Embedding Literacy and Numeracy Module/Knowing the demands

Background to Knowing the Demands
What are the literacy demands of the workplace you are training learners for, or of the programme they are likely to pathway to?

Are you giving students enough opportunities to practise the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills they will need to pathway successfully? What types of texts and tasks do you need to give them practise with?

Before you give your learners a reading or writing task, analyse how difficult the text or task is. Are learners likely to have seen a text like this before? Does it have technical or specialist vocabulary that learners may be unfamiliar with? What writing skills does the writing task require? 'Map' these skills against the Learning Progressions; then incorporate this into your teaching plan.

'Mapping' a text or task shows you what knowledge and skills a learner would need in order to read that text or do that task with understanding. Think about the complexity of the text or task in relation to what you learned about students' literacy and numeracy skills, from the LNAAT results and other initial assessment information.

When you map tasks that are used in your course against the Progressions, and compare this information with what you know about the learners (see 'Knowing the learner'), you will be able to determine your priorities and select suitable teaching activities and materials (see Knowing what to do').