfulinnumeracyforanumberofreasons:• itcreatesanunthreateningatmosphereinclasses;• learnersaremoreengagedwhentheyhavechosen

thetopic;• theymaybestretchedbyworking(especiallyinagroup)

beyondtheircomfortzone;• theymaybeabletocontributefromtheirlifeexperience;

and• theymayfindchancestoimprovetheirliteracyaswellas

theirnumeracy.

TheNRDCMaths4Lifeprojecthasproducedapackofresources–Thinking Through Mathematics: Strategies for Teaching and Learning for Teachers in the Skills for Lifesector(NRDC2006)–designedtoencourageamoreactiveandcollaborativeapproachtoclassroomteachingandlearning.Theapproachesonwhichitisbasedhavetworelatedaims:thefirstistohelplearnersbecomemoreactiveintheirlearning;thesecondistodevelopmore‘connected’and‘challenging’teachingmethods.Thisideaof‘connectionistteaching’isalovelywayofappreciatingandapplyingthecyclical(oriterative)processofcurriculumdevelopmentrecommendedinthisguide(seeGlossary).

Traditional‘transmission’approachesinvolvesimplifyingideasandmethodsbyexplainingthemtolearnersonestepatatime.Questionsareposedtoleadlearnersinaparticulardirectionortocheckthattheyarefollowingataughtprocedure.Learnersthenpractise,practise,practise.Thereisplentyofresearchevidence(Swan:2006)toshowthatthisapproachdoesnotpromotetransferablelearningthatenduresovertimeorthatmaybeusedinnon-routinesituations.Itcanalsodemotivateandunderminelearners’confidence.

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Incontrast,themodelofteachingthattheprojectteamadoptedemphasisestheinterconnectednatureofthesubject.Itisalsochallenginginthesensethatitseekstoconfrontcommonconceptualdifficultiesheadon.Forexample,traditionalpracticesarereversedbyallowinglearnersopportunitiestotackleproblemsbeforeofferingthemguidanceandsupport.Thisencouragesthemtoapplypre-existingknowledgeandenablesustoassessandthenhelpthembuildonthatknowledge.

Thinking Through Mathematicsarguesthatteachingismoreeffectivewhenit:• builds on the knowledge learners already have

Thismeansdevelopingformativeassessmenttechniquesandadaptingourteachingtoaccommodateindividuallearningneeds(Black&Wiliam,1998)41;

• exposes and discusses common misconceptions Learningactivitiesshouldexposecurrentthinking,create‘tensions’byconfrontinglearnerswithinconsistencies,andallowopportunitiesforresolutionthroughdiscussion(Askew&Wiliam,1995)42;

• uses higher-order questions Questioningismoreeffectivewhenitpromotesexplanation,applicationandsynthesisratherthanmererecall;

• uses co-operative small group work Activitiesaremoreeffectivewhentheyencouragecritical,constructivediscussion,ratherthanargumentationoruncriticalacceptance(Mercer,2000)43.Sharedgoalsandgroupaccountabilityareimportant;

• encourages reasoning rather than ‘answer getting’ Often,learnersaremoreconcernedwithwhattheyhave‘done’thanwithwhattheyhavelearned.Itisbettertoaimfordepththanforsuperficial‘coverage’;

• uses rich, collaborative tasks Thetasksweuseshouldbeaccessible,extendable,encouragedecision-making,promotediscussion,encouragecreativity,encourage‘whatif’and‘whatifnot’questions(Ahmed,1987)44;

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• creates connections between topics Learnersoftenfinditdifficulttogeneraliseandtransfertheirlearningtoothertopicsandcontexts.Relatedconcepts(suchasdivision,fractionandratio)remainunconnected.Effectiveteachersbuildbridgesbetweenideas(Askewetal.,1997)45;

• uses technology Computersandinteractivewhiteboards,usedappropriately,canallowustopresentconceptsinvisual,dynamicandexcitingwaysthatmotivatelearners.

Working in GroupsManystudentsandtutorsinIrishadultbasiceducation(ABE)workinone-to-onesituationsandthiscanbeanimportantapproachfornewstudentsorthosewithspecificlearningissues.Animportantfindingfromtheresearchonteachingandlearningreading,writingandnumeracy,however,isthebenefitforstudentsofworkingtogether.Itseemsthatworkinginpairshelpsratherthanhindersprogressandstudentsgaininindependencemorethanwhentheyworkone-to-onewithatutor.Thisisnottosaythatindividualattentionhasnovalue.ABEstudentsinIrelandoftenspeakwithfeelingofthedifferenceitmakestohavetheirowntutorgivingthekindofattentiontotheirlearningandtheirintereststhattheyhavenotknownbefore.

In a group, new ranges of views, prejudices and experiences are met, all of them calling for learning changes and widening horizons. The group can provide a stimulus for change, for increased awareness and critical reflection, helping adults to become more conscious of, and more effective, in their learning. (Learning Connections 2005 p. 45)

TheimportanceofgroupworkandsharedlearninghasbeenidentifiedinrecentNRDCresearch46andtheadvantageshavebeenhighlightedintheAdult Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Framework for Scotland.47Itis,therefore,usefulfortutorstounderstandgroupdynamicsandbeabletoincorporatebothgroupandindividualgoalsintheoverallprogrammeandtheindividualsession.

Accommodatingdifferentlevelsofliteracyandnumeracywithoutresortingtoindividualisedtuitionisoneofthemainchallengesofasocialdevelopmentapproach.Pickingupon

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groupinterestsandgeneratingaprogrammefromsharedinterestorsharedworkinconjunctionwithstudentssupportsthedevelopmentofgroupcohesiveness.

Inthesocialdevelopmentapproach,wesometimesusetheword‘facilitating’.Goodfacilitationencouragesstudentstothinkaboutandarticulateboththeirimmediateliteracyandnumeracyneedsandtheirfutureaspirations.Facilitationisawordoftenusedinthecontextofcommunitydevelopmentbutitappliesequallywelltoliteracyandnumeracyprogrammes.

“Facilitation is a method of working – it is used to agree goals, plans and actions which depend on the value and vision of the people being facilitated.” Prendiville (2004:16)

Facilitationskillscanalsobeusedtoencouragelearnerstothinkanddevelopideas,tobroadentheirhorizonsandextendtheirknowledge.

Agoodfacilitatorhelpspeople:decide what they want to accomplish, reminds them of their responsibility in achieving it and encourages and helps them to complete an agreed task or activity…This means recognising the value of each person’s contribution, encouraging the active participation of each group member in identifying and utilising his/her skills and experience, creativity and analysis. This…enables groups and individuals to plan for development and change. (ibid:13-14)

Facilitationrelatesdirectlytothestudent-centredsocialmodelofliteracyandnumeracyinwhichstudentsarehelpedtoidentifytheirlearninggoalsandworkwiththefacilitatortoplanaseriesoflearningactivitiesleadingtoadesiredoutcome.However,facilitationisnoteasy.Itrequiresfacilitatorstothinkabouttheirownskills,values,beliefsandexperiences,whichrequiresadegreeofself-reflectionandself-analysis.Manyliteracystudentsareverynervousofjoiningagroup.Often,theiroverridingdesireistohidetheirdifficultiesfromeveryoneelse.However,joiningagroupcanhelppeopleto‘openup’andrealisetheyarenotalonewiththeirdifficultiesandthattheycanbothgivesupporttootherpeopleandreceivesupportthemselves.

ThisexamplefromtheBrayAdultLearningCentreillustratestheprocessandthepositiveoutcomesofgoodfacilitation:

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We knew from our experience that men’s groups tend not to work well…In the first session, we looked at how groups work. We used a game called ‘lost at sea’ to demonstrate how working in groups allows a sharing of skills and ideas and requires letting go of one’s own opinions and plans. We then brainstormed around the idea of what learners hoped to gain from the classes and what they felt was necessary for the group to work well. This was recorded in the form of a group contract. As a result of this discussion, the first set of objectives identified were that the men would know that for a group to function effectively its members should: • feel comfortable in a group; • be able to share opinions; • be able to work on shared tasks.

Planning for the group had to be very flexible. It took three weeks for attendance to settle and for us to identify our core group. Throughout the course, we were able to work with the stated objectives and had enough flexibility to determine outcomes from week to week. The early sessions were very fluid. The programme required a lot of flexibility from us as tutors as well as an ability to let go the traditional role of tutor to lead and produce work. We needed to find a new role as facilitators to the learners and accept that learning was taking place through discussion and was being embedded. The tutor role as an observer in this setting allowed the students to be centre-stage and leaders in their own right. As the weeks progressed, the student’s roles became more active and they took more responsibility for defining their own learning and learning needs.

Difficultiesandconflictarealmostinevitableinagroup’slifebutthetutorasfacilitatorisnotafixer.Sheorhemayusevariousmethodsandstrategiestohelppeopleconfrontadifficulty,butthetutorcannotfixitforthem.Heorshemustfacilitateandenablethegrouptoresolvethedifficulty,differenceorconflict.Thetutormustanalysethesituationandthenenablethegrouptoworkthroughit,bydefiningtheproblem,generatingsolutionsandsuggestingacourseofaction.

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“It is a method that has been incorporated by many organisations and groups as a tool which will enhance the integration, inclusion, involvement, participation and equality of all members of the community.” (Prendiville 2004:9)

Resources of relevance

AllsortsofpublishedandonlineresourcesareemergingallthetimeinIrishadultbasiceducation.Listedhereareasampleofthosewithparticularrelevancetothethemesandissuespresentedinthisguide,withnotesfromJaneSmith.Wehaveofferedforeachaheading,intendedtoenableyoutoseeitsconnectiontothesethemesandissues.

Learning outcomes in actionWhat’s in the post? (Clare Family Learning Project, 2000. Family Learning Resource Guide. p. 143)

Thispublicationisaresourceforfamilyliteracypractitioners.Itdevelopsin-depthsessionsforfacilitators,parentsandchildrentoworkthroughinclassroomsessionsandsuggestshomeactivitieswhichparentscanworkonwiththeirchildren.Thereare14sessions,eachofwhichcouldstandalone.Eachsessioncontainslearningoutcomeswithactivities,timingsandpracticalexamples.Eachsessionalsoisevaluatedwhencompletedusingthe‘sessionnotes’section.Theprogrammeasawholeisevaluatedonpages278-281andtherearesuggestedprogressionroutesonpage281.Parentsareinvolvedintheirownevaluationoftheprogrammeonpage283.

Thesession‘Printisallaroundus’isausefulresourcefortutorslookingforwaystouseauthenticmaterialseffectivelyandtouseeverydayreadingandwritingmaterialasamainresource.Basedaroundwhatcomesthroughtheletterbox,theworkhighlightsthevalueandcomplexityofeverydaymaterials.Thesuggestionsforusingtheseencouragecreativitybytutors,parentsandchildren.Theactivitiesareintegratedandthereisadiscretedevelopmentalpathfromlookingatvisualtextstobeingchallengedwithtextmaterialandreading.

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Basic reading and advanced thinkingSafe lifting (FÁS and NALA 2006g Steps to Safety p 66)

Page66ofthispublicationintroducesstudentstosafeliftingpractices.Thereadinglevelofthisactivityisbasic,usingvocabularyatabeginnerreaderlevel(forexample,hand,back,feet).Themessageofsafeliftingisdeliveredthroughasimpleillustrationofsafeandunsafelifting.Theinstructionsforusingtheworksheetaregiveninwordswithavisualexample.Thevocabularyusedforthereadingandlabellingexercisewouldbethewordsusedbythelearnerduringthespeakingandlisteningsectioncarriedoutbythetutor.

Thelabellingexerciseintroducessomesimplepenwork.Theworksheetusesreadingstrategiessuitableforbeginnerlevelreaders:simplevocabularysupportedbyvisualsreinforcedthroughmulti-sensorylearning.

Forreadingcomprehensiondevelopment,onesimpleconcept(safeornotsafe)ispresented.Relatedoralworkprovidestheopportunityfordevelopingthehigherlevelcomprehensionskillofcriticalthinking.Thispracticewouldallowabasicreadertheopportunitytodisplaythesethinkingskillsthroughspeakingandlistening.

Integrating numeracy and critical thinkingMobile phones (NALA 2006c Really Useful Guide to Words and Numbers, workbook 1 p. 57-62)

Thisshortunitdealswithsomepracticalaspectsofusingamobilephone.Thecostofusingamobilephonewouldbesomethingastudentmightwanthelpwithandheorshemayhaveissuesaroundadvertisingmaterials,whichsuggestsavingmoney.Thecontextof‘cheaper’allowsdiscussionintheclassroom.Thiswouldbuildconfidenceskillsinthewidersocialenvironment.Thelanguageofnumber,forexample‘3timescheaper’,couldpromptthequestion–‘howwouldyouworkthatout?’‘Peakandoff-peakperiods’requirestudentstodealwithtime.Thequestionsonpage59canonlybeansweredbyreadingthetableonpage58.Thisintegratesthenumeracyandliteracyelementsofmobilephoneuse.

