Northern Territory Adult Literacy And Numeracy Best Practice

What innovative strategies and approaches did they use?

Training providers have provided an insight into the strategies and approaches required to conduct successful literacy and numeracy programs across the Northern Territory. Some of these strategies have been developed as a result of trial and error, emerging as a genuine ‘need’ within a cross-cultural learning environment.

Other approaches are an indication of the creativity, enthusiasm and commitment of those involved, including trainers, students and partners in learning, such as community, government and private enterprise.

Overall, success is measured not only by graduate statistics but also through the establishment of a positive learning environment. This is achieved in part by maintaining realistic expectations, providing holistic support for students, displaying cultural sensitivity and contextualising literacy and numeracy skills.

As a result, you may find a range of useful and practical ideas and insightful strategies in the case studies below.

Case Study 1 Partnership of training providers, remote school, a national park and an Indigenous-owned hotel

Be flexible
Provide student support, both on and off the job
Allow a ‘second go’

As a result of the outcome after six weeks, a revamping of the program took place to ensure that the group of unsuccessful students could be more supported both off and on the job. They were offered a place in a subsequent program involving another local employer.

Case Study 2 Workplace English Language and Literacy in Arnhemland

Commute weekly by plane to remote areas
Arrange training/classes according to cultural considerations
Integrate ICT
Conduct regular on-site visits
Embed literacy within a practical program

Travel by air on a weekly basis: Due to safety and family reasons, staff travelled by air when visiting the remote outstations. They also travelled in pairs. Air travel presented some logistical challenges as the light aircraft allowed for 40 kg of equipment only, meaning that the 16 available laptop computers could not all go!

Cultural considerations: Staff travelled in male/female pairs in order to accommodate the preference of participants for same sex classes, thus preventing cultural reasons (taboo or poison cousins) for participants to not be in the same training session.

Integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into the delivery of the training. Laptop computers were flown into the Outstation each week and used in the delivery of programs. This fits well with the “Indigenous preferred learning environment” (interviewee).

Regular weekly on-site visits occurred, as compared to ‘block’ training, so that minimal training is missed if a participant is unable to attend in a certain week.

An impediment to smooth delivery of training was the large numbers of students in the Wet season. The seasonal changes between the Wet and the Dry seasons in Arnhemland caused student numbers to fluctuate dramatically, with very large numbers of students wishing to undertake training in the Wet season, compared to the Dry season when participants were more likely to be ‘on the move’. In the Dry season the trainers could expect to instruct a manageable class size of 36 in a session, whereas in the Wet season, the numbers could double and sometimes triple. This had a detrimental effect on the ability of the trainers to make a difference in literacy competencies during the Wet season.

Instead they focussed on the practical competencies related to the program and embedded literacy into the program when they could. It was not always possible to give the one-on-one support that had been available throughout the Dry season to the participants.

Case Study 3 Administrative training for Indigenous staff at a national park

Choose practical units to build confidence
Use Multimedia tools to minimise preparation, enhance literacy
Provide relationship-based support

Training initially focused on practical units so that trainees were assessed on these units first, enabling them to build confidence prior to undertaking theoretical units.

Ready for work programs take a lot of staff time. Videos and visual learning tools were used in place of paper-based instruction, minimising preparation time and enhancing learning for students with low literacy levels.

In 2005, the program was highly successful overall (28 out of 32 completed) but was not as successful as hoped for low literacy trainees, as the intended literacy and numeracy support was not well organised. However, two low literacy trainees did complete the program and have now been employed by the Indigenous-owned hotel for six months. Their success was relationship-based. It involved a great deal of one-on-one support throughout the life of the program and following successful employment.

Case Study 6 Medium security prison

Involve minimal writing
Use visual teaching aids and oral delivery to maximise learning
Re-write resources to be culturally appropriate, more visual
Ask the students, focus on their interests

Due to the low literacy levels of most of the students, training involves minimal writing;

Visual teaching aids and oral delivery is utilised to maximise learning and communication;

Lecturers have rewritten worksheets to make them culturally appropriate and more visual.

