WorkshoP guidelines on involving intermediaries in ... · PDF fileWorkshoP guidelines on involving intermediaries ... h and-out motivational interviewing ... guideline on involving

1

Workshop for Intermediaries

Program training

WorkshoP guidelines on involving intermediaries in tackling literacy difficulties

Workshop for intermediaries

2


Hospitals, libraries, job centres, companies, schools, physician’s offices, welfare organisations, municipal services, debt counselling: these are all places the general public, including those who struggle with reading and writing, regularly visits. As such, they serve as important sites to recruit potential literacy learners. To take up this role, the professionals working at these sites – intermediaries – must be aware of the existence of people with literacy difficulties. Furthermore, they must be able to recognise it, talk about it and refer these individuals to courses and other opportunities to improve their literacy skills. The workshop guidelines aim at helping you to organise workshops to raise awareness among intermediaries and motivate them to take up their role in tackling literacy difficulties.

1. introduction

table of contents

1. introduction 22. elinet’s workshop ‘tackling literacy difficulties: identifying and acting’ 33. the workshop step by step 64. tools to support your workshop 85. aPPendiX 1 - example texts for exercise on session 1, slide 9-12 96. aPPendiX 2 - case studies: recognising literacy difficulties 107. aPPendiX 3 - case studies: discussing literacy difficulties 118. aPPendiX 4 - hand-out motivational interviewing 12

3


Information on how to carry out a workshop to involve intermediaries in tackling literacy difficulties was one of the requests outlined from a survey carried out among ELINET members. As a result the ‘workshop guideline on involving intermediaries in tackling literacy difficulties’ has been developed. The tool provides you with guidelines on organising a workshop for different types of intermediaries. The workshop consists of two sessions: an introduction session and a session about taking action. These guidelines are accompanied by the PowerPoint presentations with instructions for both sessions. Furthermore, they provide case studies for two workshop exercises and indicate how to make adaptations so the workshop fits your specific country and/or target audience.

a. target audience: who are your workshop participants?The workshop is aimed at intermediaries. An intermediary is a firm or a person who acts as a mediator on a link between parties. In the case of literacy, an intermediary is a person who may help identify someone with literacy difficulties and support them in improving their literacy skills, either directly (e.g. a teacher working with a child) or by signposting them to appropriate support or indirectly (e.g. linking an adult literacy learner to a literacy course provider). An intermediary can be a professional, a volunteer, a member of the family, a friend or a neighbour who is in close contact and has a bond of trust with potential literacy learners. As literacy difficulties are often coupled with feelings of shame and taboo, the involvement of intermediaries in tackling the issue is indispensible. ELINET has identified a list of intermediaries linked to the various policy areas the workshop aims to address, namely:

The workshop is intended to address these intermediaries separately: it includes general parts and parts that are tailored to fit each specific intermediary group. The workshop therefore has five versions.

2. elinet’s WorkshoP ‘tackling literacy difficulties: identifying and acting’

intermediary grouP Policy area

Health and social workers Health

Teachers and care takers Education

Librarians Culture

Employers Employment

Municipalities and job centres Social welfare

4


2.

b. objectivesThe objectives of the workshop for intermediaries are:• Raising awareness among intermediaries of literacy difficulties and the connection to their

specific sector• Raising awareness among intermediaries of the causes and consequences of literacy

difficulties: in general and in connection to specific sectors • Motivating intermediaries to be part of tackling literacy difficulties• Instructing intermediaries on how to recognise low literacy levels• Call to action: giving tips for actions intermediaries can undertake when they recognise

people with poor literacy levels (discussion and referring)

c. Preparing the workshop: planning and practical preparationIn preparation of the workshop, think about the following practical matters:• Allocate 1.5 to 2 hours for each workshop session. You can either plan the sessions

consecutively with a lunch in between. You can also plan them with some time, maximum a week, in between.

