National Adult Literacy Database

Series: Community Outreach Initiative Reports

Authors: Sunday Miller, Adult Learning Knowledge Centre (AdLKC), Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)

Collection: Research Materials

ANNOTATION: This report summarizes what was learned from a community outreach program held during the first six months of 2008. The African Canadian Knowledge Exchange gathered information at eight meetings held in March and April in Atlantic Canada. The goal of the meetings was to identify the learning needs of African Canadian adults; how those needs could be met; the challenges to be considered in meeting those needs; and who should be involved in the process and at what stage.

The common themes that emerged from the meetings were the need for more programming, leadership, finances and healing.

The authors recommend holding another meeting to bring together African Canadian people and organizations to discuss the challenges they face; identifying an existing organization in the African Canadian community that would be willing to take on the responsibility for advancing the learning agenda; developing a mentorship program; and establishing learning centres in each African Canadian community to improve adults' access to further learning opportunities.

The report includes a history of the African Canadian presence in Atlantic Canada and a section summarizing points raised in discussions held during the project.

Added: 2010-02-10

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Series: Best of The Reader

Authors: Joan Acosta

Collection: Learning Materials

This e-book is part of a series called Best of the Reader, which consists of stories from The Westcoast Reader, a newspaper for adults trying to improve their English reading skills.

Each story is accompanied by exercises to help learners improve both their reading skills and their grasp of English. The material can be used by a learner on his own or by a teacher in a classroom.

This book contains true stories about people facing unusual circumstances, including one about a man who lost nine fingers to frostbite while mountain-climbing but still returned to his job as a firefighter.

The author has devised a rating system for the reading level of stories in the series, with an icon showing either one, two or three books. Most of the e-books include a variety of reading levels, but the stories in this book are all rated at Level 3, the highest level.

Books in the Best of the Reader series are published on Creative Commons, a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available to share legally. To learn more about Best of The Reader, please click here: http://bestofthereader.ca/.

Added: 2010-12-10

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Authors: Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County (ALACBC)

Collection: Learning Materials

This is a collection of prose and poetry written by members of the Sydney Writing Circle, a group supported by the Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County (ALACBC) in Nova Scotia. The group met for two hours each week to share their writing and improve their writing skills.

The collection includes short stories, poems, and personal narratives on a variety of topics. Several writers share recollections of their childhoods, in settings as diverse as rural Cape Breton and Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War.

The collection also includes essays on such topics as political correctness, fear, and the growing presence of technology in everyday life.

While several writers describe themselves as beginners, the level of work in this collection is quite high and reflects care and commitment on the part of the writers.

Added: 2013-03-11

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Pre-School to Adult

Series: Annotated Bibliography of Aboriginal Books

Authors: NWT Literacy Council

Collection: Research Materials

Over the years, many people have asked us to put together a package of information on Aboriginal literature that is suitable for different age groups. That task, however, is not particularly easy. An extensive array of material is available nowadays, but should it all be included in such a list?

Considerable debate surrounds what is sometimes called “appropriation of voice” – when a person, no matter how sympathetic, depicts someone from another culture. We can only say that we have tried our best to be selective, and appreciate any feedback that people might have about our list.

Added: 2006-05-19

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Authors: North Bay Literacy Council

Collection: Learning Materials

The Arnie Stewart Individual Achievement Award is presented by Laubach Literacy Ontario at its annual conference.

The 2011 winner was not able to attend the conference, so he videotaped his acceptance speech, which was shared at the conference. In it, he thanks those who have helped him, including all his tutors, the people who nominated him for the award, and the North Bay Literacy Council.

Added: 2012-08-31

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A Report on Pre-employment Testing Practices - Part 1 and Part 2

Series: Workplace Literacy Special Initiative

Authors: Kingston Literacy, Literacy Link Eastern Ontario (LLEO)

Collection: Learning Materials

This report is based on a research project that analyzed five pre-employment tests to determine the skill level required to complete them successfully. Three of the tests were commercially available ones, while the others had been prepared in-house by individual employers. All were being used by employers in eastern Ontario.

