Crossing the Literacy Barrier at Frontier

By Ed Wadley

Since 1982 Frontier College’s Independent Studies program has been helping hundreds of adults to upgrade their literacy skills with the Student Centred Individualized Learning (SCIL) approach.

Anyone 18 or over with a below grade nine literacy level is eligible for this integrated Toronto-based program. Adults of all ability levels are welcome.

Literacy skills are taught using the print materials each student would ordinarily encounter in daily life. If a student wants to learn to drive, cook or garden, the Driver’s Handbook, or books on cooking and gardening would be used.

Tutoring is offered by volunteers who receive ongoing training and support from Frontier. On average, each student meets with his or her tutor once a week for two hours. Students are encouraged to develop their own lesson plans with the help of their tutor.

Literacy work can be broadly defined, and priorities other than reading and writing sometimes surface in tutoring relationships. If a student needs help in getting a job, if a mother is looking for daycare, or someone living in an institution wants alternative housing, tutors will build this into the learning sessions or refer the request to a coordinator who can advise on resources and referrals to other community organizations.

The SCIL approach is individualized and tailored to each student’s personality, strengths and needs. Tutors are oriented to the common life experiences of people who feel devalued. They are encouraged to be creative in adaptive program goals to help students communicate effectively with others. Students may learn, for example, how to be more comfortable and confident in new situations.

Frontier College takes students from all over Metro Toronto and beyond. The city itself serves as the classroom, with tutoring going on in homes, libraries, and various other locations. The program is generally filled to capacity for both tutors and students.

Student/tutor matches are based on common interests, availability and basic compatibility, and the curriculum reflects each student’s needs. Tutors and students may be re-matched, should they not feel comfortable with one another. Most matches are successful and often student/tutor relationships continue beyond the initial six-month agreement.

Students move on when they feel ready, usually with a sense of strengthened self-confidence, frequently themselves becoming tutors. Many go on to more structured learning, achieving promotion in their jobs or securing employment.

Independent Studies is looking forward to welcoming new tutors and students in the Fall of 1991.

For more information on the SCIL Model contact: Frontier College,
35 Jackes Ave., Toronto, On M4T 1E2
(416) 923-3591.