• Ideally your workshop includes 12-20 participants.• Make sure your participants are all from the same intermediary group. • Make sure the workshop is planned at a time and date which is convenient for the

participants, e.g. for teachers autumn is not the best period.• IT material: make sure you have organised the availability of a laptop and a beamer. • Training material: make sure you have organised the availability of paper folded name signs

to put on the table, flip board and markers.• Make sure you have translated the case studies ‘Recognise literacy difficulties’ corresponding

to the intermediary group you are training (see Appendix 2) and have it available for the participants in your workshop.

• Make sure you have translated the case studies ‘Discussing literacy difficulties’ corresponding to the intermediary group you are training (see Appendix 3) and have it available for the participants in your workshop.

• Make sure you have translated the hand-out ‘Motivational interviewing’ (see Appendix 4) in your country’s national language and have it available for distribution at the end of the training.

d. Preparing the workshop: adaptations to make it country specificThe PowerPoint includes instructions in the notes that lead you through it. The notes are set up as follows. what to do is written in bold, what to say is written in italics and background information is in regular font. In preparation of giving the workshop, the following steps should be taken to adapt the PowerPoint to your respective country: session 1:• Slide 13: Include pictures of situations of written text in the public space that apply to your

country, such as a newspaper, a recipe, a medication leaflet, a safety instruction leaflet, public transport ticket machine.

• Slide 14-18: Include facts and figures around literacy for your specific country, such as percentage of native vs. non-native speakers with literacy difficulties, percentage of people in the workforce with literacy difficulties and number of high-school dropouts.

5


2.

session 2: • Slide 15: Make sure the forms of education discussed are indeed available in your specific

country.• Slide 16-17: Make sure the referral options discussed are indeed available in your specific

country. • Slide 18: Make sure to include a clear location or phone number people with literacy

difficulties can be referred to.• Slide 23: Make sure to include your contact information in case any questions come up later

or in case the participants want to share their experiences.

e. Preparing the workshop: adaptations to the intermediary groupIn preparation of giving the workshop, the following steps should be taken to adapt the PowerPoint to the intermediary group you are addressing: session 1:• Slide 8-12: A text related to the area of the intermediary group you are addressing should be

selected as a basis for this assignment. Three example texts are provided in Appendix 1. Choose your text and transform it into three versions with 90%, 75% and 60% of the words in the text visible.

• Slide 23-27: Select the slide with consequences for the intermediary group you are addressing in your workshop and delete the other slides.

session 2:• Slide 7: Apart from the general commonly used excuses by people with literacy difficulties,

you may want to include specific examples for your intermediary audience specified in the notes of the slide.

• Slide 8: Select the case studies connected to the intermediary group you are addressing. • Slide 12: Select the case study connected to the intermediary group you are addressing.• Slide 19: Apart from general opportunities for organisations to take up with regards to

tackling literacy difficulties, you may want to add specific options for specific intermediaries as specified in the notes of this slide.

6


The workshop consists of two parts: an introduction session and a session focused on actions. The former informs the participants about literacy and literacy difficulties, the facts and figures, and the impact of literacy difficulties. The latter calls the participants to act in their role and start recognising, discussing and referring people with literacy difficulties. Below you can find a quick overview of the workshop content.

a. session 1introduction in the programme (slide 2)The programme of the first session includes the following main points:• Introduction• Literacy and literacy difficulties• Quiz: Facts and figures around literacy• Impact of literacy difficulties: causes and consequences During the introduction of the programme of the first session, you also look ahead to the second session.

introduction (slide 3)Spend some time for the participants to get to know each other, either doing a quick round of introductions in which participants state their name, profession and favourite book (in the case of a small group) or by reading out statements your participants either agree or disagree with (in the case of a larger group).

literacy and literacy difficulties (slide 4-13)In this part the definition of literacy and literacy difficulties are given (slide 5-6) and experiences are shared (slide 7). In order for your participants to put themselves in the shoes of a person with literacy difficulties, you show them incomplete texts and ask whether they understand it (slide 8-12). Lastly, a selection of examples people with literacy difficulties struggle with is provided (slide 13).

