Virtual Book Review for CALP Basics e-Learning

Tanis Harms, Community Learning Network

1 12 January 2021

CALP Basics e-Learning

In the world of literacy, it may not be a surprise that many of us have a love for reading! Whether it’s scrolling a screen or turning the pages of a hardcover copy, diving into a book transports us to adventures, learning, other worlds, and more. How would we benefit from the joys of reading though, if we never got past the front cover? Sometimes the name or associations with the title alone are not fully appreciated until we dive in.

Perhaps this has been your relationship with the new CALP Basics e-Learning that had it’s own “book launch” this Fall. With all that has gone on however, you may not have been able to get beyond the cover to explore what is within. For this reason, I invite you to read along with my “virtual book review” of this e-Learning as a type of “back cover” explanation in order to see if you want to “open the pages” for yourself.

Heart in Pages

Who?

Anyone connected to or interested in the Community Adult Learning Program can
benefit from the information covered in this e-Learning. For example: community
members, partners, volunteers, instructors/facilitators/tutors, Board Members, CALP staff….

What?

The fabulous thing about e-Learnings, is that you can pick and choose which sections are of most interest and relevance to you and your role. For those who like starting from the front cover and reading the book through to the end, you can start the CALP Basics e-Learning at the beginning and choose the “Next Page” option to go to the next section. Do you like to read the last chapter first to know where the book is heading? If so, feel free to skip to the end and see how it concludes. For the rest, feel free to skim and scan the topics and sections in any order you like. It’s completely up to you to choose what information you access.

You may be wondering exactly what information is included in this e-Learning, so let’s “flip through the pages” together in
order to get a glimpse of what’s inside:

Welcome to CALP
To begin, this section provides an opportunity to watch the "Introduction to CALP" video to refresh or introduce viewers
to the Community Adult Learning Program system as as whole. Next comes an introduction to "CAL P.", who serves as
an example of a learner who may come to a CALP. Following meeting CAL P., information is provided surrounding
the learner demographics that the CALP Grant requires CALP organizations to collect. *Spoiler alert: there are also
resource links provided to help CALP organizations collect the required data.

CALP Overview
There is so much to explore and learn in this section! The CALP Vision sets a foundation, and then some of the key
concepts and aspects of the CALP Program are explained in greater detail. Things like:

Foundational Learners (An explanation of the learners CALPs focus on)
Foundational Learning (What it is and how it can impact a learner’s life)
CALP Guidelines (The focus programming areas and requirements to be aware of)
Modes of Delivery (Specific explanations and examples for each)

Programming Areas
This section dives deeper into what the Literacy and Foundational Learning categories are, an explanation of what
“PILO” stands for, along with a handy chart explaining the relationships between the LFL categories, Essential Skills,
and the Skills for Success Framework. There is also an explanation of Community Capacity Building courses.

Planning for Learning
Directly from the e-Learning, “First and foremost, we want to focus on building relationships with learners, creating safe
and welcoming spaces for learning and seeing learners more than once. As your organization gets to know a learner
you will begin to informally assess their skills and abilities and, in turn, they may share their learning goals with you.”
But then what? Find out more information and connected resources in this section.

Conclusion
The anticipated phrase in every book is, “The End”. However, in this e-Learning “book”, "The End" is perhaps the
motivation to open the cover of another e-Learning that has yet to be explored...

Where?

Located under the “e-Learning” tab on the CALP Portal, it’s the first e-Learning option on the list of links. (https://calp.ca/e-learning/calp-basics.htm)

When?

You name it! This professional development is self-directed, which means you have access to it 24/7. Whether you have a lot of time or only a little, you can access the information you need and bookmark your spot to come back to at a later point.

Why?

Just like any book we read, we have different motivations for why we are drawn to dive in and invest the time it takes to explore. I hope that this “virtual book review” has provided the information needed for you to see whether you will add this e-Learning to your CALP professional development “book list” and open it's cover for your continued learning.

Tanis Harms
CLN North RSS