Describes a workplace literacy project in Canada that trains "literate" workers to tutor their "illiterate" co-workers. Employers were beginning to realize that literacy training could increase production and decrease industrial accidents. Attitudes of employees toward the program are correlated to the attitude and interest of…

This report and the companion backgrounder "Supporting Persons with Disabilities in Post-Secondary Education" represents the work of the "Foundational Learning and Diversity" sub-committee. Within the larger context and framework of "A Learning Alberta," the sub-committee focused on identifying priorities for…

The Literacy Community Planning Process (LCPP) was intended to assist Ontario communities in comprehensive planning to meet the needs of adult learners requiring training in basic literacy and numeracy. In the first phase, 59 local LCPP committees and 4 literacy networks submitted community profiles to the Literacy Section of the Ontario Training…

Thirty literacy practitioners participated in a free-ranging discussion of the potential and the issues arising from the rapid introduction of new technologies to literacy education (adult basic education and English language training). After an introduction, the report includes the presentations of various participants, including Peter Goulding,…

This manual is designed as a resource for involving learners in literacy programs. Although the report is written at a high reading level, highlights for each section that are written in clear language are found at the beginning of the manual. Section 1 introduces the topic of learner involvement; it also describes the benefits of learner…

"Proxy" measures have been developed and applied that extend the usefulness of direct assessments of adult basic skills. Three categories of users of data on adult literacy are as follows: (1) government authorities who need objective data to inform the decision-making process; (2) program delivery institutions who require an assessment…

This document consists of the four issues of a newsletter published during 1998. Typical articles explore topics in literacy education, media, and technology: "Not a Myth but a New Reality: What IALS [International Adult Literacy Survey]-like Tests Measure" (John Comings); "Who Will Train the Teachers?" (Winston Emery);…

A national strategy to provide literacy education for all older Canadians who need it is described in this document. Developed in response to a 1989 survey finding that 64 percent of Canadians aged 55-69 experience some degree of trouble with everyday reading material, the strategy includes a rationale, objectives, and a 3-year start-up plan to…

This paper reviews results of a questionnaire distributed to literacy workers in rural Alberta (Canada) to ascertain their views on rural literacy. The questionnaire was designed to identify: (1) distinctive features of the issue of adult illiteracy in rural areas; (2) the strengths of literacy efforts in rural Alberta; (3) the weaknesses of…

Based on a series of clear lines workshops, this guide about clear language in the workplace was written for people concerned about literacy and clear communication at work. The materials and activities help not only people with reading problems to design documents, memos, letters, and bulletins, but help, also, people who read well. The guide's…

This report focuses on a December 1988 to December 1989 evaluation of the structures, processes, and outcomes of 15 primarily volunteer tutor-based literacy programs. It addresses the effectiveness of the Saskatchewan Literacy Campaign in increasing tutor and learner enrollments in the programs. Chapter 1 provides background and definitions.…

This interim report describes the first few months' work of a task force that developed a set of procedures for conducting a literacy task analysis. A literacy task analysis could be used by employers, union delegates, human resource personnel, trainers, and adult educators to understand better the specific workplace training needs of employees,…

A study was conducted to determine the costs of illiteracy in Canada and to suggest future efforts to combat it. Research was conducted by interviewing 35 persons involved with education in Canada, such as officials of the Ministry of Skills Development, other government officials, statisticians, employment service personnel, representatives of…

The nature and rationale of the BLADE (Basic Literacy for Adult Development) Program are explained in this instructor's manual, which also provides an analysis and index of the content. The BLADE Program raises adults to a measured Grade 5.0 level in reading, other communication skills, and mathematics. The program is completely individualized: it…