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Thissmallpieceofworkonmobilephonesletsstudentsworkonsimplemoneycalculations.Theuseofacalculatortocheckanswerscouldextendnumeracyskillshere.

Writing and reflectionLearning Journal: visit to an art gallery (NALA 2003b Skillwords p.13)

Thisworksheetpresentsthetwoimportantcomponentsofusingalearningjournaleffectively–torecordthedetailsofthelearningexperienceandtoreflectonthatlearninginapersonalway.

Providingdetailsofthename,dateandlocationofthelearningsetsupgoodpracticeforjournalentryskills.Thenexttwosectionsoftheworksheetallowsthestudenttorecallthedetailsofthevisittotheartgalleryinapracticalway.Thefinalthreepartsoftheworksheetencouragethestudenttoreflectonthelearningexperience.Thelastsectionallowsthestudenttodocumenthisorherownopinions.Studentswithmoreadvancedwritingskillscoulddemonstratethemherewhilestudentsatanearlierstageofwritingmaywriteless.

Thecompositionoftheworksheetcatersforarangeofwritingability.Asawritingexercise,itasksthestudenttomovefromrecordingsimplefactstorecordingcomplexandabstractideas.

Context and citizenshipKnow Your EU (NALA 2005c p. 63-70)

ThesepagesareusefulasanentrypointforstudentstobecomeawareofEuropeanUnion(EU)regulationsandtheirrightsasEUcitizens.

Readinglabelsandfoodpacketswouldpromptdiscussionsuchas‘whodecideswhat’sallowedinfood?’bringingthestudenttothinkaboutfoodregulationsasbeingwiderthanjustIrish.TheadvantagesofEUcitizenshipwouldnaturallycomefromaunitofworkonholidayswherehealthprivilegesinIrelandareextendedwiththeEU(E111Form).ApproachingtheregulatoryaspectoflivingintheEUthroughpracticalexamplessuchasfoodlabelsprovidescontext.

Thetutorinformationpagesonthissectiongiveabriefbackgroundfortutorswhomaythemselvesneedguidancein

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thisarea.ThissectionofthepublicationcouldbeaspringboardforlookingatEUtopicssuchascitizenshipinmoredepth.

Numeracy and social practiceMaking Cents – How Do I Manage Money? (NALA (2007a. p. 24-42)

Thisunitofworkisbasedonmoneymanagementskills.Itsfocusisonplacingtheseskillsinasocialcontextfamiliartothelearner.Theideasfordiscussionontheunitallowsforpersonaldevelopmentasthestudentisencouragedtodealwithmoneymattersarisingfromhisorherownsituation.Thelanguageoftheunitisuncomplicated.Thekeyvocabularyispresentedatthestartoftheunitsostudentscouldworkonword-buildingandspellinginanintegratedwayastheunitprogresses.

Thenumeracyskillsintheunitfocusonwhatthestudentneedstodaytodealwithanumeracyissueinhisorherlife.Theunitdoesnotattempttobuildskillwithnumeracy.Itspurposeistoinjectskillswheretheyareneededinthestudent’slife.Studentsareintroducedtothewritingformatofchartsandtables.Thisallowsstudentstorecognisethisformatineverydayreadingmaterialandtofeelcomfortablewiththeformat.Workcouldbedoneintheclassroomtobuildreadingskillsaroundfindinginformationinatable.Writingskillscouldbesimilarlyworkedontoletstudentsenterinformationintoatable.Budgetandbillmodelsareusedintheunit.Thesamplesusedreflectsensiblebudgetsandbillstowhichstudentscouldrelate.Therearereferencestosocialwelfarepaymentsandparttimeearnings,bothofwhichcouldbefactorsinthestudent’sownlife.

Toconclude,thispublicationisonewhichallowsliteracyandnumeracytobeintegrated.Itpromoteslearner-centredmethodologiesandprepareslearnersfornumeracychallengesintheirdailylives.

OthersMainlyliteracy:• The Big Picture–NALA2005,pages20-24• The Really Useful Guide, Part 1 – Listening and Speaking in

the Workplace–NALA2006,page88• The Really Useful Guide, Part 2 – Airport Security–NALA

2006,pages130-131• Skillwords–NALA2003.CateringSection,pages4-5

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• Skillwords–NALA2003.ArtSection,LearningJournalpage13

• Using Cash Machines–NALA2005

Mainlynumeracy:• MedicationDiary,The Health Pack,NALA2004,pages44-46• TemperatureandFoodSafety1&2,Steps to Safety,FÁSand

NALA,2006,pages59-60• Shopping,KnowYourMoney,St.Michael’sHouseResearch,

Dublin,2001,pages40-43

LiteracyandsocialactionOfparticularrelevancetotheideaofchangeandsocialaction(discussedespeciallyinsectionA2)isanAmericanpublication:Berdan,Ketal(2006)Writing for a Change: Boosting Literacy and Learning Through Social Action.Jossey-BassTeacherSeries.

Thiscontainscasestudiesand‘StufftotryintheClassroom’,mainlyforchildrenandyoungadultsbutapplicabletoallages.

Activities

Inthissection,wepresentguidancenotesonfiveactivitiesdevelopedduringthecourseoftheactionresearchinIrelandfromwhichthisguidehasbeenwritten.

Thefirsttwoprovidematerialforusewithindividualsorgroups,togeneratetopicsfromstudents’experiencesandtoincreaseawarenessofhowstudentsalreadyencounterliteracyandnumeracyintheirlives.Theybothprovidetheopportunityforstudentstofeeltherealityofthecurriculumbeing‘student-directed’.

Theotherthreeactivitiesprovideguidelinesforstudentsandtutorstoexplorepossibilitiesforlearningandillustratethekeyconceptsoflinkingcontextandskills,literacyandnumeracy,andholisticlearning.

Likeallpublishedteachingmaterial,thesenotesareintendedtobeadaptedanddevelopedbytutorstosuittheirparticularsituationandcontextattimesinthecurriculumdevelopmentcyclethatfeelappropriate.

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Getting to my placeTheideaofthisexerciseistoshowsomeofthechoicesweallmakeineverydaylifethatinvolve:• literacy/numeracy/languageskillswehave;• thosethatweprefertouse;and• theindividual’sintelligenceandstrengthsinlearningand

communicating.

Itsvalueisinenablingstudentswhomaybeunawareofhowmuchreading,writingandmathstheyalreadydealwith,tocomparetheirownstrategieswiththoseofRoisin–and,insodoing,tonoticetheirownpreferencesandlearningstrengths.

Startbysharingexperiencesofgivingpeopledirections.Taketurnstorecallgoodandbadones.Pickoutwhatmakesthingseasierfordifferentstudentstoabsorbinformationaboutdirections.

Askwhatkindofmathsandnumeracyisinvolved?Whatreadingand/orwritingisinvolved?Tohelpthisdiscussionfocusonchoicesandpreferences,youcouldmentiontheideaof‘multipleintelligences’(D2).

Offeranexample:(Usethis,orabetteroneofyourowninvention):

MartinalivesinKilkenny.RoisinlivesinGalway.RoisiniscomingtostaywithMartinaattheweekend,leavingworkatmiddayonFriday.Shedoesnothaveacar.ThetwoofthemaretalkingonthephoneaboutRoisin’sbestwaytogettoMartina’splace.

Discusswithstudentshowtheyimaginethesetwopeopledealingwiththis.Considerquestionslike:

“Would either (or both) have a mobile phone? If so, do they feel ok about texting each other or do they prefer to make a phone call?”

“Does Roisin travel quite a lot or might this length of journey be new to her?”

“How do these two friends deal with directions? For instance, does Roisin prefer to read instructions or would

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she rather listen to Martina telling her? Would it help her if Martina offered visual clues for some stage of the journey?”

“What kinds of estimates of time and distance will they need to calculate?”

Studentscouldthenimagine(orworkout)theconnectionsinvolvedforRoisin,betweenleavingherhome,gettingtobusand/orrailwaystations,gettingtothestreetwhereMartinalives–andhowthetwofriendsworkoutthetimetablesandthetimingforherjourney.

Theycouldthenconsideralistofthesepossiblefollow-upactivities:• drawupachartoftheseconnections;• listthenumeracyandliteracyactivitiesentailed;• draftsomewritingbasedonthisdiscussionandtheir

experience;• drawamapwithdirectionsfortellingsomeoneelseinthe

grouphowtogetfromtheclassroomtoanotheragreedplacelocally.

Decidewhichtheywouldprefertodoandnoticethispreference.

Ifappropriate,tutorscouldofferabriefpresentationontheideaofholisticlearningand/orshowaversionofthe‘multipleintelligence’chart.

Daily routinesTheideaofthisactivityistohelptutorandstudentstodiscoverthekindofliteracyandnumeracyactivitytheyalreadydo,andwheretheymightwanttodosomelearning.

Itsvalueisingivingstudentstheopportunitytoexploreasliceofeverydaylifefortheliteracyandnumeracywithinit.

Materials:Flipchartpaper,felttippens,smallcards.Chartsforeachstudentwithcolumnsstartingat6.00amandfinishingat11.00pm,onthesamelinesasthosefor‘Tom–stablelad’(pages91-92)

Notes:Dependingonthenumbers,youmightwanttoworkasawholegroup,insmallgroupsorindividually.Useyour

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discretionastowhethertoreadthroughthe‘Tom–stablelad’textasastimulusatthestartorassomethingtocomparewithattheend.

Activity:Getstudentstotaketurnsdescribingtheirday,notingthecommonalities–forexample,makingbreakfast,gettingthebustowork,whattheyneedatwork–fireinstructions,phone,etc(heremuchmaydiffer)or,forexample,whattheydoonSundays.

Dependingonthegroup,theycoulddrawpicturesinthecolumns–clockforwakingup,busstop,busticket,etc(qualityofdrawingirrelevant).

Beginbyinvitingstudentstotelleachother,first,abouttheir‘routineday’and,second,aboutwhattheydoateachtime.Askthemtoexplainwhatpracticalskillsandknowledgetheyneedtohaveateachstage.

1. (optional)Drawtheactivitiesonsmallcardsandputtheseintheappropriateplaceonthetimechart(youcouldhavepre-preparedcardsbutthistakesawaymuchofthefun‘activity’,funanddiscussion).

2. Discusstogethertheliteracyandnumeracy,listeningandspeakingactivitiesrequiredforeachactivity.

3. Tutor,volunteerorproficientstudentscanthenwriteonthechartwhatliteracy,speakingandnumeracyskillsarerequiredateachpoint.

4. Discussstrategiesfordealingwiththese.Whathelpdotheygetfromothersand/orgivetoanyoneelseintheseeverydayactivities?

Atthisstage,itmaybegoodtohaveapausetoreflectonhowmuchhasbeengenerated.

Thereshouldnowbematerialfromwhichtodiscussandidentify:– theskillsandabilitiesstudentsparticularlyfeeltheneed

todevelop;– theliteracyornumeracymomentsintheirdaywhichthey

wouldparticularlyliketoworkon.

ThefollowinggridshowsthedailyroutinesetoutinthiswayforanimaginarypersoncalledTom,thestablelad.

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Time Activity Practical skill/knowledge Literacy Numeracy Speaking and listening5.30 Getup Readingthetime

Wash,etc.6.00 Makeandeatbreakfast Cooking(unlesssomeoneelsedoesit) 6.30 Gotothebusstoptogetthebustothestables Knowingdestination Readingthebustimetable

Readingtheticketmachine

Knowingthetimesofthebuses.Judgingthetimetobusstopandtimebustakes.Countingtherightmoney

7.00 Feedhorses Knowandidentifydifferenttypesoffeedfordifferenthorsesindifferentamountsofwork

Readdetailsoffeedfromboard;selectfromfeedsforeachhorsefrombran,oats,nuts,horseration,hay,silage,succulents,supplements

Weighoutthedifferentkindsoffeedandsupplementsdependingontypeofhorse,weightandexerciselevel

Greetothersinstable;askoranswerquestionsaboutthehorses

7.10 MuckoutObserveandcheckconditionofhorses–injuries,cuts,wounds,conditionoflegs

HowtomuckoutWhattolookfortoassesshorse’scondition

7.30 Reporttotheboss Reportconditionofhorseverballytoboss

Saddleandbridletheallottedhorse Knowhowtotackupahorse Readthenoticeboardfornamesofhorsestobeexercised

Exercisethehorseonthe‘gallops Excellentridingskills Judgethetimeoutexercisingandthespeedofthehorseateachstageoftheexercising.Mentallycomparespeedwiththoseofotherhorses

9.00 Rubdownthehorseafterexercisingandrugup Knowhowtorubdownahorseafterexercise9.30 Makeandeatbreakfast

ReadRacing Post

Abletoskimandscannewspaper JudgingthetemperatureiffryingbaconandeggsJudgingthequantitiesforthenumberofpeople

Talkabouttheracing

10.00 Ridetwomorehorseinlots48 Excellentridingskills12.00 Cleanthetackforseveralhorses Readingthenamesofthedifferent

horses’harnessestohangthebridlesbackup

12.30 Feedhorsesandgiveanymedicationforhorses–bute49/antibioticsetc

Readnamesmedicinesandantibiotics Measurecorrectdosages

1.00 Lunch,atpub,sandwichesorcook Readasappropriate Chatoverlunch1.00 Re-readRacing Post.Decideonbets Luck

UnderstandtheformAbilitytojudgetheodds

Readupthedeclaredrunnersforweek,typeofgroundandweight.Keepuptodateontrainingnews

CalculatethebettingoddsPlaceabet

Socialdiscussionandinteraction

WatchracingformonTV ReadformguideandoddsonTV CalculateoddsPlacebetmanually Readandcompletetheform

PayingthebetPlacebetbyphone Readbookiesname

Readwinners’namesatbettingshoporonTV

Findbookiesphonenumberanddial.Arrangepayment.Readvisacardnumberscorrectly.Collectwinningsorcalculatelosses.

