Dispatches from "Coming from the Heart"

"Boozhoo" (warm hello)! This group, led by long-time Action Read staff member and elder Jan Sherman, explores creative writing through a First Nations, Metis, and Inuit perspective.

Since returning from the summer break, this devoted group of learners has explored a number of writing topics.  They have responded to quotes from a traditional perspective based on spirit, heart, body, and mind; have written about traditional to contemporary Indigenous music; have written about what a Territorial Acknowledgment means to them and have written responses to other people’s writing from River Bundles a local publication.  They have even done some nature based creative writing exercises (e.g. what kind of tree you would be and why!). Members continue to show greater understanding of their uniqueness as learners at every session.

Jan Sherman discussing the medicine wheel with learners

The group has also explored Anna Bowen’s writing about the land we live on, and spoke to Anna directly when she lead a special class. 

There is so much to cover in this group, and the energy and passion of the learners continue to drive it forward!

Diversity Workshops

In the spring 2018, with the support of the Guelph Community Foundation, Action Read held a series of workshops to celebrate diversity, and to create a comfortable and inspiring context in which to share ideas and experiences around issues of identity, culture, and abilities. Our Project Coordinator Dawn Matheson brought her own unique perspective and considerable experience to the project.  She immediately identified the need to approach each workshop through a “kind and compassionate” lens. Seemingly a small thing, it set a very positive and non-judgmental tone to the project, which served to encourage participation and engagement.

We held six very well attended, highly engaging workshops. The project created new learning partnerships, built new community connections and created a sense of belonging. Workshop topics included spoken word poetry writing and performance, film, advocacy letter writing, music as therapy and community drumming.

Approximately 40 learners participated in the project and all of them agreed that the learning activities were valuable and enriching.

Huge thanks to the Guelph Community Foundation for their support of this special project!

"Music for Community Building" with Gary Diggins

Action Read staff member Laine

Noah Irvine "Mental Health and Addiction. Getting Your Voice Heard" 

"Poetry Potluck" with Kevin Sutton 

"Transported" Workshop with Dawn Matheson

Here are a few comments about what people appreciated about the workshops;

• “The amazing pleasure of trying something I honestly felt I had no “feeling” for or about”

• “The talk about the Syrian and Kenyan Refugees and their stories about their immigration to Canada”

• “The writing round to the poem in a group of four or three.”

• “The inclusivity and open-mindedness.”

• “Interesting stories, all unpredictable and sweet. Gained knowledge about others.”

• “Seeing everyone drum together was awesome!  It was easy for everyone to participate. And it was so fun!”

• “I like the sharing that went around in the room. Also the fact it doesn’t matter where we are from, there is community.”

• “We had a lot of fun and laughter"

• “We created community!"

Northstar is Here!

    Recently, Rotary-Trillium lent Action Read their support in us becoming a brand new site for the Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment Program. For now, we are one of only a few sites in Canada, and the interest has been excellent. In a few short weeks, we have promoted the program extensively in the community through presentations and meetings. Update has been strong – there is obviously a great need for basic computer instruction that also offers certificates for job seekers. Huge thanks to Rotary-Trillium for their support.

    Give Action Read a call at 519-836-2759 if you want more information.

Northstar learners showing off their certificates!  Source: Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment Program

Learning about Dyslexia

Last Wednesday Action Read tutor Mel Stronach, with the assistance of her learning partner Colleen Harper, gave a fantastic workshop on working with dyslexia.  Mel is a high school teacher who also recently trained on the Orton-Gillingham method for teaching literacy to individuals with dyslexia.

Mel’s presentation was riveting! She and Colleen shared lots of hands on practical examples, reflections, and experiences.  Mel went over the role of grapheme / phoneme correspondences, spelling strategies, auditory, kinesthetic and visual strategies, suffixes, etymology and much more in the workshop. Fortunately, she created a binder filled with strategies and ideas for other to use if they were unable to make it out.  Speak to staff if you’d like to check it out. 

Mel and Colleen sharing their wisdom!

Multi-sensory resources that Mel and Colleen use in their learning sessions.

