Workshop: Supporting Digital Literacy in VET and LLND settings - 7 May 2026

Supporting Digital Literacy in VET and LLND settings Workshop

Date: Thursday, 7th May 2026

Time: 5:30pm -7:00pm

Location: TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus

Presenters: Sally Hodgson and Irma Djaya (TAFE NSW)

New to Digital Literacy teaching? Have been teaching Digital Literacy for a while and want to get some tips and tricks on supporting students in VET and LLND settings?

This workshop will be presented by Sally Hodgson and Irma Djaya, two teachers who have taught digital programs in group settings, via Independent Learning Programs, and in VET Learner Support. They will provide practical insights in managing computer classes for students with different levels of digital competence, and the ever-changing world of smartphone classes.

Ideal for anyone wanting to know how to incorporate digital literacy into their existing classes or introduce specifically focused digital literacy courses.

Join us for an evening of shared insights into running programs in the digital literacy sphere.

Book your place at the session via

https://www.trybooking.com/DLDKL

NSWALNC Annual General Meeting - 5.30 pm 24 June 2026

The Council’s AGM will be held on Wednesday 24th June 2026 at 5:30pm. This is a key opportunity for members to come together, reflect and help shape the future of adult literacy and numeracy in NSW.

Stay informed – hear updates on the council activities, finances and advocacy work and plans for the coming year – all in one place.

Have your say – vote on council matters, endorse directions for the year ahead and help guide the priorities of the NSW ALNC.

Join a community – connect with fellow practitioners who share a commitment to adult literacy and numeracy and strengthen the practitioner voice on decisions affecting LLND practice

Get involved – interested in taking a more active role? The AGM provides information about council positions and the ways to contribute to the council’s work.

Feel like this is you - contact nswalnc@gmail.com for the online meeting link.

NSWALNC Conference 2025 - "Building Adult Literacy & Numeracy Futures" - Proposals for workshops and papers due by 6 September

 This year’s conference will be held on Friday, December 12th, 2025 at the TAFE NSW Eora Campus.  

The 2025 conference theme looks forward into the future of Adult Literacy and Numeracy education:  

With generative AI and the digital landscape so prominent in our lives, what will adult literacy and numeracy education look like in the future?

This year's conference asks participants to consider this issue, reflect on current educational practices and explore how we can create future provision for individuals, communities and the sector. Some ideas for proposals and workshops could include teaching and learning with AI technology, building teacher capacities, and opportunities for new partnerships in community and industry.  

The NSWALNC is calling for proposals for workshops and presentations.  

Do you have some good ideas or research to share? Do you know any colleagues with great ideas or research? 

Presenters can receive a discount on the conference registration.  Please email nswalnc@gmail.com for the "Call for Proposals" template,

Reading Circle - Teaching Digital Literacy - 5.30pm Thursday 28 August 2025

It has been a while since NSWALNC members have come together in person. Therefore, we are restarting the NSWALNC Reading Circle. Join us for cheese and crackers and discuss the ideas related to LLND teaching.  

The next Reading Circle will be: 

Date: Thursday 28th August 2025 

Time: 5:30pm – 7pm 

Venue: TAFE NSW Ultimo 

Topic: Teaching Digital Literacy.  

Read and think about the digital literacy article we will send to you and catch up with your fellow LLND colleagues in an informal setting.  

Book your spot: https://www.trybooking.com/DEFFA

NSWALNC AGM 2025 - 3.30 Thursday 12 June 2025

The NSWALNC will hold the Annual General Meeting online on 3.30-4.30 pm Thursday 12 June. The 2025-26 Executive will be elected at the AGM. The meeting will be held on Zoom - - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88040460063

.All members are welcome to attend. 

Erik Jacobson shares podcasts and teaching handouts

Not only did Erik Jacobson present a fantastic plenary at the 2024 NSWALNC Annual Conference, he graciously followed up with resources and shared many of his podcasts with us: 

§        Podcasts

•          Here is one on popular education and restorative urbanism. 
•               Here is one on developing data literacy in adult education programs.  
•               Here is one on WE LEARN - an organization focused on women's literacy.  
•          Here is one on rethinking adult education. 
•          Here is one on adult literacy and social justice. 
•          Here is one on health literacy and communicative justice

Teaching Handouts

•         Combating Wage Theft
•         Pandemic Experience/Recovery for All
  
•         Graphic Novel Text Sets and Social Justice
  
•         Comprehensive Immigration Reform
  
•         Let's Drive NJ
  

NSWALNC Annual General Meeting

The NSWALNC will hold the Annual General Meeting online on 6.00 pm Thursday 20 June. The 2024-25 Executive will be elected at the AGM. The meeting will be held on Zoom.

All members are welcome to attend. 

