June 2007 - Quebec English Literacy Alliance
June 2007 - Quebec English Literacy Alliance
June 2007 - Quebec English Literacy Alliance
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Volume 3, Issue 1<br />
Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />
Our Mission:<br />
The <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> <strong>Alliance</strong> (QELA), a partnership of <strong>English</strong> literacy providers, is dedicated to networking, training<br />
and information-sharing activities, advocating for the advancement of literacy in the province.<br />
Inside this issue:<br />
QLWG to Test Distance<br />
Education Units<br />
Beryl Kerrison - Trainer<br />
Extraordinaire<br />
Learning Exchange’s<br />
Celebration <strong>2007</strong><br />
Riva Heft Hecht Scholarship<br />
The Student Scene 4-5<br />
LLC-Q/LVQ Project Updates<br />
PGI<br />
<strong>2007</strong><br />
Golf<br />
News<br />
2<br />
3<br />
3<br />
3<br />
5<br />
6-8<br />
Little News Re: Federal Cuts to <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
fter many difficult months of waiting for<br />
A funding, we were pleased to learn that<br />
the QELA website project, which includes<br />
the QELA Contact newsletter, would be<br />
granted its final year of IFPCA funding.<br />
However, we have still not heard from the<br />
federal government about what will be happening<br />
following January 2008. According<br />
to the Movement for Canadian <strong>Literacy</strong>,<br />
“there is no news regarding the transition<br />
from the old funding program, the National<br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> Secretariat (NLS), to the new National<br />
Office of <strong>Literacy</strong> and Learning<br />
(NOLL). The NOLL’s funding parameters<br />
have not been announced.”<br />
LOCAL ACTIONS TO<br />
REINSTATE FEDERAL FUNDING<br />
Since the official announcement of the federal<br />
budget cuts in September 2006, a <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> Coalition comprised of<br />
groups from school boards and communitybased<br />
groups – <strong>English</strong> and French –<br />
across the province, has been very united,<br />
very active and very vocal:<br />
• First press conference held in Nov. 2006<br />
(same day as Laval bridge collapse): no<br />
journalists, no articles published.<br />
• Letter sent to Prime Minster Harper (no<br />
response; except to re-direct us to Minister<br />
Diane Finley). cont. on page 2 <br />
QELA Presentation to<br />
Minority Languages<br />
Committee<br />
Changing the Way We<br />
Teach Math<br />
<strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Sector<br />
Workshops<br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> Levels in <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
- Statistics<br />
9<br />
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
New CEO at NALD 11<br />
Calendar of Events 12<br />
Just Point and Click! 12<br />
Odds and Sods 12<br />
Happy summer to all!<br />
Members of the <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Coalition<br />
Back row: actors Patrice Coquereau & Marie Turgeon (spokespersons); Christian Pelletier,<br />
RGPAQ; Apraham Niziblian, ICEA.<br />
Front row: Diane Pouliot, TREAQFP; Maryse Perreault, Fondation pour l’alphabétisation; Gilles<br />
Duceppe; Joani Tannenbaum, LLC-Q/LVQ; and Dominique Olivier, ICEA.<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 1
Little News Re: Federal Cuts to <strong>Literacy</strong> cont. from page 1<br />
• Letters sent to the Leaders of the Opposition:<br />
generated questions in the<br />
House of Commons as well as meetings<br />
with Gilles Duceppe (December<br />
1) and Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal<br />
party (December 21).<br />
• Letter and request for a meeting sent<br />
to Ministers Fournier (MELS) and<br />
Courchesne (MESS) on December<br />
12; contact with Mme Courchesne’s<br />
political attaché but no meeting<br />
planned to date.<br />
• Letter sent to Diane Finley (no response).<br />
• Letter sent to Ms. Finley’s replacement,<br />
Mr. Solberg in January<br />
(received a letter of acknowledgement).<br />
• March 1, <strong>2007</strong>: Press Conference in<br />
Ottawa with Jack Layton and Gilles<br />
Duceppe (see photo on page 1).<br />
• November 2006: QELA launched a<br />
press release regarding the cuts.<br />
• Feb. 1, <strong>2007</strong>: QELA’s interim president<br />
Ilze Epners was convened to<br />
speak before the minority languages<br />
commission regarding how the cuts<br />
would affect QELA. (See page 9.)<br />
QLWG Moving Ahead to Test Distance Education<br />
Competency-Based <strong>Literacy</strong> Thematic Units<br />
ast fall, the <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Working<br />
L Group (QLWG) completed the development<br />
of 29 competency-based thematic<br />
units for literacy distance education.<br />
As our funding arrived too late for us to<br />
begin piloting the units this year (many of<br />
our programs are winding down or have<br />
already come to an end for the current<br />
school year), we plan to pilot the units with<br />
literacy teachers across the province in<br />
the early fall.<br />
POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH<br />
LOCAL READING COUNCILS<br />
As a distance education literacy program<br />
will require some individual tutor support<br />
