Concrete words — the language of cement finishing

Concrete Words is a basic-skills program run by the British Columbia Construction Industry Skills Improvement Council (SkillPlan) as part of a trades qualification refresher course for cement finishers. Workers who have been on the job for twenty years or more are now obliged to get their trades qualifications by passing a three-hour, multiple-choice exam that tests their trade expertise. Workers in the course may not have seen the trades vocabulary written in English, or they may not be familiar with multiple-choice tests.

The adult educator working with the trades trainer offers the participants a variety of strategies for note-taking, test taking, and learning the technical vocabulary presented in the refresher course. One role of the adult educator is that of "experienced note-taker" in each class. The classes are fast paced, and participants have to listen with full concentration, figure out what's going on, and take notes. The experienced note-taker sits with a small group and writes notes as the lecture goes on. Participants see note- taking skills, they see their trade vocabulary written in English during the class presentation, and they learn how to organize material for later study.

The trades instructor has an opportunity in class to review the educator's notes. Have the main ideas and important details been captured and emphasized? The participants not only learn the value of good note-taking but also review key points. Blending the expertise of the trades trainer with that of the adult educator contributes to a balanced partnership of workforce education.

Follow-up sessions with a tutor give participants more opportunities to work with the technical terms, review notes, and identify anything that needs further clarification.