Working in Groups with Adult Literacies Learners
Learning Connections
Learning Connections
Working in Groups with Adult
Literacies Learners
Section 4
Negotiation, Planning and Evaluation
in Adult Literacies Groups
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Section
Section 4
4:0
Negotiation, Planning and Evaluation in Adult Literacies Groups

1. Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals
Trainer’s Outline
Case Studies 1 (Section 7:1)
Task Sheet A
Task Sheet B
Task Sheet C
2. A Mapping Approach to Identifying Individual Learning Goals
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – Where do you keep important writing?
Handout 1 – Literacy Learner’s Map
Handout 2 – Literacy Learner’s ‘important writing’ Sheet
3. From Group Goals to Individual Goals
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – From Group to Individual Goals
Handout – The Context – Looking at Cooking

4. Time Management
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – Time Management
Case Studies 4 (Section 7:4)
5. Planning a Session
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – Planning a Session
Task Sheet – Session Plan Blank
Handout – Example of Session Plan

6. Evaluating Group Work
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – Evaluating Group Work
Handout – optional – What Counts as Progress?
(Section 4:8)
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
Section
7. Constructing an Evaluation Sheet for Group Work
Trainer’s Outline
Task Sheet – Constructing an Evaluation Sheet
Case Studies 2 (in Section 7)
Handout - Group Work Scenario
4:0
8. Optional Handouts
1. What Counts as Progress?
2. A Participatory Curriculum
Note
What Counts as Progress? Section 4:8, could be used as an aid to discussion
at various points in training for adult literacies tutors. An activity could be
developed round this handout and some of the case studies.

A Participatory Curriculum Section 4:8, is the material from an ESRC seminar
by Elsa Auerbach, delivered in Aberdeen in January 2003. It might be used,
for example, in Mapping Approach to Identifying Individual Learning Goals,
Section 4:2, Using a Focused Approach, Section 6: 1, Using a Critical
Approach 1, Section 6:2, or Integrating Literacies, Section 6:15.

For participants who have not done the ITALL training you may wish to use
material from ITALL, Section 9 on learning plans, session planning, recording
learning and the cycle of planning.
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals
Outcomes: participants will have:

identified areas of group work which can be negotiated by group
members

reflected on the process of negotiating group goals with a group
of learners

identified ways of addressing learners’ individual goals through
group work
Section
4:1

Approach:
discussion, small group task, reflection on process
Grouping:
pairs, whole group, groups of 4
Timing:
total time 50 minutes, a) 5 mins b) 5 mins c) 20 mins
d) 15 mins e) 5 mins
Task
Sheets:
3, Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals A, B & C
Handouts:
Case Studies 1, Section 7:1, also used in Section 3:13
Resources: flipchart and flipchart paper, Post-its
Instructions:
a) 5 minutes, pairs
Ask participants to pair up, note any anxieties or questions they have
about negotiating group work, put on Post-its and put on flipchart.
Input: There are various ways of negotiating group work with groups of
learners. Ask small groups to try out one way each, and report back to the
main group.
3 5 minutes, whole group
Ask participants first of all to identify what might be up for negotiation, and
record their answers on a flipchart so that they can be seen during the rest
of the exercise.
(topic, content, order, methods, evaluation, time spent on group work, i.e.,
what?, who?, where?, when?, how?, how long?, why?)
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4 20 minutes, groups of four with one task sheet
There are task sheets which look at three different approaches – make
sure the groups are covering each of the approaches that you want to
discuss.
Make sure that participants don’t embark on planning a term’s worth of
group work – what you are looking for is reflection on the process of
negotiation.
Suggest that they may wish to record their answers in diagrammatic form
e.g. a flow chart or ‘spider’.
Section
d) 15 minutes, whole group, feedback
Ask each group to feed back to the whole group, showing from their
flipchart how the process would work.
Note any concerns/questions and discuss after each group’s feedback.
1 5 minutes, whole group, summary
Go back to original pairs, reclaim Post-its, and see if anxieties have been
dealt with. Go round group and check them out – ask rest of group to offer
solutions.
Notes:
Identifying and negotiating group goals for the case study learners:
Task Sheet A Learn to learn



Tutor identifies the various elements that might be involved in ‘learn to
learn’ work
Tutor identifies how these elements might address elements of the
individual learners’ goals
Tutor gives learners list of areas of work and discuss how any of these
elements might be useful to them as adult learners, and how they might
relate to their individual goals
e.g. understanding the learning cycle will be of general help to all –
Alan may be able to use it to identify areas of SQA module that he
needs to work on most
memory strategies useful for spelling (Betty and Doris) as well as
generally for writing, remembering new words for reading (Colin and
Ali)
reflecting on positive/negative experiences of learning will help
learners to be more critical and independent
understanding individual learning styles will be of use to everyone
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Task Sheet B Theme of common interest

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Tutor asks learners to identify issues of common interest to group
members, e.g. local traffic plans, merging of schools, doing
crosswords. Tutor can contribute issues that have arisen in
conversations with group members
Tutor asks learners to decide which issue they would all be interested
in working on – people who had suggested issues could speak to
persuade the rest of the group to choose their idea, then vote or tick on
list on flipchart (useful for Alan for SQA)
Tutor asks group to think about possible route – what do they know
about the issue?, what do they want to find out?, what do they want to
do?, how are they going to do it?
Group decide on rough order of tasks
Tutor analyses the literacy and numeracy skills, knowledge and
understanding involved in the tasks – suggests areas of
literacy/numeracy work that the group might work on while carrying out
tasks
Tutor makes explicit the relationship between the literacy/numeracy
work and learners’ individual goals
Literacies work as a group and relating to individual goals – theme of
common interest