in the adults’ communities, we will also<br />
be inviting the members of Laubach<br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> of Canada-<strong>Quebec</strong>/<strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Volunteers of <strong>Quebec</strong> (LLC-Q/LVQ) to<br />
partner with us on this exciting initiative.<br />
• May 7, 2006: The Coalition reunited<br />
with the intention of renewing its efforts<br />
to obtain funding for literacy.<br />
The focus of these efforts will be developed<br />
in the coming months.<br />
OUTCOME OF PROVINCIAL<br />
INITIATIVES TO DATE<br />
To date, the efforts of the Coalition have<br />
fallen on deaf ears at both the provincial<br />
and federal government levels. Even the<br />
<strong>Quebec</strong> media has shown little interest in<br />
this situation.<br />
Very little information is trickling down<br />
from the federal government and no new<br />
information has been given since October<br />
2006, when the federal government told<br />
the literacy community that in the future,<br />
it would be retargeting resources towards<br />
strengthening adult literacy and learning<br />
activities in the national interests or in<br />
advancing adult literacy and learning<br />
achievements in areas of federal responsibility<br />
(including aboriginal peoples, immigrants,<br />
official languages, persons with<br />
disabilities, official languages, workplace<br />
literacy, etc.).<br />
The QLWG Skills for Life units were created<br />
with the new MELS common core<br />
basic education program in mind: units<br />
are competency-based and anchored in<br />
the real-life needs of adult learners. We<br />
have also focussed on a distance education<br />
approach to ensure that we can<br />
reach smaller numbers of adults who<br />
cannot access regular literacy classes<br />
for one reason or another. Each unit is<br />
accompanied by a Tutor Support Guide.<br />
If you are interested in learning more,<br />
please contact Patti Moore, QLWG Coordinator,<br />
at moorep@cqsb.qc.ca or<br />
(418) 651-3022<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 2
Beryl Kerrison - Trainer Extraordinaire<br />
e are proud to announce that Beryl<br />
W Kerrison, Head Trainer for Western<br />
<strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Council, has won<br />
the Community Service in Education<br />
Award from the Regional Association of<br />
West <strong>Quebec</strong>ers. She was honoured at<br />
the Community Awards Gala on <strong>June</strong> 1 st<br />
at the Maison du Citoyen in Hull.<br />
Beryl Kerrison has been a volunteer tutor<br />
since completing her tutor training in<br />
1993. She began tutoring an adult literacy<br />
student right away. That fall she began<br />
the training certification process to<br />
become a Tutor Trainer and started pre-<br />
The Learning Exchange’s Celebration <strong>2007</strong><br />
olunteers, students and staff of The<br />
V Learning Exchange (TLE) in<br />
Chomedey, Laval held their “Celebration<br />
<strong>2007</strong>” on May 30 th in the Sir Wilfrid<br />
Laurier CDC Laurier’s cafeteria.<br />
senting workshops in 1994. Beryl remarks<br />
that she realized that she could<br />
tutor a good many more students by<br />
training more tutors.<br />
Beryl became Western <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Council’s Head Trainer in 1996. In the<br />
intervening eleven years she has trained<br />
142 tutors!<br />
Congratulations, Beryl. Thank you for<br />
sharing the magic of tutoring and reading<br />
with others.<br />
Marilee DeLombard<br />
Executive Director, WQLC<br />
Along with staff, the evening was organized<br />
by students and volunteers. Students<br />
in Darlene Brown’s Basic <strong>English</strong><br />
class had prepared PowerPoint presentations<br />
thanking the volunteers for their<br />
time and dedication. Students also wrote<br />
about why they thought “volunteers are<br />
great…” and copies were put together for<br />
all of the volunteers to take home. Special<br />
certificates of achievement and recognition<br />
were given by TLE’s President<br />
Donna Adrian and Executive Director<br />
Darlene Brown. Mehr, Masoda, Sebu<br />
and Lisa were awarded student certificates<br />
for their study efforts and Christiane,<br />
Tabatha, Madeline and Cynthia<br />
each received volunteer certificates for<br />
their outstanding contribution to TLE’s<br />
literacy program.<br />
A special draw was held in which class<br />
tutor Alan and student Christina won USB<br />
memory sticks. Celebration <strong>2007</strong> was a<br />
wonderful success!<br />
Beryl Kerrison<br />
The Riva Heft Hecht Scholarship<br />
t the <strong>Quebec</strong> Association for Adult<br />
A Learning’s Annual General Meeting<br />
on May 26 th , QELA’s past President, Ilze<br />
Epners, was presented the Riva Heft<br />
Hecht Scholarship for excellence and<br />
innovative practice in Adult Education<br />
which consists of an award of $500 and a<br />
framed certificate of excellence.<br />
Ilze works for the largest <strong>English</strong> language<br />
provider of distance education<br />
(DE) in the province of <strong>Quebec</strong>. All <strong>English</strong><br />
language school boards in <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
have access to this service that offers<br />
adult learners the opportunity to complete<br />
