Integrating Literacy
What does integrating literacy mean?
Integrating literacy into education and training programmes means that they are designed and delivered in a way that is literacy-aware. The aim is to ensure that literacy issues do not exclude people from taking part in or succeeding on a course. It means that course designers and facilitators ensure that the materials and methods used are inclusive of those who are not comfortable with the kinds of reading and writing often associated with education and training courses. It involves, for example, ensuring that
- the trainer doesn’t rely solely or mainly on texts and print, whether on slides or handouts, but uses a wider range of active learning methods and materials;
- any printed material is user-friendly (see published NALA guidelines on Plain English and on ‘Preparing learning materials’)
- if the course is accredited, participants are supported to deal with any literacy demands associated with the assessment system.
NALA encourages a whole-organisation approach to integrating literacy into all education and training programmes for adults:
- Trainers and educators in all subjects deliver their programmes in a literacy-aware way.
- The trainers/educators and the course participants have access to the support of an adult literacy specialist who is skilled in integrating literacy development into other subjects and programmes.
- Management provide systems to enable effective communication and teamwork between the literacy specialist and subject specialist.
For further details contact Blathnaid Ní Chinnéide at bnichinneide@nala.ie or on
