Chapter 6

1. Chapter 6 TAELLN401A Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills

2. Determining the core LLN requirements • Review the training specifications to determine the required level of LLN for that topic: • the unit of competency • organisational requirements (including policies and procedures) • the employability summary (if available) • the foundation skills of the competency in the new streamlined training packages. • Is it relevant to the context? (That is, where, when, who?)

3. Determining the training context The context in which the training takes place can include the: • work setting—the activities that an individual may be involved in as a member of an organisation or that may be conducted by someone working alone • community setting—this relates to the expression of personal identity and achieving personal goals, as well as understanding and interacting with the wider community • training and education setting—encompassing any activities relating to structured or formal training and education.

4. Selecting and using an LLN tool • To evaluate the learner in the context you’ve determined, you will need an adequate LLN assessment tool. Activity: Search for ‘LLN evaluation tool’ on the internet to see examples • Tests should be concise and contextualised to the individual work environment. • Tests should cover all of the core skills from the ACSF.

5. ACSF Access the Australian Core Skills Framework and review the levels and performance indicators in the five key areas: • Learning • Reading • Writing • Oral communication • Numeracy

6. ACSF (cont.) • Learning—the ability to understand and absorb new tasks, skills and procedures • Reading—the ability to interpret instructions, manuals, memos, letters and email • Writing—the ability to produce reports, text documents and instructions • Oral communication—the ability to effectively deal with colleagues, customers and telephone communication • Numeracy—the ability to calculate, interpret mathematical representations of information and convey numeric information

7. ACSF performance indicators

8. Interpreting the indicators Table 6.3 Reading indicators by level

9. Understanding types of text Table 6.4 Application of the learning domains using text as the form of communication

10. Accessing specialist learning support LLN specialists are professionals who have undertaken formal training in the areas of language, literacy and numeracy, usually at the Diploma level and above. Additionally, specialists may have undertaken industry or organisation-specific research or have gained extensive experience through dealing with a variety of LLN issues over time.

11. Accessing specialist learning support (cont.) • Specialist support can be in-house or external. • You will need to collaborate with the support service to ensure that the learner is getting the right level of support.

12. Extra-curricular assistance programs Specialists should have specific training in LLN and ideally be qualified in one or more of the following: • ESL/D • TESOL • TEFL • LOTE

13. Support groups Table 6.5 Government and community support groups

14. Customise your program to develop core skills • Select, customise or develop learning and assessment materials in line with the LLN context • When developing the appropriate learning and assessment tools, consider the learner’s ability to understand and apply their learning in each case. Ask yourself: • What level of reading and writing do you currently require in your training and assessment activities? • How do I currently assess numeracy skills? • Do my current methods exceed the requirements of the unit of competency or learning module? • Do my current methods align with the employability requirements of the unit or module?

15. Mapping LLN requirements to training materials Table 6.6 LLN mapping table example

16. Apply support strategies Support strategies we can now employ include: • demonstrating LLN practices (such as communication methods) to be learned in a workplace context • providing simplified explanations of underpinning principles and concepts • using plain English appropriate for the learner • encouraging the use of learners' personal word lists and dictionaries • using audio playback of texts to assist with reading difficulties • using video and audio material to support the training • providing explanations and examples of text types to help learners contextualise the information (continued)

17. Apply support strategies (cont.) (continued) • ensuring that decision-making responsibilities are shared with learners • mentoring in the learning situation to provide on-going support and a framework for learners to achieve optimal results • acknowledging and building on the strengths of learners (such as their use of words, grammar or maths skills) • attaching importance to and providing opportunities to discuss and build on different culturally-based behaviours and values. This is a learning opportunity for trainers as much as it is for improving the learner’s self-perception.

18. Monitor and evaluate your approach You need to monitor and evaluate your approach to ensure that it is achieving the desired results. • Which strategies have worked best and which ones need re-thinking? • Your evaluation should form part of your formal reporting processes to ensure that the information is not simply ‘put on the shelf’ for a less busy period.