What is RaPAL - Aims and Organisation
What is RaPAL?
RaPAL is the only British national organisation that focuses on the role of literacy in adult life. We are an independent network of learners, teachers, managers and researchers in adult basic education. RaPAL was established in 1985 and is supported by membership subscription only. Any individual or institution may join who sympathises with our aims.
What do we stand for?
RaPAL campaigns for the rights of all adults to have access to the full range of literacies in their lives. We offer a critique of current policy and practice where it is based on simplistic notions of literacy as skill. We argue for broader ideas of literacy starting from theories of language and literacy acquisition that take account of social context. The theories we draw on are broadly known as the new literacy studies.
RaPAL encourages a broad range of collaborative and reflective research involving all participants in literacy work as partners. We support democratic practices in adult literacy work and believe that a learning democracy can only be achieved if teaching, learning and research are kept together. A dynamic relationship between research and practice keeps the meaning of literacy open and responsive to the variety of changing social contexts and practices that exist in our society.
We recognise the role of professional development in this process and of activities which enable learners to make their views known, in all media. As we see it, students are central to a learning democracy and their participation in the decision-making processes of practice and research is essential.
How do we work?
The main elements of RaPAL's work are the publication of 3 Bulletins per year, other occasional publications, and the organisation of at least one event each year, at which we hold the AGM. Through this work, we encourage communication between those working on literacy issues with adults. We especially look for opportunities to increase student participation in research and publishing activities.
We critically examine the assumptions on which ABE practice is based, through encouraging and publicising a broad range of reflective research. Such research helps us to articulate the theory behind our practice; to keep asking questions about the significance of literacy in people's lives; to challenge the political uses of common myths about literacy (such as: that lack of literacy causes unemployment; that lack of literacy means low intelligence; that parents pass literacy difficulties onto their children; that literacy can be adequately defined and measured as a narrow set of skills).
Because it is not enough just to ask questions, we work to make other organisations aware of RaPAL. We link with sympathetic organisations working with literacy at all levels of the educational system (including HE and FE) and in community contexts. We particularly value international links which enable us to compare experiences and learn from other countries.
Our current priorities are to take a more active part in national debates about literacy, to develop and publicise alternative views of literacy and to contribute to the professional development of staff in ABE.
The main organisational structure of RaPAL is the Working Group, an informal collective that meets in different locations around the country. Two sub-groups deal with different aspects of the work: organisation and develpoment, and publications. Each of these groups arranges its own meetings and minutes. All members of the Working Group meet together at the AGM and for one other meeting each year.
How you can get involved
In becoming a member of the active Working Group you can influence what RaPAL is and might become in the future; make contact with people around the country who share your interests; and find out how to produce a national publication! For most of the roles, all you need is a contact phone and address and an interest in discussing your ideas with other members. As a first step to becoming more involved in RaPAL, you can become a member of the Working Group and come to meetings without taking a specific role.
Where are we going?
RaPAL is an organisation which is becoming more and more proactive in its views and activities. Future developments include the possibility of delivering short training courses which will be aimed at disseminating the New Literacy Studies. Many practitioners in colleges have expressed frustration at (1) the narrow, skill-based view of literacy they are now expected to promote (2) the break-up of networks where they could learn about new developments and theories from other professionals. RaPAL's purpose is to counteract this frustration and to offer training courses which take into account the influences of social context on literacy acquisition.
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