Literacy practitioners

This document outlines a research project undertaken by Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) to explore the competencies needed to work with adults taking part in Literacy and/or Essential Skills (L/ES) programs in Canada. The project included a literature review, along with interviews with key informants in the field.

The author of this report notes that technology has become an integral part of both the learning experience and everyday life. Therefore, there is a greater need than ever before to integrate technology into the literacy profession in Canada.

The authors of this study set out a number of questions about literacy, including its definition in the current world; other issues affecting students’ ability to achieve their goals; what prompts students to participate in literacy programs; and whether some types of programs are more attractive than others.

This handbook is intended as an introduction to the literacy field in Saskatchewan and would be a useful resource for any one new to literacy in that province. In addition to general information about literacy, this resource contains specific information about the Saskatchewan Literacy Network, the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network, and adult learning in Saskatchewan.

The research presented in this report is part of the Ontario Literacy Coalition’s project "Workplace Literacy Training." This research was conducted to provide background and an impetus for discussion about practitioner development in workplace education as Literacy and Basic Skills providers move forward to deliver LBS-like programs in the workplace in Ontario.

This document summarizes comments from over 500 individuals on a literacy framework for Alberta, provided during the Alberta Literacy Forum held in Edmonton in April 2008. The Forum was Alberta's contribution to the Council of Ministers of Education Canada's Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum. This report on the Forum is organized into the following sections:

This resource is a literature review that looks at the segment of the immigrant population who are not literate in their native language and who may require some combination of ESL and literacy education or “ESL literacy” education. The literature reviewed includes discussions on definitions of literacy and who is an ESL literacy learner.

This best practices document was researched and written in order to provide specific information to Ontario family literacy practitioners. In this guide, the authors discuss the key elements of effective, high-quality family literacy programs.

This is a report on the some of the key items discussed during three Literacy Cafés held by the Saskatchewan Literacy Network in early 2008 in in Regina, Swift Current and Yorkton, Saskatchewan. The purpose of these Cafés was to provide a networking opportunity for literacy stakeholders and to ask for information that would guide the Literacy Network including its conversations and communications with decision makers.

Communication gaps between health care providers and people with limited literacy or English language skills create a major barrier to improving health outcomes for many Canadian families.