Critical Re-imagining: Adult literacy and numeracy practices for sustainable development

 Back in October I attended the above two day conference at the University of Sydney.

I thought I'd send around my impressions of the conference as a whole and a summary of the first days sessions. I haven't go to the second day's yet!

There is a large body of people who require help to become functionally literate, so they can fully engage with their families, the community, government services and be effective and efficient in workplaces. Much of the funding for training in the Literacy space is geared towards skills for the workplace, and syllabuses are proscriptive. Research shows that the motivation for people to attempt to access literacy training is usually more personal than just to get/keep work. The driver for success with students is 'whatever the reason' they have been brave enough to admit they have a need to learn. Therefore set coursework is rarely relevant and so largely ineffectual. Student centred learning is needed. The prevailing wisdom was that literacy and numeracy training needs to be individualised to suit the student and therefore one on one training is ideal.

The United Nations Sustainable Development goal number 4 is:
Education – Universal literacy is achieved by 2030 for all youth and a substantial proportion of all men and women.

This conference was aimed at supporting and equipping language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) teachers with tools and methods to teach, from the premise of literacy to fulfil the student needs rather than from the need for skills for employment goals.

Funding bodies over the past 10 years have increasing only been funding programs which restrict LLN learning to those skills which directly relate to workplace situations. They have also focussed on quantitative assessment of each module and the need to be competent in each module after a specific time frame and then moving on. Funding does not allow for repeating courses. Adult literacy is so much more than a tool for economic development.
The common thread through all the presentations was that when teaching is related to the need of the student this is when learning has meaning and therefore actually takes place.  Connecting with individuals is the key to LLN learning. Achieving literacy and numeracy not only has benefits for the students directly but also for their communities and the broader community as their understanding of issues related to sustainable practices also increases.

Ralf St Clair, Keynote speaker, pointed out that we know literacies are numerous and complex and tutors and teachers need to own the fact that all people have capabilities, people know stuff, that LLN students are very capable adults that are looking to expand their capabilities.

He suggested there is a constant battle with governing bodies between ‘Purity/order’ driving towards an ever more restricted view of literacy (work relevant only) and ‘Danger/Chaos’ the rest of our lives (expanding literacies internet, etc.). Education is a human right – no learner should need to justify their desire to learn – if we put limits on it we are denying human rights.

Ralf believes teaching should start with what brought them to learn, give funders what they want – then add what is necessary, be tactical and strategic. Take risks, engage with the danger that lies in the structures of the enterprise – like Greta Thunberg – out with the grey.
But remember learners take the biggest risk, when they come forward and acknowledge they need help.

Ros Appleby, Keynote speaker, discussed how language and literacies are changing in response to our engagement with nature, or lack of it. Oxford junior dictionary removed magpie, tiger, almond and fern to add attachment, broadband and chatroom! This change is made because there is little need for the former words and the latter are in daily usage. The discussion was about ‘nature deficit disorder’ and the ‘extinction of experience’. Ros suggested the solution to this is to reconnect to nature and create relationships with other than human and promote the protection of animals.

The language with which we talk about animals impacts on our perceptions of them and their worth.
For example how the media discuss sharks as lurking, prowling, stalking, killers, monsters with razor sharp teeth influences our reaction when there are human encounters. Language changes according to context. Ros suggests that using examples like these is a useful teaching tool to inform people of the sustainability debate whilst improving their literacy.

Dr Alison Abraham - Workshop: Transforming practice through an understanding of socio-cultural conditions in the classroom 
This looked like the least ‘not applicable to libraries’ of the workshops offered in the timeslot. The basic premise was to point out that when talking/teaching literacy there are three dimensions to be aware of;
-    Operational dimension, this is the structure of the language and learning
-    Cultural dimension, the students own and the institutions
-    Critical dimension, which is where discussion takes place around the learning
Research was conducted on what took place in classrooms and then was analysed. Essentially she found repeatedly that social interaction was required for learning to take place. That is, what is upper most in students thoughts needs to be dealt with/acknowledged and discussed (socio-cultural dimension) before the critical dimension (true understanding) can be reached. Eg. Students rugby team has lost the game and they were too sad to learn. Transform teaching practise by allowing the students to be human. Theory needs to compliment practice, not drive it.

Christl Doemling - Workshop: Why have volunteers in Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN)?
In 1979 LLN was first offered as a volunteer program. In the mid 1980’s UTS offered a Graduate Diploma for literacy tutors and paid work became available with TAFE classes in size of between 1 and 6 students. Now there are up to 20 students and can be higher. The model which developed ‘competency based training’ is incompatible with ‘needs based provision’. The ‘lock step’ acquisition of literacy which underpins funding and current course delivery is not realistic.

In NSW, North Coast TAFE, Ultimo TAFE, and AMEP train and offer volunteers for LLN. Literacy for Life too. In Victoria 40% of public libraries have trained volunteers/ or community education teachers. (2015) In QLD the Sunshine Coast Libraries, AMEP Tropical North QLD TAFE have a home tutor scheme. Tasmania have 10 year government funding for 26TEN, a state wide literacy program delivered through the public library system. They will also offer a new online volunteer tutor training available in 2020.
Nationally there is TAFE Digital and the Reading Writing Hotline – trained tutors themselves they assess clients’ needs and connect them to services, which can provide them with a tutor capable of helping them. They also connect tutors to organisations.

Tutors need to be supported and have good co-ordination across the community, but they are needed to fill the gaps left by skills based training models.

Frances Williamson, Rose Amazon and Deborah DurnamWorkshop: Aboriginal Maetras: ”bringing out our voices” through the Yes, I can! Campaign
Literacy for Life in action. They train volunteers from Aboriginal communities to work with the adults in the community starting with the assumption that the adults feel shame about needing to attend classes so they bring them in with the children and both learn at the same time. It is a whole family and storytelling approach which allows for two way learning and for community commitments to take precedence.
There is a need for young role models in the community. The model removed the power structure and gave it to the “educator” in the community. When the program left the area, the ‘educators’ are still there. Community members still come to those  'educators' and the other participants in the program for help and guidance.
Popular education of this type helps people self-actualise. In the Aboriginal sphere it is also a de-colonising journey which forces the 'white experts' to stand back and let go of the power and allow the community educators to do it better in their own way and with the different perspective needed for success.




Next installment soon
Jacinta