9. “ the ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities at home, at work and in the community – to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” International Adult Literacy Skills survey (IALS) 2003 WHAT IS LITERACY?
22. How can a person join the program? Call an LBS Assessment Centre and set up an appointment For the Lawrence Heights area: Bickford Centre, 777 Bloor St. West (at Christie subway station) 416-393-1995 Toronto District School Board - LBS
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26. Barbara Frum Library 20 Covington Rd. Bathurst/Lawrence For more information please call Termeh at 416-395-5424 Lawrence Heights location: Toronto Public Library Adult Literacy Services
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29. The GED (General Education Development) Program is for youth, 18-29 years old, who have been out of full-time high school for at least a year. Students prepare to pass the GED exam and receive the Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate issued by the Ministry of Education. Frontier College GED Program
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31. The Pre-GED Program is for youth, 16-29 years old, who do not have a high school diploma. Frontier College Pre-GED Program
32. Frontier College Pre-GED Program Students work on a computer based program with the support of a volunteer tutor. Learners work towards their individualized goals to improve their reading, writing and math. Upon completion, learners may enroll in the GED program.
33. Frontier College GED and Pre-GED Programs For more information please Contact: Awale Jama at ( 416)455-7646.
36. Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy is a network of organizations and individuals who are involved in and support adult literacy. They are an independent non-profit organization. They provide leadership and work actively to develop and promote adult literacy in Toronto and York Region. Membership includes all of the Literacy and Basic Skills Programs funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities.
So, the name of the presentation is: Better Skills Build Better Opportunities. It was developed by one of the upgrading programs in our membership, PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs , and is actually targeted to adult learners, so we would ask you to keep that in mind throughout the presentation. We are modelling it for you here today, as the information session that we will be delivering to your clients at 20 agencies throughout Toronto and York Region. If you want to deliver this session to your clients, it can be made available to you along with a facilitation package. So what you see up on the screen today is basically what we will be delivering to your clients, with some slides added in for your information. What you here us saying is further background information for you, as a staff person, on the adult upgrading system.
Read slide through our Literacy Access Network literacy hotline, can help your clients navigate through the system and find an appropriate program for the in their community. Are there any questions at this point?
Here the facilitator will want to engage the audience by asking them what they think is different from when they were attending school: For instance, Some of the differences are: No grades – your clients move easily from level to level. No big classrooms – Programs have small groups and classes, or possibly one-to-one. No standardized text books – Programs often use real-life materials. No memorizing or rote learning – Learning is relevant to your clients goals.
ESL training is for people who read and write well in their first language but need upgrading in their English Reading, writing, speaking and Listening Skills. ESL/Literacy is for people who never learned to read and write in their first language, or in English. Adult Upgrading programs are for people who whose first language is English, or who speak English well. However, it should be noted that there are many people who are newcomers, or whose first language may not be English, who can be well served by adult upgrading programs and often get referred there. They must be fluent, or near fluent, English speakers but have difficulties reading and writing in english. Adult Upgrading programs are often a good fit for these types of learners.
There a variety of options available for adult learners who are seeking upgrading. Lets talk about those…
Community-based programs often use the one-to one tutoring model. This can be a very good way for people to begin and gain confidence in their learning abilities. Other people may prefer a classroom model which is typical of school board and college programs. Although some clients may be intimidated by the College setting, this might be appealing to others. As stated previously, College upgrading programs are at a higher level, and can bridge students into regular college programming. Does anyone have any questions at this point?
When we meet with learners coming into our programs, we get them thinking about what skills are needed for success in their daily lives. In a presentation to your clients, we’d get them to brainstorm some ideas about what skills they think are needed in their work lives. Examples that they may come up with may include: - understanding the job – the workplace – the procedures - understanding forms or reports - being able to express yourself well, in writing and when speaking with others - networking – getting along with other people - computer skills - being able to learn new things when new practices or procedures are introduced - handling money Any number of workplace specific skills may come up as well – e.g. understanding diagrams or blueprints, reading stories to children, making schedules After the brainstorming, these responses can be summarized and discussed and discussed with the client.
This is the number of our Literacy Access Network telephone hotline where a trained professional will be available to answer your calls, or those of your clients. Our staff are trained to do sensitive and informed referrals to appropriate programs across Toronto and York Region. We have brought lots of these posters with us today so please take as many as you need to put up in your agencies. If you think your clients would benefit from upgrading please have them call us, or you can call for them. We will refer them to a suitable upgrading program in their community. One of the first steps in the process is a comprehensive assessment to help them chart a learning path. Different programs use different assessment tools, but we are moving toward a common assessment approach. One of the outcomes of this will be a common assessment form that will, based on your client’s goals, outline your clients Educational Action Plan. This will in turn, help to inform their Return to Work Action Plans. As a cautionary note, although many adult upgrading programs have “continuous intake”, many of these programs may not currently have the capacity to take your client right away, and they may be put on a waiting list. We would ask for your understanding should this occur.