Listening closely

Be Good to Yourself

By Joanne Morant, Action Read Tutor-Learner Coordinator

The days get shorter and the sun hides behind the looming snow clouds.  It is a busy time of year as we prepare for the holidays. During this time, like a lot of people I tend to socialize more, spend more, eat more, do more and sleep less. By the time January comes around I feel exhausted, and by the time February arrives the winter blahs have settled in.

Self-care doesn’t come naturally to me.  I still insist on putting everything else before my own needs. I go into over-serving mode during the holidays to make sure everything is ready, and everyone has the “best holiday ever”.

So what steps do I need to take now to help me through the holidays and winter months until spring arrives?

Everyone has different ways and ideas to help with self-care. These are a few of mine for this holiday season!

1. Get more sleep – 8 hours is my goal. Turn off the TV and sit quietly with a cup of herbal tea for a half hour before bed.

2. Read – my pile of unread books seems to grow each month! Losing myself in a good book will take my mind off all the holiday preparation.

(Let's hope Joanne's pile of books isn't as big as the donation we received from the Retired Teachers this year!)

3. Make and stick to a budget – not the easiest for me. The best places I have found to shop during the holidays are the used book stores, second hand stores (so many interesting and unusual things I could spend hours just browsing), Christmas church bazaars and the grocery store.  My sons have always appreciated a nice bottle of olive oil or specialty vinegar at this time of year and it doesn’t cost a lot.

4. Smile – the more I smile and laugh, the better I feel.

5. Bake – this always put me in the holiday spirit especially listening to music I enjoy. It feels great to share with others some tasty treats.

6. Un-schedule – so many people to see and things to do in a short period of time. Instead of rushing around here and there I will set some time aside in January to visit friends and family. There will be more time to spend together and less stress for everyone.

7. Ask for help – this year when my family gets together it will be pot-luck instead of preparing everything myself. What I always seem to forget is how much others like to cook, experiment with a new recipes and enjoy bringing a dish that they made to share. It is about being together during the holiday.

8. Finish a project (or start a new one) – it could be a craft or an art project. Mine is a needle point I began 3 years ago. Take time out to do something I enjoy!

Give yourself permission to engage in activities that make you feel happy and less stressed during the holidays. Make time to go for a walk, have coffee with a friend, volunteer or just sit down with a good book.

I am going to tape my list to the fridge and it will stay through January, February, March………

Miriam, Gabe and Deb showing us how to kick back by channeling their inner rock stars!

Who doesn’t love a little tactile learning?

By Gabe Smith, Action Read Group Facilitator

In a simplistic way we can look at learning styles as a spectrum of 3 components (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) with a lot of overlap. When you have a strong leaning toward kinesthetic learning it is important to link concepts to actions. Although learning by doing may not be the first thing that leaps to mind when you think of a classroom or a tutoring session it can be a very engaging way to learn.

The Action Read Math Group learning about measuring, angles and timing by launching rockets at the park, July 2016

We all learn in a variety of ways however, most people learn many things very well by watching or listening to instructions. We watch videos or talk to someone about something we need to learn. This works great both in the classroom and out in the world. Unfortunately for some of us, much of our learning is accomplished through a kinesthetic or tactile way. So what if - when you see something, it doesn’t make much sense, or when you hear something it fails to resonate? Then have some fun.

We are all capable of learning through different styles but most of us have a preferred method when we are trying to learn something difficult. This is when it can be most advantageous to know and use your preferred learning style. If you want to know all about different learning styles go ahead and check out some of the great resources below.

 If you want some examples of how you can adjust your teaching (or learning) to include some more kinesthetic and tactile elements then stick with me (or come back later).

Below a bunch of great ideas that have worked in my groups here at Action Read. Keep in mind however, when working with adults, many people will balk at activities that seem childish. So keep it light but keep it on task.

