Adult Learning for Life

Across Canada, literacy programs teach so much more than reading and writing.

By Valerie Howes

Adult literacy programs can help learners improve their reading, writing, numeracy and digital skills. | PHOTO: DVATRI/ENVATO. VIDEO: SEVENTYFOURIMAGES/ENVATO

Imagine that your doctor prescribes you pills, but you can’t read the instructions on the label. Or you’re looking for work, but you don’t have the skills to use a computer and create a résumé. Or your child’s school sends home a packet of forms to sign, but you can only guess what they’re all about.

For the 49 percent of adults in Canada with literacy skills below high school level, and the 17 percent who have the lowest level of literacy, such scenarios are a part of daily reality.

Being able to read, write, work with numbers and navigate digital devices can be transformative and liberating for everyone, from lifelong Canadians to immigrants who need support learning to read and write in a new language. Across the country, adult learning organizations are helping Canadians level up their skills, build confidence and contribute to their communities.

Being able to read, write, work with numbers and navigate digital devices can be transformative and liberating for everyone, from lifelong Canadians to immigrants who need support learning to read and write in a new language.

“Learning all the time”

Thanks to 24 staff members and over 300 volunteers, Foundations Learning & Skills Saskatchewan offers free literacy programs across the province, with offerings including workplace skills training and money management workshops. Their longest-running program is a one-on-one tutoring program that has been running for almost 50 years. It’s for adult learners who want to develop reading, writing, speaking and numeracy skills.

According to Sheri Porrelli, the program manager of adult literacy, learners have diverse reasons for joining the program. A farmer who left school before Grade 6 learned to read and write as a senior so he could write a memoir. A father of two had to change his work after an injury; he studied for four years at Saskatchewan Polytechnic with support from a literacy coach, then got hired in a new field. Newcomers to the province may need help getting a driver’s licence, taking their citizenship exam or getting Canadian employment qualifications. “It’s a very wide range of users,” Porrelli says.

The non-profit also trains literacy facilitators at other community organizations, such as those that offer addiction recovery or housing programs with wraparound supports. Having stronger reading, writing, digital and financial skills can help their adult learners take control of their lives.

Foundations Learning works with organizations across the province, lending giant rolling suitcases stuffed with teaching and reading materials to partners in remote and First Nations communities. At family reading programs in these communities, parents and children can strengthen their skills together at pop-up activity stations, in community centres or school gyms.

“We work hard to create safe and welcoming spaces,” says Porrelli. “[We] let people know we’re all here to learn, and we’re all learning all the time.”

At adult learning centres, newcomers to Canada can get support to learn English or French. | PHOTO: DRAZENPHOTO/ENVATO

Meeting learners where they are

At Adult Literacy Fredericton, volunteer tutors collectively put in more than 1,000 hours every year. It’s a committed group — most are retired educators, and many have been with the organization for more than 20 years.

“Often, they’re looking for some type of engagement to get them out of the house a few times a week,” says program manager Helen Hiltz. “Oftentimes, our learners and tutors become lifelong friends.”

Tutors commit for at least six months of volunteering and receive ongoing training to work with adult learners with diverse needs. Learners may have had negative experiences at school, have a learning disability, or are simply new to the country and looking to improve their English skills. The organization takes a “universal design for learning” approach, inspired by the work of Frank Laubach, a 20th-century missionary who advocated with equal passion for adult literacy and world peace. Tutors learn to gear their teaching to different learning styles and to reach learners in the way that works best for them; they even supplement set coursework with fun and relevant materials such as crossword puzzles, newspaper clippings and adapted fiction. The organization also offers free online learning courses for adults who may not be able to attend in person.

Sometimes, the learning extends beyond words and numbers. Hiltz recalls one young man who detested school. He came in for help finishing his General Education Diploma so he could join the army. “We were lucky enough to connect him with a tutor who actually works in the military,” says Hiltz. “So, he doesn’t just have someone helping him read — he has a mentor.”

A man sorts through a table of stacked books.

A close-up of a person filling out a crossword puzzle.

A variety of reading materials to choose from at Adult Literacy Fredericton’s annual charity book sale; crossword puzzles provide an entertaining supplement to traditional learning materials. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ADULT LITERACY FREDERICTON; IHEARTCREATIVE/ENVATO; SOLERPHOTOSTOCK/ENVATO

At NWALC’s fibre arts workshops, participants knit and crochet together, while facilitators teach them how to search for patterns online or interpret written instructions — whatever skills the individual needs to strengthen.

Connected with the community

Headquartered in a 19th-century schoolhouse in Beamsville, Ont., Niagara West Adult Learning Centre (NWALC) helps individuals build more than just their literacy skills. The centre places a strong focus on community connections, which help reduce the social isolation that can occur for folks with lower literacy skills. So, while NWALC learners upgrade their reading, writing, numeracy and computer skills through the Get SET (Skills, Education and Training) program, they also have an opportunity to forge connections with neighbours and peers.

At NWALC’s fibre arts workshops, participants knit and crochet together, while facilitators teach them how to search for patterns online or interpret written instructions — whatever skills the individual needs to strengthen. “There’s a lot of talking and socializing and helping each other,” says executive director Jacky Catterick.

At a pop-up farmers’ market on the centre’s wraparound porch, adult learners can buy subsidized fresh produce, pick up recipes and learn food literacy from Links for Greener Learning, a community partner that also offers a nutrition education program.

For learners who’ve struggled in the past with negative school experiences, the centre feels warm and supportive. “There’s no principal, no bells, no announcements, and it’s all at their own pace,” says Catterick. “There are no two learners alike, and it’s the whole package we help with — mind, body and spirit.” CAA

Exterior of the Niagara West Adult Learning Centre, a brick building with a wraparound porch, with visitors gathered near the entrance.

Fresh produce displayed in bins on a wooden porch, including tomatoes, garlic, peaches, and zucchini, at an outdoor pop-up market.

At the Niagara West Adult Learning Centre, learners can find community as they develop their literacy skills; fresh produce from the pop-up market on NWALC's front porch. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NIAGARA WEST ADULT LEARNING CENTRE (NWALC)

Adult Learning for Life

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