Professional Learning Forums
Maths in the VET Sector
A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Ruth Patterson.
VALBEC presents another great Professional Learning Session presented by Ruth Patterson.
From traditional trades, Business and IT courses, Hair and Beauty, and food studies, the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector provides thousands of students with affordable, practical study options which align to industry, and provide pathways to employment. The Maths and Numeracy skills required in these courses can vary from basic calculations to more complex algebra and problem solving.
This presentation will look at some of the different examples of maths in VET courses, with emphasis on practical applications, and the “number sense” which we all have, and just need to apply it!
Ruth Patterson spent 10 years in the paint, plastics and packaging industries as an Industrial Chemist and technical sales representative. After having 3 sons, she did a Dip Ed and has now taught numeracy in the VET sector for almost 20 years, with some secondary school teaching in the background.
She taught at Victoria University for many years, and with Kangan TAFE in Corrections Education for seven years. She now teaches Maths in the Learning Support area, primarily with the Trades students, at Melbourne Polytechnic.
We look forward to seeing you there.
VALBEC PL Forums Team
Who: Ruth Patterson
When: Tuesday, 23rd April 2024, 5.30-6.30 pm AESTWhere: Zoom
Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25
It Is All About MoneyA VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Chris Tully. This session is a follow on from the Financial Literacy session delivered for Learn Local practitioners through Adult Learning Australia on 25/01/2024. It will look at delivering money concepts to low level numeracy students. It is designed for both numeracy teachers and literacy teachers who need to deliver numeracy. It is a standalone session so if you didn’t attend the session on 25th Jan, you should still be able to gain something from the session.
Over the last 12 years she has worked in the Literacy and Numeracy support area, coordinating literacy and numeracy support to a variety of VET programs. She also has contributed to the Australian Core Skills Framework as an expert commentator. She has been involved in the accreditation and re-accreditation of various curriculum and training packages including the Certificates in General Education for Adults. We look forward to seeing you there. Who: Chris Tully The role of GRIT in the vocational classroomA VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Liam Frost-Camilleri. Motivating and engaging students in a vocational setting is a complex task and in this professional learning session, Liam Frost-Camilleri will examine the role of GRIT in the vocational classroom. The focus of this presentation will be on the pivotal role this psychological theory plays in cultivating passion, determination, engagement and motivation within the classroom. By fostering a resilient mindset and encouraging students to persevere through challenges, GRIT becomes a powerful tool in shaping student success and personal growth. Liam will discuss how GRIT serves as a catalyst for career adaptability, equipping students with the resilience needed to navigate the ever-changing landscape of employment. This presentation will explore how the cultivation of GRIT nurtures autonomy, empowering students to take ownership of their learning experiences.
Liam completed his Masters in 2018 on VCAL teachers and how they navigate the core skills and compliance space, which led him to his current doctoral study topic; reengagement of early school leavers in second chance education institutions. A passionate educator, Liam has spent his career working in secondary schools (public and private) teaching at Primary level as well as alternative education settings, in Vocational Education and more recently in Higher Education. 'It's all about you' - Exploring Strategies for Educator WellbeingA VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Alexandra Vardis. Being an educator can be immensely meaningful and rewarding, and at the same time incredibly challenging and stressful. In this workshop we will reflect on our experience as educators and explore self-care strategies to support our wellbeing at work. We will examine the PERMA framework for understanding our mental and emotional health and identify protective factors to enhance our resilience when challenges arise. Finally, we will consider the importance of setting boundaries to care for our own and others’ wellbeing.
Who: Alexandra Vardis Teaching Literacy at Loddon Prison
A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Helen Lucas. Helen’s students are prisoners – In her presentation she will explain the structure and complexities of delivering CGEA literacy classes within a prison context. Education in prison is called ‘Edjo’ and is voluntary. Helen will discuss the practicalities and complexities of teaching in this dynamic environment - engagement and retention, obstacles, content, assessment, student-based learning, etc.