Work which could be carried out by group, which would relate to
individual goals:
-
-
-
-
Reading – local papers, leaflets, notices, petitions etc. – reading
for understanding, critical approaches, strategies for reading –
pre-reading, using pictures/diagrams to understand text,
skimming, scanning, close reading
Writing a group letter, which would involve discussion and group
exercises around purpose/audience, planning, drafting, editing,
use of language, proofreading etc.
Alan could cover a lot of work for module – audience, purpose
both in reading and writing, listening and speaking as part of
group work, writing letters etc.
Betty could practise drafting, editing and proofreading short
letters
Betty and Doris could work together on strategies for learning
spelling
Doris could write her opinion of the issue being discussed –
maybe as a starting point for discussion
Colin could practise reading simplified versions of the letters etc.
that are done in group work (the actual texts being used in group
work could be read to him beforehand so that he is familiar with
the content)
He could do some language experience work to practise both
reading and writing. Taking part in the group work, on the clear
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-
understanding that he would not have to contribute if he didn’t
want to, would help him with his difficulties in working with
others. If the group had clear ground rules this might help him to
feel less anxious about working with others
Ali could practise reading the letters that come in, and use
letters from the paperwork involved at work – maybe to compare
with other texts about the issue
Task Sheet C Learners’ texts




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




Group to identify features typical of that type of text – compare it with
other similar texts, contrast with different ones
Could use critical questions to examine text
Note points that arise and negotiate round them – what do they already
know, what do they want to know about/practise in relation to texts
Might include audience, purpose, power relations between writer and
reader, layout, language, strategies for reading, drafting, editing and
proofreading writing, discussion of vocabulary used, spelling
Alan could use information about audience, purpose, layout etc. which
might emerge from this examination, to work on for module
Betty could practise writing in the same genre – drafting, editing and
proofreading
Betty and Doris could work together on spelling – having identified
words that they would like to use in their own writing
Doris could use text as stimulus for her own writing
Colin could practise reading text or simplified version of it, and
language experience around the text
Ali could use texts to broaden out his experience of reading, compare
with texts he receives himself, keep personal dictionary of unfamiliar
vocabulary, practise reading for understanding
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Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals - Task Sheet A
20 Minutes - group of four
Identifying and negotiating group goals (A) Learn to Learn
Read the case studies handout.
One way of planning group work where learning goals are very diverse, is to
suggest to learners an area of work that will be useful to all of them, to offer
them a list of elements involved in that area, and to ask them to decide which
elements they want to work on.
An example of this might be ‘learn to learn’.
o Make a note of the process that a tutor might go through to enable
her/him to negotiate areas of work under the heading ‘learn to learn’
that the group might work on together.
o Identify how working on ‘learn to learn’ could help the individuals on the
case study handout with their literacies learning – as a group and in
relation to their individual goals.
o When you have completed the task, record your answers on the
flipchart and display it. You may wish to record your answers in the
form of a diagram.
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Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals - Task Sheet B
20 Minutes, group of four
Identifying and negotiating group goals (B) – theme of common interest
Read the case studies handout.
One way of planning group work is to base it round a theme of common
interest to group members, e.g. local traffic plans, merging of schools,
crossword puzzles.
o Make a note of the process that a tutor might go through to enable
her/him to negotiate areas of work that the group might work on
together, based around a theme of common interest.
o Note the stages at which negotiation might take place.
o Identify how working on a theme could help the individuals on the case
study handout with their literacies learning – as a group and in relation
to their individual goals.
o When you have completed the task record your answers on the
flipchart and display it. You may wish to record your answers in the
form of a diagram.
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Identifying and Negotiating Group Goals - Task Sheet C
20 Minutes – group of four
Identifying and negotiating group goals (C) – learners’ texts
Read the case studies handout.
One way of identifying and negotiating group work is to base it round a
particular text(s) brought in by learners.
o Make a note of the process that a tutor might go through to enable
her/him to negotiate areas of work that the group might work on
together, based on texts brought in by learners.
o Note the stages at which negotiation might take place.
o Identify how working using learners’ texts could help the individuals on
the case study handout with their literacies learning – as a group and in
relation to their individual goals.
o When you have completed the task record your answers on the
flipchart and display it. You may wish to record your answers in the
form of a diagram.
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
A Mapping Approach to Identifying Individual Learning Goals
Outcomes: participants will have:

