More than match stats: Language, literacy and numeracy workshops for VET practitioners

The April two-day AFL Players Association workshop addressed:

language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills and their impact on adult learning;
LLN skills and the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF);
using ACER’s Vocational Indicator to identify the level of AFL players’ LLN skills; and
ways to support AFL players with low LLN skills.

Following the success of this, and recognising the need for further support for vocational education and training (VET) practitioners, ACER’s Vocational Unit in Assessment Services in conjunction with the ACER Institute is now running a series of programs from July to December for all VET practitioners.

On 30 July (repeated 26 October), Lynn Sendy-Smithers and Dave Tout will offer a practical workshop that looks at the importance and role of LLN skills in VET. Based on knowledge of research about adults’ skills in literacy and numeracy, about the teaching and learning of LLN and of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), Sendy-Smithers and Tout will provide practical advice and strategies for VET and workplace teachers and trainers about what actions and activities they can undertake to address any LLN issues identified.

The workshop will address the following key questions:

What are LLN skills and how do they impact on adult Australians?
What is the ACSF and what does it tell us?
What can teachers and trainers do to support adults in VET and workplaces who might have low LLN skills?

On 21 August (repeated 16 November), Tom Lumley and Sendy-Smithers will offer a beginners’ guide to writing literacy items in assessments for adults. This workshop will provide an overview of the process of literacy item writing, and some of the processes that typically go into developing strong and valid assessment items, including panelling and revision, items in relation to the ACSF, field testing and comparing the initial drafts of a unit of items with the final set as used in an operational assessment tool. The last part of the workshop will give participants time to put the principles to work and to write and panel some items. This may include putting some of their own assessment items up for critique.

On 13 September (repeated 10 December), Dave Tout and Jim Spithill will offer a beginners’ guide to writing numeracy items in assessments for adults. This workshop will provide an overview of the process of numeracy and mathematics item writing, and some of the processes that typically go into developing strong and valid assessment items, including panelling and revision, items in relation to the ACSF, field testing and comparing the initial drafts of a unit of items with the final set as used in an operational assessment tool. The workshop will also address specific numeracy issues related to the complexity of the language in numeracy and mathematics items and the choice of distractors for multiple choice numeracy items. The last part of the workshop will give participants time to put the principles to work and to write and panel some items. This may include putting some of their own assessment items up for critique.

Find out more:
For information on ACER Institute programs visit <www.acerinstitute.edu.au>