December 2016
In this issue
2. ACAL’s 2017 National Conference
3. LLN for adults in remote Indigenous communities
Literacy for Life ...
Whadya reckon?
5. Resilience: Stories of Adult Learning - free download
1. From the President
Hi all
It is amazing that another whole year has passed by and life is beginning to slow down.
During this less busy time you might like to revisit the recent Foundation Skills Literature Review Project that ACAL, UTS and NCVER funded, where a team of scholarships holder practitioners developed their research skills through focusing on key topics relating to foundation skills. http://www.voced.edu.au/pod-foundation-skills. Many thanks to Keiko Yasukawa for her work coordinating this project on behalf of ACAL.
Another project that Keiko as Vice-President, ACAL coordinated in 2016 along with Ros Bauer (Festival of Learning), Michael Chalk, ACAL Project Officer, and the international RaPAL team was the publication of an anthology of stories, Resilience: Adult Learner Stories. Consider how you might share the stories with learners in 2017 to encourage them in their learning, and to motivate them to share their own stories of resilience. These stories are a great basis for discussions or model texts.
I hope you get a chance to reflect on all you have achieved this year and the changes 2017 might bring. I am heading to PNG to visit my daughter and son-in-law for a couple of weeks so I am wondering whether we could use http://bloomlibrary.org/landing to create simple readers to translate into local language materials there.
ACAL is looking forward to another busy year where in Australia we highlight the need for community led programs in Indigenous communities, advocate for funding to support community peer and non-accredited training, further explore the Professional Standards Framework, review the content of training packages, trial and further develop the Foundation Skills Assessment Tool (FSAT) to fit broader contexts especially those without experienced Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) educators and assessors, advocate for the development of a new co-contribution program to replace the former Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) program and build the capacity of the education and training workforces.
No wonder we need a refreshing break! See you again in the New Year and later in the year in Darwin!
Jenni Anderson
ACAL President
2. ACAL’s 2017 National Conference
Traders, Neighbours and Intruders: Points of Contact
In 2017, ACAL celebrates 40 years actively promoting language, literacy, numeracy, and communication advocacy and research. We are delighted to host next year’s conference in tropical Darwin, Australia’s northern gateway. The Conference will offer delegates a unique opportunity to explore the conditions required for more critically engaged debates about local, regional and global adult literacy and numeracy provision. Northern Australia provides a rich location in which to challenge stereotypes, reinvigorate relationships and provoke new conceptualisations of participation.
Dates for your diary:
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Pre-Conference Forum: 12th September 2017
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Conference: 13th and 14th September 2017
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Research Forum: 15th September 2017
Conference strands will include:
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21st Century identities and citizenship traditions
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Institutional and nation state routines and participation practices
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Digital and computational practices in a mobile world
The call for papers will be released in the near future.
Presenters will be encouraged to think about how the themes capture
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Cross cultural practices and identities and how these have changed over time
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The implications for locating oneself in the 'LLN' or alternative fields
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Advances in technology and how these shape and re-shape communication practices and identities in assessment
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Surveillance and power in formal and non-formal education n citizenship practices and texts that produce transnational networks
3. LLN for adults in remote Indigenous communities
ACAL President Jenni Anderson addresses the workshop in Darwin
A very successful workshop was held to consult on, and advocate for equitable, appropriate, English literacy and numeracy solutions for adult Territorians – especially Indigenous led solutions for those who live in remote regions and who may speak English as a second, third or fourth language. This workshop enabled a range of stakeholders to meet and share ideas and information. It enabled a diverse group of 78 interested individuals from over twenty five organisations to consult, share knowledge and information, identify opportunities, and suggest next steps to support positive change. Remote Indigenous leaders in education and governance contributed to the workshop, sharing their views and ideas to guide and inform discussion. A clear message was that remote Indigenous people feel 'locked out' of many opportunities and that English literacy is the key. The workshop profiled community literacy campaigns and social capital building approaches to program delivery, exploring the need for and benefits of the development of an Adult English LLN Strategy for the NT. It was funded by the CDU Whole of Community Engagement (WCE) initiative. Topics raised in the workshop were followed up in a panel discussion at the Indigenous Leaders' Conference, on the topic 'English Language and Literacy in the NT: Core or Periphery?'
4. Positions vacant
Literacy for Life ... northern NSW
The Literacy for Life Foundation has been established to address the issue of very low literacy levels in Aboriginal Adults. Unlike other literacy programs, the Literacy for Life Campaign focus is on helping to build a community culture that values and supports learning.
In 2017, the Literacy for Life Foundation will roll out the Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaign in Boggabilla Toomelah in remote northern NSW. We are seeking applications from highly motivated, experienced professionals who are interested in joining our team.
Whadya reckon? Yuendumu
This is a truly unique position located in the Warlpiri community of Yuendumu in stunning central Australia. In the interests of creating an adult learning space which responds to community learning and training needs alongside language and cultural programs, the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation will be assuming responsibility for the Jaru Learning Centre from 2017. Yuendumu is the largest remote community in the Northern Territory and has well established infrastructure, including a swimming pool. If you are interested in working in a highly supported two-way learning environment with a community services organisation committed to social justice, this could be your next job.
Questions? Ros Bauer ros.bauer@wydac.org
5. Resilience: Stories of Adult Learning
Resilience: Stories of Adult Learning is an anthology of adult learner stories, a testament to the resilience of human lives, the critical role of lifelong learning, and how adult literacies weave through our journeys, visibly and invisibly.
This is a project of RaPAL (UK), ACAL and Festival of Learning.
The editors gathered the authentic voices of learners across many different adult learning environments in Australia and the UK, collecting over a hundred stories and publishing them in a collection in multiple formats, including paperback, e-book and PDF.
If you're working in adult education, you'll be very familiar with the themes of this publication. Some of the themes are challenging and disturbing, and will resonate strongly for adult learners you're working with. These stories could be used in class as models of personal narrative; they could also be used as potential inspiration for adult learners creating their own recount of overcoming adversity, or looking for reasons to persevere with their own learning
Free download
It's available as a PDF, ebook or Kindle version.
You can download and use 'Resilience: stories of adult learning' in any way you choose. We simply ask you acknowledge if you take extracts.