The difference between schooled literacy and the social practice model is captured in the two images below: Theoretical differences
The curriculum is represented as concentric circles on a wheel to act as a visual reminder for tutors and learners of what is available to be taught and learned in ALN and the principles that should inform them.
(Thanks to Lyn Tett for these two images. The wheel is taken from the Curriculum Framework for Literacy and Numeracy, Scottish Executive 2005)
Whereas the ladder of literacy places adult learners at the bottom of attainment, with a focus on the rungs above, the wheel represents a holistic vision of literacy purposes and contexts, with the learner at the centre of the curriculum process. The placing of adult learners' lives as at the heart of decisions about learning and its purposes brings to the fore the politics of learning and curriculum. As Biesta (2011) argues, in one sense all learning is change whereas not all change is regarded as learning. This sifting and classifying process is not neutral and nor is it necessarily beneficial. Literacy policy shaped by an economistic discourse (where the knowledge and skills worth acquiring are linked mainly to employability as judged by employers) identifies and values change of a very specific but potentially very limited kind in literacy terms. Adult learner control over what type of learning matters to them is a wedge for keeping the curriculum door open to a wide range of purposes and uses. The politics of learning and curriculum are legitimate issues to address from a social practice perspective; the schooled version of literacy assumes these in advance of engaging with adults.
So has this approach been successful? There has been only one major national evaluation of this policy, carried out by Tett (2006) and colleagues. The team undertook a large-scale survey of over 600 learners carried out over different points of time in order to evidence the impact of provision. Learners reported the following: increased self-esteem; a stronger belief in their own potential and achievements; greater independence; they were happier; they were more able to voice their opinions; they were more aware of others. Confidence was also related to increasing skills. For example, respondents reported that they were more able to: speak to other people confidently; use computers; read newspapers and books; fill in forms; go shopping and calculate the best value items. They also reported changes in aspects of social capital such as: approaching strangers for information; feeling safer in their neighbourhood; being more able to deal with conflict and stand up for themselves; being able to engage in conversations without needing an interpreter;
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