Saskatchewan Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz recently presented Dr. Margaret Lipp with the Council of the Federation Literacy Award for 2009.

The former literacy commissioner of Saskatchewan has retired but don’t think for a minute she has left her interests in the field behind.

Dr. Margaret Lipp sits on the Board of Directors of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD). She also has mapped out an area of research to pursue that could make a difference for literacy practitioners in the province of Saskatchewan and beyond.

What has grabbed Margaret’s attention? The various career paths taken by literacy practitioners, who currently work in the field, have piqued her curiosity as a foundation for the training needs of future practitioners.

Margaret intends to study the existing career paths by first learning the area of literacy the practitioners are working in – whether it is family literacy, adult literacy, workplace literacy or the English as a Second Language area – and then determining what training they have and the commonalities that exist in their educational backgrounds. She would also like to look at current practitioner training programs and establish their commonalities across the country.

“I’d like to develop a systematic way of looking at careers in literacy and eventually lay out a clear career path you could pursue depending on whether you want a certificate, a diploma or perhaps a degree program,” Margaret said, speaking to aspiring practitioners.

Margaret has her work cut out for her. The practitioner network in Saskatchewan consists of 600-700 individuals. Approximately 200 are located in Regina, 200 in Saskatoon and 200 in the 10 smaller urban communities.

In conducting her research, Margaret hopes to work with individuals at the University of Regina, the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, the Saskatchewan Literacy Office/Ministry of Education and some private researchers and funders.

“The most important part of literacy training is to understand how people learn and the individual differences that exist among learners,” Margaret said. “Some have a more practical way of learning while others use a theoretical approach. Practitioners have to tailor their methods of instruction to accommodate all the different ways of learning. They need to be familiar with a variety of teaching strategies so they can match their instruction to the particular needs of their literacy learners.

“A low level of literacy places limitations on people. Poor literacy and poor skills are associated with poverty, higher rates of unemployment, marginalization, poor health outcomes and higher levels of incarceration. Practitioners have to understand this sociological phenomenon and also understand the barriers these individuals are facing.”

Every person has the ability and the motivation to learn, Margaret said. “For many learners, however, life’s challenges can create roadblocks to further literacy development.”

Margaret says public schools in Canada are doing a good job of providing children and youth with “a full set of literacies, thereby equipping them with the tools they need to mature as literate, global citizens.”

“Not all students, however, can take advantage of their formal education and may emerge from the process without sufficient literacy to manage the daily demands of life,” she said. “For these adults, literacy development continues to occur in non-formal and informal settings in their communities. It places responsibility on the community to promote literacy as part of their community programs and to keep making literacy learning opportunities available to everyone in the community.”

Margaret describes the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) as a platform and a clearinghouse that brings people together.

“It’s a huge resource for the literacy community across Canada. Through NALD, practitioners are able to share their good practices and keep up to date on the latest research in the field. It is both a fundamental tool for aspiring practitioners and a resource centre that is available to help others when they have a learning need.”

Margaret has been active in the field of education and literacy for four decades. In addition to her role as literacy commissioner of Saskatchewan, she served as an educator, administrator and assistant deputy minister (Department of Learning) with the Saskatchewan government. She is known for her expertise in areas that include special education, educational leadership, curriculum reform, essential skills, workplace-based learning, career development and technology-enhanced learning.

Saskatchewan Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz recently presented Margaret with the Council of the Federation Literacy Award for 2009.

“On behalf of Premier Brad Wall, I am pleased to present Dr. Margaret Lipp with this prestigious award,” he said. “It is a fitting way to recognize her visionary leadership and her many contributions to the advancement of literacy and lifelong learning in Saskatchewan.”

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NALD contact and story writer:

Christy English, Research and Communications Officer
National Adult Literacy Database (NALD)
767 Brunswick Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 1H8

Tel: 506-462-5034 – Toll-free: 1-800-720-6253

Email: christy.english@nald.ca
Websites: www.nald.ca and www.naldatwork.ca