Engaging young people in LLN

Youth Guarantee Webinar 8 September 2010

Webinar agenda

• Some challenges about teaching young people to consider

• Findings from the research• The Youth Guarantee workshops• Some challenges about teaching young

people to reconsider

Continuum exerciseStrongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree• 21st Century young people are different.• Being literate in the 21st Century is the same as it

ever was.• NCEA is an appropriate response to changed times.• Young people’s pathways decisions are more

difficult than ours were.• New understandings of learning mean it is not

appropriate to teach the way we were taught.

True or false? • Young adults should be taught separately from older adults

because they are different.• Young adults are more extrinsically motivated than older

adults.• Work and work experience are important to young adults.• We should change our views of teaching and learning young

adults because of new brain research. • Tertiary education should replicate the best things about

school.• Good teaching is more important than pastoral care for young

adults.• Literacy and numeracy is best embedded by “stealth” and not

addressed explicitly.

How to find the research

• http://www.dol.govt.nz/services/LMI/research-programme/lln/

• Literature review; summary report; research report (literature, interviews and case studies

• A number of publications about adult LLN including the Upskilling Project

Findings from the research

• Young people/young adults’ LLN outcomes are difficult to measure:– timeframes– research methodology– self report (no national instruments)– economic impact on individual (Tyler) and society– funding (people leave programmes for employment before

completion)– measuring “soft outcomes” - self-confidence and self-

esteem

What we do know: the learners

• range of perspectives (Gen Y)• motivation and engagement in postschool– importance of vocational approach/work experience– extrinsic motivation – mentoring and counselling – hooking in (referrals or word of mouth)– the impact of the school experience

• being treated as an adult and as an individual • having a voice

Adults who work with young people

• importance of good teaching• “unsung heroes”?• dealing with social, personal and academic• status in education and qualifications • appreciate opportunities to undertake

qualifications

Effective organisations

• Integrated services – friendships facilitated • embedded approach – LLN and vocational• importance of teaching and relationships with

learners • hooking in (referrals and word of mouth)• social (not physical environment)• “not like school” – being an adult

Effective programmes

• The importance of good teaching – Small groups– Authentic contexts– Short term goals, learning in manageable steps– Start from where the learner is at, meet individual

needs– Progress at the learner’s pace– Relaxed informal but focused

What works specifically for young people

• Use of ICTs and mobile technologies• A range of activities, fun activities• Short term goals; extrinsic rewards• Emotional support from teacher• One-on-one mentor, easily accessible• Popular culture, youth culture as contexts• Valuing of young people for uniqueness• Social context facilitated; youth friendly

environments

Future considerations

• 21st century learning, LLN and young people/young adults (new learnings about the brain)

• focus on those “most at risk”• teacher training and quality (multiple abilities

needed)• funding models – outcomes, programmes• accept multiple approaches

Youth Guarantee Workshops: April and May

• Participants • Programme– Research findings– Sharing resources including assessment tool– Surfacing issues

• Youth Guarantee cohorts• Organisational factors • Unexpected and not uniform experiences

Youth Guarantee Workshops

• Issues– policy implications – funding, age group and

demographics, numbers– paperwork– research findings (not so easy in practice)– “these kids are different and harder to motivate”– literacy and numeracy for adults assessment tool– school responses