experienced a method of identifying some of their own uses of
literacies

reflected on the process involved

related it to their own work and how this approach could be used
with literacies learners
Approach:
experiential, paired work, sub-group work, discussion
Grouping:
as many groups as there are trainers
Timing:
total time 45 minutes, a) 5 mins b) 5 mins c) 5 mins
d) 15 mins e) 5 mins f) 5 mins g) 5 mins
Task Sheet: Where do you keep important writing?
Handouts:
1. Literacy learner’s map
2. Literacy learner’s completed ‘important writing’ sheet.
Resources: large photograph of a group of adults for each group –
preferably mixture of gender, ethnic background, age (possibly
from newspaper). Groups do not have to have the same
photograph.
flipchart
Instructions: Work in as many groups as there are trainers.
a) 5 minutes
Display photograph of a group of adults.
Ask participants to think about where these people might keep important
writing in their homes.
Flipchart a few responses.
1. 5 minutes
Ask participants to use Task Sheet to help them to think about where they
keep important writing at home. To identify importance – what would they
want to save if there was an emergency?
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c) 5 minutes, pairs
When completed, participants to spend five minutes discussing answers
with partner and thinking about whether there were any surprises in what
they considered to be important writing.
d) 15 minutes
Ask for one person to volunteer their important writing.
Draw spider on flipchart – with volunteer’s name in middle. Ask volunteer
for examples of important writing, and note them round spider.
Ask for verbal response to other questions from task sheet, but don’t write
up.
For each (or some, depending on number) of examples, ask who would be
the people/groups/organisations connected in terms of literacy, e.g. family
letters – sister, father; school reports – teacher, head teacher, education
authority.
Write these up on satellite spiders.
Choose one of these. Ask about any other literacy tasks that may be
involved, e.g. letters, minutes, phone messages, cards . . . Then ask the
participant what s/he does in relation to these tasks, what they would like
to change about that, and begin process of defining learning goals.
e) 5 minutes
Input: This can be a very useful way for learners to think about how they
use or don’t use literacies, and may be a way for them to exclude from
their learning goals areas that they originally may have wanted to work on.
An example of this is a learner who thought she wanted to work on writing
formal letters. After completing this exercise, she identified that all of her
contact with bureaucracy was done by filling in forms or on the telephone.
This freed her to establish what she really wanted to do with literacy, which
was to publicise the work of a local animal rescue centre.
Handouts: example of this learner’s map (Handout 1), and one of a
learner’s ‘important writing’ sheet (Handout 2).
Another learner who was very lacking in confidence found that she was
quite happy about the way she dealt with a range of official letters on
behalf of a relative, decided that her writing was in fact fine and that she
really wanted to work on numeracy. The benefit of carrying out this
process was that she had made the decision for herself; up till then she
had refused to believe anyone else’s opinion that she was a very
competent writer.
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f) 5 minutes, pairs
Consider the advantages and disadvantages of using this process to
identify learners’ uses of literacies and learning goals.
g) 5 minutes, subgroups
Feed back and discuss.
Note:
Using a photograph at the beginning of the process could be omitted with
tutors, but if doing exercise with learners it enables them to think about
important writing at one remove from themselves to start with – so including
this step with practitioners is modelling good practice.
f) Advantages



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Learner thinks in depth about some uses of literacies
Can help learner to focus on priorities
Reduces potential of tutor to make assumptions
Introduces discussion of relative importance of documentation – formal
documents are important but replaceable – documents of emotional
importance are often not replaceable
Disadvantages



Time consuming
May come up with daunting amount of information
Need support for non-confident writers
Questions
There may be questions about how long this process takes. The first part of it
would take as long as the group did – possibly a bit longer if not very
experienced learners, when you might need to give help with completing
forms and maps – and additional help within group if many non-independent
writers. It could be done over a period of weeks – the information gained
could be used over a much longer period than one term. Maps could be
reconstructed depending on changes in the learner’s circumstances.
A learner might not want to go beyond the first lot of connections that s/he
examines – might find relevant and important literacies goals within those
connections, and come back to other areas at another time.
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Mapping Approach – Task Sheet
10 minutes total, individually and in pairs
Spend three or four minutes jotting down answers to these questions, then
discuss your answers with the person next to you.
Were there any surprises in what you considered to be important writing?
1.
Where in your house do you keep important writing?
Section
4:2
2.
What is the important writing?
3.
Who is it from/to?
4.
Why was it written?
5.
What is important about it?
6.
How does it connect you to other people/groups/organisations?
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Section
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
From Group Goals to Individual Goals
Outcomes: participants will have:

identified the numeracy involved in cooking

identified the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to be
a confident user of the numeracy involved in cooking

identified the skills, knowledge and understanding particularly
suited to group work

considered how learners might work on the other areas
identified

6:15
Section
3:13

practised using one approach for negotiating individual goals
from a group goal
Approach:
listing, discussion, analysis
Grouping:
whole group, groups of four
Timing:
total time 50 minutes, a) 10 mins b) 30 mins c) 10 mins
Task Sheet: From Group Goals to Individual Goals
Handouts:

Pre-session reading: Literacies in the Community: the guide to
tutoring and guidance pp.17–19 ‘The Curriculum in Community,
Literacy and Numeracy’ (Section 9:6)
The Context – Looking at Cooking
Resources: flipchart paper and pens
Trainers may wish to display numeracy resources such as
weighing scales, clock faces (digital and analogue), measuring
spoons and jugs, recipes as well as paper resources.
Note: You may wish to substitute a short course being delivered in your area
for the cookery/ numeracy course suggested in the context handout.
Instructions:
a)
10 minutes, whole group
Refer to Handout ‘Looking at Cooking’. Ask group to draw up list on flipchart
of numeracy involved in cooking.
Ask if any of the listed items can be grouped together.
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Which group of items do participants think would be most important to
know about for cooking? (group goal)
Input
One way of moving towards individual goals from a group goal is to
identify the skills, knowledge and understanding involved in the group
goal, then to use these skills, knowledge and understanding as a starting
point for negotiation with learners about what they actually want to work
on (refer to pre-reading LIC pack pp.17–19, The Curriculum in
Community Literacy and Numeracy, for an explanation of skills,
knowledge and understanding).
Note:
Learning through a group goal which has been negotiated is still learnercentred. Several or all of the learners in a group may wish to work on
the same aspects of numeracy – this still counts as the learner’s
individual goal, although s/he may be working on it with other members
of the group.
b)
30 minutes, groups of four, use Task Sheet
Use numeracy that has been identified as important to know about for
cooking (group goal)
Task (on Task Sheet)
c)
i)
Identify the numeracy skills, knowledge and
understanding that are necessary to address the priority
identified by the group.
ii)
From your list of skills, knowledge and understanding,
identify which lend themselves particularly to group work.
iii)
How would you negotiate the numeracy goals being
worked on by the group and by individuals?
iv)
Which areas of work might be addressed practically,
which by discussion, and which with pen and paper?
10 minutes, feed back to whole group
Each group to feed back response to one question from task sheet, with
opportunity for comments/questions at end.
Summary: This is one way of identifying and negotiating the
literacy/numeracy goals that may arise from working in another context.
It’s worth taking every opportunity that you can to discuss this type of
work with other people doing it, so that you can try out a variety of
approaches depending on the group you are working with.
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Notes:
a) Numeracy involved in cooking
Weighing/measuring ingredients, understanding weights on packages,
estimating, measuring by volume, measuring liquids, metric measurements –
gm/kg, ml/litres, oven temperatures and words to describe them (moderate,
hot, cool etc. and temperatures) doubling/halving quantities, measuring baking
tins.
A similar exercise identifying literacy used in cooking could be carried out if
tutors are not likely to be teaching numeracy – shopping lists, reading food
packets, understanding quantities, reading recipes, understanding
instructions, understanding specific vocabulary – boil, simmer, sauté, rub in,
fold in, whisk etc., names of utensils – whisk, spatula, colander. Could also
broaden out to presentation of recipes, e.g. in books/magazines, supermarket
magazines and their purpose, advertising food, food programmes on TV,
additives, healthy eating, influence of different cultures – depending on
interests of group.
Possible grouping of numeracy learning
Weighing/measuring/estimating
Doubling up/halving
Temperatures/timing
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b) Weighing, measuring, estimating
Participants may differ in whether a particular item is listed under skills,
knowledge or understanding and argue that most involve more than one of
the three. This part of the exercise is useful in highlighting that numeracy
tasks will involve all three.
Skills
knowledge
understanding
Reading scales
Returning to 0
that there are different
measures i.e. g/oz
g/kg
that there are other
ways of measuring e.g.
volume – spoons/cups/
proportions e.g. 1 spoon
caster sugar per egg for
meringues, and roughly
4 apples to 500g
recipes may be written
in both – need to be
consistent
estimating weights
counting
doubling/halving
times tables
reading oven temperatures
24 hour clock
adding/subtracting time
writing down finishing time
setting time clock
½ hour, ¼ hour
Section
4:3
need to be consistent
and do it to all
ingredients, but some
like spice might not
need to be doubled
different ways of
learning them
patterns
that 6 x 2 = 2 x 6
different scales for
gas/electricity
What lends itself particularly to group work?
Practical cooking
In general, knowledge and understanding are easier for learners to work on
together, where discussion and exchanging ideas and opinions enable them
to consider wider viewpoints.
How would you negotiate the numeracy goals being worked on by the
group and by individuals?
Could draw up group plan for areas identified and negotiated with group. This
can very usefully be done by holding an initial planning meeting with learners,
where group goals – numeracy and cooking – can be identified and agreed.
Having identified a group numeracy goal, the tutor can produce a checklist at
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a later date of skills, knowledge and understanding, and ask learners to
identify what they feel confident about and what they would like to work on.
This checklist could be used as their individual plan for the course.
Which areas of work might be addressed practically, which by
discussion and which with pen and paper?
Skills might be addressed as a group – but that would depend on the range of
numeracy experience among the learners. Part of the learning process might
be to identify what the group already knows about something, and what they
would like to know more about – thus working outwards from their existing
knowledge. This might mean that some work would be done individually with
learners who are less experienced, or additional work could be given to those
who are already confident about the area being studied, and who might work
more independently.
Practical – weighing, reading scales, estimating weights, using cookers,
using timers, measuring by volume
Discussion – comparison of different types of scales, strategies for
adding/subtracting time, how to work time clocks/timers, scales for ovens
temperatures, Fahrenheit/centigrade, gas scales
Pen and paper – worksheets and reference sheets – doubling and halving,
reading illustrations of scales, comparisons of Fahrenheit and centigrade,
adding times, reading instructions about cooking times, solving problems,
reading cooking times on convenience foods and working out cooking times
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From Group Goals to Individual Goals - Task Sheet
Work in groups of 4.
30 minutes for whole task
Use numeracy that has been identified by the whole group as being important
to know about for cooking (group goal) to complete this task.
Record your answers on flipchart paper so that you can feed back to the
whole group.
Section
4:3
i)
Identify and list the numeracy skills, knowledge and understanding that
are necessary to address the priority identified by the whole group.
(Don’t spend too much time on debating which items come under skills,
knowledge or understanding.)
ii)
From your list of skills, knowledge and understanding, identify
which lend themselves particularly to group work.
iii)
How would you negotiate the numeracy goals being worked on by the
group and by individuals?
iv)
Which areas of work might be addressed practically, which by
discussion and which with pen and paper?
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The Context – Looking at Cooking - Handout
In response to consultation with learners in dedicated literacy/numeracy
provision, one of the short courses being offered is ‘Looking at Cooking’.
Information about the course has been sent to all literacy/numeracy groups.
The outcomes for the course have been advertised as:
You will have:
Section

cooked various dishes using recipes – what is cooked will
be decided by the group

thought about the numeracy you need to be able to do, to
cook

chosen which numeracy you want to work on

improved your numeracy skills, working as a group and
on your own
Ten learners have signed up for the course. Four are working in numeracy
groups; the rest are literacy learners who want to start some work on
numeracy. The group has a range of ability and experience of using
numeracy.
The course will start with an introductory session which will not involve
cookery, but will be used as an information session and to negotiate some of
the course content. This will be followed by eight cookery/numeracy
sessions.
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
Time Management

