PLEASE READ FIRST Users of BC’s literacy slide library agree to the following conditions: Photos in this slide library may not be stored or used except

PLEASE READ FIRST

Users of BC’s literacy slide library agree to the following conditions:

Photos in this slide library may not be stored or used except as part of a slide presentation, created from this slide library, on literacy issues in British Columbia. Photos in this slide library may not be altered or shared.

If you do not agree to these terms,delete this document now.

BC’s literacy slide libraryuser notes

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Using BC’s literacy slide libraryRunning slides automatically

Sometimes you may want your slideshow to run itself, rather than controlling transitions manually. For example, it may be part of a display.

• Slide Show > Slide Transition…• In sidebar, under Advance Slide, check “Automatically” instead of “On Mouse Click”• Specify length of time to display each slide• Click on “Apply to All Slides”

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• Slide Show > Set Up Show…• Under Show Options, check box for “Loop continually until ‘Esc’”

Check back regularly

We will often refresh the slide library with new slides. You will be able to tell by the date in the document name when there is a newer version.

Contact us if there is additional content you would like to see covered in the library. Visit Literacy Central for contact details.

www.literacycentral.bc.ca

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Title of presentation

Name, title, affiliation of presenter

Date, venue of presentation

Subtitle

General background on literacy

Literacy is the essential skill

What is literacy?

• The ability to understand and use printed information in daily activities, at home, at work and in the community

• Not about whether one can read, but how well one reads

• Foundational skill upon which other skills depend

• Literacy means communication for participation

Measuring literacy

• Many ‘domains’ (prose, document, numeracy, problem-solving)

• Level 1: difficulty reading, generally aware of a challenge

• Level 2: limited skills, can deal well only with clearest material; may not be aware of limitations

• Level 3: can read well, may have difficulty with more complex tasks; validated as needed to fully participate and succeed in today’s society and economy

• Levels 4 & 5: strong skills, many strategies for dealing with complex information

International Adult Literacy & Skills Survey, 2003

BC adult literacy statistics

Literacy in BC35% of working-age British Columbians do not have the literacy skills required to fully participate and succeed


Level 1

Levels4 & 5

Level 2

Level 3

14

21

40

26

Statistics Canada (2003): International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey

▲% BC population

aged 16-65

literacy proficiency ►

Literacy in BC35% of working-age British Columbians do not have the literacy skills required to fully participate and succeed


Poor StrongWeak Adequate

14

21

40

26


▲% BC population

aged 16-65


Literacy in BC


17

22

37

23

Level 1

Levels4 & 5

Level 2

Level 3

▲% BC population

aged 16 and over


About 40% of British Columbian adults do not have the literacy skills required to fully participate and succeed


Literacy in BC


17

22

37

23

Poor StrongWeak Adequate

▲ % BC populationaged 16 and over


About 40% of British Columbian adults do not have the literacy skills required to fully participate and succeed


BC’s literacy challenge

• About 40% of adults (35% of working age people)do not have the literacy skills today’s world demands

• This means that over 1,000,000 working-age British Columbians have difficulty with such tasks as:

Reading safety information or recipes Identifying the correct amount of medicine to administer Writing a résumé

The literacy shortfall has a profound impacton the socio-economic fabric of our province

Some groups with lower literacy

Literacy – the ESL dimension

Literacy means inclusion


Canada is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural country.

• 20% of the population was born in another country.

• 70% of these newcomers speak an original language other than English or French

Many bring strong literacy skills in at least one other language, while others face literacy challenges in their original language.• Most face literacy challenges in English/French: 60% below

Level 3

• Make up 2/3 of BC’s working-age population at lowest level of literacy

Why is this important?



Literacy is grounded in one’s culture, language and history and forms a strong foundation from which a person learns, thinks, and makes choices for a meaningful life.

Literacy level (official language) is a key indicator of income.

Without English language skills, many immigrantsare not able to fully participate in their new homeand struggle to reach their goals.

Literacy and seniors

• 70% of British Columbians aged 65 and over do not have the literacy skills demanded by today’s world

• Double the proportion for those aged 16-64

• Literacy skills decline with age – must exercise to maintain!

• Significant implications for healthy, independent living



Literacy and Aboriginal people• Aboriginal people have lower literacy levels than other

Canadians

• 60% below ‘Level 3’ (national average = 40%)

• First Nations estimate: 70% below Level 3

• Many Aboriginal people are reclaiming a strong sense of their identity and the skills and knowledge to succeed within their communities and Canadian society

• Recent generations of First Nations people have experiencedsub-standard educational experiences in residential schools

• Many Aboriginal people wish to be significantly involved in making educational decisions for themselves and their families



Benefits of higher literacy

Some benefits of higher literacy• Higher employment

• Higher income

• Higher productivity

• Better health

• Engaged citizens

• Resilient communities

Literacy means opportunity

Some costs of low literacy

• Higher unemployment

• Lower income

• Poorer health

• Lower productivity

Literacy means opportunity

Literacy increases employment


Levels4 & 5

47

67

74

81

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

47% of those with the weakest literacy skills are employed

81% of those with the strongest literacy skills are employed▲

% employedBC population

aged 16-652003



Literacy increases employment


Strong

47

67

74

81

Poor Weak Adequate

47% of those with the lowest literacy skills are employed

81% of those with the strongest literacy skills are employed▲

% employedBC population

aged 16-652003



Literacy raises income

20

40

40

Levels 1 & 2

Level 3

Levels 4 & 5

20

40

40

Levels 1 & 2

Level 3

Levels 4 & 5


Only a small proportion of those in the lowest income brackets have strong literacy skills