their high school leaving diploma at a<br />
distance and at a pace that suits them.<br />
Individuals have easy access to the program<br />
and one-to-one support from tutors.<br />
Through Ilze’s energies, perseverance,<br />
and commitment to adult education she<br />
moved the existing DE program forward to<br />
new heights, thus responding to a learning<br />
need in the <strong>English</strong>-speaking community.<br />
Her leadership has made it possible for<br />
adult learners who might otherwise not<br />
have had the prospects to do so, to complete<br />
their DES.<br />
This program serves as a model of a DE<br />
delivery system for providing user-friendly<br />
access and support to individuals who are<br />
homebound, living in rural and remote<br />
regions, as well as those travelling, in<br />
hospitals and in prisons.<br />
Congratulations, Ilze.<br />
Ilze Epners<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 3
The Student Scene - in Cowansville & Pointe-Claire<br />
O n April 23rd , 434 elementary school<br />
children marked World Book Day by<br />
participating in AlphaMarch, a bilingual<br />
event organized by the Yamaska <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Council, Le Sac à Mots and the Cowansville<br />
Centre d’Action Bénévole.<br />
Each of the three participating Cowansville<br />
schools (Heroes’ Memorial, Curé à Petit,<br />
and Ste-Thérèse) formed a parade to Parc<br />
Davignon, many sporting a “walking book”<br />
that they had created.<br />
Following an<br />
opening ceremony at<br />
the Gazebo at Parc<br />
Davignon, each class<br />
participated in three<br />
different activity stations:<br />
storytelling,<br />
bookmark making<br />
and creating a class<br />
mural.<br />
Storytellers included:<br />
Grampa Bob, authors<br />
from the Im-PRESS<br />
project at Cowansville Academy for Lifelong<br />
Learning, theatre personalities including<br />
Danny McAuley, Laura Allen, Joan<br />
Seys and Don Davison, musician Yvon<br />
Coté and Legion member, Gordie Swift.<br />
“Both the Yamaska <strong>Literacy</strong> Council and<br />
Le Sac à Mots have a primary mandate to<br />
provide literacy training to adults with low<br />
Proud to Learn Awards for L.U. Students<br />
n January, just after our Christmas<br />
I break, I received an email from the Institute<br />
for Co-operation for Adult Education<br />
asking for student nominations to the<br />
Proud to Learn Awards. After discussing<br />
it with my colleagues we nominated three<br />
students whom we felt had worked particularly<br />
hard.<br />
At the beginning of April we were contacted<br />
to say that the three students nominated<br />
had all been awarded a certificate.<br />
The bonus for us was that one of the students<br />
won an additional award of $125.<br />
When the students were contacted they<br />
were very happy to have won and the student<br />
who won the award plus the money<br />
was ecstatic, to say the least. The students<br />
who won were: Francis, the student<br />
literacy skills. However, an event like<br />
World Book Day is a great opportunity to<br />
raise awareness in the community about<br />
the importance of reading. Many adult<br />
students come forward for help with reading<br />
and writing, when their own young children<br />
begin to read, and need support with<br />
homework”, says Wendy Seys, YLC Coordinator.<br />
Children were treated to a snack provided<br />
by the Cowansville<br />
Centre d’Action Bénévole;<br />
music and<br />
mascots added to the<br />
atmosphere, and the<br />
warm sunny weather<br />
contributed to the success<br />
of the day!<br />
Thanks to the all the<br />
volunteers who<br />
helped make this fun<br />
day a reality for many<br />
children!<br />
For info about the Yamaska <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Council, contact Wendy Seys at 450-263-<br />
7503/866-337-7503,<br />
yamaskalit@endirect.qc.ca<br />
For info about Le Sac à Mots contact<br />
Shawn-Marie Dawson at<br />
450-266-3766, sacamo@videotron.ca<br />
of Sylvia Flowers*; Mabel, the student of<br />
Georgia Jared and last but not least<br />
James, the student of Doris Herusch.<br />
The framed certificates, along with a gift<br />
voucher from <strong>Literacy</strong> Unlimited, were presented<br />
to the students at our AGM in May.<br />
* Sylvia Flowers, who has been a tutor<br />
with us for two years, won the award for<br />
outstanding tutor at the Centre for <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Awards at Dawson College this year along<br />
with a cheque for $125.<br />
Congratulations to all of the tutors and<br />
students for such hard work over the year!<br />
- Sue Bramfitt-Reid<br />
Program Director, <strong>Literacy</strong> Unlimited<br />
Pointe-Claire<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 4
From the Students of The Learning Exchange<br />
V<br />
olunteers are great because they…<br />
…are very nice.<br />
…always have time for us.<br />
…are always smiling no matter what.<br />
…make us laugh and they teach us how to<br />
study.<br />
…care about the students.<br />
…will help you with anything.<br />
…always have a smile on their face.<br />
…are always there when students need them.<br />
…are helping the student.<br />
…come in on their own expense.<br />
…are well known.<br />
…know we need extra help.<br />
