So you want to begin
A
Literacy
Program
Ardis Dick Stenbakken
A Women’s Ministries Resource
General Conference Department of Women’s Ministries
1997
Revised 2003
Table of Contents
So You Want to Begin a Literacy
Program ........................................................................................ 1
Why Literacy Is Important for the
Church.......................................................................................... 2
Why Literacy Is Important for Women’s
Ministries............................................................................. 4
Benefits to Women............................................................................................................................ 5
Obstacles for Women........................................................................................................................ 6
What Is Literacy?.............................................................................................................................. 7
Who Needs It?.................................................................................................................................. 8
How Adults Learn............................................................................................................................. 9
How to Begin.................................................................................................................................. 12
Budgeting........................................................................................................................................ 16
Writing Proposals............................................................................................................................ 16
For the Tutor .................................................................................................................................. 17
Teaching Without a Book................................................................................................................ 19
Post Literacy Programs.................................................................................................................... 20
What About Second Language Literacy?......................................................................................... 20
Literacy for the Future..................................................................................................................... 21
Appendixes
A
Resources ..................................................................................................................... 21
B
Some Country Literacy Statistics.................................................................................... 30
C
Budget Example............................................................................................................. 33
D
Checklist for Evaluating Proposals.................................................................................. 34
E
Why Should We . . . ..........................................................................................................
F
Big ideas (overhead)....................................................................................................... 36
G
Now try this (overhead)................................................................................................. 38
H
12 Reasons for Women’s Literacy Programs (overhead)................................................ 40
I
10 Reasons for Women’s Literacy Programs (handout)................................................... 41
J
Women and Literacy (overhead).................................................................................... 42
K
Before You Begin (overhead)........................................................................................ 43
L
Facts and Quotes about Literacy (handout)..................................................................... 44
M
“Reading
to Children” ................................................................................................... 45
N
Nine Benefits for Parents Who Read to Kids (overhead or handout)............................... 48
So You Want to Begin a
Literacy Program
You are to be congratulated.
You want to do something that can make a difference and fill a great need. But
you probably also have a lot of questions about such a program. How does one
begin and what materials do you use?
The purpose of this manual is
to help you begin. It will not answer all the questions there are about every
place in this world where there are literacy needs, but it will help you to
begin to find what questions to ask, and help you find some answers. The purpose is to help you understand enough
to get the planning of a program started. There are a number of facts and
figures included too so that you can present programs, motivating and getting
others interested in joining in the project. There is also material to help you
understand a bit more about adult education—adults learn differently than do
children.
The one thing that is not
taught here is the actual language instruction. There is nothing about which
letter of the alphabet to begin with and what to teach in each lesson. The
reason: different languages necessitate appropriate adaptation. Some languages,
of course, do not have a Roman or Latin alphabet at all, so teaching methods
will be different.
May God bless you as you
begin designing and planning a literacy program.
Christian Literacy. . .
1. Is a tool
for the evangelist—providing an ideal climate for conversion and church
planting;
2. Opens the
pages of the Bible and other Christian literature to both non-Christian and
the growing convert;
3. Is a door
into nations and parts of nations where other types of missions are
unwelcome;
4. Provides a
satisfying activity for local Christians who are eager to help lift up their
own people to a better life;
5. Expresses
compassion, demonstrating that Christians are still in the Samaritan
business.
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“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“When I will send a famine through the land
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.”
—Amos 8:11
Why Literacy Is Important for the Church
Christ’s method alone will give true success in
reaching the people. The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good.
He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their
confidence. Then He bade them, “Follow Me.” —E. G. White, Ministry of Healing, p. 143.
As we strive to witness for
our Lord and to follow His example, we look around to find the needs of the
people so that we too may minister, win their confidence, and invite them to
follow the Savior. One of the most obvious needs for women in the world is the
need for literacy—the ability to read and write.
The facts and figures are
staggering, but they also tell the story. The world population is just over 5.2
billion. The complete Bible is now available to 97% of these people in their
mother tongue. Yet 45-55% of these people cannot read. Non-readers comprise the
vast majority of the peoples yet to be reached with the Gospel.
