Community Literacy

Community literacy programs:

• Are often volunteer-led and donation-funded,

• Use volunteer teachers and tutors who may have little training in teaching ESOL,

• Focus on skills that learners can use immediately in their daily lives, rather than academic readiness, and

• Don't offer academic credit.

ESOL learners in a community literacy program:

• Are often highly motivated to learn,

• Are often juggling demanding work and family obligations in addition to English classes,

• Come with a wide range of education backgrounds, from very limited formal schooling to post-secondary education,

• May have daily exposure to English at work, or may be surrounded by co-workers and family members who speak to them only in their first language,

• May have limited access to technology resources, other accessing the internet through their phone, and probably don't have access to a printer, and

• May have experienced significant trauma.

General learning goals of intro-level community literacy ESOL class for beginning-level learners:

• Develop conversation skills to request and provide basic information, such as name, address, phone, and language spoken,

• Develop basic listening, reading, speaking and writing skills to enable students to continue learning English,  

• Build students' confidence to request clarification and ask for an interpreter,

• Help students find ways to practice English every day outside of class without significant investments of time or money, and

• Build students’ confidence in their ability to learn English to support their motivation to continue learning English.