Literacy practitioners' perspectives on adult learning needs and technology approaches in Indigenous communities

Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing

gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous

Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work

and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are

the literacy needs of Indigenous adults,from the perspectives of

community members themselves to the relatively under-researched

perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the

insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy

practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in

communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the

literacy needs of Indigenous adults in communities and the successes

in and barriers to meeting those needs. The practitioners also shared

their views on the use of technology in literacy learning. Together,

these views can informfuture directions in curriculum design and

teaching approaches for community-based Indigenous adult literacy

education.