Ep. 527: A.I. for Literacy: The Reading Roadmap
Guest: David Chalk
“Canada rates a ‘C’ among peer countries on the percentage of adults scoring low on the adult literacy rate test,” according to the Conference Board of Canada.
The International Adult Literacy Survey states that “four out of ten Canadian adults lack the literacy skills necessary to be fully competent in most jobs in our modern economy. As well, there is a strong link between literacy and a country’s economic potential.”
According to David Chalk, “self esteem, anxiety, depression, horrific depression sometimes lasting for years are some of the debilitating consequences of illiteracy.” Chalk points to his own illiteracy and inability to read contracts that led to bankruptcy in 2009.
Having suffered through a lifetime of shame because he was unable to read, Chalk finally met Nora Chahbazi, the founder of Evidence Based Literacy Instruction. She told David, “Your struggle is not because you can’t read. It’s because you were never properly taught how to read.”
We invited David Chalk to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the challenges he lived with for more than 60 years, what it means to him to now be able to read, and how he wants to help others to read, through his course called “AI Literacy, The Reading Roadmap.”
Want to learn more about our guest?
Check out their profile on our partnered program, Careers That Matter!
