ERIC ED355343: Voices from the Literacy Field.

408 Pages·1992·5 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 355 343
CE 062 917
AUTHOR
Draper, James A., Ed.; Taylor, Maurice C., Ed.
TITLE
Voices from the Literacy Field.
REPORT NO
ISBN-0-921472-10-2
PUB DATE
92
NOTE
408p.
AVAILABLE FROM
Culture Concepts, Inc., 5 Darlingbrook Crescent,
Toronto, Ontario M9A 3H4, Canada ($34.95 plus
shipping).
PUB TYPE
Books (010)
LANGUAGE
English; French
EDRS FRICE
MF01/PC17 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Adult Basic Education; Adult Literacy; Basic Skills;
Case Studies; *Community Education; Coordination;
Cultural Context; Cultural Education; Cultural
Influences; Developed Nations; Educational
Cooperation; Educational Philosophy; Foreign
Countries; Foundations of Education; French;
*Holistic Approach; Job Skills; Job Training; Labor
Force Development; *Literacy Education; Outreach
Programs; Peer Teaching; Staff Development; *Student
Participation; Tutoring; Welfare Recipients
IDENTIFIERS
*Canada; *Workplace Literacy
ABSTRACT
These case studies of the experiences of literacy
practitioners and their students from all regions of Canada contain
descriptions and reflections that provide a critical and revealing
commentary on effective practice in literacy education in Canada.
Each case study chapter begins with introductory information that
provides a synopsis of who, what, and where. Discussion questions at
the end of each case study are intended to provoke further reflection
and debate. Section 1
on Foundations of literacy contains three
chapters: "Looking at Philosophies for Literacy Education" (Draper);
"Understanding the Principles Guiding Our Literacy Practice"
(Taylor); and "Learning about Learning" (Barer-Stein). Section 2
consists of four case study chapters on community building: "Training
Literacy Practitioners for Community-Based Settings" (Norton);
"Community Strengthening" (Goldgrab); "Linking Literacy and Health: A
Popular Education Approach" (Norton); and "Outreach" (Goldgrab). In
section 3 are five case studies focusing on special needs: "Peer
Tutoring in the Classroom" (Goldgrab); "Literacy, Welfare, and
Popular Education" (Norton); "Preparing Psychiatric Patients for
Independent Living" (Goldgrab); and "Les Pas des Mots" and its
English translation, "Promoting the March of Words" (Blais). The six
case studies in section 4 are on activating student participation:
"Sharing Power and Authority" (Norton); "Les Murs de Papier" and its
English translation, "Dialogue with Social Decision-Makers" (Blais);
"Activating Student Participation" (Goldgrab); and "S'alphabetiser
pour posseder une die" and its English translation, "Literacy
Training as a Key" (Blais). Section 5 contains five case studies on
language and culture: "The Whole Person Approach" (Goldgrab);
"Theater as Literacy" (Walker); "The Preservation of Franco-Ontarian
Language and Culture" and its French translation, "La preservation de
la langue et de la culture franco-ontarienne" (Goldgrab); and
"Promoting Language, Literacy, and Culture in an Arctic Community"
(Norton). Section 6 consists of four case studies on workplace
literacy: "Collaboration in Workplace Literacy" (Darville);
"S'alphabetiser en milieu de travail" and its English translation,
"Literacy Training in the Workplace" (Blais); and "Collaborative
Learning in Times of Change" (Wells). An epilogue is "Continuing the
Debate" (Draper). Contains 178 references. (YLB)
-
AVAILABLE
BEST COPY
/
AINIMA.M=1
of
404
VIZ
in
t
in
si
AA
tr.
Pi
W
---
a
NW
o
THIS
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE
BY
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED
EDUCATION
'"
U S. DEPARTMENT OP
and Imptonttt
Mc*, Edtrcabonat Resurch
INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
ell
(.4-1
CENTER (ERIC)
bun rufoducd u
IN
1(
TAN document /Ns
of orgarozabon
moved tram the perfon
009inalifKI IL
Mw bun road to tmprou
RESOURCES
TO THE EDUCATIONAL
0 hittItY ~VIA
oroductron wieldy
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"
obintonsualrld in this docu
'
C:."
Pants*. yr** or
repruent officnd
nOCMIfily
do not
M01
OERI 008ttiOn or policy
A ,
(i
II ' e II
4
.
.)
