Can’t read, can’t write

This Channel 4 series (3 x 1 hour) starts on July 21st. In the meantime Channel 4 is inviting interested parties to come to a public debate about this topic (July 15, London, 6-9.30).

‘Can’t Read Can’t Write is a shocking and moving Channel 4 series, which reveals the hidden realities of Britain’s adult literacy crisis. Nine illiterate adults enrol for a six-month reading course taught by inspirational, controversial and award-winning teacher Phil Beadle, which they hope will change their lives. Each has spent over ten years in the education system and yet has failed to learn the most basic skills.’

At the bottom of the ‘event listing’ some well-known names appear. These include Alan Wells, former director of the Basic Skills Agency; Ursula Howard from the NRDC (National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy); and the series presenter Phil Beadle (whom I had not heard of until yesterday).

Now, if you want to hear more about PB he was interviewed by Andrew Marr in his Start the Week Radio 4 show on Monday (July 7th). Don’t worry if you missed it – you can listen, like I did, to the podcast. The podcast is 45 minutes long but if, after listening to the introduction, you press the 15-minute fast forward button twice you’ll get to the start of the interview (it follows on from an interview with David Blunkett).

Parts of the interview are rather alarming and I await the TV show with interest. It begins with a brief mention of the kinaesthetic methods (pipe cleaners, plastic, and balletic hand movements) used with an Oxford woman, Linda, who had a library of classics but was unable to ‘read a single letter sound’. After working with PB for 6 months she was ‘…reading Shakespeare and writing Shakespearean sonnets’ and ‘literally danced her way into literacy’.

PB goes on to state that ‘people who work in adult literacy’ say that complete illiteracy doesn’t exist and that ‘they have an interesting approach to the truth’. The discussion also covers synthetic phonics, skewed funding and quite a bit more! If you’re interested PB also has his own web site and he writes for the Education Guardian.

RaPAL ... and deliberate irony

The latest edition of the RaPAL (Research and Practice in Adult Literacy) journal dropped on my door mat this morning. I must say it’s great to have end-of-term time to sit down and have more than just a quick browse.

The first thing that caught my eye was Genevieve Clarke; I recognised her name from the Vital Link site (see my earlier post on ‘Sandals’). She writes about 2008 a National Year of Reading and is clearly passionate about promoting reading for pleasure. She finishes her piece with this rather sweeping statement: ‘The continuing challenge is to make this [a love of books] a regular part of every Skills for Life learner’s experience.’

Then, as I continued skimming, I thought I was seeing things! Each time I flicked a page I noticed that the emboldened headings within a rather long article looked remarkably similar - in fact, identical - to half a dozen Adult Literacy Curriculum speaking and listening elements.

This, of course, immediately drew me in. In fact I ditched my almost finished Grisham paperback and took the journal to read on the X3 into Oxford. Could there be another person out there as obsessed with curriculum elements as me? I turned back to the start of the article to make sense of it.

The author is Bob Hill, a Skills for Life tutor, and he writes a clever, tongue-in-cheek piece (or as he says ‘…deliberately ironic’). It turns out that each heading of ‘Who’s Speaking, Who’s Listening? Reducing Re-offending Through Skills and Employment’ is a subtle dig at the government’s shortcomings. The underlying message being that they (the government) are not making a very good job of following the curriculum – especially the listening elements!

In case you’re wondering, here are the headings used in the article (curriculum levels and numbering provided by me). Note that most are (only) at Entry Level 2!

Follow and contribute to discussions on a range of straightforward topics. SLd/L1.1
Speak clearly to be heard and understood in straightforward exchanges. SLc/E2.1
Follow the main points and make appropriate contributions to the discussion. SLd/E2.2
Make requests and ask questions to obtain information in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. SLc/E2.2
Express clearly statements of fact and give short explanations, accounts and
descriptions. SLc/E2.3
Support opinions and arguments with evidence. SLd/L2.4

Of course, there’s more than this to the article. For example, the author is very disgruntled (with good reasons supplied) about the removal of funding for short 3 hour and 6 hour courses.

