Literacy – Spanning North America :: Winnipeg MB ::Eastern Oklahoma Co OK :: Philadelphia PA :: Orleans Co LA

Literacy: Spanning North America

Adult Literacy Course Boosts Self-Esteem and Social Equality

Salvation Army Blog: 9.07.2017

Imagine, at age 59, being unable to spell boat, step or help. “It feels disgusting when you can’t read or write,” says Bob. “But now I’m doing something about it.”

Bob is a participant in The Salvation Army’s STages Education Program (STEP) in Winnipeg. The community-based adult literacy program is open to anyone with a low literacy level, usually below Grade 6.

“Literacy gives people a foundation where they have skills, self-worth and realize their goals,” says Carley, LEEP teacher. “Things they thought impossible become possibilities.”

The consequences of dropping out

As a teen, Bob struggled to complete Grade 7. “I was pushed to advance to the next level but felt I still needed a lot to learn,” says Bob. “I was frustrated, so I left.”

Over the years low literacy levels affected many areas of Bob’s life such as his ability to read his mail, help his children with school work or read instructions on a medicine bottle.

“I was at my last job for 15 years,” says Bob. “When they found out I couldn’t read or write, they said,  ‘Get out the door.’”  READ MORE @

Needs and Deeds: Literacy Link

News OK: 9.11.2017 by Alex Strohm

Words on a page or screen can be just that — words. It's the ability to comprehend that gives meaning.

Literacy Link is a literacy group in Eastern Oklahoma County that teaches reading and writing to adults 18 years and older with functional illiteracy.

Board member Lynn Hicks said she loved to read as a child and started as a Literacy =Link volunteer before eventually joining the board. She said teaching her students was a bright spot in her day.

“Anytime you can enhance an individual's self worth or their abilities to help themselves and their community, you're helping the whole world,” Hicks said. “It might start in tiny corners, but where else do you start?”

In a recent interview, Hicks spoke about how Literacy Link fills the gaps and encourages adults who struggle to read.

Q: What is the history of Literacy Link?

A: Literacy Link was established in June 1986 by a group of individuals who were dedicated to improving literacy in Eastern Oklahoma County. It started out with Frances Wester, a sociologist for the Department of Human Services, and Aaron Corwin, an active member in the Oklahoma State Library system. They held a meeting, and some people were interested. Literacy Link was incorporated that same year with a board, and they found a permanent location at the Midwest City Library.  READ MORE @

@Center4Literacy

At 46, this Philly woman learned to read - and then published a book

Philly.com: 9.14.2017 by Kristen A. Graham

At age 46, Wanda Steward was illiterate, and much of the world was a mystery to her.

At age 47, Steward is an author whose charming children’s story was read by actor Idris Elba as part of a global literacy campaign.

“It’s a miracle,” said Steward, of Southwest Philadelphia.

Steward always struggled in school. She tried hard, but reading did not come naturally to her. She tried to escape attention, never volunteering in class, but teachers would call on her eventually, and classmates were cruel.

“That took a toll on me — I didn’t forget it,” said Steward.

She showed up and did her work, typically scraping by with Ds every year — at Ferguson, McKinley, and Penn Treaty schools, and then at Kensington High. But by the time she had her first child at 18 and dropped out because she had no one to watch her baby, Steward still could not read.

Illiteracy complicated everything: How much water do you add to the mix when one of your children wants a birthday cake? What does that bill say? How much medicine do you give the child who has a fever?

“I would just put medicine in the cup, and give it to the baby and just pray that I did it right,” said Steward, who has five children.

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So she asked someone: Were there programs to help someone like her? Through the city’s Office of Adult Education, she was directed to the Center for Literacy, a city nonprofit that helps residents bolster their reading skills — a whopping 40 percent of adult Philadelphians struggle with literacy. By this spring, Steward was enrolled in classes at a center close to her home, an eager pupil who never missed class.  READ MORE @

OCALS

OCALS recognizes devoted volunteers

Daily News: 9.13.2017 by Virginia Kropf

An organization which started on a shoestring celebrated 11 years of success at its annual meeting Tuesday night at Millville United Methodist Church.

OCALS was founded by Don and Rose Ruck after they learned Literacy Orleans had closed its Albion office and it was brought to their attention that literacy needs in the county were not being met.

With only their own money and a few friends, the Rucks started seeking volunteers to build a new literacy organization in Orleans County.

They operated without a permanent home or a regular source of funding for several of those first years, relying on volunteers, money from family and friends and the generosity of local organizations which loaned them places to meet and tutor. READ MORE @

10 Current and Emerging Trends in Adult Learning via Getting Smart

10 Current and Emerging Trends in Adult Learning

Getting Smart: 10.21.2017 by Tom Vander Ark

What Do Harvey and Irma have to do with learning?