The United Nations estimates
that in the world today, there are about one billion adults who cannot read or
write well enough to function or reach their basic goals in life. Many cannot
read anything at all. The UN furthers estimates that by the year 2000, 98% of
these will be in developing regions of the world. East Asian and South Asian
developing countries had 70% of the world’s population of illiterates in 1990.
In 48 of 102 developing countries, the illiteracy rate exceeded 40%. UNESCO
reports that the United
States literacy rate at greater than 95%,
but the recently completed National Adult Literacy Survey (1993) found
that at least 45% of the US
population has low or severely limited basic skills. Other democracies have
similar problems.
Literacy is important to the
church in two principal ways: as nurture of the members and as outreach. It is
obvious that unless a person can read with at least a minimal degree of
fluency, he or she cannot read the Bible. Or anything else that the church
produces. These persons cannot do any type of Bible study that requires reading
or writing. They cannot read Ellen White or any other devotional or
instructional material. If they are parents, they cannot read the Sabbath School lesson to their children. Church
leadership would also be difficult. Many of these illiterates live in areas of
the world in which it has been particularly difficult to spread the Christian
message.
Those who have studied church
planting have discovered that in areas of the world where less than fifty
percent of the population is literate, teaching reading, particularly classes
based on the Bible, is one of the quickest ways of building up a church. In a
survey in the United States,
half of those surveyed said that the reason they wanted to learn to read was so
that they could read their Bibles and participate in church activities.
For the church, the Word,
Jesus Incarnate, is supreme. But unless one knows how to read, accessing the
Word is difficult. It is important that Christians be able to study and confirm
their faith. Pastor Samson Phiri of Zambia once said, “Dictators love
an illiterate electorate; illiterates will believe anything they are told.” We do not want church members who will believe just
any new thing they are told; we want them to study verse upon verse, to know
and hold onto the truth.
Non-readers are captive,
prisoners of their handicap. As we carry out Christ’s work, we too can say:
“The
Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because
he has anointed me
to
preach good news to the poor.
He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and
recovery of sight for the blind
to
release the oppressed,
to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isa. 61:1, 2 and Luke 4: 18, 19, NIV.
As we discover needs, it is
with satisfaction that we can develop plans to meet these needs. As Hector
Hammerly, Ph.D., of British Columbia,
Canada,
has said, “To provide the gift of reading to others is a signal Christian
service that empowers them to live more interesting and far more useful lives.
Furthermore, the teaching of literacy lends itself quite well to sharing the
Gospel in a gradual, tactful way.”
In many parts of the world,
literacy programs can use the Bible as an important part of the lesson and
reading material. Each Women’s Ministries group will need to assess the situation
and use the Bible only if it is safe to do so. In some places using the Bible
openly and immediately can endanger lives and shut down the literacy program.
If there are no such conditions, however, the Bible is excellent to use.
There are other ways in which
Bible literacy is important to the church:
1. It gives church members a way to minister to
others in a non-threatening way. It encourages both the tutor and the student
to become daily Bible readers.
2. The non-Christian will know the tutor cares
about them because of the help they are receiving. They will be curious about
why the tutor is so loving and kind; they will be more open to the Gospel.
3.
It strengthens the existing church if church members learn to read. If the
member cannot read they can easily be led into false doctrine. A Bible-reading
church is a strong and growing church.
4.
Literacy programs can build non-political cooperation with governments because
almost all governments want their people to be able to read. It can strengthen community
life as well when topics such as health, parenting, or sanitation are also
addressed.
5.
It is something that can be done right in the local church. One does not have
to go a long ways to find people who need the help of a loving church.
