The Western Australian Adult Literacy Council

The Western Australian Adult Literacy Council (WAALC) was established with the purpose of ensuring that all adult West Australians have the opportunity to develop the literacy and numeracy skills required to actively participate in our increasingly complex society.

WAALC acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, skies, and waterways across Australia.

We pay respect to Elders past and present and acknowledge the continuation of Cultural, spiritual, educational and literacy practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the continuing connection to country and Culture

Latest News

Professional Learning Survey 2024 – 25

Dear members and friends. WAALC is now planning professional learning events for 2025 and are interested to know your areas of interest.

Thankyou for taking the time to complete this survey

Please Click to complete a short Survey

Board at the Library

On Level 2 of the State Library of Western Australia, discover a cosy space to relax and enjoy board games and puzzles. With a selection of classic games to play and a collection of books about games to borrow, this is the perfect spot to meet up and discover a new pastime.

Challenge your friends to a board game, collaborate over a puzzle or play a game of solitaire. Our game selection includes chess, mah-jong, Scrabble, Monopoly, Catan, Cluedo, jigsaw puzzles, large print playing cards and much more.

Choose your own adventure and stop by Board at the Library !

Practice engagement makes perfect

Practice engagement theory (PET) holds that adult literacy and numeracy proficiency develops as a result of engaging in everyday reading, writing and maths practices. Reciprocally, an adult’s proficiency affects their engagement in everyday literacy and numeracy practices.

PET, along with a growing body of longitudinal research, confirms that literacy and numeracy interventions that increase engagement in meaningful everyday practices builds proficiency over time.

Digital literacies

The concept of ‘digital literacies’ is defined and understood in many different ways. The perspective which is widely accepted views digital literacies as social practices.

To be digitally literate means to have a rich repertoire of skills, knowledge, understandings and ways of thinking to interpret, create, manage and share meanings through different digital channels, for different purposes, in various contexts and with different audiences.

Jo Medlin teaches adults to read and write

Today, Jo is the president of the president of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy.

Some of her students start their classes without being able to write their weekly shopping list.

Others are motivated to learn so they can write family members a card on their own.

All have to confront their low self-confidence to succeed.

Integrating Digital Tools for Adult Learners: Four Critical Factors

The numbers are staggering — an estimated 36 million adults lack the basic literacy, numeracy, and job skills necessary to find well-paying jobs and navigate public and social systems. What’s more, the number of education programs that serve these adults is woefully low. According to a report from Tyton Partners1, our federal- and state-funded programs have the capacity to serve only about four million of the 36 million.

'Lost For Words' returns for S2, to tackle Australia's low literacy and numeracy levels

Season 2 of this powerful and inspiring documentary premieres Wednesday 12 October at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.

The Smith Family Digital Access Program

Our Digital Access approach improves families’ digital inclusion by ensuring all Learning for Life families have access to low cost internet and devices as well as tech support and the knowledge on how to make the most of the technology they have.

Tools for Tutors

Our toolkits are designed to work for informal and formal learning alike.
This part of the toolkit looks at how you can use the learner cards to deliver a formal learning course.

Note: This is an UK Website