2006-2016
Authors: Movement for Canadian Literacy
This document outlines a 10-year National Literacy Action Plan (2006 to 2016) to begin addressing Canada's literacy challenges.
It builds on the federal, provincial and territorial governments' expressed recognition of the literacy challenges; on the National Literacy Action Agenda widely endorsed by the literacy community in 2002-2003, on the all-party parliamentary Standing Committee 2003 report on "Raising Adult Literacy Skills: The need for a Pan-Canadian Response"; and on Minister Bradshaw's current pan- Canadian round of consultations on literacy.
Added: 2006-02-13
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Series: Final Report
Authors: Jean Rasmussen
Since the mid-1990s, Literacy BC has hosted a number of summer institutes on a variety of literacy-related topics. This report documents the process, activities and results of the 2003 institute, which focused on effective teaching strategies, training and support for literacy/adult basic education practitioners who are working with First Nations learners.
The author describes the design of the week-long institute; summarizes project activities; and provides the results of the participant evaluation surveys. Appendices offer background information on the concepts covered during the institute.
Added: 2010-11-12
Series: Composite Learning Index
Authors: Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)
The Composite Learning Index (CLI) is an annual measure of Canada’s progress in lifelong learning. It is based on statistical indicators that reflect the many ways Canadians learn, whether in school, in the home, at work or within the community.The first index of its kind in the world, the CLI is a valuable measurement tool that recognizes how learning throughout people’s lives is critical to their individual success, the success of their community and the success
of the country as a whole.
Until the Canadian Council on Learning created the Composite Learning Index in 2006 there was no means to measure how Canada performed across the full spectrum of learning. To reflect this broad perspective, the CLI uses a wide range of learning indicators to generate numeric scores for 4,700 cities and communities across Canada. A high CLI score means that a particular city or community possesses learning conditions that support social and economic well-being.
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The 2009 CLI is made up of 17 indicators and 25 specific measures. These are organized within four pillars: Learning to Know, Learning to Do, Learning to Live Together and Learning to Be. These pillars recognize the broad scope of lifelong learning — at home, in the classroom, at work and in the community. Indicators reflect an aspect of the state of lifelong learning across Canada and can include more than one specific measure. Specific measures are the building blocks of the index. These have defined units that quantify each indicator. For example, “Youth literacy skills” is an indicator that uses four specific measures from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The four measures are: mean problem-solving scores for 15-year-olds; mean reading scores; mean math scores; mean science scores for 15-year-olds.
The report shows a trend of the 2009 CLI scores and trends for major Canadian cities. For the first time, Canada’s overall score on the Composite Learning Index has declined, dropping two points to 75 in 2009, from 77 in 2008.
In short, the CLI is designed as an objective and reliable measurement tool that can help communities make the best possible decisions about learning - decisions that will strengthen social ties, bolster the economy and, of course, improve people’s lives
Added: 2009-09-11
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Series: Composite Learning Index
Authors: Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)
The Composite Learning Index (CLI) is an annual measure of Canada’s progress in lifelong learning, based on statistical indicators that reflect the many ways Canadians learn.
The 2010 CLI is the fifth time the measure has been taken and, therefore, the first time a five-year trend can be produced. Over the past five years, Canada has witnessed no substantial progress in lifelong learning, from a CLI benchmark score of 73 in 2006 to 75 in 2010.
But while Canada as a whole has seen only limited progress on the CLI over the past five years, the story is different when it comes to specific regions of the country. For example, 60 per cent of communities in Atlantic Canada have seen progress in their five-year score, compared with 26 per cent of all communities in Western Canada.
The CLI includes data on school-based learning; work-related learning; community and interpersonal learning; and personal development.
Added: 2010-05-26
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Literature Review
Series: Nourishing the Learning Spirit
Authors: Ningwakwe George, Aboriginal Education Research Centre, First Nations and Adult Higher Education Consortium
This is a literature review on Aboriginal literacy from the perspective of an Aboriginal literacy worker and professional. It draws on about 80 sources, including documents written by literacy and education practitioners, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, working with Aboriginal people, as well as scholarly literature written by health, science and adult education professionals on topics related to the holistic and healing approaches to education, literacy and life.
