06 Feb Feature article – Literacy & Numeracy Support in Victorian VET by Chris Tully
In this article, Chris Tully, Program Coordinator Literacy Numeracy Support at Melbourne Polytechnic writes about their successful Learner Support program based on a team teaching model.
Melbourne Polytechnic
Melbourne Polytechnic (MP) is one of the largest providers of vocational education and training in Victoria, proudly serving the communities and industries in Melbourne’s north and beyond. With a history stretching back to 1912, MP believes that learning underpins the health and wellbeing of communities and contributes to the economy’s strength. It also believes that communities thrive when everyone has the same opportunities to learn, work and participate in the economic and social activities surrounding them.
Research Informed
MP is committed to providing an environment where all students have an equal opportunity to learn. Because of this and based on research by Stephen Black and Keiko Yasukawa “Working Together Integrated Language, Literacy and Numeracy Support in Vocational Education and Training (published 2011)”, MP implemented an in-class team teaching model (of support) in 2012 (following a 2011 trial), where literacy and/or numeracy teachers are placed into VET classes for units that have high literacy or numeracy components. Their research recommends whole class support rather than the traditional deficit model which sees identified students receiving independent, uncontextualized support to build their literacy and numeracy (LN) skills.
Black’s and Yasakawa’s research indicated that this model resulted in improved success rates in terms of VET course completions, but also acknowledged that equity interests are being served by enabling success for many. With integrated LN provision, there is evidence that both vocational teachers and LN teachers change and improve their teaching when they work together. Students also improve their formal literacy and numeracy skills when they are learning in a context where they can see some direct vocational relevance for these skills.
How the model works
The MP LN Support program, started in 2012 with six VET teachers requesting an LN teacher in class. It supported approximately 110 students. It has now grown to supporting approximately 1,910 students across 125 groups.
The program at MP is a team-teaching model where VET areas request LN Support (course) in classes. All students are enrolled into the LN support when it commences and are fully funded by the government. LN Support is an opt in provision, it is not mandated. Therefore, students will receive support regardless of whether they’ve enrolled or not. LN Support has 100 funded hours available for every group of students. This means that VET and Learning Skills (LS who provide LN support) need to collaborate to ensure that LN support is placed where it will be most effective. This can be quite difficult as a number of VET areas would like more hours. However, some VET areas need LN support for less than 100 hours. The average number of hours delivered by LN Support is 83.
8% of vocational students enter their course with identified literacy and/or numeracy needs. The LN teachers provide whole class support, as opposed to just focusing on the students identified as needing support. The LN teachers do not work on a deficit model. They ensure that they work with every student in the class.
Due to the often highly technical language and learning in VET courses, LN teachers have found that the majority of students need support in unpacking the terminology and engaging in the learning and assessment materials.
Student satisfaction
The LN Support program is highly valued at MP and typically receives a 96.7% satisfaction rating among students. Some of the student comments on the service include:
“They were very helpful. Any questions I had they were more than happy to help, and was very clear and easy to understand. Explained the way to figure out equations in depth.”
Cert III Electrical student.
“They’re helpful in assisting me with writing skills and understanding of the context. If I don’t fully understand a question, they are immediately willing to help.”
Cert IV Visual Arts student.
“S approached me in class and offered his help. S showed me how to organise my MS Word report using tables; he helped me condense my findings, and remind me to link them back to the objectives. I was very grateful for his help as I probably would not have approached him.”
Dip of Conservation and Land Management student.
These comments are typical of the feedback received from students with the main theme being that the LN teachers make learning easier. They value the notes LN teachers write on the board or send out via email and the way classroom collaboration is encouraged. They also appreciate the LN teachers’ patience and the time they take to explain things in a way the student can understand.
VET teacher feedback
Similarly, the VET teachers are very appreciative of the LN teacher being in class. They often comment on the difference it makes to their delivery. They find having a second teacher in the room takes away some of the pressure. They value the option to discuss their delivery and reflect on their practices.
The following comments from VET teachers are a sample of the feedback received about LN support.
“The LN teacher and I are engaging in early intervention that delivers better outcomes for students.
They help slow down the delivery when students are feeling overwhelmed and teaches other key skills such as note taking, summarising key information.
When the students encounter issues later in the course and require a LEAP the LN support is folded into this. Having a familiar face and a person who has been a previous source of support during what is a very challenging time for them creates a more nurturing and supportive learning environment for students. This has delivered excellent outcomes for our students. LN engages in small group discussions and rotates through the groups, and this enables her to identify those that may need additional support.
We have built rapport over working many years together and this is very important when I am working on new content or making changes to scaffolding or in-class activities as I have a trusted colleague who can offer valuable insight not into the content itself, but into the learning design and accessibility for our key learner cohorts.
It has been extremely productive for me as a teacher to have a highly skilled co-teacher.”
Dip of Community Services teacher.
… K provides detailed session notes, relieving students from the stress of notetaking during classes. K’s notes are easy to read, very well-presented and a super effective learning resource. Students comment weekly on the usefulness of K’s class notes. K provides in-class support to all students during in-class activities and when students are working on assessment tasks. K is respectful to student needs, is inclusive and engages with students in a positive manner. This encourages students to ask questions and access and use Learning Support services.
K has developed in-class activities such as a Kahoot quiz to help consolidate/recap classroom learning. These activities were highly engaging, interactive, fun and effective…
Cert IV TAE teacher
Benefits for teachers and students
The LN teachers also gain from being in the VET class. They generally work in the same area with the same VET teachers for a number of years. This allows them to become familiar with the course content and the VET teacher’s style of delivery. It makes the LN teacher more effective in the classroom. They develop respectful, supportive relationships with the VET teachers where the team-teaching model is embraced. This provided many benefits for the students. The LN teacher gets to understand the literacy and numeracy requirements of VET courses making them much more effective teachers both in standalone foundation classes and in the VET team-teaching class.
Collaboration = Success
MP attributes the success of its LN support program to the team-teaching model it has implemented based on the research of Stephen Black and Keiko Yasukawa. The provision of an in-class model of support is designed to provide contextualised support and build on students’ LN Skills. In-class support has proven to be more effective than the traditional deficit model which sees identified students as needing individualised teaching support, which can be detrimental to their self-confidence. Our collaborative model of delivery combines LN teaching expertise with industry training expertise. Feedback indicates that a team-teaching model is more effective, increases VET course completions and improves VET and LN teacher’s teaching. We believe that working together ensures the best possible outcomes for our students.