Can we say much more than wow?! What a conference. All of the speakers were fantastic and the discussions doubly so. I had some very frank conversations about the state of our education space and while some aspects may look quite bleak, I feel renewed and determined to help facilitate some much-needed change in our sector. But what an amazing keynote from Vicky Duckworth! Who would have thought that many of the issues we are facing due to the faceless trudge of neoliberalism were mirrored in the UK (he said with slight sarcasm in his voice)? I was also impressed by some of the insightful presentations that dealt with the issue of AI in the sector, and I hear there were some very interesting points made about maths, spelling, and reading. If only we could attend them all! So, on behalf of the committee, I would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who presented, helped organize, and attended our 2024 conference. I also want to thank the committee for their hard work in making this conference the success that it was. I’m looking forward to the next one!
But before then, our attention turns towards the Professional Learning sessions that we will be offering for the rest of the year. We have such a fantastic array of presenters lined up for you that you are going to want to watch this space carefully so you don’t miss something inspirational.
Lastly, as I write this, I am holding in my hot little hands the latest edition of Fine Print, which features an interesting article by David Tout, whose viewpoint is often eclipsed by many of the people I work with. And what a great piece by Rose-Anne Polvere, introducing VOCEDplus to the LLN sector. If you haven’t had a look yet, can I suggest that you try to find the time? This might open a rabbit hole that could lead to some big changes in your work life.
From your newly re-instated President.
VALBEC Membership
You can join or renew online.
https://valbec.org.au/membership/
If you join in August, September or October, deduct 50%. Renewal falls due the following February.
Members receive:
- Fine Print three times a year – a high quality journal for discussion and debate about good practice, theory and policy issues. Feedback and contributions are actively sought from members about content and issues.
-
eVALBEC – our e-mail communication keeping members informed of professional development activities, general committee activities and more up to date policy changes.
-
Discounts for the Annual Conference and other VALBEC statewide professional development.
-
Issues-based forums.
-
Focus on significant policy issues impacting on the field.
-
Free numeracy resources.
Lean and Green - The Global Machine
VALBEC presents another great Professional Learning Session presented by John Blake.
Research recently defined three inhibitors of sustainability development: Management adoption, communication, education. Are Australian RTOs contributing to the solution or the problem?
This session highlights pain-points and provides ideas for solutions in normalising Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) within vocational education and seeks to answer questions for students to graduate work ready and ESG savvy
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is UNESCO’s education sector response to the urgent 21st century challenges. Many schools conduct inclusive green projects, but often VET and Higher Education are not involved in personal or industry sustainability activities unless students are studying sustainability within their unit delivery.
- What are areas for focus?
- How can ESG become a part of the students’ and RTO’s daily routine?
- How can trainers incorporate ESG within units without increasing the curriculum workload?
- How can your RTO involve students for some quick-wins and creative ESG learning opportunities?
John is passionate about the opportunity to inspire educators to excel in enthusing learners. With more than 25 years in Australian and international teaching contexts (Teacher Education, Foundation Skills, Hospitality), John applies technology in the classroom to meet the needs of students using hands-on and interactive resources.
An accomplished conference presenter, John has taught in schools, TAFEs, private RTOs, prisons, industry, and universities across 20 countries re-inventing vocational education experiences and ringing theory alive through creative and contextualised delivery to support, engage and enable learners from all walks of life.
We look forward to seeing you there.
VALBEC PL Forums Team
Who: John Blake
When: Thursday, 20th June 2024, 5.30-6.30 pm AEST
Where: Zoom
Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $10
English Grammar Online
Practice the English language with various activities and exercises.
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar
Maths Aids
Maths worksheet generator.
The Fine Print editorial committee ran a very successful workshop at the Valbec conference, where attendees were asked to suggest the types of articles and content they would like to see. We had a wide range of responses with suggestions about literacy teacher workforce shortages, podcasts, funding, policy, gamification and international affairs. The committee will be working hard on sourcing authors for these. Our commissioning editor, Deryn, will be taking a well-deserved break from her role for edition 3, so standby for further news in that area.
We are busy putting together ideas for the next issue, with a September deadline for contributors, so if you would like to contribute, please get in touch.
Our friends at VICTESOL have a series of professional development sessions to look at. Here are some links to the most recent ones:
https://victesol.vic.edu.au/event/tensions-in-the-adult-elt-curriculum-session-2/
https://victesol.vic.edu.au/event/exploring-strategies-for-educator-wellbeing/
https://victesol.vic.edu.au/event/educators-tour-of-the-immigration-museum-3/
- 5th June – World Environment Day
- 14th – 20th June – International Men's Health Week
- 18th – 25th June – Water Safety Week
- 18th – 24th June – Learning Disability Week
- 19th – 25th June – Refugee Week
- 20th June – World Refugee Day
- 21st June – World Music Day
- 21st June – Winter Solstice
eVALBEC
eVALBEC is the monthly electronic newsletter of (VALBEC) the Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council and is sent to about 1000 practitioners on the first of each month (other than January). It is also available in the ‘News’ section of our web site
Disclaimer:
The activities, goods and services mentioned in eVALBEC are not endorsed by Valbec in any way. People should make their own judgment about the suitability of each item.
How to submit items: https://www.valbec.org.au/evalbec