Charting a Course: Responding to the Industry-Related
Adult Basic Education Needs of the Texas Workforce
Handbook Two: Workplace Savy for Workforce-related Instruction
Modules #5 & 6

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Module Five: Identifying Adult Learners’ Work-Related Proficiencies and Needs

Language Task Analysis Activities: Why They’re So Important

The diagram above is helpful in illustrating the cycle that makes for successful educational programs that are learner-centered. It especially applies to the planning and delivery of workforce-related instruction because it is all-inclusive:

• The needs assessment, language task analysis, or literacy audit (i.e., identifying the language and basic skills needed in order to perform successfully in the workplace) solicits input from learners/employees but also from local employers, other stakeholders, and professional resources.
• The needs assessment guides the planning, development, and delivery of instruction; in other words, instruction responds to identified needs.
• Learner progress and program success are connected to how well the identified needs are addressed.

Standardized assessment tools by themselves do not generally capture all of the significant changes in performance and behavior that make individuals successful and valued employees. Certainly, the BEST Plus can be used for baseline assessment of English language proficiency and to measure learner progress. In some communities local workforce development networks utilize the CASAS for placement, to measure learner progress, and to inform programmatic changes.

Both assessment tools are nationally recognized and approved means of measuring basic English language competencies and are aligned with the entry-level descriptions issued by the National Reporting System (NRS). By themselves, however, they do not capture all the information needed to plan workforce-related instruction.

As an instructor, the additional assessment may be left to you. If a program has a viable partnership with a local employer, your program administrator should have the opportunity to arrange to conduct a language task analysis and to involve you in the process.

These systems, when used in combination with program-developed, performance-based assessments, can provide a better snapshot of changes in learners’ work-related behavior and performance, thereby measuring the learner’s ability to apply what has been learned to specific, work-related tasks. Additional assessments may include the following:

• assessment activities that indicate whether the learner has learned what has been taught (teacher-made and text-related pre/post assessments)
• documented teacher observations
• learner demonstrations of knowledge and skills learned
• learners’ self evaluations and reports of knowledge and skill applications
• testimony of changes in workers’ performance / behavior as observed by frontline supervisors, quality control personnel, and management
• work-related achievements (promotions and eligibility for other employer-sponsored training opportunities)

The opportunity to take part in a literacy audit, a language task analysis, or a job task analysis is always a valuable experience – one that provides an inside look at what happens at the workplace and that can inform instruction. Handbook #1, developed to assist program administrators in planning and implementing workforce-related instructional services, includes a number of activities that can be used to identify the language proficiencies and basic skills needed in the workplace. Additional activities are included in this handbook.

If your program administrator has expressed an interest in workforce-related instruction or has participated in related professional development, he or she should have a copy of Handbook #1. Even if you do not foresee being involved in the delivery of instructional services in the workplace, you will still want to become familiar with the language task analysis activities included in Handbook #1. Many can be adapted for use in your classroom. Samples are included in the following pages for use with your adult learners. But before looking at the samples, read the scenario below and discuss the questions that follow:

Activity: The learners in your class who are employed often complain about company correspondence and other documents written in jargon or obscure language at a level that even native speakers might not fully comprehend. This makes it especially difficult for the non-native speakers to comply with written instructions and company policy.

1. In addition to the data you have from the baseline assessment your program conducts, what else would you like to know about the learners’ needs?
2. How might you access additional information about the learners’ needs?
3. How could you use the additional information in planning instruction?

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Sample of Workplace Audit Interview Questions

	Questions	Notes
Background	What is your title and job description? How long have you been in this job? How did you learn this job? What special training do you have for this job? How important are reading, writing and math to the successful completion of your job? What is the most challenging part of your job? What is the most important part of your job? What could go wrong if you don't do your job correctly?
Literacy Tasks	Are there books, manuals, forms or charts you use to do your job? Which of these is hardest to read? How often do you use these (charts, forms, etc.) in doing your job? If you were training a new person to do your job, what would he/she have to know before you could teach him/her? What would a new person find most challenging about your job? What reports, memos, summaries or other written messages do you read or write in your job? What math or science skills do you use ? What technical equipment do you use? What special measuring skills/tools do you need to do your job? What computer equipment (or computerized machines and tools) do you use in your job?
Training and Promotion Opportunities	Which parts of your job would you like to do better? What skills do you need to move to a different or better job? Are you currently being trained (or are you training someone) to do this job? What is most difficult about the training you are in now? How has your job changed since you first started it? Will you be trained for another job? Can you show me the training manuals or work tasks that are most difficult for you?
Problem Solving	Explain what information you are looking for when you read a work manual (form, chart, etc.). Tell me, step by step, how you get information from this manual, chart, etc. Tell me, step by step, how you got the information when you were new on the job. How did you know to do that? How did you learn that part of your job? Where else could you get this information?

