Sutherland Shire Libraries Staff News

Many of the speakers notes are now on the website, if you wish to see more than what I have presented here or in the previous blog.

 

Anke Grotluschen – Keynote – ‘Vunerability in Adult life – and how it affects Numeracy Practices’

In literacy, vulnerability equals the risk of exclusion. In feminist discourse vulnerability is regarded as a human condition.

Numeracy – how is it understood?
is it just basic calculation?  
is it only practical uses? 
is it rough estimating with no real use of formulas?
is numeracy just normative and political while mathematics is neutra?

Numeracy is critical and emancipatory. “So the poor common man is not cheated when buying bread”, Adam Ries in 1536 printed a book for calculating everyday prices in Indian/Arabic digits instead of by the convoluted abacus. This book is in Germany as famous as the first printing of the Bible.

Germany runs a study called LEO - Life with Low Literacy study the latest in 2018. The results: About 6.2 million German speaking adults between the ages of 18 and 64 years have a low literacy, so they have difficulty reading and writing. That's 12.1 percent of the total population, called the 1-3 level.

In terms of numeracy this is important because they are in lower income levels, with less knowledge of worker rights, finance contracts, credit, tax. They find it difficult to understand data in relation to their health, politics and the digital world of data grabbing and manipulation.

When asked, ‘Can you afford a one week vacation away from home per year?’ -  46% of this 1-3 level could not. 71.7% of this level did not feel competent in completing their tax, while the figure was only 43% in the general population. Similarly 43% did not feel competent in understanding their energy bill or a mobile phone contract as opposed to 19.3% of the general pop. 50% did not feel competent to do online banking, 65% did not feel competent to find information on worker rights. Only 25.5% dared to take part in political issues. 

The percentage of people who have difficulty in judging whether news is credible was 44% in this level, but still 21.5% in the general population. Judging whether something is an ad or real information only 25% could tell, general population was 48%. Judging why online services collect personal data 61.3% could not, whilst 43% of the general population could not.

The point of all this was to stress that numeracy and literacy cannot be separated and with declining levels of numeracy due to technology doing it for us, (it is invisible, we feel it is irrelevant) Then people will become more and more vulnerable.  

Her main point was that critical numeracy is needed in every single domain!

Political Numeracy:
• NOT: „go and vote“ (one of the parties who equally don‘t do anything for you)
• BUT: oppose government control, scrutinize evidence-based monitoring etc.

Financial Numeracy:
• NOT: „save and get along with your money“ (even if one can‘t make a living on social benefit)
• BUT: negotiate salaries and social benefits, tell advertisement from information, see how companies try to trick with non-understandable contract offers

Health Numeracy:
• NOT: „Five green leafy vegetables a day!“ or „eat apples and go running“ (as if it were your fault when you get ill)
• BUT: oppose giving tracking system data to health insurances , advocate for better housing (LEO 2018), criticize fast food chains in low-income neighborhoods, claim regular working hours

Digital Numeracy:
• NOT: „use online banking“ „use online government services“ (and don‘t ask for a person that explains things to you)
• BUT: ensure data ownership , understand how algorithms feed our filter bubbles and how to hack them oppose recruiting algorithms in HRD

Amy Thomas – Keynote – ‘Navigating the “safety zone”: assimilation, self-determination and indigenous engagement with bilingual schooling in Australia’

This lecture was principally about the need to have indigenous education in the hands of the Indigenous communities and with bilingualism being a driving factor. It is necessary to make an equitable and sustainable future.

The example is of the Yipirinya School and the struggle to run it and keep it under Indigenous control and run it as they want. Who decides what is failure? Imbedded in education is a contest about the future…what must we know?

It was interesting but only relevant to our library in that we need to remember that the basis of learning to literate in English is being literate in one’s first language.

Julie Choi and Yvette Slaughter – digital and linguistic resources of pre-and beginner level adult English language learners: what are the affordances and limitations?