Outcomes: participants will have considered issues relating to:
4:5


time management involving individual, paired and group learning

different approaches in running a group session
Approach:
group / small group discussion
Grouping:
whole group, small groups
Timing:
total time 50 minutes, a) 10 mins b) 25mins c) 15 mins
Handouts: pre-session reading – Case Studies 4 (Section 7:4) – note areas
of common interest or common goals
Task Sheet: Time Management
Resources: flipchart
Instructions:
a) 10 minutes, whole group
Ask participants to share ideas on how and why they might go about
allocating time periods related to individual (one-to-one), paired and group
learning.
b) 25 minutes, small groups, Time Management Task Sheet and Case
Studies 4 Handout
Consider the Task Sheet and Case Studies and ask participants to identify
learners’ possible common areas relating to goals and interests. Choose
an activity (or activities) and suggest the length of time where learners
might work individually, in pairs or as a group. Ask participants from each
group to nominate one person to scribe and one to feed back for their
group.
c) 15 minutes, whole group
Ask nominated person from small groups to feed back issues to larger
group.
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Section
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Notes:
a) Why? and how? suggestions might include:

Individual work for learners to gather thoughts, ideas and
formulate responses on a particular topic/piece of writing etc.
Useful exercise for developing independent learning strategies.
Confidence/ability levels of learners would determine the length
of time allocated

Paired work for learners to develop, expand, share and respond
to different points of view

Group work as above, but also for the group as a whole to
develop
b) Possible activities might include:
4:4

Analysing the language involved in particular work place
literacies (vocabulary, structure, style etc. Focusing on
examples of texts that are pertinent to learners’ goals/situations)

Asking learners to construct a ‘real’ example based on the work
materials that are relevant to them (this could be based around
the real materials that the learner is working towards)
Group work can be an activity shared by all students and negotiated with them
where the focus of the activity is on some area which the learners and tutor
feel is relevant to each learner’s reason for attending.

Group work can be a range of activities shared by twos or threes or
done individually linked by a common theme. Learners might come
together briefly at the beginning or end of the group work part of the
session to share feedback on what they have been doing. Group
work might form 30 or 40 minutes of the session

In particular settings it may be very difficult (or impossible) to design
joint activities where everyone benefits from the learning activity.
Here the group work part of the session might be 10 or 15
minutes (tutors are likely to develop group work in this way as they
gain experience)

Negotiation involving individual learners within the group is crucial
in identifying how much time should be spent on individual, paired
and group work

Ideally there should be a session involving learners where they
themselves articulate how much time they would like to spend on
individual, paired or group work activities
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
Through the negotiation process it is possible that common areas of
interest between learners may arise that have not been previously
expressed

Negotiation can be an ongoing process where the time ratio for
group work may change
 as tutors/learners become more confident/familiar
with the negotiation process
 as learners over time are able to contribute more
topics/themes for group work
Issues:
There is a danger that the tutor subtly imposes activities s/he believes will be
of benefit but which are not related to the areas negotiated by the group.
Section
4:4
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Time Management - Task Sheet
35 minutes, small groups
Read the Case Studies 4 handout.
Identify possible common areas (goals/interests) where learners may work
together, either in pairs or as a group.
Section
Choose an activity (or activities) that relates to learners’ reasons for attending
the group.
4:4
Decide on the length of time you would allocate to either individual, paired or
group work activity.
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
Planning a Session
Outcomes: participants will have:

3:13
4:4
8:3

identified the various elements that might be included in a
literacy/numeracy session

