International Literacy Explorer - Peru

2. more intensive workshops:

more complex reading and writing skills
reinforcing the elementary skills from the first level of workshops

3. post-literacy workshops:

literacy skills solidified
math skills introduced
more complex and theoretical issues are discussed, such as women's rights, health, violence against women, family planning, basic legal rights, etc., and how to apply what they have learned to their daily lives

The topics outlined above contribute to the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to become active participants in the governance and daily life of their communities, as well as a recognition of the value of their culture within the greater context of the Peruvian nation. Below some specific classroom activities are described which could be used by other practitioners or program directors in designing their own literacy programs.

Sample Activities

An example from the CADEP program of the reading-writing method described in the Overview would be the preparation of the Andean alcoholic beverage chicha, which is a task traditionally carried out by women. The learners are shown a drawing of the process of chicha-making and then given the cue word wiñapu (which refers to the germinated corn used to make the drink), which is divided into syllables. The women practice reading the word out loud as a group, syllable by syllable, and also practice writing it in their notebooks. They discuss the activity of chicha-making, which may spur ideas for new words to construct from the lists of syllabic families which are posted on the blackboard or the walls. For this type of activity, the women use a textbook written in Quechua. In later phases of the literacy process, there are also other workbooks available, as well as books in which indigenous women express their reality (testimonials), which provide valuable reading practice while also validating the Andean female's experience.

Specific activities incorporated into any given lesson include:

rote practice and choral repetition of syllables to mentally fix the letter representations associated with certain sounds.
singing songs that are very familiar to the learners, following along with the written words on the blackboard or a wall chart. This lets learners see whole words written out for already familiar vocabulary.
using the tunes of familiar songs to practice syllable families while looking at the syllables pointed out to them by the instructor. Music is known to be an effective learning aid.
coming up to the blackboard one or two at a time to write words or to pick out syllables from the lists to form new words that way.
question/answer interactions between trainer and learners. Trainer often asks class if one person's answer is acceptable or not.
class discussions of topics or daily themes to activate background knowledge or to expand their knowledge of and ability to critique/express opinions on social issues.
writing journal entries or other free writing activities to encourage them to try to produce.
in teaching math, especially at the very beginning levels, using familiar items to teach counting and basic math: counting the leaves on the twig of a familiar plant such as a common herb, or adding and subtracting using pebbles in a yupana, the Andean equivalent of an abacus. This latter item, the yupana, is used in the CADEP and ADEP programs.

Quicktime Movie: Practicing Syllables

T1 Connection (1.2 MB)
28.8 Modem (459 K)

While there is a fair bit of rote work in the classroom, especially at the very beginning levels, discussions involving all the learners are also an important element of the lesson plans. In this way, the daily themes can be developed and lessons in civic responsibility can be introduced, with the literacy component worked in around the main theme. Thus, literacy does not become an end in itself, but a tool used to help learn the other, community-centered lessons.