Colleagues: The Times & Transcript newspaper published in New Brunswick,
Canada includes an article by Peter Sawyer, President of the Moncton, New
Brunswick Regional Learning Council. The article appeared on page D6
Tuesday March 18th, 2008 (available online at
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/search/article/242932).

In his article, Sawyer calls attention to the value of Functional Context
Education for improving workforce skills in Canada. He  asks whether the
government's budget will address workplace learning needs. He makes the
point that  only one in 10 Canadians with low literacy skills receive
government support and that they are not being reached by organized forms
of adult learning.

Focusing on the need for new approaches to workforce lifelong learning,
Sawyer goes on to say, "Dr. Thomas Sticht, an international consultant in
adult education, maintains that integrated literacy is the concept that
makes workforce development efficient and effective. He explains, "One
approach to improving the efficiency of basic skills and job skills
training that is gaining in popularity in developed nations follows what I
have called a Functional Context Education approach.

In this approach, basic literacy, numeracy and English language skills
education [is] integrated into, or embedded in, or contextualized with,
vocational education or job skills training. This approach is more
efficient because it shortens the learners' overall time required to be in
education and training, and increases the amount of time that can be spent
on a job providing productive activity in the marketplace and bringing home
a pay cheque. It does this because it removes the need to have learners
spend time first raising their basic skills to some established level
before they can enter into vocational education."

Governments and adult literacy educators in other nations including
Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, England and Wales have implemented
extensive programs of Functional Context Education that include the
integration of language, literacy, and numeracy (LLN) skills development
with vocational and other important content areas such as health,
citizenship,  and parenting.

For additional information about Functional Context Education (FCE) and
examples of embedded, integrated, contextualized  LLN programs see my
online syllabus of 12 reports that includes two on FCE online at
http://adulted.about.com/od/adultbasiceducation/a/sticht.htm

On 15 April 2008 I will be in Marlborough, Massachusetts to present a
keynote about Functional context Education  entitled: Integrated Curriculum
Models Work! followed by a breakout session on Case Studies On Integrated
Curriculum Models. This is a conference sponsored by the Massachusetts
Department of Education.

For information regarding my free presentations on Functional Context
Education, Integrated Literacy Models and other topics and my present
speaking schedule and venues contact me at tsticht at aznet.net

Tom Sticht