Literacy Workers Gather
to Research their Practice

"Research is just formalized curiousity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."

(Zora Neale Hurston, 1942)

In August, a small group of community-based literacy workers from across the province met at the Brother T. I. Murphy Centre in St. John's, NL for a three-day workshop on research in literacy practice. They were interested in "poking and prying" about the topics and issues that puzzled them in the daily world of practice. Dr. Mary Norton, of the Learning Centre in Edmonton and a member of an organization called Research in Practice in Adult Literacy (RiP AL), was the workshop facilitator.

Over the next eight months group members will conduct individual research projects. Empowerment, holistic learning, evaluation of community-based programs, and non-participation in organized literacy and ABE programs are some of the issues that will be explored. Though there are few opportunities to meet face to face, participants will connect by video and audio teleconferencing throughout the project and via First Class, an electronic computer conferencing system. A series of occasional papers, written by each of the participating researchers, will be distributed in the fall of 2003.

This work is supported by the National Literacy Secretariat, HRDC and the Community-Based Literacy Network. For further information, please contact Helen Woodrow by phone at (709) 753-8815 or via email Helen_Woodrow@elit.ca

Ann McCann and Sonya Foley search the web for relevant literature for their research topics.

Writing for the Workplace:
Writing Process with Workplace Content

This double-focus program has just been pubIished by Dr. William T. Fagan. It helps learners develop writing skills which are transferred to workplace writing tasks, such as writing reports and completing forms. It also focuses on helping workers deal with stressful situations. Both goals are integrated so that learners become knowledgeable about coping with stressful situations as they develop their own writing skills. This program has been offered on two occasions for St. John's municipal workers. It consists of a Handbook for Facilitators and a set of Learners' Handouts which consist of worksheets, goals for each session, and evaluation checklists. This fall Dr. Fagan will be offering workshops in the St. John's area and a teleconference in other parts of the province. Anyone interested in participating in these sessions should contact Dr. Fagan at wfagan@mun.ca or fax: (709) 895-2057.