The whole-organisation approach to literacy in education and training
While individual teachers and trainers can develop and use inclusive, literacy-aware practices in their own teaching practice, this is most effective when it is in the context of a whole-organisation approach to integrating literacy. This approach is outlined in the NALA document, Integrating Literacy: Guidelines for further education and training.
The guidelines outline a framework for building course-related literacy support and development across the curriculum and into all phases of education and training programmes. The approach requires a policy and strategy that is driven by senior management of the organisation concerned. NALA offers an advisory and in-house training service for education and training centres, to help them phase in an approach that has the following key features:
- The centre’s vocational trainers and subject teachers use inclusive, literacy-aware teaching methods and materials.
- The centre has literacy tutor/s or facilitators who are trained in learner-centred adult literacy approaches and in integrating literacy into other subjects and activities.
- There is a working partnership between the vocational trainers/subject teachers and the literacy staff, to
- identify the key literacy and numeracy tasks that are embedded in the core subject
- agree and implement a plan to support learners with those as part of teaching and learning in the main subject
- The centre operates systems to help that working partnership to be effective (for example, building the necessary communication and planning time into the timetable)
- The learner experiences literacy-aware administration procedures and materials in all aspects of the programme, from recruitment through to progression.
- All learners experience literacy support and development built in to their core programme. They may also choose to avail of individual course-related literacy support sessions.