When (what we thought were) once in five hundred year storms hit every other week, it suggests there is something new going on–and another sign that we live in a world where the unexpected is the norm.

As more of us move into cities, connect and trade with people around the world, and take advantage of automation, the result is the clash of natural and man-made systems in ways that we don’t understand.

Urbanization, automation and globalization are resulting in unprecedented waves of novelty and complexity. The only thing we can be sure of is that change will occur more rapidly and more unexpectedly in the future. And that means we all need to learn fast and keep learning.

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What does all of this mean for adult learning? What about young adults who didn’t finish high school? What about the more than 30 million Americans that earned some college credits but not a complete degree. What about adults new to speaking English who need job skills–fast? We see 10 trends in this adult learning.

1-3. Online, mobile and blended are foregone conclusions.

4. Broader aims. Like leading K-12 schools, adult learning programs are adopting growth mindset (effort matters) and social and emotional learning (self and social awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making).

5. UI/UX. Adult learning programs are beginning to rethink user interface (UI) and the full user experience (UX).

6. Better Feedback. Adaptive learning systems and platforms are providing real-time feedback, and digital curriculum usually includes embedded assessments.

7. Learner supports. Access to support services is key to success. For learners who have struggled, these services often go unused unless activated through an advisory relationship.

8. Employer partnerships. HigherEd completion program positioned as an employee benefit.

9. Mix & Match + Support. “education as an employee benefit” partnerships. Academic coaches work with adults to assemble fast and cheap degree pathways.

10. Collaboration is key for scaling effective solutions. Personalized learning is promising, particularly for older learners who have struggled academically.

What’s Next?

1. Artificial intelligence behind everything.

2. Mastery transcripts. It’s increasingly a show what you know world. In many job categories, demonstrated mastery matters more than degrees.

3. Automated skill assessment. Like adaptive learning and automated writing feedback,  AI-powered skill assessment is improving rapidly.

4. Entrepreneurship. With more people freelancing and more employers seeking intrapreneurs, there is growing demand for entrepreneurship training–

5. On demand learning. Many adults have little patience for new courses to begin. An increasing amount of adult learning will be on demand or with rolling enrollments.

6. Own the learning plan. Now that we all need to keep learning, the scramble is on to support your learning plan.

7. National institutions. national service universities with (see Realm 4-5 in the graphic below) the development of tech-enhanced learning.

8. Impact opportunity. It’s never been easier to build an app, launch a campaign or assemble a big data set and analyze it with smart tools. The opportunity set allows young people to consider contribution now rather than 10 years from now.

9. Advocacy. Despite our best efforts, it’s quite likely that income inequality will grow in the information economy. We need to continue to teach and advocate for working adults.

10. Conditions for learning. Adult learning outcomes may be as much a function of who you are as what you do.  READ MORE @

Health Literacy :: Not All Patient Education is Created Equal

Health Literacy—Not All Patient Education is Created Equal

HealthWise: 9.21.2017 by Christy Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Consumer Health Experience

We live in a time of information overload. Health consumers are bombarded with tweets, alerts, fake news, contradictory studies, and more. So, if everyone can access information 24/7, why is health literacy still a problem? Because people can feel overwhelmed, uncertain about what sources to trust, and unable to make decisions or take action to care for their health.

Health literacy is a widespread challenge in the U.S., as these statistics show:

What is the impact of low health literacy?

The Institute of Medicine defines health literacy as “the degree to which people can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions.” Patients and families frequently lack relevant, accurate medical evidence and skilled guidance at the time of medical decision making.^iv It can be challenging for people with low health literacy to seek preventive care, understand and follow treatment plans, or take medicines correctly. This can lead to confused patients, frustrated clinicians, overuse of the emergency department, and ultimately higher costs.

What are the key components of an effective patient education solution?

Content that’s easy to understand

Unbiased and evidence-based information

Teach with visuals

Personal, relevant, and helpful

READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Bartlesville OK :: Canada :: Wood Co WV

Literacy: Spanning North America

Library announces upcoming health literacy programs

Pawhuska Journal Capital: 9.07.2017

Bartlesville Public Library and BPL Literacy Services are gearing up to help promote healthy living in Washington County throughout the 2017-2018 year — thanks to a grant that will fund education to area citizens on a wide range of health topics.

The Library/Literacy Services was awarded a health literacy grant, written by Library Literacy Coordinator Karen Kerr-McGraw and Senior Librarian Nadine Hawke, from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries of almost $9,000.

The grant has allowed the library to offer free health education programs for the public for the third year in a row.

“The money will be used to promote healthy living in the Washington County community by providing a series of free programming on health issues from September 2017 through August 2018,” Kerr-McGraw said.

The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is providing the funding for the grants, Kerr-McGraw said.