Please register at: https://www.trybooking.com/CRYXM 

EARLY BIRD Registration Open Now for 2023 Conference

Register Now - NSWALNC in-person Annual Conference Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills, Friday 8 December 2023

EARLY BIRD CLOSES 22 September

 

Literacy and numeracy are lifelong and life-wide resources for engaging in social practices in the home, community and work. In recent decades, government policies in many countries in the Anglosphere have narrowed the focus of adult literacy and numeracy programs to employability skills training, and a competency-based training (CBT) model with tightly defined outcomes within accredited training. This reduces both the scope of programs and teachers’ and students’ agency to tailor the programs according to the students’ needs, interests and aspirations. From research and our experiences, we know that many adults want more than ‘basic skills’ when they attend adult literacy and numeracy classes. Often their needs and goals include reducing a sense of social alienation, building self-confidence and esteem to participate in learning and in the community, learning about contemporary economic, civic and social issues and exploring new purpose and goals in life.

 

The conference will feature two keynote speakers: 

 

Dr Uta Papen (Lancaster University)

“More than skills– was it just a dream? What role does the concept of adult literacy as social practice play in adult literacy policy and practice today?”

 

Dr Katrina Thorpe (University of Technology Sydney)

Learning from Country: place-literacies for connecting, truth-telling and healing.

 

Date: Friday 8 December

Venue: Aerial Function Centre, University of Technology Sydney

Register: https://www.trybooking.com/CKDOA

CALL for WORKSHOP and PAPER PROPOSALS FOR NSWALNC Conference 2023

         Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills, 

In-person Conference, Friday 8 December 

 

Do you have some good practical ideas or research to share?

The NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council invites submissions of abstracts for consideration for inclusion in the 2023 conference programme. 

 

Abstracts are invited for presentations and workshops on topics related to our Conference theme of “Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills”. This conference is a forum for exploring spaces and approaches to expand the scope of literacy and numeracy programs to enable students to gain personally meaningful educational outcomes through program participation. Invitations are extended for workshops and research presentations that deepen our collective understanding of what we can do to deliver more than instrumental skills to adult learners.

 

·       Presentation sessions will be 40 minutes.

·       Presenters may choose to organise a group of related papers as a themed session.

·       Notification of decision on submitted abstracts will be sent by 15 September, 2023.

·       Presenters can register for the Conference at the discounted Presenter’s rate

 

Abstracts should be submitted by email nswalnc@gmail.com by Friday 1 September 2023 

NSWALNC Conference 2023 Keynote Speakers to include Professor Uta Papen

Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills,  In-person Conference, Friday 8 December 

Our keynote speakers include Professor Uta Papen (Lancaster University, UK) whose extensive work over many years in literacy studies includes her book Adult literacy as social practice: more than skills (Routledge).

 

NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council AGM - 5.30 pm 22 June 2023 via Zoom

The NSWALNC will hold the Annual General Meeting online on 5.30 pm Thursday 22 June. The 2023-24 Executive will be elected at the AGM. All are welcome.

NSWALNC Conference 2023 – Teaching adult literacy and numeracy: more than skills, In-person, Friday 8 December

Literacy and numeracy are lifelong and life-wide resources for engaging in social practices in the home, community and work. In recent decades, government policies in many countries in the Anglosphere have narrowed the focus of adult literacy and numeracy programs to employability skills training, and a competency-based training (CBT) model with tightly defined outcomes within accredited training. This reduces both the scope of programs and teachers’ and students’ agency to tailor the programs according to the students’ needs, interests and aspirations. From research and our experiences, we know that many adults want more than ‘basic skills’ when they attend adult literacy and numeracy classes. Often their needs and goals include reducing a sense of social alienation, building self-confidence and esteem to participate in learning and in the community, learning about contemporary economic, civic and social issues and exploring new purpose and goals in life.

 

This conference is a forum for exploring spaces and approaches to expand the scope of literacy and numeracy programs to enable students to gain personally meaningful educational outcomes through program participation. Invitations are extended for workshops and research presentations that deepen our collective understanding of what we can do to deliver more than instrumental skills to adult learners.

 

Call for Papers and Presentations will be out soon. Registration opens in July.

NSWALNC Webinar – 27 April 2023 - The Referendum on the Voice to Parliament: Exploring the role of adult educators in engaging students in the debate

The NSWALNC held a webinar on Thursday 27 April on “The Referendum on the Voice to Parliament: Exploring the role of adult educators in engaging students in the debate”. The webinar was an opportunity for adult literacy and numeracy teachers to discuss, share and debate how we can support our learners' engagement with the Referendum on the Voice to Parliament. While recognising curriculum and assessment pressures that all teachers face, as adult educators we also have an obligation to create spaces to teach our learners the knowledge and skills they need to exercise their citizenship responsibility to be engaged in this important issue.

