Writings: International

NEW:Innovative Leadership in Gambian Adult Literacy/Numeracy

"Innovative Leadership in Gambian Adult Literacy/Numeracy: Mid-1970s to Early 1980s" presents case studies of two Indigenous-language adult literacy/numeracy projects in rural villages in The Gambia between 1976 and 1983. This article might be of particular interest to adult educators interested in learning from community-oriented models of adult foundational education. Such programs build on community strengths, focus on helping learners and communities manage relevant opportunities and challenges, integrate adult foundational education with other services, emphasize collaborative leadership willing to try something new and learn from experience, and focus on both short-term demonstration projects and longer-term systems-building. Published on January 17, 2024 in UNESCO's Prospects Journal of Comparative Curriculum Learning, and Assessment, the article can be downloaded at no cost at https://rdcu.be/dwhZa . See attached flyer for more information.

"Learning from Adult Basic Skills Efforts in Developing Countries" is a PowerPoint presented virtually by Paul Jurmo and David J. Rosen on April 11, 2022 at the 2022 national conference of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education. It describes how basic education has evolved in developing countries, recent international guidelines developed for basic education programs, examples of programs in four countries, and lessons that U.S. adult educators might learn from such basic/foundational skills efforts. The presentation draws from "Basic Skills for Community-Oriented Development: A Resource Book for Educators and Other Partners" written by Paul Jurmo in 2021 (available at no charge from ProLiteracy at https://www.proliteracy.org/Portals/0/pdf/Research/White%20Papers/2021-BSFCOD-PJurmo-Resource.pdf?ver=2021-08-04-122813-600 and also directly below on this website. )

"Basic Skills for Community-Oriented Development: A Resource Book for Educators and Other Partners" (a) summarizes approaches to basic skills education in developing countries from early colonial to current times; (b) describes recent international guidelines for basic skills programs; (c) describes two dozen basic skills programs for diverse populations of children, youth, and adults, in multiple regions, and integrating basic skills education with a range of other development initiatives; and (d) provides links to dozens of related resource documents and organizations. Published by ProLiteracy's International Division in July 2021, the document is written for educators and other stakeholders who are already operating basic skills programs and/or launching new ones.

In 2020 Paul Jurmo donated a series of artifacts from his work with the Peace Corps in The Gambia (1976-1979) and Tonga (2012-2017) to the new Museum of the Peace Corps Experience in Washington, DC. See photos of four of the objects from The Gambia and brief reflections he wrote about them in the accompanying "Peace Corps at 60: Inside the Volunteer Experience" document. This document accompanied the virtual opening of the Museum in March 2021. (The opening was "virtual" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) The writings demonstrate the intercultural understanding and friendship that can be produced by an institution like Peace Corps.

“Re-Thinking English Literacy Development in Tonga: A Case Study, 2012-2017”. This 14-page article describes the objectives and results of a five-year collaboration of the U.S. Peace Corps and partners from Tonga and other nations to reform literacy education in Tongan primary and middle schools. It recommends actions that policy makers, funders, and other stakeholders can take to support, use, and sustain the kinds of innovations generated in the project. Published in 5 March 2018 edition of UNESCO’s PROSPECTS Journal.

This 75-page compilation of background readings was prepared in August 2017 for Peace Corps Volunteers in Tonga’s English Literacy Project. Each reading succinctly presents basic information on a topic that a Volunteer might encounter when trying to achieve the project’s goals and objectives. Volunteers could review a particular reading prior to a related training session or when the topic comes up during the Volunteer’s work in the field.

“What to Teach and How to Teach It (in the Tonga English Literacy Project)”: A Technical Note prepared for Peace Corps/Tonga, July 2017. Describes how Peace Corps and various partners (1) defined the range of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be taught in English literacy education in Tongan primary and middle schools and (2) developed a variety of student-centered instructional practices to actively engage students in the learning process.

“Multi-Purpose Literacy: Responding to the Complex Interests Found in Program Contexts”: This 40-page Comprehensive Paper was written in 1982 by Paul Jurmo as a requirement for his doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts. It summarizes six potential purposes for adult literacy programs in the U.S. and other countries and identifies strategies that literacy programs might take to clarify and respond to agreed-upon purposes, for the good of learners and other stakeholders.