NSW Adult Literacy & Numeracy Council

NSWALNC in-person Annual Conference

Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills

Friday 8 December 2023

PAPER, PANEL and WORKSHOP ABSTRACTS

SESSION 3 - WORKSHOP 11.40AM - Thomas Room

Beyond the classroom: building literacies across a community

Debra Welsh, Sonja Sands, Gail Turnbull, Sara Mathews, Keya Mathews, Helena Miranda and Frances Williamson

The international Yes, I Can literacy campaign has been supported by the Literacy for Life Foundation in Australia since 2012. Nationally, over 400 students have now completed Literacy for Life Foundation’s training and improved their reading, writing and digital skills. We will discuss some of the successful strategies used for fostering a culture of learning and nurturing literacy skills within Indigenous communities, emphasizing the importance of a holistic, community-led approach that is responsive to the needs of each community.

We will focus on four elements of the campaign that extend beyond traditional classroom settings. Firstly, the initial household literacy survey and establishment of the campaign governance group. Then the co-design of the Everyday Literacy curriculum, based on the 8 domains of literacy. This co-design approach involves students, staff and wider community, resulting in curricula aligned with aspirations of the individuals, families, and communities. Lastly, we explore embedding opportunities for literate practice in people's lives by bringing the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world. Through reflective questions and talking paper activities, participants will gain insights into methods that empower individuals and their communities to apply literacy in meaningful real-life contexts.

The workshop will be facilitated by a diverse team from the Literacy for Life Foundation, with current local staff from Coonamble, Mount Druitt, and the national office to share our experiences of delivering the campaign in our own and other communities across Australia.

Sonja Sands and Debra Welsh are Campaign Coordinator and Class Facilitator in Coonamble and are community members involved in the recent campaign there. Gail Turnbull is a Campaign Project Officer in Coonamble with over 30 years experience in Aboriginal organisations. Sara Matthews and Keya Matthews are Community Literacy Surveyors in Mount Druitt NSW. Helena Miranda is a Campaign Project Officer in NSW Corrections. Frances Williamson is the Director of Campaign Design and Development.

SESSION 4 - WORKSHOP 11.40 AM - Broadway Room

Hotline resources: More than worksheets

Jill Finch and Pat Hazell

This workshop will explore some of the Reading Writing Hotline’s free public resources and how teachers use them or could use them in their classrooms. These resources include a series of 8 new tutorial videos to help teach numeracy. Developed and presented by Dr Keiko Yasukawa from the University of Technology Sydney, the tutorials are designed for teachers and tutors of numeracy in any adult learning setting. Each tutorial is connected to real world experience and demonstrates how to have fun, learn and gain confidence as teachers of numeracy.

The workshop will also look at the new Adult Literacy Tutoring Program, videos of literacy learners talking about their experiences, workbooks, and the Reader Friendly Communication resource. The focus of the discussion will be on how these resources can engage your learners or help you communicate more effectively. The Hotline resources will be presented through video and hands on activities including quizzes (and prizes).

Jill Finch and Pat Hazell are both highly experienced literacy and numeracy teachers. Jill is now working at the Reading Writing Hotline and Pat Hazell has written and produced a range of workbooks especially targeted for Hotline callers.

SESSION 5 - WORKSHOP 1.00 PM - Thomas Room

Step into the unknown…..moving away from group delivery, towards the individual

Gemma Beall

The aim of this workshop is to introduce teachers to the concepts behind individualised programs to support students with LLND needs. This involves a different approach to a group class as it is entirely student-led; the teacher cannot always predict and prepare for the class content. Some teachers may find the "step into the unknown" daunting but this workshop will cover successful examples, best practice approaches and the benefits of this different style of teaching.

Gemma Beall is post-graduate qualified as a high school English and Drama, Adult LLN and TESOL teacher. She has worked at TAFE NSW for 16 years, starting as a part-time casual and now leading teaching teams. She remains firmly focused on the best practice approach for adult LLNDE learners and ensuring they don't get lost in the education process.

SESSION 6 - PANEL 1.00 PM - Broadway Room

Artificial Intelligence: Early observations from the classroom

Carol McKirdy, Sheila Villania & Kerry Hooper Richardson

Kerry, Sheila and Carol are discovering the ramifications of AI like everyone else in the teaching world; in a rush and a blur and it's been just one year since ChatGPT was released. We are not by any stretch of the imagination AI experts but we will each briefly describe what is happening in our TAFE classrooms at various locations to prompt discussions with the audience.

