Literacy In The News ::
Spanning North America
 |
Click Orlando: 5.04.2021 by Crystal Moyer
The Orange County Library System
offers English and Spanish courses for all skill levels, free of charge.
The course use to be taught in-person at
several of its branches, but because of the pandemic, they’ve had to go
virtual. You can now learn English or Spanish from just about anywhere.
“As a new immigrant I wanted to improve my
language, I want to get more in the community,” said Hetty Huang.
Huang was born and raised in China. A few
years ago, she moved to the U.S. with hopes of studying at the University of
Central Florida. With little English, she took the college entry test.
“I failed, but I didn’t give up, I continued
to study,” said Huang.
She started taking English courses with the
Orange County Library System. The curriculum created 15 years ago by ESL
Specialist Jelitza Rivera.
“We have writing courses. Writing clearly
with grammar and we work slowly to help them get to whole paragraphs and cover
letters. Then we have speaking classes where we work on pronunciation,” said
Rivera.
Rivera said moving from in-person classes to virtual provides more flexibility for her students. She said the program now has more than 200 students from many different cultures.
“We have Chinese, Mandarin and Vietnamese
students. We have Arabic students and we have a lot of Brazilians, not just
Spanish,” said Rivera. “I get exposure to a lot more culture, a lot more
language. As a professional, I become better informed.”
The library also offers several free digital
resources to help you continue learning outside of class, from your phone or
computer. WATCH
04:42
 |
Winnipeg Free Press: 5.08.2021 by Susan Huebert
Some people might barely remember a time
before they could read. Others, however, might struggle long into adulthood to
be able to comprehend what they see on the page. For people like these, the GOAL
adult literacy and upgrading program at
the Elmwood Community Resource Centre is available to help.
The need for literacy is everywhere in
Canadian society, from filling out job applications to reading instructions or
recipes to sitting and relaxing with a good book on quiet afternoons. In many
jobs, good reading comprehension is essential. When people are unable to
develop the necessary skills in childhood, learning as an adult can help.
The GOAL program is geared towards the needs
of its students. Adults aged 18 and up can register at any time of the year, as
the program has a continuous intake of students. New arrivals receive a quick
assessment of their skills and a customized learning plan, designed to help
them earn a GED certificate or gain a work promotion.
As Condo says, the organization has "20 years of being in the community, serving the community." READ MORE ➤➤
 |
Sandhill Sentinel: 5.07.2021
The Moore County Literacy Council had
two new tutors graduate on May 4 from its tutoring training program. Aggie
Cohen and Flavia Abele will now offer tutoring in English as a second language.
The tutoring program assists in both learning English and in attaining U.S.
citizenship.
Cohen retired to Moore County after living
in Pennsylvania for 30 years. She said she could complain on the sidelines and
moan about how many people do not have jobs and cannot read – or help someone.
Abele has lived in Moore County for one year
since her spouse retired from the military. She volunteered as a tutor in
Maryland and said it was a lot of fun. She said so far she has only helped with
Spanish-speaking students.
“I get to see people improve their lives, especially see their self-esteem go up every time they come,” Program Specialist Susan Lamm said.
There is a wide range of languages and
dialects entering Moore County Literacy Council. Students from the Philippines,
Italy, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Taiwan are a few. “Asian students have a
difficult time because they don’t have r’s in their language,” Lamm said. “They
have to learn that weird sound.” READ
MORE ➤➤
 |
| JFLL |
Jamaica Observer: 5.10.2021
Available statistics — up to four or five
years ago — appear to suggest that close to 88 per cent of Jamaicans were
classified as literate; that is, able to read and write.
That's still way behind a number of this country's
Caribbean neighbours, and, without doubt, COVID-19, which has mostly hindered
or prevented face-to-face schooling since March last year, will worsen upcoming
literacy indicators.
However, for older Jamaicans, who go back to
the early 1970s when Jamaica's literacy rate among adults was only about 50 per
cent — triggering Mr Michael Manley's adult
literacy programme — the current situation
is a vast improvement.
We've ventured down this road as a direct
result of two articles in yesterday's Sunday Observer which touched squarely on
the importance of basic literacy. READ
MORE ➤➤
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment