Saturday, September 26, 2009
Statistics and Our Survey
Go to literacy statistics at our wiki to learn more about adolescent literacy. Also, you just have 4 days to complete our survey. Please complete it today. Right now topics with the most votes include tutors support, collections and statistics.
Tutor In-Service
Tutor training is the heart of a quality volunteer literacy program and ongoing opportunities are a must. But, in this busy world, it is hard to get tutors together for face to face tutor in-service.
What is a volunteer program manager to do???? First, don't give up. Be creative.
Tutors must be supported to be effective, and training is one of the most important tools you have. Tutors may quit if they feel they don't know enough to do the job.
There are many ways you can support tutors. Share magazine articles electronically with those who work away from your main office. Provide a paper file and bulletin board at sites where several tutors work. Your library can help you find articles. Encourage tutors to participate in list serves or similar online discussions. Match a newer tutor with an experienced tutor. Ask them to connect regularly by phone, over lunch or even by Twitter!
Tell them about online trainings appropriate for your program. Then, reward them for taking the training. As part of your recognition, award those who attend the most in-service.
Check out videos and other free resources on the Internet, including this VALF blog and our WIKI.
Utilize online training sessions in a consistent way. Work with each tutor to develop an in-service training plan. Keep track of trainings tutors attend. Some might say this is just as important as documenting student attendance and hours of instruction. Include a way for tutors to discuss what they read or learn. Remember, tutors, like students, learn best if they have ways to discuss tutoring techniques with others to help internalize what they learn.
Go to our wiki for ideas and links to tutor support and online instruction available. We just added a link to short online videos on comprehension.
Please add comments about what tutor in-service you have found effective. Also recommend online instruction your tutors have found most effective.
What is a volunteer program manager to do???? First, don't give up. Be creative.
Tutors must be supported to be effective, and training is one of the most important tools you have. Tutors may quit if they feel they don't know enough to do the job.
There are many ways you can support tutors. Share magazine articles electronically with those who work away from your main office. Provide a paper file and bulletin board at sites where several tutors work. Your library can help you find articles. Encourage tutors to participate in list serves or similar online discussions. Match a newer tutor with an experienced tutor. Ask them to connect regularly by phone, over lunch or even by Twitter!
Tell them about online trainings appropriate for your program. Then, reward them for taking the training. As part of your recognition, award those who attend the most in-service.
Check out videos and other free resources on the Internet, including this VALF blog and our WIKI.
Utilize online training sessions in a consistent way. Work with each tutor to develop an in-service training plan. Keep track of trainings tutors attend. Some might say this is just as important as documenting student attendance and hours of instruction. Include a way for tutors to discuss what they read or learn. Remember, tutors, like students, learn best if they have ways to discuss tutoring techniques with others to help internalize what they learn.
Go to our wiki for ideas and links to tutor support and online instruction available. We just added a link to short online videos on comprehension.
Please add comments about what tutor in-service you have found effective. Also recommend online instruction your tutors have found most effective.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Books for Adult Learners
Grassroots Press is again adding to the collection of interesting titles for adult learners. This time Canadian authors are writing stories for adults at an accessible reading level. These titles won't be available until next year, but they do have books from England and other fun reads meant for those who are getting into the pleasure of reading for the first time.
Fundraisers Happening
Literacy Volunteers of Collier County held their largest fundraisng event of the year last week. Take a look at their pictures on their facebook page. Gadsden County's literacy program held their annual literacy summit in Quincy on Saturday. Gadsden's county's home is the public library. Let us know what activities you held this month in our comments.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
History of Literacy Statistics
Many of you want to know more about literacy statistics, according to our training survey. Here is some background information. For links to literacy statistics, go to our wiki.
Background
Back in the 1970's when I got involved in literacy, the only figures available for Florida were based on the Census. I generally used adults 18 and older with less than 8th grade education as evidence of low literacy. I still see this as one benchmark figure, because in the United States, you cannot drop out of school until you are 16. This means many adults eventually get to 8th grade before dropping out. I also said that, older adults, with an 8th grade education often could read pretty well because that was a standard level of completion in their day. This was before testing was required to move up grade levels. I would like to hear whether this trend is changing.
I believe a survey had been done in late 1970's or early 1980's of adults in Texas. It found that about 20% of the population were functionally illiterate, and this figure was often used nationally. This was the first time a survey actually documented reading levels. Finally in 1992, a similar, more comprehensive national survey was conducted and Florida participated. This was the first time Florida got actual figures of reading levels. It documented what many running volunteer literacy programs knew. Many adults with traditional high school diplomas could not read very well.
A new version of a similar survey was done in 2002, but Florida did not participate. Because of this there was no Florida data immediately available. For the first time literacy was divided up by type of reading. It included prose, document and quantitative literacy. The survey recognized that what we read impacts how well we are able to read. But the prose literacy data is the figure which tends to be used to track traditional literacy skills.
Finally, in January 2009 figures were released for Florida's counties. These are estimates based on the 2002 survey and each county's demographics. So, at this point, this the most recent survey data.
Go to our wiki. for statistics.
Please post you questions, observations and thoughts on literacy rates in our comments section on the blog.
Sandy Newell
President, VALF
Background
Back in the 1970's when I got involved in literacy, the only figures available for Florida were based on the Census. I generally used adults 18 and older with less than 8th grade education as evidence of low literacy. I still see this as one benchmark figure, because in the United States, you cannot drop out of school until you are 16. This means many adults eventually get to 8th grade before dropping out. I also said that, older adults, with an 8th grade education often could read pretty well because that was a standard level of completion in their day. This was before testing was required to move up grade levels. I would like to hear whether this trend is changing.
I believe a survey had been done in late 1970's or early 1980's of adults in Texas. It found that about 20% of the population were functionally illiterate, and this figure was often used nationally. This was the first time a survey actually documented reading levels. Finally in 1992, a similar, more comprehensive national survey was conducted and Florida participated. This was the first time Florida got actual figures of reading levels. It documented what many running volunteer literacy programs knew. Many adults with traditional high school diplomas could not read very well.
A new version of a similar survey was done in 2002, but Florida did not participate. Because of this there was no Florida data immediately available. For the first time literacy was divided up by type of reading. It included prose, document and quantitative literacy. The survey recognized that what we read impacts how well we are able to read. But the prose literacy data is the figure which tends to be used to track traditional literacy skills.
Finally, in January 2009 figures were released for Florida's counties. These are estimates based on the 2002 survey and each county's demographics. So, at this point, this the most recent survey data.
Go to our wiki. for statistics.
Please post you questions, observations and thoughts on literacy rates in our comments section on the blog.
Sandy Newell
President, VALF
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)