Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e7AMfKP01311; Thu, 10 Aug 2000 18:41:20 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 18:41:20 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <s992da23.047@epcc.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Andres Muro" <andresm@epcc.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:906] Every year I write a column for our local newspaper for X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.3 Status: O Content-Length: 5597 Lines: 29 Every year I write a column for our local newspaper for International Literacy Day. Below is this year's version. Let me know what you think. If anyone wishes to use any part, or all of the column in your community, do not hesitate to do so. Thanks, Andres Guest column for International Literacy Day, September 8th September 8 is International Literacy Day, and we all should spend some time thinking about this subject. Most people think of literacy as a set of discrete skills that can be used in multiple contexts. According to this definition, people either posses these skills, and are literate, or do not possess them, and are illiterate. Literacy experts, however, argue that there is not just one literacy, but many literacies that emerge in different contexts and communities and that we all possess different levels of these literacies. The following true story illustrates this. A few months ago, a friend of mine called me because he had a sever pain on his side and wanted my opinion. I, of course, suggested that he visit his doctor, to which he replied that he did not have one. He does have medical insurance, but he has never used it, nor does he know who his doctor is, or how to find a doctor covered by his plan. He has not been to one since childhood. He said that he did not know what his insurance covered, how to identify a doctor under his plan or who to call to start the process. His pain disappeared a few days later and he never explored it further. Ironically, my friend speaks, reads and writes at least five languages fluently, and has studied at Stanford University and the University of Jerusalem. He is academically brilliant. Yet, his ability to participate in a health literacy context is non-existent. This does not mean that he would not be able to acquire the knowledge required to participate in such context. Another example that supports the multiple literacies model comes from the workforce. Employers often complain that college graduates and high school graduates do not possess the skills necessary to perform certain tasks and that need to be trained. Yet, high school and college graduates have academic skills. These two samples support the idea that rather than acquiring one literacy, people may acquire different literacies in different contexts. Based on this idea, literacy and adult education programs need to find ways to create spaces for participants to be able to explore and participate in multiple contexts to acquire various literacies. One way of doing this is for literacy programs to form partnerships with several community agencies and organizations. For example, literacy programs can form partnerships with health care entities, institutions of higher learning, museums, libraries, real estate entities, city and county governments and businesses. Through these partnerships, literacy programs can develop real life contexts for language instruction by taking students into the community to visit these organizations to learn about them, read about them, write about them, and interact with organization representatives. In addition, if students are not able to travel to visit these organizations, representatives from the organizations should be invited to interact with students. Through this approach, students can improve their speaking, reading, and writing communication skills, while learning to participate in various contexts. A program that is successful in forming community partnerships to provide contextual learning opportunities is the Community Education program at EPCC. As an example of context based literacy, CEP developed the Health Literacy El Paso Program, (HELP). Through this program, students improved their reading, writing and speaking communication skills. In addition, from January 1999, the program accomplished the following: 1. 400 participants were screened for diabetes, and 15 of them had high blood glucose levels and were referred for appropriate medical attention. 2. We formed a partnership with an agency that provided health insurance for the uninsured. 160 of our students and their families enrolled in primary health insurance. 3. Participants received information about cervical cancer and 80 participants received Pap-smears. 4. All the women (90% of participants) received information on breast cancer and learned how to do a self-breast exam. Twelve students went to get mammograms 5. Men learned how to do testicular self-exams. 6. The following organizations made regular presentations at the literacy classes: Planned Parenthood, Cancer Consortium, El Paso Diabetes Association, El Paso Police Task Force on Domestic Violence, and Thomason Hospital's health education department. 7. Two women sought assistance for domestic violence 8. As a result of this program, about 30 students and their families began to seek regular health check ups. 9. In the evaluations, 400 participants documented that they started to make life style changes in their diet, exercise, and stress management. 10. The following agencies provided health-related literature: American Cancer Society, Texas DHS, Texas Department of Health, Shelter for Battered Women and the agencies mentioned in item 6. EPCC-CEP is a free program open to the entire community. We love to enroll new students, to share our accomplishments with the community and to discuss literacy and adult education issues with the community. If anyone wants to learn more about CEP, do not hesitate to call me at (915) 831-4161. Andres Muro, Coordinator El Paso Community College Community Education Program
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