Reading 

Reading out loud is a step in the right direction but…

• acting out what is being read is great. Find a play with a great monologue or read along to your favorite song
• stand up to read, altering your position can prolong attention
• touching or holding different materials while reading can provide welcome stimuli. Common things are fine. I have used sand, gravel, stones, paperclips, and rags
• storyboards or drawing what is being read can be better. This can also be a great way to let out some creativity and assess understanding
• stress-ball anyone? These can help with all kinds of situations

Writing

Writing can be a hard subject to get physically creative with as we often get carried away with the inherent creativity of writing itself. So think about…

• writing on different surfaces such as card stock, cardboard, paper towel, white board, chalkboard, the possibilities are nearly endless
• using the computer. Like you needed me to tell you that!
• talking about writing while walking, how about a few trips up and down the stairs. Frequent stops to take notes can be a great way to make sure you don’t lose all your amazing ideas

Math 

Stop avoiding math and see just how much fun it can be when…

Cooking. It’s a great way to work on all kinds of math skills such as;

• measuring – How much flour do I use?
• adding – If I need to put in this much milk and this much water how large of a container will I need?
• telling time – What time will it be when I need to take those cookies out of the oven?
• multiplication – My recipe is for 4 servings but we have 12 people in the class, how much milk will I need?
• division – There are only 2 of us working on this project do we really need to make 24 cookies?

Trying physics. That’s right, throwing a ball or launching a rocket can be math if you measure it. This can get complicated if you go full on physics right away, but with practice you can break it down into manageable steps for basic functions.

Rock tumbling. Over time the rocks smooth out, and when this occurs they lose material. How much? Wash them and weigh them to find out. Toss a little geology into your math they feel great together. (Hint you can plot this too for a way cool looking graph. Then when you’re done, make a wicked slick looking piece of jewelry.)

How about a human clock? 

• Place numbers out on the floor and be the hands of that clock
• Make a clock out of an old book or CD.

     

      Are you getting excited? I am, let’s get up and learn!

All of that said, the best teaching and learning tools for those who need kinesthetic or tactile learning will include things that use the body or include touching and textures. They will also include some practice in translating the learning. It is always great to use our strengths but let’s not ignore our weaknesses.

References and Resources

http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jvt002/docs/asee-2008b.pdf

http://www.lbspractitionertraining.com/pd-courses/practitioners/working-with-adult-learners/257-25-kinesthetic-learners

http://vark-learn.com/strategies/kinesthetic-strategies/

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/tactile.htm

https://www.alnmag.com/article/2011/06/training-kinesthetic-learner

Free Little Libraries

by Denia Anderson, Literacy Program Assistant

 

Have you noticed recently as you walk around Guelph small wooden box houses in the front yard of homes? Filled with favourite books, these Little Free Libraries have taken off and are spreading worldwide, with over 15,000 and counting! In Guelph there are 7 registered libraries, at last count. The idea was started in 2009 by a Wisconsin man who wanted to create a meaningful tribute to his mother, who had been a school teacher with a love of reading. His vision was to create a book exchange in his community to enrich literacy and to bring people together. And this is exactly what Little Free Library owners report is happening!

Much like Action Read, the Little Free Libraries rely on strong community involvement to work well. The ‘take a book, leave a book’ approach allows people to give to others but also be rewarded in return. Some Little Libraries even have a guest book where people can write reviews or comments about the books they have read! We can all learn from each other and literacy is a great way to do so.

Action Read recently received a very generous donation of new books from The Retired Teachers’ Association. This gift will allow us to clear out some of the older, gently used favourites that line our bookshelves, and share these with others in the same spirit as the Little Libraries. In the fall, Action Read’s writing group will deliver these gently used books to the local Little Free Libraries in the hopes of sharing our love of reading with others.

Make sure you check out these wonderful community gems to get your hands on a great book!

 
Find One Here In Guelph:

·         Liverpool Street

·         Water Street

·         Avondale Avenue

·         Kirkland Street

·         Aspenwood Place

·         Valleyridge Trail

·         Carrington Drive

References

Saxon, T. (2014). Sharing books in Guelph ‘enhances the neighbourhood experience’. Guelph Mercury Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/4754378-sharing-books-in-guelph-enhances-the-neighbourhood-experience-/

The Little Library. (2016). The History of Little Free Library. Moonlight Designs Studio. Retrieved from https://littlefreelibrary.org/history/

Measuring Learner Progress

By Joanne Morant, Tutor Learner Coordinator

 

Everyone has a different definition of what successful means.