Lecturers seek to discover what the students really want to learn, then focus on that to engage students.

Case Study 7 A partnership in the metalliferous mining program

Consider cultural aspects of learning
Contextualise the learning
Conduct training in students’ preferred learning environment

This training program ensured that cultural aspects of learning were considered as an integral part of the delivery and assessment requirements. Trainers and the large mining company (employer) worked with the students, successfully contextualising their learning. As the preferred learning environment was small group work, training sessions were conducted on-site in small groups. This maximised the learning of students (employees) and improved relationship-building opportunities.

Case Study 8 Private religious schools

Establish Indigenous leadership group, teacher assistance support
Provide professional development opportunities
Maintain good communication through meetings
Highlight examples of good practice
State outcomes to achieve, strategies to use

It is refreshing to find “switched-on practitioners” (interviewee) who are regularly confronting the challenges of training in a cross-cultural and school environment with a positive yet realistic attitude. Some strategies to meet these challenges were identified during interviews and these strategies are implemented within a whole school/organisational approach.

Schools interviewed during this project actively find and select staff who want to be involved with Indigenous students and who are committed to improving Indigenous students’ experience of a school environment and their future employment opportunities, particularly with the aim of returning to communities.

These schools have established an Indigenous leadership group to provide Indigenous leaders for teacher assistance support, sharing cultural knowledge and advice as part of teachers’ professional development (PD).

The provision of regular PD opportunities for staff is important to these schools. PD is offered across a range of subjects, with a particular focus on the provision of PD to classroom teachers. Recent PD has included an Indigenous leadership group, teacher assistance groups, and two days of PD supporting teacher assistants in classrooms.

An area of special focus is literacy and numeracy, especially the knowledge and access of related support and services available to schools. Within schools, there is “a high expectation” (interviewee) of literacy and numeracy PD.

The schools convene moderation meetings to maintain levels of student engagement and set program outcomes. Moderation meetings involve schools delivering programs to secondary Indigenous students, with some schools setting very high standards for delivery and student outcomes. These meetings are aimed at maintaining levels within each school, and improving outcomes through learning from the achievements of other schools and gaining from the strategies used.

Good teaching practises are highlighted, particularly where good teaching strategies are implemented across school curriculum delivery and/or other training programs. Examples of good practice are used to inform current teaching strategies within these schools.

Case Study 9 Indigenous health workers course

Set Literacy and Numeracy levels for applicants
Recognise prior work experience, current occupation
Provide practical training
Maximise student experiences
Provide trainers with list of important issues for students
Provide opportunities for students to learn by observation
Recognise and value the trainers

English language and numeracy programs are not built into the health worker training programs, so successful applicants generally have literacy levels equivalent to Year 10 or beyond.

Applicants with low levels of literacy cannot be accepted as the training school does not have the capacity to work intensively with them, and so they are referred to other training institutions. However, mature-age applicants without an adequate level of formal schooling can also have their occupation and work experience taken into account, so a large number of mature-age students are accepted into the school. The health worker training is very practical, and trainee health workers are moved as much as possible between clinics – noting, however, that there are men and women’s health clinics, and the women’s clinics are divided between disorders and child health clinics.

Health worker trainers are given a list of issues they need to direct the student to, and the students learn by watching the trained health worker interacting with doctors and patients in the clinics. The health organisation conducting this training program notes that its health worker trainers with nursing backgrounds, primarily female, are particularly effective and skilled teachers, and contribute a great deal to the success of the program.

Case Study 10 Registered training organisation (business-related)

Look at the ‘big picture’ – holistic approach
Think outside the square – hearing loss strategies
Develop tools for ‘action-learning’
Use related government funding to build training partnerships
Employ an Indigenous mentor
Establish on-site visits to remote communities by field-workers

In terms of working with Indigenous apprentices, from the training centre/training delivery perspective, there are many issues that combine to contribute towards low levels of literacy and numeracy in Indigenous students. These include limited literacy and numeracy knowledge and training, hearing problems, cross-cultural considerations and family responsibilities.

