The National Centre of Literacy and Numeracy for Adults is being established by the University of Waikato School of Education as it engages in a major Literacy and Numeracy project with the Tertiary Education Commission.The project aims build the capability and capacity of providers in ITPS, PTEs, Wānanga and ITOs.
The professional learning and development project focuses on raising the knowledge and skills of tutors, educators and managers, so that tertiary learners with literacy and numeracy needs will be effectively supported to improve their skills. Associating the Centre with the University of Waikato extends possibilities for the sector to engage in professional educator qualifications, as well as ensuring that the project work has a strong research and evidence base.
The National Centre’s mandate is to be a centre of excellence, leading research and practice in adult literacy and numeracy. It will do this effectively by engaging with TEOs and ITOs to develop the knowledge and skills of tutors, educators and managers.
The Centre will have oversight of the development of content and delivery of professional development for the sector, including ITPS, PTEs, Wānanga and ITOs. The National Centre will provide professional learning opportunities in the form of workshops, clusters, symposia and a tailored advisory service for tutors, educators and managers in these institutions.
An important aspect of the Centre’s contribution will be its expertise in evaluation, which will add to the growing body of knowledge of effective professional development in the sector. The conceptual framework for the Centre’s evaluation model is ‘developmental evaluation’ which focuses on effective teaching and mechanisms to support continuous reflection, improvement and diffusion of practice at an individual, team, and organisation level.
The Literacy and Numeracy for Adults website is an important context in which the National Centre seeks to support on-line learning communities and to offer opportunities for accessing professional development and learning resources.