4.00 Returntoeveningwork–stables,skipout,feed,rugupandwater

Knowhowtorugup Feeddetailsasbefore Estimateor

6.00 Getthebushome Knowthebustimes5.00 Cookandeatsupper Possiblyreadfoodlabels Calculatetheamounts

7.00 Pubwithmates;playdartsorsnooker Skillatdartsorsnooker Keepscoreatdartsorsnooker;payfordrinks

Socialdiscussionandinteraction

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Time Activity Practical skill/knowledge Literacy Numeracy Speaking and listening5.30 Getup Readingthetime

Wash,etc.6.00 Makeandeatbreakfast Cooking(unlesssomeoneelsedoesit) 6.30 Gotothebusstoptogetthebustothestables Knowingdestination Readingthebustimetable

Readingtheticketmachine

Knowingthetimesofthebuses.Judgingthetimetobusstopandtimebustakes.Countingtherightmoney

7.00 Feedhorses Knowandidentifydifferenttypesoffeedfordifferenthorsesindifferentamountsofwork

Readdetailsoffeedfromboard;selectfromfeedsforeachhorsefrombran,oats,nuts,horseration,hay,silage,succulents,supplements

Weighoutthedifferentkindsoffeedandsupplementsdependingontypeofhorse,weightandexerciselevel

Greetothersinstable;askoranswerquestionsaboutthehorses

7.10 MuckoutObserveandcheckconditionofhorses–injuries,cuts,wounds,conditionoflegs

HowtomuckoutWhattolookfortoassesshorse’scondition

7.30 Reporttotheboss Reportconditionofhorseverballytoboss

Saddleandbridletheallottedhorse Knowhowtotackupahorse Readthenoticeboardfornamesofhorsestobeexercised

Exercisethehorseonthe‘gallops Excellentridingskills Judgethetimeoutexercisingandthespeedofthehorseateachstageoftheexercising.Mentallycomparespeedwiththoseofotherhorses

9.00 Rubdownthehorseafterexercisingandrugup Knowhowtorubdownahorseafterexercise9.30 Makeandeatbreakfast

ReadRacing Post

Abletoskimandscannewspaper JudgingthetemperatureiffryingbaconandeggsJudgingthequantitiesforthenumberofpeople

Talkabouttheracing

10.00 Ridetwomorehorseinlots48 Excellentridingskills12.00 Cleanthetackforseveralhorses Readingthenamesofthedifferent

horses’harnessestohangthebridlesbackup

12.30 Feedhorsesandgiveanymedicationforhorses–bute49/antibioticsetc

Readnamesmedicinesandantibiotics Measurecorrectdosages

1.00 Lunch,atpub,sandwichesorcook Readasappropriate Chatoverlunch1.00 Re-readRacing Post.Decideonbets Luck

UnderstandtheformAbilitytojudgetheodds

Readupthedeclaredrunnersforweek,typeofgroundandweight.Keepuptodateontrainingnews

CalculatethebettingoddsPlaceabet

Socialdiscussionandinteraction

WatchracingformonTV ReadformguideandoddsonTV CalculateoddsPlacebetmanually Readandcompletetheform

PayingthebetPlacebetbyphone Readbookiesname

Readwinners’namesatbettingshoporonTV

Findbookiesphonenumberanddial.Arrangepayment.Readvisacardnumberscorrectly.Collectwinningsorcalculatelosses.

4.00 Returntoeveningwork–stables,skipout,feed,rugupandwater

Knowhowtorugup Feeddetailsasbefore Estimateor

6.00 Getthebushome Knowthebustimes5.00 Cookandeatsupper Possiblyreadfoodlabels Calculatetheamounts

7.00 Pubwithmates;playdartsorsnooker Skillatdartsorsnooker Keepscoreatdartsorsnooker;payfordrinks

Socialdiscussionandinteraction

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Ask the student(s) to notice from the example of Tom’s chart:…thereadingthatTommighthavetodoinatypicalday

(there’snotmuchwriting):• horses’nameinstables;exerciseand‘lot’board;foodboard

andfoodlabels;• namesofdifferentmedicinesandinstructions;the

newspaperRacing Post;• racehorsenames,datesandplacesofracemeetings;form

guideonpaperandonTV;• bettingform;theTVtimes;labels,andreceipts.

…thenumeracyhemighthavetodo:• weightsandmeasuresforfeed;measuringoutmedicines;• calculatingspeedofhorse;• datesandtimes;understandingtheform;calculatingthe

odds,winningsandlosses;• checkingpayslip;fillinginthebettingform;scoringdarts

andsnooker;• countingmoneyfordrinks.

And consider:…theclassroomworkthatcouldsupportTomsuchas:• readingflashcardsofdifferentfeeds;• locatingracemeetsonthemap;• identifyingandcopyinghorses’namesfromthepaper;• calculatinglastweek’slosses(additionandsubtraction).

Offer students these possible follow-up exercises:• Mapping Roughlymapoutthelayoutoftheracecourse,including

stables,carparks,bettingarea,etc,withmoveableobjects.Whenagreementisreached,transferdrawingontopaper.Labelthedifferentparts.Thesewordscanbecomethereadingtext.

Drawamapfromthestablestotheracecourseforthedriverofthehorsebox.

• Ranking Putinrankorderthenumberofwinsofeachhorseorthe

conditionandchancesofeachhorseatdifferentraces.

• Calendar Drawuptheracingcalendarofactivitiesforthecomingyear.

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Pictures – evaluationTherearetwoapproachessuggestedhereforusingphotographs.Inthisfirstone,wediscusstheuseofacollectionofphotographsasacatalystfordiscussingexperiencesoflearning.Intheonethatfollows,weshallseehowencouragingstudentstotakephotographscanleadtotheseprovidingmaterialforreflectionandlearning.Inbothcases,theworkwasdonewithgroupsbutitcouldcertainlybeusedwithindividualstudents,too.

Inthefirstyearofthecurriculumproject(2006),ninetutorsagreedtoholdmeetingswithstudentstoexploretheirexperienceoflearning.Theideawastoaskfourquestions,withquestionsthreeandfourbeingthekeyones.Eachgrouphadasetofpicturesshowingpeopleindifferentcontexts–atwork,inthecommunity,intheirfamilies.Nooneinthepictureswasshownactuallydoinganyliteracyornumeracy.Theaimwastoraiseawarenessoftheunnoticedliteracyandnumeracyeventsindailylife,byaskingstudents,fromtheirownexpertiseandexperience,todiscussthekindofliteracyornumeracyactivitiesthatmightcomeupforthesepeopleinthesecontexts.Thequestionsthatfollowedwereintendedtoenablethemtofocusontheirownexperience,firstinsettingsofthesamekindintheirownlife,thenintheclassroom.

Tutorsreportedthatthisapproach,whileofferingsomehelpfulinformationforthisguide,couldalsoprovideahelpfultoolforreflectionandevaluation.Theseguidelinesareadaptedfromthoseusedintheproject.

Materials:asetofphotographsofpeopleinhome,communityorworksettings,outdoorsorindoors.Gatherpictures(youcanuseyourown)thatarelikelytoberelevanttothestudentsinthegroupincategoriessuchas:• workingwithothers;• familyandfriends;• freetimeandinterests.

Ensurethatnobodyinthepictureswillbeactuallyreading,writingordoingnumeracy.

Timing tip: allow20minutesminimum,45minutesmaximumforthis,ofwhichkeepback5minutesforthe‘wind-up’.

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Clarify that the aim of the session is for students to share: a) theirexperienceofdealingwithliteracyandnumeracyin

everydaylife;b)theirperceptionofhowusefulclassroomlearninghas

beentothisexperience;c) theirideasforwhatwouldbehelpfultotheircontinuing

learninginordertoensurethatclassroomworkisofmaximumusetotheirpurposes.

Explainthatyouwillaskthemfourquestionsaboutthepictures:• thefirsttwoabouttheliteracyandnumeracysituations

whichpeopleinthephotosmayhavetoface;• theothertwoabouthowsimilarsituationstheymayface

themselvesgetthoughtaboutanddealtwithintheworkofthisclass.

Makesurethatstudentsareawarethatnobodyinthepictureswillbeactuallyreading,writingordoingnumeracyandthatthepointistoreflecton:• whattheyseemtobedoing;and• howorwhenreadingorwritingormathsmightoccurin

thesesituations.

Thequestions:Eachofthequestionsisacatalystfordiscussion–forwhichyouwillneedtofindawayoftakingnotes.Afterdiscussiononeachquestion,itcanbehelpfultoreadbacksomeofthethingsthathavebeensaidandseeifpeoplewanttosaymore.

1. Spreadoutthepicturesonthetable.Beginwitha‘what’sgoingonhere?’question.Thenask:

‘Canyouthinkofanyreading,writing,mathsornumeracythatmightcropupforsomeoneinthissituation?’(Allowtimeforhesitation,secondthoughtsandpondering).

2.Next,askstudentstothinkbacktosomethingatwork,athomeorintheirfreetimethattheyhavebeendoinginthelastfewdaysandask:

‘Wasthereanyreading,writing,mathsornumeracyinvolved?’‘Couldyousayhowyoudealtwiththis?’

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Maybegiveanexampleofyourowntopromptdiscussion.Encouragetheideathatanystoryofsomeonegettinghelpfrom(orgivinghelpto)someoneelseisabsolutelyfine.

3. Nowask:‘isthereanythingyou’relearningnowinyourclass–oranythingaboutthewaythatyou’relearning–thatyouarefindingparticularlyusefulforyouindealingwithsituationslikethese?’

(Or:‘Isthereanythingthatyou’relearninginclassthatisparticularlyusefulforyououtsideclass?’)

Usefollow-uppromptstoelicitmore,suchas:‘Ifsowhat/how?Ifnot,isthereanythingyouwouldliketobedoingmoreof?’

Iftheygetstuck,re-stateforthemtheanswerstheygavetoquestion2.

4. Aftertherehasbeenagoodexchangeaboutthis,introducethelastquestion:‘Howdoyouhelpyourtutordecidewhattoteach?’

Givetimeforthisquestiontosinkin.Askthemnottorushanswers.Somestudentsmayseeitasaninappropriatethingforthemtodo–orbeunawarethattheydoit.

Possiblefollow-upquestions:‘Arethereanytopicsyouwouldliketostudyinyourclassthatyouhavenotyet?’‘Ifyoudon’thelpyourtutordecide,isthereanywayyouwouldliketoinfuture?’

Windup: recapanswerstoquestions3and4.Askstudentstosaywhichtheyfeelareimportant.Addanymore.Reflectonwhathasbeenlearned.Bringbackthelisttothefollowingweek’ssessiontohelpguidefuturework.

Examplesofthepicturesusedintheoriginalprojectareattheendofthissection.

Pictures – contextsAnextensionofthepreviousactivityisforstudentsthemselvestochoosewhatpicturestotakeandwhere.

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InSouthTipperaryVEC,SheilaghMurphyexploredthiswiththegroupofstudentsontheReturn to Learningprogrammethatshewasteaching.Thethreemen–Pat,MarkandJack–wereallemployeesofthecountycouncil,intheir40sand50s.Sheinvitedthemtothinkabouthowtheymighttakepicturesofthenumeracypracticesintheirworkinglives.Inordertodothis,theybeganwiththinkingabouttheirdailylife,andhowandwhennumeracycroppedup.

ThisisherreflectiononfoursessionsofworktheydidonthisinApril/May2007.

1. Thegrouplistenedtothedetailsoftheprojectandwereinterestedinit.Theynameddifferentworkactivities,withwhichtheywereallfamiliaralthoughtheyhadvaryinglevelsofexperience,dependingontheiryearsofserviceinthecouncil.

