Adult literacy in Republic of Ireland: a NALA integrating literacy, workplace and distance education

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Adult literacy in Republic of Ireland a NALA
integrating literacy, workplace and distance
education perspective

• John Stewart
• National Adult Literacy Coordinator/ Acting
  Director
• National Adult Literacy Agency
• November 30th 2007

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National Adult Literacy Agency

• NALA is an independent member-based organisation
  committed to making sure people with literacy and
  numeracy difficulties
• can fully take part in society and
• access learning opportunities that meet their
  needs.
• We do this via advocacy, research, policy
  development and provision of services in adult
  literacy work in Ireland.

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NALA Objectives 2007-2010

• Secure the support of policy makers and
  politicians for providing increased resources to
  adult literacy and numeracy services.
• Make it easier for more adults to develop their
  literacy and numeracy through education and
  training programmes.
• Make approaches to teaching learning more
  effective.
• Persuade organisations to be fully accessible to
  people with literacy and numeracy difficulties.
• Strengthen NALAs effectiveness as an organisation

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Selected Profile of Republic of Ireland

• Population of over 2 million adults
• 25 of adults at IALS literacy level 1 -30 at L2
• 30 of labour force have level 3 qualifications
  or less (lower secondary)
• Over 10 of population is non-Irish
• 1 in 10 leave primary school system with a
  literacy difficulty
• This rises to up to 3 in 10 in disadvantaged
  areas
• School completion rate for 20-24 year olds 85.4
  2006
• 99 of households have a television set
• 51 of people have home PC, 43 have home
  Internet access. Broadband access 10.5 (EU
  average 15.7)

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Adult literacy context

• Period of expansion - budgets, participation and
  VEC adult literacy services.
• Range of programmes (11, group, intensive - 6
  hours per week, family, workplace, ESOL) and
  progression paths.
• NALA developments - Quality, Assessment and
  Curriculum Frameworks, Distance education etc
• Qualifications Framework (RoI 3 NI 1)

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VEC adult literacy service

• Statutory provider of adult literacy funded by
  DES
• 33 VECs county/city areas
• Provide adult literacy and a range of adult
  education programmes (youth, further education,
  Traveller etc)
• Significant development since 1998 - 30 m. 2007
• 40,000 adult literacy students 30 ESOL, 5
  family.
• Typically receive 2 hours per week increasing
  availability of more intensive options
• 111 Adult literacy organisers (50 full time)
• 4,000 volunteer tutors and 1,500 sessional tutors

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Policy and national planning

• White Paper on adult education 2000 prioritised
  literacy in adult education and set out a
  national adult literacy programme.
• Target to reduce IALS 25 to 10-15 by 2016
• Towards 2016, Social Partnership Framework
• National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013 Both
  plans prioritise adult literacy in education and
  in context of the National Skills Strategy

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Tomorrows skills 2006-2020 National Skills
Strategy

• 70,000 to be upskilled from NFQ levels 1 and 2 to
  level 3 260,000 up to levels 4 and 5, at a cost
  of 153 million per year.
• As a general principle, individuals should be
  assisted to achieve Level 4 or 5 award.
• Key generic skills are growing in relative
  importance in the workplace basic skills (in
  particular, literacy).should be prioritised and
  embedded into all publicly funded education and
  training provision in so far as possible.
• Coordination needed education training

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Similarities to EU. Its not too late

• Lisbon Agenda raise growth, competitiveness and
  preserve social cohesion.
• 72 million low-skilled workers in Europe, one
  third of labour force.
• Aging workforce.
• Equitable distribution of skills across
  populations has a stronger impact on overall
  economic performance.

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Integrating Literacy NALA

• National guidelines for education and training
  programmes
• A partnership with FAS and Teagasc, and with
  third-level institutions
• A programme of accredited training for vocational
  instructors literacy facilitators
• Materials to model and support integrated
  approaches

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Generic Guidelines for FET
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Integrated assessment
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Mapping the Learning Journey

• Knowledge and skills base- covers 4 areas of
  learning ? Communicates by speaking and
  listening? Writing to convey information, ideas
  and feelings? Reading for understanding? Using
  basic maths to solve everyday problems
• Depth of understanding / critical awareness
• Fluency and independence
• Range of application

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Apprenticeship Assessment Project

• Materials and activities for integrated initial
  assessment on apprenticeships

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NRDC research confirms effectiveness of the
integrated approach

• The successful embedded programmes in England and
  Wales research all included
• Teamwork between literacy and numeracy teachers
  and vocational teachers
• Shared staff understandings, values and beliefs
• Literacy and numeracy linked to vocational
  content
• Policies and organisational features at
  institutional level

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What works?