…always help me when I need it.<br />
T<br />
H<br />
A<br />
N<br />
K<br />
Y<br />
O<br />
U<br />
V<br />
olunteers are great because they help…<br />
…us to do our work.<br />
…me for my study.<br />
…me understand more.<br />
…me pass my classes.<br />
…us in any kind of courses.<br />
…with math.<br />
…with reading.<br />
…with whatever we need to learn from them.<br />
…from the heart the best as they can.<br />
LLC-Q/LVQ Project Updates<br />
nother year comes to a close, and what a<br />
A year it has been! LLC-Q/LVQ is continually<br />
striving to position itself as the voice of<br />
<strong>English</strong> literacy in the community sector in<br />
<strong>Quebec</strong>, and has been working diligently to<br />
ensure that its voice is heard.<br />
With this end in mind, LLC-Q/LVQ participated<br />
in, or organized, the following activities during<br />
the 2006-<strong>2007</strong> fiscal year:<br />
• National consultations on health literacy<br />
and access to adult education in <strong>Quebec</strong>;<br />
• Frontier College conference on health, nutrition<br />
and literacy;<br />
• International <strong>Literacy</strong> Day launch of new<br />
campaign by the Fondation pour l’alphabétisation;<br />
• March-around-the-block organized on ILD<br />
by Regroupement des groupes populaires<br />
en alphabetization québécois (RGPAQ);<br />
• Retreat for member councils;<br />
• Annual and student conference and annual<br />
general meeting, where LLCQ hosted the<br />
2006 Canada Post <strong>Literacy</strong> Award presentations;<br />
• <strong>Literacy</strong> Action Day in Ottawa;<br />
• International literacy seminar hosted by<br />
MELS in <strong>Quebec</strong> City;<br />
• Press conferences in Montreal and Ottawa<br />
organized by the Coalition pour l’alphabétisation,<br />
as well as monthly coalition meetings<br />
and meetings with MPs;<br />
• Changing Times Forum for <strong>English</strong>speaking<br />
and ethnocultural community<br />
groups, organized by COCo;<br />
• Best Practices in Tutor Training round table<br />
(great opportunity to exchange with our<br />
community literacy counterparts in Ontario);<br />
• QELA retreat and general meeting;<br />
• Adult <strong>Literacy</strong> Recognition Award and the<br />
Council of the Federation <strong>Literacy</strong> Award;<br />
• MELS working group on IALLS statistics;<br />
• MELS/PACTE mixed and working committees;<br />
• LLC strategic planning sessions and annual<br />
general meeting;<br />
• National summit on libraries and literacy,<br />
organized by the Canadian Library Association,<br />
and;<br />
• MELS working group on recruitment and<br />
sensitization.<br />
Next year promises to be just as busy, with<br />
three projects either under way, waiting for<br />
approval, or about to be submitted. So, don’t<br />
change the channel, stay tuned for the next<br />
update…<br />
- by Joani Tannenbaum<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 5
Peter Gzowski Invitational, <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />
Keynote Speaker,<br />
Mark Kelley.<br />
Just some of the Gala night<br />
Silent Auction items.<br />
Cocktails at sunset<br />
by Lac Brome.<br />
ow - the <strong>2007</strong> <strong>Quebec</strong> PGI is now<br />
W part of our history. Once again<br />
QELA had the honour of hosting the <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
PGI. It was a wonderful event- from<br />
the launching Gala Benefit dinner to the<br />
last word from our poet laureate- L. Ian<br />
McDonald. We do not have the final total<br />
of the funds raised this year, but we know<br />
that it was a success.<br />
This year’s Gala dinner with our guest<br />
speaker, Mark Kelley was a sell out. The<br />
atmosphere was that of a charming garden<br />
party. The cocktails were served on<br />
the lawn and the<br />
dinner in a room<br />
with a million dollar<br />
view - the sunset<br />
was a show in<br />
itself. Mark Kelley<br />
spoke so eloquently<br />
about his<br />
adventures as a<br />
CBC journalist.<br />
What I shall always<br />
remember<br />
of Mark was how<br />
down to earth<br />
and approachable<br />
he is. Mark<br />
has seen what a<br />
lack of literacy<br />
skills can do and<br />
fiercely supports adult literacy.<br />
This year’s gala had a first - a silent auction.<br />
Thank you to everybody who donated<br />
items and a special thank you to<br />
Sherbrooke Air, who donated three return<br />
airline tickets to Toronto. Mrs. Evelyn<br />
Blackwood, the winner of two<br />
tickets, is already planning a<br />
“a theatre trip” in the fall. This<br />
event could never have happened<br />
without the help of the<br />
Gala committee so capably<br />
chaired by Gerda Duncan of<br />
Knowlton. The generosity of<br />
the Knowlton residents shone<br />
once again.<br />
The actual golf day ended up<br />
being the hottest day of May.<br />
No complaints were heard<br />
about the sunshine at all and all golfers<br />
had a great time. Wendy Seys had her<br />
volunteers in all the right places and the<br />
day went off as smoothly as possible.<br />
Even though we had to change the format<br />
from a shot gun to a regular tee off schedule,<br />
everybody was in such a good mood<br />
that few complaints were heard<br />
This year Keith Ward from Lachute was<br />
the recipient of the Co-operators Learner<br />
Achievement Award. Keith received a certificate,<br />