Additional questions/comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source:  www.work-basedlearning.org/toolkit.cfm (2006)

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Foundation Skills Student Self-Appraisal

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Instructions

Step 1: 
Read each statement on the next page and check the box that best describes your typical behavior.

Step 2:

Review the appraisal according to the following sections to determine your workplace foundation skill areas of strength or weakness:

Step 3:
Discuss your results with a partner and your instructor. Talk about your areas of strength and how they can help you on the job. Talk about the areas you can improve and why. Then, work with your instructor to develop a plan to strengthen those areas you need for success on the job. One part of your plan will be to learn more about how to apply specific strategies to improve your foundation skills and knowledge.

The Foundation Skills Wheel included in this handbook, a sample lesson and this foundation skills student self-appraisal were developed by project staff at the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Penn State University as part of a Work-Based Foundation Skills Project. Additional learning activities can be accessed at http://www.able.state.pa.us. Click on Resource Center and then on Lesson Activities.

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Student Self Appraisal

Read the statements below and check the boxes that are most like you.	Almost never like me	Sometimes like me	Quite a bit like me	Almost always like me
1. I have few conflicts with other people at work.
2. I am on time for work.
3. I release stress in healthy ways.
4. I work well in a team.
5. I solve problems at work.
6. I make decisions at work.
7. Safety is important to me at work and at home.
8. I understand how this company operates.
9. I know who to go to if I have a problem at work.
10.The quality of my work is important to me.
11. I understand how this company makes a profit.
12. I understand the parts of my paycheck.
13. I know what product or service this company provides.
14. I know how I help provide that product or service.
15. I understand what I read.
16. When my supervisor tells me how to do something, I understand and go do it.
17. I can write clearly and others can understand it.
18. When I talk with my supervisor, I am understood.
19. I can do math including fractions, decimals and percentages.
20. While I work, I pay attention to what is going on around me.
21. I can use the computer with ease.
22. I can use e-mail and the Internet.
23. When I need something to do a job, I go find it.
24. I enjoy learning something new every day.
25. I learn as much as I can when I begin a new project.
26. I have set educational goals for professional development.
27. I have used skills at work that I learned in life.
28. I have used my work skills outside my work place.
29. I am flexible when changes happen at work.
30. I am willing to learn new skills when my work changes.

The Foundation Skills Wheel included in this handbook, a sample lesson and this foundation skills student self-appraisal were developed by project staff at the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy at Penn State University as part of a Work-Based Foundation Skills Project. Additional learning activities can be accessed at http://www.able.state.pa.us. Click on Resource Center and then on Lesson Activities.

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Sample Quick Assessment / Needs Survey

There are several ways the following survey can be used to identify learners’ work-related needs. Review and determine if and how you might use it.

1. Think about the language needs of those with limited English proficiency at the workplace and assign a number to each language activity.

1 = major problem     2 = occasional problem       3 = no problem

____ a. speak to the supervisor ____ b. speak on the telephone ____ c. speak to other workers ____ d. understand instructions ____ e. understand work procedures ____ f. understand pay statement ____ g. understand company benefits ____ h. write work orders ____ i. use correct grammar ____ j. use correct pronunciation

____ l. report problems ____ m. ask questions ____ n. understand company notices ____ o. respond to criticism ____ p. work safely ____ q. solve work-related problems ____ r. understand quality control ____ s. make suggestions ____ t. participate in meetings ____ u. other _______________________

2. Number of employees you supervise: _____. How many have a difficult time speaking/understanding English? _____. Do employees speak other languages on the job? _____ If so, give examples of where and when:

_______________________________________________________________

3. Do you know of any conflicts due to language or cultural barriers? Describe.

_____________________________________________________________

4. What problems have occurred due to lack of communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) or mathematical skills? Give examples.

