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Assignment 3 – Report on Literacy Project3012VTA – Literacy at Work
Course Convener: Dr Ann Kelly
Submitted by: David Martin
Student #2636349
Date Submitted: 29 October 2007
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Introduction
The literacy project addressed the needs of students undertaking the nationally
recognised competency Produce Business Documents (THHGGA04), specifically the
skills and knowledge needed to create a Report on Office Equipment and
Documentation. Over a nominal 20 hours of contact time this competency teaches and
assesses written communication skills, research ability, design and presentation
techniques for business documents and proof-reading/editing skills. This is done by a
range of in-class activities, after which the students research and create a written report
on office equipment and documentation used in the hospitality industry. There are
several types of literacies required to perform the tasks involved within the competency.
Firstly, functional literacy is built on from the students’ previous experience or training.
Technical literacy is also involved, document writing techniques specific to the vocation
are included. Critical literacy is a large component of this competency, with the student
expected to research information and apply it to a written assessment piece.
Technology literacy is another main focus of this competency, with the work to be
performed on computer hardware and software. Further, the actual topic of the
assessment, the student is technological in nature. However, emerging multi-literacies
and the rapid change of what it is to be literate has also been considered.
Technological literacy is becoming a more predominant need for modern workers, due
to a number of factors changing vocational environments. A key outcome for the
competency under review here is competent business literacy and communication skills
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
using technological literacy skills. Technological literacy is also required to use the word
processor and/or spreadsheet to create a business document using pre-existing
guidelines, specifically a report. The topic of the assessment, business technology and
documentation, continues along the technology literacy concept. Technological literacy
is also applied when using the web browsing software, simple web search and hypertext
navigation techniques.
This project was designed firstly to analyse pre-existing teaching strategies, resources
and assessments in relation to literacy. Secondly, to provide examples of improvement
using teacher directed e-learning, specific design implementations and finally, to
demonstrate that literacy is a part of teaching that should be built into the curriculum.
The results have helped show that while improvements of teaching strategies,
resources and assessments have been made, there are still literacy issues that need to
be considered in the design and delivery of the competency. Further, this information
will be used to make improvements and changes where necessary and possibly to
teaching resources and methods. The findings are also transferrable in general ways to
other competencies that I teach.
Literature Review
Current learning environments, especially in regards to literacy are under constant and
rapid change. Literacy and being literate are routinely redefined through the innovation
of new technology. (Mautino & Biancaniello, 2005, p. 50). As a teacher using technology
as part of my delivery process, I have found that these changes need to be responded
to using an electronic approach to teaching resources. Firstly creating a web based e-
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
learning environment, designed to be used with teacher interaction giving students a
new, yet familiar platform to learn existing and emerging technological literacies.
Vocationally, technology literacy can be broken into several topics, including data
management, communication and office automation (Chang & Lim, 2005, p. 43) which
this competency covers.
The electronic resources analysed in this project have been built on the concept of
multi-modal methods of information delivery, which requires special literacy skills. It has
traditionally been the case in modern western society that the most serious and highly
valued information has been monomodal (Kress, 1998, p. 186), however the newest of
literacies is starting to challenge this concept. Content on education, news and politics
are being transmitted many multimodal ways, for example political speeches on
youtube.com, a web site that is full of video content of every sort. Another example is
news and current affairs sites that are offering traditional text along side video content.
However, text is still the primary conveyor of the majority of published works on
educational topics (Kress, 1998, p. 186). This report will examine how electronic
resources helped develop multi literacy skills, which have a need to be developed and
to be seen as useful in education.
We are now in a world of electronic commerce, termed a knowledge economy, which
requires ever increasing skills to manipulate more and more information (Beven, 2003,
p. 111). Vocational education is seen as a sector that is able, and somewhat obligated
to provide people with these skills and problem solving abilities that can be adapted to
new literacy situations as they arise in the future (Snyder, Jones, & Lo Bianco, 2005, p.
