Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Introduction

For years, literacy practitioners have known that there is more to becoming a successful literacy student than simply learning to read, write and do mathematical calculations. Whatever our goals in life we all need to solve problems, make decisions, assess our own progress, be on time for appointments, and the list goes on. Self-management skills support and enhance everything we do: our learning, our work, our volunteering and our personal lives whether we are literacy students, practitioners or anyone else.

Community literacy agencies often work with learners who may lack self-management skills including (but not limited to) self-esteem, goal-setting and time management. Agencies have extensive experience and knowledge of self-management issues as well as a strong belief in the need for this domain in overall literacy programming. Because of its importance to the literacy community, Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO) has received numerous requests for assistance with finding resources and learning tools to help agencies incorporate self-management/self-direction skills in their literacy programming. This module will provide you with new ideas, tools and resources that are sure to benefit your literacy agency. We have also included many samples that you can use or adapt in your own program.

Self-management skills help with learning but also with life in general. They are sometimes called "soft skills" because they deal with understanding and behaviour rather than the direct acquisition of knowledge (also called "hard skills"). However, there is nothing soft about self-management skills; they are embedded in and support everything we do throughout our lives. Problem-solving and decision-making, for example, are considered soft skills whereas knowing how to change a tire is a hard skill.

Some people seem to be born with strong self-management skills, others have to work to develop those skills. Some people have had more opportunities to use these skills while others have had to rely on help from teachers, family and friends.

Adults who have always been told what to do – by a teacher, a parent, a spouse or someone else – may find the idea of self-management somewhat overwhelming at first. They may even show some initial resistance to the introduction of self-management/self-direction skills. Some adults may feel that it is not their "job" to direct their own learning – that is what literacy instructors are for! They may also resent the suggestion that they don't know how to manage their own lives. Literacy programs can play an important role by providing a safe environment where learners can discover, practice and become comfortable with self-management/self-direction skills and recognize their importance in our personal lives as well as our lives as learners.

Self-management/self-direction is not a new concept in literacy, in the broader education field or even in the work world. We talk about life skills, non-academic outcomes, affective skills, essential skills, non-academic outcomes, soft skills, critical-thinking skills and the list goes on. What we call this area of learning isn't as important as recognizing and documenting its impact. It is the formal measuring and recording of these skills and their impact on the lives of literacy learners that may be new for many of us in the literacy field. However, learning how to do this and taking the time to do it is important for all of us. Measuring and recording these skills can help learners measure and talk about their own successes. It can help with both learner recruitment and retention. It can help literacy programs demonstrate the difference we can make in the community. It can help our communities understand what we do.

But just what is self-management/self-direction? Is it a set of skills or a collection of attitudes and beliefs? Is it life skills under a different name? In Ontario, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) has chosen to identify self-management and self-direction as a learning outcomes domain because the skills involved apply to all learners, whether their goal is independence, education or employment. Later in this module, we will take a closer look at how MTCU describes self-management and self-direction. The federal government also recognizes the importance of these skills: the Essential Skills include many of the same criteria that are described in MTCU's learning domain of self-management/self-direction.

In this Literacy Basics module, Community Literacy of Ontario explores what these skills are and how they relate to learning. We'll also share some of the research about self-management/self-direction and some of the tools and resources CLO has found to be useful for literacy practitioners.

What does the research say?

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