An overall approach, addressing all of these issues, is required to ensure training staff employed at this RTO are working in a realistic and positive way with Indigenous apprentices. Towards this end, the RTO is involved in a number of projects to develop and enhance strategies.

The RTO is currently engaged in a pilot project supported by DEST funding, to look at the effects of conductive hearing loss for Indigenous apprentices and to develop possible strategies to mitigate hearing loss issues. The pilot project involves Damien Howard, a well known psychologist in Darwin who has considerable expertise in this field.

The RTO is also developing tools, templates and approaches for ‘action-learning’, with assistance from VET Leaders at the nearby university.

The RTO’s training centres have obtained funding under the DEST-WELL program to work in conjunction with an Indigenous regional training college, to conduct intensive work with thirty (30) Indigenous apprentices on an annual basis. The apprentices will be a combination of students involved in the RTO’s internal programs. This partnership will enhance the RTO’s capacity to provide additional literacy and numeracy support for other Indigenous apprentices.

To provide personalised support for Indigenous students, this RTO employs an Indigenous mentor who takes all the Indigenous apprentices off the job to spend time in monthly workshops. During these workshops, the Indigenous mentor discusses barriers and issues from the workplace, and explores training perspectives for Indigenous apprentices. The mentor also provides good quality group support and follow-up. This approach ensures a ‘total package’, aimed at further supporting Indigenous apprentices.

As there are 65-70 Indigenous apprentices participating in training in remote communities (undertaking Essential Services Certificate II level qualifications), two full-time field-workers are employed in two major urban centres to visit apprentices on their communities and provide structured support to all trainees. Training involves a structured workshop combining on-the-job and withdrawal off-the-job during field-worker visits to “get the apprentices through.” (interviewee)

As described above, the following strategies and approaches have proved successful in training apprentices with literacy and numeracy issues through research into strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss in Indigenous students; Indigenous mentoring; development of ‘action-learning’ tools and templates in conjunction with a university; and a DEST-WELL funded literacy strategy partnership.

Case Study 11 Registered training organisation (industries-related)

Establish learning agreements
Write appropriate resources
Take on apprentices and provide support
Mentor apprentices
‘Follow through’ on student progress from start to finish
Raise awareness of the ‘big picture’

Literacy and numeracy training has been developed to incorporate Understanding Basic English 1996, which includes grammar and focuses on important parts of speech, including sentence construction. Trainees and apprentices sign an agreement to complete this unit during their course.

This unit is based on the premise that they move from the known to the new in small steps. The manager and staff of this RTO wrote the resource after recognising certain issues recurring during training delivery.

This RTO committed to ‘taking on’ its own group of apprentices, who then successfully built several houses from start to finish. This achievement was a direct result of strategies and approaches implemented by the RTO to support its apprentices. Apprentices were mentored in the job, and individual progress was ‘followed through’ from start to finish.

The fact that these apprentices built several houses successfully was considered to be “an achievement in itself” as often these apprentices “only concentrate on their particular apprenticeship area and many had never completed a house. They built it together.” (interviewee) Raising student awareness of the ‘big picture’ (ie the knowledge and combined effort required to build an entire house) was an important factor in this training program.

Case Study 12 Indigenous Employment Management Board

Use appropriate resources
Wear ‘team colours’ to show commitment
Emphasise trainees’ responsibilities
Employ an Indigenous graduate as trainee/apprenticeship coordinator
Develop local partnerships
Establish good tracking procedures for student progress

During this training program, trainers used ‘Using Accelerated Literacy and Sound Ways’ resource, along with a program called ‘Money Business’ to support the business skills program.

All trainees wear a t-shirt indicating their commitment to the program. This gained kudos for the trainees within their community.

Trainees have “real responsibilities” (interviewee) as far as the local Indigenous Employment Management Board is concerned, which oversees the program.

A local Indigenous graduate of the program is trainee/apprenticeship coordinator and working with a network of locals to develop partnerships.

The Board established and registered a company in order to register all trainees and apprentices, to “keep track of them” (interviewee). As training is delivered by a number of RTOs, this strategy was implemented to track student progress effectively and to safeguard against errors.