II
AIL
_
0
2
"*"....-...-..1_
.i11.7.--,..
VOICES
FROM THE
LITERACY FIELD
James A. Draper and Maurice C. Taylor
Editors
"books that won't stay on the shelf.. "TM
Culture Concepts Inc.
Toronto, Ontario
CULTURE
CONCEPTS
L)
Copyright CO 1992 Culture Concepts Inc.
All rights reserved. The use of any part ot this publication reproduced, transmitted in any
form or ht any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or
stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent ot the publisher
or in the
case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license trom Canadian keprography
Collective is an infringement of the copyright law.
The opinions and view, eApre,,:ed in tin, boig, represent those of the ant ho, -researchers and their
Interviewees and do not ne,e4sartly repre,ent those of the editors or the polisher.
CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA.
Main entry under title:
Voices from the literacy field
Includes some text in French.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-921472-10-2
1. Literacy Canada -Case Studies. 2. Elementary education
of adults - Canada Case studies.
I. Draper, James A., 1930-
.
II. Taylor, Maurice Charles, 1952-
.
C92-094810-3
LC154.V65 1992
374.012
Culture Concepts Inc.
5 Darlingbrook Crescent
Toronto Ontario, Canada
M9A 3H4
Printed (Sr bound in Canada by BEST GAGNE
Composition: Accurate Typesetting Limited, Canada.
CONTENTS
Introduction
i
iii
Acknowledgements
v
The Contributors
Section One: Foundations of Literacy
Chapter 1
Looking at Philosophies for Literacy Education
3
James A. Draper
Chapter 2
Understanding Principles Guiding our Practice .
21
.
. .
Maurice C. Taylor
Chapter 3
Learning about Learning
35
Thelma Barer-Stein
Section Two: Case Studies on Community Building
Introduction
75
Chapter 1
'Raining Literacy Practitioners for Community-Based
Settings
81
Mary Norton
Chapter 2
Community Strengthening
93
Sheila Goldgrab
Chapter 3
Linking Literacy and Health: A Popular
103
Education Approach
Mary Norton
Chapter 4
Outreach
113
Sheila Goldgrab
Section Three: Case Studies Focusing on Special Needs
Introduction
125
Chapter 1
129
Peer Tutoring in the Classroom
Sheila Goldgrab
0
Chapter 2
Literacy, Welfare and Popular Education
139
Mary Norton
Chapter 3
Preparing Psychiatric Patients for
Independent Living
155
Shelia Goldgrab
Chapter 4
Les Pas des Mots
167
Helene Blais
Chapter 5
Promoting the March of Words
179
Helene Blais (translated from French)
Section Four: Case Studies on Activating Student
Participation
Introduction
191
Chapter 1
Sharing Power and Authority
195
Many Norton
Chapter 2
Les Murs de Papier
205
Helene Blais
Chapter 3
Dialogue with Social Decision-Makers
219
Helene Blais (translated from French)
Chapter 4
Activating Student Participation
231
Sheila Goldgrab
Chapter 5
S'alphabetiser
243
Helene Blais
Chapter 6
Literacy 'Raining as a Key
255
Helene Blais (translated from French)
Section Five: Case Studies on Language and
Culture
Introduction
367
Chapter 1
The Whole Person Approach
271
Sheila Goldgrab
Chapter 2
Theatre as Literacy
281
Tom Walker
Chapter 3
The Preservation of Franco-Ontarian Language
and Culture
295
Sheila Goldgrab
Chapter 4
La preservation de la langue et de la culture
307
franco-ontarienne
Sheila Goldgrab (translated from the English)
Ch:Tter 5
Promoting Language, Literacy and Culture
in an Arctic Community
-71,
Mary Norton
Section Six: Case Studies on Workplace Literacy
335
Introduction
Chapter 1
Collaboration in Workplace Literacy
341
Richard Darville
Chapter 2
S'alphabetiser en milieu de travail
353
Merle Blais
Chapter 3
367
Literacy 'Training in the Workplace
Helene Blais (translated from the French)
Chapter 4
Collaborative Learning in Times of Change
379
Marion Wells
Epilogue
Continuing the Debate
393
James A. Draper
409
Selected References
INTRODUCTION
Voices from the Literacy Field is an attempt to capture the
experiences of literacy practitioners and their participating
students through observing their interactions and joining in
discussions and interviews with them. This selection of case
studies is from all regions of Canada (they have been
selected from our previous work: Issues in Adult Literacy and
Basic Education: Canada). This will explain why some of the
theme areas in this book have a predominance of one or two
authors. In addition in the original study, more case studies
populous
were conducted for Ontario (because it is the most
province) which explains the number of studies docu-
mented here. These descriptions and reflections provide a
critical and revealing commentary on effective practice in
literacy education in Canada.
