Literacy Now

International Literacy Association is thrilled to launch the Activity Kit for International Literacy Day 2015!

This year’s theme is “The Power of People: Start a Literacy Movement” and the kit is focused on collective action, the power of one to affect a world of many. We wanted to find a cultural example of this power and we were drawn to the rich history of the Philippines.

Over the last 35 years, the Philippine federal government has worked with church communities, private universities, non-governmental organizations and more to tackle illiteracy in the country. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), just 83.3% of Filipinos age 15 and over were literate. Current statistics show 95.2% of the same population is literate today. With such an impressive success through collective action, the Philippines seemed the an ideal focus for our ILD activity kit.

The Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP), led by president Ani Rosa Almario, was tireless in making this kit authentic, and the result is an engaging set of activities for students from ages 4–18 surrounding literature, games, food, and environment.

Drawing on the immense pool of Filipino talent, the ILD 2015 kit also includes a book list populated by Filipino authors and artists, statistics about the country, and a poster created by noted Filipino illustrator, Liza Flores.

No cultural or educational movement can be made without cooperation. For interactive international implementation of this year’s kit, ILA partnered with ePals, a site that provides global classroom connection tools.

While working on ILD activities, teachers and students can register at ePals, where millions of classrooms are already online. Register for a live virtual meeting or share classroom projects with other participants around the world.
While the kit is downloaded and used around the world, the Philippines will plan for their traditional celebration on International Literacy Day (September 8). With read-alouds, and sometimes a parade, the island nation always commemorates the holiday in high style.

“As with any special event, RAP has made it a point to always gather a lot of people to celebrate a single cause,” Almario said. “I know that ILD celebrations have always had students and teachers doing a fun run in some part of the country or one year when we asked a mayor to read to children from her town and it became a gigantic storytelling event.”

ILA is also encouraging participants to embrace a service project offered to complement the activity kit and theme by building a Little Free Library. With thousands of Little Free Libraries around the world, they can be found on the corner in England or on the back of a bike in the Philippines. By planting one in their own communities, students can make a lasting impression and result of ILD 2015. The kit for the service project includes tips, samples, and classroom integration for every aspect of the planning, construction, and installation of a Library.

Download the ILD 2015 kit today and start planning your celebration. Don’t forget to share your stories and photos via social media using the hashtag #ILD15.

April Hall is editor of Literacy Daily. A journalist for about 20 years, she has specialized in education, writing and editing for newspapers, websites, and magazines.

Speaking and listening go hand in hand in the classroom, but not without stumbling blocks. Our upcoming #ILAchat will focus on speaking and listening, including tips on how to integrate technology into the practice and how to overcome challenges like introverted students who are hesitant to raise their hands.

Karen Lirenman, a K–2 teacher in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, is an avid user of technology in the classroom. She engages her students globally by applying video conferencing, Twitter, and class blogs into an educational setting. She uses technological outlets to facilitate students’ discussions and to introduce them to tech skills.

As a Google Certified teacher and an Apple Distinguished Teacher, Karen views technology as immensely beneficial for students. She says, “Technology allows learners to add voice to their work. Through voice we can better hear student thinking, particularly for those students who have trouble expressing themselves in written word.”

“One of the challenges with speaking and listening is too many educators still feel only one person should talk at a time and the rest should listen. Far more learning takes place when something as simple as an entire class turns and talks, which allows all to speak at the same time.”

Karen discusses the importance of using technology to help student voice shine through and to enhance students’ speaking and listening capabilities. By harnessing technological tools such as tablets and laptops, students are able to show their knowledge through a variety of platforms.

Join @ILAToday on May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to hashtag #ILAchat to keep the conversation going!

Morgan Ratner is ILA’s communications assistant.

Most of us know about the famous St. Louis Arch, “The Gateway to the West,” but that’s not all this Missouri city has to offer everyone who comes to the International Literacy Association 2015 Conference.

From restaurants to museums to haunted mansions, there is something for everyone in St. Louis. You can even do your best Judy Garland with a trolley tour!

For a basic rundown of what conference in St. Louis offers in entertainment, we have some suggestions:

• Check out the activity guide from the preconference issue of Reading Today.
• See the Explore St. Louis website the Convention and Visitors Commission made just for ILA Conference goers.
• Create your St. Louis tourism Pinterest board by repinning from ILA’s conference board.

With so much to do it may be hard to fit in everything between conference sessions and touring the exhibit hall. Maybe you can tack on a Missouri vacation afterwards!

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. The days will be jam-packed with featured speakers, the revamped Teaching Edge series, and exciting general sessions. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. More than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

On July 17, International Literacy Association and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation are offering two joint workshops focusing on literacy program reviews and reports with up-to-date guidelines, best practices and hands-on practice to get local program recognition and accreditation. The workshops will take place in St. Louis, MO, the day before the official start of ILA 2015 Conference.

