Empowering Adult Learners through Formative Assessment in Basic Skills Education

1. What works in Innovation in Education“Improving teaching and learning for Adults with Basic Skill Needs through Formative Assessment” • 2nd National Experts meeting • Paris, October 2006 • - Flemish reflections ~ theme 1 : Empowering Learners and Communities - Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

2. Theme 1: empowering learners and Communities • How are adult LLN programme objectives for teaching and learning linked to broader community goals for integration/social inclusion, civic participation and employment? How do instructors use formative assessment approaches to address these larger goals? Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

3. Better Administrative Policy (January 1st 2006): • 13 policy domains, three of which have a responsibility for training • Education and training • Work and social economy • Culture, youth, sports and media • cooperation between the domains embedded at the level of • Policy decisions (Ministerial Committee on Education and Training) • Policy making (interdepartmental steering group) • Policy implementation (DIVA – Training and Alignment Information Centre) Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

4. Major objectives of the integrated education and training policy: • stimulating lifelong and life wide learning • strengthening the connection between education and training from the one hand and the labour market from the other hand: • Valorisation of competencies; • Alignment between changing demands of competencies in the professional world and the education and training provision; • Possibility to gain relevant work experience; • Etc. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

5. Adult basic education: mathematics learning trajectory Math competencies ~ labour market demands Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

6. Adult basic education: module BEWIS 07 • (standard) final goals: • Students can compute the circumference and surface area of a circle; • Students understand the concept “promille” (‰); • Students can read, note down and compute the square root of natural numbers. • key competencies: • Students can solve a maths problem by switching from a specific real-life situation to a mathematical design and vice versa; • Students can assess their results and performances and will use alternative learning strategies to improve their learning and achievement. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

7. Adult basic education: module BEWIS 07 • (optional) final goals ~ specific professional demands: • Students understand the concepts “random surveys”, sample size, frequencies and know how to construct a histogram; • Students can draw a curve; • While drawing or computing angles and distances, students use the Pythagorean theorem and the geometric proportions in right-angled triangles; • Etc. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

8. Adult basic education: learning trajectory ~ “Dutch as a second language” modules Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

9. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

10. Adult basic education: learning trajectory ~ “Dutch as a second language” modules • final goals ~ breakthrough level (= “elementary” level): • Students can have a social talk with strangers; • Students can write a little note or a picture postcard. • final goals ~ waystage level (= “survival” level): • Students can formulate a complaint, opinion or problem in a structured manner; • Students can relay information in a (semi-formal) letter, invitation or description. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

11. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

12. Theme 1: empowering learners and Communities • What are the most important learning and personal outcomes in meeting goals for empowerment of individual learners? Do instructors use formative assessment as a deliberate strategy in working towards these outcomes? Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

13. Outcomes embedded in the centres for basic education’s assignment: • address students’ personal (educational) deficits and needs; • improve students’ self-reliance; • improve students’ employability; • improve students’ educational skills. •  Learn students the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to fully participate in society or to follow further education Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

14. 2000: 208 adult basic education (ex-)students were questioned ~ their experiences with adult basic education • Results ~ outcomes of adult basic education: • 73% agreed adult basic education met his/her (educational) needs; • 55% reported large or very large benefits ~ self-reliance and life skills; • less than 50% reported effects on their work situation; • 30% considered adult basic education had effect on his/her educational skills or attitude towards life long learning. Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences

15. 2000: inspection of 6 centres for adult basic education • Results ~ outcomes of their education: • “The centres perfectly respond to their students’ personal (educational) needs and focus on the improvement of their students’ coping abilities and self-image. On the other hand, they don’t sufficiently stimulate their students’ professional employability or his/her educational skills and attitudes towards lifelong learning.” Inge De Meyer - 31/10/2006 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences– Department of Teaching sciences