Learning Outcomes Demonstrations Development (2000)
by Tara Duncan-Smith

A report in binder format which presents 22 demonstrations on 15 subjects concerning Communications - Levels 3 and 4 (Ontario). Assists literacy practitioners in assessing learners and encourages practitioners to develop and use demonstrations based upon the samples provided.
Contact : Dave Neumann, Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators (CESBA), 2 Robert Speck Parkway, Suite 300, Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8
Tel. (905) 949-0049 ext. 2373,
dneumann@cesba.on.ca
www.cesba.com/

Delivering Instruction to Adult Learners, Revised Edition (2001)
by Jeffrey A. Cantor

A one-stop guide for trainers or instructors of adults in the professions, industry, or business. It includes fundamental principles of and strategies for achieving clear communication, motivating learners, setting objectives, planning lessons, using effective teaching methods, designing appropriate testing, and evaluating courses and programs.
Cost : $24.95
Contact : Wall & Emerson, Inc., Six O’Connor Drive, Toronto ON M4K 2K1
Tel. (416) 467-8685 or 1-877-409-4601
Fax (416) 352-5368
wall@wallbooks.com
www.wallbooks.com/

Bridging the Gap Between Literacy & Technology (2000)
Samaritan House Training Centre

A two-part curriculum guide that provides literacy practitioners with tools to help them incorporate technology into a literacy curriculum. Includes an Educational Component and a Computer Component.
Cost : $70
Contact : Samaritan House Training Centre, 1610 Pacific Avenue, Brandon MB R7A 7L9
Tel. (204) 727-1268
samaritan@sympatico.ca
www.nald.ca/shouse/sam.htm

Teaching of the Four Elements: An Introduction to Science, CD-ROM Mchigeeng Adult Education Program in association with Ningwakwe Learning Press

Invites instructors and learners into the fascinating world of science by using hands-on experiments, demonstrations and projects. The Medicine Wheel is used to introduce basic science concepts and also stresses the importance of understanding that all things in the world are related and impact on other things in the world.
Contact : Ningwakwe Learning Press, 1161 2nd Avenue East, Owen Sound ON N4K 2J1
Tel. 1-888-551-9757 or (519) 372-9855
Fax (519) 372-1684
info@ningwakwe.on.ca
www.ningwakwe.on.ca/

Literacy and Disability (2000)
by Joel Macht for Persons With Disabilities Advisory Committee

Demonstrates an obvious need to improve the literacy skills among people who have disabilities. Makes recommendations, which focus on trainer education and enhancing the relationships between the disability and literacy communities.
Contact : Angie Allard, Human Resources Development Canada, Strategic Services & External Relations, BC/Yukon
Tel. (604) 666-8201
Fax (604) 666-1042,
angie.allard@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca
Also available online at : www.nald.ca/fulltext/litdis/cover.htm

Building Workplace Essential Skills (2000)
Bow Valley College

Designed to help students develop skills in three essential areas - reading text, using documents and solving numerical problems. Exercices designed so that the students use authentic workplace documents as source materials. Problems embedded in a context of workplace.
Contact : Jane Kezar, Marketing Sales Associates, Workplace Learning Services, Bow Valley College, 332 - 6 Ave. East, Calgary AB T2G 4S5
Tel. (403) 297-4798
www.bowvalleyc.ab.ca

by Sylvia Sioufi
CUPE literacy Project Coordinator

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canada's largest union, hosts a national conference on workplace literacy and basic skills.

Canadian workers and their families face a world of increasing complexity where everyday tasks now require greater literacy skills. Nowhere is this more evident than in the workplace. For CUPE members the changing economy means new and shifting job demands and the need to continually upgrade their skills.

As Judy Darcy, CUPE National President told conference participants, "the demands that employers have placed on workers have changed. The expectations of workers to keep up with that change are enormous and the fact is that workers are willing to learn, are willing to change but they are not getting the support and resources in order to be able to do that."

Workplace literacy programs are key to providing the support and resources many workers need. That is why a group of fifty CUPE members and staff from across the country gathered this past January in Hull, Quebec to take part in the Union's first literacy conference.

The conference aimed to recognize the work that CUPE locals and others in the labour movement have done to advance the issue of literacy and to share the collective expertise that has been developed. A key goal was to provide participants with an understanding of why literacy is a union issue and what literacy means from a labour perspective.

CUPE National Executive Board member Claude Généreux said dignity and respect are the real reasons why people join unions, and literacy is at the heart of it. "There is a dignity that comes from being able to read your own collective agreement," he said, "a dignity that comes from being fully involved in your union."

The conference offered participants hands-on tools and resources to take action on workplace literacy. Workshops covered topics such as how to get started, exploring different union-based program models, where to get the money, and reaching more members through clear language.

The conference was part of CUPE's national literacy project, a new initiative funded by the federal government's National Literacy Secretariat. Participants took part in a strategy building session to identify priorities for the next phase of the national project. "Raising awareness of the importance of this issue throughout our union so that we can broaden considerably the work that we are doing around literacy is clearly the most important next step," said Darcy.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the conference is that it provided a forum to exchange personal stories. We heard about the increase in self-confidence and self-esteem that workers have gained. We heard about workers with 20 years service who were finally able to read postings and to apply to training and jobs that were closed to them before. We heard about members who were able to spend time with their kids on the computer for the first time. We heard about members starting to read and understand their collective agreements and being prepared to stand up for their rights.

These stories illustrate the impact literacy programs have on CUPE members and their families. They highlight why now more than ever literacy is a union issue.