National Adult Literacy Database

The Big Rothesay Read in New Brunswick is about to embark on its fourth year of involving the entire student body of Rothesay High School and increasing numbers of teachers, parents and citizens in a community-wide reading initiative.

The Northwest Territories Literacy Council has several resources on its website to help you observe Aboriginal Languages Month. Included are the announcement, a languages map, a quiz, ideas for adult education programs and tips for families.

Programs are expected to begin this year at Aurora College, Yukon College and Nunavut Arctic College. The money will be used to deliver courses online, increase the use of aboriginal language in courses, and roll out a high school diploma that would be recognized by universities and colleges across the country.

“We are building something that starts with Nunavut, so that the kids can see themselves, but they will also learn what they need to know about being a Canadian… and about being a global citizen,” said Cathy McGregor, director of curriculum and school services for Nunavut’s education department.

"In its legacy report, the centrepiece of CCL’s recommendations for voluntary, co-operative and integrated intergovernmental action on learning has been the establishment of a federal/provincial/territorial Council of Ministers on Learning. ... Taken together, CCL’s recommendations and the reflections from Canadians heard during the tour suggest that it is indeed time to take action and move forward."

Not all francophone minority communities carry the same weight or have the same institutional support. “On the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick and in certain regions of Ontario, people can easily obtain services in French. They have institutional support whereas in British Columbia it takes people a long time to obtain services in French. It is important to make that distinction,” says Yvon Laberge, a member of the NALD Board of Directors.

According to a recent national survey reporting on nearly 10,000 Canadian classes, one in every six students has an identified learning exceptionality. In addition, more than one in 10 students in these classes have challenges understanding the school's language of instruction. The survey, conducted by the Canadian Teachers' Federation drew responses from nearly 3,800 teachers, the largest number obtained in a CTF online survey to date.

Establishing a culture of learning in the home encourages an exchange of ideas, enriches family relationships, and bolsters confidence and independent thinking. On January 27 across Canada thousands of families, literacy groups, schools, libraries and community organizations gathered in their communities to celebrate the importance of literacy and learning in honour of Family Literacy Day – Canada’s largest family literacy initiative.

Multilingual parents needn’t worry about confusing their children with multiple languages spoken at home, as new research findings from the University of Calgary reveal children can acquire and switch between languages effortlessly as long as they start young and interact regularly in those tongues.

A new web-based resource lets parents and teachers better help children who demonstrate unusual or worrisome emotions and behaviour, providing guidance as to whether they are a normal part of development or a potential mental health problem.

British Columbia may have one of the largest Aboriginal populations in Canada but it isn’t the only province whose first peoples are struggling to reconcile the history of colonialism, forced assimilation and abuse found in the residential school system with the need to educate and prepare their children for life in the 21st century.

Beyond reading, homework, educational games and visiting the library, the poll identified different activities that might be helpful with literacy and numeracy - such as involving kids in chores and cooking. Only 14 per cent said they always use paying their bills as a learning opportunity, with 19 per cent using the sorting and matching potential of laundry.

The new year is here and with it come promises of change – eating healthier foods, going to the gym, getting a new job. But beyond the traditional resolutions, improving your literacy skills can help you make the ultimate change.

The intent of the new law is to deter the most damaging and deceptive forms of spam from occurring in Canada. Spam includes more than unsolicited commercial messages. It has become the vehicle for a wide range of threats to online commerce affecting individuals, businesses and network providers.

A professor at the University of New Brunswick has been named one of the top 10 Canadian news makers in education technology for 2011 by one of the country's leading consulting firms. Steve Pierce, director of the Atlantic Centre for Educational Administration and Leadership with the university's faculty of education, joined the likes of David Suzuki, the British Columbia Premier's Council and digital media company Bitstrips Inc. on Mindshare Learning's second annual list.