Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Adults: Improving Foundation Skills (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation)

224 Pages·2008·4.54 MB·English

by  centre for educational research and innovation

Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Adults
Teaching, Learning
IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS
Adults with low skills in language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) are numerous in many and Assessment
OECD countries. They can include early school leavers, older learners who have
not used their skills over time, immigrant and refugee learners, or individuals with for Adults
disabilities. The consequences of these low foundation skills span the economic, health
and social well-being of individuals, families and communities. Investment in this sector
IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS
of adult education is therefore crucial. But what is known about whether and how T
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programmes are meeting the needs of diverse learners? a
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This study looks specifically inside the programmes for adult LLN learners, with a in
focus on formative assessment – referring to the frequent assessment of learner g
understanding and progress to identify needs and shape teaching and learning. , L
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Drawing upon evidence gathered in country reports, exemplary case studies and a
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international literature reviews, it examines the impact and implementation of different in
teaching, learning and assessment practices for adult LLN learners; the way innovative g
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programmes address the very diverse needs and goals of this population; and the n
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policies that support or hinder effective practice. A
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This book provides a strong foundation for understanding the fundamental issues at s
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stake in the adult LLN education, and can guide future policy, practice and research. It s
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will be of particular interest to policy makers, teachers and instructors, researchers, and m
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students. n
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A companion report which studies formative assessment in lower secondary schools fo
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was published in 2005 under the title Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in A
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The full text of this book is available on line via this link: IO
www.sourceoecd.org/education/9789264039902 N
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Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: KIL
www.sourceoecd.org/9789264039902 L
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For more information about this award-winning service and free trials, ask your librarian, or write to
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Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
ISBN 978-92-64-03990-2 -:HSTCQE=UX^^UW:
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001.fm Page1 Friday,January18,2008 11:04AM
Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
Teaching, Learning and
Assessment for Adults
IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS
by
Janet Looney
002.fm Page1 Friday,January18,2008 11:01AM
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
AND DEVELOPMENT
The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work
together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation.
The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments
respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the
information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation
provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to
common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and
international policies.
The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European
Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.
OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics
gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the
conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members.
This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of
the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not
necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments
of its member countries.
Also available in French under the title:
L’enseignement, l’apprentissage et l’évaluation des adultes
POUR DE MEILLEURES COMPÉTENCES DE BASE
Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda.
© OECD 2008
No reproduction, copy, transmission or translation of this publication may be made without written permission.
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3
FOREWORD –

Foreword
In many OECD countries, large portions of populations do not have the
skills needed to function fully and effectively in daily life. Adult foundation
skill learning for those with low language, literacy and numeracy skills has
therefore become an increasingly urgent policy issue. However, it is less
certain that this issue is receiving the attention and priority it merits.
Large-scale surveys, such as the International Adult Literacy
(1994-1998), the Adult Literacy and Life Skills surveys (OECD and
Statistics Canada, 2005), and the new Programme for International
Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) provide vital data on adult
skills in populations and the dimensions of the challenge. OECD
publications such as Beyond Rhetoric (2003) and Promoting Adult Learning
(2005) have provided analyses of how systems can make more effective
investments and promote access to learning opportunities.
This study complements these macro-level analyses, bringing a much-
needed focus to effective teaching, learning and assessment within
classrooms. With a better understanding of the factors that contribute to the
quality of provision and outcomes, policy makers can provide more
effective leadership and support.
The study is part of the “What Works in Innovation in Education” series
of the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI).
The series was initiated in 1993 to examine innovations related to common
policy concerns across a small number of countries (between six and ten).
The reports are aimed at a broad audience of educational policy makers,
practitioners and researchers.
As with the previous “What Works” study (Formative Assessment:
Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms, CERI/OECD, 2005), this
study includes reviews of research from different linguistic traditions. The
reviews provide insight into different conceptual approaches to common
challenges, and make accessible a broader range of empirical research. This
approach has been particularly important for the understudied area of adult
foundation skill learning. The combined reviews provide a clearer picture of
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008
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– FOREWORD

the state of the art in this sector, and directions for future research and
development.
Seven countries identified case studies of exemplary classroom practice:
Belgium (Flemish Community), Denmark, England, France, Norway,
Scotland and the United States. Nine countries contributed background
reports detailing the challenges and policy responses for adult foundation
skill learners. They include Australia, Belgium (Flemish Community),
Denmark, England, Norway, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and the United
States.
For the first time, the international case studies and reviews of literature
prepared for this report are available in their entirety on the Internet (see list
of annexes in the Table of Contents).
Within the CERI Secretariat, the report was prepared by Janet Looney.
Delphine Grandrieux and Jennifer Gouby prepared and edited the text for
publication.