Why Literacy Is Important for Women’s Ministries
Of the one billion adults who
cannot read, the majority are women, somewhere around 650,000,000. Since
writing began, women have had less access to reading and writing than men. It
is still true today in many areas of the world (see Appendix B, page 30). In
some countries the situation is becoming worse, however, rather than better. In
fact, the number of illiterate women in the world will continue to grow until
sometime in the next two decades when efforts to expand access to primary
school can provide an education to most children. These women are a natural
group for whom Women’s Ministries can work and witness. When a woman learns to
read, her whole family has a better chance of becoming literate. As reading is
taught, these women can be introduced to material teaching Christian parenting,
health, life style, and philosophy. “When you educate a man you simply educate
an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family.”
The majority of these women
live in what Global Missions describes as the “10-40 Window,” or that part of
the world ten degrees north and 40 degrees south of the equator, the focus of
much of our Global Mission work. The bulk of these women are Muslim. Not only
is this a difficult group of people with whom to work, but also it is almost
impossible for a man to work with any of these women. Therefore, it is an
important work that women can undertake.
Although Women’s Ministries
literacy programs will be run by women, it would be a disservice to exclude men
who may also want to be involved, or to limit our classes just to women. Some
studies show that both men and women learn better when both are involved in the
classes. In other societies, women do not want to be in classes with men. The
leaders in each area of the world will have to make their own decisions on
this, but as much as possible, let us always be inclusive.
Benefits to Women
Some of the benefits to women
from a literacy program include:
o
lower birthrates
(smaller families)
o
with lower
birthrates, the parents are better able to provide Christian education
o
the children have
improved educational abilities
o
decrease in
maternal mortality
o
later marriages
o
overall
improvement in family health
o
decrease in infant
mortality
o
a greater sense
of personal self-worth
o
an ability to
read Scripture
o
an ability to
assume responsibility for personal spiritual choices
o
an expanded
influence in teaching children spiritual values
o
an ability to
become involved in the church’s mission
o
a greater
possibility of becoming financially stable
o
increased
employment choices and productivity
o
the ability to
provide financial support to the church
o
more involvement
in community development
Studies in sub-Saharan Africa
and Gambia show that increased agricultural productivity, mortality and child
immunization rates correlate more closely to the literacy rate of the women
than it does to the gross national product. Another study found that the mother’s
schooling is a predictor for her children’s long-term nutritional wellbeing.
The mother’s ability to read
often determines the literacy level for the entire family. In Nepal, an AID
program found that girls in secondary school performed much better academically
if their mothers had completed a literacy class. In the U. S., a study
found that 65% of the children whose mothers participated in adult education
programs demonstrated improvement in school. Furthermore, what a mother learns
in an adult literacy program regarding child rearing and health can have an
immediate effect on the family.
Literate women also
understand more of what they hear regarding health and family planning and are
able to communicate with health professionals better than women who are
illiterate.
Obstacles for Women
Some governments do not yet
feel that education is of paramount importance for women. As a result, little
has been done to fund or promote adult literacy programs for women. Before
these governments promote female literacy, it will require pressure of people
committed to large-scale social change.
Many women have a difficult
time finding the time and energy for schooling even if given the opportunity.
They also lack concentration because they must bring their young children with
them to class. For this reason, when planning a literacy program, it might be
beneficial to also plan a nursery or separate program for the children. Many
lack the support of the men in the families; illiterate fathers or husbands may
be unwilling to allow wives and daughters to participate. However, men often become more supportive
when they discover that reading increases the woman’s earning power. The lack
of relevant reading material in the mother tongue is often a discouragement to
women too, especially for follow-up and enrichment materials. Many women are
also embarrassed by their lack of education, so a program must be very
non-threatening and supportive, respecting these women for what they do know
and can do.
The literacy worker will have
to plan the program so that the needs of the women are taken into
consideration. For instance, a program could take place around where the women
wash clothes. It might take place while they are doing sewing or some hand work
in connection with their preparing food. The classes may have to be of shorter
duration but more sessions. Workloads may be heavier at certain time of the
year, such as planting or harvesting seasons.
There are numerous obstacles,
but none that cannot be overcome if a program is well planned and designed.
They who teach others will,
Like the stars in the heavens,
shine forever,
For they never know
where their influence will stop.
-Anonymous
What
Is Literacy?
