 |
e-bulletin July 2009 |
 |
The Manitoba PGI Golf Tournament for Literacy a Huge Success! Local notables hit the links for literacy in Manitoba. Local celebrities including Marcy Markusa and Mitch Peacock of CBC Radio and TV, and Margo Goodhand and Doug Spiers of the Winnipeg Free Press, were among the golfers who hit the links for literacy. Jim Carr, President and CEO of the Business Council of Manitobam, (pictured, left), was Poet Laureate for the event. The winner of the Gzowski Award for Most Enthusiastic Golfer was Doreen Light, who was a guest of Literacy Partners of Manitoba. Doreen and Rene Rerrault won a phone contest on CBC Radio One to golf with Marcy and Mitch. Both Jim Carr and Terry MacLeod helped bring the spirit and passion of Peter Gzowski into the room, by reminding us of Mr. Gzowski's commitment to all things Canadian -- particularly the learning and literacy of it's people. Literacy Partners of Manitoba extends its heart-felt thanks to the following organizations: Reserve the date now! |
|
Literacy Partners of Manitoba's Summer Institute for Plain Language: August 11-13, 2009. Charles Moody will be back in Manitoba to offer Introduction to Plain Language on August 11 & 12. The cost for this introduction to writing in Plain Language is $495. Click HERE to read more about this introductory seminar. Charles will also offer an advanced course in Plain Language to those who have taken the first level. This one day course takes the techniques of Plain Language a step further. The workshop will be an intensive one day seminar on August 13. The cost is $295. Please register by July 30. Click HERE to read more about this advanced level seminar |
|
Ready or Not: The Effect of the Economy on Literacy in Canada In March 2009, the Movement for Canadian Literacy commissioned a private research and evaluation firm to conduct a baseline study to explore the effects of the recent economic downturn on literacy and essential skills programs across Canada. The Resources for Results research team interviewed 35 people (See Appendix 1) from across Canada who work in some capacity in the literacy and essential skills field. The purpose of the interviews was to explore the implications of the rapidly changing economic, social and political context for the field of literacy and essential skills While there are significant differences in the Canadian economic situation regionally, the interviews revealed some common perceptions and observations about the state of literacy across the country. As can be expected, the general reaction to the survey was that it is still “too soon to tell” what the full effects of the downturn will be. Click HERE to read more. |
|
Possibilities for Potential launches Workforce Essential Skills across Canada project This national project, funded through the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, will see PTP share its expertise in building workforce literacy and Essential Skills programming for adults with low skill levels with 5 communities across Canada.Through this project PTP aims to: collaborate with target communities to build appropriate Essential Skills program models; develop a guide to help others build effective Essential Skills training; cultivate relationships between target communities and other literacy providers whose client groups face similar challenges; advance the national use and availability of the CAMERA System for Essential Skills training; and further the reach of PTP and its resources and research across Canada Click HERE to read more. |
|
The 3Rs of Research Practiontioner Toolkit Interested in the values of research in essential skills programing? Below is an excerpt from this work by Cindy Davidson. "The term research may conjure up images of dry academic journals or reports that are hard to read through and harder to understand. Practitioners should not fear the term research. Using it within a program should be as commonplace as using learning activities and training plans. Research in practice simply means using the evidence of research and applying it in some way to your own experience. It includes all the resources, products, tools, training and communication developed and linked to a subject area. Anything from a newsletter article on Essential Skills to a report on Learning Disabilities can be considered research. Using the knowledge of the research is research integration." Click HERE for the entire PDF file on the National Adult Literacy Database. |
|
Library News: Good Summer Reads at beginner levels. Strange Tales from the Arabian Nights Some of the stories of the Arabian Nights are so old that no one knows when they were first written down. The stories in this book have a vocabulary of about 2,500 words. Room 13 and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James. This is a collection of five short stories of ghosts, evil spirits and creatures of the night. Beware! Don’t turn your light out immediately when you’ve finished reading. Something may be waiting for you in the dark . . . Going to the fair by Sheryl McFarlane & Sheena Lott Erin ’s eyes are as bright as the lights from the exhibition grounds and she can barely tear herself away from the window. When she finally sleeps, Erin will dream first prize with a pumpkin grown to twice her size. Canada, our Country: Fifteen stories and poems written by Native learners. Each piece is accompanied by an illustration by Mike WhiteLoon. Exploring the Night Sky by Terence Dickinson This is a Grade 5 to 7 reading level and ideal for children who want to adventure to other star systems, galaxies, quasars and black holes. 99 Ways to get kids to love Reading by Mary Leonhardt Provides a cornucopia of simple practical tips for any age level or reading ability. Use a variety of reading material such as magazines, comic books, and chapter books. Ford Motor Company Driver Education Series These are driver safety videos intended to supplement an existing driver education curriculum. They show students, teachers, and parents in realistic driving situations. These items can be found in our online catalogue. |