In particular, the researchers were interested in how well the tests assessed Essential Skills (ES) and whether they demanded an ES level beyond the ability of an entry-level candidate.

The project also involved a review of literature about pre-employment testing.

Based on their findings, the authors encourage employers to choose pre-employment tests carefully to make sure the skills being tested match the skills required for the job in question. They urge employers not to rely solely on such tests to screen would-be employees, but to use them simply as part of the selection process.

They also point out that pre-employment testing is on the rise, a fact that has important implications for literacy practitioners. Instructors must ensure that adult learners develop test-taking skills as well as literacy skills.

Added: 2011-10-05

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Summary

Authors: Célinie Russell

Collection: Research Materials

The purpose of this study was to discover strategies for encouraging adult francophones with poor literacy skills to articulate a need for literacy training and strategies that education centres can use to answer that need adequately. A literature review identified several obstacles to participating in adult education programs: a lack of interest in adult education, a very low value placed on education, and a belief that the expected payback from adult education does not justify the effort it requires. A literature search identified the one-stop access approach and integrated training programs as two possible ways of overcoming obstacles to participation in adult education and providing the types of training that are in greatest demand.

Funders:

• Ontario Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Added: 2009-06-10

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See also:

• Éveiller le lion qui dort : Réflexions sur le recrutement en formation des adultes

Handbook For Facilitators

Authors: Wendy Magahay

Collection: Learning Materials

The AWAL Guide: Handbook for Facilitators is essentially “AWAL in a box.” The background information, suggestions, and resources collected here are intended to provide you with the tools and support you need to understand, plan for, deliver, and benefit from an AWAL Workshop for your organization.

AWAL (Applications of Working and Learning) is a valuable and effective program that can result in strong benefits for both faculty development and curriculum resource development. Through meeting with and learning from employers and employees, AWAL provides a means for educators to incorporate into their own teaching practice an emphasis on the skills that Canadian workplaces have identified as essential.

However, AWAL is not intended to provide a complete examination of a job, and certainly not of the people who do those jobs.

Funders:

Added: 2006-08-04

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See also:

• Guide ATA

Series: The Conference Board of Canada Publications

Authors: The Conference Board of Canada

Collection: Research Materials

The Conference Board of Canada's education and learning case studies series examines outstanding education and lifelong learning programs and initiatives. This case study looks at the training and development program for administrative personnel at J.D. Irving, Ltd. In recent years, the administrative personnel at Irving saw that their traditional secretarial skills no longer matched emerging business concepts and evolving technology. Administrative personnel, with the support of the company, created a professional development program for themselves that would help them keep up to speed with their changing workplace. This case study looks at various aspects of this successful workplace learning program, including the program's development, challenges, keys to success and benefits for both employees and employers.

For more information about The Conference Board of Canada visit its website at http://www.conferenceboard.ca.

Added: 2008-12-02

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Series: The Conference Board of Canada Publications

Authors: The Conference Board of Canada

Collection: Research Materials

The Conference Board of Canada's education and learning case studies series examines outstanding education and lifelong learning programs and initiatives. This case study highlights the training program in place at Technocell Canada, a subsidiary of the German group Felix Schoeller Holding, the world’s largest producer of photographic and decor paper. In 2001, Technocell purchased a paper plant in Drummondville, Quebec. The company soon discovered that the current workforce at this plant not only lacked the necessary production knowledge for the work but also lacked basic skills. To address this problem, Technocell developed a workplace training program that focused on basic skills, communications, teamwork, and health and safety. This case study looks at various aspects of this successful workplace learning program, including the program's development, challenges, keys to success and benefits for both employees and employers.

For more information about The Conference Board of Canada visit its website at http://www.conferenceboard.ca.

Added: 2008-12-09

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