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Australian Council for Adult Literacy
ACAL eNews
March 2012
ACAL eNews is the electronic newsletter of the Australian Council of Adult Literacy (ACAL) and is distributed free to people interested in adult literacy and numeracy. See below for subscription details or to unsubscribe.
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In this issue
1. How policy develops
2. Indigenous languages in education: what the research actually shows
3. The revised ACSF – to be released soon
4. Foundation Skills Training Package webinars
5. Does 1 + 1 = 1? Survey coming soon
6. Setting up a VET Professional Association
7. Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills
8. Australian Industry Group (AIG) "National Workforce Literacy Project" final report
9. Employability skills update
10. NSWALNC National Year of Reading Project
11. Conferences
• 2012 ACAL Conference Sept 19-21, 2012 Hobart
• WAALC Conference • July 11-12, 2012
• VALBEC Conf •May 25, 2012
12. Wellbeing is more than money
13. Snapshot - how the CGEA contributes in one remote community
14. Unsubscribe
15. Contact ACAL
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1. How policy develops
'UK adult literacy policy'. Professor Mary Hamilton from Lancaster University presented a conference paper in the UK last month on adult literacy policy, showing how policy has developed according to stakeholder interests in the UK.
2. Indigenous languages in education: what the research actually shows
The Australian Society for Indigenous Languages Inc. has released a booklet about the benefits of well-organised, first-language schooling to supplement programs in English for Indigenous students. The booklet, titled Indigenous languages in education: what the research actually shows, can be downloaded at http://www.ausil.org.au/node/3741
3. The revised ACSF – to be released soon
The revised version of the Australian Core Skills Framework is due for release by the week ending Friday 16th March. You will find the revised version when available at www.deewr.gov.au/skills
4. Foundation Skills Training Package webinars
The first draft of the National Foundation Skills Training Package should be available for comment shortly. On behalf of ACAL and other state councils, WAALC will be conducting a series of webinars to inform practitioners and other stakeholders and provide a forum for comment and debate. Stakeholders from all parts of Australia are invited to take part. Check out the WAALC website for further details over the coming weeks.
5. Does 1 + 1 = 1? Survey coming soon
Familiar with adult language, literacy and numeracy concepts? Keen on getting an iPad? Perfect! NCVER, together with Victoria University and Educational Measurement Solutions will be running a short online survey to find out whether performance levels in the Adult Literacy and Life Skills survey relate to those of the Australian Core Skills Framework. It’s sometimes assumed that these levels are equivalent, but are they? Every completed survey goes into a draw to win one of six Apple iPads. Keep an eye on the NCVER website over the next few weeks for a link to the survey.
6. Setting up a VET Professional Association
Do you work in the VET sector? What do you think of the idea of a national association for VET professionals? Do we need one?
Have a look at the interim report and make your views known by completing the survey on the TDC website.
The survey will remain open until the end of March 2012.
See the interim report and the survey
7. Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills
Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills is a major international project (including Australia) developing methods to assess skills to inform new curricula to prepare students for success in the 21st-century. Although the focus is on schools, it points to the directions that are relevant to and will impact on adult learners and may be of interest to practitioners of literacy and numeracy.
A paper on skills for the 21st century
8. Australian Industry Group (AIG) "National Workforce Literacy Project" final report
The Australian Industry Group (AIG) has released the final report of their project "National Workforce Literacy Project". Within the report, adult literacy and numeracy needs are very firmly linked to productivity levels and employers needs. It also describes the ACSF from a non-specialist (i.e. non LLN practitioners') viewpoint. From the LLN practitioners' viewpoint, it might be very helpful to read the employability gaps and on the job needs, especially in the appendices describing the trials.
9. Employability skills update
The first stage of a project funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to research, develop and implement a nationally accepted, cross-sectoral framework for addressing employability skills, has recently been completed.
Stage One of the project examined recent research about employability skills and generic skills and their development, as well as a range of current approaches to addressing employability and generic skills from Australia and overseas. It involved extensive consultation with a broad cross-section of organisations and sectors that have an interest in and potential use for the Framework, including employers, industry peak bodies, and the education, training and employmentservices sectors. The project identified and defined the elements to be included in the Framework and proposed a structure for use as the foundation for its further development. The Final Report of Stage One will be released on the DEEWR website at the end of March.
Stage Two of the project, which has now commenced, will develop detailed descriptors for each of the elements of the Framework, across a number of developmental stages. The draft Framework will be tested within the school, VET, higher education and employment services sectors, before being finalised mid-year.
More about Employability skills
10. NSWALNC National Year of Reading Project
The NSWALNC is working with UTS in the early stages of a National Year of Reading Project. The project proposes to explore adult literacy students' perspectives on reading and encourage practitioner-based research. Students in adult literacy courses will be encouraged to write about reading - exploring what reading means to them, and to submit entries for a 'competition' that will result in a publication of student writing (on reading). At the same a small group of adult literacy teachers will explore through action research and a range of qualitative/reflective research methods, the role of reading in their students' lives. The aim will be for the NSWALNC to also publish this research. Contact Keiko Yasukawa (keiko.yasukawa@uts.edu.au) or Stephen Black (Stephen.black@uts.edu.au) for further details.
11. Conferences
Joining the Pieces: Literacy and Numeracy - one part of the picture
2012 ACAL Conference Sept 19-21, 2012 Hobart
The 2012 ACAL conference will explore three key questions about adult literacy and numeracy. These questions are about how we connect, co-operate and create.
Connect - What do other pieces of the puzzle look like?
Connect the pieces across sectors, policies, Governments and NGOs to provide clear pathways for learners.
Co-operate- How do we join the pieces of the puzzle together?
Share expertise and maximize opportunities to provide robust evidence-based research, clear policy and planning.
Create- Where will we travel in the future?
Explore new practices and understandings to provide ongoing professional development for creative educators.
The Call for papers is about to be announced ……
WAALC Conference • July 11-12, 2012
'At the Heart of the matter – identity and trust in adult learning'
As the OECD becomes convinced that the best performing education systems are those that strive for equity and quality, Australia continues to put its faith in the power of measurement and accountability to deliver 'market changes' that will improve outcomes in all our education sectors. This conference will place people – teachers and learners – at the heart of educational quality. We want to move away from framing debates around policy imperatives, economic outcomes and abstractions such as 'core skills' or 'employability skills'. We are asking the question: what makes learning work for people?
VALBEC Conf •May 25, 2012
'Read the word, Read the world'
In this National Year of Reading 2012, we have taken our conference themes from a play on Paolo Freire’s notions of reading the world to read the word; from concepts of reading as empowering learners to engage with the demands of contemporary life; and that literacy and numeracy practices involve reading 'worlds' both external and internal.
12. Wellbeing is more than money
Here is a short micro-documentary about 'what counts' when we measure progress. It may be a useful resource for discussion with LLN Groups.
For more information, visit the ANDI website .
13. Snapshot - how the CGEA contributes in one remote community
For many people a driving licence is a crtical part of our life - no less so than in a remote community. Read about Karrayili Adult Education Centre’s Driver Education programme.
14. Unsubscribe
If you no longer wish to receive ACAL eNews, send an email to info@acal.edu.au with 'Unsubscribe ACAL eNews’ in the subject line.
15. Contact ACAL
GPO Box 2283 Canberra ACT 2601