These women ran a study on a class of ESL learners. 41 people from 12 countries with 16 languages between them. What was common among them…they were all using their phones for meaning-making practices.

What were they using? WhatsApp, Facebook, daily practices like Holy Bible and Shopfully. Google translate, WeChat, LearnEnglish, Phonetic Chart.

How are they using it? Forwarding, note making, copy& paste/translate, speech function, handwriting, typing, enlarging, spelling functions – not very successfully due to pronunciation and the way they frame the question. Low literacy in any language limited the users to audio and visual functions only.

For important apps they rely on family, teachers and friends to help them no sense of privacy for the individual eg MyGov, CentrelinkGas bills, doctors.

How can these be used differently, what are the limitations, outside of just getting by how can they be used as tools for learning about language. Edtech mobile apps are offering more options. Techfugees are empowering the displaced with technology.

When you use the tools the students are using they can become the ‘experts’, can show others in their class and the teachers and learn to value the knowledge they do have and build upon it and gain confidence.

Vanessa Iles – “Sorry but we can’t help you”: Finding new ways to meet the needs of students, communities and employers

In 2015 there were declining classes and increasing calls to the Hotline. Many were being turned away without help. The Hotline reinvented itself as a diagnostic and advocacy service,  employing experienced literacy teachers on the frontline to assess callers, diagnose their level and correctly refer.

They deal with 1500 literacy providers across Australia. 28% is TAFE, 30% community sector, 22% private RTO and 7% are libraries.

Callers tell them it is hard to find courses, customer service of provides is hard to navigate; they feel ashamed, accreditation is not important, the enrolment process & assessment component of courses discourages their attendance. English speaking background people are too embarrassed to attend the same classes as NESB people. They want a non-threatening environment and content which is not for job seekers.

She listed the various volunteer tutor programs available. 26Ten in Tasmanian libraries, Gold Coast Library and ReadWriteNow in WA. TASTafe, North Coast TAFE, Redlands, Broken hill and Allice Springs all have online volunteer tutor training available. Purple House

Steve Goldberg – Meeting a community need: customising learning materials to teach basic legal rights and digital literacy skills using mobile technology to migrants and refugees

He was talking with students and found that they were getting a poor deal with their workplaces and realised they did not know their rights. Found the FairWork Ombudsman website difficult to navigate himself so started working with the students to teach them how to empower themselves when it came to workers, and social rights.

He suggests embedding the lessons into the required course work. It is best to use mobile technology because for many migrants desktop computing was bypassed. It’s familiar and affordable, it is there with you as need it. What are their rights as a shopper, laws around refunds and exchange. On the NSW Fair trading website use Q search get translations. Fair Work has ‘record my hours’ app, clock on take photos, geotrack, take photos, keep the records and export to the Fair Workplace app.

Lidia Lipkiewicz – Plan a project – an innovative project-based learning approach to developing language and literacy skills for ESL? EALD job seekers

Using a fun relevant activity based approach to learning the language required for job seeking.

Inclusive Programming Nov 1 2019

Attendees from Sutherland Libraries: Chris Newett and Ingrid Micallef

These notes and the slide presentation that links to them are in Objective----

in a folder called EarlyEd inclusion

Purpose: To discover best practice for inclusive programming. To apply this to The Cubby program and other programs for pre-school children.

Pre-amble: Diagnosis? Often children at this age are not diagnosed and are displaying a variety of behaviours

The goal is to encourage participants into the mainstream programs.

Inclusion-fully participate. Councils now have an inclusion plan. (Check Suth Council)

Using Signs

KWS-based on Auslan but is not Auslan as Auslan has a distinct grammar and syntax.

Incorporates natural gesture

Talk and sign together never just sign.

Some basic Signs

Toilet - Sign for letter ‘t’ and tap several times. Tap more to indicate urgency!

Hot – hooked finger and wipe sweat and flick from brow

More – Cup hand to chest and pull away

Finish – Thumb up and wiggle side to side

Yes – fist nod up and down

No – fist nod side to side

My/mine – fist to chest (as if pointing but no pointing finger)

Your- fist turned out (as if pointing but no pointing finger)

Like – circle hand at heart

Don’t like -  circle hand at heart, shake head and add negative facial expression.