A couple of years ago, I met with a tutor who was a bit concerned that her learner was not making any progress. They were still working on learning the alphabet and recognizing basic sight words. In actuality he was making progress. His self-confidence, verbal communication skills, time management skills and commitment to his learning had all dramatically improved! He was certainly making progress.

Literacy is not just about reading and writing. While reading and writing provide the necessary foundation, it is about the learner’s ability to use their skills to navigate life.

When looking at how we measure progress, it is important that we know who are learners are. They are individuals who may come from different socio-economic backgrounds, have intellectual, learning and developmental challenges, health issues and other barriers that all contribute to how quickly or slowly they progress in their learning.

Gabe, David and Joanne celebrating David's learning achievement!

Redefining Success in Adult Literacy

 

We need to expand our definition of progress to include not just milestones, demonstrations, and test scores but to recognize changed attitudes such as increased confidence, self-esteem and motivation, or improvements in such things as social skills, stress management, time management and problem solving.

The Aboriginal community works with a holistic model for lifelong learning.  They are re-defining how success is measured. In a ‘Report on Learning in Canada – Redefining How Success is Measured in First Nations, Inuit and Metis Learning’ it states that:

  “Aboriginal knowledge is based on observation, direct experience, testing, teaching and recording in the collective memory through oral tradition, storytelling, ceremonies, and sons.  The fact that Native science is not fragmented into specialized compartments does not mean that it is not based on rational thinking, but that it is based on the belief that all things are connected and must be considered within the context of that interrelationship. In order to maintain harmony and balance, this holistic approach gives the same importance to rational thinking as it does to the spiritual beliefs and social values.”

 

Holistic learning attempts to move away from the traditional approach to learning to focus on integration and connection. Learning from a holistic perspective is concerned with the development of the intellectual, emotional, social, physical, artistic, creative and spiritual dimensions of self.

I believe that it is very important that we also include qualitative ways of measuring progress. Milestone tasks, culminating and integrated tasks and demonstrations all demonstrate to the learner what new skills they have learned.  They can help build self-confidence. These are important tools. When learners have successfully completed a milestone task, they receive a certificate. This is just one way to acknowledge success.

In school our progress was measured with ‘a number’. We can all remember weekly spelling dictation and the feeling when we showed a parent or other family member our paper – 10/10 with that J or ‘good work’ at the top of the page. But then again we might have misplaced it on our way home from school. I think that is what happened to my math tests! Many adult learners still look at how successful their learning is with ‘the mark’.

Measuring Progress in a Holistic Learning Environment 

The experiential learning theory is a learning cycle based on two dimensions - action/reflection and experience/abstraction. These two dimensions define a holistic learning approach where learning takes place between individuals and the environment.

What Can You Do?

We know that learning activities and tasks must be relevant to learner’s needs and goals. They should be able to use the skills they are working on outside Action Read. Communication with learners is essential.

Checking in with your learner at the beginning of each session is a great way to find out if they are indeed using the new skills they are working on or have acquired and/or if material needs to be reviewed again or learning plans revised.  Here are some questions that may be helpful:

·         Ask what’s new. How was your week?

·         Were you able to practice what we have been working on?

·         Did you complete a task or activity that you would have not tried before? Do you feel more confident in trying something new?

·         What worked for you and what didn’t work? Reflect on why or why not?

One great way to demonstrate to your learner the progress they are making is to keep a copy of some of their work (with a date) in their portfolio box. Every so often go back and look at some of their previous work. You will both be able to see the progress that they have made!

 

 

The ABCs of Awesome Tutors

By Mira Clarke, Executive Director

 

This October Action Read is training new tutors.  The question they always ask us is "What makes a great tutor?"  They usually expect us to say something like knowledge of assessment, experience in social services or experience with learning disabilities.  In actual fact, the answer is simpler and more attainable.

The following is a list of top tutor characteristics put together by Action Read members several years ago at a workshop.  What's interesting to note is that even with all the changes in society and education since it was first put together, it's as relevant today as it was in 1993!  However, this is no way an exhaustive list.  If something is missing that you think is important, please leave us a comment and we'll add it. 