We found it heartening to see first-hand the number and
kinds of services provided through the many literacy agen-
cies, each one uniquely tailored for the delivery of practical
literacy education. We also found that agencies differed in
how students
some aspects of teaching methodology, in just
participated, in the ways in which their communities
became involved, and even in the ways that paid and volun-
teer workers were trained. Other differences were noted in
the clientele the agencies served, how they were financed
and the reasons for their locations. They differed also on how
they viewed research and in the ways they assessed their
own work and that of their students.
To each of these selected case studies chapters, we have
added introductory 'boxes' of information that provide a
quick who-what-where synopsis at the very beginning. And
end of each case
we have added discussion questions at the
ii
study to provoke further reflection and perhaps debate.
You will be interested to see that five of the case studies
have been translated either from French to English or from
English to French because of their importance in under-
standing the special concerns of cultural groups.
Four of the case studies, written in French, depict literacy
programs in the province of Quebec. An English translation
immediately follows each. Please note that this translation is
shown as a separate chapter. Since a case study from Ontario
documents some of the issues important to franco-
ontarians, it too, has been translated into French, totalling
five case studies which attempt to present a francophone
perspective on issues. Finally, because of the subtleties of
language, the discussion questions at the end of the French
and the English studies differ slightly.
Our underlying assumption within the Foundations of Lit-
eracy is that improving literacy practice and developing liter-
acy professionals, necessitates familiarity with the possible
philosophical alternatives, the basic adult education princi-
ples, as well as learning theory which underlies and guides
good practice. The chapters by Draper, Taylor and Barer-
Stein illustrate the theories upon which the case studies are
to be interpreted.
Philosophy underlies our work, principles guide our
work, and if learning isn't the goal of all literacy programs,
then what is?
The Selected References are not the only resources. We
would like you to know that the agencies themselves can be
contacted for further information too.
While we are all aware that the case studies captured in a
be in constant change, we hope
and should
book will
that what they reveal will be valuable as an educational tool,
as a reference, and as a resource for specific issues. Finally
we hope that our Epilogue: Continuing the Debate will really
be examined to provoke your own discussions. You have the
last word.
lames A. Draper and Maurice C. Tailor
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The case studies constituting the core of this book repre-
sent the contributions of literally scores of practitioners who
shared their literacy experiences with us. In addition to
thanking these practitioners, we are especially indebted to
the author-researchers who travelled to various regions in
Canada to see for themselves, to listen, to question, and then
to write these case studies with care and understanding.
Within the National Literacy Secretariat, Department of
Multiculturalism and Citizenship Canada, we sincerely
thank Richard Nolan, and Sue Smee for their continuing
encouragement and support not only to publish this book
but also for supporting the national literacy research project
upon which this book is based, Issues in Adult Literacy and
Basic Education: Canada. We also wish to express our appre-
ciation to Brad Munro, until recently with the Canadian
Commission for Unesco, and now a policy analyst with the
Department of the Secretary of State, for his long-time sup-
port and encouragement of our literacy projects. Within the
Literacy Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Education, we
continue to be indebted to Harold Alden, Betty Butterworth,
and Arthur Bull.
We consider Foundations of Literacy to be a valuable contri-
bution which balances the actual practice of literacy educa-
tion with the theoretical components underlying it. To this
end, we thank our colleague Thelma Barer-Stein for her
chapter which provides both new and thoughtful material
for all teachers, trainers, coordinators, as well as for students
themselves.For uiciertaking specific and important tasks
required in manuscript preparation, we express our thanks
to Lorisa Stein for French editing; Yingmin C. Xu for her
work on the bibliography; and Kathleen Sparacino and
Jeanie Stewart both from the Department of Adult Educa-
tion, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, for typ-
ing many parts of the manuscript. And at the Faculty of
Education, University of Ottawa, special thanks to Gabriel
Bordeleau, Bayne Logan and Diane Jackson.
James A. Draper and Maurice C. Taylor