The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

This unit is most appropriately assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace setting under the normal range of workplace conditions

Assessment must demonstrate consistency of application of skills and knowledge described in this unit of competency

Access and equity considerations:

All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Context of and specific resources for assessment:

This unit can be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged

Resources required for assessment include access to:

relevant workplace or simulated realistic workplace setting where assessment may take place

students in a literacy program

literacy terminology used in the education environment

Method of assessment:

Assessment may include observation, questioning and evidence gathered from a workplace environment

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include knowledge of:

Areas of language development across the chronological periods associated with schools and other learning environments

Policy procedures and other legislation affecting performance as education support workers

Culturally based expectations about communication

Understanding of the support required by developing readers and a range of strategies that can be used to encourage independent and purposeful reading

Roles and responsibilities of education support workers and teachers in providing literacy support to students

A range of effective communication strategies for use with students and teachers

The relationship between reading and writing

How to apply appropriate strategies to develop students writing

Purpose of formative and diagnostic assessment

Genres and writing styles

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Stimulate students to speak, taking into account development and culture of the students

Interact in a positive and supportive manner with students

Implement a literacy support program as directed by the teacher

Identify what readers do when they read

Identify the relationship between reading and writing

Complete records accurately

Select texts appropriate to teacher and student needs

Implement writing support strategies

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to:

Implement strategies for developing comprehension and expression

Use communication strategies for students with additional needs

Demonstrate empathy and cultural sensitivity when responding to students

Manage cross cultural issues and beliefs

Complete sequence of routine tasks given direction and support from the teacher

Interpret information from written and/or oral directions

Apply problem solving to choosing appropriate responses, identifying problems, consulting with appropriate personnel

Demonstrate interpersonal communication

Use time management to support students as directed by the teacher

Use grammar, correct spelling and punctuation

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Opportunities to listen to language may include:

Stories

Language games

Music

Dramatic play

Film, video, television

Everyday conversations

Discussions

Transactions (greetings, directions, instructions)

Resources and strategies to support language skills may include:

Materials that stimulate verbal response

Materials that extend understanding of vocabulary

Pictures, posters and displays

Books

Magazines, newspaper, comic books

Bilingual charts, books

Interesting objects, spoken word tapes

Songs

Assisting with preparation of class work for students

Providing technology support

Provide planned level of support for tasks with the student

Checking students comprehension

Assist student to work at their optimal pace

Repeat and/or clarify directions for students if needed

Provide a summary of the lesson

Provide basic instructions to the student

Assist students to find appropriate research sources

Support students in preparation of oral tasks

Set up and prepare for practical tasks/activities

Explaining school/class notices

Communication methods may include:

Verbal and written communication:

phrases and jargon used by the student

naming used by family or friends

language suitable for the students age and level of competence

informal conversations

intonation

language appropriate for communicating with people with learning needs and/or specific disabilities

Non-verbal communication:

working at the same level as the student

proximity to the student

eye contact

facial expression

care and cultural respect considerations

Opportunities for students to explore forms of non-verbal communication may include:

Mime

Gestures

Sign language

Proximity

Eye contact

Body language facial expression

Tone of voice

Opportunities for students to interact with others through language may include:

Reading out loud

Reading texts that contain reference to familiar objects or topics

Language is extended by labelling objects and then using simple sentences

Respond to questions in clear simple answers

Involve the student in song, rhymes, poetry, plays

One on one conversations with the student

Encourage students to ask questions to increase understanding

Encourage participation in group discussions

Understanding and use of language may vary according to:

Student age

Student stage of development

The context

Confirmation of understanding is monitored by using repetition

Reflection is encouraged by questioning, listening and comprehension activities

Humour is used and encouraged

Content can be accessed from a range of sources and collated in a logical sequence

Computers are used to write, edit and publish

Functions of language include:

Informative: the communication of information

Expressive: reports feelings of attitudes of the writer, speaker or subject to evoke feelings in the reader

Directive: language used for the purpose of causing or preventing overt actions

Explicit talk may include speaking aloud about:

Thinking processes involved in constructing communication

Open ended questions about meaning and alternative ways to convey meaning

Structure of a sentence

Purpose of language used

Effectiveness of language used

Processes used to work out the spelling of words

How words are broken into syllables to aid spelling

Relating to the unknown

Specific strategies devised for specific purposes in consultation with teachers

Scaffold learning involves providing temporary support to students to enable their progress toward independent thinking and learning

It may include:

Relating new knowledge to students current knowledge

Breaking new information into smaller chunks

Approaching new information in a familiar way

Encouraging students to concentrate on new information

Providing achievable challenges

Reinforcing attempts to use new information

Encouraging repeated use of new information to achieve automaticity

Specific communication needs may include:

Needs related to the development stage of the student

Needs related to disability

Needs arising forma different first language

Specialist assistance may include:

Speech/language pathologist

Advisory visiting teachers

Medical personnel

Generic skills and knowledge required by students to make meaning of texts may include:

Comprehend and use the language system of the text

Access the text

Knowledge that specific text types have their own generic structure

Understand that all texts convey information

Understand that texts are created and read for specific personal, special, scientific, cultural and aesthetic purposes

Genre may include:

Literary texts

Everyday texts

Mass media texts

Reading and writing processes may include:

Using cues

Non visual information

Visual information

Predicting

Checking

Confirming

Correcting

Purposes for which readers may read may include:

Access information

Enjoy specific use of words

Appreciate a new perspective

Confirm understanding

Obtain instructions

Enjoy

Provoke imagination

Discuss the text with others

Social purposes

Record of student reading may include:

Running records

Schedules

Reading ages from standardised texts

Links between reading and writing may include:

Experience with various texts as a reader provides model for use as a writer

Visual models of pages, paragraphs, sentences gleaned from reading various materials helps develop skills to structure own writing

Reading aloud or listening to texts develops a sense of rhythm of language that can be used to test the effectiveness of own writing

Effectiveness of different genres is demonstrated by reading examples of each

Ways in which words are combined to make meaning are demonstrated as students construct meaning form text

Exploration of the use of alternative effects such as visual images on the creation of meaning in a text

Writing resources may include:

Beginning writers record of independent writing

Record of spelling words for beginning writers

Record of spelling words for developing writers

Annotated collection of writing samples

Resources to provide guidance may include:

Dictionary

Spell checker

Thesaurus

Encyclopaedia

Exemplar texts from a range selected by the teacher