Carol McKirdy is Head Teacher at Sutherland college managing literacy classes, trade and vocational learner support and the AMEP program at Loftus and Gymea campuses. Kerry Hooper Richardson has been in the literacy space for 12 years. She started her literacy life teaching basic adult education in Corrections and came to TAFE 10 years ago. She is the Head Teacher of St Leonards and Hornsby and specialises in delivering literacy and numeracy support within the TAFE degree programs, hairdressing and nursing.

SESSION 7 - PAPER 1.45 PM - Thomas Room

Unearthing teacher agency, hearing student voices

Michelle Barons, Kate Buckell, Zoe James, Yolanda Wang, Georgie Cole, Pam Osmond, Keiko Yasukawa

This paper reports on an action research process conducted with a group of adult English language, literacy and numeracy teachers in Australia. It focused on developing teaching practices that enabled the teachers to more fully listen to and be responsive to the learners’ voices regarding the outcomes and experiences that mattered to them. The process revealed the extent to which the mandated assessment and reporting regime had been colonising the teachers’ time and priorities, thus limiting their ability to listen to, render visible and validate what really mattered to the students. It also allowed teachers to reflect on their own developing identities as teachers, as well as those of their students. The paper argues that creating spaces for teachers to critically reflect on their teaching, particularly in the way they co-construct an effective learning space, enables teachers to reclaim their professional agency.

Michelle Barons is an adult LLN teacher at Navitas. Kate Buckell is an adult LLN teacher at TAFE NSW. Zoe James is an adult LLN teacher at TAFE NSW. Yolanda Wang is an adult LLN teacher at Navitas. Michelle, Kate, Zoe and Yolanda carried out the action research studies reported upon in this paper.

Georgie Cole is a teaching and curriculum lead at Navitas. Pam Osmond is a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney. Keiko Yasukawa is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Technology Sydney. Georgie, Pam and Keiko supported and facilitated the teachers’ action research projects.

SESSION 8 - PAPER 1.45 PM - Broadway Room

‘’He never liked the literacy and numeracy courses”: Exploring the diverse experiences of post-secondary learning for people with Down syndrome

Fieval Tong

In recent decades, young adults and adults with Down syndrome have been challenging the deficit-based views under which their literacy needs and strengths had largely gone unrecognised. Nonetheless, the research literature on post-secondary education for people with Down syndrome is scarce, though growing. This research presentation explores the further education experiences of people with Down syndrome aged 16 to 45. Reflecting on interviews with people with Down syndrome and their parents, the research proposes that difficulties in developing language, literacy and numeracy skills can present barriers to participating in post-secondary learning. Yet, individuals with Down syndrome also have rich interests and competencies, including being multiliterate, that can be marshalled to facilitate their lifelong learning. Practitioners in adult literacy and numeracy can play a vital role in noticing and building on the multiliteracies and linguistic capital of this diverse community.

Fievel Tong is a PhD candidate at UTS. His research explores the further education journeys of people with Down syndrome. As a father of a young child with Down syndrome, Fievel is particularly concerned with doing research inclusively and reflexively. Fievel also teaches in the postgraduate TESOL and Applied Linguistics program at UTS. His teaching interests include critical discourse analysis and Global Englishes.

SESSION 9 - WORKSHOP 2.30 PM - Thomas Room

Building Learner Agency in Access and Equity Vocational Education and Training (VET) Programs

Jude Cooke and Supapon Lantay Lefkovich

This workshop is for adult educators aiming to empower learners in access and equity programs within a dynamic, place-based, negotiated learning framework. Recent policy shifts and a strong focus on employability skills have reduced program adaptability, posing challenges for educators and students in customizing programs that collectively enhance student agency. We prioritize real-world relevance, student empowerment, and collaborative learning, reducing social alienation and building individual and collective capabilities through practices aiming to give students a voice, fostering group cohesion, and collaborative teaching. Moreover, educators connect classroom learning to contemporary economic, civic, and social issues, fostering student agency.

The workshop will focus on the importance of a secure, learner-centred environment empowering adults to develop capabilities while engaging in lifelong literacy and numeracy practices beyond employability. June and Supapon will also discuss the challenges faced by adult educators in tailoring access and equity programs and highlight the importance of fostering learner agency within a dynamic, negotiated learning context.