Wethentalkedabouttheirjobs,lookingatwhatwas

involved,breakingdownthetasksandnamingtheskillsrequiredforthem.Wefocussedonmaths,butitwasveryapparenttousthattherewasconsiderablecrossoverwithliteracyandcommunicationsskills.Iusedtheflipcharttorecordthetasksandskillsweidentifiedforeach.

Themenexpressedsurpriseatthemultitudeand

complexityofskillsrequiredtodothevariousjobs.Wealsotalkedabouttheirsportsinterests–darts,golf,soccerandGaelicfootball–andthemathswhichtheyinvolved.Jacksaid:‘Youwouldneverthinktherewassomuchinit[thetasks]’and‘There’salotgoingon’.Patsaid:‘Youwouldn’trealisethereissomuchmathsinit.’Isummarisedandprintedouttheflipchartnotesforthefollowingweek.

2. Werecappedontheprojectanddiscussedthemethodwewouldusetophotographtheactivitiesandtheissuesinvolved.Patplannedtousethecameraonamobilephone.Thismeantsortingoutexistingphotographsinthecameraandlearninghowtostoreandretrievephotographsfromcameraandcardmemory,skillshewashappytohavethemotivationtolearn.

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MarkandJack,whoworktogetherfrequentlyandknoweachotheroutsideofwork,agreedtosharetheuseofadisposablecamera.Theywerehappywithitslowcostandeaseofuse.

Theissuesraisedwere:• Whowillseethephotographsandwhatwilltheybe

usedfor?• Shouldpeople’sfacesbeincludedinthephotographs?• Wasthepermissionofthesupervisorrequired?• Thecontentofthepictures:signstobeincludedornot?WeagreedthattheywouldtellthesupervisorswhattheyweregoingtodoandIwouldasktheco-ordinatoroftheReturn to Learningprojecttosupportanyqueries.Wealsoagreedtoincludepicturesofpeopledoingwork,butonlyphotographfacesifpeoplewerehappyaboutit.Withregardtocontentofthepictures,theydecidedtheywouldincludesignage,e.g.‘hedgecuttinginprogress’andtrytogetpicturesofasmanyoftheactivitieswehadidentifiedaspossible.

Activity Maths involved Skills

Wetmixing:preparingmix,orderingconcrete,preparingtheroad

Measuringamountofmix,Estimating,markingoutdistances

Multiplying,division,calculatingmeasuringdistanceinmetricandimperial

Chipping,preparingsigns,usingcorrectsizeofstones

Estimating,measuring,mapping,describedistances,rightandleft

Spatialskills,mappingskills,visualdiscrimination,calculating,volume.quantityandsize.

Weatherrelatedroadworks Temperatures,seasons, Understandingandreadingtemperaturegauges,judging,planning,knowledgeofregulations

Patching Planning,estimating,measuringmaterials

Planningskills,efficientuseoftimeandmanpower,measuringmaterials

Kerbing/gullyandmanholework,wallbuilding

Measuring,calculatingnumbersofblocksandsand,cement,measuringdistance,sizeofblocks,stone,levels.

Knowledgeofimperialandmetricunitsofmeasurement,calculatingquantity,estimatingtime,volumeandnumber,levels,

Leisurepursuits,includingdarts,andgolf

Multiplying,dividing,addingsubtraction,calculating,planning

Judgingdistance,speedandaccuracy,mentalcalculations,estimating,planning,readingleaguetables,scorecards

Thisisaselectionofthetasks,mathsandskillsthatwecameupwith:

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3.Wespentsome20minutesdiscussingprogresswithtakingthepictures.Jackhadtakenabout12photosandhadafewlaughswithhisco-workersintheprocess.Pathadtakenthreewithhiscameraphoneandsortedouthisstoringofpictures.Thechallengenowwashowhecouldsendthephotostohisemailaddress.Thishemanagedtodo;thephotowasgoodandweprinteditoff.Markhadnottakenanyphotographsbutagreedtotakethedisposablecameraforthecomingweekandtakesome,includinganyleisureactivitiesthatstruckhimasuseful.Healsoagreedtogetthefilmdevelopedbeforethenextclasstosaveontime.

4.Theclassmissedaweekbutwecompletedtheprojectaweeklaterby:– selectingphotographs;– usingthecomputertoeditandprintthem;– writingaheadinganddetailingthemathsineach.

Wethenputtogetherthepagesinafolder.Atalaterstagewiththisgroup,wemaylookatusingcomputerstoproduceamorefinishedportfolioandpresentitasevidenceforFETACaccreditation.Despitethemissedweek,wecompletedtheprojectwehadsetforourselves.Thedecision-makingandwritingworkwaswhereIsawthemostactivelearninggoingoninclass.Havingthefoldercompletedandlookingsowellgavethestudentsasenseofcompletionandpride.

Someofthepicturesusedforthecurriculumprojectdiscussions

PicturesproducedbyPat,MarkandJack

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Learning and student publishingPublishingdoesnothavetomeanabookwithaprintrunofathousandcopiesormore.Assoonasthereareseveralcopiesofatext–orassoonasyouputituponthewall(oronawebsite)–itisapublishedpieceofwriting.

‘Publishing’issomethingthatstudentscanengagein,involvingalltheprocessesandstagesofwriting,includingreadingandre-reading.Ifstudentsareinvitedtohelpintheprocessofproducingacollectionofwriting,theycandeveloptheirskillsofreadingaseditors(rememberingthatthefirstruleforofferingconstructivefeedbackisalwaystosaysomethingyoulikeabouttheworkbeforeyousayanythingelse).

RelevantstudiesintheIdeasandResearchsectionhelpusseehowsuchaninvitationmightcontributetostudentlearning.Forexample,researchtellsusthat:• itisimportantthatstudentsfeelasenseofrelevanceand

authenticityaboutanywritingexercisesthattutorsaskthemtodo;and

• peertutoringinaninformalwayreapsbenefitsforstudentconfidence.

So,involvingstudentsintheprocessandstagesofstudentpublishingseemstohavemuchtobesaidforit.

AdultbasiceducationpracticeinEnglandandScotlandhasrecentlyseenaresurgenceofpublishedstudentwriting.50InIreland,ithasbeenawidespreadactivityforsometime,supportedbyactivitiessuchasNALAwritingweekends.51

Editingandpublishingisoftenlefttobusytutors,collectingstudentwritingfromotherbusytutors,takingitallhometoturnintoaprinted,stapledcollectionwithacover.Thistutor’saccountseemsfairlytypical:

We produce a magazine every year. Start the work in September. “Anybody want to write anything for the magazine?’’ We make about 60 copies. Done in a bit of a rush. Produced in time for Christmas. (Tutor, Cork Prison, interview, January 2006)

Inthissection,wesuggestwaysinwhichstudentpublishingcouldbedesignedasacourseallowingexistingstudents

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tobetheeditorsoftheircentre’spublication–andinsodoing,exerciseanddeveloptheirskillsandexperienceacrossnumeracy,writing,reading,andspeakingandlistening.Attheendofeithercourse,studentswouldbeabletoshowevidenceoftheirlearningintheformofaportfolioofnotesofmeetingsanddraftsofwriting.TheywouldalsobeabletomapthisevidencetospecificlearningoutcomessetoutbyFETAC.

Herearesketchoutlinesoftwosuchcourses.Thefirstentailsstudentsproducingandeditingtheirownwritinginthespaceofa5-weekcourse,actingasauthorsandeditors.Thesecond,spacedover10weeks,involvesthemaseditorsofwritingbyotherstudents–commissioningandorganisingtheworkandactingaseditorsandpublishers.

Course 1: ‘Making a book’ 5 sessions over 5 weeks

Overallaim:toprovideapracticalcourseintheprocessofdrafting,editing,revising,proof-readingandpublishingapublicationofwritingandphotographsbythegroup.Bookprintrun:10-20copies

Learningobjectives:toenablestudentsto:• gainexperienceandskillsinwritingforareadership;• developtheirabilitytoreaddraftwritingbypeerswiththe

eyeofaneditor;• identifyfeaturesofwritingthatmakeitinterestingtoread;• acquireandapplytechniquesofproof-reading;• exercisetheirskillsindecision-makinginagroup.

Duringthespanofthecourse,studentswould:• examinetheconstituentpartsofpublishedcollections

(contentspages,publisher’sblurb,andsoon);• agreeatopicandworkplantoproducetheirownand

haveafirstgoatwritingsomethingonthetopic;• haveafirstcarefulread-aroundandguidedfeedback.

Theywouldthenre-readtheirworkandaddtoit,andhaveasecondread-aroundandfeedback.Bythistime,itmaybeweekthreeorfourandthetutorwillneedtomakecopiesofthewholesetofdraftssothateachstudenthasaset.

Thereistimeatthisstageforaread-through.Somepracticeinproof-readingcouldbeincludedaswellasagreement

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onthesequencethepiecesshouldappearin,afewintroductorywordstothereaderastoprocessandatitlechoice.Apublishingeventcouldcompletethecourseorfollowit,towhichfamilyandfriendscouldbeinvited.

Course 2: ‘Producing a magazine’5 sessions over 10 weeks

Overallaim:toprovideapracticalcourseincommissioning,collectingandproducingamagazinecontainingavarietyofwriting.Toplan,carryoutandreviewaproductiontimetablefromfirstmeetingtocelebrationeveningofpublication.Magazineprintrun:30-50copies

Objectives:toenablestudentsto:• gainexperienceofproducingapublication;• developtheirabilitytoreadwritingbypeerswiththeeyeof

aneditor;• identifyfeaturesofwritingthatmakeitinteresting

toread;• acquireandapplyconstructivewaysofgivingfeedbackto

peers;• exercisetheirskillsindecision-makingasagroup.

Duringthespanofthecourse,studentswould:• agreepurpose,plan,timetable;• examinesamplesofpreviouslypublishedmagazinesand

discusscontentanddesignideas;• draftandsendinvitationtootherstudentstocontribute

writing,puzzles,pictures;• collect,shareandreadsubmissions,discussfeedbackto

authors,sendorgiveittothem,considersequenceandintroduction;

• readandagreefinalversion,checkforerrors,agreetitleandlayout,completeandsendoffforprinting,draftandsendinvitationtolaunch.

Theseareideasforcourses.Timingandcontentcouldofcoursebeadaptedtosuitcircumstances.Astoevaluation,itwouldbeimportanttocollectstudentviewsofhowtheyexperiencedthelearning.Itwouldbesensibletoallowafewdays’intervalbeforeaskingthemfortheirreflections.Asalways,thecourseaimsandlearningobjectivesprovidethematerialagainstwhichevaluationcouldbeinvited.

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ThegridbelowoffersexamplesofhoweitherofthesecoursescouldenablestudentstocollectevidencethatwouldfulfilvariousFETAClearningoutcomes,accordingtotheirlevelofabilityandparticipationinthework.Tofullysatisfyagivencomponent–forexample,writingatLevel2orshapeandspaceatLevel1–therewouldneedtobemorelearningoutcomesdemonstrated(anaverageofsixpercomponent).

Level1 Level2Writing Writefordifferentpersonalandsocially

relevantaudiencesWrite,includingdrafting,atleastfivesentencessothattheyconveymeaningorinformation

Usesomerulesfwritingappropriately UsetherulesofwritingappropriatelyUsearangeofdifferentformsofwritingtosuitpurposeandaudience

Speakingandlistening

Exploreideasandnewvocabularythatisrelevantandappropriatetoapersonalsituation

Askquestionstogaininformation

Communicateaboutpast,presentandfutureactivities

Expressopinions,factsandfeelingsappropriately

Quantityandnumber Recognisethelanguageofmathematicsineverydaysituationsusingelementarylanguage

Estimatequantitiestothenearestvalueofinbroadterms

Shapeandspace Usethelanguageofmeasurementinrelationtoshapeandform

Recognisetherelationshipbetweenareaandvolume

Reading Demonstrateawarenessoftextconventions,printmaterialandthealphabet

Usesimplerulesandtextconventionsthatsupportmeaning

Usewordidentificationstrategies UsereadingstrategiesQuantitativeproblemsolving

Findasolutiontoareallifequantitativeproblem

Settinglearninggoals Identifyasmallrangeofshortmedium-termlearningaspirations

Discussdifferentwaysoflearning

Different kinds of publishing52

Therearedifferentkindsofstudentpublishinginadultbasiceducation,eachwithitsownpurpose,intendedreadership,formatpossibilitiesandhidden‘message’.It’simportanttobeclearwhichkindofprojectthisisgoingtobe.Ifit’stocelebrateachievement,thenitshouldn’tbejudgedinthesamewayasa‘literaryproduction’.Thisiswhereanintroductionormagazineeditorialcanbehelpful:itexplainshowthebookormagazinewasproducedandwhoitsintendedreadershipmightbe.

Context 2:Ideas andresearch

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Context2:Ideasandresearch

Inthissectionisadigestofkeyresearchinfluencesonthisguide.Pleasedonotregarditasacompleteexpositionofallresearchthatmightberelevant.Seeit,rather,asabriefindicationoftheworkinIrelandandelsewherewhichhascontributedtotheconcepts,principlesandstrategiesthatadduptoawell-supportedcurriculumforchangeinadultbasiceducation.Referencesaregiventofurthersources.

