Reading And Learning Skills

"81% of our Grade 4 learners struggle to read for meaning." Our new Miss South Africa 🇿🇦 didn't just drop a statistic. She diagnosed our national crisis. Qhawekazi Mazaleni isn't your typical beauty queen. She's a speech therapist from Butterworth who sees what most leaders miss: You can't fix #unemployment by creating jobs for people who can't read. Think about that. While we debate economic policy and investment strategies, 8 out of 10 children are failing at the most basic skill required for any job. The Root Cause Revolutionary Most leaders attack symptoms. Mazaleni attacks systems. As a speech therapist specializing in autism, she understands something profound: Communication isn't just about words. It's about comprehension. Connection. Confidence. Having coached leaders across five continents to build sustainable solutions, I've learned this truth: The problems that matter most are the ones nobody wants to measure. The Butterworth Blueprint From the Eastern Cape to the national stage. Not through glamour. Through grit. While others perfect their runway walk, she's pursuing her Masters in autism. While others practice interview answers, she's diagnosing why children can't decode meaning from text. This isn't just about education. It's about economic liberation. The Multiplier Effect of #Literacy Here's what Mazaleni understands that most miss: Every child who can't read becomes an adult who can't compete. They can't follow safety instructions. Can't read contracts. Can't learn new skills. Can't escape poverty. Fix reading comprehension, and you don't just change test scores. You change trajectories. Families. Communities. Nations. The Leadership #Lesson We're Missing "Inclusive education," she calls it. But it's bigger than that. It's preventative economics. We spend billions trying to train unemployable adults. She wants to ensure they never become unemployable in the first place. That's not beauty pageant rhetoric. That's systems thinking. Your #Leadership Question Right now, in your organization, your community, your sphere of influence, what root cause are you ignoring while fighting fires? What would happen if you stopped managing crises and started preventing them? Because somewhere in Butterworth, a speech therapist just showed us that real leadership isn't about wearing a crown. It's about seeing what others overlook. What foundation will you fix today? 🇿🇦

In response to this heavily criticised X post, this is why it’s false to claim that reading isn’t a privilege📚: Over the weekend, this X user faced backlash for suggesting that reading is a privilege. Many argued that those who don’t read are simply choosing not to, and that framing it as a privilege downplays the importance of reading and excuses people from engaging with it. But this reaction shows a misunderstanding of what privilege means in a social context. Because framing reading as a solely personal choice ignores the systemic inequities that prevent many people from being literate and having the ability to consume written materials. Privilege, in essence, describes having the “privilege” of not facing certain obstacles that others do, because of your identity/background and how our societies are organised. Viewed through this lens, reading is indeed a privilege. Literacy is essential for participation in society, critical thinking, and informed decision-making - it has a huge impact on life outcomes. Yet many barriers prevent people from developing literacy skills and engaging with written materials. For example, access to quality education and therefore literacy is far from universal, which is a significant contributing factor to the fact that 754 million adults in the world can’t read and write, two-thirds of them women. 250 million children are also failing to acquire basic literacy skills (UNESCO, 2024). Socioeconomic status also affects access to reading - families with limited resources may not have books at home, access to libraries, or digital devices. Time is another factor that’s also closely tied to economic stability - people balancing multiple jobs, caregiving, or high-stress roles may struggle to find the time to read. Accessibility of reading formats is equally crucial. Braille, audiobooks, and other adapted formats aren’t always widely available or affordable for those who need them. Language barriers and lack of representation in reading materials can also be a significant obstacle. Labeling a lack of engagement with reading as “laziness” rather than an issue of inequity is unjust, and also a judgemental position that does nothing to sway those who do have the access, opportunity, and ability to read but choose not to. Instead, we need kind and equitable solutions to ensure that more people are encouraged to, and are given the access and opportunity to read. #inclusion #equity #inequity #linkedinlearning #inclusionmatters #accessibility