Quiz: facts and figures (slide 14-18)Play a quiz about facts and figures with the workshop participants.

impact of literacy difficulties: causes and consequences (slide 19-27)In this part the impact of literacy difficulties is discussed. First ask the participants what they think could be the main causes of people having literacy difficulties (slide 20), followed by an explanation that literacy difficulties are almost always caused by a combination of factors (slide 21). Continue with explaining the consequences of literacy difficulties for the person itself and his/her family as well as for the society and economy at large (slide 22). Specific consequences for specific sectors are provided (slide 23-27).

session ii: actionLook ahead at session II of the workshop and explain that during this session you will go into tackling literacy difficulties in three steps, namely recognise, discuss and refer.

3. the WorkshoP steP by steP

7


3.

b. session 2 introduction in the programme (slide 2)The programme of the second session includes the following main points:• Action• Recognise• Discuss • Refer• What will you do? • More information

action (slide 4)Motivate the attendees to be part of tackling literacy difficulties by explaining what happens if this problem is tackled. This is call for action: engage your audience to play an active role!

recognise (slide 5-8)In this part you explain how to recognise people with literacy difficulties by means of discussing coping strategies and excuses. Using case studies, the participants discuss among each other whether the persons described in the case studies may have literacy difficulties or not.

discuss: start the conversation (slide 8-13)In this part you start by asking the audience what they think is important if you want to discuss someone’s literacy difficulties (slide 10) followed by explaining motivational interviewing as a useful method to discuss literacy difficulties and to motivate the person who has these literacy difficulties to improve his/her skills (slide 11). An explanation of this method is provided in Appendix 3. Continue by putting the theory of motivational interviewing in practice by means of role-plays between workshop participants on the bases of case studies (slide 12). Lastly, you discuss the importance of nonverbal communication (slide 13).

refer (slide 14-19)This part focuses on what to do after you’ve recognised and discussed literacy difficulties, namely referring these individuals to opportunities to improve their literacy skills. First the different types of literacy education are explained (slide 15) and then several general referral options are provided (slide 16-17) followed by a specific organisation to contact for referral (slide 18). This part ends with discussing the importance of follow-up, including staying in contact and discussing the subject again as well as other opportunities organisations can take up with regards to tackling literacy difficulties (slide 19).

What will you do? (slide 20-23)In this part the participants are called to act. Explain how the attendees can start their action (slide 21). Repeat the key message ‘recognise, discuss and refer/register’ and discuss what the participants intend to do with the information they have received (slide 22).

more information (slide 24)Provide contact information for the participants to find more information, on the European level and on the national or regional level (slide 24).

8


There are a number of tools available that can be in relation to your workshop, namely:• ELINET has developed flyers to involve intermediaries in recognising, starting the

conversation and referring people with literacy difficulties. These can be handed out at the end of your workshop to serve as a constant reminder of the workshop attendees’ role in tackling literacy difficulties. Find more information here: www.eli-net.eu/awareness-raising/toolkit/flyers-for-intermediaries/.

• Your workshop can serve as a starting point to the implementation of a Literacy Screener. A Literacy Screener is directed at intermediaries and potential literacy learners: it is an online screening tool that indicates whether somebody has reading difficulties in a simple and fast manner. As such, it screens for people who can benefit from improving their reading skills. ELINET has developed a framework for a Literacy Screener you can use to develop and implement your country specific Screener. More information about the Literacy Screener can be found here: www.eli-net.eu/awareness-raising/toolkit/literacy-screener/.

• ELINET has compiled country reports for each European country where ELINET has one or more countries. Find the country reports here: www.eli-net.eu/research/country-reports/. You can use the information in the country report to adapt the workshop to your country’s specifications.

• ELINET has developed guidelines for fundraising, which you can use if you need to raise funds in order to develop and implement your workshop. These guidelines can be found here: www.eli-net.eu/fundraising/guidelines/.

• If you are unsure on the use of terminology in adult literacy, ELINET as produced guiding principles to be found here: www.eli-net.eu/research/terminology/.