We look forward to seeing you there. Who: Helen Lucas "How Coping Skills can help and hinder students in adult education"A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Linno Rhodes. We all have coping skills or strategies - some of them serve us well, others, not so much. This interactive workshop will guide you in understanding your own and others’ ‘go to' behaviours and actions when the going gets tough. The focus will be on the adult Language, Literacy. Numeracy and Digital (LLND) skills + classroom.
She is an International Specialised Skills Fellow where her research centred on adult literacy and the relational sciences. We look forward to seeing you there. Who: Linno Rhodes Blended learning strategies and tools
A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Melanie Kyle. The aim of this presentation is to share findings from Melanie’s ISSI Fellowship with examples of international best practice in blended learning for disadvantaged VET learners. The presentation will highlight strategies to improve engagement and participation using the blended learning approach. The rapid shift to blended learning at VET institutions requires increased staff capability and skills in this area.
We
look forward to seeing you there. Who: Melanie Kyle When: Monday 24th July 2023, 5.30-6.30 pm AEST Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 Sport and recreation - good themes to use in your numeracy teaching
A VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Educational Council) Professional Learning session presented by Dave Tout. This session will focus on practical and hands-on approaches that use the theme or topic of sport and recreation to encourage and support learners to engage with and understand maths and numeracy concepts. This theme is an accessible and extensive context to use in your teaching. Sport and recreational activities can reveal a range of quantitative, measurement, spatial and statistical (and even algebraic) numeracy knowledge and skills embedded in people’s everyday life. Come along and learn how to use the theme of sport and recreation in your classrooms, across all levels of the ACSF – from pre-level 1 through to level 5.
He has worked at a state, national and international level in research, curriculum, assessment, and professional development. Dave has written many numeracy and maths curriculum, teaching, and PD resources, and is also an author of the Australian Core Skills Framework. Dave has been involved in international numeracy assessments including the OECD's PIAAC and PISA surveys of adults and young people. We look forward to seeing you there. Valbec PL Forums Team Who: Dave Tout When: Wednesday 12th July 2023, 5.30-6.30 pm AEST Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 It is all about you - exploring strategies for educator wellbeing
A Professional Learning session presented by VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council). This session had to be cancelled, unfortunately. In this session Gilly Robson will guide educators to reflect on teacher well-being and discuss some strategies to make boundaries your friend.
She is currently working in the Professional Teaching Practice team at Melbourne Polytechnic where she supports educator capability through mentoring, coaching and professional learning. She also supports staff to understand and manage their workload requirements and wellbeing as part of her union representative role with the AEU. We
look forward to seeing you there. Who: Gilly Robson When: Cancelled Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 Why context is the critical starting point in numeracy
A Professional Learning session presented by VALBEC (Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council). Real-world contexts are critical for engaging learners and providing the purpose for learning about how to use and apply maths in the real world. Starting with the real-world in teaching maths and numeracy provides numerous benefits in enhancing our learner’ successful learning and understanding of numeracy and maths skills and can overcome our learner’s anxiety to the world of mathematics. This session will look at why and how this works in practice, both in your planning and in your teaching. It will use examples such as shopping, food, and sport to illustrate how this can work.
He has worked at a state, national and international level in research, curriculum, assessment, and professional development. Dave has written many numeracy and maths curriculum, teaching, and PD resources, and is also an author of the Australian Core Skills Framework. Dave has been involved in international numeracy assessments including the OECD's PIAAC and PISA surveys of adults and young people. Who: Dave Tout When: Tuesday 16th May 2023, 5-6 pm AEST Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 Fostering self-efficacy and autonomy in the classroom
Now that classrooms are returning to ‘normal’, it’s important to focus on ways of supporting our students in their educational pursuits. In this Professional Learning session Liam Frost-Camilleri, academic at Federation University and President of VALBEC, will share research and strategies that will help you to foster student self-efficacy and autonomy. Belief in the self is a key ingredient for student engagement and success in the classroom as is the ability to create independent leaners who are able to take control of their learning. Using strategies that help to expose thinking, develop rapport, and engage students, Liam will use his professional experience teaching in TAFE classrooms and university enabling programs to highlight the best ways a teacher can foster self-efficacy and autonomy in their students.