Children who develop foundational skills early in life go on to earn more in the workforce. The latest report from Lee Crawfurd at the Center for Global Development shares compelling evidence about why #FoundationalLearning should be at the center of education and development policies in low- and middle-income countries. Analyses of national surveys in Indonesia show that improving foundational skills in literacy and numeracy led to large economic payoffs. Students who had a stronger grasp of core reading and math skills had:  1️⃣ 11% higher earnings in adulthood   2️⃣ Children later in adulthood – indicating a potential link between early learning and reproductive choices  3️⃣ Higher rates of school completion – contributing to increased job earnings  The message is clear: investing in foundational skills delivers real economic returns, and does it cost-effectively.  Read more: https://lnkd.in/d8ySdA72   

New Center for Global Development Paper on the benefits of foundational literacy and numeracy. It might seem obvious that kids who do well in primary school earn more as adults, but it hasn't actually been directly shown that this is true in low- or lower-middle-income countries. And the magnitude matters - how much more do they earn and so how much investment can we justify? I use the Indonesia Family Life Survey which is near-unique for lower-income countries in both testing children of primary school age and then interviewing them 17 years later. Children who score better in reading and maths (after accounting for their family background) go on to earn roughly 11 percent more as adults. The magnitude of these returns implies a large positive benefit-cost ratio for investments in foundational skills. For policymakers and practitioners in education, these findings provide a strong economic rationale for prioritizing foundational literacy and numeracy interventions. But aid donors are doing the opposite. The UN has projected that global aid for education will fall by a quarter between 2023 and 2027, with an even steeper decline expected for schools. The US and UK—until recently the largest bilateral donors for basic education—are both expected to almost entirely cut that spending. In the UK, overall aid is set to fall by 40 percent, and the development minister has signaled that aid for education will be cut by even more. Meanwhile, donors like Japan, who are increasing their overall aid budgets, spend far more on university scholarships—either for foreign students in Japan or for students in poorer countries—than on helping young children in those countries access a basic education. The size of these estimated returns suggests that improving foundational learning yields such significant economic benefits that even major increases in investment—five or ten times current levels—could still represent excellent value for money. At a time when global support for basic education is falling, that’s a message policymakers can’t afford to ignore. Here's the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eh7rGPVQ And blog: https://lnkd.in/eqqZittR

Low health literacy isn't a knowledge gap. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝗽. When a child grows up without access to clear, culturally relevant health information, the lifetime cost doesn't just show up in ER visits or missed meds. It shows up in: – Fewer job opportunities – Chronic conditions – Academic barriers – Lost wages We're talking: • Unmanaged asthma • Missed vaccines • Delayed care • Caregiver burnout • Lower lifetime earning potential The cost?Over $𝟲𝟲𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱. And that's conservative. This isn't a line item. It's a systemic failure. 🛠 So what's the fix? Start upstream—with strategic storytelling that meets families where they are. Not fluff. Not jargon. But clinically accurate, emotionally intelligent, culturally grounded communication families actually understand—and act on. 📊 Research shows culturally tailored health messaging 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬–3𝟬% (NIH). That's not fluff—that's evidence-based equity work.It's also what we're building at Health Nuts Media. Because when patients understand, they act. And when they act, systems save time, money, and lives. 💬 DM me if you want to talk strategy. ♻️ Share this if health equity matters to your work. *Cost estimate based on: • Direct medical costs: 100K– 300K • Lost wages: 200K– 400K • Caregiving burden: $ 100K–$300K Sources: Milken Institute (2018), RWJF (2019), AARP (2020), NBER (2017)

