Essential Skills Lecture

Aims:

To provide background into the Essential Skills for Living Strategy

To define functional, embedded, and contextualised literacy

To devise some strategies for embedding essential skills within your own teaching

Essential Skills

Previously Basic SkillsSkills for Living in England/Wales

Literacy Numeracy ICT

International Adult Literacy Study(1996)

No. of adults unable to perform basic tasks: Sweden 8% N. Ireland 24% RoI 23% England 22%

19% of all young people not achieving 5 GCSEs (Kenway et al, 2006)

Reasons

Undiagnosed condition (dyslexia, dyscalculia etc.)

Teaching methods Large classes Missed schooling No family support

** But they will have developed coping strategies**

Implications

Difficulties in getting and keeping employment

Low paid, transient jobs Lack of training opportunities Family literacy issues Crime and anti-social behaviour Difficulties in everyday life

Essential Skills Strategy

1996 IALS 1999 A Fresh Start’ - Moser Working Group Report 2000 Skills for Living (England) 2002 Essential Skills (NI) 2004 FE Means Business – DEL 2005 Skills in the UK: Leitch 2006 FE means business implementation plan 2011 IALS

Actions

Free provision Essential Skills Curriculum Targets set New teacher qualifications New student qualifications Recognition of qualifications Monitoring and inspection

Making sense of the levels

Entry Level 2

Entry Level 1

Entry Level 3

Level 1

Level 2

Essential SkillsEssential Skills NQFNQF

Level 1

Level 2

Below Level 1OCR Word Power

OCR Number Power

CLAIT

NVQ Level 1

BTEC First Certificate

OCR Vocational Cert

GCSEs at A*-C

Key Skills Level 2

BTEC First Diploma

Other qualificationsOther qualifications

Literacy Curriculum

Speaking and Listening

Listen & Respond

Speak to Communicate

Engage in Discussion

SLlr SLc SLd

Reading

Text Sentence Word Text

Rt Rs Rw

Writing

Sentence Word

Wt Ws Ww

Numeracy Curriculum

Number Measure, Shape & Space

Handling Data

Whole Numbers

Fractions, Decimals & Percentages

N1 N2

Common Measures

Shape and Space

MSS1 MSS2

Data and Statistical Measure

Probability

HD1 HD2

Definitions

Functional Literacy

Contextualised Literacy

Embedded Literacy

Functional Literacy

‘Using printed information in order to function in society in order to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.’

OECD (1996)

Moser described ‘functional’ numeracy & literacy as;

‘’the ability to read, write and speak in English and use mathematics at a level necessary to function at work and in society in general’

Contextualised literacy

Contextualised literacy and numeracy is primarily an essential skills programme, not a workplace skills/vocational programme

Embedded literacy

In embedded programmes, literacy and numeracy learning happens through a workplace skills/vocational programme

What is embedded learning?

Vocational skills and

knowledge

Literacy, language and numeracy skills

Embedded teaching

and learning

Embedded approaches lead to ………• Higher retention and achievement rates on vocational

courses• Achievement of literacy/language qualifications• Achievement of numeracy qualifications• Learners stating that they felt better prepared for

work in the future

NRDC, 2006, ‘Embedding literacy, language and numeracy in post-16 vocational programmes – the impact on teaching and learning’

Research shows:

Using this in the classroom

Avoid dense text based resources Consider your learner -

Visual/Auditory/Kinaesthetic Be careful with Powerpoint Provide class-notes

Using this in the classroom

Provide lists of complicated words Provide worked examples (numeracy) Using technology Provide methods for memorising

Liaison with Essential Skills tutor

Spelling test

Write down the words

Check your spelling

Diarrhoea Accommodation Separate Rhythm Necessary

Spelling test

How did you do?

Techniques

Mneumonics Example of a mnemonic Acronyms Look/cover/write/check Cloze procedures Words within words Word/picture association Example Rhyming

Eg. righty tighty/lefty loosey

TaskDeveloping your own Resource

Think about a topic for a lesson taken from your own vocational area.

Identify the literacy and numeracy requirements for this topic.

Develop a resource or resources to support essential skills during the delivery of the lesson.