34). The OECD has described digital literacy as more than the ability to use computers
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
in a simple way, but includes information handling skills and critical judgements on
internet searches (OECD cited in Kearns, 2002, p. 7). Regardless of how definitions
change, literacy will remain an important and integral part of education and this report
shows how the project helps to develop these new literacies.
Kress regards newspaper front pages as complex signs which require an initial read
followed by a more detailed examination (Kress, 1998, p. 187). I argue that web pages
are similar in this that readers are looking for signs of where to go next and are required
to make quick and detailed analyses of the information and links. Therefore special
consideration needs to be taken with the design of web pages used within an education
framework, not only for valid content, but also to ensure students are directed by the
signs they see on the screen. There is a tendency to see technology as a new and
improved solution that will bring results in literacy and other study areas. However,
teachers need to be aware that non-technological methods of teaching functional
literacy are at least as effective as methods using new technology (Snyder, Jones, & Lo
Bianco, 2005, p. 14). Further, literacy is part of every subject and should be built in, not
bolted on, which is the difficult part (Gee, 1996). Therefore e-learning, web pages and
multimedia, if used, needs to be seamlessly integrated into the teaching environment to
be of any real benefit to students.
Literacy needs to be integrated into the design of delivery of vocational qualifications,
taking into consideration the needs of students as well as other stakeholders, while
remaining within the framework of the competency specifications (Darveniza, 2001, p.
35). This is a difficult task that often requires skills that are outside the range of regular
teaching knowledge. Professional development and consultation with specialist
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
teachers and other stakeholders can help bridge the gap. At a meeting with a literacy
and learning support teacher a number of issues and ideas were discussed for this
project. Firstly, that delivery should be done in chunks, allowing students to more easily
absorb information and offer time for interaction. Secondly, presenting information in
diagrammatic form with minimal amounts of text offers advantages to international
students over dense written texts. Thirdly, the use of leading activities, such as mix and
match activities, multiple choice questions; making the questions harder and directing
more independent learning with each subsequent set of activities. I was also provided
with a number of unreferenced example handouts and activities. These strategies seem
consistent with other readings in the literature review.
When designing resources, the audience that the document being created for needs to
be taken into account (Eagleson, 1990, p. 106) and the use of plain English should also
take into account the context of the reading. Further, using plain English means that the
material must be able to communicate the idea that is intended, not just be easy to read
(Salter, 1999, p. 11). Uses of specific literacy resources found on external websites,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/e3/words/grammar/ were also of great use in the project,
with so many students with English as their second language. The website provided an
electronic version of verb usage, sentence construction, spelling and punctuation
activities that students could use.
The assessment in this competency is primarily summative, based on a portfolio style
document along with some in-class observations. Performance based assessment is
most appropriate when used in a way that has context and purpose (Cumming & van
Kraayenoord, 1996, p. 11), and in most cases multiple assessments are required to
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
obtain an accurate result. This project does not analyse the assessment in detail,
instead focussing on the delivery, teaching and learning components.
Methodology
This project was designed to investigate ways of improving my own delivery of the
Produce Business Documents competency in a live teaching environment. The project
was run in a TAFE classroom, with sixteen international students in the class. All except
two have English as their second language; typical of half the classes that I have taught
over the past two years.
This report analyses the advantages and disadvantages of creating computer-based
resources for students and whether the delivery methods and resources are working.
The methods used firstly involved analysis of existing materials, based against the
findings of the literature review. Secondly, general observations of students using the
electronic resource were performed, including any problems and feedback. Student
assessment is a part of the delivery of the competency, and has been used as a
measure of the success of the teaching strategies. Finally, surveys were also performed
before and after the delivery, allowing students to self-rate their abilities in areas of
critical and technological literacy. See Appendix 2 for a list of survey questions used.
These questions were aimed at specific competency outcomes and generic software
features that align with ideas on critical and technological literacy.
When first engaged as a teacher in the TAFE institute, I was given a copy of a delivery
plan, the textbook and a collection of handouts and other resources. At that time the
mode of study was predominantly self paced where learner directed one-on-one
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
coaching was required. The delivery method I am moving to is now more teacher led
instruction, coupled with both individual and group activities based around electronic
resources. The content of the resources has stayed primarily the same, but they were in
different formats, some were word documents, some printed, some links to websites,
they are now in a consistent web-page style format with links between sections.
Assessment was performed through observation of completed tasks and submission of
a written research report on business technology and documents used in the hospitality
environment. Appendix 3 shows the extract of the assessment task description given
to students.
Results
This group of students lacked high level critical and functional literacy in English to read
and use dense technical texts. I observed students skimming handouts that were solid
pages of text rather than reading and using the information presented. Talking through
or using diagrams to highlight the main points of a topic was more successful at
transmitting the information in a meaningful way, Observations of students using the
web-page based study guide indicated that the majority of students were able to
navigate through the electronic study guide with little or no extra teaching. Using
hyperlinks and web pages posed no extra challenge in presenting this information for 14
of the 16 participants. The others did require extra coaching and instruction to
successfully and quickly navigate this type of media. Throughout the delivery time,
usage was reinforced with use of other web sites, therefore the resources supplied to
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
the students, and the ones they find for themselves have very similar literacy
requirements.
Observations, assessment and survey results showed an improvement in technological
literacy. Table 1 shows the number of students with no or limited knowledge decreasing,
while working knowledge increased. This supports the observations and results of
assessment in the class.
None Limited Working Knowledge
Advanced Expert0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Table 1: Technological LiteracySurvey results of overall knowledge (self-rated)
Before CourseAfter Course
Resp
once
(%)
Survey results from before and after teaching the competency showed a marked
improvement in critical literacy skills as well. Table 2 shows responses to self-rated
critical literacy, such as research and course specific skills like responding to feedback
and what type of documents are used in business. Basic research skills, using web and
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
library searches, analysing sources of information and referencing were also observed
and are integral to completion of the assessment item.
None Limited Working Knowledge
Advanced Expert0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Table 2: Critical LiteracySurvey results of overall knowledge (self-rated)
BEFOREAFTER
Resp
once
(%)
All of the students except one were deemed competent at the end of the delivery and
assessment, having completed activities and submitted the assessment in the required
format. This student still lacks the technological literacy to be able to complete the
assessment within the time frame allowed. While he had improved knowledge and
gained confidence with using technology for written communication, within the
educational framework he could not be deemed fully competent.
Analysis of data
A challenge that I face with a group of international students is my lack of cross-cultural
knowledge with the students. I am reliant on observation of the procedures they use to
operate the computer and the finished work product as immediate feedback on my
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
personal communication methods with the students. Professional development in the
area of cross-cultural literacy and communication would be a great advantage to
teachers across our faculty, due to the high level of international students whose
nationality and cultural backgrounds change from one enrolment period to the next.
Computer based learning resources need to be created with as much, and in some
case more care than traditional written texts because multimodal literacy skills are
different to functional literacy skills like reading text. Further, similar to Kress’s analyses
of newspapers, web pages and hyperlinks are visual cues that need special
consideration (Kress, 1998). Resources need to be designed to take into account a
wide range of existing literacy levels in students. Taking the audience into account when
designing resources is valid and important (Eagleson, 1990). Using group activities also
allowed students to talk amongst themselves to interpret information and tasks. A
disadvantage of using the electronic resource is that they were not readily accessible
outside the classroom, students needed to be connected to the TAFE computer
network. However, the teaching methods and resources used addressed these needs
successfully.
Critical literacy is part of the expected underpinning knowledge of this competency and
there are several tasks for the students. The survey results support the assessment and
general observations that students did lean critical literacy skills. Students that reported
limited or no critical literacy skills improved to have a working knowledge, or at least a
limited understanding of research related activities.
