Community Learning Development Resource 103 – 06
MORE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO ENGAGE WITH AND SUPPORT LEARNER PROGRESSION
Summary
Opportunities for learner progression should provide a variety of relevant and responsive routes and choices for learners. All individuals are learners – naturally! This resource explores the context and the functions of workers in support of learner progression.
An adult learner progression framework is not like a ladder, where the learner only tries to climb the rungs of levels of learning, going higher and higher, but more like a the children’s climbing frame we often find in public play areas. Here the learner may choose to stay where they are, move up or down, stay on or climb off, or move sideways or diagonally from where they are. It is the learner’s choice.
There should be a local learning ‘climbing frame’ where you and the learning opportunities you offer, sit at the joints and the connectors are the progression routes.
The framework should be coherent and accessible, and learners should be able to understand the framework and their choices.
You are there to enable them to make their choices and to do this, your provision and work needs to connect sensibly with others and the progression routes need to be visible, so that learners can see where they want to go.
Problems occur when individual workers and providers have their own ladders or climbing frames or don’t have any ladders or climbing frames at all.
The development of a PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK is about building it collaboratively, coherently and sensibly with all learners in mind, but with the learning and support needs and readiness of inexperienced learners as the key factors determining the framework’s design and use.
IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR ROLES AND FUNCTIONS:
- Workers and agencies need to be able to contribute to the design and development of local partnership arrangements and the operating procedures for supporting learners within a progression framework.
- All providers and agencies who can contribute, need to gain a shared understanding of the nature of each member organisation and agree protocols and ways of working which ensure the ‘joined-up’ nature of the learner’s experience and the progression routes.
- It is clear from the local audits and national evidence that many different organisational cultures exist and that often there is a low level of practical knowledge and understanding of workers beyond their own institution, group or agency – we need to share and work together – effective support and signposting are a must.
- Enabling learner choice and supporting effective progression becomes a key area of responsibility for workers and agencies. The role needs to be developed.
- For workers to make effective referrals in support of learner progression, the process of referral should be well-understood and training about referral includes identifying best practice and what constitutes a ‘good’ referral and a ‘good’ referral system.