Question:
When you say "Adult & Community Education" are you referring to what we Canadians call "Adult Basic Education (ABE) which is proficiency in basic academic skills up to the equivalent of a high school level? I am the Literacy Coordinator at Regina Public Library in Regina, Saskatchewan. Yes, a library. Our library considers ABE and ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) competency to be an access issue. We do tutor training and match tutors to work on a one-to-one or small group basis with adult learners. The Literacy Volunteers of America (of which we are an affiliate) in Syracuse, New York have some good materials on tutoring. Their main focus is one-to-one.
RPL has also developed some of our own materials for training tutors. The ABE curriculum is currently under review and development. The ESL tutor training curriculum is just finished.
Answer:
No, ABE isn't the area that ATACE specialises in, though there are elements of it which clearly can lead to ABE specialisation by our students. I can understand how confusion can easily reign over terminology though! When I say "Adult & Community Education" I tend to mean a generic term covering adult vocational training, special and remedial education for adults, and also "leisure-orientated" liberal courses. The one unifying factor from my standpoint is that within "community education" all these tend to take place at local informal venues (in contrast to courses sited in colleges, training centres, etc.). I hope this clarifies matters (?)
Let me say though that I think it's an excellent idea to have libraries involved in the area of ABE. Is it purely ABE or is there other provision? Has this been going on for long? How is the provision delivered? Is it accredited? What are the progression routes? (i.e. what happens to students after they complete the course?) I'd be interested in hearing more as it certainly isn't something that happens a lot over here.
Many students within the ATACE programme will go on to do ABE work later, having qualified, but since in this country (I suppose it's the same in Canada?) ABE is delivered by volunteers, most of our students being unemployed will want to go on to some sort of paid teaching (albeit part-time). The range of student experience as far as their teaching topics are concerned is huge: everything from information technology to philosophy, from "DIY" to fine art... so there is almost certain to be an ABE tutor in amongst the list. So, as I think you will see, we are very much a general tutor-training course targetted on access to the field.
