National Literacy Secretariat - Project Funding 2002-2003(Ontario)

(01.04/02 - 31.07/02)

Ms. Anne Moore
ACTION READ COMMUNITY LITERACY CENTRE
2 Quebec Street Suite 220
Guelph,ONTARIO
N1H2T3
Tel. (519) 836-2759

Adaptive Technology Phase Two: Technology and Expressive Literacy

Action Read Community Literacy Centre will research, field test, evaluate and promote a selection of computer-assisted and adaptive technologies that will help adult literacy learners with special learning needs to enhance their expressive writing skills. This project will build on phase I, which studied the potential benefits of using adaptive technology in literacy programs. Specialized software such as Inspiration, Draft Builder, Read and Write, Co-Writer, Write Outloud and Word Q will be tested and rated. A group of six to eight volunteers will be recruited to assist with the project. The results and recommendations of the project will be shared with literacy practitioners across Ontario through workshops, presentations and a website, which will be promoted through various print and web sources, including the National Adult Literacy Database and the AlphaPlus website. This project will help to bring literacy programs to a higher level of awareness concerning what technology is available for learning, when to use it and with who. The progress made by the adult learners and the increased level of awareness of the literacy field towards adaptive technologies will determine the success of this project.

Ms. Linda Monteith
ALPHAPLUS CENTRE
2040 Yonge Street 3rd Floor
Toronto,ONTARIO
M4S1Z9
Tel. (416) 322-1012

Alpha Route VI

AlphaPlus Centre will provide training support to 120 Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies on the use of AlphaRoute, an online literacy learning environment for the Deaf, Native, Anglophone and Francophone streams in Ontario. This support will be offered through extensive online training, online discussions, telephone help desk support and AlphaRoute presentations and workshops. AlphaPlus will also improve and update the AlphaRoute site to include an online placement tool, an interactive newspaper and new learning activities. This project will allow LBS agencies to build technological skills that will enhance their program delivery and to increase their capacity to access online learning and professional development tools. Feedback gathered from the training team, the LBS agencies being trained and AlphaRoute users, as well as the number of visitors on AlphaRoute will determine the project's effectiveness.

Developing and Supporting an E-Learning Culture Within the Literacy Field

The AlphaPlus Centre, a provincial leader in supplying information as well as resources to the literacy community in Ontario, will develop a best practices hand book, produce a report, and pilot online training and information services in order to enhance the use of e-learning methods, such as web-based training and electronic conferencing, by the literacy field. AlphaPlus will undertake a literature review and conduct a survey to research barriers to adopting technology in literacy training and identify strategies to successfully overcome these barriers. AlphaPlus will then pilot online training sessions with Literacy and Basic Skills programs throughout Ontario. A report identifying the obstacles that are preventing part of the literacy community from accessing online learning, as well as a best practices handbook for developing and receiving online learning will be produced. This project will allow AlphaPlus to improve its capacity to deliver on-line training and information services to the literacy field and result in increased awareness of technological learning capabilities as well as expanded opportunities for practitioners in the literacy field to be more involved in e-learning opportunities through the Centra software system and other technical media. Feedback from the literacy field gathered through AlphaCom, AlphaPlus' online forum, will be used to evaluate the project.

Developing a Research Culture in Ontario - Phase II

The AlphaPlus Centre, the Ontario provincial literacy resource centre, will build on work accomplished in phase I in order to develop tools to inform the Ontario literacy field of research opportunities in literacy and to encourage them to actively participate in such research. During Phase I, a database including all adult literature research that has taken place in Ontario since 1980 was designed; a new section dedicated to research was developed for their web site to host the database along with many other useful research tools; and, a distinct research library collection was created. During Phase II, AlphaPlus will: expand the database housing the research; develop a communication package to inform the field about research initiatives and opportunities; develop a network with other research organizations and links on the Web site to other research sites; pilot an online training event for practitioners focussing on action and participatory research methodologies through the Centre software system; and, organize forums on Alphacom, AlphaPlus' online discussion system, to support communication on research. Participation in the forums, the number of visits on the research web page and feedback from the online training collected through evaluation forms will be used to evaluate the project's success.

Linking Literacy and Libraries - Phase 1: Feasibility Study

The AlphaPlus Centre, a provincial leader in supplying information and resources to the literacy community in Ontario, will determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of developing working partnerships with the Provincial Literacy Networks and the major public library networks to improve access to library resources and computers for learner use of AlphaRoute, Alphaplus' online literacy learning environment. This feasibility study, which would investigate the service areas that support collections for the Anglophone, Francophone, Deaf and Native streams, will examine the potential to share print and electronic resources, as well as distance education options, to ensure equitable access to Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS)-related materials for literacy programs, practitioners and learners throughout Ontario. In order to achieve this, AlphaPlus will survey LBS agencies and libraries to determine what the current connections are between them, identify the gaps in services and develop a partnership model that promotes literacy services in the community. The success of the project will be based on the identification of potential library pilot sites for the development of a partnership.

Mrs. Lynne Wallace
ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF APPLIED ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY OF ONTARIO
College Sector Committee
109 Elm Street, Suite 200
Sudbury,ONTARIO
P3C1T4
Tel. (705) 675-2124

Dealing Effectively with Inappropriate Classroom Behaviour: Best Practices in LBS Participant Behaviour Management

The Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario (ACAATO) will build on "What Works: Recruitment and Retention of Ontario Works Clients" and "Retention through Redirection" projects, which identified causes of learner withdrawals from literacy programs and strategies to retain them, to develop best practices which will guide adult literacy practitioners in the interaction with Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) participants in the area of behaviour management. The project will include three main components: 1) A literature and Internet search to determine what has been researched, proposed and adopted in other jurisdictions and the success of these approaches; 2) A survey through questionnaires, as well as telephone and personal interviews with Anglophone adult literacy programs in order to identify behavioural concerns, current practices in dealing with these concerns and their degree of success; and 3) Focus group meetings with clients and practitioners to identify problems and evaluate the possible success of proposed 'Best Practices' as they are being developed. Based on the findings of this project, a report will be issued and distributed to funders, AlphaPlus and to each college site and regional literacy network in Ontario. Feedback on the implementation by colleges of the strategies recommended in the report will determine the project's effectiveness.

Teachers for Tomorrow - The Next Step

The Association of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology of Ontario (ACAATO) will build on the "Teachers for Tomorrow" project, which identified the essential skills required for College literacy teachers, current hiring practices, available training and anticipated demand in the province of Ontario, to implement system wide policies and processes for literacy practitioners, as part of the Practitioner Training Strategy. ACAATO will: implement a cost-effective Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition system consistent across the province; introduce a certification process for literacy practitioners; develop a workable and responsive system for providing the constant upgrading of the skills of literacy teachers in college Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs; and, implement a generic orientation package for all colleges to use when training new LBS staff. ACAATO will also aim to secure college-wide agreement on policies concerning the grandfathering of existing LBS staff and upgrading staff as well as a workable system for maintaining skills. As a result of this project, a report will be produced and distributed to funders, AlphaPlus and to each college site and regional literacy network in Ontario. Feedback from LBS managers and the level of success with which essential skills are reflected in hiring and skill updating practices will determine the project's effectiveness.

Ms. Rebecca Groulx
ATIKOKAN LITERACY INCORPORATED
Reading Plus 25 Rawn Road
P.O. Box 2116
Atikokan,ONTARIO
P0T1C0
Tel. (807) 597-1242

Job Readiness

Atikokan Literacy Incorporated (ALI) will develop an instructional manual documenting the curriculum, content, learning outcomes, assessments and demonstration procedures for their literacy course on job readiness offered since 2000-01, to share with other literacy programs who wish to offer a similar course. The material, which focuses on helping literacy learners determine realistic employment goals, covers basic skills that are essential for success in the workplace such as basic communication, basic numeracy, basic computer skills and personal development (goals, hygiene, self-concept and self-knowledge). Documentation from ALI's previous job readiness courses will be field-tested, refined and published in binder format, as well as posted on the Internet for the use of other programs. Copies will also be sent to each literacy network in Ontario, the Ontario Literacy Coalition, the AlphaPlus Centre and funders. The project's success will be evaluated based on the number of literacy programs using the manual, as well as feedback from these programs collected through evaluation forms.

Claudette Hallée
CAP NORD
PO Box 2350 112 Whitewood Avenue
New Liskeard, Ontario
P0J 1P0
Tel. (705) 647-7020

Writers' contest

Cap Nord will develop and publish a short novel adapted for beginning adult readers. To do so, the agency will organize and launch a writers' contest throughout northern Ontario. A well-written, engaging novel will be produced to meet a major need for materials that encourage new readers' interest in books. In addition, a workbook adapted for the learners' learning level and consistent with learning results will be developed based on the novel. The novel, accompanied by the workbook, will be distributed by the Centre franco-ontarien de ressources en alphabétisation (FORA) and Cap Nord. The evaluation of project effectiveness will be based on distribution of the material.

Diane Dugas
CAP: CENTRE D'APPRENTISSAGE ET DE PERFECTIONNEMENT INC.
511 Main Street East
Hawkesbury, Ontario
K6A 1B3
Tel. (613) 632-9664

Access target: Project to promote links between literacy training and employment

CAP: Centre d'apprentissage et de perfectionnement inc. will promote links between literacy training and employment, by producing and distributing a report providing a series of realistic proposals to more effectively receive, integrate and serve Ontario Works Program participants in literacy and basic skills training programs. The report will be developed as a result of a review of the existing literature, include examples of training tools that facilitate rapid entry to the labour market for target clients and propose methods for the literacy training community to establish partnerships with various training service suppliers. CAP will compile social insertion and employability training programs, partnership memoranda of understanding and mechanisms and various forms of certification. The materials collected will be analysed and classified to retrieve the most promising programs. The new approach involves short intensive programs, combining learning with job re-entry. An advisory committee will be created to ensure the different steps in the action plan are followed and to evaluate project effectiveness.

Louise Lalonde
CENTRE D'ALPHABÉTISATION MOI, J'APPRENDS DU COMTÉ DE RUSSELL INC.
1468 Laurier Street
Rockland, Ontario
K4K 1C7
Tel. (613) 446-5312

If I were to go back to school ...

The Centre Moi j'apprends in Russell County will prepare, produce and distribute a bilingual videotape describing the process of going back to school, promoting the need for good basic skills in reading and writing to find a job. The eight-minute videotape will be used as a promotional tool for Ontario Works Program officers and Francophone literacy training service suppliers in the province. The videotape will facilitate the task of Ontario Works Program officers in counselling sessions for clients re-entering the labour market or going back to school, particularly in literacy and basic skills courses. In addition, a copy of the audiovisual tool will be distributed to each Francophone literacy training service supplier in the province. To evaluate project effectiveness, comments will be gathered from practitioners and clients who have viewed the videotape.

Marc Bisonnette
CENTRE D'ALPHABÉTISATION, D'ÉDUCATION ET DE FORMATION POUR ADULTES LA ROUTE DU SAVOIR
711 Dalton Avenue Suite 228
Kingston, Ontario
K7M 8N6
Tel. (613) 544-7447

Common tools

The Centre d'alphabétisation, d'éducation et de formation pour adultes La route du savoir will produce a computerized program and a CD-ROM with personal files for literacy and basic skills (LBS) learners so that they can self-evaluate their progress based on LBS learning results. The key objective of the program is to make learners accountable for their learning. The Centre will computerize all learner files so that learners are each responsible for managing their file and can register their attendance on the computer every day and review their training plan. Learning results will be compiled on learner files and a self-evaluation form available for the learner to fill out. At the end of the week, learners can print their weekly sheet and see the objectives met and status of their progress. In this way, learners have a view of their overall situation and a weekly progress report and can take a critical look at their learner status. This process will allow learners to position themselves and to observe their progress in relation to short-, medium- and long-term objectives. The tools will be tested and evaluated by learners. The CD-ROM and a project report will be available for all LBS service suppliers in the province. The project will be evaluated based on feedback from service suppliers in the province who have used the computerized program.

Yolande Clément
CENTRE FRANCO-ONTARIEN DE RESSOURCES EN ALPHABÉTISATION (FORA)
432 Westmount Avenue Unit H
Sudbury, Ontario
P3A 5Z8
Tel. (705) 524-3672

Publishing partners

The Centre franco-ontarien de ressources en alphabétisation (FORA) will co-ordinate 27 productions and co-productions and publish them for Francophone organizations in Canada. Each production and co-production will be developed in relation to indicators of success and learning results and provide a variety of approaches for trainers. The Centre FORA will establish ongoing links with the Francophone community during the development stages of production of materials, to ensure that all the learning and training materials developed and produced meet the specific needs of learners and trainers. The content of each production and co-production will be evaluated by an adult education advisor, in accordance with Reform strategies established by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. In addition, the Centre FORA will organize four launches and a minimum of eight partnerships with adult basic training organizations arising from this project. New products will be marketed through Alpha-Trousses and the computerized catalogue on the Centre FORA Web site. Evaluation of project effectiveness will be done by sending an evaluation form to the organizations that co-produce materials for assessment of the service provided.

Interactive AlphaRoute activities

The Centre FORA, in co-operation with ABC-Communautaire in Welland, the adult training centre J'aime apprendre inc. and the Centre AlphaPlus will carry out the animation and interaction work for five literacy activities for Francophone learners on the AlphaRoute, a learning environment on the Internet developed by AlphaPlus where literacy and basic skills (LBS) learners can participate in interactive literacy training activities. As part of the project, the Centre FORA will develop an adult education process based on LBS indicators of success with interesting, simple, interactive animation for learners at the beginner level. The technical team at J'aime apprendre inc. will ensure a quality animation product. Evaluation of project effectiveness will be done by the technical team and partners.

Suzanne Benoit
COALITION FRANCOPHONE POUR L'ALPHABÉTISATION ET LA FORMATION DE BASE EN ONTARIO
235 Montreal Road Suite 201
Vanier, Ontario
K1L 6C7
Tel. (613) 842-5369

Literacy promotion

The Coalition francophone pour l'alphabétisation et la formation de base en Ontario, in partnership with the Centre d'alphabétisation, d'éducation et de formation pour adultes La route du savoir, will undertake a collective literacy promotion project with provincial impact, by compiling and providing marketing strategies and tools to literacy and basic skills (LBS) service suppliers. The project has three components: analysing the current situation for existing tools and models, collecting all the good marketing tools used by each supplier and adding missing tools and offering workshops to enable service suppliers to promote literacy more effectively in their respective communities, by providing support and co-ordinating marketing support for each service supplier. The following marketing products will be developed: a kit with tools, strategies, an ethic, realistic processes and models and a guide describing the types of action, activities and relationships to develop and maintain with individuals and groups involved in the services to achieve maximum success. The project's key objectives are to make each LBS service supplier more competent in the preparation and use of marketing tools and to facilitate the preparation of any literacy promotion activity. Project effectiveness will be assessed by various methods, including partner participation rate, the results of a training evaluation form and an overall evaluation at the end of the project.

Preparation of workplace activities

The Coalition francophone pour l'alphabétisation et la formation de base en Ontario will be responsible for the Francophone component of a project conducted by the Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC) to develop a training program for literacy trainers and workplace training promotion tools. In the first part of the project, the Coalition will be responsible for adapting the training program content for literacy trainers, taking into consideration specific Francophone realities. To carry out this component, an advisory committee of literacy and basic skills (LBS) practitioners will be established. A training workshop will also be provided for interested literacy trainers at the Coalition forum in 2003. In the second part of the project, the Coalition will produce the Francophone adaptation of information in the marketing kit produced in English by the OLC in order to reach Francophone employers. In addition, the Coalition will prepare an LBS promotion tool to be used to raise Anglophone employers' awareness that some of their Francophone employees would probably benefit from training offered in their first language to enable them to learn faster and more effectively. Project effectiveness will be assessed by the number of literacy trainers who take the training, the number of businesses visited, the number of businesses that agree to contribute to training for their Francophone employees and the number of employees who receive training in French.

Training for trainers strategy, phase 3

The Coalition francophone pour l'alphabétisation et la formation de base en Ontario has been working on a training strategy for literacy and basic skills (LBS) trainers for two years. In phase 1, basic skills required in the occupation were identified and, in phase 2, opportunities for training and recognition of prior learning for literacy trainers were identified. In phase 3, the Coalition will initially examine best practices and identify the most effective strategies for promotion of on-the-job training. The Coalition will then produce and distribute promotional material based on the Information collected and models identified. The Coalition will also identify and implement the support needed for literacy trainers who undertake a training project. Finally, the Coalition will raise service suppliers' awareness of training for specific situations encountered by literacy trainers to facilitate their registration in the program and to encourage the perseverance to complete it. Regular evaluations will be done throughout the project as well as an evaluation of project effectiveness by the number of literacy trainers who elect to register in a course in the training program for literacy trainers.

Lynn Brouillette
COLLÈGE BORÉAL D'ARTS APPLIQUÉS ET DE TECHNOLOGIE
21 Lasalle Blvd.
Sudbury, Ontario
P3A 6B1
Tel. (705) 675-6673

Training on learning disabilities (Phase 2)

Collège Boréal d'arts appliqués et de technologie will continue the training project for literacy and basic skills (LBS) trainers to help Francophone adult learners with learning disabilities experience success in learning and develop their potential. In phase 1 of the project, a kit and a workshop were developed. In phase 2, Francophone service suppliers in the province will be contacted to organize and offer the workshop on learning disabilities to all literacy and basic skills (LBS) training centres in Ontario. The training will be accompanied by a complete kit of user-friendly, practical materials on learning disabilities. Project effectiveness will be evaluated based on oral and written feedback from training participants. Evaluation of the learning disabilities materials kit will also assess its relevance, practicality, user-friendliness and adaptability.

