Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

In comparison to the LBS or IALS domains that consider the broader domains of prose, document, and quantitative literacy, Essential Skills pinpoint specific areas of skill and allow for concentrated development. Using a variety of documents, for example, is buried in the LBS communication and numeracy domains, where references to symbols, charts, and tables are loosely linked to reading, writing, and numeracy. Document Use, however, provides a specific focus on the actual information displays so adult students can concentrate on the skills they need to interpret them.

Literacy practitioners are not the only ones who benefit from understanding ES definitions. When learners in your program get to know the definitions, they can better recognize their skills and articulate ways in which they use them.

A recommended resource to order or print is the Defining Essential Skills FACT SHEET, which can be downloaded from (www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/
publications/essential_skills/esdfc.shtml). The colourful brochure includes the nine definitions, a variety of easy to interpret entries for typical application, and a workplace example for each ES. During the research phase of this project, many literacy practitioners told us that they make copies of this resource for learners in order to introduce ES in a meaningful, learner-centred way.

ES IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

Community Literacy of Ontario recommends the following strategy for implementing or increasing use of the Essential Skills in your literacy agency:

• Distribute copies of the Defining Essential Skills FACT SHEET to learners in your program. (You can download or order these, and other valuable resources, from the Essential Skills website.)
• Explain that they are the skills people need to use when they have something to do. e.g., set their alarm clock, make lunch, ride the bus, schedule a doctor's appointment, etc. (You may wish to choose examples of tasks specific to adult learners' lives.)
• Depending on the skill levels of learners in your program, decide whether you or they will read the definitions, applications, and examples.
• The FACT SHEET provides an excellent springboard for conversation around ES, as adult students are encouraged to consider the ways in which they use their Essential Skills.
• You can either stick to a discussion, or brainstorm and record learner input on chart paper (great activity for Document Use).

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