considered the relative importance of various elements

practised drawing up a session plan for a group of
literacy/numeracy learners
Approach:
discussion, experiential
Grouping:
small groups; whole group feedback and discussion
Timing:
total time 1 hour 10 minutes, a) 5 mins b) 10 mins c) 10 mins
d) 30 mins e) 15 mins
Task
Sheets:
1. Planning a Session
2. Blank Session Plan
Handouts:
at end of session, sample session plan
Section
4:5
Resources: flipchart paper and flipchart pens
Instructions:
a) 5 minutes, whole group
Ask participants to identify the various elements that might be included in a
two-hour session with a group of literacy or numeracy learners – to include
individual and group work.
b) 10 minutes, split into groups of 4
Hand out headed flipchart paper – ‘Essential’ ‘Desirable’ ‘Optional’
‘Justification’ and ask groups to decide which headings their elements
should go under and why, and to complete the flipcharts.
c) 10 minutes
Display flipcharts – participants to read contributions from other groups
and add anything to their lists that they think would be useful.
d) 30 minutes
Participants return to groups, and draw up a session plan based on elements
on list. Plan is for a two-hour session with seven learners, one group tutor
and a tutor assistant. It should include timing for each part of the session.
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e) 15 minutes, whole group
Display session plan, discuss any difficulties in producing it and answer
any questions about it. Optional handout of session plan, or one drawn up
by trainers can be given out.
Notes:
a) Various elements to be included in session plan
Any introductions of new group members; describe and check out plan for
session; any notices e.g. courses, meetings, other information; group work –
go over what was learned last time, group work together/in pairs; record and
evaluate what group has worked on today, agree what group will work on next
time; coffee break; individual work; evaluation of individual work; opportunity
to ask questions; rounding up, thanks and goodbye.
e) Possible difficulties in drawing up session plan
Balance of individual and group work – how long should be spent on each
(may depend to what extent group work being done reflects learners’
individual goals, how mixed the group is, what teaching/learning the group
wants to cover via group work).
It is difficult to predict how long any activity will take and the tutor has to be
prepared to respond to points raised by the learners.
How should group work be recorded – at end of it, or included in individual
record keeping and evaluation?
Coffee break – how long should it be? Who should make coffee? (takes away
from learners’ limited time, but gives them responsibility for part of session
and choice about when/how to organise and pay for coffee).
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Section
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Planning a Session - Task Sheet
10 minutes, in groups of 4
1.
List the elements just identified by the whole group on flipchart
paper under the headings ‘Essential’, ‘Desirable’ and ‘Optional’ with
a very brief justification for your decision in a final column. (10
minutes)
2.
Display your flipchart and take time to read contributions from other
groups. (10 minutes)
3.
Add to your list useful suggestions from other lists.
4.
In your groups of 4, draw up a plan for a session using the elements
on your list. The plan should be for a two-hour session with seven
learners, one group tutor and a tutor assistant. Include timing for
each part of the session. (30 minutes)
6.
Return to the main group to display your session plan, discuss any
difficulties in producing it and answer any questions about it.
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SESSION PLAN
Date/time Activity
Notes
Date/time Activity
Notes
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Section
4:5
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4:5
Handout 1
Date/time Activity
Notes
10.10.03 Set out tables/chairs
9.00
Get coffee etc. from store cupboard
Photocopying
NB tell receptionist about new learner (B)
(check J has done work for T and M)
9.15
B to arrive – discuss goals/way group works
9.30 –
Check work done at home with learners as
9.40
they arrive
9.40
Introduce B - group to say what working on
this term
9.45
Outline of today’s session – check OK
9.45 –
Group work (see next page)
10.20
o Pre-reading – what do we do and why
o Try it out
o Read in pairs – report back content to
group
o Discuss effect of pre-reading – when
might they use it outside group
10.20 –
Evaluate group work by discussion
10.25
Agree next week’s group work
10.25
Coffee (check rota to see who is making it)
10.25 –
Individual work
11.15
o J to check everyone understands
what they’re doing
o Start B off with some work
o Check form filling pair
o Go round learners
o NB discuss work to be done for next
week
11.15 –
Evaluation – individual work
11.30
o Write up new words on flipchart for
learners to include
in their lists of eval. words
o Learners complete record sheets
o J to help B complete his
o Note evaluations
11.30
Finish – thanks to everyone
Date/time Activity
GROUP WORK
Outcome: learners will understand what we
mean by pre-reading and be able to use prereading to help their understanding of a text
Pre-reading: what we do and why:
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Evaluation: What did you think of the prereading exercise? What did you learn from
it?
What did you like/not like? How might you
use what you learned in your reading
outside the group?
Homework: try doing pre-reading with
something you come across at home, and
we’ll find out next week how everyone got on
with it.
Next week’s group work: one of the things
that we talked about at the beginning of term
about reading newspapers is that you can’t
tell what’s true and what isn’t. Would now
be a useful time to start thinking about this?
Could you bring in something from a
newspaper that catches your eye, and we’ll
start work on this, using what you’ve brought
in.
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Section
4:5
o Look at text: what do you notice
about it? (e.g. big headline, picture,
name under headline, short
paragraphs, caption under picture)
o What does that tell us about text?
(what it is i.e. newspaper article, what
it’s likely to be about, from a
newspaper, may have a particular
point of view, picture – what does that
tell us – why is there a picture?)
o What words might come up in an
article about this? (flipchart)
o In pairs, read the article – afterwards
we’ll be talking about what’s in it.
(Pair up experienced readers – J and
self to read with inexperienced ones.
Pair B with T.)
o What did you find out from the article?
o Did the headline match the rest of the
article? Was it about what we
expected?
o Was it easy/hard to read? What
difference did the pre-reading make?
Did any of the words we thought of
come up in the reading? (maybe
easier to understand having thought a
bit about it beforehand – words may
be easier to read having discussed
them before)
Working in Groups with Adult Literacies Learners
Learning Connections
TRAINER’S OUTLINE
Evaluating Group Work

Outcomes: participants will have:
4:7
3:5

reflected on the purposes and process of evaluating group work
with learners

identified specific areas for evaluation
Approach:
reflection, discussion, group task
Grouping:
whole group, 4 groups, joining to form 2 groups
Timing:
total time 25 minutes, a) 15 mins b) 10 mins
Section
4:6
Task Sheet: Evaluating Group Work
Handouts:
none
Resources: flipcharts for each of 4 groups, pens
Instructions:
a) 15 minutes, divide into four groups
Ask participants to fill out spider on flipchart, giving answers to questions.
Who?
Why?
evaluation of
group work
What?
How?
When?
b) 10 minutes, two groups
When the task is completed, ask groups to pair up with another group and
discuss what they felt were the key points under each heading.
If more than one trainer, this discussion could be led by trainers, to ensure
inclusion of all important points.
Display flipcharts for participants to examine during tea break.
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Notes:
Why evaluate group work?
 For same reasons as evaluation of individual work
 To enable learners to see the point of group work – i.e. that it is
relevant to their learning, and not just a way of passing the time
 To enable learners to identify progress they may have made in
areas other than those identified in their own learning plans – e.g.
feelings about participating in group, areas where they have taken
responsibility, speaking and listening skills etc.
 To give feedback to tutor about group work – relevance to their own
goals, enjoyment, structure, topic etc.
Who evaluates it?
 Learners, as a group or individually
 Tutor/volunteer tutors
 Other?
Section
4:6
What should be evaluated?
Content, methods, time taken in relation to individual work, relevance to own
goals, relevance to outside world/real life uses of literacies, enjoyment,
challenge, style, what learners have actually learned in group work, how they
feel about working in the group
When?
 At end of each theme/topic/when moving on to something new
 At end of work if tutor/group decides it’s not really what they wanted to
do
 At end of term
How?