Literacy and numeracy as social practice

Researchstudiessincethe1970shaveshownthatusesofliteracyandnumeracychangefromplacetoplace.Bythat,theydonotmeanthe ability to read and write and manipulate numbers changes,butthe way in which people use written and numerical language.53Aparticularfocusonliteracyhasgiventhistheheading‘literacyasasocialpractice.’54

Theideaofliteracyandnumeracyassomething we do,invariousways,forvariousreasons,introducedachangetoearlierideas,particularlyaboutliteracy.Untilthe1970s,a‘greatdivide’theoryhaddominated,holdingthatsocietieswereeitherprimarilyoral(andmoreprimitive)orprimarilyliterate(andmorecapableofrationalthought).55Bycontrast,researcherssincethenhavearguedthatwecanonlyproperlyunderstandthewayinwhichanyindividualorgroupusesliteracyornumeracyifwepayattentiontothecontextinwhichtheyusethesethings.Thiscontextisnotonlythephysicalsettingortiming–thekitchen,thebettingshop,thejobinterview–butalsothepurposesandrelationshipsofthepeopleinvolved.Alongwiththeconceptofcontext,socialpracticetheoristshavealsoofferedthoseofthe‘event’(observablebehaviour)andthe‘practice’(value,habitorcustom).Aliteracyeventmightentailtwopeopleworkingoutwhattowriteforapostergivingasafetywarning.Theeventispartofa‘dominant’literacypractice,whereby–inourculture,atthistime–for

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theretobelegalevidencethatawarninghasbeengiven,thatevidenceneedstobewritten.56

Ourmoreeverydayactivitiesof,say,workingoutwhattowriteonagreetingcardhavebeencalled‘vernacular’literacypractices.(Inbothcases,itmaybehelpfultonoticethattheword‘practice’isveryclosetothemorecommonword‘habit’or‘custom’).

Asocialpracticeviewofnumeracy,likethatofliteracy,showsthatthereismuchgoingonineverydaylifethatgoesunnoticed.Studiesofmathsandnumeracyinadults’liveshavefoundthatpeopleregardthemathstheycandoas‘justcommonsense’;itisthemathstheyfinddifficulttodothattheycall‘mathematics’.57Otherstudieshaveshown,too,thatitisschoolmathsthatmanyfinddifficult,notthemathstheydealwithallthetime.Inastudyofhowchildrenandadultsusemathematics,researchersobservedandinterviewedchildrenandadultsusingmathematicsatwork(streetmaths),andthenaskedthemtoperformrelated‘schoolmaths’tasks.58Theyfoundthatinthe‘street’,problemsolvingwentonallthetimeby‘thementalmanipulationofquantities’.Intheschool-typesituations,theemphasisonthesymbolsthatrepresentedthequantitiesandperformancewasseenaspoor.59Their‘schoolmaths’wasweak;their‘streetmaths’strong.

AsJulietMerrifieldhaspointedout,recentcognitiveandsocio-culturalresearchhasrecognisedlearningtobe:

‘a process of making meaning – of organising and interpreting experience’. In this understanding, learning is both ‘a cognitive process (happening in the mind) and a social process (shaped by community assumptions about values, meanings and purposes).’60

UrsulaColeman’sworkontheeducationalbiographiesof136adultbasiceducationlearners(almostallofwhomhadhaddirectexperienceofbeinglabelledas‘lackinginability’atschool)andlater,inthecurriculumdevelopmentprojectsheledwithstudentsandtutors(drawingontheworkofVygotsky),hasdrawnattentiontotheconnectionstobemadebetweencarefullystructuredlearning,languageandcognitivedevelopment.61

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To say that learning is a social process, as Juliet Merrifield comments, is not to say that all learning has to happen in a group, or to deny our human ability to create individual meanings. It does argue that our social context shapes our understanding.62

Curriculum for change

AusefulsourceforcurriculumtheoryinadultlearningistheworkofMarkSmithwhosewebsite,theEncyclopaediaofInformalEducation,isbothscholarlyandaccessible.63Amodelofcurriculumwhich‘makesanexplicitcommitmenttoemancipation’isthemodelbasedontheideaof‘praxis’.Praxis,heexplains:

‘is not simply action based on reflection. It is action which embodies certain qualities. These include a commitment to human well-being, the search for truth and respect for others.’

Inherbookonthis,ShirleyGrundyarguesthatacurriculumisnotjustaboutlearning‘things’butisasocialact.Theviewofcurriculumaspraxis,sheargues,regardsthelearningenvironmentassocial,notjustphysical,andregardsanexclusivelyindividualisedapproachtoinstructionassomethingtobequestioned.‘Curriculumaspraxis’meanssaying:• knowledgeissomethingwhichpeopletogetherconstruct;• criticallearningisnotlearningtobenegative,butengaging

in‘aprocessofdiscernment’;• thewholeteachingandlearningactivityisinformedby

anemancipatoryinterest–afreeingorliberating–whichexpectsbothtostartwithandtotransformthelearner’sexperience.64

TheBrazilianeducatorPaoloFreireisthesourcemostcloselyassociatedwithideasabout‘praxis’asacombinationofactionandreflection.Histheoreticalanalysesandlearningandteachingmethodologiestransformedadultliteracyinboththedevelopingandtheindustrialisedworld.Freireidentifiedthreestagesoflearning:taskrelatedactivities,activitiesconcernedwithpersonalrelationshipsand‘concretisation’activities(perceivingtherealityofoppressionbutbelievinginthepossibilityofchange).Headvocatedalearningcycle,whichstartswithexperience,leadstoaction,thentofurtherreflection

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andactionagain.65(Wecanseesomelinkswithourcurriculumdevelopmentspiralhere).Essentialtothisprocessisdialogue.

IntheliteratureonFreire’swork,thereisastressonhisinterestinlearningashavingcollectivebenefits.Educationforliberationandemancipationisacollectiveeducationalactivitywhichhasasitsgoalsocialandpoliticaltransformation.66Ifpersonaldevelopmenttakesplace,itdoessowithinthatcontext.

NALA’sdebttoFreireisacknowledgedintheGuidelines for Good Adult Literacy Practice (NALA2005a:9-10)and,forashorttime,thetrialinIrelandofanexplicitlyFreireanprojectknownasREFLECT67.AfusionofFreireanprincipleswiththepracticeof‘participatoryruralappraisal’,designedandpilotedoriginallyforuseindevelopingcountries,REFLECTengagesparticipantsincreatingtheirownmaterials:

In a REFLECT programme there is…no pre-printed materials except a manual for the literacy practitioners. Each literacy circle develops its own materials through the construction of maps, matrices, calendars and diagrams that represent local reality, systematise the existing knowledge of participants and promote the detailed analysis of local issues. (Archer and Cottingham1996: 6)68

Between1997and1999,ActionAidIrelandworkedtoexploretheapplicationofREFLECTinIreland,withthesupportofvariousorganisationsincludingNALA.Aconferenceandtrainingoftrainerworkshopsincludedexplorationofparticipatorymethodologies.69Oneoftheworkshopparticipants,RosamundPhillips,recalledthatsheusedthesemethodologieswiththreedifferentgroups:studentsfromliteracycentresinDublinCityandDublinNorthEastwishingtosetupanationalforumforstudents;womenliteracystudentsinalocalcommunityinDunLaoghaire;andagroupofadultsonaBackToEducationInitiative.Ineachcase,sheusedamapordiagramtoexploretheissuesanddiscusswhattodo.Workwithreading,writingandnumberskillsdevelopedwiththesecondandthirdofhergroupsbutwerenotthefocusofworkinthefirst.Asshereflected:

It is really important that students do not feel they are being treated like children. Some of the REFLECT tools and

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materials could appear childish and/or contrived (making models. maps, drawing, etc) and the reasons for using them need to be real and carefully explained.70

Multiple intelligences

Inthe1980s,apsychologistcalledHowardGardinerledaprojectatHarvardBusinessSchoolcalled‘TeachingforUnderstanding’basedontheworkhehadbeendoingonthis.Hisresearchfindingshadchallengedearlierassumptionsaboutinheritedorinnateintelligence,arguinginsteadforanunderstandingofintelligenceasarangeofhumancapacitiesdescribedbyeightdifferentintelligences.

InIreland,theseideasweretakenupinafour-yearstudytodevelopworkintheschoolcurriculum.71InalaterstudyinAmerica,practitionerresearchersinadultbasiceducationexploredwaysinwhichthetheorycouldhelpliteracyandnumeracywork.Theyfoundthatapproachesinspiredbymultipleintelligencestheory,couldlessenstudents’mathsanxietyandpromoteademocraticclassroomenvironmentinpopulareducation.72

Thechartbelowprovidesasummaryoftheeightintelligences,theirkeyabilities,everydayusesandtherolesanddomainsinwhicheachmightberequired.Thisgridshowsthecodeusedforeachintelligence:

Codeword Full title

Wordsmart Linguisticintelligence

Logicsmart Logical-mathematicalintelligence

Bodysmart Bodily-kinaestheticintelligence

Peoplesmart Interpersonalintelligence

Selfsmart Intrapersonalintelligence

Musicsmart Musicalintelligence

Picturesmart Spatialintelligence

Naturesmart Naturalistintelligence

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Word

smart

Logic

smart

Bod

y smart

People

smart

SelfSm

artM

usic smart

Picture sm

artN

ature smart

Key

abilities

Sensemaking

thro

ugh

languag

e

Facilityinuseo

fnum

bers

andlo

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thinking

Ab

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contro

lallo

risolated

p

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bo

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Sensitivityto

mo

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s,feeling

s,b

eliefsand

intentionso

fo

therpeo

ple

Self-kno

wled

ge

Creating

and

com

municating

m

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m

sound

Ab

ilityrecreateim

agesfro

m

mem

ory

Ab

ilityto

classifyand

disting

uishfeatureso

ftheenviro

nment

Everyd

ayuses

Writing

aletter

Solving

p

uzzlesM

ending

so

mething

intricate

Asking

o

rgiving

d

irections;

parenting

Relig

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practices

Ap

preciating

aso

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Finding

ones

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unfamiliar

tow

n

Gard

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Org

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collectio

ns

Ro

les,d

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ainsTeaching

,co

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nitting,

bud

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Dancing

,sig

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interpreting

Neg

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,co

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rganising

Inspiring

o

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po

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Pianotuning

,cheerlead

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arpentry,

athleticsTreew

arden,

chef

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Effective practice in teaching

Between2003and2007,theNRDCconductedmajornewstudiesinEnglandaimedatunderstandingwhatenablesstudentstomakeprogressintheirlearningofreading,writingandnumeracy73.Altogether,theseinquiriesmetwithsome1,000students.

Theresearchersexploredattitudechangeaswellaslearningachievement.Theyinterviewedtutorsandstudentsandundertookdetailedlogsofclassroomobservationsacrossmanysitesinvariedsettings.

Amongthekeyfindingswere:– muchofwhatconstitutesgoodpracticedependsonwhereit

happensandwithwhom;– lessexperiencedtutorstendtobemorereliantonteaching

‘scriptedclasses’whichmaynotbewellattunedtoclassroomdiversity;

– moreexperiencedtutorstendtobeawareofthewidercontext,andreadiertorespondandadaptasissuesariseintheclassroom.

Thefindingsonworkingingroupswereinteresting.Inthereadingstudy,studentswhospentmoretimeworkinginpairsmadebetterprogress.Inthenumeracystudy,studentsdidbetterwhentheyhadworkedinpairsorgroups.Inthewritingstudy,studentswhoprogressedwellwerethosewhohadbeengiventimefordiscussionofwritingtasksinthefullgroup.

Amongotherfindingsandrecommendationswere:fornumeracy(243)74– adultnumeracyeducationshouldbeseenaspartof

mathematicseducationandasadiscretesubjectinrelationtoadultliteracy;

– tutorsneedafirmgraspofsubjectandpedagogicalknowledgetoenablethemtobeflexibleintheirapproaches.

forreading(454):– studentswhospenttimeinself-studybetweenclassesmade

betterprogress;– studentswereprogressingandachieving,supportedby

regularattendance;

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– tutorsneedtodevelopstrategiestobalancepairandgroupworkwithtimegivenovertostudentsworkingalone(allthestudentsresearchedwerelearningingroupsratherthanone-to-onetuition);

– studentswhospentlesstimeworkingaloneinclassmadebetterprogress,

forwriting(341):– demonstrableprogressinwriting–particularlyfreewriting,

exploredinthisstudy–cannotbeachievedquickly;– tutorsneedtoencouragestudentstocomposetheirown

textsandsupportthemtodothisthroughthecarefulsettingupofwritingtasksanduseoftalk;

– tutorsneedtoapproachthetechnicalwritingskillswithinthecontextofmeaningfulwritingtasksratherthandecontextualisedexercises.

