FOR a society that had prided itself on its education system and literary accomplishments, the OECD International Adult Literacy Survey carried out in the 1990s was a sobering dose of reality.
The survey, which was carried out in a number of countries over four years, found that one in four working-age adults in Ireland had problems with basic literacy tasks.
People were at literacy level one on a five-level scale. To put it in context, they could have difficulty with something as everyday but as important as following the directions accompanying a medication package.
The survey showed that there were huge numbers struggling with literacy (and numeracy) in Ireland compared to other countries but the results were followed by meaningful attempts at action, according to Moira Greene, adult literary organiser with Clare VEC.
“They’re going to do a new study next year so we’ll find out what the figures are like now. It was on foot of the results of that study that they increased the funding for adult literacy and basic education services significantly in this country.”
She says people shouldn’t take the view that those with difficulties can’t read or write a single word. “If you understand literacy difficulties as a person that can’t read or write at all, then the figure is too high. If you understand reading and writing difficulties as people finding it hard to cope with the skills that they need for where they are in society today, then it may not be.”
Many people who have more skills than those at level one can have difficulties, she said. “Learners at level two would have basic literacy skills. They would be fairly comfortable in ordinary and very familiar tasks, say reading the same paper that they always buy, tasks they have to do in their own workplace that they are very familiar doing or tasks they have to do at home that they’ve been doing for years. They’re very comfortable with those. What happens with level two is that when something new is introduced it causes great anxiety and a crisis of confidence.
“At level three, you would have learners with the everyday tasks they are doing but something more challenging has come their way. It could be that their job has changed and they need to do more training. It could be that their family situation has changed and they have to take over something such as finances, something they aren’t used to and this causes a crisis of confidence.”
She is anxious it be understood that literacy is now quite a broad term. As people now need to use relatively new technology every day, new challenges have emerged for people who have problems adjusting. “Literacy changes as society changes. Fifty years ago, to be literate you would have had to be able to write with a fountain pen. If it were back in the 16th century, you would have had to be able to read and write in Latin. The best comparison now is the use of digital technology. People can feel isolated if they don’t understand it. Literacy practices have changed and people have to use ATMs, mobile phones, computers and they can feel isolated if they have problems with that.”
On its website, the National Adult Literacy Agency gives its reading of how the definition has moved on. “In the past, literacy was considered to be the ability to read and write. Today, the meaning of literacy has changed to reflect changes in society and the skills needed by individuals to participate fully in society. It involves listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information.”
The Clare Adult Basic Education Service has four strands, the Clare Reading and Writing Scheme, the Clare Family Learning Project, the English Language Programme and the Workplace Basic Education Programme. It is funded by the Department of Education and Skills with assistance from the European Social Fund as part of the National Development Plan 2007-2013.
Moira said that attempts are always made to have learning at the Clare Adult Basic Education Service as specific as possible to the learners. “What we would try to do is to run classes that are responding to the current needs, to what it is that people need to use reading, writing and numbers for. Sometimes, people think that if they go back they have to start from scratch and work their way up through a school-based system of practising writing and learning spellings but that’s not the way we work at all. We look at the immediate needs of the learner and what’s driving them to come into us and then we try to provide the classes that would suit them. For learners who are struggling a lot, we would always start them off on one to one. Other learners might start with a small group. They are with people who have similar issues so they feel comfortable.”
It’s important for those who come to the service to have something to work towards, she feels, and one of the first things to do is to decide what they want to achieve.
“You’d suggest to the learner to identify a goal they would like to achieve. It might be that they want to fill out their own forms. Or it could be they want to read The Clare Champion or another newspaper, the parish notes or the sports pages. They might want to help their children with their homework. We focus on what that goal is and look at what they can do already. If it’s something in the workplace, they might know the job inside out but they don’t feel able to write about it. They may have the knowledge in their heads and that’s the positive. Then we break it down and look at what they need to do, what kind of text might they have to read, will forms have to be filled out, how do they feel, where are the concerns. You get a picture of where they are at and make a learning plan.”
While there may be some stigma about adults having a need for basic education, there’s more understanding available than was once the case. “There is recognition that educational disadvantage has been a fact of life in most developed countries, that people haven’t all had the same opportunities and some people have had a lot less opportunity than others. There’s recognition that there are many, many structural reasons for literacy and numeracy problems, that it’s not just simply down to the learner.
“But I wouldn’t say it’s completely removed [the stigma]. I think people are quite sensitive and we need to be very sensitive. All communication with us is strictly confidential, so anyone who comes to talk to us should know that.”
People are often reluctant to get started, she says. “It would be very common for us to hear people saying that they found it hard to take the first step. We’ve heard the story many, many times that they thought about it many, many times before they picked up the phone. Sometimes they’ll say they came as far as the centre but turned away again.
“It’s the kind of experience we all have when we’re facing something we see as a big challenge in our lives. People can feel quite vulnerable; maybe they had bad experiences in school. It’s a natural human reaction, you have to psyche yourself up to face a new challenge.
“Very often they tell us that the starting off was very difficult but usually once they get inside and realise that adult learning is completely different from what they did in school. We start off with respect for the learners as adults and all of the knowledge, skills and understanding that they’ve acquired in their adult lives is brought into the classroom and they can use that to build on their literacy skills. Our first thing is that the learner should have a positive learning experience. We want them to enjoy coming into our centres and we go from there then.”
Addressing their difficulties with literacy in all its forms is often the first of many positive changes an adult learner makes, according to Moira.
“We hear wonderful stories. They’d often talk about the help we gave them but it’s help they give themselves. Often, all we do is get them started. We help them to knock down some of the walls that are blocking their own confidence and confidence in their own ability.
“We’d have learners who say they are getting on so well that they signed up for courses, went for a job promotion or changed jobs and are doing something they are more interested in. Sometimes it’s something in their personal lives; they went and got married or they changed houses or something that wouldn’t appear to be related to coming here to do classes but had to do with their growing sense of confidence in themselves.
“They see their lives opening up and new possibilities for themselves.”
For further information on the Clare Basic Education Service call 065 6897641. All contacts will be treated in the strictest confidence. There are centres in Ennis, Shannon, Scariff, Ennistymon and Kilrush.