literacies for learning in fe project structure 2 universities 4 colleges 16 curriculum areas 32...
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Literacies for Learning in FE Project structure
2 universities
4 colleges
16 curriculum areas
32 units
100 students
Preston College Lancaster and Morecambe College
Anniesland College Perth College
LancasterLancaster University UniversityUniversity of Stirling
Travel & TourismCatering & Hospitality Media StudiesChild Care
Certificate in Child Care and Education
Diploma in Child Care and Education
NVQ 1Intro to C&H
NVQ 2 Food and Drink Service
Working Overseas
BTEC ND Travel & Tourism
AS Media Studies
Access to HE: MediaStudies
Four students
Four studentsFourstudents
Fourstudents
Fourstudents
Fourstudents
Fourstudents
Fourstudents
Level 2 Level 3 Level 1 Level 2 Level 2 Level 3 Level 3 Level 2
Two stages in the research• Actions for understanding:
research and reflections on(A) The reading and writing which students encounter in college (B) The reading and writing involved in students’ everyday lives outside college
• Actions for change:(C) Tutors made small changes in their practice to improve (A) in the light of (B)
Categories of literacy practices in learning vocational subjects in Further Education (A)
• Literacy practices for learning (e.g. reading and making notes from a text book)
• Literacy practices for assessment (e.g. producing an essay or a report)
• Evidence-providing literacy practices (e.g. completing a log book or portfolio)
• Literacy practices relating to the workplace (e.g. writing food orders; reading to children)
The washback effect
• All literacies for learning were shaped and constrained by assessment requirements
• The form, content, focus and delivery of assessment often determined thecurriculum and the way it was taught
• As a result, these features in turn tend to affect the skills set which is the outcome of learning.
(B) The reading and writing involved
in students’ everyday lives outside college
• FE students CAN and DO read and write abundantly in their everyday lives;
• Not only staff but also students were surprised to discover this
Literacies in everyday life
Literacy practices which students identify with tend to have the following characteristics:
• Mostly multi-modal, e.g. involving speech, music, gesture, movement, colour, pictures, symbols
• Mostly multi-media, e.g. including sound, electronic and paper media
• Shared, interactive, participatory – virtual and/or real• Non-linear, i.e. involving complex, varied reading paths• Agentic or student being in charge• Purposeful to the student• Clear audience perceived by the student• Generative, i.e. involving sense-making and creativity• Self-determined in terms of activity, time and place
Comparison of workplace, home and pedagogic literacy practices
Workplace and home literacy practices
• Mostly multi-modal • Mostly multi-media• Shared, interactive,
participatory• Non-linear• Agentic• Purposeful• Clear audience• Generative
Pedagogic literacy practices• Mostly mono-modal• Mostly paper-based • Individual, non-interactive,
solitary• Linear• Non-Agentic• Ambiguous purpose• Ambiguous audience• Information provided
Fine tuning literacies for learning
• Changes in practice which engaged with students’ everyday literacy practices tended to increase students’ engagement, recall and confidence
• Changes in tutor practice not necessarily innovative but could be new to particular staff and students involved, e.g. Mind maps
• Not all students wished to engage with their everyday literacy practices
Changes made by tutors to literacy for learning practices
• Made students more aware of their own everyday reading and writing practices which could be used for learning
• Made communication aspects of learning more explicit
• Made reading and writing on courses more relevant to learning and to the futures for which students were preparing
• Made reading and writing on courses more resonant with students’ own literacy practices
Things to think about in our discussion
• How do we avoid teaching to the test?
• How easily can the messages from literacy be used with numeracy/maths/ICT teaching and learning?
• Where does a ‘problem solving approach’ fit with the findings?
• How can a social practice model fit with a functional skills model?