Historically, a person was
considered literate if he or she could sign their name. Then in 1951, UNESCO
said that a person was literate if they could, with understanding, both read
and write a short, simple statement on his/her everyday life. In recent years,
the United States
military began requiring a high school diploma or GED (general equivalency diploma).
Now most literacy organizations define literacy as being able to use printed
and written information to function in society to achieve one’s goals and
develop one’s knowledge and potential. In various parts of the
world, different levels of reading and writing are used to define literacy, but
we can all agree that if a person cannot read or write well enough to do what
they want to do, they need more literacy.
Literacy and illiteracy are
NOT opposite poles, but a continuum. In
order to be truly literate, a person needs to be able to function at whatever
goal level that individual has set. For instance, in a study of a literacy
program in Tanzania,
it was discovered that the majority of the learners were middle-aged women from
the poorer groups of society. Two-thirds had attended school, most for more
than four years. But they were unable to meet their goals, so needed more
literacy.
In Adult Literacy Programs
(1995), Comings, Smith and Shrestha say:
The
level of literacy skill that would be considered severely limited in rural Lesotho is
quite different from that in urban America; in fact, the only useful
definition of literacy is one that is set within the context of the life of an
individual. In any context, however, the inability to read a simple text, such
as those used in the first grade of primary school, should be considered
complete illiteracy, and UNESCO’s estimate of 950 million is made up of people
who fit this definition of illiteracy. If literacy is defined more broadly as a
proficiency in reading, writing and math sufficient to compete for good jobs
and participate fully in social and political life, the number of adults,
worldwide, who could benefit from basic skills training might be as high as 2
billion. If the definition includes workers who could earn a higher wage if
they improve their basic skills, the total might be 3 billion. Because
approximately 100 million of the world’s primary school age children are not
attending school and many that do attend drop out in the first two years, the
world’s illiterate population will not decrease dramatically over the next ten
years without a much greater adult educational effort.
To be successful a literacy
program should not be limited to only reading and writing. Literacy training
should take a holistic approach, including speaking, listening, reading and
writing.
Math literacy requires some
of the same skills as reading and writing but requires its own separate skills
as well. Students in a basic literacy program can be taught the number symbols
and helped to understand them
by counting objects and marks on paper (See Appendix P).
Who Needs It?
There are several groups you
can serve. There are illiterates—adults who cannot function at a standard level
of reading or writing. There are those who need to improve their skill level to
be able to get a better job. Many times these people are second language
illiterates—they cannot read or write in the national language of government
and commerce.
Women’s Ministries, in some
places, may also want to reach out to Pre-literates—small children. In areas of
poverty or where parents are not literate, very often children are
educationally impoverished and some special help to them can help make sure
they become literate. Another need area is for tutoring and helping children
who are struggling with homework and keeping up with their classes. Local
schools and teachers can help plan programs for these two groups.
Some people are illiterate,
not because they never had the opportunity for school, but because of other
problems such as hearing problems, vision problems, learning problems such as
dyslexia, context deficiency, or being unable to work in a group situation.
Others had to drop out for health reasons or to go to work to support the
family. Others lack motivation—they have felt they could function without
education, but have now discovered that is not true. Some were not ready when
they began school and so began a cycle of failure. Others lacked modeling;
others did not try and received social passes; others came from migrant
families and moved too often to receive an education.
In many countries, there is a
national language and a number of local languages. For many, the question is
what language should be used for the literacy program. Learning in a local
language is easier for the student because the vocabulary is more familiar. It
reinforces culture, history, identity and feeling of self-worth. Often reading
and literacy materials in the local language are limited and will not benefit
the student as much in commerce or employment. A national language can be a
binding force that contributes to building national unity.
When planning literacy
programs, it might be well to consider holding literacy programs in the prison
system, as a very high percentage of prisoners are illiterate. One of the
reasons many turn to crime is because of the failure cycle from illiteracy and
the inability to hold a good job.
In many areas, especially in
urban centers in developed countries, GED training programs may be more
necessary than basic literacy.
