National Adult Literacy Database

Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance

Collection: Research Materials

Canada's economic and social prosperity depends on the strengths and skills of our citizens. To prosper in the new economy, we must develop policies that nurture these skills and we must create a culture that values life-long learning. A sound literacy foundation is key to achieving both of these goals. Addressing adult literacy is an urgent issue for national productivity as Canada faces a shortage of skilled workers now and in the coming years.
Now more than ever, good literacy skills are a prerequisite for employment and for the specific training decent jobs require. In addition, addressing literacy barriers is key to dealing with the most pressing issues of our time. Research shows that improved literacy pays off not only in labour market productivity, but also in lower healthcare costs, better outcomes for children, safer and more cohesive communities, more successful rehabilitation of offenders, and better integration of newcomers. Yet, in Canada we face serious literacy challenges. 22% of Canadian adults do not read well, and another 26% do not have the literacy skills necessary to contribute to the economic and social development of their communities and our country.

In the 2001 Speech from the Throne, the federal government recognized our literacy challenges, and promised to work with the provinces and territories and the voluntary sector to "launch" a "national literacy initiative, as part of a comprehensive Skills and Learning Agenda. Over the past months, the consultative, research and policy development phase of the Skills and Learning Agenda has been progressing. However, as of this date no substantial commitment a National Literacy Initiative has been made.

In this brief, MCL makes the case for creating a spending envelope in the next federal budget dedicated to the development of a National Literacy Strategy, as part of a comprehensive Skills and Learning Initiative. For more information : MCL, Suite 300 - 180 Metcalfe Street, Ottawa ON K2P 1P5, Tel. (613) 563-2464, Fax (613) 563-2504, Email: mcl@literacy.ca
http://www.literacy.ca

Added: 2002-08-01

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Authors: Dorothy Oliver

Collection: Learning Materials

A manual constructed to involve the interaction of two to five people, a facilitator and the audience, to present the process of literacy theater`s demands of cooperation and teamwork.

The manual is divided into chapters to allow people to read the sections that interest them and to ignore the ones that don't. Because some people will choose to skip around, items that are essential to the process are repeated from chapter to chapter.

Background: For years, theatre has been used as a tool for consciousness raising, problem solving and social change. One of the first groups to develop and use the full literacy theatre process was the Family Life Division of New York Medical College in 1973, where teenagers from local high schools gathered together to present scenes from their real world. The teens were all professional actors who would explore issues presented by the audience - drugs, alcohol, health and developmental issues - and then stay in character while they dialogued with the audience. Marti Stevens, a director of Somerset County Basic Skills Program in Skowhegan, Maine, first used theatre with teens by adopting the Family Life Division model. Its effectiveness persuaded her to try it with adult educators at a northern New England Conference in New Hampshire in 1984. After that memorable experience, members of the Northern New England Social Action Group began to collaborate to learn to utilize the process to address their concerns with other adult educators and their communities. The 1985 Commission on Adult Basic Education Conference in Montreal, was the first conference at which these seasoned adult educators from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont presented, and it was at this presentation that it became clear that literacy theatre was a dynamic and effective staff training model.

Literacy theatre has shown itself to be a dynamic training technique for adult education teachers, administrators and volunteers. It explores the androgogical content of adult education - understanding adult learners and cultural differences, and being aware of a variety of teaching methods, including providing for a positive learning environment, offering opportunities for success, providing awareness of student progress and maintaining appropriate student- teacher interactions.

For copies of the document and information on theatre workshops, contact:
Art Ellison, Administrator
Bureau of Adult Education
NH Department of Education
101 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel.: (603) 271-6698

Added: 1997-01-01

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Six information sheets for adult literacy practitioners on learning and violence

Authors: Jenny Horsman

Collection: Research Materials

This is a set of six information sheets, designed for adult literacy practitioners, on learning and violence. In general terms, all six sheets deal with the prevalence of violence and how its effects on individuals may be manifested in a classroom.

Each sheet begins with a sample journal entry by a teacher, describing a situation or the behaviour of one or more individuals in the classroom. Using that journal entry as a starting point, the author discusses possible causes for the behaviour and suggests ways to help everyone learn.

Added: 2012-04-23

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Women's Education des femmes, Spring 1994 - Vol. 11, No. 1

Series: Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW)

Authors: Stephanie Garrow, Lynda Stokes

Collection: Research Materials

McGill Students for Literacy (MSL) is an independent literacy organization founded and operated by McGill University students. Its mandate is to train McGill students to tutor adults and youth in basic literacy skills and to promote awareness of illiteracy issues. MSL's tutoring services are free and all of the students involved work as volunteers.

