Simon Brown will give a final workshop presentation for SkillsTech Australia on integrating language, literacy, and numeracy (LLN) skills into vocational education and training (VET) practice. The presentation will cover analyzing LLN requirements, selecting and using resources and strategies to address skill needs, using specialist LLN support when needed, and evaluating the effectiveness of learning support and assessment strategies in addressing LLN requirements. It will also discuss determining the LLN skills required by training specifications and essential for workplace performance, as well as determining the LLN skills of learner groups using validated tools and other sources.
1. Final workshop presentation
Simon Brown
SkillsTech Australia
Image sourced from Brainbase Training at http://brainbasetraining.com/consulting/825-2/
Integrating LLN into VET Practice
2. TAELLN411A Address adult language,
literacy and numeracy skills
• 1. Analyse LLN requirements
• 2. Select and use resources and strategies to
address LLN skill requirements
• 3. Use specialist LLN support where required
• 4. Evaluate effectiveness of learning support
and assessment strategies in addressing LLN
requirements
3. 1. Analyse LLN requirements
• 1.1 Determine LLN skill requirements of the
training specification
• 1.2 Identify and analyse the LLN skill
requirements essential to workplace
performance
• 1.3 Determine the LLN skills of the learner
group from validated tools and other sources
Slide 1: My project set out to integrate Core Skills into Plumbing training resources. I found it very difficult to engage teachers in conversation about this topic, possibly because of the size and complexity of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). I needed to find a way to introduce the concepts of: How to gauge the Core Skills requirements of each unit (and that of the workplace)How the gauge the Core Skills levels of each learner (spiky profile)What resources and strategies could assist the learnerWhat specialist support could be providedMeasure the effectiveness of the support
Slide 2: The TAE national training package unit TAELLN411A Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills is likely to become mandatory for VET trainers in the near future. The first element of competency specifies that an analysis of LLN requirements is undertaken.
Slide 3: The performance criteria of the first element specify that the LLN skill requirements of both the unit of competency and the workplace be considered, as well as the LLN skill levels of the learner.
Slide 4: SkillsTech Australia uses the Basic and Key Skills Builder (BKSB) diagnosis tool to ascertain each learner’s skill level in English and Maths. This report is an example of that which is provided to teachers immediately after diagnosis on the first day of attendance at TAFE. Next year, the report will map directly to ACSF levels.
Slide 5: ACER are also developing a diagnosis tool.
Slide 6: Using Microsoft Excel, I developed an ACSF mapping tool to start a conversation with individual teachers about Core Skills. I did this because of my concern that VET trainers may not be able to sufficiently explain how they arrived at an ACSF level for a unit. I spoke with four STA teachers (in Stonemasonry, Shopfitting, Plumbing, Cabinetmaking) and then emailed a survey document to them. The document explained the background to my project, asked for their permission to record an audio interview, asked about their teaching context, and asked for them to consider a numeracy issue with which they had recently engaged students. I specified a numeracy issue because of my recent contact with researcher Tina Berghella who asked for numeracy examples from trade areas. I chose to keep the conversation to an assessment task rather than a whole unit for the sake of simplicity. The tool is designed to address each assessment task and each learning experience in a unit, building to a more complete picture of an appropriate ACSF level for a whole unit. I also demonstrated the tool to two teachers who are delivering Cert IV in TAE to Chilean workplace trainers.(Open the Mapping Tool spreadsheet)I asked each of the four teachers to identify the Domain of their chosen assessment task – personal, workplace or education and training. I then explained that their consideration needed to include all three ACSF numeracy indicators (9, 10 & 11) in each of the four performance variables (Support, Context, Text Complexity and Task Complexity). I arranged the indicators and the performance variables in a matrix so that the levels could be chosen using the performance features as prompts. Teachers found this simple to follow once it had been explained. Once a level was chosen for each indicator, in each performance variable, the spreadsheet added and averaged values in each column. The resulting averages were also added and averaged to display a single number at the top of the sheet. This value is automatically displayed in a summary sheet which plots all five Core Skills as a bar graph. This is then the required skill level of the task/unit, and the workplace skill requirement. The learner’s skill levels – the spiky profile - (as determined by the diagnosis tool) is overlaid on the bar graph to display whether or not the exit level of each ACSF skill is either met or surpassed. A shortfall – where the spiky profile is below the exit level – identifies an opportunity for LLN support.I believe that a tool such as this could be useful for VET trainers in determining what LLN support is required for learners.