Breaking the Word Barrier

Stories of Adults Learning to Read

Marilyn Lerch, Angela Ranson

• Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9780864925473
• eBook ISBN:
  9780864926937
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Literacy
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

In this compelling collection of first-person stories, adults who have made outstanding achievements in adult literacy were paired with writers to tell of their transition to reading. These are people who have had the courage to overcome the barrier of words to break into a broader sense of themselves, to feel more empowered in the world. Courageous, too, is the very sharing of these stories, in which private moments are opened wide with the hope that others will take the same steps. Whether confronting undiagnosed dyslexia, a Canadian Tire store manager to ensure Christmas for a child, written tests for the military, certification exams, or jumping from an airplane, these people are heroes.

Appendices

The appendices are comprised of three parts: a statistical summary, adult learning program information in New Brunswick, and contact information for literacy service providers in New Brunswick and elsewhere in Canada.

Appendix 1
Adult Literacy Statistics

In 2003, the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) tested more than twenty-three thousand Canadians on their proficiency in four literacy domains.

Literacy Domains:

Prose literacy: reading continuous text such as the sort found in books, newspaper articles, brochures, and instruction manuals

Document literacy: reading text that is not continuous such as the sort contained in graphs, charts, payroll forms, and job applications

Numeracy: math skills

Problem solving: analytical reasoning

Literacy Proficiency Levels:

Level 1: have few basic skills, great deal of difficulty with text.

Level 2: have limited skills, cannot read well, can deal only with material that is simply and clearly laid out.

Level 3: have a basic skill level but may have problems with more complex tasks. Level 3 is considered the minimum skill level for successful participation in society.

Levels 4 and 5: have high levels of literacy with a wide range of reading skills and many strategies for dealing with complex materials. Individuals at these levels can meet most reading demands and can handle new reading challenges.

Results
The following table shows the percentage of adults (over sixteen years of age) from east coast to west coast who scored in Levels 1 and 2 (below minimum skill level) in 2003.

Appendix 2
Programs in New Brunswick

Community Adult Learning Programs (CALPs)
The Government of New Brunswick (GNB) provides basic skills learning through its CALP network. The objective of the program is to improve literacy levels in the province by bringing literacy training opportunities to adults in their own communities. This program is open to adult learners eighteen years of age and over. The program is offered free of charge.

In this program, adult learners can obtain instruction in English or French. Academic services for grade levels one through nine and GED preparation are accessible in seventy communities throughout the province. Programs are customized for individual learner’s needs. The program offers a standardized curriculum and testing providing accreditation for further study. Learners who complete GED preparation go on to take the GED exam.

The program is delivered through a network of community-based centres, is group-based, and requires a learner commitment of approximately thirty hours per week. Teachers use a standard curriculum that incorporates both literacy and numeracy. Initial assessment guides the placement of the individual learner to a particular level/resource starting point. Progress through the curriculum would be recorded as learners advance. Teachers within the program are paid staff.

In addition to the CALP programs, GNB has developed a competency-based Workplace Essential Skills program aimed at helping adults gain the skills necessary to find and keep employment. This is a relatively new program and is only offered in a limited number of locations.

Laubach Literacy New Brunswick (LLNB)
Laubach Literacy has been in Canada since the first tutor-training workshop was held in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, in 1970. In the few years following that session, several literacy councils, all located in the eastern provinces, were formed. The first Laubach council in New Brunswick was established in Saint John in 1975.

After more than a decade of pioneering work, LLNB was formed in 1983. The provincial office for Laubach Literacy is located in Moncton and is staffed by a full-time executive director.

Currently there are fifteen Laubach Literacy councils /community contact points in New Brunswick operating with approximately five hundred tutors and volunteers. The councils are situated in the following locations:

Bathurst	Fredericton	Port Elgin
Campbellton	Fundy	Sackville
Carleton	Grand Manan	Saint John
Dorchester	Ke...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Reading Is Magic
• Preface
• The Word for Love
• Digging Holes
• An Afternoon of Aramaic
• Through Allan’s Eyes
• Letting Her Own Light Shine
• James’s Attitude Makes the Difference
• I Wanted to Better Myself
• Life Is Amazing
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Reading for Love
• From the Hunger
• Creating a Future
• A Parachute for Ralph
• Soaring
• The Hardest Thing I Ever Did
• Family Comes First
• Teena’s Dream
• Afterword: Adventures in Literacy
• Appendices
• Contributors