“The better understanding individuals have about their health choices, the better the outcomes, which is why this project is so important to Washington County,” she said.

According to the 2014 State of the State’s Health Report, Washington County did not fare as well as hoped, Kerr-McGraw said.

“America’s Health Rankings, an annual report by the United Health Foundation, lists Oklahoma near the bottom,” she said. “We rank 46 out of the 50 states.”

Literacy issues likely play a role in the low ranking, Hawke said.   READ MORE @

Canada’s Premiers Announce 2017 Literacy Award Recipients

Canada’s Premiers: 9.08.2017

In honour of International Literacy Day, Canada’s Premiers today announced the recipients of the 13th annual Council of the Federation Literacy Award. The award is presented to recipients from all 13 provinces and territories to celebrate outstanding achievement, innovative practice, and excellence in literacy.

The recipients of the 2017 Council of the Federation Literacy Award are:

Lethbridge Public Library – Alberta

Project Literacy Kelowna Society – British Columbia – Manitoba

Rosalie Simon – Newfoundland and Labrador

Lise Beaulieu – New Brunswick

Howard Lane – New Brunswick

Scott Atigikyoak – Northwest Territories

Jocelyne Boutilier – Nova Scotia

Elizabeth Dean – Nunavut

The LearningHUB – Ontario

Shawn Stewart – Prince Edward Island

La Fondation pour l’alphabétisation – Québec

Marilyn Stearns – Saskatchewan

Peter Morawsky – Yukon

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Created by Premiers in 2004, the Award recognizes the important role that literacy plays in facilitating Canadians’ participation as full and active citizens in all areas of society. The Award celebrates adult learners who undertake literacy training, as well as the valuable contributions made by Canadians in the field of literacy, including family, Aboriginal, health, workplace, and community literacy. The Award is presented to learners, educators, volunteers, community organizations, and businesses in each province and territory.

Each Award recipient receives a certificate, signed by the Premier of their province or territory, as well as a Council of the Federation Literacy Award medallion.   READ MORE @

Literacy Volunteers

Mid-Ohio Valley

Literacy Volunteers needs tutors

News & Sentinel: 9.09.2017 by Paul LaPann

Fifteen out of 100 Wood Countians do not read at a level that allows them to find cross streets on a map, read a newspaper article or understand medical prescriptions or instructions, a local organization says.

The nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of the Mid-Ohio Valley is trying to reverse this statistic by offering free, confidential one-on-one tutoring.

But volunteer tutors are needed to provide life skills to area residents.

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Dea Smith of Wood County has enjoyed being a Literacy Volunteers tutor for the past three years.

Smith has tutored young working parents learning English as a Second Language to create a better life for their families. She also has helped teenagers improve their reading skills.

One foreign-born woman sought help through LVMOV because she wanted to learn how to enroll her children in Wood County Schools, Smith said.

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Smith said an older gentleman reached out to Literacy Volunteers because he wanted to read his Bible.  READ MORE @

Health Literacy Month :: Health Literacy Out Loud (HLOL) Podcasts

#HealthLiteracyMonth

Health Literacy Out Loud (HLOL) Podcasts

What's New in Health Literacy Consulting: October 2017

Efforts to Improve the Readability of Medication Labels. Dr. Joanne Schwartzberg's leadership has helped health literacy flourish and grow. She now is working with others to improve the readability of medication labels. In this podcast, Dr. Schwartzberg talks about why this is needed, what is being done, and how podcast listeners can help.

Using Technology to Share and Communicate the Experience of Illness. Pam Ressler is my go-to person about social media and health. In this podcast she talks about how digital communication helps patients make meaning of illness, and move toward personalization and action.

Each Patient's Information Journey. Andy Rosenberg is creating an important online patient education tool that is filled with accurate, up-to-date, personalized content. This builds on Andy's professional experience in health policy and government affairs with his personal experience as a caregiver. Listen as Andy talks about matching education to where patients are along their information journeys.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Red Deer AB :: Winona MN :: San Diego CA :: Topeka KS

Literacy: Spanning North America

Living books for International Literacy Day in Red Deer

Red Deer News: 9.03.2017 by Kirsten Dennis

The Red Deer Public Library and the Adult Literacy Program are hosting a unique event on September 7th.

In honour of International Literacy Day, a Human Library will be hosted from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Dawe Branch.

Adults can come out and interact with the volunteer “living books” to gain insight in to their tales.

“The idea is to encourage people to check out living books. So when they come to the library instead of borrowing a [paper] book they’re going to be checking out a living book with living experience and diverse backgrounds and so on,” said Adult Literacy Program Manager Alla Mysko-Henke.

The Human Library idea was formed by Mysko-Henke while working with Dawe Branch Manager Tatiana Tilley. Mysko-Henke said it’s a great project and Tilley had the prior experience and connections to be able to pull it together as a successful event.

