Author: abeketb2

Evaluation and reflection is important at this time of the year. Undoubtedly it can be a very real challenge with deadlines looming and the end of the term fast approaching. However a good evaluation process is so valuable to us all in Adult Literacy and Basic Education that it is an essential part of our practice and delivery. Evaluations and times for reflection help learners reflect on what they have learned and how they expect to use it in their everyday lives. It also helps you as a tutor see if you have achieved what you set out to or if there was more accomplished than expected. It also helps us when we know we didn’t just quite hit the mark but can’t be sure why. Learning the skill of evaluation is important for our learners. It helps them make sense of their experience and with it they have a more profound learning experience. A good evaluation process helps everyone be clear and be honest. Using games, activities and processes (such as the Six Thinking Hats) really help and while they take time to do it is time very well spent. An important part of an evaluation process is how you manage it. The days of handing out forms to complete hurriedly on the last day are long gone. It is good to see tutors approaching evaluations in a...

I have a link below to a really interesting article I came across recently on a Centre for Management and Organisation Effectiveness website on http://cmoe.com/how-to-coach-through-the-stages-of-learning/. In fact it was the visual that caught my eye and for me it brought into one place so much that represents the way we work in Adult Literacy.  The article references the Johari window, that I am sure those of you who did the WIT Counselling Issues in Adult Literacy are very familiar with. In many ways we help learners daily through this Johari window but are not that aware of this as it is so integral to our practice. I found the diagram very affirming. Sometimes we take our excellent practice for granted and it is good to see the way we work in Kerry Adult Literacy and Basic Education illustrated as a good practice guideline. As Adult Literacy practitioners we facilitate learning and coach people to better performance. As the diagram illustrates we start by determining where the person is in the learning process. This is much more than determining the actual skills or literacy levels, this is also about determining the level of awareness the person has on their own skills needs. While the language may jar with us in Adult Literacy (I really don’t like the word incompetent), we all have come across learners who are seeking to develop...

Last month I blogged about the role of ETBs nationally in providing further education and training opportunities for learners throughout the country. In the past few months, we in Kerry ETB Adult Literacy and Basic Education have had to report on the delivery of Literacy and ESOL in 2015.  These are very important reports and both are examined in detail by SOLAS and the Department of Education. The information in the reports is examined as part of the funding process. It is our way to justify the support we receive from SOLAS. The information for this report comes from a variety of sources. The most important source is the Student Registration Form. This provides a lot of the information that is needed. The next most important form is the Outcomes Form. This is why it is so important for you to complete all sections of these forms and to return them to you local Literacy Organiser. The report has 16 Sections and is completed by collating data from right around the county. This is what Claire has been working on for the past number of weeks. It is a mammoth task and one that she performs with great skill and efficiency. The information from the reports is interesting and to share some with you, in 2016, 1400 students attended adult literacy classes. 48% of these are male and 52%...