LEIS Update 

March 05

The LEIS project is a joint North/South initiative between Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and the Equality Studies Centre at University College Dublin (UCD). LEIS is funded by Peace II, the European Union (EU) Program for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland 2000-2004.

The LEIS project is taking the opportunities created by peace to contribute to the process of reconciliation through an exploration of people’s equality issues using innovative methodologies. The context is adult literacy education within Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland. This project maintains that adult literacy education is in itself an issue of inequality; low literacy skills are a manifestation of various inequalities within people’s lives and equality issues for people within adult literacy education are linked with the broader social and political problems of society. Our work is based on the premise that literacy is far more than a set of basic skills, but rather, literacy is a set of social practices.

During the early stages of this action research project, the researchers are exploring the equality issues that are important in the lives of adult literacy tutors and learners. The emerging themes are used to help develop short sessions that will be delivered to adult literacy tutors through existing tutor training programs to initiate reflection upon and understanding of the literacy/equality connections. The possibilities of development and piloting of a short course on literacy and equality will also be explored. 

This project emphasizes exploration of equality issues through the use of alternative and creative methodologies. Thus data collection includes three methods: focus groups with literacy tutors and learners using zipper sculpturing, interviews with tutors about their creative methods, and tutor piloting and evaluation of Art Kits developed by LEIS.  The sessions with tutor training programs and LEIS conference presentations also involve the use of creative methodologies.

The final phase of this project will be the production of a handbook of non-text methodologies that can be used by adult literacy practitioners to enhance the delivery of their programs. By making available alternative methodologies to literacy tutors, we believe we can facilitate adult literacy learners in the exploration and understanding of the way in which inequalities in society have impacted on their lives.  Learners can be given space to question previously held assumptions in the area of politics, economics, religion, and culture, consequently empowering them to challenge and question the deep structural inequalities existing in our society.  It is also envisaged that this handbook will be of use with other marginalised groups in the wider educational and community arenas.

Any tutor who would like to become involved in the LEIS project is asked to 

contact Bonnie or Toni. We are particularly interested in talking with tutors 

who are currently using alternative/creative methodologies in their practice.