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Altrusa
Bishopstown
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10/12/2002

Altrusa Adult Literacy Scheme – Strategic Plan

 Where we Are Now

 Altrusa Adult Literacy Scheme currently operates from a room in the College of Commerce in the city centre. Over the last year we have worked with 168 students and nearly 100 tutors most of them volunteers.

We have linked with services run by the

q       Good Shepherd Sisters

q       Right of Place

q       St Francis Training Centre

q       O’Connell Court

We have been instrumental in the establishment and management of PAGE.

We have networked with other education providers in the city centre.

 However, the service we ourselves offer  is severely restricted by insecure premises, and we have to avail of rooms in CBS Sullivan’s Quay, St Francis Training Centre and the City Library, Grand Parade.

 Tutor training has been held in the College of Commerce and  CBS Sullivan’s Quay. Neither location is ideal, up 4 flights of stairs in the CBS and under risk of re-location in the College of Commerce.

 Where do we want to be?

Physically we need to be secure in our premises. We need to be assured that the rooms we have are for Altrusa’s exclusive use and that we can depend on the VEC to maintain them and provide a security presence.

We understand that in the right circumstances we would be welcomed into St John’s College where our requirements would be :

q       An Office

q       A Resource Room

q       6 Tutorial Rooms

q       Access to larger rooms

q       Toilets and kitchen

If Altrusa ALS is to remain in the College of Commerce we need to have use of the existing rooms with out the possibility of loosing them at short notice for either long or short periods. We also need to know that they are included in the regular maintenance of the building, cleaning, painting etc.

Altrusa ALS needs a commitment from the VEC to provide adequate space, as without it, nothing else makes sense.

Educationally we see ourselves as the key provider of Adult Literacy learning and pport in the city centre. This will mean

q       One-to-one tuition to be maintained and developed.

q       Group work to be expanded and developed. Groups every day to facilitate those with time to spend on their learning.

q       Development of BTEI programme.

q       ESOL to be developed.

q       Computer courses offered on a regular basis to students and tutors.

q       Personal development/study skills courses offered on a regular basis.

q       LAT to be made more available.

q       Integrating literacy awareness and literacy “proofing” toF.E. colleges and training centres.

q       Return to Education to continue.

q       City Centre Network to develop.

q       PAGE to continue to develop.

q       Family learning to be more actively pursued.

 How do we get there?

Ø      Secure a commitment from the VEC for the provision of premises.

Ø      Provide regular initial tutor training for volunteers.

Ø      Provide regular in-service training for volunteer and paid tutors.

Ø      Avail of external training along with the other schemes.

Ø      Promote LAT and the policy of integrating literacy among the schools, colleges and training centres. This will necessitate policy development by the VEC.

Ø      Provide training for specific groups in the locality eg. St Francis Training Centre, Good Shepherd Services and Welcome English.

Ø      Develop a properly resourced room for the use of tutors and students with written materials and computers to be available on a drop-in basis.

How do we monitor progress?

NALA is developing and piloting the quality framework model. While we recognise the need to monitor and evaluate the service, Altrusa ALS has some reservations:

It is time consuming, as reported by those already using the framework.

In other jurisdictions and in other settings the laying down of markers or standards or goals has lead to the distortion of the teaching/learning activity ie teaching the course –v- teaching the student.

 Currently monitoring within the scheme is by

 1-     Regular completion of self-assessment form by student and tutor together.

 2-     Regular face to face contact by the organiser with student and tutor.

 3-     Regular telephone check up, especially where either of the above is missed

 4-     Observing the advances made by current and former students as they progress to Junior Cert, Leaving Cert and other educational options.

 5-Observing  the personal development of students  as they make life decisions.

 Informally “success” is measured by

 ü      Continued attendance at classes.

ü      Return of former students/tutors.

ü      Referring of students/tutors by former/current participants.

ü      Oral/written endorsements (unsolicited) by former/current participants.

These methods should be encouraged and continued but they leave the possibility that dissatisfaction with the service is just omitted and ignored rather than addressed. They also allow that “progress” by the student is not noted by them or us and can be presumed not to be happening.

We hope to introduce a formal learning journal for students, where tasks/achievements can be identified. This would boost students’ progress and also facilitate more accurate reporting on the updates.