1. ACAL Conference Darwin

A great diversity of sessions

• Technology Tearoom

• Reading Writing Hotline's role

• Show me the Money

• Untangling the literacies of governance docs

• Digital learning resources for remote learners

• Yolŋu 'Bothways' approach to English

• Numeracy, what's the problem?

• What attitudes are we talking about?

• Describing capability in the foundation skills field

• Re-imagining WELL for work in the 21st Century

• Graffiti as Literacy

• Learning financial literacy skills through traditional concepts

• The impact of domestic and family violence on adult women learners

• Exploring NCVER pods to improve practice

• Journeys of new migrants

• LLN for employees, is a change of focus required?

• Communication in time of disaster and emergency

• Phonics-based adult literacy resources

• Prioritising people

• Blended Learning for the LLN Classroom

Discounts for VALBEC members

Some speakers give a video preview of their sessions

2. Fine Print August 2017

Edition #2 will be coming to your letter box soon and is packed with articles that will encourage you to reflect on your teaching practice and consider how you engage learners and contextualise their learning. Take some time to read in Provider Profile about the work going on at Port Melbourne Neighbourhood Centre – there are some smiling faces on the cover that reflect the confidence built through their programs and the pathways they have created. 

Do consider writing for Fine Print. Send your contributions to info@valbec.org.au

3. Resources

Resource Gems - Posting out-of-class tasks on WhatsApp

This month's contribution comes from Committee member Lynne Matheson in collaboration with Liz Gunn, past committee member and current Fine Print editorial group member.

This month's contribution comes from Committee member Lynne Matheson in collaboration with Liz Gunn, who is a past committee member and current Fine Print editorial group member.

I have only recently used What's App to contact friends and family while travelling and along with the ubiquitous Facebook it seems to be a handy platform to set up private groups for sharing and communicating. It was a chance encounter with Liz that alerted me to some nifty ways of using it with students.

Here is her account:

Visiting the library is a great way for beginner students to start exploring the Australian literacy landscape. In my experiences of the libraries around us, both at the institute and local, staff and patrons have been absolutely brilliant helping students with the challenging tasks I handball them. For example, last week the students' task was to interview people in the library about different topics related to everyday life in Australia. Students devise questions in class around a range of themes such as family heritage, work, study and their future plans. Then, armed with their questions, they set about interviewing people in the library. Students record these interviews in different ways, either via written notes or, if the interviewee permits, via an audio recording. These records are uploaded to the class WhatsApp group. Classmates can listen to, or read about each other's interviews. Every interview is different; responses are unpredictable and students develop new connections with the people around them. What's App helps students share the excitement of interacting with new and diverse people outside the class environment.

AMES Sound Spelling Classroom Workbook

AMES Sound Spelling Classroom Workbook provides teachers with the resources and methodology to systematically introduce the sounds, spelling patterns and vocabulary on the Sound Spelling charts to their classes.  Activities move from a focus on phonemes and graphemes in words and sentences, to whole texts, enabling learners to progress through the sounds of Australian English and the range of suitable spelling choices for writing those and other words.

The Workbook consists of a set of classroom resources at two levels – approximately ACSF 1 & 2 - based on each row of the Sound Spelling Charts. Resources for both levels include CD based printable student worksheets and stimulus graphics. Suitable for a range of upper secondary and adult learners.

4. Live and teach English in Thai children's homes in 2018

An exciting opportunity exists for EAL teachers who are looking for a rewarding experience, living in the children's homes for a year and teaching English to these very eager children.

5. VALBEC Facebook page

'Follow, Like, and Share' VALBEC on Facebook@valbec.org.au

6. Adult Learners' Week 2017

Adult Learners' Week is a UNESCO initiative supported in Australia by the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training and coordinated by Adult Learning Australia. Adult Learners' Week runs from 1–8 September and incorporates International Literacy Day, which is celebrated annually on September 8.

7.Making the SGD's real in Australia's Adult and Vocational Education

Thursday, August 10 from 9:30am till 3:30pm • Carlton

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give us a shared framework to deal with global issues such as poverty, social injustice, and equitable access to education, training and lifelong learning. Good quality, affordable and inclusive education and training along with opportunity for lifelong learning are powerful vehicles for economic and social wellbeing and sustainable development. Governments have the responsibility to ensure that education and training provision is gender informed, designed to empower women and girls and achieve gender equality.

8. CGEA professional development

There will be 2 CGEA half day professional development sessions in 2017. The first session is scheduled for 10 August with the second session to be held in November. The focus of Session 1 will explore how the learning plan units in the CGEA are used with different cohorts and enable participants to examine some of the different ways in which the learning plans can be integrated into their programs.

Contact sicmm.generalstudies@vu.edu.au

9. The Challenges for Vocational and Educational Policy Public Seminar

Thursday, 10 Aug 2017, 5-7pm

The Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Centre for Vocational and Educational is examining the workforce needs of the workplaces and workspaces of the future. These workplaces are said to be in the middle of a ‘fourth industrial revolution’, often referred to simply as ‘Industry 4.0’
What are the implications of these changes for vocational literacy, training and careers guidance policy?