Media Release
13 July 2009
Unitec symposium to address teaching language, literacy and numeracy needs
Unitec Institute of Technology is addressing the low literacy rate amongst New Zealand’s workforce by hosting a
symposium on teaching language, literacy and numeracy.
The Effective Teaching: Practical Solutions to Literacy and Numeracy Challenges symposium on July 15, is in response to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) identifying a need to improve the three
areas through the delivery of programmes at tertiary education organisations.
Unitec Director of Academic Literacies, Mark Smith, says the symposium provides a forum to look at ways of teaching
language, literacy and numeracy and is aimed particularly at lecturers who teach levels 1 to 3.
“We have already incorporated some of these teaching methods in our own Unitec programmes so this symposium gives us an
opportunity to showcase what is currently working,” says Smith.
He says the symposium will provide educators with methods and tools for effective delivery of language, literacy and
numeracy in the classrooms.
“The focus of the symposium is to be as practical as possible to enable those attending, to use presented methods
directly with their own teaching.”
Smith and his Academic Literacy team have been responsible for establishing effective teaching programmes to meet TEC’s
requirement, and provide the best learning experience for students.
TEC’s insistence to teach basic language, literacy and numeracy comes from an international survey looking into adult
literacy levels. The survey found 46 percent of the workforce had difficulties selecting relevant information from a
document, or were not able to draw conclusions from information provided.
According to TEC, people with low language, literacy and numeracy levels have difficulties in adapting to changes within
the working environment and suffer from less employment options, hindering their chances of working their way up within
their employment.
As a result, it made it a national priority to raise the level of language, literacy and numeracy through tertiary
institutions by incorporating training in the teaching curriculum.
The Effective Teaching: Practical Solutions to Literacy and Numeracy Challenges symposium has two keynote speakers - Katherine Percy, Chief Executive at Workbase: The New Zealand Centre for Workforce
Literacy Development, and Dr David Whitehead from the School of Education at the University of Waikato.
Those attending the symposium include lecturers in vocational courses, Foundation and Languages programmes within
Unitec, other tertiary institutions, ITOs and private providers.
Symposium details
Title: Effective Teaching: Practical Solutions to Literacy and Numeracy Challenges
Date: Wednesday, 15th of July 2009
9. 15 am till 4 pm, followed by drinks and nibbles
Venue: Unitec New Zealand, Auckland, Mt Albert Campus,
Building 172
Price: Free
Organiser: Academic Literacy, Unitec New Zealand
ENDS