Did you miss part one of our Health Literacy in ABE Classrooms discussion series? We invite you to join part two, which began this Monday! Part one was viewed more than 850 times, and we hope many of you chime in during part two. Thank you so much to everyone who has participated so far!
Highlights from last week’s conversation with Kate Singleton: Introduction to Health Literacy in ABE and ESOL
Article Discussed:
What is ESOL Health Literacy and Why Do I Need To Know About It?
Key Discussion Points:
· There is great potential for adult education to play a larger role in improving health literacy skills in the U.S.
· There are challenges for ABE and ESOL teachers to do this:
- Identifying and teaching the skills that will help people most
- Keeping the role of teachers intact: they do not have to be health experts
- Keeping it doable, given the demands of teaching and the limited resources (including financial)
· Skills needed by English language and literacy learners in order to use the U.S. healthcare system effectively:
- Looked at list from p. of article (see above)
- Brainstorm from members:
- Listening, speaking, body vocabulary, etc.
- Expressing needs and preferences
- Being assertive and confident
- More digital skills
- From Kate:
- How to ask for an interpreter!
· The healthcare system is inevitably going digital, so we have to make sure that our learners keep pace with the skills needed.
· The healthcare system is a culture in itself.
· The health system is complicated and frightening to many new immigrants or new users of healthcare. It will be much more useful to teach the language skills while also practicing interacting with the system. (e.g., visit a health clinic, fill out forms, etc.)
· Don’t forget the skills of taking care of health at home: eating well, exercise and other good health habits and decisions.
· Once people have the skills, what do they do with them? That’s an important step to address. The Calgary Charter on Health Literacy presents health literacy as a path to informed behavior change.
Closing thoughts from Kate:
1. Health literacy instruction doesn’t need to be an overwhelming endeavor.
2. We have an important opportunity before us regarding health literacy.
3. Our field has expertise to offer, and we shouldn’t be shy about it!
Ongoing questions to consider:
· What are the barriers to taking up health literacy within ABE and ESOL programs?
· What could the field of health literacy do to help ABE and ESOL programs to address health literacy more widely?
· What evidence-based best practices do you know of that address health literacy within ABE and ESOL contexts?
Resources shared:
Building bridges: A Health Literacy Partnership
“Questions are the Answer” campaign from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Who Can You Trust? Health Information and the Internet: Curriculum Sourcebook