Only a small proportion of those in the highest income brackets have weak literacy skills▲

% of BCmales aged

16-65 earning <$20,000 p.a.

literacyproficiency ►


▲% of BCmales aged16-65 earning >$60,000 p.a.

literacy◄ proficiency


21

29

37

42

Levels4 & 5

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3


Average income of people with strong literacy skillsdouble that of people with poor literacy skills

▲Average annual

personal income, thousands of dollars





21

29

37

42

StrongPoor Weak Adequate

Average income of people with strong literacy skillsdouble that of people with poor literacy skills

▲Average annual

personal income, thousands of dollars



Literacy boosts productivity• Literacy skills are the indispensable foundation of

a robust and competitive economy

• Estimated boost to national productivityof an increase of just 1% in literacy scores: 2.5%

• Worth $32 billion p.a. to Canadian GDP


TD Bank Financial Group (2008): Literacy Matters - a call for action

Literacy enables furtherskill development

Literacy means inclusion and opportunity

Levels 4 & 5

23

49

60

77

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Few of those with the weakest literacy skills participate in the training and education that can open new opportunities▲

% receiving adult education & training

BC populationaged 16-65



Literacy means participation


53

70

80

83

StrongPoor Weak Adequate

Literacy and civic engagement

▲% engaged in

community life,BC population

aged 16 and over


As literacy skills increase, so does participation in civic lifeand engagement with the community

Literacy means participation


53

70

80

83

Levels 4 & 5

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Literacy and civic engagement

▲% engaged in

community life,BC population

aged 16 and over


As literacy skills increase, so does participation in civic lifeand engagement with the community

Literacy means quality of life


Literacy matters for health

When people have stronger literacy skillsthey are significantly healthier:

• Average literacy scores of those aged 16-65 reporting poor health correspond to Level 2 proficiency

• Average literacy scores of those aged 16-65 reporting excellent health correspond to Level 3 proficiency

Literacy protects

• Low literacy highly prevalent among inmates

• 70% score below Grade 8 literacy level

• Directly raises likelihood of offending

• Significant barrier to re-integration

• Participation in basic education in correctional facilities associated with a 29% decrease in recidivism


Steurer, S. et al (2001): The Three-State Recidivism Study.

Familyliteracy

What is family literacy about?

• Promote reading and learning as valued family activities

• Enhance ability of parents to support children’s literacy development, from birth throughout the school years

• Provide opportunity for parents to pursue own educational goals

• Support school-readiness of children

Families learning together

The power of family literacy

• A way to reach adults who may not be engagedby other learning opportunities

• Fits the reality of families’ lives and addresses barriers like childcare

• Parents far more likely to persist with family literacy than with other types of learning programs

• Children do better in education when parents involved


Four componentsof family literacy


Literacyand theworkplace

What are essential skills?

• Help people perform tasks required by their occupation

• Provide foundation for learning other skills

• Enhance ability to innovate, adapt to workplace change

Literacy for and at work

● Reading text ● Writing ● Numeracy ● Document use ●

● Thinking skills ● Computer use ● Continuous learning ●

● Oral communication ● Working with others ●

Tangible benefits

• Higher productivity

• Reduction of workplace accidents

• Waste prevention

• Increased customer retention

• Reduced turnover and absenteeism

• Organizational flexibility


Literacy improves health and safety• Low literacy is a major factor in at-work accidents

• Difficulty understanding safety/operating instructions

• Difficulty understanding first aid procedures

• Pictorial instructions often insufficient (misinterpretation)

• Even if aware of risks, may be unable to articulate


Vulnerable sectors

• Trade, finance, insurance and real estate

• Manufacturing

• Accommodation and food services

• Construction

• Public health care and social assistance

Literacy means productivity

ProvincialLiteracySupports

Provincial LiteracyResource Centre

• Borrow materials by mail, free, anywhere in BC

• Books, research resources, audio-visuals, DVDs and more

• Adult and family literacy

• Specialist research and material compilation on-demand

• Contact [email protected]

Provincial literacy supports

BC Literacy Directory

• The easy way to find programs to help people of all ages improve their reading, writing and English language skills

• Provincial database covers every BC community

• Any authorized local website can draw down and embed custom records from central database

• www.literacybc.ca/directory


Exemplary Literacy Materials Online


• Find adult and family literacy resources and materials

• Read and write reviews

• For practitioners, teachers, librarians, and learners

• www.elmoreviews.ca

Paul Gallagher CommunityAccess Fund

• Up to $1000 for community-based adult learning programs

• To support learners with short-term needs (e.g. transport)

• Removing barriers, promoting access

• www.literacybc.ca/supportinglearners/financialaid.php


Documents

PLEASE READ FIRST Users of BC’s literacy slide library agree to the following conditions: Photos in this slide library may not be stored or used except