Changes to qualifications
In order to export New Zealand’s unique professional development, training and credentials relating to literacy and numeracy we need to first internationalise the key qualifications. This means some changes to both of the qualifications. Here are my ideas for dealing with the NCALNE (Voc):
Dealing with Unit Standard 21204: Develop adult learners’ literacy and numeracy skills within a workplace training or education programme
This is a big unit standard worth 30 credits at level 5 and makes up the heart of the qualification.
- Either: the unit standard needs to be broken in half with one half (Elements 1 – 2) dealing with the contextual content and the other half dealing with the more generic delivery side of things. This would mean the development of two new unit standards: One for the NZ Environment and the other for the International Environment. The content of these could be set up in parallel.
- Or: Elements 1 and 2 need to be revised internally to allow for a focus on the NZ environment or an international environment depending on the candidate’s particular country of origin or where they are working. This would require some new wording in some of the elements, performance criteria, and range statements. The simplest way to do this would be to add words like the following to the existing statements: “Or other multicultural learning environment for adults”. Or variations on the theme.
My second option above is probably the simplest as it doesn’t require the development of other unit standards.
Here then is my draft of a revised version of Element 1 that would allow a New Zealand or International approach. Changes to the original in bold.
Element 1
Describe adult literacy and numeracy in Aotearoa New Zealand or another country in relation to the training or education programme
Performance criteria
1.1 Description includes an outline of adult literacy and numeracy to the present.
Range outline includes but is not limited to – Māori or other cultural group’s literacy and numeracy pre-colonisation, Māori or other cultural group’s literacy and numeracy initiatives, issues post-colonisation, literacy and numeracy issues, initiatives for learners from other cultures.
1.2 Description includes an outline of the development of adult literacy and numeracy initiatives that relate to learners in the programme.
1.3 Description includes a comparison of four adult literacy and numeracy definitions currently used in Aotearoa New Zealand or or other multicultural adult learning environment.
Range definitions include – one for Māori from either Te Kawai Ora or Professor Mason Durie’s speech 2001 to the Hui Taumata Mātauranga Māori or for another cultural group, one for embedded literacy, one for numeracy, one other adult literacy definition.
1.4 Description includes a discussion of reasons for low adult literacy and numeracy levels in Aotearoa New Zealand or another country as applicable.
1.5 Description includes a discussion of the impact of low adult literacy and numeracy levels in Aotearoa New Zealand or another country as applicable.
1.6 Description includes identification of resources appropriate and relevant to learners within the programme.
Range resources may include but are not limited to – two adult literacy and/or numeracy specialist organisations and their services in Aotearoa New Zealand or another country.
Element 2 is a bit more complicated… Not sure where to go with that one, but the opportunity is there for educators in other countries to look at what we’ve done in New Zealand with approaches and concepts from Maori education and see how other indigenous forms of knowledge and ways of teaching can inform teaching and training in general.
I’m sure the outcomes for learners would be better. Let me know what you think in the comments.
