Learner agency in adult literacy and numeracy

Damon Whitten & Liam Frost-Camilleri

How do adult learners engage in learning situations?

25:1

Tutor: Have a discussion with the people around you, what does that ratio mean?

Three responses to an invitation to engage

Type one: AvoidanceDarrell pulls his hood up, averts eyes, and draws on his book throughout lesson.

Type two: ResistanceHarley: F**k, I don’t know what it means. [Pushes his chair away from the desk, indicating non-participation]

Type three: EngagementJohn: Well, what, what does “ratio” mean? Andrea: Ratio is like, well… John: Parts, parts to it. Andrea: Two parts. And that one there, [points to 25:1] is like twenty-five mlsto one litre.

Future workplaces will place radical learning

demands on individuals

The old systemTerry collects, packs and ships several products. As part of his role he:

• Checks that each package is under 1kg and loads it on a pallet.

• Informs Mainfreight how many pallets need to be picked up each day

• Fills in a dangerous goods form if sending ‘adhesive’ (standard criteria).

The new systemMainfreight introduces new systems that drive learning demands.

• All packages to be weighed and recorded, then added to find the weight of each pallet.

• The volume of each pallet is to be measured and given to Mainfreight in advance.

• DG forms require new weight and classification for subsidiary risk and packing group.

How would you go about learning these new skills?

How would a person who struggles with literacy and numeracy approach this challenge?

In a perfect world…

Identify and set learning goals

Make a plan Enact learning strategies and monitor progress

Self-management and regulated learning

Lack of success

Change learning

strategies

Try again!

Success

Goal setting Make a plan

Self-regulated learning

The decision to initiate action requires ‘enabling beliefs’

BeliefsAttitudes

ValuesEmotions Identity

Enabling beliefs, attitudes, emotions, identities, attitudes and values

Learning management skills, literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills

What is learner agency?

Learner initiated and goal-oriented ACTION!

Apprentices’ perceptions of the supported acquisition of Literacy and Numeracy Skills

Regional TAFEEngineering students – 1st 2nd 3rd years

3 weeks of work, 1 week training.

Key findings and recommendations

Industry expectation vs student focus

And transference

Literacy vs multiliteracies

And workbooks

Revision to LN Support including

best practice

Learning discourse

Warm up…

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How did that task feel?

You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to change that.

STRONGLYDISAGREE

STRONGLYAGREE

I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete

STRONGLYDISAGREE

STRONGLYAGREE

= Fixed mindset

= Lacking grit

Less likely to take risks

Feedback as a personal attack

Failure is permanent

Abilities are innate and unchangeable

Feedback is a chance to develop

Failure is a chance to learn and grow

Abilities are something you can improve through practice

Embrace challenging tasks, put in more effort

Moser, Schroder, Heeter, Lee & Moran, 2011

Praise wisely

E.g. Well done, you scored 8/10, you must

have worked hard…

This example praises EFFORT and

PERSEVERANCE

E.g. Well done, you scored 8/10, you must

be smart…

This example praises TALENT or

INTELLIGENCE

Cultivate

Don’t give up on your students Leave no room for helpless behaviour

patternsDo not protect students from challengesHonest critical feedback in the form of

“not yet”

Rissanen et al. (2019)

Now, with a growth mindset…

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