Literacy Now

by Marja Kivihall and Kadi Lukanenok

The International Reading Association, the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and the International Board for Books for Young People (IBBY) acknowledge the intrinsic value and importance of literacy in the widest sense, which is a prerequisite for seeking and accessing information of any kind, understanding it, and making use of it. Education (formal, non-formal, and informal), availability of books in the readers’ languages, support for local publishing, and library programming are complementary sources and enablers of knowledge. They are central pillars to aims, goals, and values of each named organisation, which makes close cooperation between them natural and needed.

At the 14th European Conference on Reading in Zagreb, Croatia, in August 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between participating organizations was signed by IFLA president Kay Raseroka, IRA president Richard Allington, and IBBY president Peter Schneck.

They agreed to work on practical modalities including exchange of expertise (joint statements, declarations, manifestos, etc.), joint advocacy and support for each others’ advocacy activities, joint research activities, workshops and/or training sessions, projects, and publications. The MoU paid special attention to cooperation at each others’ conferences. Following is a good example of realisation of the MoU at the root level between associations and institutions in a country.

The IFLA WLIC 2012 Preconference “Let’s Read! Reading and Print Disabilities in Young People” was held on 8-9 August 2012 in Tallinn, Estonia. The conference was organized by IFLA Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section (LPD) in cooperation with the Estonian Reading Association and the Estonian Library for the Blind.

The aim of the conference was to highlight the importance of delivering special library services for children and youngsters with print disabilities (e.g. visual impairment) or reading difficulties (e.g. dyslexia) and show how to improve the services through co-operation and partnership with schools and reading associations.

Target groups included: 

• librarians (specialized library services and public libraries) 
• teachers 
• national organizations working with dyslexia and other interest groups 
• other professionals working with persons with print disabilities 
• children’s librarians from the Nordic libraries for the print disabled

It took more than a year to organize the conference with active e-mailing and having Skype and eye-to-eye meetings. The first meeting with IFLA LPD Section’s members in Oslo took place in May 2011. It was followed by the second meeting in Tallinn at the Estonian Library for the Blind in November 2011 which was also attended by Kadi Lukanenok from the Estonian Reading Association and Tallinn University.

The active preparations culminated with the conference in August 2012 which turned out to be a success with a good program and interesting visits to the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre and the Estonian Library for the Blind. Participants of the conference came to Tallinn from 18 countries to acquire information and enrich their knowledge.

Kadi Lukanenok and Meeli Pandis represented the Estonian Reading Association at the conference. KadiLukanenok gave a presentation “Dyslexia 3-level Framework by U. Frith. Implication for Society.”

During the conference the dinner was arranged at the Estonian Open Air Museum, and visits to the Estonian Library for the Blind and the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre were organized.

Further cooperation between the Estonian Library for the Blind, Estonian Reading Association, and Tallinn University Department of Special Education was discussed. The inclusion of reading/print disabled people is still problematic in Estonia. All partners looked ahead for problem solving ideas engaging special education and teacher training students. Many useful contacts were established.

Information about the preconference is available at www.nlb.no/en/ifla-preconference-2012/.

Marja Kivihall is from the Estonian Library of the Blind, marja@epr.ee. 

Kadi Lukanenok is from the Estonian Reading Association, Kadi.lukanenok@tlu.ee.

The recent Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP) Conference in Manila was a great success. IRA Board Member Jay Blanchard and Past IRA Board Member Sally Labanda convinced Secretary of Education Bro. Armin Luistro to purchase International Reading Association (IRA) memberships for over 80 public school teachers. Visit the RAP website for conference presentations, more photos, and information about this IRA international affiliate. 

Sally Labanda, Bro. Armin Luistro, Dina Ocampo (RAP President), and Jay Blanchard

Dina Ocampo, Bro. Armin Luistro, Jay Blanchard, and Sally Labanda

Jay Blanchard, Dina Ocampo, and Bro. Armin Luistro

Jay Blanchard, Daniel Churchill (Head of the Division of Information and Technology at the Hongkong University), Dina Ocampo, Bro. Armin Luistro, and Sally Labanda

Sally Labanda, Jay Blanchard, Bro. Armin Luistro, and Dina Ocampo with RAP Conference attendees

by Catherine Kelly

In January 2013, the Minnesota Academy of Reading will host its third annual “Policy Issues in Literacy: Implications for Educators an Era of Common Core Standards” event. This symposium brings together legislators, Board of Teaching members, higher education faculty, K-12 teachers, and literacy advocates to discuss issues related to teacher preparation and professional development. The focus of this year’s event will be on preparing teachers to meet the needs of Minnesota’s K-12 students in an era of the Common Core State Standards.

