Hi Heide 
 
At the end of your post you talk about PD options for those who want to integrate literacy numeracy and language skill development into vocational or workforce or other forms of training. 
 
Australia has a long history of intergrated literacy training ( started in the mid 90s) and it has over the last few years been picked up in the UK under the title 'embedded literacy' mainly as a method to increase reach and scale. 
 
In New Zealand this has for some years been recognition that low levels of literacy numeracy and language skills are not going to attended to just by specialist literacy practitioners. So last year a new qualification was developed for tutors ( in NZ this is not used just for volunteers as it is in the US) who are delivering vocational courses or industry training courses or workplace training programmes ( not literacy but focussed on specific workplace skills). 
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/quals/doc/1253.doc
The main part of the qualifcation is  what we call a unit standard ( competency standard) called 21204 . 
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/units/doc/21204.doc
 
The critical aspect of integrated literacy is the concurrent development of the two sets of skills together. The literacy skills that are to be developed are defined by the context of the vocational course and are therefore confined by that context. There needs to be sufficient teaching time and acts of teaching so that literacy can be integrated into the other course. 
 
There are a number of models for delivering integrated literacy - one is team teaching where there are two tutors in the room - the literacy teacher and the vocational teacher. This is a resource hungry model and often depends on additional funding which may not be sustainable. 
 
Unit Standard 21204 is based on another model - that vocational teachers themselves can be trained to develop their learners' literacy skills to a certain level. Teachers are not expected to develop the skills of someone who is at a very low level - people with low level skills need a specialist literacy tutor but we believe that vocational tutors can make a difference to learners' literacy skills.  
 
At Workbase we have started to deliver this National Certificate  this year. I am currently working with a group of teachers who train students who are acquiring skills and qualifications in dairy farming. The literacy skills of the students of  these vocational teachers range from those who can easily cope with the literacy demands of the job and their vocational course to students who are really struggling. These vocational teachers are finding that a lot of actiivities they are currently using in their teaching can easily be used to teach and develop literacy skills - in some cases it is just a question of making it all explicit. 
 
In the UK they have tended to focus on the team teaching model. They have also invested millions of pounds in developing really excellent 'embedded learning materials'  for awhole range of occupations see
 
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning/cfbtgeneralinfo.cfm
 
You a re right too that NALA in Ireland has done some really good work on integrated literacy - they developed a really useful guide about the systems and processes needed to set up an integrated programme 
http://www.nala.ie/publications/listing/20020628161601.html
 
with NALA's permission we adapted their guidelines for the NZ context ( particularly the pre employment context) 
http://www.workbase.org.nz/Document.aspx?Doc=Integratingliteracyintoothercourses.pdf
 
 
If people are interested we have what we believe is the largest collection of international online resources about integrated/embedded literacy on the New Zealand Literacy Portal 
www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz
just type integrated or embedded into the search function - otherwise you can just type in 21204
 
if there is something else you know about that isn't on the portal  please let use know 
 
Kind regards Susan Reid 
Manager Learning and Development 
Workbase the New Zealand Centre for Workforce Lireracy Development 
www.workbase.org.nz
 
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Hi, Barbara and others 
 
Good questions about PD and how to help teachers acquire the foundation skills needed in teaching adult learners new to English. (I think understanding how second language acquisition works and understanding second language reading and literacy are good starting points). And introducing teachers to tasks and texts that serve multiple purposes and allow for deeper understanding of language and life seems a good way to go ("less teaching and more learning" was the title that Susan Gaer gave to one of her articles on project-based learning and was kind enough to let me use for some of my work)
 
Unfortunately, I don't know what various states are doing in PD around adult ESL though I very much like the model of the ongoing staff development through Academies and Institutes that the Texas GREAT Centers are adopting. The limitations of the conference model that focuses on the one shot workshop has certainly been demonstrated through research. 
 
Jodi Crandall (on the list but in Korea at the moment) is working on a project that examines the various PD models that states in the U.S. use, and she should have more information in a few months. 
 
In terms of PD that focuses on the development of language skills in the context of work or on the integration of jobs skills on the one hand and language and literacy skills on the other, I keep hearing renewed interest in these models from foundations, government agencies, and other institutions. Various new reports have been published or are under development. To what extent this interest is translating into workshops or seminars for teachers is difficult to say and too early to tell, perhaps. 
 
But some of the rest of you might know more, and it would be great to hear what is happening in other countries in that respect. Australia or New Zealand, perhaps? Ireland? 
 
Heide
 
________________________________

From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Tondre
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 9:33 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 297] Re: Authentic materials
 
Hello from Texas!  I have been following the discussion.  It's always good to hear from Heide and Larry as well as fellow practitioners from beyond...
 
Janet touched upon something that is so fundamental to this discussion, and that is the basic preparation of ESL instructors.  Here in Texas, we have been fortunate to have Heide work closely with us for a number of years in an effort to build a foundation of knowledge among our very part time AE instructors. 
 
Unfortunately, because of the overwhelming demand, AE often finds it necessary to make ESL instruction assignments to those who are still struggling to get a firm grasp on adult learning theory and the principles of second language learning. In my work with Texas LEARNS and its response to a legislative mandate that AE provide work-related ESL instruction, I am constantly reminded that our efforts rest on a rather shaky foundation.  
 
Preparing program administrators and instructional staff to respond to the work-related needs of adult English language learners - and to maintain a balance between language learning and workforce skills development - is quite a challenge. So I have to ask:  are there efforts out there that require (or strongly encourage) administrators to guide their instructors through a series of PD activities that help them incrementally develop expertise vs. merely fulfill the annual PD requirement?  The Texas Teacher Credential project is a model for this kind of professional development, but it seems we need a multi-faceted tactical approach to move forward.  
 
Just wondering out loud...
 
Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani
Texas LEARNS
  
 
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