Jude Cooke and Supapon Lantay Lefkovich have 3 decades of collaboration contributing to Access and Equity programs in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. They are both graduates of UTS Adult Education Literacy and Numeracy programs. Currently they teach in the Career Pathways and Employability Skills section for the north Western Sydney region of TAFENSW. They have navigated their way through tumultuous changes over the three decades in various roles, always focused on access and equity through the lens of adult education. They have a shared commitment to overcoming systemic barriers that threaten the integrity of access and equity programs that are tailored to address barriers to further education and participation for individuals and communities experiencing intersectional disadvantage.

SESSION 10 - WORKSHOP 2.30 PM - Broadway Room

Learnings from Industry

Debi Richardson

Industry consultation for Foundation Skills has revealed some interesting and challenging trends that will have an impact on the future delivery of training for adults. This presentation examines the pressures experienced by Industry regarding LLND skill gaps and why some are looking to non-traditional training methods as a solution.

There is a lot of information indicating that Industry is being impacted by gaps in LLND but what does that look like from the perspective of employers/supervisors and staff on the front line? TAFE NSW has conducted extensive consultation with Industry including a survey on the impacts of LLND skill gaps within their respective workforces. During this presentation, we will unpack:

• what industries are impacted
• the scale of the impact
• the types of workplace tasks most affected
• confidence of staff and supervisors to discuss LLND needs
• preferred training solutions

These findings will help teachers prepare learners for the expectations of the current workforce and reflect on how teaching modes may require some modification to meet demands.

Debi Richardson has been working as the point of contact between Industry and TAFE NSW in the areas of Foundation and Language Skills and Aboriginal Cultural courses for over 6 years. This role is deeply immersed into researching and consulting with Industry on the skill needs and market demands in this area. With over 15 years’ experience working in senior and middle management roles, these Industry insights are supported by extensive knowledge and experience leading diverse teams and building capacity at an individual and community level in a variety of social service settings.

SESSION 11 - PAPER 3.30 PM - Thomas Room

Uncovering Adult Literacy and Numeracy Needs in Australia: A Comprehensive National Study

Vanessa Iles and Lindy Cassidy

This presentation is a summary of the key findings of the second phase of research into adult literacy, numeracy and digital needs from 2021 to 2023. Social Equity Works conducted the research for the Reading Writing Hotline. The first phase of the research was an in-depth national survey of LND providers. Those results were published in the 2022 report Insights from the classroom – a survey of adult literacy providers and were presented at the 2022 NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council Conference.

The second phase of the research was designed to hear from a broader range of community stakeholders about needs and barriers. The rich data captures a range of voices with deep practical experience of the literacy needs of their communities and clients. It gives unique insights into unmet adult LND needs in communities and the ways providers, community sector organisations and libraries work across this continuum of need at the ‘coal face’. The comprehensive reach of the survey and candid responses reflect the community and industry relationships built through the Hotline’s work over the past 30 years.

Vanessa Iles is the Manager of the Reading Writing Hotline and an experienced language, literacy and numeracy teacher. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Business and Graduate Diploma of Adult LLN Teaching. She is an executive member of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy, the NSW Adult Literacy Numeracy Council, and a member of DEWR’s Foundation Skills Advisory Committee. Lindy Cassidy works as a Partnership Project Officer at the Reading Writing Hotline. Lindy has extensive experience in access and equity educational areas and has previously worked at the Sydney Institute for Community Languages Education and in the TAFE NSW Outreach program.

SESSION 12 - WORKSHOP 3.30 PM - Broadway Room

Teaching digital in the workplace - skills and so much more

Irma Djaya and Sue Sim

Digital training in the workplace is often centred around developing skills: typing skills, mouse skills, the ability to log in and use programs. However, a student-centred, tailored workplace digital program develops more than just skills.

Sue and Irma will talk about their experiences working with council workers as part of a Foundation Skills For Your Future program. They will outline the development of an inclusive workplace digital program and teaching approaches to help manage learning groups with wide ranging digital confidence levels. This workshop is for those who are interested in workplace training as well as digital literacy development in a classroom setting.

Sue Sim has been in the Adult Literacy field for 30 years. She has worked at Petersham, Ultimo, Randwick and Eora TAFE campuses as well as in community colleges and in prisons. She is currently providing learning support to Dental Assisting students and teaching literacy at Eora for Stolen Generation survivors.

Irma Djaya has taught ESOL and Adult Literacy students for 15 years, both in Australia and overseas. She has worked in ELICOS, university and TAFE settings. She is a member of the NSWALNC Executive committee.

Sue and Irma have team-taught on numerous digital programs. Ideas for this workshop have come about from weekly car ride discussions and reflections between Sydenham Station and Waverley Council Depot.

Hosted in partnership with the

School of International Studies and Education,
University of Technology Sydney