About Literacy Basics
Literacy Basics is a free, self-directed online training website for Ontario literacy practitioners. This innovative training website was researched, written and designed by Community Literacy of Ontario.
Literacy practitioners have challenging jobs with an ever-increasing demand for new skills and knowledge. Literacy Basics has been designed to help busy literacy practitioners access needed training at convenient times and locations. The training modules on Literacy Basics are self-directed; therefore participants can choose content and tools appropriate to their interests, needs, and skill levels.
Literacy Basics removes many of the barriers to training faced by literacy practitioners. It reduces travel time, travel costs, and scheduling conflicts. It also minimizes the lack of local availability and the lack of time to attend training in more traditional settings.
Who is this site designed for?
Community Literacy of Ontario designed this site for adult literacy practitioners in Ontario.
Literacy Basics is designed to benefit you if:
- You are new to the literacy field
- You are already working as a literacy practitioner and want to upgrade your skills
- You are a literacy practitioner with new responsibilities or a completely new job description
- You are a volunteer in a literacy program
- You are a board member who wants to learn more about literacy training
While Literacy Basics was designed for Ontario literacy practitioners, others will find our website valuable as well. The Literacy Basics training modules will be valuable if:
- You are a literacy practitioner in other parts of Canada or the world
- You want to know more about adult literacy training
- You are a volunteer or a volunteer manager outside of the literacy field
- You are involved with adult education or education at the elementary or secondary level
- You are considering working or volunteering with adult literacy learners
Are the modules at a basic, intermediate or advanced level?
Each training module is covered at the entry level. The modules contain supplementary readings and Internet resources as well as “questions for reflection”. This will encourage practitioners to think beyond the ways they are currently doing things; more experienced practitioners can use this as a base for new learning. Practitioners who have changed positions within their literacy agency or increased their area of responsibility will also find Literacy Basics to be beneficial.
Each person will get something different out of the Literacy Basics training modules. For many, it will be an opportunity to discover new information, resources and tools. For others, it will be a review or an affirmation of what they know. For others still, it will be the chance to reflect on current practices.
How long will it take me to complete a module?
The time it will take you to complete the Literacy Basics modules will vary based on individual needs. It is up to you whether you will use all or just part of the modules and how long you will spend reading the materials. It is your choice whether you use the supplementary readings and Internet links and whether you use the sample forms and other practical materials in the modules. You decide as well how long you will spend thinking about the questions for reflection or discussing them with others in your literacy agency.
While timing will vary greatly based on individual needs, we estimate that each module would take approximately two to three hours to complete.
