Contents

Features
Constructing Utopia: constructing literacy and numeracy in a remote indigenous community by Janine Oldfield
In a remote community in Central Australia, a garden project provides fertile ground as students learn English and gain new skills from a VET program.

The internet in learning literacy: are you game? by Jan Hagston
Just as a guitarist picks up mistakes when playing through an amplifier, online and computer-aided literacy learners find working on-screen provides immediate evidence of their growing skills.

The right to be here: working in ACE with learners with mental health issues by Kay Viola and Robin Kenrick
Studies show that teachers are more likely to be supportive once they understand the cyclical nature of mental illness, and how it affects an individual’s learning. A recent publication, The right to be here: Working in ACE with learners with mental health issues, will be a valuable resource.

Coaching: the changing face of adult learning by Sue Constable
Coaching is becoming an essential element in the operating procedures of major corporations. As such, it could offer new career opportunities to trainers and educators in search of a change.

Regulars
Practical Matters
It’s already made it into the Oxford Dictionary, but what is blogging? Well, blogging is … ask Jane Westworth.

Policy Update
In England and Wales, assessment methods are based on standardised testing and hard data, but there are viable alternatives, according to Jay Derrick.

Foreign Correspondent
When teacher and doctoral student Annabelle Leve visited a remote part of the Solomon Islands, she found a beautiful place in the sun. When she left, Annabelle was questioning what were the truly useful skills for the local people.

Beyond the Whiteboard
Former Olympic Adult Education manager Rachel Wilson has taken a position with the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture. So it’s see you beyond the whiteboard, Rachel!