NSEL

The following links are the audio files from the entire session in Halifax.

Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, Don Jamieson, Ph.D.

University of British Columbia, Victor Glickman, Ph.D.

Nova Scotia Public Library, Angela Reynolds

Ann Krane & Associates, Erica Baker, Ph.D.

Digby County Family Resource Centre, Kristy Herron

Canadian Council on Learning, Tracy Lavin, Ph.D.

The Adopt a Library Literacy Program, Cst. Greg Church

Chebucto Communities Development Association, Marjorie Willison

Memorial University, William Fagan, Ph. D.

Provincial Acadian School Board of Nova Scotia, Darrell Samson and Gisele Bourque (in French)

Clinical Neuropsychologist, Wayne MacDonald, Ph.D.

Read to Me! Nova Scotia Family Literacy Program, Carol McDougall

Nova Scotia Family Literacy Advisory Group, Lynda Marsh

Mi’Kmaw Kina’Matnewey, Kay Desborough

Discussion Period

Following are some of the PowerPoint presentations from the Halifax consultation.

Nova Scotia Public Libraries, Angela Reynolds

Digby County Family Resource Centre, Kristy Herron

Canadian Council on Learning, Tracy Lavin

Wayne MacDonald, Clinical Neuropsychologist

Read to Me!, Carol McDougall

We have posted a number of video clips from the Halifax public consultation: (more…)

Our facilitator just closed our Halifax session with an inspiring and thought-provoking poem.  Watch the video:

Come to the Edge Video

Our final formal presentation of the day here in Halifax just finished, and it was a wonderful way to conclude the day.  Kay Desborough spoke on behalf of the Mi’Kmaw Kina’Matnewey community and told the group about some of the wonderful programs that have been established, specifically in the past 5 years.  Before retiring and volunteering in this community Kay worked in education and health, two fields that she feels lend themselves to partnership with family literacy development.

Her work focuses on families and bringing literacy and language awareness to them early in life, especially in the first 5 years when learning is so critical.  Kay described a number of programs that have been working in this community as well as some that she and her colleagues hope to implement during the coming years.

Watch Kay’s presentation:

Mi’Kmaw-Kina’Matnewey Literacy Programs Video

Currently speaking is Carol McDougall, who represents the Read to Me! Nova Scotia Family Literacy Program. Read to Me! is a program that ensures that parnets and babies are given literacy kits at the hospital within 24 hours of birth.  This encourages parents to begin to read to their children right from the start, which in turn develops positive habits and routines.

The Read to Me! program is a great example of positive programming happening at the grassroots level in the Nova Scotia community.  Watch a short clip from Carol’s presentation below.

Read to Me! Presentation

We just heard a wonderful personal story from Erica Baker, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist, Ann Krane & Associates Limited.  Erica has a wealth of professional expertise to share in the areas of language and literacy, but was present to discuss her own personal experience with the development of her sons’ language and literacy skills.  Her family has experienced both ends of the spectrum in regards to language development and received fantastic support from community organizations which led to successful intervention for your younger son.

Erica Baker’s Presentation

Halifax! Day 3 of our public consultations and the contrast from the snowy greeting to the sunny blue sky day we have in front of us is stark!

Our distinguished panelists have already demonstrated their ability and interest in engaging with our presenters.

The first clear recommendation of the day from Dr. Victor Glickman involves using a framework of 14 questions to evaluate the efficacy of reading assessment tools across the country. Often reading assessment tools do not accurately measure what they profess to measure.

We were later reminded of the importance of the library system in early childhood literacy development with a passionate presentation from Angela Reynolds.

We are learning that progressive library systems have either become or are becoming community centres of literacy development and information. People use the library to learn, to attend programs, to seek information - which may have been tradiational. A more intriguing development is the number of individuals and families who seek out the library because they find a welcoming community in these progressive libraries.

We have just begun our third of the eight public consultations. This morning we are in Halifax, and after a snowy evening we woke this morning to bright sunshine and an inspiring introduction to the day from our facilitator, Randy Boissonault.

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