New manual helps tutors lift adult literacy and numeracy rates

TasTAFE Interim CEO, Will McShane; Project Manager and TasTAFE Education Leader – Foundations, Kirrily Loveday; Libraries Tasmania Senior Literacy Advisor, Dr Iona Johnson; and Marcus Vermey MP at the launch of the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Tutor Manual at TasTAFE's Campbell Street Campus.

A collaboration between TasTAFE and Libraries Tasmania has produced an evidence-based resource that connects the science of adult learning with the practice of foundation skills tutoring.

The Adult Literacy and Numeracy Tutor Manual: From Research to Practice was born from a shared vision to close a critical gap in the adult literacy sector by creating a comprehensive, contemporary guide for tutors, practitioners and academics alike, who change the lives of adult learners every day.

“The manual brings together decades of cognitive and educational research – from the science of reading and writing – to numeracy, language development, trauma-informed practice and inclusion,” said Kirrily Loveday, Project Manager and TasTAFE Education Leader – Foundations.

“Tutors can use the Manual to identify difficulties being experienced by an adult learner – it might be phonological awareness, phonics comprehension, or the ability to use and apply mathematical information in real-world contexts.

“By using the research-informed strategies, a tutor can figure out what’s going on and work one-on-one with an adult learner to develop their skills, build confidence, independence, and new possibilities for their futures,” Ms Loveday said.

Developed over a period of 2 years with funding from the Tasmanian Government’s Adult Learning Strategy, the Manual offers theory, tools, templates and strategies informed by master educators, speech and language pathologists, psychologists, linguists and literacy practitioners from across Tasmania, mainland Australia and New Zealand.

Libraries Tasmania Senior Literacy Advisor, and one of the manual’s authors, Dr Iona Johnson said the manual will become a critical text within the Adult Literacy Service and TasTAFE to support adults building foundation skills.

“We hope that the manual will support tutoring work to help adults across Australia to build their literacy and numeracy skills. The small windows of time spent working with adults are precious and using high impact approaches will help maximise outcomes for adult learners.

“The manual will become a critical text within the Adult literacy Service for training staff and volunteer tutors and within TasTAFE to support adults building foundation skills,” Dr Johnson said.

TasTAFE Interim-CEO Will McShane acknowledged the collaborative nature of the project and thanked those who contributed to the production of the Manual.

“I would like to thank Dr Iona Johnson, Kirrily Loveday, and the many writers, reviewers, literacy specialists and tutors who contributed their expertise to make this a world-class resource.

“This Manual is something Tasmania can be truly proud of – a resource born here that will have a national, and even international impact on how we teach, learn and empower adults through increasing their functional literacy and numeracy skills.”

Mr McShane said the manual was funded by the Tasmanian Government. It is one of the key deliverables for the Lifting Literacy Implementation Plan and helps to meet the aspirational goal of achieving 100% functional literacy for all Tasmanians.

The Manual can be accessed from the Library Tasmania website and is offered under a Creative Commons Copyright licence. Click the links to download your own digital copy.

Adult Literacy and Numeracy Tutor Manual

Part 1: Tutoring Adults in the Australian Context

Part 2: Diversity and Inclusion

Part 3: Templates and Resources