SeeEffective Practice Studies Reports(NRDC:2007)

Student empowerment

NALA’sworkinthisareahasnotbeenpresentedasresearchbutcontainstheingredientsofaconsistentandlong-termactionresearcheffort.Theworkhasevolvedovertime.Therehavebeenconferences,grants,meetingsandtraininginitiatives;thereisarigourinplanningandevaluation.Theworkengagesparticipantsinthefindings,inaprocessofreviewandre-directiondrivenbyinsightsgainedateachstage.Thesearesomeofthesignpostsinthework:• In1986,thefirstnationalmeetingofABEstudents75was

held,withanattendanceofover60.• In1989,Irelandwastheonlycountrytosendstudentstotake

partinaworkshoponlearners’perspectivesataconferenceoftheEuropeanBasicEducation/LiteracyNetworkinFrance.

• From1998,studentshavebeeninvolvedintheprocessofdevelopingtheQualityFramework.

Eachyear,VECadultliteracyserviceshavebeengrantedfundstosupportdevelopmentwithstudents.Thisprocesshasincludedthedevelopmentofstudentcommitteesandofcommitteeskillsandpublicspeaking.Suchdevelopmentsareparticularlyrelevanttotheideaof‘emancipation’attheheartofthiscurriculumframework.

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‘Emancipation’–theextralayertotheideaof‘empowerment’–hastodowithoneofthewaysthat‘power’itselfmaybeunderstood,asMargaretMurray,NALADevelopmentWorkerobserves:

Gender training theorists have shown that it can be understand in two ways: • power within – the self-confidence, self-awareness and

assertiveness that individuals may gain; • power without – the energy of people organising with

a common purpose or understanding to achieve collective goals.

AsMargaretnotes:‘Onepersoncannotempoweranother.However,theycanfacilitateempowerment.’(NALA:2004a)Arisingfromherownworkincommunitydevelopmentandfromstudents’experiencesofregionalstudentforumsandtheNALAStudentSub-committee,Margaretpostedupausefullistof‘hintsandtips’forsettingupstudentcommittees(April2005),tobefoundonwww.nala.ie/students.

AlsoofrelevancehereisworkbyNALAoncitizenshipandparticipation.SeeespeciallyNALA(2005a)and(2006d).

Students as peer tutorsNoelleO’Dwyer’sresearch76intostudentsaspeertutorsillustratesanotherwayinwhichwecanempowerstudentsintheirlearning.Heraimwastodiscoverthebestwayforstudentstosupporteachother,notto‘alertlearnersandpractitionerstopeertutoringasthoughitweresomethingentirelynew’,butrathertooffersome‘clearsignposts’forpractitionersinterestedtosupplementtheireffortstoencouragecollaborativetechniques.Thiswasasmall-scaleactionresearchprojectanditsinterestforalearning-centredcurriculumforchangeisconsiderable.

Inordertoexploretheuseofpeertutoring,shecarriedoutawidereviewofexistingliteratureonpeertutoringwhich,priortoherwork,hadbeenmostlyontheuseofpeertutoringamongchildreninschoolsettings.Theliteratureseemedtosuggestthatimprovedconfidencewouldbethemainresultofpeertutoringbutthattherecouldbethepossibilityofthebenefitsbetweentutorandtuteebeingunequal.

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Shethenspenttimeinterviewingandworkingwithnineadultliteracystudentsattendingaweeklyclassinanoutreachcentreoftheserviceforwhichsheworks.Thegroupsheresearchedalsoreportedself-esteemastheirmaingainfromtheprocess.Whilepeertutoringmightsoundlikeawayforthetutorhimselforherselftobeoutofajob,sheactuallyfoundthatstudentsexpectedtobenolessactive–theemphasisbeingonfacilitating,ratherthandepositingknowledge(wemightevensay,on‘emancipating’).

Fromherobservationoftheadultstudents,Noellefoundthatwhattheyexpectedofagoodteacher,theywerealsoshowingintheirinteractionswitheachother(‘listening’,‘encouraging’and‘praising’).Shefoundthatthebestapproachtopeertutoringinanadultbasiceducationclasswasonewhichemphasisedinformalcollaborativeactivitiesbasedonfamiliartopicsandwhichencouragedfreediscussion.

Thisappearedtoworkbetterthan‘iftheywereinvolvedintasksthatresultinarightorwronganswer’.(Section7.1)Shealsofoundthatstudentsweremorecomfortableofferingeachothertutoringsupportinagroupthaninone-to-onearrangements.Andfinally,shenotedthatthetutor’sroleasguideiscrucialtothestudents;thestudentssheinterviewedwantedatutortosteerthemintherightdirectionandimpartknowledge.

Numeracy

InIreland,aselsewhere,practitionersareinvolvedinenergeticdebatesaboutnumeracy.Thisnoteisanattempttosignpostreadersofthisguidetowardssomekeyissuesinthesedebatesandtowardssomeusefulsources.

NALAhassupportedthedevelopmentofviewsabouttheconnectionsbetweenliteracyandnumeracyandbetweennumeracyandmathematicsandhassoughttodothisinwayswhichincludestudentsandpractitioners.NALArecognises(2004b:15)thatthereisno‘unifiedconceptofnumeracyamongserviceproviderswhoarenotoperatingtoagenerallyagreedvisionorconceptofnumeracy’,andisengagingpractitionersinongoingdiscussionsaboutthekeyissues.ThereisthusadynamicrelationshipbetweenstatementsinNALApublicationsandthinkingamongserviceproviders.Theviewsdescribedhereas‘NALA’positionsreflectthisongoingdiscussion.

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Numeracy and literacyHownumeracyisviewedwithrespecttoliteracyisperhapsparticularlyimportant.NALApositionsnumeracyaspartofliteracy77butalsoaccordsitaseparatedefinition.78Whileacknowledgingthatnumeracy’sassociationwithliteracygivesitstrength,italsopromotestheviewthatthereisaneedtodevelopnumeracyinitsownright.TheNALAdevelopmentplanalsoexplicitlyseekstolearnfromnumeracydevelopmentinothercountries(inparticularAustralia,Canada,Denmark,theUnitedKingdomandtheUSA).Indescribingthesedevelopments,itsituatesnumeracyinrelationtodebatesaboutliteracyorliteracies.Thesedebatesoftenfocusonhowmathematicalthinkingmightbeused,withanemphasisonitsusetoassistchoiceanddecision-makinginsociety.Sometimesthepurposesarefocussedtightlyonworkor‘everyday’purposes,butinothercontextsthefocusisbroaderandincludestheuseofnumeracy/mathematicstointerpretandchangesocialandeconomicconditions.

WhiletheNALA2004definitionofnumeracyzoomsinon‘themathematicaldemandsofreallifesituationssuchaseverydayliving,work-relatedsettingsandinfurthereducation’,italsotakesahigh-levelviewthatnumeracyshouldcontributetothemakingof‘effectivechoices…inourevolvingtechnologicalandknowledge-basedsociety’.

What counts as numerate behaviour?Drawingonideasfromthesecontexts,NALAhasproducedacomprehensivestatementaboutwhatconstitutes‘numeratebehaviour’.Inthisstatement,numeracyismuchmorethan‘procedural’mathematicsand‘skills’,andnumeratebehaviourismuchmorethanthepracticalapplicationofproceduralmathematics;itisessentiallyaboutmanaginglifechoices.

Numerate behaviour involves managing a situation or solving a problem in a real context…by responding to… information about mathematical ideas…that is represented in a range of ways…and requires activation of a range of… [knowledge and skills]. (NALA 2004b: 17)

Numeracy and mathematicsNALAhasalsomadeexplicitconnectionsbetweennumeracyandmathematics.Inapaper(Maguire2006)writtenfornumeracytutors,NALAchallengesitsmemberorganisationstoworktowardsaparticular(integrative)viewwhich‘recognises

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theintegrationofmathematics,communication,cultural,social,emotionalandpersonalaspectsofeachindividual’snumeracyincontext’.Intandemwiththisthinking,NALAarticulatesanaspirationtocreatenumeracyprovisionwhich,drawingonCoben(2002)offersboth‘highusevalueandhighexchangevalue’.Thatis,it‘buildsonthepracticesandprocessesinadults’liveswhileatthesametimemeetingtherequirementsforaccreditationormeasurableoutcomes’.Theguideincludesseveralreferencestopracticeinwhichtutorsareworkingtowardsthisaspiration.

Approaches to mathematics and to teachingImplicitalsointheNALAthinkingabout‘numeracyincontext’arequestionsabouthowanindividualteacher’sphilosophicalpositionaboutmathematicsmayrelatetoherorhisapproachtoteachingnumeracy.Indiscussionslargelyisolatedfromthinkingaboutadultliteracyorliteracies,mathematiciansandmathematics/numeracyeducatorsinsideandoutsideIrelandhavedebatedtheseissues.

AccordingtoErnest(1991)forexample,ateacherwhostronglybelievesthatmathematicalknowledgeistheretobediscovered–ratherthancreated–maybelikelytoadopta‘transmission’approachtoteaching;whereassomebodywhotakestheviewthatmathematicalknowledgeissociallyconstructedmaybemorelikelytoencouragestudentstoseethemselvesasvaliddevelopersofmathematicalthinking.Similarly,ateacherwhothinksofmathematicsasasetofskillsratherthanasetofsocialpracticesmaytendtoaskstudentstomoveinalinearwayupaladder-likestructurefromwholenumberstodecimals;whereasateachermoreinfluencedbyasocialpracticemodelmaybeconvincedthatstudentscansuccessfullytacklereal-lifeproblemsinvolvingdecimalseventhoughtheyhavenotyetfully‘mastered’wholenumbercalculations.

Suchtheoreticalpositionsaboutthenatureofmathematicsdonot,ofcourse,oftentranslatesimplyintonumeracytutors’pedagogicalpractice.Forrecentdiscussionoftheseissues,youmightliketolookatMalcolmSwan’s(2006)Collaborative Learning in Mathematics.Foronlinedebateaboutmathematicsandnumeracyteaching,youmightalsoliketovisitthewebsiteofthe(English)NationalCentreforExcellenceinTeachingMathematics,www.ncetm.org.uk.

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GlossaryoftermsThetermslistedhereconcernmethodsofteachingandlearningadultliteracyandnumeracy.Someofthoselistedhavebeenusedinthetextofthisguide;others,tutorswillencounterinfurtherreading.Tutorscanchoosefromthosewhichbestsuittheirpurpose.

cloze–anapproachtoteaching‘readingformeaning’.Theideaistoencouragestudentstodosomeintelligentguessing,fromwhatcomesbeforeandafter,astowhatwordmightbeneededtofillagapinagivensentenceorpassage.Tutorsdeletecertainwordsandinvitestudentstosupplywhat’smissing.Itisimportantthatanyanswerthatprovidespossiblemeaningshouldbeallowed,ratherthanmerelythewordthathappenstohavebeendeleted.Ifstudentshavebeenworkingonmetalanguagetutorsmightwanttodeletecertainpartsofspeech(e.g.adjectives,conjunctions).Itismoreusualtoprovidetheexerciseasafollow-uptoatextthathasalreadybeenread,tosupportstudentsintheireffortstoreadstrategically.

cognitive conflict (in mathematics/numeracy)–theideathatit’sproductivetounearthandexplorethesometimesconflictingmathematicalideaspeoplehave.(Seealso‘mistakesandmisconceptions’)

collaborative learning (in mathematics/numeracy)–peopledevelopmathematicalunderstandingandcompetencemoreeffectivelyandefficientlyiftheydiscussideasandmethods,exploreapparentcontradictionsandtrytounderstandeachothers’approaches.Atermoftenusedtodistancethisapproachfromonebasedonacquiringproceduralcompetencethroughindividualpractice.

comprehension–thelevelofunderstandingofawrittentextorspokenutterance.Withliteralcomprehension,thereaderhasaccesstothesurfacedetailsofthetext,andcanrecalldetailsthathavebeendirectlyrelated.Withinferentialcomprehension,thereadercanreadmeaningsthatarenotdirectlyexplained.Forexample,thereaderwouldbeabletomakeinferencesaboutthetimeofyearfrominformationgivenabouttemperature,weather,etc.andfromcharacters’behaviouranddialogue.Withevaluativecomprehension,thereadercanofferanopinionontheeffectivenessofthetextforitspurpose.

connectionism (in mathematics/numeracy)–theideathatmathematicalconceptsformaninterconnectedwebofmeaning,andthatteachingismoreeffectivewhenithelpsstudentsexploreandcreatethatweb.Forexample,youcansee¾inseveralways:• it’swhateachpersongetsiffourpeoplesharethreesomethingsequally;• it’swhatonepersonisleftwithifshetakesawholesomething,splitsitinto4equalpiecesand

gives3ofthepiecesaway;• it’sa‘divisionwaitingtobedone’i.e.ifyoupunch3intoacalculatorandthendivideitby4,

whereuponyougettheanswer0.75,whichalsomeansthreequarters;

