VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
Literacy Development Centre
17 JANUARY 2013
Waterford Institute of Technology
Current News Dear Colleagues,
The results from the PIAAC survey (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) are expected in October this year and will bring up to date data on adult literacy and numeracy across 23 countries.
A very Happy New Year to you all. We are looking forward to the year ahead with plans for new programmes, further research into adult literacy and continued work on our teacher education programmes. 2013 will be an interesting year for us all with the structural changes happening across the further and adult education sector, the new Education and Training Boards, SOLAS and the reorganisation of local government. Ireland is hosting the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and we
have the Gathering 2013 to look forward to. The results from the PIAAC survey (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) are expected in October this year and will bring up to date data on adult literacy and numeracy across 23 countries. In Ireland the survey was conducted by the CSO and involved 5,000 adults. The PIAAC survey has been designed to assess adult literacy and numeracy skills and the ability to solve problems in technology-rich environments. It will also provide a broad range of information from the adults who took part in the survey, including how
their skills are used at work and in other contexts such as the home and the com-
munity. We hope to meet or hear from many of you throughout the year and look forward to working with you during 2013. Kind Regards, Helen
New BA (Hons) in Teaching in Further & Adult Education Check out Page 4 for availability on modules running between January & June 2013
The Literacy Development Centre in Waterford Institute of Technology launched an exciting new programme in October – the new BA (Hons) in Teaching in Further & Adult Education – one of the first of its kind in Ireland.
signed to meet the needs of practitioners who are working within the Further Education sector who want to develop their teaching skills and register with the Teaching Council of Ireland as a Further Education Teacher.
The course has been de-
The first cohort of students have completed their first
challenging but enjoyable semester which included supervised teaching practice placement as well as attending taught modules in WIT on a part-time basis. For further information: acullen@wit.ie
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LITERACY DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Photo: Participants and staff –BA (Hons) in Teaching in Further & Adult Education and Post Graduate Diploma in Further Education.
Geraldine Mernagh leads a collaborative research project with colleagues from Queens University
Scotens Research Project During 2012 Geraldine Mernagh led a collaborative research project with colleagues from Queens University Belfast (QUB). The project aimed to investigate the meaning and relevance of arts-based and on–line reflection for the professional development of Adult Education teachers.
dents opportunities to use online tools such as MovieMaker, Photostory, electronic collage building, Tagxedos and Wordle, as well as creative writing and paper based collage making, as a means to connect with the affective and creative domain of learning and explore new perspectives on their practice.
The project took the form of an action research inquiry into the use of arts based reflection for a cohort of Adult Literacy tutors in WIT and QUB, as well as for a cohort of teachers from mainstream education on a module at WIT. The more traditional model of individual and introspective reflection in teacher education was extended to incorporate more social and creative forms of reflection. Each institution gave their stu-
Adult Literacy practitioners from both institutions came together to a seminar where they shared some of the artefacts they had created, to assist in their exploration of three dominant themes in Adult Education. Some of the key outcomes of this project include: the development of a Creative Process Reflection model to underpin the arts- based activities and support reflection in a more conscious and structured way; the emergence of a discourse to strengthen the profes-
sional identity of tutors and challenge the notion of tutors as mere technicians in the classroom; the re–examination of what is meant by creativity and what it could contribute to the national and International discussions which are taking place about how literacy is measured and valued and the evaluation of some online tools as supports for blended and distance learning opportunities.
For further information: gmernagh@wit.ie
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
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Eur-Alpha Network The Eur-Alpha project was a Grundtvig funded European initiative that aimed to bring together stakeholders in adult literacy and numeracy to share practice, knowledge and learning about adult literacy and numeracy. The network involved 16 partners including WIT and NALA from Ireland who came together to work on disseminating practice and developing a European
Learners Manifesto for Literacy. The Manifesto was presented at the final conference in Bonn in September 2012 by representatives from the partner countries. Presenting the manifesto live on stage was a great success for the learners in which they publicly documented their learning development throughout the course of the project.
For further information: www.eur-alpha.eu
Photo: Representatives from the partner countries in Bonn
The Manifesto was presented at the final conference in Bonn in September 2012 by representatives from the partner countries.
Literacy Development Centre Waterford Institute of Technology College St Campus Waterford Phone: 051-302872
We have a number of modules with available places and details are contained below. I f you or any of your tutors are interested in continuing your studies with us please download the relevant application form from our website www.wit.ie/ldc and return to us.
WWW.WIT.IE/LDC
Modules with availability 2013
Higher Certificate in Arts in Literacy Development Social Marketing Communications (NFQ 6) Dates: February 4,5,6 & March 11,12,13 Location: Dublin Curriculum Development (NFQ 6) Dates: February 4,5,6 & March 4,5,6 Location: Dublin Counselling (NFQ 6) Date: February 4,5,6 & March 4,5,6 Location: Cork Equality and Diversity (NFQ 6) Dates: March 11,12,13 & April 15,16,17 Location: Dublin New Literacies (NFQ6) Dates: March 25,26,27 & April 29,30,31 Location: Waterford
Professional Practice (NFQ 6) Dates: March 25,26 & April 22 Location: Dublin Adult Numeracy (NFQ6) Dates: April 26,27 & May 10,11 & May 23,24 Location: Dublin
BA Ordinary in Adult Education Blended Learning (NFQ 7) Date: April 13, April 27 & May 11, May 25 Location: Waterford Education Policy (NFQ 7) Date: May 4, & May 18 & June 8 & June 15 Location: Waterford