Contrasting two learning systems
| “Standard” Education System |
Literacy Program |
| Grades 1 to 12 followed by diploma |
LBS Levels 1 to 5 followed by job, further training or other activity – no
diploma yet. |
| Designed for the education of children |
Designed for upgrading of adults' skills |
| All learners have roughly equal knowledge level on given topic |
Different amounts of knowledge between learners in same learning group
on any topic |
| External authority (government) tells what learner needs to learn |
Adult is own authority to determine what s/he needs/wants to learn – has
help from others |
| Learner level recognized in terms of grades |
Learning recognized in terms of what learner can do with learning they
have achieved |
| Broad-based development of knowledge |
Learner wants to learn very specific things |
| In a given class, all do same work at same time of day and in same semester |
Should be able to proceed at own pace, do work that is useful to own
goals, and do at time of day convenient |
| Specialized institution (i.e. schools) - elementary school followed
by high school |
Various possible learning environments - can move from one to another
depending on what is being learned and when |
| Full-time days September to June |
Needs flexibility in total hours and schedule |
| Class format |
Classes, groups, one-to-one and self instruction modes all possible |
| Usually student does all their learning first, then goes to work |
May do some learning, then work, or integrate two, over and over through
life |
| More formal and standardized systems of evaluation, reporting, etc. where
teacher evaluates learner |
Less formal systems of evaluation, often done collaboratively or completely
by learner, no formal reporting mechanisms |
| Teachers have similar training, highly skilled, unionized, good salary
with benefits |
Instructors have varied backgrounds, experience, may be volunteer,
short-term contract, part-time, only for contact time.
|
Based on Sudbury Literacy Creating a Referral
Protocol, Quill Literacy Network Youth Literacy Referral Kit.
|