apple Additional Resources

A number of resources have been listed earlier in this module under the headings “Where to Get Help with Goal-Directed Learning Activities” and “Accommodations for Learning Disabilities”.

The following are some examples of tools and resources that may be useful to you while providing LBS training. This is not intended as an exhaustive list, and we encourage you to explore the resources available on the Internet.

Community Literacy of Ontario has developed a number of useful Resources (newsletters, e- communiques and publications,) and Webinars to help LBS practitioners with their training services. These can be located under the Resources & Webinars drop-down menu on CLO’s website. Scan through the list of newsletters to find topics appropriate to your or your learner’s needs and interests. Sign up to receive the monthly e-communiques that keep you in touch with current publications and changes in the LBS field. Download copies of free resources developed by CLO specifically for LBS programs. Some examples are:

CLO’s Occupational Curriculum Project took place in 2018/19 with the purpose of revising curricula, previously developed by Literacy Link Eastern Ontario and/or Muskoka/Simcoe Literacy Network, for four occupations. The goal was to include more current information and more appropriate activities for lower level learners (OALCF Levels 1 and 2) where possible. The four occupations, which are available make for free download from CLO’s Publications page, are:

In 2020, CLO worked with Literacy Link Eastern Ontario to edit and update a fifth previously developed curricula which is also freely available on CLO’s website: Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance

The Occupational Curricula Listing is another resource developed by CLO in 2018. It is a helpful guide that explores the use of occupational curricula in 15 different LBS agencies and regional networks in Ontario. Also available for download from CLO’s Publications page.

Numeracy in Action is a free resource that helps meet the needs of learners requiring enhanced numeracy skills. The Understand and Use Numbers Curriculum focuses on the task groups of Manage Money; Manage Time; Use Numbers; and Manage Data and contains 4 – 5 sample task-based activities for each of the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework’s level indicators related to this competency. A list of additional numeracy resources is also included in this valuable resource. The modules are individually downloadable from CLO’s Publications page.

Moving Forward Curricula and Resources for Learners on the Independence Goal Path This resource from Community Literacy of Ontario is an OALCF competency-based learning curricula that can be used with learners on the Independence goal path. Moving Forward includes information sheets, activity sheets and practitioner information within five modules:

  • Communication
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Household Dangers
  • Managing Your Money
  • Time Management and Organization

Learning Networks of Ontario’s (LNO) website also offers numerous resources to help LBS practitioners and learners. These have been developed by the 16 learning networks from across Ontario and most are articulated to the OALCF. It is worth taking a few minutes to look through the descriptions offered in the Instructional Resources section to see what might be most useful for the learner(s) to whom you are offering training.

Community Literacy of Ontario and Laubach Literacy Ontario have partnered to develop and host the  Literacy Resources and Discussion Forum) for Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies. There are two parts, as the name implies,

  1. An annotated OALCF resource library. Resources are sorted into categories for each of the five OALCF Goal Paths: Independence, Employment, Apprenticeship, Secondary School and Post-secondary. Each category has a built-in search feature. Resources can be downloaded or linked to directly as well as commented on. You may visit as a guest or request a free user account.
  2. CLO and LLO are excited to continue to provide literacy agencies with a forum to freely network with their colleagues across the province. LBS agencies are encouraged to exchange ideas, ask questions, share links and network with others within the field. The forum topics will allow you to share and tools and resources, innovative ideas and best practices in a focused way. You must request a free user account in order to take part in the forums. The categories of discussion include, but aren’t limited to:
  • OALF and Assessment
  • Professional Development
  • EOIS CaMS and Reporting
  • Volunteers
  • Open Discussion

An Information and Referral Guide for Ontario’s Online e-Channel Program  This guide contains the information you may need to refer learners to the various e-Channel programs and to help learners with blended learning. The contents include:

