Proposed Conference Program
Plenary sessions
Thursday 9.25 am
The social construction of Indigenous deficit, Dr Jo Taylor ECU
The push to implement standardised testing in Australian schools and increasingly preschools follows the now discredited US pattern. It has occurred here with little critique or debate. Drawing on recent work in urban schools, this presentation explores the manner in which too many young Indigenous students are likely to be misjudged in such blanket testing and assessing regimes and disadvantaged by the inevitable pedagogical changes that accompany such schemes. Standardised testing, by means of the Australian Core Skills Framework and the proposed Employability Skills Framework may well be part of the national agenda for the vocational education and training sector. What are the lessons for the future of language and literacy teaching VET?
Dr Jo Taylor has been involved in research, policy development and curriculum and instruction in Aboriginal affairs, adult literacy and secondary and post-compulsory education. She has taught both anthropology and education at the tertiary level and is currently Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Edith Cowan University. The research reported here builds on the findings of a project undertaken while on a three-year Visiting Research Fellowship at the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
Thursday 1.50pm
Scoping the Foundation Skills Training Package, Anita Roberts, IBSA
Innovation and Business Skills Australia has been funded to develop a Foundation Skills Training Package that will provide pathways into vocational qualifications and support the foundation skills development needs of a range of learners. To ensure that the Training Package fulfils its intended purpose, IBSA is consulting widely to gather input from stakeholders across Australia. This session will report on current thinking about the structure and content of the Foundation Skills Training Package and identify development and implementation issues that need to be considered as the project progresses.
Anita Roberts has worked as a consultant to IBSA, Ai Group, Ithaca Group and TVET on a wide range of projects, particularly in relation to LLN policy and products. She is currently the Project Co-ordinator for the Foundation Skills Training Package development project.
Friday 9.05 am
Building on our Foundations and Footings Panel presentation
The focus on Foundation Skills continues to grow in the VET sector. For example, recent reports state: “Foundation Skills exist along a continuum from very low to very high levels and need to be built continually to support contextual requirements. All skill development needs to include consideration of Foundation Skill needs.” Briefing on Foundation Skills for NVEAC – 2010 and “Industry Skills Councils propose… an increased capacity in the VET system, and all practitioners, to support the LLN skill development needs of learners and workers,” No More Excuses – 2011.
The fundamental concept of Foundation Skills is under construction at the national and state government level in the form of a National Foundation Skills Strategy and a Foundation Skills Training Package.
While all this new work takes place, those of us on the WAALC executive are keen to ensure that the previous two decades of developments in adult literacy and numeracy are not lost. This session will look at these new initiatives and the existing and historical initiatives that should be considered.
THURSDAY 6th October 2011 |
|
8:00am |
Registration opens |
9:15am |
Conference Opening |
9:25am |
Opening Plenary Address |
9:50am |
Keynote Presentation |
10:30am |
Morning Tea |
11:00am |
Concurrent Presentations |
1:00pm |
Lunch |
1.50pm |
Keynote Presentation |
3.00pm |
Afternoon Tea |
3:30 pm |
Concurrent Presentations |
FRIDAY 7th October 2011 |
|
8:00am |
Registration opens |
9:00am |
Conference Opening |
9:05am |
Keynote Presentation |
10:05am |
Morning Tea |
10:35am |
Concurrent Presentations |
12:35pm |
Lunch |
1:30pm |
Concurrent Presentations |
3:30pm |
Close |
Session times subject to change.
Queries: Contact Cheryl Wiltshire 0437972043 or email info@waalc.org.au