Section 7: Learning Strategies, Numeracy, Visual Literacy, and Digital Literacy

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  • EAL/ESL literacy learners often don’t have the formal learning strategies that help them to organize information and approach learning tasks.
  • Explicitly teach formal learning strategies through routine and “think alouds.”
  • EAL/ESL literacy learners often have numeracy needs.
  • Numeracy is the set of skills and strategies for using numbers, measurements, and mathematical operations to complete tasks.
  • A learner’s numeracy level is not necessarily the same as their literacy level. Some learners have low literacy and high numeracy, and some have high literacy and low numeracy.
  • Numeracy should be considered in three ways:
    1. Foundational numeracy
    2. Language of numbers
    3. Numeracy in tasks
  • EAL/ESL literacy learners may have limited visual literacy, or the ability to understand images and icons.
  • The easiest images to understand are clear photographs on a white background.
  • EAL/ESL literacy learners often have limited digital literacy, or the ability to use technology to complete tasks.
  • Build explicit instruction in digital literacy into the classroom.
Learning Strategies, Numeracy, Visual Literacy, and Digital Literacy

7.1 Formal learning strategies

EAL/ESL literacy learners often have limited experience with formal learning strategies. This lack of learning strategies is one of the reasons why learners can take significantly longer to complete tasks and need lots of repetition. These strategies help learners to organize information and approach tasks, and they make it easier to learn in a Canadian classroom. To teach formal learning strategies:

  • Avoid making assumptions about what learners “should” know.
  • Use lots of repetition and routine.
  • Make organizational activities part of the daily routine.
  • Keep a class routine and post the agenda on the board each class, in either words or pictures.
  • Approach tasks the same way as much as possible.
  • Explicitly teach what you do to be a successful learner.
  • Do a “think aloud” to tell learners what is happening inside your head while you approach a task.
  • Celebrate success.
There are many formal learning strategies, and they include:

  1. Classroom strategies

    • Sitting where you can see and hear
    • Watching and listening to the instructor
    • Working with a partner or small group when asked
    • Bringing everything you need to class each day (paper, pens/pencils, binder, notebooks, glasses, and so on)
    • Writing your name on papers
    • Being on time


  2. Organization

    • Organizing possessions so they don’t take up too much room
    • Organizing papers so they are kept neat and can be easily found again
    • Following a schedule, timetable, or agenda


  3. Sorting and categorizing

    • Creating categories with criteria
    • Seeing the relationships between ideas, such as cause and effect or topic and example
    • Seeing and replicating a pattern


  4. Learning activity strategies

    • Following instructions
    • Familiarity with common learning activities like tracing, copying, and listening to a video or audio recording
    • Question types (multiple choice, true/false, short answer, matching, fill-in-the-blank, long answer, and so on)
    • Transferring learning to a different context


  5. Task-completion strategies

    • Doing the easy questions first
    • Double-checking your answers on a task
    • Managing time


  6. Inference

    • Inferring meaning in a listening or reading task
    • Inferring meaning or drawing a conclusion in a class discussion

7.2 Numeracy

Numeracy is the set of skills and strategies to use numbers, quantitative measurements, and mathematical operations to complete tasks. Like literacy, numeracy is a spectrum. EAL/ESL literacy learners may have a wide range of numeracy skills, and their numeracy level may or may not be similar to their literacy level, depending on how they have used numbers in their lives. Some learners who have higher language and literacy skills may have lower numeracy skills, and some learners with low literacy may have higher numeracy skills, especially if they ran a business or traded at a market. Some LINC programs in Canada also provide numeracy development, but in many programs, explicit numeracy instruction is limited. No matter the program, numeracy should always be considered in three ways:

  1. Foundational numeracy: Teach learners foundational numeracy so that they can be successful in language and literacy education

    This includes:
    • Counting to 100
    • Writing numbers to 100
    • Concepts of more and less
    • Concepts of sequencing
    • Reading prices
    • Whole round numbers to 1000
    • Reading and expressing time


  2. Language of numbers: Explicitly teach the language of numbers, including the base concepts behind this language.

    This includes:
    • Names of numbers and operations
    • Money
    • Measurement
    • Days, dates, and calendars


  3. Numeracy in tasks: Consider whether there are numeracy components, including money, measurement, and time, which may make a task challenging for literacy learners. Intentionally build foundational numeracy into tasks. Consider numeracy in assessment tasks carefully to make sure the task is assessing language and literacy, not numeracy.
Resources for learning numeracy
  • Play money
  • Rulers and measuring tapes
  • Scales for weighing small objects
  • Number poster for the wall
  • Number line for the wall
  • Small objects for counting, sorting, and organizing
  • Games
  • Dice
  • Cards
  • Flyers
  • Online shopping sites
  • Clocks
  • Calendars

7.3 Visual literacy

Visual literacy is the ability to “read” visual images and symbols. EAL/ESL literacy learners may not have much experience with visual literacy. There is usually a correlation between literacy levels and visual literacy levels.

The progression of visual literacy goes from images that are the easiest to understand to the images that are highly stylized, icons, or use visual conventions. The easiest image to read is a clear photograph on a white background, and while learners at higher levels can tolerate more stylized images, this is still the best kind of image to use for educational purposes.

At Foundation L and CLB 1L, use clear photographs on a white background. At CLB 2L, learners can also work with other clear photographs. At CLB 3L, learners can work with some realistic drawings, and at CLB 4L, learners can work with more stylized images or cartoons if they are scaffolded.

Beware as well of visual conventions that may be unfamiliar to learners who have not experienced the same popular culture. These include:

  • Speech bubbles
  • Thought bubbles
  • “Speed” lines

 

Add Your Tooltip Text Here
Clear photograph on a white background Clear photograph Realistic drawing Stylized drawing/ cartoon
Clear photograph of carrots with a white background Clear photograph of carrots on wood table Realistic drawing of a carrot Cartoon drawing of a carrot
Foundation L
CLB 1L
CLB 2L
CLB 3L
CLB 4L

7.4 Digital literacy

Digital literacy is the set of skills and strategies to use digital technology. EAL/ESL literacy learners will encounter digital technology as a part of their everyday life and as a tool to use for language and literacy learning. In both cases, they will need explicit instruction and lots of practice to develop digital literacy skills. Devices learner encounter may include:

  • Cell phones
  • Tablets
  • Computers
  • ATMs
  • Ticket machines
  • Self-check-out machines
  • Digital parking meters
Each of these devices has a different kind of interface, and literacy learners may struggle to transfer knowledge and skills from one context to another, and from one interface to another. As best as possible, use actual devices or simulators that mimic the real devices learners see in their lives. Learners can develop digital literacy skills over time, starting with very basic skills. Digital literacy skills include being able to:

  • Use a keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen
  • Turn on and turn off a device
  • Access basic controls such as volume, brightness, and text size
  • Input a username and password
  • Scan a screen to click/tap on an icon
  • Read information from a screen
  • Watch a video
  • Type
  • Use familiar apps and programs
  • Use tools such as camera and microphone
  • Save, locate, and move files
  • Complete online forms
  • Send and receive messages
  • Send and receive email
  • Attach documents to an email
  • Read documents attached to an email
  • Use an LMS (Learning Management System)
  • Use a search engine to find information


Be aware of digital literacy requirements in tasks, such as tasks that require a learner to write and send an email. The digital literacy expectations for the learner may be as difficult as or more difficult than the reading and writing requirements of the task. Digital literacy elements significantly contribute to the cognitive load of a task.

ISS of BC has a resource for programs and instructors found at ISS of BC Resource on Digital Literacy.