Liam completed his Masters in 2018 on VCAL teachers and how they navigate the core skills and compliance space, which led him to his current doctoral study topic; reengagement of early school leavers in second chance education institutions. A passionate educator, Liam has spent his career working in secondary schools (public and private) teaching at Primary level as well as alternative education settings, in Vocational Education and more recently in Higher Education. Who: Liam Frost-Camilleri When: Wednesday 3rd May 2023, 5-6 pm AEST Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 Engaging classroom activities to address trauma informed learning Dan has been teaching in the AMEP for 8 years. He is currently based at Chisholm Dandenong, teaching a Youth Class. His other interests include hanging out with his family, singing in choirs and at weddings. Dan has a stack of activities that he has amassed after researching for ways to improve outcomes in his AMEP Youth Class. He had significant behavioural and learning issues and he needed to find more creative ways to address these. Guided by a Trauma-Informed Learning Guide from Foundation House, Dan became a member of a team-building group called 'Playmeo', got some mentoring from its director and went through a stack of 'old school' Drama Games for EAL books. From this he has collated activities for the different outcomes, experimented with a lot of them and now he is here to disseminate! Who: Dan Greig When: Wednesday 30th November 2022, 5-6 pm AEST Where: Zoom Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25 Recording: Plagiarism: Establish, Educate & Eradicate
Lalitha Gurram and Vidhya Govindarajan have been teaching English as an Additional Language to migrant students for a long time. They currently teach in the AMEP Program at Chisholm Institute, predominantly EAL Certificates 2, 3 and 4. They have been encountering the issue of plagiarism in their classes, frequently. Hence, they researched the topic of plagiarism as a part of the problems in practice in their recent Graduate Certificate in Adult Vocational Education and Training. Presenters: Lalitha Gurram and Vidhya Govindarajan |
Chris Tully has worked in the Adult Education field for 33 years across a range of areas, teaching numeracy. Prior to this, she worked as a Mathematics teacher in the secondary system.
Liam is an early career researcher in the education space. He is an academic at Federation University Australia, lecturing in the Master of Teaching and enabling programs and is the current President at VALBEC.
Alexandra Vardis
is an Instructional Coach in the Professional Teaching Practice team at
Melbourne Polytechnic.
Melanie is a 
Gilly Robson is an experienced
educator in the areas of EAL and support for students with additional needs in
education settings.
Liam
is an early career researcher in the education space. He is an academic
at Federation University, lecturing in the Master of Teaching and
enabling programs and is the current President at VALBEC.
As part of VALBEC’s next Professional Learning Forum, Lalitha and Vidhya are co-presenting on the topic “Plagiarism: Establish, Educate & Eradicate” to equip teachers to better manage plagiarism in the classrooms. Application of numeracy in controlling the pandemic
N
umeracy
in the pandemic is a fast-growing, well-recognized field and is the
most exciting modern application of mathematics. It helps us to
understand the dynamic processes involved and in making practical
predictions.
The application of numeracy in an epidemic can be helpful to the public health policy makers in taking the right decisions for controlling the rapid outbreak of infectious diseases.
To present this interesting topic we have Dr. Harkaran Singh, Educator in Maths/Numeracy at Chisholm Institute, Dandenong.
He has done PhD on Mathematical modelling in population biology from IKG-Punjab Technical University, India. He has published 10 research papers in the journals of international repute. He is co-author of the book titled “Mathematical Population Dynamics and Epidemiology in Temporal and Spatio-Temporal Domains” published jointly by Taylor & Francis Group and Apple Academic Press.
He is recipient of an Award for Young Investigator from India and Southeast Asia presented by International Society for Infectious Diseases in association with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Who: Dr Harkaran Singh
When: Thursday 6th October 2022, 5-6 pm AEST
Recording:
The application of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach in TAFE courses
The
teaching context of TAFE schools is English as a medium of instruction
(EMI). However, a large cohort of students have language levels lower
than the required ones. Research has shown that in EMI contexts,
students’ language can only be improved if they get explicit language
support or corrective feedback during the course ( Do & Nguyen,
2019, Nguyen et.al, 2018, 2019). The question is how to best address students’ needs of language and literacy improvements while teaching other contents and vice versa.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Language and Content integrated learning theory (CLIL), then provide examples of how to design a CLIL lesson in a TAFE course.
Ha has been teaching and doing research in language learning, TESOL and literacy for more than 20 years. Content and language integrated learning is one of her main interests.
Who: Ha Do
When: Tuesday 16 August, 5-6 pm
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Funnetics: Putting the /fʌn/ back into phonetics!
Catherine Bunard has been teaching English as an Additional Language to adults for over thirty years... and still finds it hard to pronounce the word "rural" even though she knows exactly how to write it using phonetic symbols!
Funnetics aims to demystify phonetics for teachers who need a little encouragement using pronunciation activities with students. This is followed by 'Funnetic' participation in breakout rooms where teachers try out Catherine’s pronunciation activities. Whatever you thought of phonetics before, this webinar is going to be PHON!
Who: Catherine Bunard and the VALBEC PL Forum Team
When: June 15, 5-6 pm
Recording: Available to Valbec members
VALBEC's first 'Meet the Makers' Webinar for 2022!
Join Clare Harris, Bernard Miles and Lauren Piovesan; three independent Australian publishers, writers and designers of adult learning resources, talking about their resources and the stories behind writing them.
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In our first MtM session for the year, Clare, Bernard and Lauren will talk about their LLND resources, the stories behind writing them and answer questions from the audience.
Facilitated by: The VALBEC Professional Learning Team
Date: Wednesday 6 April @ 5pm
Recording: Available to Valbec members
Participants are encouraged to ask questions and share ideas with colleagues during the session.
Nurturing your Numeracy practiceNurturing your Numeracy practice with Dave Tout and Chris Tully. What are the challenges to teaching numeracy? Do you sometimes struggle finding different ways to teach numeracy?
It is an interactive session with opportunities for small group discussions about the particular contexts and issues you face. Join numeracy experts Dave Tout and Chris Tully who will provide guidance and feedback to build confidence and strengthen your numeracy teaching practice. Facilitators: Chris Tully (Melbourne Polytechnic) and Dave Tout (ACER) |
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This session guides participants discussing their approaches to numeracy teaching. We will explore ways of teaching numeracy with relevant, fun, engaging, and transformative strategies.
A conversation with Jo Medlin, Adam Nobilia, Liam Frost-Camilleri and colleagues about SBS documentary ‘Lost for Words’Join Valbec and the teachers behind ‘Lost for Words’ for a free, BYO ‘drinks & nibblies’ discussion about documentary making and literacy learning Panelists: Jo Medlin, Adam Nobilia, Liam Frost-Camilleri and colleagues ‘Lost for Words’ is SBS’s heart warming documentary about learning to read as an adult. Jo and Adam spent a significant part of 2021 advising and appearing in this 3-part series about the challenges and triumphs for adults overcoming reading difficulties. Episode #1 of ‘Lost for Words’ airs on SBS 8.30pm Wednesday 22 September. Participants should watch Episode 1 before attending this interactive session. You’ll be invited to have a chat with a group of colleagues from around Australia to share impressions of episode #1 and discuss some practical ways to use the series in your literacy education work. It’s an informal gathering. Participants can ask questions and share ideas throughout the session. The session will not be recorded. Certificates of attendance are not available. |
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Webinar – Unpacking numeracy in a pandemicPresenter: Tina Berghella Recording: Available to Valbec members Every day we receive updates of COVID19 data, restrictions and risk advice that is rich in mathematical information. How do we make sense of it? How can we support our learners to make sense of it? Join Tina in a discussion about some of the numeracy demands embedded in public health texts. Tina Berghella is an independent VET consultant with a science and manufacturing background and an interest in numeracy in the workplace and in real life. |  |
Webinar – Neurodiversity in Adult LearningPresenter: Linno Rhodes Recording: Available to Valbec members Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dysgraphia are perhaps the most common specific learning differences we encounter in the adult learning environment. In this webinar, participants will be guided through the manifestations of these learning differences and learn some strategies to expand their teaching toolbox. We will revisit the adult learning principles and look at teaching though a strength-based approach. Linno Rhodes is an adult literacy educator. She is interested in the transformative power of education and the wonders of the brain and learning. |