The Minnesota Academy of Reading (MAR), a local council of the Minnesota Reading Association, was founded in 1974 with the purpose of sharing professional ideas in literacy instruction, consultation, and evaluation, as well as engaging in service activities. The organization was chartered by the International Reading Association, and in the early years of the organization, held weekend professional meetings and workshops, as well as presenting an institute at the IRA convention in Miami.

Though MAR was less active in the 1990s, the organization reemerged in 2005 to provide a network for educators interested in policies related to pre-service teacher licensure, standards for reading teachers, and research on effective professional development. This work involved a collaboration of the recipients of a Bush Foundation grant and faculty from over 40 institutions as they aligned their courses with updated Board of Teaching competencies. Every two years, the Minnesota Academy of Reading honors a reading professional who has made significant contributions to the field of literacy education in Minnesota and beyond.

The Minnesota Academy of Reading is looking to network with other state councils engaged in similar work around literacy policies, effective preparation of literacy teachers, and improved literacy instruction for K-12 students. If your local council is interested in networking with MAR, please contact MAR Co-President Elect Catherine Kelly.

Catherine Kelly is an Assistant Professor of Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul Minnesota, the Secretary of the MRA Executive Board, and Co-President Elect of MAR. She can be contacted at cmkelly@stkate.edu.

by Elizabeth Bleacher

The 8th Pan-African Reading for All (PARFA) Conference will be held from July 9 to August 2, 2013, at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. The conference’s theme will be Literacy for All: Leading the way to Literacy Excellence, with special attention given to innovative literacy strategies and techniques that have proven to have positive impacts on literacy throughout Africa. The conference’s goal is to identify what teaching structures need to be developed or strengthened to promote literacy both nationally and internationally.

Proposal submissions for the 2013 conference are due by December 31, 2012. Submissions must include the official proposal form. Additionally, all participants will be required to pay a conference registration fee, whether they are presenting or not. The registration fee is not due with proposals and should be submitted at a later date with a separate form. The fee for participants from continents other than Africa is US$250. Participants from Africa are asked to pay US$150.

Presentations will be accepted as individual papers, colloquia, workshops, poster sessions, and films/documentaries. Aside from meeting the general conference objectives, all proposals need to fall under one of the ten sub-themes of the conference.

Those sub-themes are:

• Literacy and Early Childhood Education;
• Literacy Across the Curriculum;
• Literacy, Information Centers, and Technology; 
• Literacy and Community Participation;
• Literacy and Language of Education;
• Literacy Instruction and Assessment;
• Literacy, Health, and Human Rights;
• Literacy, Publishing, and Materials Development;
• Innovations in Literacy Instruction; and
• Multicultural Literacies.

Colloquia will be given two hours, and workshops will be given one full hour. Individual papers, poster sessions, and documentaries will be given a half hour for presentations as well as questions. For this reason, films and documentaries cannot exceed twenty minutes.

Past conferences have proven successful in creating and implementing strategies to promote literacy and have left lasting impacts on host regions and participants. Much of this success can be attributed to the quality of the presentations given at the conferences and the literacy teaching methods that have developed as a result.

More information about the application process can be found at the International Reading Association website.

Elizabeth Bleacher is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association. 

Dr. Patricia A. Edwards, an International Reading Association (IRA) Past President and Distinguished Professor of Language and Literacy in the Teacher Education Department at Michigan State University, presented the keynote speech Expanding Opportunities to Address Urban Illiteracy in the U.S. at the World Literacy Summit at Oxford University, United Kingdom, upon the invitation of the World Literacy Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The public can access her PowerPoint presentation on the World Literacy Summit website.

The World Literacy Foundation is an independent not-for-profit charitable body that is committed to providing effective programs to address literacy needs around the world. The Summit is a global literacy initiative that has been developed in partnership with Oxford University and a number of key literacy groups and experts. The Summit brought together over 400 key delegates such as Ministers of Education, NGOs, literacy experts, literacy practitioners, educators, and key literacy leaders from around the world.

Dr. Edwards was the 2010-2011 IRA President. She recently won the Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association (LRA) for Change Is Gonna Come, co-authored by Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon and Jennifer D. Turner, and co-published by the International Reading Association and Teachers College Press. She just released the book Bridging Literacy and Equity: The Essential Guide to Social Equity Teaching with Althier Lazar and Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon (Teachers College Press). The three authors wrote an article about social equity teaching for the August/September 2012 issue of Reading Today, which is available for Association members to read online.