How
Adults Learn
There are four principle
factors in adult education:
Respect
Immediacy
Relevance
Hands
on learning
Many adults feel embarrassed
by the fact that they cannot read. If they are treated with condescension or
like a child, they quickly drop out. The teacher must understand and model the
fact that even though the illiterate adult may not be able to read, he or she
is a very intelligent person who has other expertise and knowledge that even
the teacher may lack.
Respect can be shown in many
ways. One example would be for the teacher not to say “I am helping you learn
to read,” but that “I am helping you to improve your reading skills.”
Teaching adults is very
different from teaching children. For this reason, professional teachers are
usually no better prepared to teach adult literacy than are others who receive
literacy training. In poor societies, studies show that local poor (not those
from the middle class) female teachers have been the most successful at
encouraging participation in reading programs.
An adult comes to learn on
her own free will. Many times these adults feel like failures—most of the world
can read and they cannot. Perhaps they never had the opportunity, or this
individual may have met with any number of roadblocks that have prevented her
from learning. So encouraging, motivating and building self-confidence will be
an important part of the tutor’s work. The teacher will want to help the
student succeed right from the beginning, and in each and every lesson. The key
to teaching someone to read is not so much in the techniques or the materials,
but in an attitude of mutual cooperation and support between the tutor and the
new reader.
Again, it is important to
remember that adults who cannot read are not illiterate because they are
stupid. Usually, adults who cannot read are very intelligent—they have to be
very smart to be able to get along in a reading world. They have to hear and
remember everything; they cannot write themselves notes or look up information
they may forget!
Adults want to learn quickly.
They have full responsibilities already, often with full time work and family,
so taking time for class and homework will require dedication and commitment.
Educators are coming to
realize that we all learn more by doing than simply by hearing. As much as
possible in a literacy program, have the student learning to read things she
wants to read. Then have her actively involved in the class setting putting to
use the things she has learned on material she has interest in. If you are
teaching in a group setting, having students help each other will enhance their
retention. Discussing what they have read helps, and follow up writing
assignments enrich their learning further. Addressing topics of community or
personal concern make this even more meaningful. You can also ask the students
to illustrate material read, or have them read and demonstrate what they read
about. For instance, women might demonstrate making a recipe they are learning
to read.
The following shows
instructional strategies and the average retention rate for various types of
teaching (see also appendix O):
Instructional
Average
Strategy Retention
Rate
Lecture 5%
Reading 10%
Audio
Visual 20%
Demonstration 30%
Discussion Group 50%
Practice Group 75%
Teach others/Immediate Used Learning 90%
Here are some guidelines for teachers that will help
with adult learners:
· Speak softly. Be courteous and respectful.
· Always encourage your student. Do not forget to praise
her often for her good effort. Never become angry at her mistakes.
· Keep humble, showing honor to your student. Treat her
as an equal; never appear superior
· Never laugh at mistakes or allow others to laugh.
Don’t make the student work too hard, nor let her think she is learning too
slowly.
· Love your student and tell her you are sure she can
learn quickly. Make the study as happy and interesting as possible.
· When you are unable to teach, either find a substitute
teacher or plan with your student well in advance to teach her at another time.
· Sit beside your student. Try to make her feel you are
her equal, not superior. Try to be more like Jesus to her than anyone she has
ever met.
At the beginning of the course, it is good to tell the
students that they are expected to teach at least one other person to read as
soon as they have learned to read. This will help the student realize that they
are expected to succeed and that they are a worthy and capable person. It will
also help to extend the program beyond the initial outreach.
How to Begin
Before you begin, it is important to understand what
is required to have a successful program. Don’t become discouraged when you are
already doing as well as might be expected. Plan for 100% success but don’t
quit if you do not get it, because a successful literacy program has been
defined by some as a program where about 50% of the participants acquire a
level of literacy skill sufficient to use and retain over time. Because of the
nature of adult education, some of the important elements in such a program
are:
1. Timing and duration of instruction
2.
Instructional materials
3. Teacher
recruitment and training
4. Participant
motivation
