BUSTED: 11 Enduring Literacy Myths via Canada West Foundation

BUSTED: 11 Enduring Literacy Myths

Canada West Foundation: Sep 2019 by Janet Lane & T. Scott Murray

Problem

Mention that there’s a literacy problem and most people’s eyes glaze over. “Everyone can read, so there can’t be a problem!” This belief is one of Canada’s most pervasive and enduring myths about literacy.

However, while virtually everyone can read, not everyone can read well enough to realize their full economic potential. And that’s a problem for them, for their

employers and for our country.

Solution

Almost half of the working-age population needs to improve not just their ability to read, but also their ability to understand and use what they have read to meet the demands of life and work. This is not an impossible goal – it can be done. But, some enduring myths about literacy keep us from understanding and tackling the problem.

myth 1

Everyone can read so there can’t be a literacy problem

busted

Being literate isn’t about whether or not you can read. It’s about being able to understand and use what you have read to solve a range of real-world problems in daily life and work.

Most people can read and apply what they have read when the context is familiar. However, roughly half of people aged 16 to 65 can’t use what they have read to solve problems when the content is new and the context unfamiliar.

Meanwhile, an estimated 97 per cent of the jobs created since 1994 require people to apply what they read in unfamiliar documents to solve a range of problems, with ease, every day.

An example of this is following the instructions in a memo from head office about how to help customers fix a glitch in a new product.

myth 2

More education means better literacy

busted

Generally, a person’s literacy skills improve with more education – but they don't necessarily improve enough. Children gain different levels of reading skill while in school, and the gaps can widen over the course of their lives.

Children who are not reading fluidly by the end of Grade 3 often struggle with reading all through school and may leave school early. Even high school and post-secondary graduates may not have adequate literacy levels.

A recent Ontario study showed that 25 per cent of students entering post-secondary had skills below the level needed to learn easily and efficiently; further, their skills didn’t improve by the time they graduated. What’s more, these youth had skills below the level required to perform well in over 90 per cent of jobs in the economy.

myth 3

The literacy skills built in school last a lifetime

busted

People build literacy skills beginning at home, then through school, then gain and lose them over the course of their lives depending on their activities. Some adults with little education find ways to become highly literate and others who are highly educated never reach advanced levels of literacy proficiency.

Much of the skill gain and loss in adults occurs in the workforce. People who work in jobs that demand the use of higher levels of skill tend to gain skill with time, and vice versa. However, individuals can continue to build and maintain skills throughout their lives if they practice.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. Old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)