Date: Thursday  27 April 2023

Video: https://youtu.be/5EREdr-yDWE

Cost: NSWALNC 2023 Members Free; Non-Members $20.00

Artifactual Literacies Project 5.30 Thursday 13 October 2022

 ·      Implement an artifactual literacies project in your class

 ·      Celebrate the students' writings through an exhibition in your college

 ·      Nominate a selection of your students' work to be displayed on the NSWALNC Online Artifactual Literacies Gallery 

Artifactual literacies as a pedagogy is based on the idea that every learner will have an artifact to which they attach personal signifiance and meaning. The artifact can be used to elicit the learner's memories, passions, knowledge and cultural practices that can be transformed into different types of oral, written and multimodal texts. It can be the basis of their identity text. 

Creating multimodal texts that give voice to who the learners are: their values and beliefs, their background, their 'ruling passions', what they want others to see in them. 

Room D6.06 at Ultimo TAFE for the workshop - 5.30 - 7.00pm

 Thursday 13^th October 2022, the first Thursday of next term

Register: 

https://www.trybooking.com/CCYPE.

NSWALNC Annual General Meeting - 6.30 Thursday 23 June 2022

The NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council will hold its Annual General Meeting via Zoom at 6.30 pm Thursday 23 June 2022. The AGM will elect the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and committee members. Members are encouraged to nominate for offices and to join the Committee. Registration details to follow.

NSWALNC 2021 Online Conference - 6 & 7 December 2021

Since March 2020, when the pandemic prevented face to face classes, adult literacy and numeracy teachers have been negotiating unprecedented challenges staying connected with their learners. In many education sectors, remote delivery using digital technologies was adopted as a solution during periods of lockdown, with varying degrees of success. However, this was not a viable option for many classes with disadvantaged learners. 

What the experience of the pandemic has highlighted for us is both the fragility of the connections we develop with learners, particularly those with limited economic and technology resources, and the significance to these learners of our efforts to improvise ways of staying connected with them. 

This conference takes up the theme of connecting with learners and their community, celebrating this as a key principle in the work we do. The conference will provide an opportunity to hear from researchers on studies they have undertaken that are related to this theme, and we invite you to share your initiatives, strategies and reflections on this theme with all of us.

Keynote Speakers

Alisa Belzer
Levon Blue"Disrupting the alibi: Towards a post-colonial financial literacy ideal"
Marta Civil"Parents as adult learners of mathematics:
The centrality of building relationships and community"
Sally Thompson"The Literacy Village"

REGISTRATION

NSWALNC 2021 Members $40 (2 days) $30 (1 day) 

Non Members $60 (2 days) $40 (1 day)

Conference Website: http://www.nswalnc.org.au/conference21.htm

Registration: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=809393&

NSWALNC Workshop – Teaching online job-seeking skills – 5.30 Thursday 9 September via Zoom

This workshop will discuss a video created by Denise de Pauw, a doctoral student at the University of Lancaster, on her research on the online job-seeking experience of a migrant job-seeker. In the video ‘The Glass Collecting Job’ that we will discuss at the workshop, de Pauw takes us to a charity work club in the UK where a volunteer is trying to help a migrant job-seeker apply for a job. Workshop participants are asked to view the video prior to the workshop, and reflect on the following questions to discuss with colleagues at the workshop:

1. What do you teach your adult learners about online job-seeking skills?

2. What dilemma for teachers is presented to us in de Pauw’s study; are there implications for us in our work with job-seekers?

The video link to the ‘The Glass Collecting Job’ video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObE7nIabbbA

Register for the workshop at: https://www.trybooking.com/BTKZI

NSWALNC Event - Workshopping multimodal and visual literacies VIDEO

If you missed the 'Workshopping multimodal and visual literacies' Event which was held via Zoom on Thursday 24 June 2021, catch up here. Presenter: Keiko Yasukawa and Chair: Pam Osmond.

NSWALNC Annual General Meeting 6.30 pm Thursday 24th June 2021

The NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council will hold its Annual General Meeting via Zoom at 6.30 pm Thursday 24 June 2021. The AGM will elect the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and committee members. Members are encouraged to nominate for offices and to join the Committee. Register To join the AGM please register at https://www.trybooking.com/BRRLQ or https://www.trybooking.com/767562

Workshopping multimodal and visual literacies 5.30 pm Thursday 24 June 2021

The NSWALNC Event Workshopping multimodal and visual literacies will be held

·       on Thursday 24 June 2021.

·       from 5.30-7.30 pm by Zoom (the Zoom link will be sent to you when you register).

This workshop builds on the well-received session presented by Dr Roselyn Appleby 12 months ago. For this workshop, participants are asked to access and read the article by Frank Serafini: 

Serafini, Frank. (2012). Expanding the Four Resources Model: Reading Visual and Multimodal Texts. Pedagogies: An International Journal 7(2), 150-164.

In this article, the author expands Luke and Freebody's Four Resources model of reading that is familiar to many of us to the new multimodal texts that we need to be supporting our learners to negotiate. A short overview presentation will be followed by discussions of the article in small breakout groups.

The workshop will be followed by the Annual General Meeting. 

Register

To join the Workshop and/or AGM please register at https://www.trybooking.com/BRRLQ or https://www.trybooking.com/767562