Literacy: Spanning North America
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Reach
Literacy moves to Western Mall, gets tutoring space
Argus Leader: 2.08.2018 by Patrick Anderson
Reach
Literacy’s
new home will allow the group to better serve Sioux Falls readers who rely on
the program for tutoring and books.
The
nonprofit opens its new literacy center Tuesday in the Western Mall. The
storefront at 2101 W. 41st St., near Scheels’ south entrance, includes more
space for the stacks and shelves of paperbacks and hardcovers that make up
Reach’s bookstore. It also—for the first time—allows Reach to provide a
dedicated space for its adult tutoring program.
“Our
goal has always been to kind of be a one-stop shop,” Executive Director Paige
Carda said. “We want people to see what we’re doing on both ends.”
The
bookstore accepts donated books, giving them away for free to children and
teachers and selling the rest at heavily discounted prices. Reach’s tutoring
program, meanwhile, relies on a network of volunteers to provide individual and
group-setting education to Sioux Falls adults who don’t know how to read.
The
nonprofit, which started 31 years ago as a prison ministry, also works with
employers and employment groups to conduct workplace training.
The
sunny storefront space is also big enough to host events, including
storytelling sessions and book club meetings, Carda said. READ MORE >>
Library
looking for ESL tutors
Norman Transcript: 2.09.2018 by Sidney Lee
Pioneer Library System’s Jenny Stenis said there are really
two halves of the library.
The
front half is filled with books and computers. The back half isn’t seen by the
public.
That
is where programs are planned, materials are purchased and Stenis, along with
Literary Specialist Adriana Chavez, help Normanites learn English.
“A
lot of our students are relatives, parents, spouses of people at the University
of Oklahoma who need help with their language. They come from all different
continents and countries. So it may be a variety,” Stenis said. “We do have a
Spanish population that we also serve, but it is not nearly as large. There is
a huge variety of languages.”
And
that doesn’t mean the Spanish-speaking population served through PLS in Norman
isn’t also connected to the university.
Chavez
said the ESL student population in Purcell is almost entirely Hispanic but the
class she teaches in southern Oklahoma City is diverse despite being smaller.
“The
one class I teach in south OKC has someone from South Korea, someone from Iran
and someone from Mexico. That just shows you how many different cultures are in
these different classes,” Chavez said.
Because
English is often the only shared language, it adds another level of engagement
with the student’s second language.
At
times, Chavez has tried explaining a concept to a student when another student,
who has a different first language, explains the English concept in a different
way, helping their classmate understand.
“We
also do adult literacy training, as well, teaching adults how to read or
helping them enhance their reading, for anyone over the age of 18,” Chavez
said. “And that is individual. We don’t have a class for that.” READ MORE >>
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Changing lives through adult
basic education
Madison Commons: 2.09.2018 by Teodor Teofilov
There
were 12 people in the classroom of the former Wingra Clinic in the afternoon on
October 26. They were separated into six student-tutor pairs. Some pairs read
simple passages, pronounced and spelled words, while others used laptops to go
on Google, use Microsoft Office, or email in an attempt to improve their
literacy. The process went on for two
hours in a friendly and enthusiastic manner. This is how most classes are in
the Literacy Network.
The
Literacy Network is a local non-profit organization that provides free classes
and tutoring to improve reading, writing, speaking and computer skills to
adults in Dane County. It was founded in 1974 to improve adult literacy levels
in the community. The organization has seen an increase in students over the
past years and served 1193 students in 2016 – a 14 percent increase from 2015.
There are laptops provided to students so they can improve their computer
literacy. The Literacy Network relocated last year to 701 Dane St. The new
location is larger to accommodate the increasing number of students.
An
individual’s literacy level is connected with income levels and to the risk of
committing crime, according to the National Center for
Educational Statistics. Over 60 percent of adults in the U.S.
prison system and 85 percent of juvenile inmates are functionally illiterate,
and almost one in two adults at the lowest literacy level live below the
poverty line.
“We
aren’t only building literacy here, but connections,” said Chad Ramsdell, 38,
an intern and facilitator of the Adult Basic Education (ABE) program. READ MORE >>
Learning
centre offers a huge selection of learning services
Fairview Post: 2.09.2018 by Joanne McQuarrie
From
general interest courses to community enhancement programming, the Northwest Peace Community Adult Learning Centre
is a valuable part of the community and the area.
The
Centre, based at the Fairview campus of Grande Prairie Regional College, is run
by a welcoming duo - Yvonne Peterson, executive director, and Maureen Martin,
ESL instructor and family literacy coordinator. Currently, the areas served
include the Town of Fairview, the M.D. of Fairview and Clear Hills County.
“One
of our big pushes this year is to open programming in Hines Creek, Cleardale
and Worsley, because they're part of the northwest Peace area,” Peterson said.
“Formerly, the area covered was primarily Fairview. We're getting nice
relationships built.”
Peterson
and Martin work closely with people for the best possible outcome.
“Our
services are tailored to each person's needs. We just work with people from
where they are to where they want to go,” Peterson said.
“We
do adult basic education and ESL, which are our two cornerstones; preparing
people for the general equivalency diploma (GED) and trades entrance exams.
“We
help them upgrade career skills such as communication skills, math upgrading,
personal financial management and interpersonal skills, including doing a
business plan.”
Martin
and Peterson talked about a third cornerstone - family literacy, which, they
said, gives parents the literary tools to help their young children to succeed.
For this, they partner with Peace ParentLink.
READ MORE >>
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