Anna M. Veltri
COLLÈGE DU SAVOIR (LE)
20 Nelson Street West Suite 403
Brampton, Ontario
L6X 2M5
Tel. (905) 457-7884

Development of level two and three training and learning guides based on current adult education practices

The Collège du savoir will design a level two and three learning program based on literacy and basic skills (LBS) learning results and a guide identifying best teaching practices. Initially, the Collège plans to conduct research and identify the most effective teaching methods. In the research, application of the collaborative literacy training method will be explored as well as how to help learners develop their skills while respecting various learning styles. As a result of the research, the Collège will be able to produce learning materials with appropriate content for the real situation of adult learners. As a result of the project, the following products will be developed and distributed to all LBS service suppliers in the province: a trainer's guide, an activity guide for learners and a research guide for the identification of best teaching practices. To evaluate project effectiveness, evaluation forms will be developed and distributed and the results compiled and analysed.

Ms. Joanne Kaattari
COMMUNITY LITERACY OF ONTARIO
80 Bradford Street
Suite 508
Barrie,ONTARIO
L4N6S7
Tel. (705) 733-2312

Online Foundational Training in Family Literacy

The Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO), a provincial literacy network that supports volunteer-based literacy agencies in Ontario, will increase practitioner knowledge in the area of family literacy by delivering online literacy training to 20 practitioners in Ontario. CLO will undertake this project in order to share with the Ontario literacy community the training received by two of their practitioners as a result of the Centre for Family Literacy in Alberta's successful 2001 project "Foundational Training in Family Literacy" funded by the National Literacy Secretariat. Six online training modules will be developed based upon the course materials produced by the Centre for Family Literacy in Alberta and delivered to the literacy practitioners over a six-month period through the use of Centra software. The modules will also be developed into a permanent archive for convenient access by other Ontario literacy practitioners. Feedback gathered through the built-in evaluation feature of Centra and the number of requests to access the archived training modules will determine the project's success.

"Skills for the Future: Practitioner Training Srategy - Phase Three"

The Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO), a provincial literacy network that supports volunteer-based literacy agencies in Ontario, will develop and field-test a training manual that will address the core skills needed by practitioners within Anglophone literacy agencies and networks. CLO has successfully completed phases I and II of the Practitioner Training Strategy, which have resulted in the development of an accreditation model for tutor training, a standard for the training of volunteer tutors, and a certification model for staff training. During phase III, CLO will also implement and field-test the literacy practitioner training models developed in phase II in 10 literacy agencies across Ontario, and seek recommendations about the course content and delivery mechanisms of the models. A final research report that will describe specific methods to implement the Practitioner Training Strategy, which allows for continued support of the training and the recognition of the needs of paid staff and volunteer tutors, will be developed. The success of the project will be evaluated based on feedback from practitioners and project stakeholders.

Mrs. Claire Kaukinen
CONFEDERATION COLLEGE
1450 Nakina Drive
P.O. Box 398
Thunder Bay,ONTARIO
P7C4W1
Tel. (807) 475-6210

Literacy - Alpha Route: Communications LBS Levels Four and Five

Confederation College, in partnership with Literacy North West and Thunder Bay Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs, will develop a total of 14 to 17 online literacy activity sets for levels four and five of the LBS Communications curriculum for inclusion on AlphaRoute, AlphaPlus' online literacy learning environment for the Deaf, Native, Anglophone and Francophone streams in Ontario. The activities will relate to a "real world" employment context and address gaps and priorities identified by the AlphaRoute consultants. An evaluation of the materials by a team consisting of learners, faculty, curriculum designers and technical advisors will measure the success of the project.

Mrs. Yvonne Hill
DURHAM DEAF SERVICES INC.
750 King Street East
Oshawa,ONTARIO
L1H1G9
Tel. (905) 579-3328

Communication with Hearing People - Computer Based Learning

Durham Deaf Services Inc. will create literacy learning activities and lesson plans in CD-ROM format to help Deaf literacy learners acquire the basic communications skills required to deal with the public. These computer-based learning materials, for Levels 1 to 3 of the Ontario Literacy and Basic Skills Learning Outcomes Matrix, will give Deaf literacy learners the skills and confidence to communicate with the hearing public on a daily basis. The CD- ROM will incorporate ASL signed information alongside the written text. The learning materials will cover the three following topics: medical, shopping and banking. Learners will also be able to apply the skills acquired through the use of this CD-ROM to other areas of their lives where literacy is needed such as the workplace, service agencies and education facilities. The CD-ROM developed as a result of this project will be distributed to all Deaf literacy programs in Ontario, as well as the AlphaPlus Centre, GOAL Ontario Literacy for Deaf People, the Literacy Network of Durham Region and any other literacy program that expresses an interest. In order to evaluate this project, an evaluation form will be sent with the CD- ROMs to all Deaf literacy programs.

Mr. Murray Maracle
FIRST NATIONS TECHNICAL INSTITUTE - OHAHASE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM
Old York Road R.R.#1
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory,ONTARIO
K0K1X0
Tel. (613) 396-6742

Following the Steps of Our Ancestors

The First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) will develop a literacy practitioner manual and a training workshop that builds on their successful Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio pilot for Native literacy learners. The previous project assisted Haudenosaunee people in researching their roots while increasing their basic literacy and numeracy skills. FNTI will work with the Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment, Correctional Services Canada (Native Way of Life program), and the National Aboriginal Design Committee to develop a more generic Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) and Portfolio Development manual and a more generic learner workbook to accompany cultural teachings. The workbook will contain a template for a completed portfolio and sections for documentation of cultural teachings and journaling. A training workshop will also be developed for literacy practitioners who work with Aboriginal learners outlining the model, learning outcomes and teaching methods. All sessions and materials will undergo a peer review and/or will be field-tested in order to evaluate the project effectiveness.

Lilianne St-Martin
FORMATIONPLUS
40 Birch Street East PO Box 714
Chapleau, Ontario
P0M 1K0
Tel. (705) 864-2763

Together, we will succeed

The FormationPLUS literacy training centre will develop a learning activity workbook and work with families with limited French-language and numeracy skills to facilitate their children's success on provincial tests. FormationPLUS will also develop a guide for adult literacy and basic skills (LBS) centres that want to undertake a similar project. To do so, FormationPlus will first find a way to work with parents and their children to improve the family's French-language and numeracy skills. The centre then has to become familiar with provincial tests to develop learning activities for parents so that they can more effectively help their children succeed in provincial tests. Families will be recruited through elementary and secondary schools to test the learning activities. The necessary changes and corrections will then be made in the activities. Finally, a guide will be produced and distributed in adult LBS centres in Ontario. An evaluation with parents and children will be done at the beginning and end of the project. An evaluation will also be done with local schools to assess the effectiveness of the project.

Ms. Cheryl Wilson
GOAL: ONTARIO LITERACY FOR DEAF PEOPLE
150 Central Park Drive Suite 106
Brampton,ONTARIO
L6T2T9
Tel. (905) 458-0286

Provincial Professional Development for the Deaf and Deafblind Literacy Community 2002/2003

GOAL: Ontario Literacy for Deaf People (G.O.L.D) will organize a fall conference for practitioners and learners, a spring conference for practitioners, and also two managers' meetings. Through this project, G.O.L.D will be able to provide practitioners with high- quality professional development activities, provide opportunities among practitioners and managers to network, and increase learners awareness of the Deaf/Deafblind literacy field and provide them with the opportunity to network with learners from other regions. Also, this project will be providing relevant training to practitioners working in the Deaf Deafblind literacy stream, in a culturally and linguistically accessible environment, that addresses needs specific to this community. G.O.L.D. will review past evaluation techniques and will develop an evaluation strategy that ensures the growth and continued relevance of these conferences to the needs of practitioners.

The Training and Certification of Practitioners Working in the Deaf/Deafblind Adult Literacy Community in Ontario: Phase 3

Goal: Ontario Literacy for Deaf People (G.O.L.D.) will implement and promote an intensive seven-day summer training event for literacy practitioners and volunteer tutors working in the Deaf stream, that will focus on delivering the skills needed to teach an outcome-based, goal-directed literacy program. This project will build on G.O.L.D.'s successful completion of phase II of the Practitioner Training Strategy, which resulted in the translation of the Literacy Practitioners Core Skills List (CSL) in American Sign Language and the development of a practitioner certification model and of an implementation plan for practitioner training. During phase III, the training event will describe the nature, approaches, practices, planning considerations and resources of outcome-based, goal-directed literacy programming. It will also touch upon several of the competencies identified in the CSL. An Advisory Committee will be formed to assist in the organization of the event, and it will be promoted during G.O.L.D.'s Spring professional development conference. G.O.L.D. will also develop a plan for the implementation of the remaining foundational competencies in the CSL not covered by the seven-day training. This plan, which will involve delivery partners and examine the costs, timelines and activites of the implementation, will be put on a CD-ROM that will also include an evaluative report of the training event. The project's effectiveness will be evaluated through the successful delivery of the training as determined by participants and project staff.