Questionnaire – group to discuss questions before completion – tutor to
flipchart some comments for learners to use in their own forms
Group discussion – tutor scribing/recording on flipchart
Identifying content and purpose of each session for learners and
having group discussion, followed by completion of questionnaire
Tick sheet identifying each session and learners ticking off relevance,
usefulness, interest, enjoyment, learning achieved etc.
Identifying content for learners and ask them to choose session which
they particularly liked/didn’t like and why
Asking learners to think back to one session that they particularly
enjoyed, and to identify why that was
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Evaluating Group Work – Task Sheet
a) 15 minutes
In your small groups, please fill out the spider below, giving the answers to the
questions.
Record your spider on flipchart paper.
Section
4:6
Who?
Why?
What?
Evaluation of
group work
How?
When?
b) 10 minutes
When you have finished your spider, pair up with another group and discuss
what you feel are the key points under each heading.
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TRAINER’S OUTLINE
Constructing an Evaluation Sheet for Group Work
Outcomes: participants will have:

4:6
3:5

constructed an evaluation sheet which learners could use to
evaluate group work

related the use of this sheet to working with a group of learners,

reflected on the process that might be used to evaluate group
work
Approach:
completing task, whole group discussion
Grouping:
groups of 4, whole group
Timing:
total time 45 minutes, a) 20 mins b) 10 mins c) 15 mins
Section
4:7
Task Sheet: Constructing an Evaluation Sheet

Handouts:
7:2
1. Group Work Scenario
2. Case Studies Handout (Section 7:2)
Resources: access to computers for drawing up evaluation sheet, or paper,
rulers, pens and one table per group
Instructions:
If participants have already taken part in the session on ‘evaluating group
work’, they will already have thought about what kind of process might be
involved in group evaluation, the second part of this exercise.
a & b) 30 minutes, groups of 4
Case Studies and Group Scenario Handout, and Task Sheet
Ask participants


c)
to construct a sheet for learners to use to evaluate group
work done during the term
to consider and note how they would actually use the
evaluation sheet – i.e. the process
15 minutes, whole group
Feedback

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ask each group to select two questions from their sheet
which they feel particularly address their purposes for
evaluating group work
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
discuss how they would carry out the group work
evaluation
Display evaluation sheets and ask participants to scrutinise them during a
break, and note any questions they may want to add to their own version.
Notes:
It is recommended that participants should have taken part in session
‘evaluating group work’ before doing this session, as that will have given them
the opportunity to reflect on the purposes of evaluating group work.
You may wish to give the Case Studies and the Group Work Scenario
Handout as pre-session reading.
Section
4:7
Possible questions to include in evaluation sheet:






What did you like/not like about the group work we’ve done this term?
Which bits of group work fitted in with your own goals for the term?
How did they help with your own goals?
What else did you learn from group work this term?
Do you think there have been any changes in the way you take part in
the group work?
Any other comments?
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Constructing an Evaluation Sheet - Task Sheet
In 4s, a) 20 minutes, b) 10 minutes
a)
Read the case studies and group work scenario
Make up a group work evaluation sheet which could be used by learners in
the group.
Section
4:7
Points to consider:
o What would the learner need to have information about, before they
could answer questions usefully?
o How would you make the evaluation sheet accessible to learners
with different levels of ability?
b)
Consider and make a note of how you would actually use the evaluation
sheet.
Be prepared to feed back to the main group
o two questions which you feel particularly address your purposes
for evaluating group work
o how you would carry out the group work evaluation
The evaluation sheets will be displayed during the next break – take
time to look at them and note any questions which you feel would be
useful.
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Group Work Scenario - Handout
Group Evaluation Exercise
This sheet should be used in conjunction with ‘Case Studies 2’.
This group of learners has worked during the term on the theme of ‘official
words’.
Learners have for the most part suggested the texts used – the tutor has
brought some in, as learners didn’t have access to them. They have included
two simple application forms, a copy of a housing benefit form, a page of
instructions for starting up a computer, a copy of a personal email and some
report forms used by Paul, the care assistant.
The group compared the various texts, picked out specific vocabulary used in
the different examples, and found out what unfamiliar words meant. To do
this they did some work on dictionary skills. They also thought about the
purpose of the various documents which they were using, who had
constructed them and who the audience was. When looking at the reports,
instructions and email they considered whether or not the pieces of text
achieved their purpose, and reasons for this. When discussing forms, they
thought about why particular information had been requested, and how the
‘filler-in’ of forms might be affected by how competently – or not - they
completed the forms.
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Section
4:7
WHAT COUNTS AS PROGRESS ?
In many areas of education, success or progress is measured by passing a test or gaining a certificate. In community- based literacy work, we work from
the learning goals of students to design the curriculum and so our understanding of progress is rooted in students’ and tutor descriptions of the difference
being a literacy student has made in that person’s life. The list should never be treated as exhaustive because change is unpredictable. The changes
listed should be seen as examples of possible markers of progress that students may experience.
CHANGES EXPERIENCED AS AN ADULT LEARNER:
CHANGES EXPERIENCED AS A LITERACY* LEARNER :
Personal, affective changes
e.g.
feeling safe, feeling at ease
willingness to take risks
longer attention span
ability to identify personal learning goals
ability to address personal problems affecting learning
Changes in literacy strategies
e.g.
using new literacy strategies in private or public life, in
education or at work
developing increased autonomy in literacy uses
using literacy strategies to question and challenge
using literacy strategies to understand social context
Social changes within the learning group
e.g.
acceptance of / understanding of group ground rules
increased self direction of learning
increased participation
ability to evaluate own participation
ability to help and support peers
ability to express opinion or disagree
ability to take on new roles within group
ability to reflect on group dynamics
effective interaction with others in the group
Changes in networks of support
(i.e. people such as relatives, carers, work colleagues)
e.g.
supporter is aware of learner’s literacy goals
supporter is aware of progress in relation to learning plan
supporter actively reinforces learning outwith tuition
supporter facilitates increased autonomy in use of literacy
Changes in understanding of literacy
e.g.
increased awareness of the role of literacy in social life
becoming conscious of beliefs and values associated with
literacy
making informed choices about use of signs,
symbols, numbers and letters in one’s own life
Social changes out with the learning group
e.g.
participation in community activities, organisations, other networks
participation in other adult learning opportunities
using community resources
assisting, supporting others in the family or community
increased self advocacy
acting as advocate for others in the family or community
* Throughout this document the term ‘literacy’ is used to refer to written language (signs, symbols and letters) and also quantitative literacy i.e. numeracy.
Adapted from ‘Making Meaning, Making Change’ by Elsa Auerbach (Participatory Curriculum Development in Adult ESL and Family Literacy)
Section
4:8
Page 41 of 45
A possible syllabus planning process
Preliminary placements through intake interviews
Phase I Context/ needs analysis through classroom interaction
Tools: Community maps, language/ literacy surveys, family trees, generative questions etc
Identify themes
Organise syllabus into theme-based modules
Revise placements?
Section
4:8
Phase II
First module (Development of theme #1)
A: Elicit learners’ experience
Codes: photos, readings, objects, skits, videos etc
B: Compare and analyse
Structured dialogue questions, language experience stories, codes, organic primers, identify other info
needed
C: Input
Readings, realia, published materials, invited speaker, grammar/ competency work, role plays, skills,
numeracy (graphs/ charts)
D: Act
Skills for participatory democracy: speaking, chairing meetings, handling conflict, writing letters,
petitions, role plays, reports, debates, etc
E: Reflect, evaluate
Assess the impact of the learning and action process through: discussion, assessment tasks,
interviews, reports, identify new themes
Identify outcomes in relation to frameworks/ standards
Phase III Start again with next module
By Elsa Auerbach, for an ESRC Seminar in Aberdeen, 2003, used with permission.
Page 42 of 45
Phase
Tools, activities
Phase I
Community maps,
Needs analysis
language/ literacy
Exploring learner’
surveys, family trees,
needs, interests,
generative questions
literacy practices,
strengths, social
concerns
Theme for modules:
Phase II
photos, pictures,
Learners’ experience drawings, tapes,
poems, objects,
Elicit and explore
texts, news,
learners’ experiences
published
related to theme
materials/ texts
through oral language
and dialogue
Phase III
Language
Generalisation and
experience stories,
analysis
teacher produced
texts (codes,
Generalise and
organic primers),
analyse learners’
50 questions,
experiences by linking learner produced
oral language to
materials
reading and writing
(drawings, writings,
Agony Aunt)
Phase IV
A range of
Input
published materials
(readings, realia,
Get information and
workbooks,),
extend skills related to speakers, genre
theme by reading,
work
listening, practising
skills and researching
Phase V
Role plays, genre
Action, output
work (writing
letters, pamphlets,
Connect learning to
reports),
addressing themes
participating in
and acting on them
meetings, debates
through writing and
speaking
Phase VI
Discussion,
Reflecting,
assessment tasks,
evaluating
interviews
Materials
Assess the impact of
the learning and action
process (module
evaluation)
By Elsa Auerbach, for an ESRC Seminar in Aberdeen, 2003, used with permission.
Page 43 of 45
Outcomes
Identification of
themes and learner
needs
Section
Identification of
questions and
competencies for
further exploration
Identification of
new themes/
issues
4:8
Tools for Context/Needs Analysis
Discovering learners' needs, interests, literacy practices, social concerns, and
strengths
Family diagrams/photos
Life journeys
Significant objects
Community/workplace
mapping
Learner-taught lessons
Learning pictures/photos
Class rituals (good news/bad news, weekend
stories)
Storytelling
Literacy/ English surveys
Generative questions
Tools for language and literacy development around the exploration of themes
Eliciting learners' experiences through dialogue around:
photos
pictures/dr
awing
poems
news
published
material/
texts
objects texts
Generalizing and analyzing learners' experiences; identify questions and
competencies for further exploration through:
language experience stories
teacher produced texts - codes, organic primers
50 questions
learner produced materials
(drawings, writings, Agony
Aunt)
Extending skills and develop themes through:
readings, realia, a range of published materials
workbooks
grammar
collect information
invite speaker (listening,
questioning) genre work
Connecting learning to acting on themes outside the classroom through:
role plays
writing letters, pamphlets
reports
participating in meetings,
debates
Assessing the impact of the learning and action process through:
discussion
identification of new themes/issues
interviews
assessment tasks
By Elsa Auerbach, for an ESRC Seminar in Aberdeen, 2003, used with permission.
Page 44 of 45
Section
4:8
By Elsa Auerbach, for an ESRC Seminar in Aberdeen, 2003, used with permission.
Section 4:8 optional handout
Page 45 of 45