Gather the demonstration materials.
Materials were gathered. For each demonstration, we examined the materials to determine the:

• relationship to their respective apprenticeship program;
• real-life application in the apprenticeship program;
• level of integration and application of embedded literacy and basic skills;
• specific skills embedded in the task;
• the degree of problem-solving and critical thinking that would be required to complete the activity;
• overall LBS level of the task.

In cases where authentic materials existed, they were modified to match the LBS level that the demonstration was intended to assess. In other cases, authentic materials were designed from scratch, using valid and accurate information from a variety of sources.

At this stage, we also designed the task that the learner would be expected to perform as a demonstration. This involved examining how the materials would be used in a real-life situation, and modelling the demonstration on that basis. In some cases, we needed to modify the requirements, however.

In the LBS Program, demonstration activities are intended to assess the learner’s progress in the development of literacy and basic skills. Although every effort has been made throughout the project to use real-life applications of these skills, many of the tasks that apprentices are expected to perform do not involve the integrated application of a number of LBS learning outcomes.

For example, an electrician’s apprentice may be required, as part of his day-today activities, to measure lengths of wire, but s/he will not necessarily be expected to write that information down, since it may be up to the electrician to record the amount of wire used on an invoice. In order to integrate the outcomes Use Measurements for Various Purposes and Perform Basic Operations with Numbers, it was necessary to create a chart upon which the LBS learner would record and total the measurements taken.

We recognise that using a chart like this one is somewhat artificial when it comes to real-life application of skills. However, we were also mindful of the fact that LBS learners who are considering an apprenticeship program will be expected to complete similar tasks when they are working in an academic setting (either in completing a secondary school education or equivalent, or in the in-class portion of apprenticeship training). This is another reason to modify authentic tasks to include an integrated set of learning outcomes.