Ms. Karen Rockwell
GOAL: ONTARIO LITERACY FOR DEAF PEOPLE
150 Central Park Drive Suite 106
Brampton,ONTARIO
L6T2T9
Tel. (905) 458-0286

Workforce Literacy: Painting a path for practitioners in the Deaf literacy stream

GOAL: Ontario Literacy for Deaf People (G.O.L.D.) will conduct research in order to build a workforce literacy strategy for the Deaf stream and provide recommendations for literacy programs to attract and retain young Deaf adults aged 18 to 24, as well as Deaf adults who fall outside this age range. G.O.L.D. will: 1) Create a baseline of workforce activities taking place in today's Deaf literacy stream classrooms which includes documenting existing practices; 2) Conduct a literature review that will enlighten G.O.L.D. on the realities for Deaf workers in Ontario and on existing workforce literacy best practices and materials; 3) Identify gaps in resources based on specific Deaf stream needs; 4) Explore barriers that young Deaf adults face with regard to career planning and goal setting; and 5) Explore young Deaf adults' perceptions of the importance of literacy training in order to set career and personal goals. The recommendations and strategies resulting from the research will be included in a report. G.O.L.D. will be presenting the strategy to practitioners at a conference and feedback from practitioners will be collected in order to evaluate the project's effectiveness.

Mrs. Shelagh Simpson
HAMILTON AND DISTRICT LITERACY COUNCIL
75 MacNab Street South 3rd Floor
Hamilton,ONTARIO
L8P3C1
Tel. (905) 528-7848

Families Reading Together: Program Manual and Outreach Materials

The Hamilton and District Literacy Council, in partnership with the Family Literacy Network, will develop a manual that compiles the background research, rationale and curriculum for a family literacy program entitled "Families Reading Together (FRT)" initiated by the Family Literacy Network. The goals of FRT are to improve school readiness in children ages 0-4 and to encourage parents to take a lead role in guiding their child's early learning development. Based on the manual, the Council will also develop outreach materials written in basic English that can be incorporated into presentations and workshops to promote and demonstrate family literacy to a variety of audiences (e.g. parents, children's agency staff, teachers, health workers, speech and language pathologist, special interest groups, service organizations, etc.). The manual will also provide a foundation on which to build a train- the-trainer component in which adults will have the opportunity to learn more about family literacy and gain the skills needed to assist in a FRT session. The Council will hold two workshops to introduce the manual and outreach materials to potential program leaders. Feedback from the use of the manual and accompanying materials will be used to measure the project's success.

Céline Baillargeon-Tardif
J'AIME APPRENDRE INC.
305 Baldwin Avenue
Cornwall, Ontario
K6H 4J6
Tel. (613) 932-0165

Site for trainers

The adult training centre J'aime apprendre inc. will further develop the site for trainers, which was designed to help literacy training organizations share the tools they develop with each other. The project will allow the site to be improved in order to find a resource person or mentor to facilitate communication and bring together many forms of expertise throughout the province. The new site will also provide appropriate resources and tools to meet the needs of trainers, such as the steps in the learning process in the areas of communication and numeracy, models and activities, user-friendly interactive templates, even for novice users, and a feedback system to validate and regulate performance. As a result of the project, the site will provide the required knowledge for trainers and further maximize the use of existing resources. Throughout the project, J'aime apprendre will evaluate each stage internally. A steering committee will be established to conduct external review, reviewing each step to note the need for changes. At the end of the project, another external review will ensure a stable and relevant project for the literacy and basic skills community as a whole.

AlphaRoute, phase 6

The adult training centre J'aime apprendre inc., in co-operation with the Centre franco-ontarien de ressources en alphabétisation (FORA) and the Centre AlphaPlus, will continue to develop interactive literacy training activities for Francophone learners on the AlphaRoute, a learning environment on the Internet developed by AlphaPlus where literacy and basic skills (LBS) learners can participate in interactive literacy training activities. Phase 6 of the project involves equipping literacy and basic skills trainers who want to work on communication and numeracy activities combined with employability skill development. Through the project, learners will participate in context-based learning exercises of progressive difficulty at level three, four and five learning results. A series of approximately 20 numeracy activities will be developed in which learners test their knowledge of area, volume, capacity, mass, perimeter and use of a scale. The communication part will include 25 activities and deal with such things as pronouns and the correct use of regular verbs. Validation of the activities will be done by employees, volunteers and learners as the activities are developed. Changes will be made in the activities; the draft will then be sent to the FORA centre, the official project reviewer.

Ms. Carynne Arnold
KINGSTON LITERACY
88 Wright Crescent
Kingston,ONTARIO
K7L4T9
Tel. (613) 547-2012

Model for Family Literacy Programs

Kingston Literacy will build on a previous "Model for Family Literacy Programs" project to adapt and pilot a new model and a Web-based guide for successful family literacy programming that can be applied in the context of both an adult literacy program and an Early Years Centre. This will provide a focus for successful partnerships between these two delivery sectors and help reach homemakers with young children, who represent an important percentage of the population at risk. Kingston Literacy will: 1) develop an outreach strategy aimed at parents; 2) conduct initial assessments of the literacy levels of the parents and the children; 3) pilot two concurrent 16-week programs offering the same child development program but different adult literacy program components to compare their effectiveness; 4) conduct post-test literacy assessments of parents and children to measure their progress; and 5) conduct telephone follow-ups at three, six and twelve months. A web-based resource guide for delivering a family literacy program as part of an adult literacy program or an Early Years Centre will also be developed. Focus groups and interviews with parents will be conducted to measure how the project has met their needs. The increase in the parents' and children's literacy skills, the number of literacy activities taking place in the home and evaluations submitted by literacy programs on the usefulness of the Web-based materials will measure the project's effectiveness.

Colette Brisson Lacroix
LA MAGIE DES LETTRES
1116 St-Laurent Blvd
Ottawa, Ontario
K1K 3B6
Tel. (613) 748-3879

Guide for volunteer literacy tutors

La magie des lettres will prepare and produce a practical guide specifically for literacy and basic skills training for volunteer literacy tutors who work with learners in the learning process. The guide will facilitate the task of volunteer literacy tutors in setting goals and objectives, program development, evaluation of progress and access to further challenges, based on learning results. The guide will have four sections. Section 1 will determine the approaches and methods available to learners so that they can define their goals and objectives. Section 2 will help volunteer tutors guide learners in determining the program and planned schedule, based on their training plan. Section 3 will describe evaluation methods for volunteer tutors. The final section will present methods for learners to pursue further objectives and to move on to new challenges. The various components of the project will be evaluated on an ongoing basis to adapt the approach as the project develops.

Mrs. Lana Faessler
LAUBACH LITERACY ONTARIO INC.
591 Lancaster Street West Unit 4
Kitchener,ONTARIO
N2K1M5
Tel. (519) 743-3309

Laubach Conference 2003

The Laubach Literacy Ontario (LLO) in partnership with the North Bay Literacy Council will coordinate and host a three-day conference in North Bay for literacy volunteers, learners, staff and board members across Ontario. Tutors, learners and program staff will be surveyed on their training needs and preferences on suggested workshop topics. Between 10-15 workshops will be provided along with roundtable opportunities in order to share ideas and concerns. Participants will receive a 'Special Training Certificate' and their upgrading will be recorded on LLO's database for accreditation and recognition. A student recognition event recognizing adult learning will also be planned. Previous conference and workshop evaluations has provided evidence that LLO conferences increased: literacy tutors' knowledge; learners' self-esteem; board and committee members' understanding of their roles and responsibilities; and, program staff opportunity for professional development, networking and rejuvenation. The conference will be advertised on AlphaPlus, the National Adult Literacy Database, newsletters and in the local press. Workshop and conference evaluation forms, which will be summarized into a Conference Proceedings Booklet and distributed to LLO members and posted on the LLO website, will be used to evaluate the project's success.

Laubach Practitioner Training Strategy III

Laubach Literacy Ontario (LLO) will develop the "Training By Design" concept, a comprehensive collection of print and video tutor-training materials. Certified tutor trainers will learn to design workshops based on the needs of individual programs and their learners. In order to achieve this, LLO will develop a handbook, in printed and CD-ROM format, that will include best practices for implementing learning outcomes and goal directed assessment segments in the minimum basic tutor workshop, and screening tools for minimum skills for literacy tutors, trainers and learner-tutor coordinators. LLO will also develop and make available on their website two training modules to assist literacy tutor trainers in delivering learning outcomes/goal-directed approach training, as well as implement a multi-leveled certification system. In order to evaluate the success of the project, learner-tutor coordinators will be surveyed regarding the effectiveness of screening tools developed, tutors will be asked to indicate their level of satisfaction regarding workshops and certification standards and trainers will be surveyed regarding the usefulness of the modules developed.

Training Co-ordination and Delivery

Laubach Literacy Ontario (LLO) will develop and deliver specialized professional development workshops and additional modules to be included in existing workshops, based on feedback from previous workshop participants. Particular focus will be placed on modules that relate to literacy for people with learning disabilities. The new workshop components will be peer- reviewed, field-tested, inserted in an existing manual for trainers and made available as a stand-alone module to all literacy practitioners through the "trainingpost" website. LLO will also include learning disability components in the Peer Youth Tutor workshops and develop a plan for ongoing literacy training in learning disabilities for tutors, tutor-trainers and program staff. Feedback gathered through evaluation forms filled out by workshop participants and users of the training modules will be used to evaluate the project.

Ms. Carol Yaworski
LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION OF ONTARIO
365 Bloor Street East
Box 39, Suite 1004
Toronto,ONTARIO
M4W3L4
Tel. (416) 929-4311

Literacy Demonstrations for Adults with Learning Disabilities Balancing Accommodations with Skills Integrity

The Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario will research the strategies that literacy practitioners can use to assist learners with learning disabilities in accurately demonstrating his/her skills. An experienced consultant, who specializes in learning disabilities and training literacy practitioners to work with special needs learners, will be hired to conduct a research, literature and materials review. Interviews and focus groups with literacy practitioners will be held in various regions and in programs across the Anglophone, Francophone, Native and Deaf streams to discuss best practices. A manual/guide, which will provide a decision-making framework for practitioners to use when evaluating learner success in acquiring a specific skill, will be developed and distributed to the literacy field. Feedback gathered during focus groups and through evaluation forms included with the manuals, as well as the constant revision of the guidelines by the literacy practitioners will measure the project's effectiveness.

Mrs. MaryAnne Myers
LITERACY AND BASIC SKILLS PROGRAM OF THE SIMCOE COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
865 Hugel Avenue Room Room 116
Midland,ONTARIO
L4R1X8
Tel. (705) 526-8936

Resources for Youth : A Literacy Project Phase II

Literacy and Basic Skills of the Simcoe County District School Board will expand on what was developed in Phase I of Resources for Youth: A Literacy Project and develop an outreach tool that will serve as a model for increasing participation in literacy and upgrading programming. Video-making, which was identified as a major topic of interest for youth as a result of phase I, will be used as a framework for hands-on, creative literacy activities that will incorporate grammar and writing practice exercises with basic video-making and editing techniques. The resulting model and materials, including a video outlining youth stories and "how-to" guide, will be piloted and introduced to the community through a train- the-trainer workshop and a graduation/presentation to the public. The materials will also be distributed to AlphaPlus and NALD. On-going feedback will be elicited from participants, and a reference group will review the findings and make recommendations. The age and interest appropriate resources created as a result of this project will increase recruitment and retention of students and will represent a tool for outreach, prevention and public awareness. Several methods will be used to evaluate the success of the project : an evaluation report of the workshop, a satisfaction survey of project participants, the number of referrals of participants to appropriate literacy programs and the retention, attendance and literacy level of the pilot test group.

Ms. Isabel LeSarge
LITERACY LINK EASTERN ONTARIO
830-A Development Drive Bayridge Plaza
Kingston,ONTARIO
K7M5V7
Tel. (613) 389-5307

Full CABS (Common Assessment of Basic Skills) On-Line Phase 2

The Literacy Link Eastern Ontario, a network organization that services 26 literacy agency sites in Eastern Ontario, will produce and field-test the completed CABS On-Line assessment tool for the use of Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) learners and practitioners. They will also produce a CD version for users who do not have access to the Internet. Having the CABS available in electronic format will allow literacy practitioners in Ontario to download the assessment forms and demonstrations at all five LBS levels and adapt them to the specific needs of each learner. The CABS On-Line demonstrations will also be linked to specific programming on AlphaRoute, Alphaplus' online literacy learning environment, when appropriate. In addition, this project will include a feasibility study component to determine the applicability and compatibility of this tool with different measurement systems currently in use in other Canadian literacy jurisdictions. This study will consist of preliminary research of needs, applicability and interest in a variety of these jurisdictions, as well as a brief survey of the field for related national applications of other literacy assessment tools. This project will be carried out in consultation with a reference committee comprised of key literacy partners from other provinces, representatives from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, AlphaPlus/AlphaRoute consultants and the LBS agencies who volunteer to field test CABS On-Line. The results of the field test, the number of visits to the CABS On-line website and feedback gathered through the website will determine the project's success.

Mr. Gay Douglas
LITERACY LINK NIAGARA INC.
316 Lake Street Unit 2A
St. Catharines,ONTARIO
L2N4H4
Tel. (905) 937-8887

Network Forum

Literacy Link Niagara Inc. will organize and carry out two networking and professional development events for the staff of 16 regional and 4 sectoral literacy networks in order to share information, resources, expertise, common concerns and visions on literacy. The professional development events will include a variety of workshops and information sharing sessions using different formats. They will also update their current administration manual and develop an additional segment for it, as well as a "skills bank" for distribution and inclusion on their website. Evaluations by participants of the events and the number of visits on the website will be used to measure the project's effectiveness.

Ms. Tamara Riddle
LITERACY LINK SOUTH CENTRAL
213 Consortium Court
London,ONTARIO
N6E2S8
Tel. (519) 681-7307

Learning Disabilities Training : A New Approach

The Literacy Link South Central (LLSC), a regional literacy network providing services to community based, school board and college programs, will research the topic of learning disabilities and develop five online training modules for literacy practitioners to raise their knowledge on the issue. In order to do this, LLSC will consult with agencies and individuals who have extensive knowledge and experience around learning disabilities, such as the Learning Disabilities Association of London and Region and the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario. They will also conduct a needs assessment to determine the content of the training material and develop and implement a research strategy to gather the necessary information to create the material. They will then organize the research and information into five on-line modules, which they will pilot. A hard copy of the modules will also be produced as supportive documentation for training. Regular feedback from partners and stakeholders, evaluation forms built in to the training sessions and the numbers of individuals who have accessed the training will determine the project's effectiveness.

Family Service Organizations: Examining their Stake in Literacy

The Literacy Link South Central (LLSC), a regional literacy network providing services to community based, school board and college programs, will develop partnerships with family service organizations to help agencies gain a better understanding of their stake in literacy. They will also research existing family literacy materials, conduct a needs assessment of family service organizations and develop referral instruments, training and long term action plans to integrate literacy sensitivity among Family Resource Centres, Family Law Information Centres (FLICs) and Early Years Centres. In order to do this, LLSC will set up a reference group with representatives from FLICS, Family Resource Centres and Early Years Centres. This project will result in a comprehensive document detailing the relationship-building strategies used, the challenges and the successes of these partnerships, the way in which this project has enhanced community planning, and contributed to the development of ongoing relationships with agencies that are potential referral sites for Literacy and Basic Skills agencies (LBS). LLSC will be evaluating the effectiveness of this project through partnership evaluation tools and by analyzing increases of referrals from family service organizations.

New to Adult Literacy in Ontario? What Literacy Staff Need to Know: Phase 2

The Literacy Link South Central (LLSC), a regional literacy network providing services to community based, school board and college programs, will update the orientation manual that was produced in phase I and establish a working relationship with Alphaplus to transfer the online portion of the manual to the web in order to make this information more accessible to the literacy community in Ontario. In order to do this, LLSC will revive the reference group from Phase 1 and add additional participants if necessary. They will hire a coordinator for Phase 2 to review all the new resources from the past year, partitioning them into areas of field development. The information will be put together in a manual and copies will be printed and distributed to each Anglophone literacy program in Ontario and an electronic copy will be made available on the Alphaplus web site. LLSC will also investigate the possibility of transferring the online portion of the manual to a new web site where ongoing updating and technical support could be provided. An evaluation form will be included with each paper copy and electronic copy of the resource in order to obtain feedback on this product.