Literature reviews: Some love them. Some hate them. Everyone has to do them. But what makes a good review article? 5 years ago, I wrote a post for LSE Impact Blog that made it into the TOP10 of the year (https://lnkd.in/dW8U2eg). I was fascinated by the “evidence maps” of the health sciences. One click and you know everything about all treatments for a condition. Should the social sciences not have the same? After analyzing 1400+ articles since the 1980s--charting the past, present and future of reviews--Tim Hannigan, Andre Spicer, and I say: no. https://lnkd.in/ewtxbj6U    But we see much room for improvement. What principles do we recommend? 1. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱: We are too fixated on HOW to do a literature review. We forget WHY a review is needed and WHERE it takes a field. 2. 𝗨𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲: Unlike in other disciplines, there is little use of technology and collaboration in management, and we are slow. We recommend technologically infused and collective review practices to become faster, more relevant and more impactful. 3. 𝗕𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘃𝗲: Generative AI will soon make descriptive reviews redundant. Find a better edge to your review. Think of it as engaging in abstract art when photography challenged the use of naturalistic paintings. 4. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁: Unlike in the health sciences--where missing a rare side effect can literally be fatal--the social sciences benefit from “varieties of review” that reject following one idealized approach, such as systematic reviewing. 5. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗼𝗿. 𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: A review should not be critical or integrative by default. Instead, your choice should depend on the state of the field. We call this doing “reviews with attitudes.” 6. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽: Reviewing is a social process. Engage in the “knowledge work” of reviews to develop the field's “knowledge infrastructure.” We find 10 different review purposes that deviate from how reviews have previously been classified. We develop a “directional space” that should help authors in the future. Thanks to AOM's Annals for the space to develop an extensive analysis and provocative agenda. Especially Marya Hill-Popper Besharov for her collaborative guidance during a long process! Also the current and former EICs Matthew Cronin Elizabeth George Carrie Leana for supporting it, and Stacey Victor for keeping it going. Thanks to Sven Kunisch Nuno Oliveira Xavier Castañer Michael Lounsbury Dev (P. Devereaux) Jennings Renate E. Meyer for great comments. We hope this piece will be of use to researchers. ESCP Business School Academy of Management #reviewing #literaturereviews #research #science #management #reflexivity #ESCP

59 million adults in the U.S. have literacy skills at or below Level 1. That means they can understand simple sentences, like identifying whether a job is during the day or night, but struggle beyond that. I’ve seen the difference that strong adult education systems can make. I’ve also seen what happens when we underinvest in the people most eager to grow. I’ve seen the ripple effect when someone earns a credential, gets a better job, or finally lands a role with a sustainable wage. It changes the household. It changes the future. I've seen dignity come back into the room. This new fact sheet from ProLiteracy Worldwide is worth a look, not just because the numbers are staggering, but because they’re human. Every stat represents real lives, real limitations, and real potential. 📉 Low literacy isn’t just an education issue. It’s tied to: • $300 billion in economic losses • $215 billion in healthcare costs • Generational cycles of poverty 📈 But even moving up one literacy level cuts a person’s chance of living in poverty in half. There’s no single solution, but progress is possible when we work across sectors, listen well, and stay focused on what matters.