This paper is designed to provide information and possibly direction for the Aboriginal literacy field and its stakeholders as to the best ways of comprehending and nourishing the learning spirit.
Part I outlines the Aboriginal worldview as it relates to literacy and education. Part II examines the implications of these principles for literacy education. Part III gives concrete examples of Aboriginal literacy programming as it exists today and Part IV summarizes the key ideas of this document.
Added: 2010-02-24
Authors: Stacey Crooks, Paula Davies, Audrey Gardner, Katrina Grieve, Tracey Mollins, Marina Niks, Joani Tannenbaum, Brenda Wright
To understand and describe the state of a field, researchers traditionally carry out a literature review. This approach is widely accepted as a way to summarize what is known in the field. With Connecting the Dots: Improving Accountability in the Adult Literacy Field in Canada the authors knew they needed to do that. But more was needed. While a literature review was critical to understanding the conceptual underpinnings of recent initiatives for greater accountability, it was important to know the impact of these measures on the field. To do this, it was necessary to talk to people who work in the adult literacy
field to hear their perspectives and learn about their experiences. The field review presented here offers those voices to complement the literature review.
The report is organized into four sections: how participants defined accountability and the different emphases they place on the concept; a picture based on interviewees’ descriptions of how accountability information is collected,
by whom and the gaps and challenges encountered; the issues associated with the implementation of accountability measures, the need for respectful, knowledgeable relationships and clarity in communication and expectations; and finally the topic of resources and funding related to accountability structures.
Funders:
Added: 2009-07-07
Authors: T. Scott Murray, Mike McCracken, Doug Willms, Stan Jones, Richard Shillington, John Stucker
In this report, the authors discuss the cost and the importance of investing in literacy. They suggest that advanced literacy is the single most important tool that Canadians need to compete in the global economy and present estimates of the total cost of raising the literacy skill of the adult population to Level 3.
This report includes an executive summary and forward followed byfive chapters:
Chapter 1- Introduces the report and provides background on the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey and the International Survey of Reading Skills (ISRS) studies upon which analyses in the report are based.
Chapter 2 - Summarizes what was measured in the ISRS and what it means
Chapter 3 - Defines segments in the Canadian literacy market
Chapter 4 - Contains estimates of the costs and benefits of releasing Canada’s economic potential through literacy instruction
Chapter 5 - Summary and conclusions
Added: 2009-01-08
An annotated bibliography
Authors: Centre for Literacy of Quebec
This bibliography was compiled for The Centre for Literacy's 2005 Summer Institute: Adult Basic Education & Literacy, Media and Technology.
The references and annotations point to relevant research, project, strategy and evaluation reports that describe and analyze the current and future influences of changing technologies on definitions of literacy, lifelong learning policy, and program-level practice in Canada and internationally.
This list is far from exhaustive, but represents a core set of readings on the topic and offers a solid starting point for more in-depth research.
Added: 2006-03-02
A Syllabus and Resources for an Online Course of Self-Study
Authors: Thomas G. Sticht
Thomas Sticht, International Consultant in Adult Education, has put together a syllabus for self-study to give those new to the field of literacy more background in adult education and literacy development, and to offer others in the field a chance to deepen their knowledge about the field and its history, policies, practices and issues that it deals with. All recommended reading is available in the NALD Library.
Added: 2007-02-26
Celebrating 40 Years of the Adult Education and Literacy System of the United States
Authors: Thomas G. Sticht
The author discusses 40 years of Adult Education in the United States. This year, they celebrate 40 years of Adult Literacy and Literacy System that was created by the Adult Education Act of 1966, and which continues today as Title 2: The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
How the Adult Education Act emerged from the adult basic education program of the War on Poverty illustrates how multiple interests were brought together to break through a barrier that had blocked the development of an Adult Education and Literacy System for decades.
Added: 2006-07-25
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