Ms. Debera Flynn
LITERACY NETWORK NORTHEAST
38 Pine Street North Suite 121
Timmins,ONTARIO
P4N6K6
Tel. (705) 267-5663

Researching the Literacy Components needed for a Referral Service for Adult Training

Literacy Network Northeast (LNN), in partnership with several Ontario literacy agencies and community organizations, will conduct a study on common assessment issues and develop a business plan for a bilingual central assessment and adult referral service for literacy training in South Timiskaming. In order to do this, LNN will research the assessment outcomes needed by literacy stakeholders and partners of the community. They will also investigate the opportunities for integrated literacy assessment programs with stakeholders and partners throughout their region, considering the resources available and the needs of literacy learners. This project will result in a report, in the form of a business plan, outlining the feasibility study results and identifying the components needed to operate a one-stop centre, which will be distributed to communities in LNN's region. Also, a comprehensive set of bilingual common assessment tools will be developed in conjunction with procedures and protocols. The project's effectiveness will be determined by the quality and relevance of the materials produced through this project.

Mr. Bob Rice
NINGWAKWE LEARNING PRESS 237897
Inglis Falls Road R.R. # 4
Owen Sound,ONTARIO
N4K5N6
Tel. (519) 372-9855

Bear Creek Singers-Aboriginal Youth in Action

Ningwakwe Learning Press (NLP) will develop a book and accompanying journal that reflects contemporary realities for Aboriginal youth. The book will highlight the struggles and triumphs of the Bear Creek Singers, a group of young Aboriginal traditional singers and drummers well-known within Native circles. It will be written by Mary Elliott, a writer who has been following the group's rise to success for a few years, with the help of NLP's Curriculum Development Task Team. The journal will provide a few thought provoking questions and allow the learners to write about their own experiences and thoughts in a self-directed setting. In order to promote the learning materials, NLP will hold a book launch and invite the Bear Creek Singers to entertain the audience. This learning material will benefit young Aboriginal literacy learners in Canada by highlighting positive youth role models in an exciting and inspiring book. It will encourage reading among youth, help entice youth into a literacy program, and improve the retention of learners within the Native literacy programs. The learning material will be sent to each of the Native literacy programs in Ontario, AlphaPlus library and the project funders. The material will be field-tested by Native learners and practitioners in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the material produced.

Native Learning Styles

The Ningwakwe Learning Press, in partnership with the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, will organize and deliver a two day workshop on Native literacy learning styles. The training will focus on a revised and updated booklet which incorporates the research and methodologies proposed in the research document "Holistic Learning: A Model of Education Based on Aboriginal Cultural Philosophy". The workshop will provide an opportunity to capture and record the types of questions and issues that Aboriginal literacy practitioners and learners have around culture based curricula and approaches, and will assist practitioners in developing programming, resources and methodologies. The workshop will also provide information for the development of an accompanying manual that will include related sample literacy exercises for use with learners. Final copies of the manual will be sent to each Native literacy program in Ontario as well as to the AlphaPlus library. A phone survey will be conducted three months after the workshop to ascertain if goals were successfully met, and a checklist will be developed to lend support to future curriculum materials.

Aboriginal Literacy Material Development 2002-2003

The Ningwakwe Learning Press will develop and publish Aboriginal literacy materials for the use of instructors and learners in the Native literacy community. The material will reflect an area of interest or a need identified by the community through book orders and requests, discussions, and input from the literacy research field. A Family Literacy Read-with-Me book that will incorporate Aboriginal teachings in story format will be developed. The format of the book will encourage parents and children to read together, with one page being read by the parent, and the next being read by the younger reader. Two additional volumes of a Healthy Lifestyle series will be produced, focussing on health issues common in Native Communities, and an Aboriginal Crafts and Literacy Book will focus on the role of craft lessons within Aboriginal literacy programs. A Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) story book and CD-ROM designed to combine traditional oral culture with modern technology will also be produced. Task Teams comprised of Ningwakwe Learning Press staff, Board members, literacy professionals, and learners will closely review the content and layout of the materials at various stages of development, and the materials will be field-tested by Native learners and practitioners. In addition, an evaluation tool will accompany copies of the material that will be distributed to each literacy program in Ontario and to the AlphaPlus Centre. This project will result in the production of culturally relevant resource materials designed for a variety of LBS levels.

Ms. Jane Jackson
NORTH BAY LITERACY COUNCIL INC.
450 Main Street West Unit C-1A
North Bay,ONTARIO
P1B2V2
Tel. (705) 494-9416

LEAP & Learn

The North Bay Literacy Council will test and implement the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario's "Learning and Employment Assessment Profile" (LEAP) program. The LEAP program helps individuals with learning disabilities to focus on their strengths, understand their learning disability, identify the right jobs and career paths, self-identify, self-advocate and improve self-esteem. Literacy practitioners and tutors within the Council will be trained in using these programs and will be able to use them with identified learners on a one-to-one basis. The results of this project will be shared with the literacy community in the form of a "How to" report outlining the struggles and successes of implementing and testing these types of supports. Also, training may be offered to other literacy and upgrading organizations interested in implementing these types of supports in their own programs. Evaluation forms completed by practitioners, tutors and learners using the program, as well as tracking for job placement success and entry and exit assessments of learners will be used to evaluate the project's effectiveness.

Ms. Annemarie Wesolowski
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO LITERACY NETWORK
135 Syndicate Ave. N. Suite 204
Thunder Bay,ONTARIO
P7C3V6
Tel. (807) 622-6666

Regional Training Event - May 2003

The Northwestern Ontario Literacy Network will conduct and evaluate a three-day training adult literacy event for Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies, staff volunteers and learners in northwestern Ontario that will address their interest and training needs. In order to do this, they will hire a coordinator, set up an advisory committee and open a group discussion on AlphaCom, AlphaPlus' online forum, to help facilitate the exchange of information/ideas and the planning process. A "Call for Presenters" will be circulated throughout the Ontario literacy field, soliciting proposals on topics specific to the needs/interests of the region. A registration package will be developed and distributed to the literacy field. The training event will be evaluated, by both the participants and the organizers, for future reference and for reporting purposes. All workshops and activities will be captured in a comprehensive "Event Report" and distributed to each LBS agency in the region, all of the workshop facilitators, funders, and other key stakeholders.

Ms. Wendy Oliver
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATORS (CESBA)
2 Robert Speck Parkway suite 300
Mississauga,ONTARIO
L4Z1H8
Tel. (905) 949-0049

Learning Disabilities Initiative

The Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA) will review the materials and research collected through the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario's projects over the past few years and make recommendations regarding ways to implement tools that support instructors in screening learners with learning disabilities and adapting learning materials to meet their needs. CESBA will also design a training program to meet the professional development needs of school board LBS instructors for teaching literacy learners with learning disabilities, which will be made available on CD ROM. In addition, they will identify model practices that are presently being used in the school board sector to screen, assess, place and instruct learners with learning disabilities. A report including research results, recommendations and best practices will also be produced and distributed. A reference group will evaluate the project's success based on the achievement of project goals.

Practitioner Training Strategy Phase III

The Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA) will monitor and assess the usefulness of the Adult Literacy Educator Core Skills List Toolkit developed and distributed to Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies as a result of Phase II of the Practitioner Training Strategy. They will also develop, implement and field- test a method of training for LBS instructors throughout the province. The training will be in the form of 5 to 8 modules in CD ROM format and will also be available on CESBA's website. The modules will be field-tested by literacy practitioners in school boards across Ontario and submitted to the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) for evaluation and accreditation as part of the Professional Learning Program, which is established as a requirement for maintaining OCT membership eligibility for all teachers. This project will ensure that there is consistency throughout the province in the approach to professional development, training and orientation, and that literacy organizations will have appropriate and consistent guidelines to assist in the hiring and evaluation of instructors. Feedback forms will be used to evaluate the project's success.

Impact Study: Ontario Works Participants in School Board LBS Programs

The Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA) will conduct a survey of all school board Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Programs in Ontario in order to determine the impact of mandatory participation of Ontario Works clients. The survey will be designed to cover the following elements: attendance patterns, class size, waiting lists, assessment and intake procedures, current school board policies and procedures as they relate to appropriate student behaviour, identification of systemic barriers and additional professional development needs and training for LBS practitioners. The data gathered will be summarized and analyzed in a report, which will also include recommendations on how to address needs and gaps and identify best practices that currently exist to integrate Ontario Works participants into LBS Programs. The report will be posted on CESBA's website and advertised through AlphaCom, AlphaPlus Centre's online forum. The level of participation by school board LBS programs in the consultation process and evaluation tools included in all consultation components will determine the project's success.

Dr. Nancy Jackson
ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES IN EDUCATION
University of Toronto
252 Bloor Street West 7-119
Toronto,ONTARIO
M5S1V6
Tel. (416) 923-6641

Practitioner-based Research and Inquiry

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) will foster the development of literacy practitioner-based research and inquiry projects by providing support in the form of research facilitators to the various literacy communities in Ontario including Anglophone, Francophone, Deaf, Native, urban, rural, immigrant, workplace, disability groups and others. The Project Manager, in consultation with the Adult Literacy Working Group at OISE/UT and with the assistance of Project Facilitators, will guide and support literacy groups to develop their own practitioner-based research projects, collaborative research/inquiry networks and other demonstration projects. All research reports and materials produced as a result of this project will be presented and used as a basis for discussion at an OISE symposium, which will focus on the "Cultures of Literacy". They will then be made available for circulation and publication. In order to determine the success of the project, evaluation reports will be written at the end of each stage of the project and compared against a framework established by an experienced facilitator.

