Blog

With just three weeks under my belt as the new Family Literacy Coordinator Trainee, I’ve already had so many opportunities and learning experiences with the Council. I enjoyed presenting our Science Fun and Little Chefs Family Literacy resources at the Early Childhood Symposium organized by the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment.  It gave me a… Read more.

Over the past few months I had the pleasure of working with the Literacy Council as this year's summer student.  I helped design and create resources, test science experiments and art recipes, and paint the brand new bookmobile my own choice of bright blue. As much fun as those things were, what had the most impact was getting out into the community. Part of my job included going to the… Read more.

Mini.  Micro. Short.  What do you think of when you see these terms?  I bet it wasn’t learning!  Micro courses, or short courses are gaining in popularity throughout the adult literacy world and beyond.  This trend is alive and well in the north.  We partnered with Aurora College to create short courses offered in Community Learning Centres throughout the NWT in the past few years.  Start your… Read more.

First a confession:  during my first year with the NWT Literacy Council I worked in Family Literacy, talking about the need to start early with child language and literacy development.  As a 21-year-old with no kids, I felt like a bit of a fraud talking about this, even with research and experienced people to back me up. In November, when I found out that I was pregnant I thought, “Great, now I… Read more.

This week’s guest blogger, Emma Welsh, is a student working at the Yellowknife Public Library this summer. With school out, it’s easy to leave the idea of schoolwork and reading behind, distracted with thoughts of lazy beach days or long car trips. That’s why summer holidays are the home of the ‘summer slide’. The term describes the loss of reading and comprehension skills experienced when kids… Read more.

Our guest blogger, Kyle Napier, is the Cree Language Manager with the Northwest Territory Métis Nation.  June is National Aboriginal History Month in Canada.  Kyle suggests we celebrate it by learning to speak one of the NWT’s official Aboriginal languages. opāskāhopīsim e nēhiyawēwin kayāsitotamowin pīsim — miyawātamowin asici pīkiskwewinahk Several Elders have told me that it takes about a… Read more.

Our guest blogger this week is Christine Barker.  Christine does family literacy programming in Yellowknife and strives to be a better parent. A few weeks ago I selected the Literacy and Parenting Skills workshop when I participated in family literacy training in Edmonton.  I thought it would be a great fit given that the people I work with are constantly questioning their abilities as parents… Read more.

Have you found a great lesson plan that resonates with the adult learners in your community?  Is there a literacy activity that brings children and parents together for laughter and fun in your community?  Maybe you want ideas from others about how to engage learners in your community?  Perhaps you’ve read a book or seen a movie you think others should know about.  Why not share your experiences… Read more.

Slow!  If I had to choose one word to sum up what I learned during my week at the Centre for Family Literacy’s Family Literacy Training Institute (FLTI) in Edmonton last week; it would be slow. I travelled to Edmonton with Cherl Gargan and Martha Gargan from Dezoah  Undaa Etleh Koke (the Fort Providence Aboriginal Head Start) as well as Jennifer Bishop and Christine Barker from Yellowknife. … Read more.

Do you want to help the next generation get a post-secondary education? You can - by passing on information about the Canada Learning Bond.  A parent just contacted us about a bank manager in the NWT who didn’t know about this national program that gives up to $2,000 to lower-income families for a child’s post-secondary education.  We want everyone to know that this money is available to parents… Read more.