Yum – circle hand at tummy

The needs of the child-under or over sensitive. Ask parent - How can we support your child?

Change the environment to suit

Careful about demands placed on child

Have resources (lap toys etc) only if needed and if suitable to child-parent will know.

Seating options

Partnership with parent

Always ask who is new? Understand that anyone new will display different behaviours. Behaviours of disabled child will be the same as other children however delayed or longer in duration.

1. FOCUS ON ABILITY

What is the best way for the child to sit?

What do they like?

What can they do?

-Focus on the individual not the stereotype or label

-Multiple disabilities-Downs syndrome and hearing loss…

Consider

-range of movement

-co-ordination and motor planning

-support systems in place, assistive technologies

-strength and stamina

-hearing and vision

-sensory processing

-memory

-cognition

When talking about disability put the person FIRST e.g a child with autism NOT an autistic child

Special support rather than special needs

(INGRID-work on wording for our program, what is our target group?)

2. SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL NEEDS

Structure with flexibility

Framework-scaffolds

3. THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SUPPORT

-Just enough/not too much

                Can confuse/distract/distress

                Observe what is happening

                Respect independence

                Ask and offer support rather than provide it

Make storyboards consistent across branches

EVERY BEHAVIOUR IS A COMMUNICATION-intentionally communicating a message OR unintentionally expressing an unmet need.

IDENTIFY BEHAVIOUR-sitting crossed arms, scowling

NOT INTERPRETATION OF BEHAVIOUR-grumpy, non-compliant

4. AMOUNT OF SUPPORT - ASK FIRST.

                What can I do?

What kind of support does your child need for this session?

Respect the parents control, they are the expert for this child.

Managing difficult conversations-(This is where I disagree with the training as we are not in a position as trained child behavioural experts to have this conversation. We can provide resources and give feedback in a general or non-judgemental manner such as-your child really enjoyed that song, we’ll use it again next week OR that song seemed to cause your child some stress we’ll not sing it again.)

5. SUPPORTS TO HAVE IN PLACE

                Aimed to help understanding – give instructions.

SUPPORT THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

5A. Be face to face

5B. Show with visual materials or gestures-this slows down the message; therefore easier to comprehend.

5C. Wait (5 sections) Give time to process before giving more information

Observe Wait Listen

5D Visual Schedules

Includes mat and chairs (?)

Part of Plan

Something to show you are the storyteller (Lanyard? Headband?)

Social Story

Puppet

Storyboard on paper to hand out

VISUALS

                Sitting on the floor social story

                Moving around the library social story

                Going to the toilet social story

Consistency in size and colour

Visuals also helpful to parents

Keyword Sign kwsnsw.com

                Boardmaker (1 month free trial)

                Different stripes of colour for different activity

MUSIC

Interest based

More engaged learning

Do less songs and do those 2 or 3 times

Use felt board for songs

Facilitate development of language and communication.

BOOKS

What makes a good book?

Who sank the boat/

Baa for beginners

Emily likes to bounce

Ducks away

WHAT NEXT?

Evaluate and consider goals for program, who we are targeting? Are we being inclusive or exclusive? Wording for notifying families of the program and it’s goals.

RESOURCES

Raising children website https://raisingchildren.net.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqJydq8jj5QIVGB4rCh1RXwT_EAAYASAAEgILlfD_BwE

Key Word Sign NSW

http://www.kwsnsw.com/

Hanen

http://www.hanen.org/CMSPages/PortalTemplate.aspx?aliaspath=%2fHome

Early Ed

https://www.earlyed.com.au/

Parachute

https://www.teaching.com.au/product/KS180

Puppet-child sized

http://www.bilby.net/DisplayCat.asp?CatID=4&SubCatID=64

Sign bank

http://www.auslan.org.au/

Ingrid