Mrs. Anette Chawla
ONTARIO LITERACY COALITION
365 Bloor Street East Suite 1003
Toronto,ONTARIO
M4W3L4
Tel. (416) 963-5787

Social Marketing Strategy 2002-2003

The Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC) will build on and support the "What Did You Learn Today?" campaign by developing and distributing new promotional materials in order to continue to increase public awareness surrounding literacy. In order to do this, OLC will continue to have the radio and television Public Service Announcements played on air. In addition, they will develop community learning activities to stimulate and encourage lifelong learning and educate the public about literacy. A series of community supports for these activities such as articles, presentations and information packages will be developed. Furthermore, OLC will select literacy programs or networks to host the activities in three pilot communities. The plan is to have these activities ongoing throughout the month of September 2002 in connection with International Literacy Day. In order to evaluate the success of this project, they will carry out an omnibus survey both before and after the activities are launched, collect information throughout the project and at the end to measure how well the project has met its objectives.

Ms. Susan Sussman
ONTARIO LITERACY COALITION
365 Bloor Street East Suite 1003
Toronto,ONTARIO
M4W3L4
Tel. (416) 963-5787

"Stay Tuned In" to Workplace Literacy: Developing a Practitioners' Network

The Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC) will develop a combination of methods aimed at practitioners, trainers, coordinators and staff involved in the workplace literacy initiative "Workplace Literacy Training" (a project through which OLC delivers introductory training sessions to literacy practititoners for the delivery of workplace literacy) to ensure communication, interaction, support and professional development between the time of training sessions and the time of literacy planning and programming. The methods that will be used to achieve this will be developed through consultations with stakeholders of the workplace literacy field and may include: electronic conferences, bulletin boards and discussions through Alphacom (AlphaPlus' online forum), OLC newsletters for workplace literacy updates, informal "Q & A" sessions, and workshops on specific topics. There will also be a mentoring component to this project, where participants can obtain information and guidance from OLC with respect to marketing, coordination, planning and delivery of workplace literacy programming. As well, OLC will consult with umbrella literacy groups and regional networks in Ontario to identify how workplace literacy training for practitioners will be delivered in Ontario in the future and identify clear roles and responsabilities for these groups. This project will result in a detailed evaluation report that will outline what combination of methods is most effective for ongoing practitioner development and the sustainability of workplace literacy education in Ontario. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the project, information will be collected from key stakeholders at the end of the project to measure how well objectiveshave been met.

Ms. Ellen Paterson
ONTARIO NATIVE LITERACY COALITION
1101 2nd Avenue East Suite 111
Owen Sound,ONTARIO
N4K2J1
Tel. (519) 371-5594

Strengthening Community Partnerships

T he Ontario Native Literacy Coalition will organize six regional one-day gatherings that will focus on increasing Native multi-functional host organizations' awareness of, and support for, literacy and Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs. The gatherings will bring together Native literacy program co-ordinators throughout the province with representatives from the community and host organizations. As a result, the gatherings will facilitate better communication and strengthen the relationships between LBS programs, host organizations and communities. The meetings will be facilitated to allow for required objectives to be addressed, as well as enabling some freedom and flexibility in addressing emerging issues and greater information sharing. ONLC will produce a report with recommendations that will reflect the priorities of the participants. Also, this project will create a template for community consultation. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this project, participants will be asked to fill out evaluation sheets after each gathering.

Mrs. Mary Wiggin
OTTAWA-CARLETON COALITION FOR LITERACY
107-211 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa,ONTARIO
K1R6H5
Tel. (613) 233-3232

Development of Online Modules for Ongoing Training of Literacy Volunteers

T he Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy will develop three online volunteer literacy tutor training modules as well as a template and brief guide for creating additional modules. The content of the modules will address key literacy needs that will be identified by conducting a survey of volunteer tutors and staff who work with volunteer tutors through telephone interviews and focus groups. Modules will be developed in such a way that they will provide trainers with variety and flexibility in developing training events. The first training module that will be developed will be field-tested in two sites and the results of these tests will be used to refine and complete the materials. This project will result in free, accessible and adaptable on-line training materials for volunteer literacy tutors that will increase the effectiveness of literacy programs by providing better training opportunities for volunteer tutors. Feedback gathered through the field-tests and an online forum for trainers who download the modules will be used to evaluate the project's success.

Mrs. Anna Bowles
OTTAWA-CARLETON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD (OCDSB)
Continuing Education Department
440 Albert Street
Ottawa,ONTARIO
K1R5B5
Tel. (613) 239-2287

Income Tax: A Literacy Guide - Phase 2

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will continue to develop and field test instructional materials for literacy providers to assist them in giving Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) learners a better understanding of Canada's income tax process. Input for the initial draft of Income Tax: A Literacy Guide was obtained from literacy learners in the Ottawa area and the revised guide is to be distributed to a wider range of literacy programs throughout Ontario for further field testing. Partners for this project include the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA), the Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy, the Ontario Literacy Coalition, the Ontario Association of Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA), and the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD). Electronic versions of the guide will be made available through NALD for distribution across Canada. This project will provide a tool that supports numeracy contextualized learning and will assist learners in understanding the tax system and in completing their own income tax forms. Feedback from literacy teachers involved in the field-test will be used to measure the project's success.

Frameworks for Adult Numeracy

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will collect, analyze, and compare adult numeracy frameworks and produce a report describing the frameworks that are currently in use in English-speaking countries. The report will summarize each framework's purpose, rationale, organizing principles, development process, sources, plan for future revisions, implementation plan, and links to reading, writing, speaking and listening. The report will be written in clear language and will be made available on the Internet as a PDF file in the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD). Mathematics and Education professors from three Canadian universities will evaluate drafts of the report as it develops, and AlphaPlus Centre and NALD will assist in the project's research as well as the dissemination of the report. This project will contribute to the academic understanding of the concept of numeracy and will provide a single, accessible on-line document describing the different adult numeracy frameworks that have been created around the world.

Mr. Bill Kennedy
PARKDALE PROJECT READ
160 A Springhurst Avenue
Toronto,ONTARIO
M6K1C2
Tel. (416) 531-6308

Violence and Learning : Exploring Blocks to Youth Learning

Parkdale Project Read will undertake a research project to deepen understanding of the impact of violence on learning and literacy development in youth. The research will be carried out through focus groups with out-of-school youth who have experienced violence, interviews with professionals who work with those youth and through a literature and programming information review. As a result of the research, a paper will be developed and posted on-line to generate discussion among literacy providers. An advisory committee, which will include youth members, will then be established to carry out further analysis of the discussion paper. As well, an article summarizing the research findings will be written for submission to a literacy journal and a brief tool for youth literacy programs will be created to support practical implementation of the findings. All products will be widely advertised across Canada. This project will contribute to research in the field and increase knowledge of how to attract and teach out-of-school youth who have experienced violence. An evaluator will contact project partners and participants to evaluate whether goals were met and to give feedback on the process and the value of the research products.

Ms. Sue McCormack
PEEL HALTON DUFFERIN ADULT LEARNING NETWORK
Meadowvale Branch Library
6677 Meadowvale Town Centre Circle
Mississauga,ONTARIO
L5N2R5
Tel. (905) 812-3533

"Family Connections - One Year Later"

The Peel-Halton-Dufferin Adult Learning Network will conduct a survey of programs that were involved in the project "Family Connections: A How-To Manual for Developing Family Literacy Partnerships in Your Community", which produced a manual to assist literacy programs in developing community partnerships, to revisit the partnerships one year later and assess their successes and challenges. Following this, an electronic update or bulletin via Alphacom, AlphaPlus' online forum, will be produced to highlight the successful partnership strategies and share them with the literacy field. They will also hold a focus group session on the topic of partnerships during the Ontario Literacy Coalition Family Literacy Conference, scheduled for the Fall of 2002, and include the results in the electronic bulletin. This project will increase awareness surrounding the role and benefits of partnerships in the development of family literacy programs and approaches. In order to measure the project's success, a reference group will evaluate each phase of the project and an evaluation component built into the focus group session.

