The six concepts illustrated in the Contextualized Learning chart are explained in more detail below:
Benchmarks are tools for adults to learn competencies that mesh with their personal goals. Since the focus of instruction is firmly on context, instructors and learners together can choose the Literacy Benchmarks that best suit each learner’s needs. The Literacy Benchmarks are meant to be used holistically. They should not be taught in isolation from each other or simply in the order they are presented in this document. For example, if a learner wants to improve job search skills, it would make sense to use some Benchmarks from the reading, writing, observing, viewing, and listening portions of the Communications quadrant, along with some technological Literacy Benchmarks from the Lifelong Learning quadrant, and many of the Benchmarks from Interpersonal Skills. In this way, learners gain knowledge in a context that is personally relevant. Contextualized learning not only motivates learners; it also empowers them to be more self-directed in their own learning.
Literacy programs occur in a variety of formal and non-formal settings that include institutions, community organizations, tutorial settings, and the workplace. When adult literacy programs use The Circle of Learning Benchmarks, Levels 1 and 2 learners can transfer easily from one program to another. Literacy Benchmarks suit a variety of learners in different programs while honouring learners’ individual contexts and maintaining the integrity of transferability.
Many types of instruction honour learners’ contexts. Learning situations can range from formal lectures and panel discussions to informal discussions and role playing. Any learning activity can focus on learners’ goals and needs while helping them to achieve the Benchmarks they desire. Many literacy programs have high numbers of ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) and ESD (English-as-a-Second-Dialect) learners with language-specific learning needs. Furthermore, given the high number of Aboriginal participants in the province’s literacy programs, it is especially important to incorporate First Nations and Métis perspectives into Saskatchewan’s literacy learning situations. Aboriginal learning methods, such as storytelling, talking or sharing circles, co-operative group work and experiential learning, facilitate learning for all. (“Core Activities that Acknowledge Aboriginal Perspectives” can be found in the “Foundations” section at the beginning of Saskatchewan ABE Level Three curricula, available from Advanced Education and Employment.) Literacy practitioners are encouraged to select materials and methods from a variety of perspectives and sources that encourage learners to articulate their own cultures and points of view.