4. respecting all types of knowledge and learning

Integrated into the Benchmarks are various learning outcomes that ask instructors and learners to explore other ways of knowing and being. For example, learners are asked to describe their own culturally based forms of learning and to learn about other ways of knowing. They are asked to explore learning styles and learning preferences. They are encouraged to express themselves artistically and creatively. They are invited to share their own learning in a variety of ways: from singing, dancing, art and drama, to writing, speaking and preparing a portfolio. This process encourages learners to expand their knowledge and value other ways of knowing.

Holistic learning environments respect various kinds of knowledge. Banks (1993) offers the following typology:

• personal/cultural knowledge learned through personal experiences in the home, family and community cultures
• popular knowledge institutionalized within television, movies, records and other forms of the mass media
• mainstream academic knowledge that is traditional and established Western-centric knowledge
• transformative academic knowledge that challenges mainstream academic knowledge
• school knowledge presented in textbooks, teachers’ guides and other forms of media designed for school use

Levels 1 and 2 Literacy Benchmarks ask learners to value and integrate all forms of knowledge. Many adults have had some exposure to mainstream academic or school knowledge, but have not considered the impact of their own personal or cultural knowledge. All of Banks’ types of knowledge are respected within a transactional/transformational frame of learning. Learners are encouraged to affirm and question what they have learned in the past, and to be open minded about the wide range of learning opportunities available to them

5. making a commitment to renewal

Literacy is a dynamic and lifelong process, so literacy education practices, including the development of Benchmarks, need regular renewal. This renewal requires ongoing research, monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment. Levels 1 and 2 Literacy Benchmarks will be reviewed and refined as practitioners and learners engage with the content

The Circle of Learning is a living document. It has benefited from the expertise of literacy practitioners and learners across the province through focus groups, committee work, pilot testing, and the curriculum planning done by the Adult Basic Education Redesign Task Team. As more input from the field is gained, the document will be updated and renewed. This September 2006 publication is just one more draft of Levels 1 and 2 Literacy Benchmarks, not the final product.