Search Results

This chapter reports on research on effective, efficient and comfortable assessment practice in the field of adult Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). It is based on a small TESOL program in Tasmania, Australia which has an enrolment of 200 students with proficiency levels ranging from beginner to advanced. The principal tool used was a questionnaire and the respondents were 10 qualified and experienced teachers. For data analysis, responses were grouped under: proposals for change; problems with present practice; perception of the task and purpose of assessment; statements of teacher time involved in the assessment process; and, indication of areas of teacher need for professional development.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

This chapter reports on the results of a research project examining the complex relationships between 'integrated' numeracy and literacy skills, self-confidence, and the place of skills, knowledge and values in the learning process. As all agricultural products in the near future will need to be quality assured for the export market, this study examines the case of beef producers in Australia undertaking training in Quality Assurance (QA). The key questions are: (1) How can farmers become more effective learners?; and (2) How can their uptake of training, assumed to be a pathway to accreditation, be multiplied? The chapter examines the nature and role of 'self-confidence' in the learning process, shows how self-confidence relates to the need for suitable literacy and numeracy skills, and discusses the relative importance of self-confidence, numeracy and literacy skills, knowledge and values in the overall learning processes in this instance of vocational education and training.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

From the late 1970s to the mid 1980s, negotiation as a pedagogical idea gained increasing circulation in Tasmania. Its importance has been recognised in Education Department support documents and the senior English syllabuses. This chapter reports on a study into the use of negotiation in Tasmanian secondary English classrooms. It attempts to chart the impact negotiating the curriculum has made and whether it is an example of successful and effective curriculum renewal. The study, based on two questionnaires surveying 47 classes and 30 teachers, enquired into the success or otherwise as perceived by both proponents and opponents of the changes in the syllabus. The students' survey looked at: choice; sense of achievement; commitment and effort; standard of work; best, worst and most difficult aspects of the Negotiated Study (NS); did negotiation help?; and general comments made by students about their experiences as negotiated learners, or about NS. The teachers' survey covered: main advantages of the NS; main disadvantages; interpretation of the term 'negotiated learning'; general attitude to negotiated learning; and, changes in attitude. Included as appendices are the survey instrument and a table of quantifiable responses.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

This study explores the use of educational kinesiology as a teaching technique in adult literacy programs. It presents two perspectives: (1) a theoretical perspective based on a literature review exploring the history and current usage of educational kinesiology; and (2) a practical perspective based on research findings from specific educational kinesiology exercises used by adult literacy students within their study programs and which questions the validity and efficacy of incorporating educational kinesiology into an adult literacy program.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.551; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.552 to TD/TNC 69.556. Show less

This chapter describes a comparative study of languages other than English (LOTE) in Australia with languages other than Chinese (LOTC) in China. It is based on research which was undertaken in 1997 focusing on the importance of learning a LOTE for communicative purposes in light of LOTE learning beginning to draw increased attention from government education policy-makers, educationalists and language teaching practitioners worldwide. It examines the similarities and differences in both groups between learners' motivation, attitudes, interest levels, teaching methods and learning strategies and the individual and socio-structural variables in relation to foreign language policies, curricula and their implementations.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

The aim of this book is to expose some of the variety of significant issues underlying schooling and its relationship with the adult world outside of school. These issues relate to aspects of knowledge, gender, culture and assessment. The 12 chapters are divided into three parts: (1) Literacy, knowledge and gender; (2) Different literacies, different cultures; (3) Adult literacy, assessment and work. The chapters are: (1) Whose knowledge gets constructed in the learning process? / Claire Hiller and Hariklia Hearn-Kokkinos; (2) Best practice in Year 2 literacy classes / R. J. Braithwaite; (3) Negotiation in a secondary English curriculum renewal / Scott Johnston and Mike McCausland; (4) Boys and literacy at Bronston High School / Andre Kowaluk; (5) Literacies online: what's new? / Angela Dudfield; (6) The potted pair: rethinking the heterosexual pair as a site for liberatory relationships / Jacqui Martin; (7) Intercultural literacy: a developmental model / Mark Heyward; (8) Communicative aims of languages other than English (LOTE) education: a comparative study in Australia and China / Yuanfang Yu, edited by Lesley Harbon; (9) Assessment: the question of time / Elizabeth Hodson; (10) The National Reporting System (NRS) in the workplace / Maree Watts and Robeka Smith; Literacy, numeracy, self-confidence and values: chicken, eggs and 'access' / Ian Falk and Sue Kilpatrick; (12) Performance and assessment in second language learning: some problems and issues in the adult sector / Fiona Cotton.

Selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

This paper explores some of the factors that impact on the planning of Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) programs. It considers some of the issues involved in the determination of a program's process and content focusing on the following four areas: (1) past and current ALBE theories; (2) the political framework; (3) the prospective clients' demands; and (4) existing provision structures. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for a program planner.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.551; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.552 to TD/TNC 69.556. Show less

The Special Intervention Program (SIP) is the Australian Government's strategy for implementing its policy of training a workforce for the 21st century. While SIP has raised the profile of Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE), it has also caused the tutors at ALBE to question their place and role. This study investigates what tutors see as differences and possible conflicts. The research, based on a dialogue with ALBE tutors, SIP referral officers from the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) and SIP students, looked at what the tutors' concerns were, what the students' concerns were, and what the Government's agenda was for setting up SIP.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.551; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.552 to TD/TNC 69.556. Show less

As societies worldwide embrace the advances of technology, new demands are being placed on students to be technologically and Internet literate. Texts are being produced online which are different from offline texts, and teachers, who have been conditioned to 'think like a book' are still arguably constrained and author directed. This chapter examines a range of textual practices which are required for the successful participation in literacies online with the aim of addressing the question, 'What is new about online literacies?'. The chapter discusses three 'virtual states' to categorise the technological range within which literacies occur: (1) those that are text dependent; (2) those that use multimedia texts; and (3) those that are mixed reality texts. The author concludes that teachers need to critically examine the issues of 'what's new?' in order to offer students the skills and opportunities required to participate successfully in the literacies of the new millennium.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test used by tertiary level institutions in Australia and overseas to assess the English language proficiency of students who are not native speakers of English and who wish to undertake tertiary studies in English-medium countries. Performance based assessment in the adult migrant sector focuses on achievement testing and the completion of a range of tasks to demonstrate second language competence. The tasks and guidelines are outlined in the Certificate of Spoken and Written English (CSWE) and are used at the Adult Migrant English Service (AMES) throughout Australia. This chapter begins by outlining the theoretical background to second language assessment before discussing: (1) the use of IELTS at the University of Tasmania; and (2) the CSWE and migrant education in one regional centre. The discussion includes problems that are sometimes encountered together with recommendations on how to overcome such difficulties.

The monograph from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/TNC 69.251; selected chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 69.252 to TD/TNC 69.261. Show less