Without further ado, here are the the 'abcs' of awesome tutors:

Accepting, Adaptable, Belief, Caring,

Communication skills, Commitment

Creative, Empathetic, Encouraging,

 

Enthusiastic, Flexible, Fun, Interested, Listening, able to laugh, Non-judgmental, Observant, Open, Organized, Patient, Perseverant, Reliable, Researching solutions and ideas, Respect, Sense of Humour, Sensitive and Understanding.

 

 

 

   

The Importance of Knowing your Learning Style

By Barbara Baird, Adult Literacy Program Assistant

 

For some visual learners, colour-coding keeps them organized

In September, many adults come to Action Read with a sense of renewed hope and optimism for learning.  When we meet new learners, we ask them to reflect on how they learn best. We ask 'When you have experienced learning success in the past, why do you think you were successful?’.  When we train new tutors, we ask ‘How can you find out how your learner learns best? How can you help them understand this?’.  While these questions may sound simple, we know that they most certainly are not.  Figuring out how we learn best can be really hard.  It can take a lot of work, experimentation, assessment, observation and reflection.  We believe that one reason why some people experience school success is that they have figured out the answer to this question.  Some of us figure it out early in our learning careers, others are still working on it.  At Action Read we focus on this question because we know that everyone has individual strengths and learning styles, and that how we are educated does not always match our learning styles.  Sometimes this mismatch has contributed to learning frustration, anger and feelings of defeat. Since Action Read’s job is to help those individuals who struggle the most, our job is to work extra hard to unlock the question of how people learn best. 

The following is my story about how I ‘learned how to learn’ best.  After you’ve read my story, please share yours!  How do you like to learn?? What do you do that makes learning easier for you?? Share your ideas in our comments section below!

Barbara Baird

Mom Told Me Not to Write on the Walls, but…

“As a university student going into my fourth year, I finally figured out the way I study best. I like to colour code everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I colour code my calendar, my books, my notes and basically my entire life. To me each subject has its own colour. Math is yellow, science is green, English is blue and French is always red. When I write everything in its own colour, I can look at it from a distance and already know what subject I’m looking at. My colour coding system means I’m a visual learner.

My favorite memory of studying was when I drew all over the house. I used dry erase markers and wrote my notes on every window or mirror I could find in the house. Each room or window was dedicated to a different unit and each unit chapter had its own colour. By the time I was finished, my roommates didn’t know what to do with me. They would wake up to go brush their teeth and have to read my psychology notes. They would go to make breakfast and have to read about behavior studies that I had taped to the kitchen cupboards. As crazy as they thought I was, I had so much fun learning this way. During my exam, I could remember every note that I wrote, and in which room I wrote it in. Because I had color-coded everything, I was also able to remember exactly where I wrote it on the mirror or window.

This trick can help learners working towards a GED study for their tests. Find places you can post your notes around the house. Colour-code the notes so you can see your subject from far away and already know what subject you’re looking at. Trying to learn biology? Write those notes in green. Taking notes on Shakespeare? Write those in blue. Doing math equations? Maybe using black ink instead of a grey pencil would help you see those numbers better and write faster. Have a hard time being organized? Pick a colour for each subject and keep each subject in its own coloured binder or folder. Getting bored of writing your long essay? Change the colour of your pen, pencil or font. (Just remember to make the final copy one colour. As fun as writing in different colours might be, I’m sure you’re instructor won’t like reading a rainbow coloured essay!)

Having my notes colour coded wasn’t the only useful thing about how I studied. What helped was having my notes everywhere in the house. Having them in the kitchen and bathroom might stress some learners out because it reminds them of their test. However, for me I found it made learning casual and relaxed. I didn’t feel the need to tie myself down to my desk and bury my nose in papers. Having my notes around the house let me walk around and read. This was good for me because I fidget a lot in my chair and I know I’m not the only one like this.

Being able to remember every note because it was color-coded and written in a specific room, really showed how much of a visual and an experiential learner I am. As I wrote my exam, I was mentally looking through the house for my notes. I had memories of where I was supposed to find them and what colour they should be. It was also easier for me to remember because I had so much fun during my experience studying. My only regret about studying like this is not trying it sooner and not doing it more often. I can’t believe it took me until my last year of university to figure this out.”