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• itdoesn’tmeanverymuchunlessyouknowwhatit’sthreequartersof…becausethreequartersofmysalarymightnotbethesameasthreequartersofyours

Connectionistteacherssupportstudentstomakealltheseconnections,andarelikelytodosoiteratively,revisitingandaddingtothewebofmeaningfromtimetotime.Theyarealsolikelytochallengestudentstoexpressandthusbuildtheirownunderstandings.

critical literacyAttheheartofthisapproachtoteachingisthebeliefthatwhileliteracyenablesstudentstomakemeaningfromtexts,criticalliteracywillempowerthemtounderstandhowtextsaretryingtoinfluenceandchangethemasmembersofsociety.Accordingtoproponentsofcriticalliteracy,itisnotsimplyameansofattainingliteracyinthesenseofimprovingtheabilitytodecodewords,syntax,etc.;theimportantthingisbeingabletohaveadiscussionwithothersaboutthedifferentmeaningsatextmighthaveandteachingthepotentiallycritically-literatelearnerhowtothinkflexiblyaboutit.

explicit/implicit knowledgeNativespeakersofalanguageknowimplicitlyhowtheirlanguageworksthroughusingit.Beingspecificallytaughtaboutaspectsofform,structureandusagemakesimplicitknowledgeexplicit,enablinglearnerstoconsciouslythinkandtalkabouthowthelanguageworks,andhowtheyuseitthemselves.

genreUsinga‘genreapproach’toteachwritinghasgainedacertainpopularityinadultliteracyandlanguageteaching.Originallyusedtorefertoanidentifiablecategoryortypeofliterarycomposition(e.g.novel,drama,shortstory,poetry,autobiography),theword‘genre’isnowusedmorewidelytorefertodifferenttypesofwrittenform,literaryandnon-literary(e.g.story,list,letter).Studentscanbeencouragedtonoticethedifferentfeaturesofeachandofferedawritingframe(openingphrasesofparagraphs,andsuggestedvocabulary)towritetheirown.

higher order/open questions (in mathematics/numeracy)Questionswhichdomorethan“guesswhat’sintheteacher’smind”.Forexample“Givemeapairofnumbersthataddto50…nowgivemeadifferentpair”,or“Ifyoucutapieceoffashapedoesitsperimeterstaythesame,increaseordecrease?”Or“Ifyouaddtwooddnumbers,willtheanswerbeoddoreven?”

investigations and puzzles (Seealso“higher-orderquestions”) –exploringasituationmathematically,notnecessarilytosolvea“real-world”problem,buttoseewherethethinkingleads.Essentiallythismeansaskingthe“whatif”question.Itisoftenassociatedwithmathematicalpuzzle-solving,wheretheproblemisatleastinitiallyofinterestmainlyasanintellectualexercise.Forexample,whentenpeoplemeetatapartyandeverybodyshakeshandswitheverybodyelse,howmanyhandshakesoccur?Whatiftherewere20people?Wouldthenumberdouble?”Investigators:

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• makemathematicalmodels(perhapsusingdrawings,realobjectsetc)ofthepuzzle,gathersomedata;

• generalisefromthedatatocreateahypothesis;• testthehypothesisagainstmoredata;• iterativelycometoarefinedmodel,perhapsaccompaniedbyageneral“rule”whichsolves”

thepuzzle.

Forthehandshakepuzzle,groupsofstudentsmightshakehandswitheachother,drawdiagramstoshowthesequence,trythisoutwithgroupsofdifferentsizes,andcomeupwiththeideathatyoucancalculatethenumberofhandshakesbymultiplyingthenumberofpeopleatthepartybythenumberofpeoplelessone,anddividingyouranswerbytwo.

language experience–anapproachtolearningthatusesthelearner’sownwordstoprovidethebasisforreadingandwriting.Tutorandstudentworkstogethertoproduceatextbasedonsomethingthestudenthassaid–usually,butnotalways,aboutthemselves–inordertohavethebasisofsomethingfamiliarforthestudenttouseeitherasreadingmaterialorasthestartofapieceofwriting.Usuallydoneonanindividualbasis,itcanalsobeusedwithagroup,withthetutoractingasscribe,inordertoproduceacollaborativepieceofwriting,whetherapoemoraletter.

mathematical eyes –viewingtheworldthroughamathematicalfilter;seeingthemathematicalaspectsineverydaysituations,beingawareofhowmathematicshasbeenusedtoshapeeverydayobjectsorsituations.Forexample,becomingawarethatmathematicalmodellingunderliesdecisionsabouthowtodistributepublicgoodssuchashealthservices,thatsupermarketsusemathematicallybasedweatherforecastswhentheyaredecidinghowmuchsaladtostock,orthatcrystalsandwallpaperpatternsexhibitthesamekindsofsymmetry.

metalanguageThisisthelanguageweusewhentalkingaboutlanguageitself.Itincludeswordslikesentence,noun,paragraph,preposition,andthustospecifywhichbitofwritingorreadingwearenoticing.Acquisitionofmetalanguageisseenasacrucialstepindevelopingawarenessofandproficiencyincommunication,particularlyinwrittenlanguage.

mistakes and misconceptions (in mathematics/numeracy)–theideathat‘mistakes’maysometimesbeintelligentover-generalisations.Forexample,peoplemaythinkthat“multiplyingmakesnumbersbigger”,butthenfinditsurprisingwhensomebodytellsthemthat0.4x0.3equals0.12(whichissmallerthaneither0.4or0.3).Tokeeptheir“multiplyingmakesthingsbigger”ruleintact,theymaythenshiftthedecimalpointandendupwithananswerof“1.2”Teachersandstudentscantreatthissituationasevidenceofmuddledthinking,orcansee“multiplyingmakesthingsbigger”asanover-generalisationfromaperhapsmorefamiliarworldofwholenumbers;theycanthenexplorethelimitsofthegeneralisation.Seealso“rulesandtools”and“connectionistteaching”.

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mnemonic–adevicetoaidmemory.Theyareparticularlyusefulforsomestudentsasatechniquetorememberparticularspellingpatterns,e.g.‘Igohometonight’forthepattern‘–ight’;or‘there’sarat’in‘separate’torememberthatitis‘a’ratherthan‘e’inthemiddlesyllableofthisword.

modelling (see also “mathematical eyes”) –theideathattousemathematicseffectivelyasaproblem-solvingtool,ithelpsto:• makeamentalmodelofthesituation;• identifytheaspectscanberepresentedmathematically;• makeamathematicalmodel;• chooseanduseappropriatemathematicaltools;• testthemodelusingarangeofdata;• reflectontheresultsinthecontextoftheoriginalsituation;• decidewhetherandhowtousetheresults;• communicateyourideasappropriately.

numeracy NALAdefinesnumeracyas‘alifeskillthatinvolvesthecompetentuseofmathematicallanguage,knowledgeandskills’.

phoneme –thesmallestcontrastiveunitofsoundinaword.Aphonememayhavevariantpronunciationsindifferentpositions;forexample,thefirstandlastsoundsintheword‘little’arevariantsofthephoneme/l/.Aphonememayberepresentedbyone,two,threeorfourletters.Thefollowingwordsendinthesamephoneme(withthecorrespondinglettersunderlined):to,sho,through.

phonic –relatingtovocal,orspeech,sounds.Asapluralnoun,phonicsdenotesamethodofteachingreadingandspellingthatisbasedonestablishingthelinkbetweenthesoundofawordanditsgraphicalrepresentation.

phonological awareness–awarenessofsoundswithinwords,demonstrated,forexample,bytheabilitytosegmentandblendcomponentsoundsandtorecogniseandgeneratesoundpatternssuchasrhyme.

rules and tools (in mathematics/numeracy)–theideathatlearnersshouldbediscouragedfromrelyingon‘rules’like‘tomultiplybyten,justaddazero’.Ruleslikethisworkonlyinlimitedsituations–the‘addazero’ideaworksonlyforwholenumbers.Bettertoencouragethemtothinkintermsof‘tools’andtoexplorewherethesetoolsmightbeuseful.Asledgehammerisveryuseful,butit’snottheidealtoolforcrackingnuts.

skimming and scanning–usefultechniquestohelpstudentstoovercomebarrierscausedbyspecificwordsinatextthatarepreventingthemfromderivingmeaningfromthewhole.Theyarealsousefultoanyofus

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wishingtohaveastrategicapproachtoanyreading.Skimmingiswhatstudentscandotogetaninitialoverviewofthesubjectmatterandthemainideasofapassage:skimmingawholepageandpickingupthesub-heads,keywords,topandbottomsentences,forinstance.Inasearchforparticularinformation,studentscanbeencouragedtoscan:lookingforparticularwordsorphrasesinatext.Keyplacestoscaninthecaseofatextbookarethecontentspageand/orindex.So,ifyou’retryingtorememberthequantitiesforbakingscones,‘scones’isthewordyouscanforinthecookerybook.

strategic reading–anapproachthatencouragesstudentstoattempttogainanoverallmeaningofapassagebeforeworryingaboutword-by-worddecoding.Approachessuchas‘cloze’,‘comprehension’and‘skimandscan’supportthis.

strategic writing–anapproachthatprioritisescompositionovertechnicalcorrectnessor‘transcription’.Approachessuchas‘languageexperience’and‘genre’supportthis.

turn-taking–conversationisconstructedthroughspeakerstakingturns;understandinghowtheseturnsarenegotiatedandsignalledisofkeyimportance.

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NALApublicationsreferredtoAllareaccessibleviaNALAwebsite:www.nala.ie/publications(InallcasesthefrontcoverauthorisNALA.Whereauthorshavebeenlistedoninsidecovertheyarecitedhereafterthetitle.)

(2001) Issues and opportunities in assessment.(JulietMerrifield,UrsulaColemanandOlgaMcDonogh)

(2002) Evolving quality framework(ClaireO’RiordanandMadelineDonohue)(2003) Read write now: learner workbook 4 supporting the TV series.(2003a) Skillwords(2004a) Literacy and empowerment: NALA’s policy on learner development.(MargaretMurray)(2004b) Meeting the Numeracy Challenge – a development strategy for numeracy in Adult

Basic Education(2005a) Guidelines for good adult literacy work.(JennyDerbyshire,ClareO’Riordanand

RosamundPhillips)(2005b) Mapping the learning journey:NALA’sassessmentframeworkforliteracyand

numeracy.(2005c) Know Your EU(2006a) Preparing learning materials: a guide for literacy and numeracy tutors.Blaithnaidni

Chinneideandothers.(2006b) Missling the Tobar(PhilJoyce,AnnieJoyce,AnthonyMcCarthy,AnnMarieConnors)(2006c) Really Useful Guide to Words and Numbers: learner workbook.(MarieGrogan,Pauline

Hensey,TraceyIngelbach,PatsyKane)(2006d) Who makes decisions and where in Ireland:reportonone-daycourseforadultliteracy

students.(MargaretMurray)(2006e) Politicalparticipationandliteracy:conferencereport.(2006f) Adult basic education in Ireland: towards a curriculum framework(JaneMace,Juliet

McCaffery,JoanO’Hagan(2006g) Steps to Safety(FASandNALA):(2007) Reportontwostudentwritingweekends.(MargaretMurray)(2007a) Making Cents – How Do I Manage money?

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Indexofcontributors CatherineByrne Tutor,WheatfieldPrisonPeterCleary S.TipperaryVECKarinaCurley EducationCo-ordinator,OAKPartnershipGayeEnright Tutor,SheltonAbbeyOpenPrison;

Tutor,WIT/NALAaccreditationprogramme;CurriculumDeveloperwithresearchproject

LaviniaEnglish Co.DublinVECCelineGyves Co.CorkVECLillianHahessy S.TipperaryVEC;

CurriculumDeveloperwithresearchprojectMargoKelly, AdultLiteracyandLearningSupportTutor,CityofDublinVECGeraldineMernagh Lecturer,LiteracyDevelopmentCentre,WaterfordInstituteof

Technology(WIT)JohnMcGrath Co.KerryVEC;

CurriculumDeveloperwithresearchprojectMaryMarkey Co.KildareVECNualaLowen Co.WicklowVECSheilaghMurphy S.TipperaryVECColumbaO’Connor AssistantDirector,DublinAdultLearningCentre(DALC)TrassaO’Connor S.TipperaryVECJaneSmith CoWicklowVECGrettaVaughan AdultLiteracyOrganiser,CoLimerickVECMaryWalsh CoKerryVECFrancesWard AdultLiteracyOrganiser,CityofDublinVEC.