As we all know there is a big conversation around a swing back towards explicit instruction. So I thought I’d put my hat in the ring! Places like New South Wales and the Northern Territory are putting a lot of emphasis on clear modelling, guided practice and that familiar rhythm of I do - we do - you do. Now, on paper, explicit instruction is simply a structured way of helping children understand something new. One explanation I read recently said it is about “clearly showing and modelling what students need to learn, one step at a time”. Fair enough. But here’s where it gets messy. In schools, this shift is often interpreted as teachers going back to the front of the room and telling children everything they need to know. Full stop. Even the Australian Science Teachers Association has warned that the public conversation around explicit teaching has become a bit “overly simplistic”. And they’re right. The misconception isn’t in the method itself. It is in the way it is being spoken about and maybe, rolled out. But even when it was first coined, explicit instruction was never meant to be a dry delivery of facts. You see, It only works when children understand why something matters. Why are we learning this? How will this live in the world? How will you use it tomorrow okay You’re hungry? If we skip that part, we reduce learning to simple compliance instead of curiosity. And this is the bit that I feel we might be overlooking. The teacher’s role is not just to explain. The teacher is meant to be the spark. If the class is learning geography, the teacher brings something new, something surprising, something that makes the children lean forward. If they are doing history, whether it is ancient Rome, First Peoples’ perspectives or the stories of the world wars, the teacher shows them what it looks like to truly love a subject. As one researcher put it, explicit teaching is strongest when the teacher “shows learners how an expert thinks”. And I love that. But the part that almost never gets discussed is what comes next. Once the teacher has inspired the children, modelled the thinking and built that clarity, there should still be room for agency. Room for questions. Room for children to explore the ideas that interest them. Room for them to choose how they want to show their understanding. And the research backs this. Even strong supporters of explicit instruction agree that inquiry, discovery and student choice can live beautifully within the same learning outcome when done well. Montessori called it freedom within limits. The limits offer structure. The freedom gives meaning. At the moment, the limits are being talked about everywhere, but the freedom seems to have slipped quietly out the back door. Explicit instruction and creativity are not enemies. Clarity and curiosity can live in the same space. The teacher lights the fire, and the children use that fire to explore the world in their own way. What are your thoughts?

As a young VC, I find myself diving into numerous books, each promising to offer a fresh perspective or insight. Yet, the challenge lies in truly absorbing and retaining the valuable lessons they contain. This changed when I discovered Shane Parrish’s Blank Sheet Method.....a straightforward, yet powerful approach that transformed my learning process. 🔹 Step 1: Set the Stage - Before starting any book, grab a blank sheet of paper. - On this sheet, outline what you already know about the topic. 🔹Step 2: Track Your Progress - At the end of each reading session, spend a few minutes updating your mind map using a different color to highlight new insights. 🔹 Step 3: Review and Reinforce - Before picking up the book again, go through your mind map to refresh your memory. - This review process helps solidify your grasp on what you’ve read and primes your brain to link upcoming ideas with what you already know. 🔹 Step 4: Build a Knowledge Vault - Keep these annotated sheets organized in a binder for easy access. - Regularly review them to reinforce your learning and connect concepts across various books and subjects. Why This Method Works Wonders: - Strengthens memory by recalling and building upon what you know. - Identifies missing pieces and clears up misconceptions. - Helps in connecting themes across disciplines - Stimulates unique thinking and insights - Periodic review solidifies information With each book, I find that my understanding grows not just in depth but in scope, creating a network of knowledge that extends far beyond a single subject. Have you tried using this or any other method for better retention? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you! #ReadingWisdom #LearningMethods #VentureLife #KnowledgeRetention

This simple habit helps me learn fast and be creative on demand: systematic note-taking. A few years back, I noticed something frustrating. I’d read a great book or article, get excited about new ideas for my work, and then… They’d vanish from memory in no time. Sounds familiar? So, I decided to build an “external drive” for my brain. Now, whenever I read something insightful, listen to a podcast, attend a workshop, or come up with a new idea, I take notes. I organize them by topic and save them to a cloud drive. Whenever I need a dose of inspiration or a quick refresher, it’s all there at my fingertips. Here’s what these notes do for me: • Brain Backup: They’re like a backup drive for my brain. I never forget a good idea. • Skills Boost: Taking notes isn’t just about remembering. It’s about understanding new ideas clearly and making the knowledge stick. • Connecting the Dots: My notes link up over time, blending ideas to create new insights, patterns, and knowledge. • Idea Goldmine: Need a spark for your next big thing? Dive into the notes. That’s where all my LinkedIn posts, workshops, and speeches begin. • Creativity on Demand: Notes are like Lego for the brain. You can mix and match to build new ideas and get inspiration. Below is a snapshot of my notes library. 🗒 What’s your go-to method for learning fast and being creative? #HumanitariansAtWork #Learning