______________________________________________________________

5. What kinds of technical training does your company offer?

______________________________________________________________

6. Are communication skills a barrier to participation in this training? In what way?

_______________________________________________________________

7. What topics do you think need to be addressed in English classes?

_______________________________________________________________

8. How could improvements in communication skills be measured in the workplace?

________________________________________________________________

*Excerpt from Workplace Instructor Training (WIT) CD-ROM and Workbook. Adapted and used with permission of the Employee Training Institute for Workforce Training and Development, San Diego Community College District. To order: http://www.trainwitheti.com. Texas LEARNS and TCALL both have limited copies on hand. The workbook includes many excellent sample assessment surveys.

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Sample Quick Math Assessment / Needs Survey

Think about the math skills employees need to perform their jobs successfully. Then complete the following activities:

1. Circle the letter(s) of the skill areas you think should be addressed in work-related math instruction.
2. Rank the top ten skill areas you think are the highest priority for employees. Start with #1 as highest priority and #10 as the lowest priority.

____ Count by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s ____ Identify Roman numerals ____ Perform simple addition/subtraction ____ Perform simple division/multiplication ____ Perform calculations with fractions ____ Perform calculations with decimals ____ Convert fractions/decimals to percents ____ Convert U.S. measurements to metric ____ Read/interpret measuring instruments (e.g., micrometer) ____ Estimate and round off numbers

____ Use/interpret ratios (e.g., 2:1) ____ Read/interpret charts, graphs ____ Measure with various instruments (e.g., micrometer, scale, etc.) ____ Use calculator or adding machine ____ Calculate with time (e.g., time zones, 24 hour clock) ____ Calculate with money ____ Work with negative numbers ____ Solve for unknowns ____ Specify other:

Please answer the following questions:

3. Which job positions use math? How much math is used on the job? What kinds of math skills are employees expected to know now? In the future?

 

 

4. What kinds of assignments involving math are difficult for some employees ? Please give specific examples.

*Excerpt from Workplace Instructor Training (WIT) CD-ROM and Workbook. Adapted and used with permission of the Employee Training Institute for Workforce Training and Development, San Diego Community College District. To order: http://www.trainwitheti.com. Texas LEARNS and TCALL have a few copies on hand. The workbook includes many excellent sample assessment surveys.

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Sample Quick Assessment / Needs Survey

Name _________________________________________

Department / Supervisor ______________________ Position _____________________

Length of employment at company ______________

Have you ever studied English before? _____ When? _________ Where? ____________

What is your native language? _____________________

How many years of education do you have (native country or U.S.)?

Circle one:       1-4       5-10           10 or more

Do you have any certificates, diplomas, or degrees? __________________________________

 

1. Review the topics below and circle five that are most important to you in your work: 

a. Speak to supervisor b. Speak on the telephone c. Speak to other workers d. Understand instructions e. Understand work procedures f. Understand pay sheet g. Understand company benefits h. Write work orders i. Understand written work orders j. Use correct grammar k. Use correct pronunciation l. Explain what you need

m. Report problems n. Ask questions o. Understand company notices p. Respond to criticism q. Work safely r. Understand safety regulations s. Solve work problems in groups t. Understand quality control u. Make suggestions v. Participate in meetings w. Other _____________________

2. Which of these people do you speak English with? 

	Several times a day	Once a day	Several times a week	Once a week	Never
Supervisor
Team leader
Co-workers
Customers or clients
Workers from other departments
Managers / administrators
Family / friends
Other

3. In what kind of situation do your use English with others? 

	Face-to-face	Telephone	Letter/memo	Email	Never
Supervisor
Team leader
Co-workers
Customers or clients
Workers from other departments
Managers / Administrators

4. Is it difficult to speak English in these situations? 

	Very difficult	A little difficult	Not difficult	Don’t use English
Talking with supervisor
Talking with team leader
Talking with co-workers
Talking with customers or clients
Talking with managers or administrators

Comments / other information: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Excerpt from Workplace Instructor Training (WIT) CD-ROM and Workbook.  Adapted and used with permission of the Employee Training Institute for Workforce Training and Development, San Diego Community College District.  To order:  http://www.trainwitheti.com.  Texas LEARNS and TCALL have a few copies on hand.  The workbook includes many excellent sample assessment surveys.