There’s lots more to read in Volume 65 including useful information on how Leicester College takes a WOA (whole organisation approach) to embedding Skills for Life. Don’t forget the embedded / contextualised section on the site - I’m always looking for new materials!

A moving piece on ‘…violence, literacy and learning’ left me feeling totally unable and unqualified to comment - so I won’t even try.

There’s also an eye-opening perspective on broadsheets and why it’s hopeless trying to catch a girl’s eye on the train if you’re hidden behind the Guardian (but the Sun’s all right)! Several other very lengthy tomes, that I haven’t read yet, discuss basic education in the British army, and Christian Science.

So, it really is (as it says on the cover) a bumper issue! I’ve been a member since 2005, when I was studying for the Level 4 Literacy Certificate in Professional Practice, and it nearly always provides food for thought. If you don’t subscribe have a look in your college library and see if it’s on the shelf.

Missing elements

I’m cock-a-hoop about numeracy elements today. At long last - after more than seven years - the site has complete coverage of every single adult numeracy element (Entry 1- Level 2).

Thanks must go to Jane Kay for providing two separate resources that between them cover the last three ‘missing elements’.

MSS1/E2.8 Read and compare positive temperatures in everyday situations such as weather charts (a) understand that temperature is a measure of heat (or cold) (b) understand that weather temperature is measured in degrees Celsius in the UK (but that different scales exist).
MSS1/E2.9 Read simple scales to the nearest labelled division (a) understand that scales measure in different units (b) understand labelled divisions on different scales.
MSS1/E3.9 Read, measure and compare temperature using common units and instruments (a) know how to read a thermometer (b) understand that temperature can be measured on different scales, but that Celsius is the standard scale in the UK.

It wasn’t pure chance of course. Everyone who has contributed to the site receives a monthly newsletter which now includes a ‘wanted’ list. This month it was emailed to more than 150 contributors. The number of contributors now increases by about 8-10 per month although that will doubtlessly slow down over the summer break.

The monthly site stats are always updated just before the email is sent out and this sly tactic provokes friendly competition between some contributors (you know you are!).

For those of you that are not contributors - I have summarised this month's wish list (having first joyfully omitted the now redundant list of 'missing numeracy elements').

WANTED!
We now have resources for most elements of the adult literacy and numeracy curricula. However, elements that are not covered (or only covered briefly) include:
preEntry milestones 6, 7 (many literacy and numeracy elements)
Entry 2 listening, speaking and discussion resources. Especially:
SLlr/E2.1 listen for and follow the gist of explanations, instructions and narratives.
SLd/E2.1 follow the gist of discussions.
SLlr/E2.5 listen to and identify simply expressed feelings and opinions.
SLlr/E2.3 listen for and identify the main points of short explanations or presentations.
Level 2 speaking and discussion resources. Especially:
SLc/L2.2 make requests and ask questions to obtain detailed information in familiar and unfamiliar circumstances.
SLd all discussion elements i.e.
SLd/L2.1 make relevant contributions and help to move discussions forward.
SLd/L2.2 adapt contributions to discussions to suit audience, context, purpose and situation.
SLd/L2.3 use appropriate phrases for interruption and change of topic.
SLd/L2.4 support opinions and arguments with evidence.
SLd/L2.5 use strategies intended to reassure, e.g. body language and appropriate phraseology.
Level 2 reading
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view.
Rt/L2.5 Read critically to evaluate information and compare information, ideas and opinions from different sources.
Rt/L2.8 summarise information from longer documents.
Handwriting resources for higher levels. Produce legible text Ww/E3.3 L1.1 L2.1.

So - there's no cause for me to rest on my laurels just yet!

In fact, I have a funny feeling that even if complete coverage was ever achieved - that glorious day would be instantly followed by the swapover to Functional Skills with a whole bunch of new curriculum elements describing the same old basic skills we all know and love...

I'll finish with the final, less-daunting section of this month's wish list.