The first workshop, Keys to Preparing ILA/CAEP Reports for Program Writers, will be from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. The session will be presented by Beverly DeVries, an elementary education professor at Southern Nazarene University. This round table discussion will allow educators to interact with one another while examining assessments and scoring guides, as well as gain invaluable tips and updated information on current CAEP requirements.

The session will also take a look at how increased technology has transformed education standards and guidelines, and how educators can keep evolving with changing equipment to benefit students. Co-presenters will be Debra Miller of McDaniel College, Michael Shaw of St. Thomas Aquinas College, and Kathleen Sanders of Fort Hays State University.

The second discussion, Reviewing Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach Program Reports for ILA/CAEP will follow from 1:00–3:00 p.m. It will be led by Diane Kern, and professor at the University of Rhode Island. Kern is also ILA Special Professional Association (SPA) coordinator and has authored several articles about program reviews; she knows the value ILA/CAEP program reviewers have in shaping the future success of literacy and literacy coaching.  Kern will be joined by Nancy L. Witherell of Bridgewater State University, Angela Raines Rutherford of the University of Mississippi,  Helen Abadiano of Central Connecticut State University, and  Allison Swan Dage of West Virginia University.

Participants new to reviews or more experienced reviewers will be able to learn about updated ILA and CAEP program information, engage in practice reviews with colleagues, and receive a resources guidebook.

These workshops are free and run simultaneously to the ILA 2015 Preconference Institutes. No preregistration is necessary.

CAEP (a consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation and Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council) offers evidence-based accreditation for quality educator preparation and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P–12 student learning.

The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. The days will be jam-packed with featured speakers, the revamped Teaching Edge series, and exciting general sessions. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. More than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.

Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.

Morgan Ratner is ILA’s communications assistant.

A large and highly dedicated community of leaders and organizations has long focused on advancing literacy in the U.S. and around the world. Through research, innovative methods, training of emerging new leaders and teachers, and practical work on the ground, they have also devoted considerable resources to accelerating a rise in literacy.

These efforts are necessary to turn the tide of illiteracy worldwide, but not sufficient. If we are to achieve a new level of progress, we need to enlist and inspire a broader community beyond our own. We must engage in more robust discussions with government, business, and non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders, as well as with—most importantly—educators, families, and students.

That’s why today, April 14, 2015, through an initiative called Leaders for Literacy Day, we’re organizing a first step in the creation of a cross-sector coalition of education, business, community, foundation, and NGO leaders who will examine what is working to promote literacy worldwide, what is not, and how can we come together to close the gap.

The mission could not be any more urgent. Though there has been progress in recent decades, the challenge is still enormous and stubborn. Thanks in part to enhanced efforts by U.N. member states and affiliated agencies to provide a primary education for all children around the world, the global adult illiteracy rate dropped significantly over the last couple of decades, leaving only about 12% of the world functionally illiterate today, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. But that still leaves about 781 million adults and 126 million youths worldwide who cannot read or write.

In the U.S. alone, 32 million adults—or 14% of the population—can’t read, according to a 2013 study by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy. Just as alarming, that’s almost exactly the same proportion it was 10 years ago.

Statistics show that, far more than those who cannot read or write, people who are literate are much more likely to escape the bonds of poverty and live longer; they’re more inclined to vote, take part in their communities, and seek medical help for themselves and their families; and they’re much better equipped to take advantage of knowledge jobs in the digital economy that are proliferating at record levels and represent, according to McKinsey Consulting, more than 230 million positions worldwide.

As societies improve their rates of literacy, they become better trading partners with the rest of the world and are less likely to spawn conflict that threatens regions, whole continents, and the world. So as the world has become more economically and socially interdependent than ever, we all have a stake in moving as many people as possible from illiteracy to literacy. 

Countless individuals, organizations, government agencies, and private companies have contributed significant resources and energy to advance literacy and equitable education worldwide.

The business community, for example, understands that growth and expansion require much higher levels of more educated—let alone literate—people in the available workforce. And businesses can be particularly helpful in identifying proper strategies, stimulating innovation and measuring outcomes.

Companies like Microsoft are enabling critical innovation among students, teachers and schools through cutting-edge technology. In global health, some NGOs have based their logistics and supply chain strategies on Coca-Cola’s elaborate international distribution systems. If we can sell Coke and distribute medical treatment in the most remote parts of the world, why can’t we do the same to raise the rates of literacy?

NGOs are essential partners and play a critical role in advocating for equitable access and broadly sharing their experiences and best practices that can help scale up proven interventions.

In addition, families and children of all ages are critical to creating a culture of learning within every home and every community, making sure students understand how important literacy can be in improving their own lives.
 
There’s no question that literacy is now and will become increasingly essential to ensuring the productivity of individuals and whole societies. Because we all have a stake in this endeavor, now, more than ever, is the time to expand the circle of those who can help advance literacy for all.

Here are some of the influencers from around the world who are weighing in on the #AgeOfLiteracy.

Marcie Craig Post is the executive director of ILA. Follow her on Twitter: @MarcieCraigPost.