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AppendicesAppendix (1) Tutors et al consulted, 2006-2007

MaryRyderandtutors AltrusaCentreCollegeofCommerce,Cork

EleanorCalnan,JaneGill,JenniferCalnan,MaighreadO’Leary

Skibbereen,AdultBasicEducation,CountyCork

MaeveTuohy,andtutors/organisers, Tralee,KerryEducationService

DoloresMcGeadywithtutors AdultEducationoffices,Gortahork,Donegal

MaryTalbot,AmandaSlevin,HeatherCromie;JoyceBurnsandtutors

Donegal

BridMcIntyre,AECLetterkennyorganiser,volunteersandtutors

Letterkenny

MaureenNevilleandtutors/organisers DublinAdultLearningCentre,Dublin

NiamhMaguireandtutors/organisers WicklowVEC,Wicklow

EdduVivierandtutors AnCosan,Tallaght,Dublin

AdultLiteracyorganisers,FASandOAKtutorsandorganisers

Tullamore

TreasaCollins,tutorsandstudents PearseCollege,Dublin

FrancesWardwithtutorsandstudents BallyfermotSeniorTravellers’Centre

BrendaFitzpatrick,RobbieRobinson WheatfieldPrison,Dublin

BrendanSheehan,Manager Youthreach,Dublin

MaryMaher(organiser) DublinAdultLearningCentre

SandraBrettandMaryOSullivan,organisers,Madeline,tutor,Kathleen,student

WomenTravellersLiteracyScheme,TuckeySt,Dublin

SineadO’RourkeandKathleenMelia, CorkPrison

Tutors KLEARCommunityAdultEducationCentre,Dublin

ArthurConlonandcolleagues MullingarCTC

BrendanSheehan PleasantStreetYouthreach,Dublin

CoraRafterandWarrenPherson CDVECFoundationsProject,Dublin

ItaHonanandinstructors DundalkCTC

IVEAAdultLiteracyForum IVEAoffices,Ranelagh,Dublin

CatherineDowds,Coordinator,AdultLiteracyProgramme

SIPTU.Dublin

JaneRooney,EducationOfficer,Romavoluntaryliteracycoordinators

PaveePoint,Dublin

GerardGriffin,NationalCo-ordinatorforSeniorTravellerCentres,Ennis

Limerick

JanetWebb,CoClareVECFamilyLiteracyOrganiser

Limerick

153

Appendix (2) Advisory group, 2005-2007

AnneCostelloe PrisonEducationServiceLeoCasey DistanceEducationKarinaCurley OAKPartnershipAnneLooney NationalCouncilforCurriculumandAssessmentMaryKett FurtherEducationSection,DepartmentofEducation

andScienceMartinaNeedham AdultLiteracyOrganisers’AssociationMaryBevan BasicEducationTutor’sAssociationMonicaHeynen WaterfordInstituteofTechnologyMickCorrigan ICTUDeirdreCoyle FÁSAndrinaWafer FETACRogerCurran IVEARepresentativeCarolDaultrey NationalLearningNetworkLynTett ABECurriculumExpert,UniversityofEdinburghUrsulaHoward NRDCDirectorFrancesWard NALAExecutiveMichaelPower NALAExecutive

NALA staff:InezBailey DirectorJohnStewart NationalAdultLiteracyCo-ordinatorGemmaLynch* ResearchOfficerJennyDerbyshire LiteraciesDevelopmentWorkerBlathnaidNiChinneide LiteracyIntegrationCo-ordinatorTerryMaguire* NumeracyDevelopmentWorker

Curriculum Developers 2006-2007GayeEnright Tutor,SheltonAbbeyOpenPrison;

Tutor,WIT/NALAdevelopmentprogrammeLillianHahessy S.TipperaryVECJohnMcGrath CoKerryVEC

154

Appendix (3) Organisations involved in adult literacy and numeracy tuition and support in Ireland

Literacyandnumeracysupportanddevelopmentisavailabletoadultsbothasspecificprovisionandaspartoftrainingandwork-basedprogrammes,asshownbelow:

Vocational Education Committees (VECs)AdultLiteracyServicesBacktoEducationInitiative(BTEI)YouthreachCentresSeniorTravellersEducationandTrainingCentresVocationalTrainingOpportunitiesScheme(VTOS)CommunityEducation

FASFASCommunityTrainingCentresFAS/VECReturntoEducationProgrammes(CommunityEmploymentparticipants)FASlocaltraininginitiatives

Workplace Basic EducationTheReturntoLearningInitiative(localauthoritiesandVECs)SkillsforWorkproject(FASServicestoBusiness)

Irish Prison Education Service

Organisations providing for special needsNationalLearningNetworkEnableIrelandCentralRemedialClinicRehabGroupSt.Michael’sHouse

Other providersFamilyResourceCentresDepartmentofJusticeProbationandTrainingCentresIrishCongressofTradeUnions(ICTU)CongressNetworkCentresAreaDevelopmentManagement(ADM)fundedlocalpartnershipsandcommunitygroupsCommunityprojectsTravellerCommunityprojects

155

Notes

1 Untilrecently,‘learner’wasthepreferredterminIrishABE.Afterlearnermeetingsin2005recommendedabandoningthisterminfavourof‘student’,thewordusedoriginallybyNALA,andthatisthewordusedinthisdocument.Fortheconceptofstudent(learner)-centredandstudent(learner)-directed,see:NALA(2005):11

2 ThisreferstotheNationalAdultLiteracyandNumeracyImplementationPlan(NALA,2004).3 Focusgroup5a,quotedinscopingstudy4 Focusgroup3aditto5 Formoreinformationonthis“connectionist”viewofteaching,seetheGlossary6 Thesenotesonassumptionsandbelieftsdrawson‘Thinkingthroughmathematics’afreeresourcefrom

NRDC(2006),andtheNALAnumeracystrategy(2004b).7 Ditto8 NALA2003:pp.56-57,64and78)9 NALA200610 FrancesWard,emailJune200711 Widelypublishedinadulteducation,AlanRogershasspecialisedininternationalpolicyinthefield.Theidea

ofliteracyasbeingofsecondaryimportancetodecentlivingconditionsandsocialjusticeisathemeofmuchofhiswriting;notablyin–Literacycomessecond:workingwithgroupsindevelopingsocieties,DevelopmentinPractice10.2:236-240,2000

12 Knijnik,Gelsa,1999,ZDM(ZentralblattfürDidaktikderMathematik,InternationalReviewsonMathematicalEducationVolume31(June1999)Number3.

13 Theeducationalprogrammeinvolvedyoungpeopleandadultswhocontributedaslearners,teachers,designersandusersoftheprogramme.

14 EthnomathematicsisVariouslyusedtoreferto • thespecificmathematicalideasandproceduresthatemergefromanycultureorhistoricalperiod(e.gin

theextractsabouttheworkofGelsaKnijnik,themeasurementoflandasthe“tractortimetakentohoe”ratherthansquaremetres)

• theideathatmathematicsisnotaninvariantbodyofknowledge,butisdifferentindifferentcultures,isinfactaproductofthatculture

• theideathatmathematics,seenasaculturalproduct,reflectsthepowerrelationshipsintheculturewithinwhichitwasproduced

15 Laurillard,D(1993)16 AdaptedfromLearningConnections17 MLJSection3,p.4-1518 Storysacksisaresourceforworkinginfamilylearning.InIrelandthisapproachbegantogrowaftertraining

andconferencesontheideain2006.SeeKeating(2004)formoreinformation.19 Nunes,SchliemannandCarraher(1993)20 Forexamplesofdifferentwaysofdoingmultiplication,seeforexamplewww.ncetm.org.uk21 Forstimulatingdiscussionofmathematicsindifferentculturessee:Zaslavsky(1973)orIfrah(1981)22 Forusefulideasonthis,seeKazemekandRigg(1995)andFeder(2000)23 QuotedfromWIT/NALACurriculumdevelopmentnotes,SallySweeney,0624 FETAC(2006)Certificatespecification:level1inGeneralLearning,FurtherEducationandTrainingAwards

CouncilThisCertificateisclassifiedasamajorawardandis‘worth’twentycredits.Therearearangeofminorawards,eachworthfiveortencreditsandacombinationoftwoormoreofthesecanaddupenoughcreditstomakeaCertificate.Toachievetheminorawardinreading(worthfivecredits)astudentneedstobeabletoshowevidenceofsixlearningoutcomes.This‘evidence’cantaketheformofaportfolioofwork,andtheguidelinesfortheawardsettheseout.Theymayinclude,forexample,adescriptionbythetutorofwhatthestudenthaddone,orarecordofthekindofreadingundertaken.

25 Adaptedfrom:Grief(2003),p.62-6326 Focusgroup3a,quotedp40scopingstudy27 Focusgroup3b,ditto28 Ditto

156

29 Focusgroup5bquotedinNALA2006f,p4030 Focusgroup7a31 ThethirdoftheStatementsofQualitysetoutintheNALAEvolvingQualityFrameworkforABE(2002)tobe

achievedbyacentreorschemeis‘TeachingandLearning’.Thisevaluationexerciseoffersausefultoolwithwhichtogatherapictureofthis.

32 WiththankstoColumbaO’Connor,DALC,June200733 MaryRoche,NALAJournalspring0734 ThegroupispartofatrainingandeducationprogrammeatExchangeHouseFamilySupportServicefor

Travellers.ItisfundedbyFASandtheCityofDublinVEC.35 CobenandThumpston(1995)36 AdaptedfromBurton(2007)37 GregBrooks,MaxineBurton,PamCole,andMartineSzczerbinski(2007)EffectiveTeachingandLearning

Reading.pages9-10,London,NRDC,38 FormoreexamplesseeMace2002:178-19539 SueGrief,BillMeyerandAmyBurgess(2007)EffectiveTeachingandLearning:Writing.London,theNational

ResearchandDevelopmentCentre40 SueGrief,BillMeyerandAmyBurgess(2007)EffectiveTeachingandLearning:Writing(2007)page7,London,

NationalResearchandDevelopmentCentre41 Black,P.andWiliam,D.(1998)InsidetheBlackBox:raisingstandardsthroughclassroomassessment.King’s

CollegeLondon.42 Askew,M.andWiliam,D.(1995)RecentResearchinMathematicsEducation5-16.OfstedReviewsofResearch.

London43 Mercer,N.(2000)WordsandMinds.London:Routledge.44 Ahmed,A.(1987)BetterMathematics:ACurriculumDevelopmentStudy.London:HMSO,104.45 Askew,M.etal(1997)EffectiveTeachersofNumeracy:FinalReport.King’sCollegeLondon.46 NRDCresearchpublicationsonReading,Writing,andNumeracy.Bothfullandsummaryreportsareavailable47 LearningConnections:AnAdultLiteracyandNumeracyforScotland(undatedp.45)Edinburgh,Communities

Scottish48 Lotsaregroupsofridersandhorseswhogoouttogether49 Painkillerforhorses50 SeeDuncan(2007)51 NALA(2007).52 See:Mace,JandTomlinson,K(2005)Teachingideasforteachingwriting.NIACEwebsite.www.niace.org.uk

formoreonthis.53 RozIvanic,alinguist,providesanaccountofthisthinkingin:Ivanic(1998):53-7354 IntheopeningchapteroftheirstudyofliteracyinatowninEngland,MaryHamiltonandDavidBartonoffera

clearsummaryBartonandHamilton1998:3-2355 BrianStreet,ananthropologist,wasamongthosetochallengetheideaofa‘greatdivide’(Street1984,1995)56 FowlerandMace2005:3-457 CobenandThumpston(1995)andBaxteretal(2006):1758 Nunes,SchliemanandCarraher,Streetmathematicsand59 ReedandLave1981,p.44260 NALA2001:561 Coleman,1999,2001and200662 NALA2001:663 www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm,seeSmith(200a)64 Grundy1987:11565 Freire1970:6866 Inglis1997:1467 RegeneratedFreireanLiteracythroughEmpoweringLiteracyTechniques68 Tenyearson,theapproachhadbeenusedbyover350organisationsin60countries,notonlyforadultliteracy

workbutasameansto‘strengthenpeople’scapacityforcommunicationthroughwhatevermediumismostappropriatetothem.’(www.actionaid.org.ukvisited11/4/06)

69 Maxwell199970 Emailcorrespondence,15May2006

157

71 Hyland200072 ViensandKallenbach200473 StudieswerealsocarriedoutintotheteachingandlearningofESOLandICT.Fullreportsandsummary

versioncanbedownloadedfromwww.nrdc.org.ukorobtainedfreebyemailingpublications@nrdc.org.uk74 Numbersofstudentsresearchedinbrackets;numbersoftutorsnotincludedhere.75 Forthispaper,wereverttotheterm‘learners’,sincethiswasthetermpreferredbetween1983and2004.76 O’Dwyer,N(2005)77 ‘Literacyinvolvestheintegrationoflistening,speaking,reading,writingandnumeracy.’NALA(2004:15)78 ‘Numeracyisalifeskillthatinvolvesthecompetentuseofmathematicallanguage,knowledgeandskills.’

NALA(2004:11)79 Adaptedfrom–http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_literacy/glossary/andhttp://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_

numeracy/glossary/

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