“We were thinking about what we could do to celebrate international literacy and the idea of a human library came up,” said Mysko-Henke, adding that it’s a great way to celebrate cultural diversity.

There will be approximately 12 "living books" on hand for the evening, each of them with a different background or a different culture to share with those present for the event.

“We will have one person talking about Ukraine Russia conflict and right now that is stirring a lot of questions, so we have someone giving some historical background. We will have a German Canadian who will have that conversation with people trying to break the stereotypes and tell people what it’s like to be a German in Canada.”  READ MORE @

September Volunteer of the Month: Encouraging others to volunteer

Winona Daily News: 9.04.2017 by Samantha Stetzer

It was a passion for education that led Susan Derks to tutoring elementary students more than 15 years ago, but it was an interest to do something different with that passion that led her to volunteering with the Adult Literacy Program.

And she’s now the program’s most experienced volunteer.

Run through the community education department with Winona Area Public Schools, the Adult Literacy Program offers education for adults looking for a either a second shot at education or to pad their educational skills. The program offers classes for older students who use English as a second language, those looking to earn their general education development — or GED — and students interested in basic educational opportunities.

As the September Volunteer of the Month, Derks is just one volunteer in a program in search of more volunteers to assist the educational opportunities and its teachers in the classroom.

The program works with volunteers to find which areas suit their talents, Adult Literacy Coordinator Chris Dahlke said, and the openings really depend on what they have open and are necessary to fill. READ MORE @

@SDLiteracy

Jose Cruz, CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy

WS Radio: 9.01.2017 by Drew Schlosberg

Discusses the recent San Diego Festival of Books; the importance of partnering with diverse agencies to enhance literacy in our communities; and strategies in Health Literacy that address communication breakdowns between patients and the healthcare system.  LISTEN

East Topeka Learning Center will spur growth

Postsecondary education is becoming more and more important for Kansas workers

CJ Online: 9.05.2017 by The Capital-Journal Editorial Board

Momentum 2022 is a holistic development plan for Topeka that emphasizes quality of life, economic growth, civic engagement and education.

In many ways, the last item on that list is the most important — education gives workers the skills they need to secure better jobs, which benefits employers and the entire community by increasing economic output, reducing poverty and enlarging the tax base. It’s also a gateway to financial security and job satisfaction — in the 21st century, workers who lack the proper training will find themselves competing for a vanishing set of low-skill, low-salary jobs.

As the city focuses on attracting businesses and new residents, the East Topeka Learning Center will be a valuable resource for the cultivation of talent we already have.  READ MORE @

New Project: States Align Adult Education/Workforce Systems :: Adults to Build Skills :: Achieve Economic Mobility

New project will help states align adult education/workforce systems, equipping adults to build skills and achieve economic mobility

National Skills Coalition: 9.27.2017 by Amanda Bergson-Shilcock

National Skills Coalition is leading a new project to help states align public and private investments to improve skill-building and economic mobility for workers with limited foundational skills. Titled “Building the Foundation: Strengthening Public-Private Systems for Upskilling Workers,” the effort is an initiative of NSC with support from National College Transition Network at World Education Inc. The project is funded by a grant from Walmart, as part of Walmart Giving’s Retail Opportunity Initiative, a five-year, $100 million sector-wide effort aimed at making it easier for front-line workers to advance their careers in retail or adjacent sectors by building transferable skills.

There are more than 36 million workers with foundational skill gaps in the US today – including people who have reading, math, spoken English, or technology skill needs. The issue is especially acute in the service sector, where a recent NSC study found that 74% of workers in the target occupations lack key foundational skills. These skill gaps are an invisible drag on productivity, compromising economic progress for workers and their employers.

As part of this new initiative, NSC will select several states to receive technical assistance starting in Fall 2017. The 18-month project will capitalize on momentum in states that are innovating in the area of adult education and upskilling, providing a boost that enables state leaders to better-align existing public and private investments and increase the number of individuals who benefit from effective upskilling approaches.

Leaders from the selected states will also be invited to participate in peer learning activities where they can share expertise with other state administrators and advocates. NSC will also support the engagement of business and industry leaders in upskilling systems alignment efforts via the Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships (BLU) initiative. BLU is co-convened by NSC and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

An additional component of the project will provide technical assistance to localities within select states. This component will be carried out by the Boston-based National College Transition Network (NCTN).

NCTN will amplify the work being done at the state level by helping selected localities implement effective upskilling frameworks on the ground. A key consideration will be how to ensure that local leaders can use their expertise to implement state policies in a way that is responsive to both adult learner/jobseeker and business needs.

More information on this project will be made available in Fall 2017 when states have been selected.  READ MORE @