Topical resources also needed for:
Beijing Olympics or general Olympics
General spring/summer resources e.g. camping, beaches, air flights, barbecues, swimming, etc.
Contextual resources for any vocational areas. E.g. beauty therapy, construction, motor vehicles, catering, hairdressing, care, plumbing, etc.
Any help with any of these (or any other) topics is always VERY MUCH appreciated

Sandals

… am feeling rather chuffed. A case study I wrote a long time ago, about a lovely group of learners, has just appeared on the Vital Link site (part of the National Literacy Trust).

I describe how I used one of the wonderful New Leaf Books ‘The Sandals’ (well, actually a set of 6 identical books and the accompanying audio CD) with a group of Entry Level, 16-19 year olds. If you’re not familiar with New Leaf Publishing then do visit their swishy new site where you can order books and related resources online – from only £4 per title – and listen to audio clips (including part of the one mentioned in the case study). They have recently published beautiful new editions of many titles previously published by The Gatehouse Publishing Charity (including old favourites such as The Cardigan and The Bin Men – and my all time choice, The Kit Kat).

I remember these titles fondly from those pre-Moser days back in the late 90s when I was a volunteer basic skills tutor. A lot has changed since then but decent books for adult beginners are just as important now as then, despite sparse references to fiction within the literacy curriculum...

Although the ‘Sandals session’ took place well over a year ago I still remember parts of it vividly – because the book was such a surprising hit with the group. The ‘facing pairs of pages’ plan worked well as there are 6 double page spreads in the book and I think I had 8 students (two pairs, and the other four worked individually). The pictures were a great hit. Some learners spent a lot of time analysing the exact time on the clock in the background of one picture (page 9 of the book if you’re lucky enough to have a copy). As mentioned in the case study the audio CD worked a treat too – I played it after the paired reading session. I also recall that there were some interesting misunderstandings in comprehension. Most students thought the writer’s sister had asked the stall holder for a boxed set in a different size – not because she wanted a clean non-display pair. Interesting! Some were also convinced she bought the shoes on the day of the wedding and couldn’t understand how the stall holder had got to Spain so quickly.

The case study can be found in one of a series of nine downloadable (PDF) booklets entitled ‘Reading for Pleasure: ideas to inspire’. The booklet in question (see pages 7-9) is for ‘New Readers’ (Entry 1-2) but the series is full of ideas for all levels and types of readers. For example, at the other end of the spectrum, the booklet for HE students has ideas on ‘Using fiction to help students’ dissertations’ and ‘Helping a student with dyslexia read for pleasure’. The other seven titles cover ESOL, dads and male carers, FE, prisons, etc.

On screen tests for Entry Level 3

Thanks to site contributor Ruth who alerted me to the on-screen tests now available from Edexcel for Entry Level 3.

Two literacy and two numeracy practice versions are available at http://www.edexcel.org.uk/quals/alan/
I've tried out one of each and they appear to be robust and challenging. Each test has 30 multiple choice questions and the pass mark is 26. The time allowed is 1 hour. The layout and navigation tools are very clear: learners can flag questions to return to later and, after marking, can go back and review any questions they got wrong.

The numeracy test has an on-screen calculator for several questions.

The literacy test is based on six short texts (5 questions per text) and interestingly states that it is only a reading test and that learners will also have to do speaking & listening and writing tests (not available on-screen).

Pronouns, clip art, and moulds.

The first resource for July is a delightful E1-2 pronoun resource from Amanda Burgess. We had a bit of trouble tracking down the original source of the royalty free clip art she had used but found it eventually at Purdue University http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/JapanProj/FLClipart/ (scroll down and click ‘Pronouns - by Mr B H Bill’).

I mention this here because the same site also includes some very useful, clear monochrome line drawings depicting verbs (100+), adjectives, transport, etc.

When I add curriculum links I know many of them off by heart (sad – eh!) but pronouns have not been covered in detail on the site. Searching for the correct references (*I use the handy DIUS online versions of the curricula to search – see bottom) threw up a somewhat irritating discrepancy between the ESOL curriculum and the Literacy curriculum – not the first by any means!

ESOL learners are introduced to pronouns at E1-2; at Entry 3 they are expected to know the name ‘pronoun’ and understand how and when pronouns are used. (Rs/E3.1a - know the names and understand the use of key grammatical forms, such as tenses, conjunctions, articles, adverbs, adjectives, negative, pronoun, phrase at this level and, how they carry meaning…).

In the Literacy Curriculum there is no mention of pronouns until Level 1 (Rs/L1.1 - understand the terms tense, negative, adverb, pronoun, phrase …).

At Level 2 the focus, for Literacy and ESOL, is on the accurate use of pronouns and clarity of writing. Nonetheless, there are intriguing differences in the wording of the descriptors.

ESOL (Ws/L2.3a) use pronouns to lessen repetition and improve the clarity of writing
-know the term pronoun and be able to identify personal and relative
pronouns, e.g. I, me, we, us, who, which
-understand and be able to apply the knowledge that pronouns are used to replace and refer to nouns, to avoid repetition
-know that, when using pronouns, it must be clear to what or to whom they refer, and to check this when proof-reading
-know that pronouns can be over-used, leading to confusion and repetitiveness, and that there are other linguistic strategies that can be employed to avoid this, e.g. referring to a person by name or title, using the former/the latter, alternating these with the pronoun

Literacy (Ws/L2.3) use pronouns so that their meaning is clear
-understand that pronouns are used to refer to nouns, to avoid having to repeat the noun each time
-know that, when using pronouns, it must be clear to what or to whom they refer, and to check this when proof-reading
-know the term pronoun and be able to identify personal pronouns: I, me, we, us, you, they, them
-understand how these link to the concept of first, second and third person, singular and plural, and subject-verb agreement

You might be thinking: ‘So what?’

Well, if the two curricula are different (which is fair enough) then why is one (ESOL) squeezed, stretched and cajoled to fit the Adult Literacy mould? Note that the ‘mould’ is the National Standards for Adult Literacy - not the Adult Literacy Curriculum.
There again - maybe I am just too pernickety!

* To search the various adult curricula - use these links and then the search box
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_literacy/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_esol/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_numeracy/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_preentry/

Finally – after all that sidetracking - if you have any Level 2 pronoun resources (Literacy and/or ESOL!) that you would like to share please email them to me via http://www.skillsworkshop.org/

Thanks (if you've actually read this far!)

June 08 Site Stats

I posted up the new site stats yesterday evening. Each month, I never cease to be fascinated by what's popular and what's not!

For June, TV programmes were obviously the clear favourite with Andrea McCulloch's Dr Who resource (2000+ downloads) and Karen Bruin's Coronation Street (1300+) proving very popular. Close behind was Ginette Kriche's Spelling and Sentence Building (1200+).

It's interesting to note that between them these resources cover all five levels of the adult literacy curriculum from E1 to L2.

Be careful what you wish for ...

Last week I came across a fascinating, rather alarming and very readable paper on the Canadian literacies online site (Issue 8, Spring 2008)
It's written by James Simpson, University of Leeds, and I recommend having a good read especially if you: teach ESOL, hate unnecessary paperwork, and/or don't believe ESOL is a "Skill for Life".
Skills for Life in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or Be careful what you wish for
It's also available as a PDF and, apparently, there is a forthcoming book.

First Blog - welcome!

The idea behind this blog is to encourage feedback (positive and negative) from http://www.skillsworkshop.org/ users.

I have been 'meaning to get around' to this for quite some time and would like to thank resource contributors Ginette and Amanda for their enouragement to get started.

Activity on the site will be slowing down over the summer but please use this Blog as a place to discuss, or get help with, with any site-related or Skills for Life topics.

Here's a few suggestions to get you started!

• Resources you love!
• Resources that didn't work for you / your learners
• Amusing student stories
• How you have used / adapted resources for your own learner groups
• Resources you would like to see on site
• Resources you have used but now can't find on the site
• Vocational topics you would like to see covered in the contextualised resource area http://www.skillsworkshop.org/context.htm
• Functional skills
• How you would improve the site
• Why you have never sent in a contribution
• Why you have sent in contributions

Hope to hear from you soon...