a beautiful pen and $200.00. He<br />
spoke very movingly about his trials as an<br />
adult learner. Congratulations Keith!<br />
Because of the generosity of our sponsors,<br />
we had<br />
enough articles to<br />
have another silent<br />
auction at the<br />
golf tournament. I<br />
would like to express<br />
a very special<br />
note of appreciation<br />
to Hannah<br />
Productions for<br />
the huge donation<br />
that they made.<br />
Everybody that<br />
won articles left<br />
with smiles on<br />
their faces. And<br />
as is the tradition<br />
our day ended<br />
with a poem read<br />
by our Poet laureate L. Ian MacDonald. A<br />
special thanks to Tasha Kheiriddin who<br />
wrote the poem that Mr. MacDonald read.<br />
L to R: Ilze Epners, PGI-QC Committee Chair; Michel<br />
Laflamme, Director-General of Air Sherbrooke and<br />
Evelyn Blackwood, winner of two return tickets to<br />
Toronto, compliments of Air Sherbrooke.<br />
And so another PGI becomes history. Because<br />
of the hard work of all the committees<br />
- with Patti Moore and Cathy Nolan<br />
chairing our silent auction items, Karen<br />
Ingalls for all her creative PR materials,<br />
Gary Briand working hard to get corporate<br />
sponsors and Carolyn Marsh pulling all the<br />
golf details together and doing all the behind<br />
the scenes work of book keeping and<br />
thank you letters – our event was again a<br />
huge success. I wish the next chair and<br />
organizational committee much success<br />
and know that we can count on all the<br />
QELA members to give a helping hand.<br />
Thank you and happy golf.<br />
- Ilze<br />
Please see page 8 for this year’s poem!<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 6
Peter Gzowski Invitational, <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 7
Peter Gzowski Invitational, <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>2007</strong><br />
PGI-<strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Poem<br />
I approach this poem with trepidation<br />
For its subject is owed much veneration.<br />
How can I do justice to the great memory<br />
Of someone as renowned as Peter Gzowski<br />
As we golf here today, raising money for a cause<br />
That mattered so to Peter, let us take a pause<br />
To honour this great Canadian legend<br />
A writer, a broadcaster, and very good friend<br />
Whose voice became a source of national pride<br />
Ringing out every day on Morningside.<br />
He brought Canadians together from coast to coast<br />
Yet despite his achievements was not one to boast.<br />
He sang with Leonard Cohen and danced with Karen Kain,<br />
He talked with politicians big, small and in between.<br />
He took the world to Moose Jaw and Moose Jaw to the world,<br />
He raised millions to help those who couldn’t read the written word.<br />
He searched high and low for the Great Canadian Joke<br />
The only problem was, Peter liked to smoke.<br />
And so one sad day, there was silence on the air,<br />
As he left our midst, with our tears and our prayers.<br />
ETFS<br />
Chris Stevens<br />
Michel Lemieux<br />
Dave Beaulieu<br />
Andrew McCully<br />
So you see, in the end, it wasn’t so hard<br />
To take up the mantle of a bard<br />
In describing Peter, the biggest challenge that crossed me<br />
Was not finding praise, but a rhyme for “Gzowski”.<br />
Written by Tasha Kheiriddin<br />
Read by L. Ian MacDonald, May 25 th , <strong>2007</strong> at Cowansville Golf Club<br />
All golfer photos<br />
courtesy Vilnis Epners.<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 8
QELA Presentation to Minority Languages Committee<br />
O n February 1st , <strong>2007</strong>, QELA was represented by the<br />
interim president, Ilze Epners, at a meeting of the<br />
Minority Languages Committee in Ottawa. All participants<br />
at the meeting were asked to give their opinions on the<br />
state of <strong>English</strong> adult literacy in <strong>Quebec</strong>. To follow are<br />
some excerpts from Ilze’s presentation.<br />
“I was asked to share my thoughts on<br />
what could be done to improve the situation<br />
for the <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> <strong>Alliance</strong>.<br />
For years there has been an ongoing<br />
issue of core funding versus project<br />
funding. We know that project funding<br />
does not work. This was also one of the<br />
conclusions of the report that the previous<br />
Minister of State for Human Resources<br />
Development - Claudette Bradshaw<br />
concluded after her Pan-Canadian<br />
round table consultation in 2005. Groups<br />
spend so much time and energy trying to<br />
come up with new and innovative projects every year<br />
when in reality they are already the experts. Each year<br />
we risk closing our doors and we also risk losing quality<br />
resource people with years of experience each and every<br />
time we have to wait for funding – which we are not even<br />
sure we will get.<br />
Another important point that needs to be mentioned is<br />
how a change of Minister affects funding. Every time<br />
there is a new Minister in charge of this dossier at the federal<br />
government-whether it is because of a change of government<br />
or just a switch in responsibilities – all grants<br />
come to a screeching halt and the process starts all over.<br />
… And so, because of bureaucracy, many groups do not<br />