As a final research project for an interdisciplinary seminar on Women's Studies, the authors conducted a feminist evaluation of MSL. They wanted to know the barriers to learning that women faced and whether or not MSL was meeting the needs of woman students, as well as the needs of tutors and administrators. This article is a summary of that evaluation, and of the situations of women involved in the program.

Added: 2004-08-05

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Series: Informal Learning Practices and Media Perceptions of Adults with Low Literacy Skills

Authors: Maurice C. Taylor

Collection: Research Materials

This report summarizes work done during a six month period of a two-year National Literacy Secretariat funded research project entitled, “Informal Learning and Media Perceptions of Adults With Low Literacy Skills”.The report sheds light on the question — How does the media portray adult literacy?

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 2004-01-01

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Authors: North Bay Literacy Council

Collection: Learning Materials

In this brief video, an official of the North Bay Literacy Council in Ontario discusses health literacy, explaining that it is the ability to understand health information. She describes it as having two sides: health-care professionals must communicate clearly, while health-care consumers need to learn relevant words and terms.

The video also includes information on initiatives to promote health literacy in the area, including a symposium on the topic and an audit of local hospitals to ensure that they are making health information easy to understand.

Added: 2012-08-22

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Authors: Northlands College Central Region

Collection: Learning Materials

A project guide to organizing, advertising and planning a reading or writing challenge.
The Project Objectives of the Adult Northern Literacy Challenge are :

- to promote literacy and reading enjoyment
- to coordinate with other organizations with similar goals, programs and geographic responsibilities
- to establish a reading program applicable to adults in the north, using the resources of the libraries and the College
- to improve adult communication skills of reading and writing in English, in addition to a first language of Cree or Dene
- to raise awareness in the north of the need for increased literacy at all levels

With this program, literacy and reading enjoyment was successfully promoted in schools, public libraries and the workplace in northern Saskatchewan. The foundation for an ongoing reading program applicable to adults in the north has been established.

For a copy of this resource, contact Bebe Ivanochko, Northlands College, Air Ronge SK S0J 3G0, Tel. (306) 425-4480, Fax (306) 425-3002.

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 1998-01-01

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Final Report

Authors: Nova Scotia Senior Citizens' Secretariat

Collection: Research Materials

The Nova Scotia Seniors for Literacy Project was undertaken by the Nova Scotia Senior Citizens' Secretariat and funded by the National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Education. An advisory committee of representatives with an interest in the literacy needs of seniors provided support and guidance (Appendix 1). Valerie White, Executive Director of the Senior Citizens' Secretariat served as project administrator and Deirdre Kazi as the project coordinator.

The goal of the project was to prepare a strategic plan to guide the development of programs, services, and projects that are best able to address the literacy needs of seniors in Nova Scotia. The objectives of the project were to:
• document the literacy needs of seniors in Nova Scotia
• prepare a final report to summarize the data and present a strategy for systematically addressing literacy issues among seniors in Nova Scotia.

Funders:

• 
• OLES

Added: 2006-05-15

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Series: On the Job: ESL and Essential Skills for Work

Authors: Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB)

Collection: Learning Materials

People coming from different cultures and school systems have developed different ways of thinking and processing information. In some cultures significant use of memory is stressed more than in others. Decision making is discouraged in cultures where a top-down management style is favoured. In other countries secretaries still manage timetables and schedules with the result that some managers have not developed job task planning skills.

Multitasking (managing more than one project or set of deadlines at the same time) is not a universal concept. In countries where the government does not support freedom of information, using skills for finding information and then critiquing that information can be punishable by law. In other cases, schools are not encouraged to help students develop strong thinking skills. As with some of the other Essential Skills, Thinking Skills are never done in isolation.

To solve problems or make decisions, a worker needs to draw on other Essential Skills which might include Reading Text, Document Use, Numeracy, Computer Skills and Oral communication. For all of these reasons, conscious instruction in Thinking Skills belongs in the ESL classroom.

Added: 2009-06-30

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Authors: Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC)

Collection: Research Materials

This guide was prepared by the Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC), now called Essential Skills Ontario, to support local agencies in planning and conducting community events such as literacy awareness campaigns. It provides the resources needed to successfully engage adult learners, community partners and local media outlets. It provides practical tools for planning and conducting events, and creating all the other components of a dynamic local drive for greater awareness and action on literacy.

To learn more about Essential Skills Ontario, click here: http://www.essentialskillsontario.ca/.

Added: 2004-09-28

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