Pat works as a cashier in a bakery and was referred to Intermediate Literacy by her union representative. She is actively involved in the union and is required to write and distribute memos to other employees. This causes her concern because her spelling is not very good and she has difficulty saying what she means on paper. The union recognizes her value as an employee and would like her to have a more responsible position, but also recognizes her limitations and her concerns about her limitations.
Pat has no difficulty reading at the Grade 11/12 level and has very good comprehension of what she reads. She is sure this is because she reads novels and non-fiction about animals all the time. In fact, she is very interested in animals and her goal is to complete her Grade 12 in an adult education class or by taking the GED exam and then go on to become a veterinarian’s assistant or work in some related career dealing with animals. She finished Grade 10 but has been out of school for 15 years.
Her writing sample shows a simple cause-and-effect relationship with a beginning, middle and end to the story, but it is very sketchy. Sentences are short and simple in structure or sometimes incomplete. In order to take high school English classes or write the exam for the GED, she will have to read literature for critical analysis, organize her thoughts and write at an acceptable level, using correct writing conventions. She will also have to increase her general knowledge bank in the major subject areas.
Pat’s spelling test shows this skill to be much less developed than her reading ability. She sometimes spells phonetically, sometimes conventionally, but leaves out one or more middle syllables, and sometimes she leaves off or writes the suffixes incorrectly. She often said that during the test she knew she was wrong but didn’t know the right spelling. She can only write correctly the words she knows by sight and uses all the time. Perhaps related to this, her handwriting is laboured and it is difficult to tell if the spelling is incorrect or simply too messy to decipher.
Strengths
McCullough, C. (n.d.). Learner profiles: Pat, Chol Thung, Jill and Kevin. Calgary, Alberta: Bow Valley College. Training material. Used with permission.