Mr. John Maclaughlin
PREPARATORY TRAINING PROGRAMS OF TORONTO
5415 Dundas Street West
Suite 200
Etobicoke,ONTARIO
M9B1B5
Tel. (416) 239-4153

Who is Learning What (WILY): Phase Two

Prepatory Training Programs of Toronto (PTP) will build on the work accomplished as a result of the "Who Is Learning What" project, which collected and analyzed data on the transferability of literacy skills from academic to workplace reading and writing tasks and vice versa, to conduct further research and analysis on the topic of skills transferability. In order to achieve this, PTP will: seek statistical analysis expertise and resources from The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT); administer approximately 500 "Literacy in Everyday Life" telephone surveys of adults with low literacy skills not involved in a Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) program to provide comparative statistics; conduct 50 to 100 additional literacy assessments, using various assessment methods, and include new assessment locations to ensure that the sample is sufficiently diverse; and, gather longitudinal data as it relates to literacy practices of the participants six months after exiting their LBS program. As a result of the project, a report will be produced to present the interpreted research findings and distributed electronically to literacy agencies. Significant findings will also be presented at workplace literacy conferences. Independent reviews of the testing and data collection will be conducted by OISE and the University of Toronto to evaluate the project's effectiveness.

Building for the Future: Using the LBS Matrix and Outcomes to Develop Pre-Apprenticeship Programs for the Construction Industry

Preparatory Training Programs of Toronto (PTP) will work with construction apprenticeship programs to develop three workbooks within the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) matrix for literacy learners with employment goals in this area, and to create a specific pre-apprentice LBS path. The workbooks, which will be developed based on input from partners such as the Local 27 Carpenters Union, The Labourers International Union of North America and The Terrazzo Tile and Marble Association of Canada, will include reading, writing, and math activities related to pre-apprenticeship, as well as an instructor's manual, lesson plans and instructor notes. The activities and demonstrations will be designed with a step-by-step approach to make it easy for any practitioner to include realistic tasks in their pre- apprenticeship programming. Pilot training sessions across the province of Ontario will be held to familiarize literacy program staff with the materials, demonstrations, and the LBS skills required to enter each of the apprenticeships. This project will result in a model for collaboration between community-based literacy programs and industry and labour-based apprenticeships. Feedback from the pilot tests will be used to measure the project's effectiveness.

Ms. Anne Ramsay
PROJECT READ LITERACY NETWORK
591 Lancaster Street West Unit #4
Kitchener,ONTARIO
N2K1M5
Tel. (519) 570-3054

Increasing Our Skills - An Update of the Adult Literacy Educator Program (formely known as LOON)

Project READ Literacy Network (PRLN), in partnership with Algonquin College, Conestoga College and Sault College, will revise the overall program outcomes and two modules of the Adult Literacy Educator (ALE) program, in order to better reflect the present realities in the literacy field, as well as develop online delivery for one of those modules. ALE is the only training program in Ontario offered to both practitioners in the field and individuals who are considering entering the field. In order to accomplish this project, PRLN will hold consultations with an Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from all partners, as well as sectoral umbrella literacy organizations, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ontario Literacy Coalition. They will also research similar iniatives in the literacy field and seek adult education expertise from the university sector. Hard copies of the revised modules will be produced and distributed. As well, recommendations for the revision of the remaining five ALE modules will be provided in the form of an action plan. In addition to improving the quality of ALE, a unique training program, the online component of this project will provide a distance education alternative for its delivery to practitioners across Ontario. Feedback from the Advisory Committee, key stakeholders and the people who will have used the revised modules will determine the project's success.

Ms. Cindy Davidson
QUILL LEARNING NETWORK
104 Catherine Street P.O. Box 1148
Walkerton,ONTARIO
N0G2V0
Tel. (519) 881-4655

Helping Learners Get in the Door: Articulating their Skills to Employers

The QUILL Learning Network will develop a one-day workshop for learners enrolled in Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs in their region to give them the tools they need to articulate the skills that employers expect. The workshop will cover topics such as: using the language employers are looking for in letters, resumes and interviews; developing portfolios to demonstrate the learning achieved through LBS and employment preparation programs to employers; and, preparing learners for employer screening tools, such as hiring tests and interviews. The workshop will be field-tested with a sample group of learners and revised based on their feedback. Once delivered, the workshop will be packaged and distributed to LBS agencies. Feedback from workshop participants gathered through a survey will be used to evaluate the project's success.

Ms. Johanne White
RED LAKE DISTRICT ADULT LEARNING CENTRE
230 Howey Street P.O. Box 505
Red Lake,ONTARIO
P0V2M0
Tel. (807) 727-3207

The Writing Circle

Red Lake District Adult Learning Centre will develop and evaluate a manual documenting the establishment of an online writing circle within northern First Nations communities based upon "Writing Out Loud", a resource writing guide developed in Alberta. The manual will provide what is needed to host a writing group on the Internet for learners that are not able to physically attend a program due to their remote location. The manual will also provide the steps required to set up a dedicated "chat room", provide instructions to teach participants how to use the options available on the online discussion group and describe the pitfalls to be avoided that may be encountered through distance literacy education. The coordinator of the project will provide training and support to the field and will host workshops for other Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies and networks. In addition, a compilation of writings will be produced and published in a book, and a copy will be provided to all participants, their band offices and to Keewaytinook Okimakanak, a non-political Chiefs Council which advises and assists Ontario First Nations. Ningwakwe Learning Press will work with the Red Lake District Adult Learning Centre to produce and distribute the material. A copy of all materials produced will be forwarded to the AlphaPlus Centre, Community Literacy of Ontario, Laubach Literacy Ontario, literacy networks across Ontario as well as funders. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this project, a questionnaire will be developed and administered to obtain feedback from participants of the online writing circle.

Ms. Wanda Minnings
SIMCOE COUNTY/MUSKOKA LITERACY NETWORK
320 Bayfield
Barrie,ONTARIO
L4M3C1
Tel. (705) 730-1414

Partnership Outreach Program

The Simcoe/Muskoka Literacy Network (SMLN) will revise and update their "ABC Referral Tool" and present it to community agencies that deal directly with the public, to provide them with the knowledge and the ability to refer their clients to a literacy program. A minimum of 26 presentations will be conducted throughout Simcoe and Muskoka. Targeted agencies would include Legal Aid, Children's Aid Society, Local Food Banks, Health Unit and Probation Services. The final product developed as a result of this project will include a generic referral tool, a presentation template, a presentation manual and a marketing strategy with contact information and websites. This project will provide effective ways for the community to increase referrals of adults with literacy needs to literacy programs. In order to evaluate the project's effectiveness, community agencies will be asked to track referrals made to literacy programs.

(01.08/02 - 30.11/02)

Mr. Harold Alden
ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TRAINING, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES
900 Bay Street 23rd Floor
Toronto, ONTARIO
M7A 1L2
Tel. (416) 326-5462

Francophone Literacy Survey

The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities will continue to work in collaboration with Statistics Canada on the last phase of a three year project to produce statistical reports based on expanded francophone sample sizes in Ontario as a supplement to the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS). The IALSS is a joint project of the U.S. and Canadian governments and the Organisation for Economic and Community Development. The national objective of IALSS is to produce estimates of change in the literacy proficiency of the adult population in Canada since the 1994 IALS study. The Francophone Literacy Survey will use data generated by the IALSS carried out in 2002. This project will contain all the necessary valid survey data to produce an accurate report on Francophone literacy in Ontario. The project will include the review, verification, editing and publication of the final research report. Preparatory work for this research initiative began with the pilot study in 2001, the main data collection in 2002 and the reports will be released in 2003-2004.

(01.12/02 - 31.03/03)

Ms. Yolande Clément
CENTRE FRANCO-ONTARIEN DE RESSOURCES EN ALPHABÉTISATION (FORA)
432 Westmount Avenue
Unit H
Sudbury, ONTARIO
P3A 5Z8
Tel.: (705) 524-3672

Partenaires en édition [partners in publishing] (supplementary)

The Centre franco-ontarien de ressources en alphabétisation (FORA) [Franco-Ontarian literacy resource centre] will coordinate and publish 27 productions and co-productions for Francophone organizations across Canada. Each production or co-production will be developed in line with success indicators and learning results and will provide a variety of approaches for trainers. The centre will be constantly in touch with the Francophone community during the development phases of production to ensure that all the learning and training materials developed meet the specific needs of learners and trainers. The content of each production and co-production will be assessed by an advisor in andragogy using the reform strategies set by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. In addition, the centre will hold four launches, and at least eight partnerships with organizations working in adult basic education will result from the project. The new materials will be marketed through Alpha-Trousses and the computerized catalogue on FORA’s Web site. Assessment of project effectiveness will be carried out using an evaluation form sent to the organizations co-producing the material to find out how well the service is received. This supplementary funding will allow the centre to cover the additional costs of printing 25 titles in the "Formation de base : Français et Mathématiques" [basic education: French and mathematics] series, as well as five other titles.

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Mrs. Mary Wigging
OTTAWA-CARLETON COALITION FOR LITERACY
107-211 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa,ONTARIO
K1R6H5
Tel. (613) 233-3232

Development of Online Modules for Ongoing Training of Literacy
Volunteers (Supplement)

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