• NRDC research named these factors
• Learners being taught by teachers and trainers
  with deep knowledge of their subject areas and
  how to teach it
• Teachers and trainers working together positively
• Keeping the learner at the centre, and focusing
  on the role of different team members in
  contributing to learners progress
• NALAs experience confirms those, and adds the
  need for
• Buy-in and leadership from highest levels of the
  national training agencies, to drive the
  integration strategy

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Whole organisation approach

• Awareness
• Literacy awareness needed for management,
  HR/Training staff, supervisors and employees
• Dedicated training programme to include basic
  skill development
• Communication plain English
• Training for trainers building literacy into
  current training

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Workplace basic education (WBE) - NALA experience

• Return to education pilot with unemployed 99
• Return to learning- local authority workers 00
• WBE Strategy document 2002
• Accredited training WIT 2003
• SMART Project - a WBE model for small and medium
  enterprises (SMEs) 2004-05
• Skills for Work promotion, coordination, tutor
  standards and material development 2005-date
• Policies Integrating literacy into further
  education and training, Paid learning leave
• Conference 2008

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WBE developments

• Workplace Basic Education Fund
• Set up by Dept Enterprise, Trade and Employment
  in 2005 - administered by FÁS as Skills for Work
• 3 million in 2007 2,000 participants
• Skillnets enterprise led learning networks
  funded by National Training Fund
• SkillVEC - partnership between VECs and hospitals
• NALA distance education

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WBE Challenges

• From policy to planning implementation
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Getting the message across
• Delivery and accreditation
• Whole organisation approach

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Distance education

• Distance education is where students and tutors
  are separated by either space or time.
• Common characteristics include
• Students learn without having to be in the
  presence of a tutor or other students.
• Students can select where and when learning takes
  place.
• The pace and sequence of learning is controlled
  by the student.
• Learning takes place in a non-threatening
  atmosphere.
• Students develop their capacity for independence
  and self-reliance as a student.

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NALAs Distance Education Services

• Aim to provide quality distance education
  opportunities for adults to improve literacy and
  numeracy skills in the privacy of their homes
• Target audience independent students i.e. adults
  who are not in a formal education or training
  programme
• Also targets adult literacy students and other
  learners
• Now provides option of accreditation
• Current services comprise ? an annual TV series,
  with supports, ? a website? DVDs, CDs and tapes
  with associated workbooks

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Background

• Radio 1999 local radio series 2001 national
  radio series
• TV 2000 television series with print
  telephone tutor supports 7 series produced to
  2007 website support added.
• Web 2002 www.literacytools.ie
• Various CD-ROM based materials developed
  independently during 2000 to 2006

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NALA distance education model
TV Series Workbook Telephone Tutor support
Website materials
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Television Ratings
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Costs of Distance Education

• Traditional high development costs
• Total Really Useful Guide Budget 1.5mFunding
  from BCI and DES
• TV typically 50,000 per half hour plus supports
• Cheaper online tools becoming available
  streaming video, blogs, eportfolios, Google
  documents, myspace, etc

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Other Distance projects
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Distance ed. Evaluation

• A Good Practice Model
• A Successful and Effective Model
• Value for Money
• Involvement of Learners

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TV programmes in 2008

• The Workshop- an 8 week documentary series
  focussing on 11 learners on a learning programme
• Budget 850,000 Broadcasting Commission of
  Ireland, Dept of Education and Science and RTE
• More reach than teach. No didactic content in
  broadcast elements. Primarily a motivational
  series
• Grow web offerings and develop Freephone supports
• Accreditation Level 2
• Broadcasting Late February 2008
• Further information on www.nala.ie

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Literacy Learning Through Distance Ed In The
Future

• Positioned to fill ongoing capacity gap
• Build on lessons from evaluations
• Need to develop increasingly cost-effective
  options
• Move from dependence on project-based funding
• Maximise existing resources web portal
• Long term partnerships vital

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NALAs Distance Education Services the Future

• Explore digital broadcasting
• Integrate Web and associated technologies (SMS,
  streaming, eportfolios, blogs, etc)
• Content linked to accreditation
• Online repository of best practice content
  cataloguing, taxonomy development, reusability
• Development of communities of practice
• Smart and blended online assessment tools
• Use of communication tools to broaden human
  interaction opportunities
• Promotion of ICT among audience and practitioners

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Contacts

• NALA, 76 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• National Coordinator John
  Stewart jstewart_at_nala.ie
• Integrating Literacy Coord. Bláthnaid Ní
  Chinnéide bnichinneide_at_nala.ie
• Distance Education Coordinator Tom OMara
  tomara_at_nala.ie
• WBE Coordinator Liz
  Wilson lwilson_at_nala.ie
• NALA www.nala.ie
• Literacy Tools www.literacytools.ie
• RUG www.rug.ie
• RWN www.readwritenow.ie/