Altilab2005 - Distance Education Blog

Several years ago, the Quebec Literacy Working Group (QLWG) began work on a distance education model, to reach those adults who traditionally have not been able to get to our classes. We focussed on strategies for students to become independent learners; to break down tasks; to develop study skills; to understand the learning process; to transfer their learning to other life situations; to develop skills in preparation for learning (learning readiness); to practice effective communication and to develop listening and speaking skills.

The QLWG Skills for Life Series is the end result: we simultaneously created an Orientation Unit and an additional 29 units of study (PDF versions now available at: http://www.nald.ca/qlwg/). It can be very difficult for the teachers of the 42% of Canadians (and 49% of Quebecers) who have low literacy skills, to find materials which deal with complex life situations. Our units range from Getting My Driver’s Licence to Employment Skills to Handling Legal Concerns.

The purpose of the Being a Canadian Citizen unit is to help learners know and understand their rights and responsibilities as Canadian citizens. They are asked to reflect on different information that illustrates what it means to live in a democratic country. Key democratic principles are highlighted in order to prepare learners to exercise their rights as citizens. Such rights include voting and writing a letter to a government representative. Activities also familiarize learners with how the government works in Canada and what it means to have fundamental rights and freedom.

(Note: we are very proud to say that several of our adult literacy students who worked with this manual have since obtained their Canadian Citizenship).

Many teachers have been able to use our distance education units with lower-level students in the regular classroom. We are also currently converting our units to an e-learning format, but the process has been slowed down considerably due to a temporarily (we hope) lag in adult literacy funding in Quebec.

Patti L. Moore, Provincial Coordinator, Quebec Literacy Working Group (QLWG)