know whether they will exist or not. But most importantly<br />
we also risk losing students who will not come back if<br />
Changing the Way We Teach Math<br />
hat do the experts say about how<br />
W to teach basic math to adult students<br />
Most people who teach math have<br />
heard about most of their recommendations.<br />
Yet putting those recommendations<br />
into practice is harder than it seems.<br />
Kate Nonesuch consulted with more than<br />
100 people who teach basic math to<br />
adults in BC. She presented some findings<br />
from the literature about teaching basic<br />
math, and got their reactions. Instructors<br />
talked about what changes they would<br />
like to make in their teaching practice, and<br />
what barriers got in the way of making<br />
change. She wrote a manual in response<br />
Ilze Epners (left), Interim QELA President,<br />
in Ottawa.<br />
those doors are even temporarily closed.<br />
The <strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> <strong>Alliance</strong> needs financial stability<br />
in order to do what they do best - be the foundation<br />
for literacy efforts and initiatives, illiteracy prevention<br />
(family literacy) and training of literacy trainers.<br />
I must speak to you of how devastating<br />
the federal budget cuts have been to the<br />
<strong>Quebec</strong> <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> community.<br />
We are a small community with huge<br />
needs as we are spread far and wide in<br />
our province. It is all well indeed to say<br />
that the literacy funding needs to get to<br />
the grass roots - but how would that happen<br />
in our <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> community<br />
with out a central organization to help<br />
recruit those who need these services<br />
Many of our tutors and teachers are retiring<br />
and - who will be there to train the<br />
new practitioners Being a literacy<br />
teacher and tutor takes special training that is not available<br />
just anywhere. Some of the members of our organization<br />
have worked for a number of years in producing<br />
new materials to be used by our students. Such important<br />
work must continue.”<br />
In closing, Ilze noted that, “Our Canadian demographic is<br />
aging and in the future we will need every Canadian to be<br />
literate to fill the jobs of the next generation. A long term<br />
financial commitment from our federal government and<br />
sustainable funding is vital if we are to make a significant<br />
dent in the low literacy statistics. Coalition core funding is<br />
an absolute must if we together are to beat this serious<br />
problem.”<br />
to their concerns that includes: Emotions<br />
and Math; Group Work; Hands-on Learning;<br />
Putting Students in Charge of Their<br />
Learning; Student Resistance and Real<br />
Life Problems.<br />
This manual is not just for math teachers.<br />
Anyone who teaches adult literacy or ABE<br />
students will find food for thought in this<br />
publication. Check out “Changing the<br />
Way We Teach Math: A Manual for<br />
Teaching Basic Math to Adults” at:<br />
http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/<br />
mathman/mathman.pdf<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 9
<strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Sector Workshops<br />
Patti Moore<br />
DFGA External<br />
Resource Person<br />
he DFGA (Direction de la formation<br />
T générale des adultes - MELS) makes<br />
a variety of workshops available to the<br />
<strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> Sector in 2006-<strong>2007</strong>.<br />
ALLS SURVEY:<br />
WHAT DO THE STATISTICS MEAN<br />
FOR QUEBEC<br />
As literacy practitioners, we are often<br />
called upon to provide our various partners<br />
with statistics on the state of literacy in our<br />
province. Some of the statistics are hard<br />
to believe: 49% of <strong>Quebec</strong>ers are scoring<br />
at levels 1 and 2: what does that really<br />
mean This two-hour workshop will give<br />
literacy practitioners an outline of the 2003<br />
ALLS (Adult <strong>Literacy</strong> and Lifeskills Survey)<br />
as the statistics pertain specifically to <strong>Quebec</strong>.<br />
The presentation includes a brief background<br />
of the objectives of the IALS and<br />
ALL surveys, samples of questions that<br />
were included in the survey at various levels<br />
(1 through 4/5) and how <strong>Quebec</strong>ers<br />
measured up in areas such as skills domains<br />
(prose, document literacy and numeracy),<br />
etc.<br />
The presentation also includes some information<br />
that Patti Moore prepared as part of<br />
a PROCEDE project regarding an ABC<br />
CANADA study: Patterns of Participation in<br />
Canadian <strong>Literacy</strong> and Upgrading Programs<br />
(2001): the study looks at the reasons<br />
why fewer than half of those who<br />
contact a literacy organization actually enrol<br />
in a program, and of those who enrol,<br />
why an additional 30 per cent drop out.<br />
This session is being offered to the<br />
members of LLC-Q/LVQ on <strong>June</strong> 21;<br />
requests for further sessions can be forwarded<br />
to Patti Moore.<br />
The Training Sessions on the Reception<br />
and Referral of Adults with Little Schooling<br />
are meant to be delivered locally to personnel<br />