Barbara Ischinger
Director, Directorate for Education
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS –

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report would not have been possible without the support of
countries and individuals who contributed to its development.
We would like first, to thank the numerous individuals at the case study
sites featured in this report who so generously offered their time and shared
insights gained through many years of experience and reflection.
We would also like to extend thanks to country-based experts who
contributed to the development of country background reports and case
studies. Australia: Josie Misko, National Centre for Vocational Education
Research; Belgium (Flemish Community): Inge De Meyer, University of
Ghent; Denmark: Michael Andersen, Danish Evaluation Institute/EVA, and
Kirsten Baltzer, Danish University of Education; England: John Vorhaus,
National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy;
France: Elie Maroun, Agence nationale de lutte contre l’illetrisme; New
Zealand: John Benseman and Alison Sutton, independent consultants;
Norway: Anne Husby, Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
and Tove-Dina Røynestad, Vox/Norwegian Institute for Adult Education;
Scotland: John Leavey, Scottish Government, Learning Connections and
Lynn Tett, Moray House School of Education; Spain: Jordi Planas and
Maria Montoriol, Autonomous University of Barcelona; the United States:
Sandra Baxter, National Institute for Literacy. In addition, Ursula Howard of
the National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and
numeracy, and Jean-Pierre Jeantheau of the Agence nationale de lutte contre
l’illetrisme provided valuable guidance on the design and implementation of
the study.
This report draws extensively upon reviews of the international
literature developed for this study. For the review of the English-language
literature, we thank Jay Derrick, independent consultant, and Kathryn
Ecclestone, Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University.
For the review of the French-language literature, we thank Stéphane Daniau
and Paul Bélanger, University of Québec at Montréal. Anke Grotlüschen
and Franziska Bonna of the University of Bremen contributed to the
German-language review of literature. Florentino Sanz of the National
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008
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– ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

University of Distance Education contributed to the review of literature in
Spain.
The OECD also drew upon the expertise of its consultant team, who
carried out country visits and wrote the case study reports together with the
country experts. They are: John Benseman, independent consultant; Danielle
Colardyn, independent consultant; John Comings, National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy; Benoît Michel, independent
consultant; David Rosen, independent consultant; and Anne Sliwka,
University of Trier.
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS –

Table of Contents
Executive summary........................................................................................................ 11

Section I
The Context and Conditions of Adult Foundation Skill Learning
Chapter 1. Inside the Black Box: Language, Literacy and Numeracy Classrooms ... 21
The scale of the challenge ................................................................................................ 21
Inside the black box: teaching, learning and assessment ................................................. 22
The approach of the study ................................................................................................ 27
References........................................................................................................................ 32
Chapter 2. Who are the Learners? Data from International and National Surveys
on Adult Foundation Skill Learners ............................................................................ 35
The prevalence of low foundation skills: who is over-represented .................................. 35
Further international research .......................................................................................... 42
The impact of low foundation skills ................................................................................ 44
Patterns of participation ................................................................................................... 48
Concluding remarks ......................................................................................................... 49
References........................................................................................................................ 50
Chapter 3. Aligning Policy and Practice ...................................................................... 55
The context of adult LLN provision ................................................................................ 55
Balancing content and accountability requirements with learner-centred provision ....... 56
Policies setting out principles for learner-centred provision and establishing
it as a priority ................................................................................................................... 57
Programme performance for accountability .................................................................... 68
Key issues and conclusions .............................................................................................. 72
References........................................................................................................................ 74

TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008
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– TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 4. The Educational Workforce for Adult LLN Provision: Instructors,
Support Staff, Volunteers .............................................................................................. 77
Generally precarious conditions of employment ............................................................. 78
Fostering professionalism ................................................................................................ 79
Programme support staff and volunteers ......................................................................... 82
Key issues and conclusions .............................................................................................. 84
References........................................................................................................................ 86

Section II
The Steps of the Learning Process
Chapter 5. The Case Studies – Innovations for LLN Adults ..................................... 95
The innovative cases in brief ........................................................................................... 96
Concluding remarks ....................................................................................................... 102
References...................................................................................................................... 103

Chapter 6. First Steps: Diagnosing Learning Needs and Setting Goals .................. 105
Diagnosing learning needs ............................................................................................. 106
Developing the individual learning plan (ILP) or contract ............................................ 111
Key issues and conclusions ............................................................................................ 114
References...................................................................................................................... 116

Chapter 7. Relationships within the Classroom: Dialogue and Peer Assessment .. 119
Dialogue ......................................................................................................................... 119
Peer assessment and peer mentoring.............................................................................. 131
Key issues and conclusions ............................................................................................ 136
References...................................................................................................................... 138

Chapter 8. Techniques: Feedback, Questioning, and Scaffolding ........................... 143
Feedback ........................................................................................................................ 144
Questioning .................................................................................................................... 148
Scaffolding ..................................................................................................................... 153
Key issues and conclusions ............................................................................................ 159
References...................................................................................................................... 161

TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS: IMPROVING FOUNDATION SKILLS – ISBN-978-92-64-03990-2 © OECD 2008