4. tools to suPPort your WorkshoP

9


the nutrition centreThe nutrition centre is the authority that provides consumers with scientifically verified and independent information concerning a healthy, safe and environmentally friendly consumer choice. The nutrition centre promotes healthy and more environmentally friendly nutrition intake by individual consumers as well as stimulating companies to provide responsible food supplies.

singaporeWe have to go up, an architect from Singapore told me. We have no other choice. Singapore is only a small island with a fast growing population. We have such limited space that there is no other way but up. Self-evidently I adjudge everyone a mansion with a garden on all sides. For most people, this still is there most ideal form of living. However, it seems to be a dream that can no longer be effectuated.

safety instructionsWithin our building regular transportation from material takes place. Transporting material, such as pallet trucks or spikes, make this easier to do. To safeguard your own safety as well as that of the people you may come across, we have made some agreements. The most prominent internal safety regulations are:• Watch out for pedestrians. • Never transport persons using pallet trucks or spikes.• Use ropes to secure the material you are transporting.

5. aPPendiX 1 eXamPle teXts for eXercise on

session 1, slide 9-12

10


case studies health and social sectora. Anne is 30 years old and has a son of 3 who is struggling with his diet. The paediatrician asked her to keep track of his food intake and report on it during their next appointment. However, the next time she comes in without the report. b. Stephen goes to a social worker because of his depths. His social worker finds out this has mainly to do with his administration being a mess. He is behind with payments because he does not open his bills and the reminders.

case studies teachers and care takersa. Ben has a daughter of 5 years old who recently started going to primary school. On the first day of school the teacher asked him to fill in a form whether his daughter suffers any allergies. He responds by suddenly acting being in a hurry and saying he has no time now and will do it later. b. Margaret’s son has made a drawing at school. As it is impossible to depict what it represents his teacher writes it next to the image. When Margaret comes to pick up her son, he immediately shows her the drawing asking her what she thinks it is. Margaret gives it a guess and then transfers to a different subject.

case studies librarya. Rob goes to the library and asks for advice on books for his grandson who is fond of trains. The librarian checks the computer and asks Rob if he can write down the titles she narrates. Suddenly he acts nervous, says his handwriting is not sufficient and asks the librarian to write it down instead. b. Florence wants to subscribe as a member of the library. She goes to the desk and asks for help. The librarian provide her with a form with contact information point her to a table where she can fill it out immediately. She thanks the librarian and puts the form in her bag to fill it out at home instead.

case studies companya. Charlie works at a paper factory. Every month they have a meeting with their team to discuss incidences. Every meeting one person is assigned to take notes. When Charlie is asked to take notes he says he feels ill and asks a colleague to step in for him. b. Sophia works at a soup factory. The company recently included new machinery to the production line. The employees receive safety instructions clearly indicating to not open it until the light flashes green. The next day Sophia starts working with the new machine and does the exact opposite.

case studies Job centrea. Julie is 27 and together with her daughter she lives with her parents. She would love to work as a florist. Together with a job centre she tries to find a job. When a vacancy opens up instead of filling out the application form she stops by the florist and asks for a job interview. b. Bob goes to a job centre to get help finding new employment after he resigned at his previous job. When asked why he resigned he explains the company implemented lots of changes he did not support, including a transition from written to verbal reporting.

6. aPPendiX 2 case studies: recognising literacy difficulties

11


case health and social sectorLeo is 56 years old. Because of his heart condition he has to take a lot of medications. He struggles with his drug intake, most likely because he is not capable of following the instructions correctly. The effect is that his heart disease does not improve. The doctor suspects Leo’s literacy skills are not sufficient. Leo has an appointment with his doctor to discuss his continuous complaints. The doctor wants to ask Leo whether he indeed struggles with reading and writing. And if yes, trigger Leo’s motivation to go to a literacy course.