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Some specific problems were found with the resources, firstly, some electronic
presentations needed to be printable so that the students could easily refer to them
while completing activities. I have converted the on-screen presentation into a web
page format that can easily be printed. Further, many students would follow hyperlinks
without reading the context, the links need to be designed with this in mind.
Conclusion
The findings of this report confirmed that the strategies being implemented are for the
most part in line with current research about technological implications on literacy.
Electronic resources need to be formulated carefully and in ways that enhance the
learners ability to interact in a meaningful way. Traditional concepts of literacy are still
valid and need to be used in conjunction with new ideas.
Literacy is continually being redefined. This idea is important due to the rapid changes
in technology and the literacy and vocational needs in this area. Our economy is
changing from an industrial to a knowledge based economy. Technological and
information literacy are important in the workplace as well as education and personal
life, and not being literate in these areas is going to become more disadvantageous as
time goes on.
Further development of resources in line with the findings of this report will help with
future delivery of the covered competency, as well as related teachings. As a teacher
my resources and methods of delivery need to reflect the changing needs of society and
the many uses of literacy.
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Reference List
Beven, F. (2003). Developing information literacy. In J. Stevenson (Ed.), Developing
vocational expertise: principles and issues in vocational education (pp. 110-134).
Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Chang, K. T.-T., & Lim, J. (2005). Technology Literacy Applications in Learning
Environments. In D. Carbonara, Technology Literacy Applications in Learning
Environments (pp. 28-49). Idea Group, Inc.
Cumming, J. J., & van Kraayenoord, C. E. (1996). Assessment: making a difference in
adult literacy and numeracy learning. In J. J. Cumming, & C. E. van Kraayenoord
(Eds.), Adult literacy and numeracy: assessing change (pp. 8-17). Melbourne:
Language Australia.
Darveniza, M. (2001). Every vocational trainer is a literacy teacher. A literacy odysee,
ACAL 24th National Conference Proceedings (pp. 34-38). Melbourne: Australian
Council for Adult Literacy.
Eagleson, R. (1990). Plain English: Simple of simplistic. Vox (4), 106-110.
Gee, J. P. (1996). Discourses and Literacies. In J. P. Gee, Social linguistics and
literacies: Ideologies in Discourses. Second Edition (pp. 122-129). London: Taylor
& Francis.
Kress, G. (1998). Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout. In A. Bell, &
P. Garrett, Approaches to Media Discourse (pp. 186-219). Blackwell: Oxford.
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Mautino, R. M., & Biancaniello, S. L. (2005). Technology-Infused Instruction: A New
Paradigm for Literacy. In D. D. Carbonara, Technology Literacy Applications in
Learning Environments (pp. 49-77). Hershey: Information Science Publishing.
Salter, K. (1999). What's wrong with Plain English. Good Practice in Australian Adult
Literacy and Basic Education , 6, 10-12.
Snyder, I., Jones, A., & Lo Bianco, J. (2005). Using information and communication
technologies in adult literacy education: new practices, new challenges . Retrieved
August 11, 2007, from http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr3L08.pdf
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Appendix 1: Survey for Students (self-rated)
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Assignment 3: Report on Literacy/Numeracy & Learning Project
Appendix 2: Description of report requirements given to students
Prepare a report consistent with an industry standard layout. The report
will be on 3 pieces of office equipment and 3 types of documentation
used in the tourism or hospitality industry. As part of the report a
bibliography needs to be created. This list of references or bibliography
needs to be in an accepted format, and include materials from both
internet and print.
This report must address all of the following areas for each piece of
equipment:
Purpose, Importance, Features, Purchase Cost & Running Costs,
Advantages and disadvantages
This report must also address the following areas for each type of
documentation.
Purpose, Importance, Features, A sample document
David Martin Student #2636349 3012VTA – Literacy at Work