from the education system (school<br />
boards and community-based groups) and<br />
local employment centres (CLE) or other<br />
agencies. This kit includes a Facilitator’s<br />
Guide and a Participant’s Guide – and outlines<br />
in detail how to plan a one-day training<br />
session in your area.<br />
The reception and referral workshop provides<br />
really helpful indicators of the characteristics<br />
of a person with low literacy<br />
skills, as well as case studies and possible<br />
interventions.<br />
The DFGA resource person for the <strong>English</strong><br />
sector, Patti Moore, has also prepared a<br />
PowerPoint workshop which participants<br />
will be able to use when delivering this<br />
workshop in their local areas. Requests<br />
for further sessions can be forwarded to<br />
Patti Moore.<br />
A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE<br />
TEACHING OF LITERACY TO ADULTS<br />
WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES<br />
During the course of this one-day workshop,<br />
participants will be introduced to the<br />
DFGA Practical Guide for the Teaching of<br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> to Adults with Learning Difficulties,<br />
which is intended to help literacy teachers<br />
and tutors identify and address problems<br />
encountered by adults with learning difficulties.<br />
The original learning difficulties guide was<br />
made up of fourteen sections (available on<br />
the DFGA and QELA websites). The<br />
DFGA recently created a shorter, simplified<br />
version of these documents. Practical<br />
and easy to read, the adapted Practical<br />
Guide for the Teaching of <strong>Literacy</strong> to<br />
Adults with Learning Difficulties enables<br />
teachers and tutors to identify learning difficulties<br />
that adults with low literacy skills<br />
frequently encounter, and provides practical<br />
teaching tips for addressing those difficulties.<br />
RECEPTION OF<br />
LOW LITERACY ADULTS<br />
Since a minimum level of training is required<br />
to use the Practical Guide for the<br />
Teaching of <strong>Literacy</strong> to Adults with Learning<br />
Difficulties, this document makes it<br />
possible for literacy teachers and tutors to<br />
provide training without having access to<br />
outside resources. These strategies do<br />
not address the issue of learning disabilities,<br />
which require the help of a qualified<br />
specialist. Requests for further sessions<br />
can be forwarded to Patti Moore.<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 10
<strong>Literacy</strong> Levels in <strong>Quebec</strong> - Some Pertinent Statistics<br />
T<br />
he 2003 Adult <strong>Literacy</strong> and Life Skills (ALL) survey identifies five levels of prose<br />
literacy:<br />
LEVEL 1 – adults have few decoding skills<br />
LEVEL 2 – adults’ skills are limited to simple printed material<br />
LEVEL 3 – adults are average readers<br />
LEVELS 4 and 5 – adults have strong literacy skills<br />
Did you know that…<br />
• 800 000 adults aged 16-65 in <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
are at level one (16% of the<br />
population)<br />
• 1,700,000 adults aged 16-65 in <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
are at level two (33% of the<br />
population)<br />
• 2,500,000 adults aged 16-65 in <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
are at levels one and two (49 %<br />
of the population)<br />
• 52% of people at level 1 are men;<br />
48% are women<br />
• 54% of people at level 1 do not have<br />
a high-school leaving certificate<br />
• 29% have successfully completed<br />
high school<br />
• 17% have a post-secondary diploma<br />
• 80% of people at level 1 live in a<br />
metropolitan region; 20% live in a<br />
rural region<br />
• 74% of people at level 1 are francophone<br />
• 20% are allophones<br />
• 6% are Anglophones (48,000 people<br />
at level one; 102,000 people at level<br />
2)<br />
• 52% of people at level 1 are employed<br />
• 14% are currently seeking work<br />
• 13% are retired<br />
• 3% are students<br />
• 16% are categorized as ‘other’ or as<br />
‘inactive’<br />
These numbers are based on a <strong>Quebec</strong><br />
study of the ALL survey with l’Institut de la<br />
statistique du Québec.<br />
New CEO at NALD<br />
he National Adult <strong>Literacy</strong> Database (NALD) welcomed its new CEO, Katherine d’Entremont,<br />
on <strong>June</strong> 4, <strong>2007</strong>, replacing Charles Ramsey who will officially retire <strong>June</strong> 30, T <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
Katherine comes to NALD with more than 17 years of experience in various New Brunswick<br />
government positions. Most recently, she has spent a number of years as Director, Local Governance<br />
and Community Leadership, Department of Local Government. Prior to that, she held<br />
positions as: Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Municipal Services Division, Department of Environment<br />
and Local Government; the Director, Official Languages and Workplace Equity<br />
Branch, Department of Finance; Corporate Program Administrator, Human Resources Development<br />
Branch, Department of Finance; Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources Development<br />
Branch, Department of Finance; and Human Resource Management Generalist, Alcoholism<br />