case study teachers and caretakersLaura is 32 years old and has two children, Samantha and Tony, in the age of 7 and 4. She is very happy with the teachers of her children and always willing to help when school events take place. Although the events are announced in the newsletter, she seems to only know about them when she arrives at school. At school the teacher asks Laura to support Samantha with her schoolwork as she is behind with her reading skills. However, when the teacher asks Samantha whether her mother has done so, she replies with no. The schoolteacher suspects Laura has difficulties with literacy. She wants to ask Laura whether she indeed struggles with reading and writing. And if yes, trigger Laura’s motivation to go to a literacy course.

case study libraryTina is 67 years old. She is retired and has worked as a cleaning lady all her life. She stopped attending school at age 14 to help her mother with all her siblings. Since a few years she is a grandmother. She regularly goes to the library with her grandson. However, she always asks for help when picking out books. The librarian is happy to help her out, but wonders whether she might need help because she has difficulties with reading. Tina would love to read stories with her grandson but feels she is too old to learn. The librarian wants to ask Tina whether she indeed struggles with reading and writing. And if yes, trigger her motivation to go to a literacy course.

case study companyPaul is 45 and works at a coffee factory. His employer is happy with him and the way he works. he has good people skills and knows how to motivate his colleagues. Because of that he would like to give Paul a promotion to work as a supervisor. However, he does notice that there might be an obstacle. when new safety instructions are handed out, Paul always asks his colleagues to verbally explain it to him. Paul’s employer wants to ask Paul whether this is because he struggles with reading and writing. And if yes, trigger Paul’s motivation to go to a literacy course.

case study job centreMike has been searching for a new job for a few months now. Until recently he worked in the building industry but because of the economic downfall his former employer had to let him go. Since 2 months he subscribed to a Job Centre to get help with his search. Mike has the secret ambition to work in building logistics. But does not feel confident enough to turn this ambition into reality. His Job Centre Advisor suspects that he has literacy difficulties since he struggles with writing applications and does not have a written CV. The Job Centre Advisor wants to ask Mike whether he indeed struggles with reading and writing. And if yes, trigger Mike’s motivation to go to a literacy course.

7. aPPendiX 3 case studies: discussing literacy difficulties

12


motivational interviewing focuses on what one wants to change through open questions and reflective listening:Using elements of motivational interviewing is a good strategy for discussing literacy difficulties. In this strategy all the attention is directed at the person with literacy difficulties him/herself and not to the person who started the conversation. Through motivational interviewing the motivation of that person for his/her own behavioural change is triggered. Instead of telling the person what to do, you ask questions. These questions are meant to investigate and diminish contradictory thoughts and feelings in order to trigger the motivation to change.

examples of contradictory thoughts and feelings are:• A person who wishes to find a job and participate, but hesitates to improve his/her reading

and writing skills.• A person who wants to improve his/her health, but is unable and unwilling to learn how to

read his/her prescriptions.• A person who feels powerless in its possibilities to support his/her children with their school

work, but even more so in its possibilities to improve his/her skills to be able to do so. • A person who feels ashamed about his/her lack of literacy skills, but even more ashamed to

do something about these skills.

motivational interviewing involves two typical components:• Open questions: ask questions that start with who/what/where/how/why/when/with whom. • Reflective listening: listening carefully and summarising briefly what the person is saying.

These summaries can focus on: • Content: ‘I understand things did not go the way you expected them to go.’ • Emotions: ‘I see that you are confused.’ • Contradictions: ‘I notice that on the one hand you say… but on the other hand you say…’

By reflective listening you show that you are listening, structure the conversation and give the other opportunities to complement.

through alternating these two strategies you investigate the motivation of your interlocutor. You investigate:• The desire to change• The options to make this change• The reason why he/she wants to change• The need to change

In this way you stimulate the person to start talking in terms of change him/herself. Once this is achieved, the step to effectuate actual change is made easier since it comes from the person him/herself.

8. aPPendiX 4 hand-out motivational intervieWing

this project has been funded with support from the european commission. this publication reflects the views of its authors only, and the commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.

Documents

WorkshoP guidelines on involving intermediaries in ... · PDF fileWorkshoP guidelines on involving intermediaries ... h and-out motivational interviewing ... guideline on involving