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Webinar - Teaching Literacy to Adults with a Mild Intellectual DisabilityPresenter: Christina Evans Recording: Available to Valbec members “Teaching Literacy to Adults with a Mild Intellectual Disability” and more specifically, some useful activities, resources, teaching methods and strategies.Christina has been teaching adult students with mild intellectual disabilities since 2008. Her first job was with La Trobe Lifeskills, teaching the Certificate I in Transition Education. After that, in 2009 she taught at the then Kangan Institute for three years, in their Foundation Studies, Work Education and VCAL Departments. All the while, she was teaching literacy to students with various disabilities. In 2013, she taught VCAL (Literacy focus) at what is now Melbourne Polytechnic’s Heidelberg campus, as well as at Olympic Adult Education in West Heidelberg, as an Adult Literacy teacher. Her next move was to Box Hill Institute, in their Work Education Department and then finally, she landed a job (in 2015) at the now Melbourne Polytechnic Preston Campus, where she is currently teaching a variety of subjects, including Literacy, within their Work Education Programs. |
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Webinar - English language learners: what works for traumatised students, and everyone else too!Presenter: Victoria Wilson This presentation, by veteran ESL/EFL teacher and PhD candidate Victoria (Tori) Wilson, presents the latest research about trauma-informed English language teaching of adults. Tori will describe how trauma affects learning, and outline trauma-informed principles backed by both neuroscience and social psychiatry. She will also introduce her doctoral research into post-traumatic stress and the adult ESL learning environment. Privileging student voice, this research is based on data from a broad range of adult ESL students in Australia. Uniquely, it includes the experiences and insights of both traumatised and non-traumatised students, with participants falling along various points of the post-traumatic stress continuum. Drawing directly from this qualitative data, Tori will explain how trauma-informed, humanising practices are universally beneficial for all second or other language learners. |
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2021 AGM and presentation by Pip WilliamsOnline meeting: Wednesday 21 April 2021, 6:30pm AEST Members and friends are invited to join the VALBEC Committee for our Annual General Meeting, followed by a presentation by PIP WILLIAMS, author of the highly acclaimed historical novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. |
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ALA and Valbec webinar: What does it mean to be numerate?Presenter: Chris Tully Recording: Available to Valbec members This webinar is designed for teachers of literacy who also teach some numeracy. It will discuss what are important concepts to understand. The webinar will look at the common issues learners have with numeracy and mathematics. It will explore some teaching tips on how to help students gain confidence with their numeracy skills. It will also hopefully make numeracy fun for you and the students. Come along with any numeracy concepts that you want to discuss. Chris Tully has been teaching Numeracy for over 30 years. She has taught in a number of different areas including foundation courses, to first nation peoples, in industry and to VET students in trade areas. Chris has also been involved in the accreditation and re-accreditation of various programs including CGEA, CIALLN, Bachelor of Information Technology and ACSF. She has also delivered a range of professional learning workshops to numeracy and literacy practitioners, Bachelor of teaching students and VET teachers. |
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Webinar - Shame: Barriers in Adult EducationPresenter: Holly Armstorng Recording: Available to Valbec members This presentation is designed for adult educators and anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the ways that shame may be one of the biggest obstacles for adults in the classroom. Learn practical strategies to help students navigate those obstacles while building shame resilience based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown and the experiences of real adult learners. Holly Armstrong has supported adult learners in multiple contexts, and for the past 5 years specifically worked with non-traditional and struggling college students. She has also seen shame impact learners in all levels of the U.S. education system as a remedial reading teacher, instructional coach, director of literacy and curriculum, and creating instructional intervention programs. She is now the Head of Student Success for AdvanceEDU, a U.S. nonprofit that aims to increase college and career access by providing personalised and flexible support for students who need it most. |
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