and Drug Dependency Commission. Katherine has also worked as a strategic planning<br />
consultant in the college sector and as a public school teacher.<br />
Katherine is perfectly bilingual, has extensive presentation experience, a broad understanding<br />
of local, provincial and federal government, considerable community and not-for-profit board<br />
experience, and a passion for education. She is uniquely qualified to build on the great foundation<br />
that Charles Ramsey and his staff have developed in bringing NALD to the successful position<br />
that it holds today.<br />
Katherine d’Entremont<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 11
CALENDAR OF EVENTS<br />
Québec <strong>English</strong> <strong>Literacy</strong> <strong>Alliance</strong><br />
22 adult literacy providers<br />
across the province.<br />
Comments Suggestions Please contact:<br />
QELA Website Coordinator<br />
Tel.: (418) 651-3022<br />
Fax: (418) 651-3025<br />
Email: moorep@cqsb.qc.ca<br />
Website: www.qela.qc.ca<br />
Deadline for article submissions for the<br />
November <strong>2007</strong> issue of QELA CONTACT<br />
is October 19, <strong>2007</strong>.<br />
Karen Ingalls<br />
QELA Newsletter Editor<br />
Email: k_inga23@sympatico.ca<br />
ELA gratefully acknowledges the<br />
continuing support received from the<br />
Q<br />
Initiatives fédérales-provinciales<br />
conjointes en matière d’alphabétisation<br />
(IFPCA) program, a joint project of the<br />
National <strong>Literacy</strong> Secretariat and the<br />
Direction de la formation générale des<br />
adultes, for the production of this website<br />
newsletter.<br />
g{tÇ~ çÉâ4<br />
Should you<br />
wish to contact the<br />
QELA Steering Committee<br />
regarding any<br />
comments or questions<br />
that you may have, please<br />
feel free to contact<br />
Carolyn Marsh, QELA<br />
Project Coordinator.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 12, <strong>2007</strong><br />
End-of-Term BBQ for all <strong>Literacy</strong> Unlimited volunteers, students and friends will be<br />
held in Pointe-Claire’s Riverside Park from 5-9pm. For more info call 514-694-0007.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 14, <strong>2007</strong><br />
Official dedication of the Freda Hudson Reading Room at the Yamaska <strong>Literacy</strong><br />
Council in Cowansville from 5-7pm.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 21, <strong>2007</strong><br />
The workshop, “ALLS Survey: What Do the Statistics Mean for <strong>Quebec</strong>” is being<br />
held at the <strong>English</strong> Montreal School Board (6000 Fielding Ave., Montreal) from 1-<br />
3pm in the MacVicar Room on the 4 th floor. Presented by Patti L. Moore.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 27-29, <strong>2007</strong><br />
Summer Institute <strong>2007</strong>: “Libraries and <strong>Literacy</strong>: Making it Work” at the Centre for<br />
<strong>Literacy</strong>.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 29, <strong>2007</strong><br />
Laubach <strong>Literacy</strong> of Canada’s Annual General Meeting at the Delta Brunswick in<br />
Saint John, NB starting at 1:15pm.<br />
August 16-19, <strong>2007</strong><br />
St. Lambert Days Street Fair. Look for the South Shore Reading Council’s<br />
booth. Lots to do: sidewalk sales, cultural activities, activities for kids,<br />
concerts, dancing, etc.<br />
August 27, <strong>2007</strong><br />
<strong>Literacy</strong> Unlimited’s Annual Golf Tournament at Whitlock Golf Club in Hudson, QC.<br />
For further info visit www.literacyunlimited.ca<br />
September 8, <strong>2007</strong><br />
International <strong>Literacy</strong> Day.<br />
Just Point and Click!<br />
lick on Learning Links for quick and easy access to<br />
C interactive and ready-to-print learning activities and resources<br />
without having to search through numerous sites. It<br />
is an invaluable “find-it-fast” way to tap into helpful websites<br />
created for students, tutors and teachers. Locate multimedia<br />
resources, tutorials, information, references, interactive<br />
materials, games and quizzes. Little to no computer experience needed!<br />
Odds and Sods<br />
A<br />
national research project, funded by the National Office of <strong>Literacy</strong> and<br />
Learning, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, is studying<br />
the process of moving findings from the research literature on violence and<br />
learning into ABE/<strong>Literacy</strong> practice and program policy. A survey is being conducted<br />
to find out what people in the ABE/<strong>Literacy</strong> field think about the relationship<br />
between learning and learners’ past or current experience of violence.<br />
The survey will be open until July 1, <strong>2007</strong>. Contact: Kate Nonesuch.<br />
<br />
o, you’ve always been meaning to work on that “Family Tree”<br />
S but it just keeps being pushed to the back burner. Well, fire<br />
up the grill this summer and visit www.geni.com. Have fun and<br />
learn with this genealogical website that makes building your<br />
family tree a snap. It’s free, you can add photos AND it allows<br />
you to “invite” relatives to help flesh out branches of the family<br />
that you’re not too familiar with!<br />
QELA CONTACT, Vol. 3, Issue 1, Mid-<strong>June</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Page 12