Hello All:  I have a different take on the Director
General's remarks.  It seems evident that the
"commitment of national governments" is vital for a
literacy program to move forward.  Given that some or
all of the governments have established methods and
ideas of schooling, it appears essential that any
UNESCO program begin with what is in place to "give
space for methods and approaches to develop at local
level, with full input from learners themselves." 
Experience in the US with students from a variety of
countries, pre-literate through literate students in
both an alphabet and non-alphabet based
languages--students who have experienced a variety of
methods and ideas of schooling--we have come to
understand, sometimes painfully, that student
expectations of classroom experiences cannot be
ignored, or we will lose them in the process.  It may
takes years of exposure to alternate methods, and most
often building a sense in the classroom that students
have valid input into their educational process,
before students begin to accept and profit from
alternate methods.  I for one would not want to deny
full input from the learners themselves.  For example,
moving from an authoritative classroom leadership to
inclusion of students in decisions that affect their
learning process is a major, and hard won, victory for
ESL teachers.  I view the Director General's statement
as a diplomacy guide for UNESCO providers of literacy
that will reap rewards by inclusion rather than
exclusion of the population to be served.  Respect for
people and the rich culture they bring to the
classroom is a basic if literacy programs are to be
successful.

Bonnita Solberg, Teacher
Oakalnd Unified School District
 
.

--- John Nissen <jn at cloudworld.co.uk> wrote:


> 

> Hi all,

> 

> Following up on the NIFL webpages, I looked up the

> UNESCO initiative to 

> reduce illiteracy in the UN Literacy Decade, 2003 -

> 2012, and read this in 

> the message* from the Director General:

> 

> 

> Literacy is best acquired in ways that are consonant

> with the local context; 

> in our efforts to make literacy universally

> available, therefore, we must be 

> careful not to propose solutions which impose one

> way of acquiring literacy. 

> With the unreserved commitment of national

> governments, the Decade must give 

> space for methods and approaches to develop at local

> level, with full input 

> from learners themselves. The notion of 'literacy as

> freedom' points to the 

> way that the acquisition and practice of literacy

> can enhance the capacity 

> to lead a free and more fulfilled life.

> 

> 

> It seems that this notion that different methods of

> teaching literacy must 

> be used in different contexts, and depend on input

> from learners, is 

> accepted at the highest levels.  Yet it is a l> good

methods and bad methods, period.  A good method

> trains the brain for 

> effective reading skills.  A bad method fails to

> train for effective reading 

> skills.  The best method is the method which

> produces the most effective 

> reading skills for the greatest proportion of

> learners.  And mixing a good 

> method with a bad method produces a bad method,

> because it confuses.

> 

> While the people at the top are not recognising this

> common sense, the 

> United Nations Literacy Decade has little chance of

> success.

> 

> Cheers from Chiswick,

> 

> John

> 

> * 

>

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27158&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

> has link to the Directory General's message, see

> bottom of page.

> 

> John Nissen

> Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk

> maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud.

> Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics:

>

http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm

> Tel: +44 208 742 3170  Fax: +44 208 742 0202

> Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk

> 

> 

> 

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Nguyen, My Linh" <Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov>

> To: "Aaace-Nla discussion group (E-mail)" 

> <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; "Assessment"

> <assessment at nifl.gov>; 

> "Content Standards" <contentstandards at nifl.gov>;

> "English Language Learners" 

> <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>; "Family Literacy"

> <familyliteracy at nifl.gov>; 

> "Focus on Basics" <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>; "Health

> Literacy" 

> <healthliteracy at nifl.gov>; "Learning Disabilities" 

> <learningdisabilities at nifl.gov>; "Poverty & Race" 

> <povertyliteracy at nifl.gov>; "Professional

> Development" 

> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>; "Program

> Leadership" 

> <programleadership at nifl.gov>; "Special Topics"

> <specialtopics at nifl.gov>; 

> "Technology" <technology at nifl.gov>; "Women Literacy"

> 

> <womenliteracy at nifl.gov>; "Workplace"

> <workplace at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 2:44 PM

> Subject: [LearningDisabilities 624] National

> Institute for Literacy 

> LaunchesInternational Perspective Webpages

> 

> 

> > Just in time for International Literacy Day on

> September 8, the National

> > Institute for Literacy has launched a series of

> webpages on its website

> > (www.nifl.gov) to highlight worldwide efforts to

> address and combat 

> > literacy

> > problems. The International Perspectives webpages

> allow American adult

> > literacy and English language teachers and

> students quick access to

> > information about:

> > * adult literacy education in other countries and

> cultures,

> > including both developing and industrialized

> countries, and including

> > curriculum and outcomes standards for adult

> education in other countries

> > * international comparative studies of adult

> literacy and

> > PreK-12 education, and

> > * international efforts to raise literacy levels

> (e.g.UNESCO,

> > International Reading Association, and the

> Venezuelan and Argentinian

> > literacy campaigns)

> > The Institute plans to continue to build on the

> information on the

> > International Perspective pages

> >

>

(<http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/international/intro.html>)

> as they develop into 

> > a

> > central site for worldwide literacy resources.

> > The National Institute for Literacy provides

> leadership on literacy

> > issues, including the improvement of reading

> instruction for children,

> > youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S.

> Departments of Education,

> > Labor, and Health and Human Services, the

> Institute serves as a national

> > resource on current, comprehensive literacy

> research, practice, and 

> > policy.

> >

> >

> > My Linh Nguyen

> > Associate Director of Communications

> > National Institute for Literacy

> > (202) 233-2041

> > fax (202) 233-2050

> > mnguyen at nifl.gov

> >

> >

> ----------------------------------------------------

> > National Institute for Literacy

> > Learning Disabilities mailing list

> > LearningDisabilities at nifl.gov

> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription

> settings, please go to 

> >

>

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities

> > 

> 

> ----------------------------------------------------

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>