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Educators & Librarians
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WE
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Women and Literacy: Moving from Power to Participation Edited
by Mev Miller with Ilene Alexander. Women's Studies Quarterly
- Special Issue Spring 2004 (32: 1 & 2). New York: The
Feminist Press at CUNY. |
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Women's Literacy:
NOT a Given DOWNLOAD
pdf version |
Resource
List of Books, Materials & Prepared by Mev Miller, Ed.D. for WE LEARN, Updated, June, 2004 |
Information
from Literacy Workers
Since the Spring of 2000, WE LEARN has been gathering information about the need for and existence of women-centered basic reading and literacy materials. Much of the information about resources found on this website has depended on the input and insights of many literacy workers/practioners. The structure and future projects of WE LEARN also depends on the experience and creativity of educators, librarians, and researchers.
To date, this project has been through several phases.
- In the Spring of 2000, questionnaires were made available to over 100 literacy programs throughout the United States. A summary report from those questionnaires was prepared in June of 2000. That report -- Feminist Resources and Curriculum for Women Achieving Literacy. Final Report-- is now available through ERIC documents (ED445250).
- Since the Spring of 2001, a revised version of the literacy worker questionnaire had been available. It was distributed in the U.S. through a number of venues. Additional responses were received. To view the complete discussion of the process and responses, go to Knowledges in View: Literacy Workers.
- A complete summary of the open-ended questions (Section C) for BOTH sets of responses can be viewed at Appendix Section C.
In addition to the Resource List which primarily contains basic level women-centered reading materials, three additional lists are available. They can all be accessed here and also from the Resouce List page.
- Curriculum Resources for Educators
- Participatory Resources - This appendix lists writings by practitioners on how to develop student writings, practical information on publishing learner writings, and other specific concerns related to literacy materials.
- Annotated Bibliography of Librarian Resources on Adult Literacy Materials
nifl-WOMENLIT
Conversation
In May of 2001, a facilitated 2-week conversation focusing on women-centered literacy materials was sponsored on the Women and Literacy Discussion List (nifl-womenlit elist). Thanks to the fabulous Daphne Greenberg and her staff (especially Jill Mainzer), a complete summary of that discussion is available on the LINCS website based at NIFL (National Institute for Literacy).
For the purposes of WE LEARN, significant selections of that discussion can be found here at Appendix Womenlit.
There are a significant number of literacy programs located in libraries and many librarians have been or currently are literacy tutors or teachers. They also attend literacy conferences and participate on literacy e-lists. The American Library Association (ALA) has a large section designated to concerns for literacy -- the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS). In addition to their interest in literacy issues, librarians bring the additional skills of listing all kinds of books and materials and being familiar with the kinds of literacy materials available and/or located in libraries. For these reasons, librarians are invited to participate in the on-going work of WE LEARN.
For the dissertation project (see Research and Foundations), a special questionnaire was developed for librarians. Responses of librarians can be viewed at Knowledges in View: Literacy Workers.
As WE LEARN grows and develops we look forward to and welcome the participation and expertise of librarians who work in adult basic literacy education.
Please visit the page for adult women learners. It will provide some insight into learner perceptions about literacy materials. These pages are primarily intended for use by women learners. Please alert them to the site and encourage their interaction with it.
Women Leading Through Reading was an initiative with a twofold purpose: to raise awareness about the particular challenges women face as they seek to enhance their literacy skills, and to explore alternative ways for women to improve their literacy skills.
This community-based effort addressed issues pertaining to women and literacy by:
- offering book discussion groups for women who are lower-level readers
- providing facilitator training and placement
- developing women-centered accessible materials for book groups
A best practices manual describing the book discussion groups is available.