  • Overview and Background of e-Channel
  • Funded e-Channel Service Delivery Organizations
  • Glossary of Terms and Definitions
  • E-Channel Delivery Organization Information and Referral Chart
  • E-Channel Referral Protocol
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • Individual e-Channel Service Delivery Organization Information and Referral Charts
  • E-Channel Technology and Training Resources

CESBA (the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators) website has a Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) page that has links to many useful resources, some developed by CESBA and other organizations. This is an excellent starting point to finding information to help with LBS training needs. Two of the lined resources developed by CESBA are:

  • The LBS Practitioner Training course is designed for practitioners and managers working in LBS (Literacy Basic Skills) in communities across Ontario. The free, up-to-date, interactive training modules are easy to follow and understand and are aligned with the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF). Quizzes are available at the end of each unit to test your knowledge and a certificate is awarded upon completion of all course modules.
  • ESKARGO (Embedded Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes Reference Guide for Ontario) is intended for practitioners. It provides a list of skills and knowledge, and a rubric related to attitudes for each OALCF competency, task group and level. It is supported by ESKARGO Initial Skills Assessment with answer key and ESKARGO Tip Sheet: Task-Tracking Sheets. As practitioners use ESKARGO, they can build greater capacity for working with a task-based approach. The ESKARGO can help as practitioners think through the following issues: where specific skill-building activities and resources fit within the OALCF model; how to determine what to teach once a task has been selected; how to help learners understand the direct connection between skill development and tasks; how to provide evidence of learner progress in a task-based framework when the learner is slowly building a foundation of skills and knowledge; and how to engage learners in considering the effects of attitudes on successful task performance.

New Brunswick Aboriginal Workplace Essential Skills Project  This resource is made up of 20 components on a variety of topics. Although they were developed for Aboriginal learners preparing for work, most of the material is appropriate for any learner and for a wider range of goal paths. Modules range from a couple of pages to many pages, with some containing outlines and some containing actual course content. Some examples of modules are:

•   Learning and Life                                       • Reading Text

•   Understanding Documents                        • Writing Basics

•   Writing at Work                                         • Computers

•   Personal Wellness                                      • Money Math

•   Working Math                                            • Targeted Resumes

•   Exploring a Post-Secondary Institution

Employment Ontario has a number of tools that support the Training service and OALCF. These can all be found at this link.

  • Practitioner Guide to Task-Based Programming (March 2011) is a practical tool for practitioners to understand the elements of task-based programming: goal setting; requirements of the goal; balance of skill development and literacy use; creation or selection of appropriate tasks, levelling a task and developing learning activities to prepare for doing a task.
  • The Supplemental Tasks for Practitioners (March 2011) guide provides more examples of tasks, but they represent what a learner can do within a level and are organized by streams. Included in this listing of tasks are notes on the cultural considerations a practitioner must keep in mind when working with learners who are Anglophone, Deaf, Aboriginal or Francophone.
  • Integrated Tasks by Goal Path (March 2011) describes an integrated task developed for each of the five goal paths to serve as an example for practitioners. Integrated tasks are complex tasks and include at least two or more competencies that are often at varying levels of complexity. Each integrated task includes a number of suggested learning activities that illustrate how a practitioner would prepare a learner for the task.
  • The following five Selected Lists of Learning Materials provide practitioners with examples of familiar materials for use with the OALCF. The learning materials in each list are categorized by competency and have been selected by service providers from each of the four cultural streams:
  • Foundations of Learning Materials defines what learning materials are, discusses learning materials in the context of the OALCF, talks about assigning levels to learning materials and describes how practitioners should select learning materials to use in their programs.

Popular Resources Supporting the Transitioning of Adult Learners with Independence or Employment Goals This bibliography can help practitioners find resources that suit the learner’s needs and goals. For each item, it includes a brief annotation, web contact and purchase information. The resources are grouped into sections for the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) competency each best reflects. This resource is available for free download from CLO’s website at www.communityliteracyofontario.ca/resources/publications.

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