WHY ADULT LITERACY PROGRAMS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE

by DAWN MEREDITH

People who have struggled to become literate have faced many psychological and emotional challenges throughout their scholastic and professional careers. They may have been labelled as stupid, difficult, or a behavioural problem at school, and be limited in career opportunities as an adult, but anyone can learn to become proficient in reading and writing. It is a step-by-step process that requires dedication and practice and a willingness to persist. This may be more challenging for adult learners with a history of failure and have put up many mental blocks and resistance to learning, but the process and steps are identical for everyone. The only variable is time. It is important the learner breaks free from this label, of being ‘difficult’ or ‘stupid’. As their ability to engage with the written word increases, their ability to express their thoughts and ideas also increases and they can finally shrug off those labels. It is a very powerful gift. It’s life-altering.

I’ve seen the transformation of learners many, many times because of their success at becoming literate and the positive impact this has had upon their personal lives can be quite dramatic. Avenues previously denied to them suddenly open up. In this way, the impact upon their professional life can be highly significant. That is why learning to become literate is a transformative process, which can bring out a person’s personality and improve many aspects of their life.

Any remedial literacy program, whether for children or adults, is predicated upon these basic foundations:

English is not an entirely phonetic language. The learner must not only learn the phonetic components to decode words but must also develop a sight word vocabulary; words which cannot be sounded out, which must be learned by heart. These skills require a visual memory ability, which does not come easily to all learners. The structure of any literacy program must be based upon phonemics, taught in a specific order, from simplest to more complex and the development of a bank of words which must be learned as a whole word because they cannot be sounded out. The most challenging aspect is learning the exceptions to rules, but with the right kind of tools and methodology, this too can be overcome.

There are different styles of learning: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. Most people have a combination of at least two of these, with the strongest being their primary learning style. Learners who struggle to develop literacy skills almost always fall into the category of kinaesthetic learner, people who learn by doing, not by remembering visual or auditory cues. Therefore, a remedial literacy program, even for adults, must cater to this style of learning. Over the decades there have been many different labels for learning styles, many academic papers written, many theories expounded, much jargon invented, however, the above three types remain the simplest way to explain why some find learning literacy easy and others do not.

In my experience, people who struggle with literacy are typically kinaesthetic learners, who learn by doing, by physically manipulating materials in order to assist them to learn. Kinaesthetic learners learn through physically manipulating elements, which helps them process the information, generalise and assimilate to previous skills and information they have acquired and effectively interact with language, including text. However, the education system does not cater adequately to these individuals and after a while they begin to view themselves as deficient. They have tried to function within a system that does not meet their learning needs. Once they do become literate they realise the failure was not theirs.

Because the vast majority of learners are primarily visual/auditory, they fare much better, but a significant proportion of the population are kinaesthetic learners and in children this can lead to significant behavioural problems, which is often the catalyst for them being referred to a remedial program. Learning to read and write for these learners often results in a patchy acquisition due to many factors, such as learning style and resistance to learning based on past failures, inconsistent teaching methods, periods of absence from school due to sickness etc.

Then there are specific learning difficulties and disabilities that impair a student’s progress, such as dysgraphia, a neurological condition that affects a person’s ability to not only spell and write but sometimes to plan and manage their lives. People with this condition typically have messy handwriting and messy rooms, are frequently late and may also have ADHD. Dysgraphia affects a person’s ability to visualise the shapes of the letters they want to make before they make them, (preplanning and working memory), something most of us take for granted. They only see the spelling mistake after they have written it. They also struggle to keep a consistent size and shape to their writing and maintain a reasonable pencil grip (not too tight). This condition is not about intelligence – very smart people can suffer from dysgraphia – but have to find ways to compensate, such as using a computer. There are different types of dysgraphia and varying causes. This affects their ability to learn to become literate.

Over three decades of teaching literacy, I have developed many tools that are designed to help different kinds of learners acquire literacy skills in a fun and meaningful manner, which boosts their competence and drives them further onward, As their skills grow, so too does their confidence and willingness to persist, but it is essential that they begin at the right point in their literacy skills development and that is why initial assessment is crucial. Not only does it show which skills are lacking, it also shows the various skills a learner has already acquired. For adult learners, this can be very significant; to know that they have retained some of the learning they received at school.

I use a battery of simple, time-honoured tests. They all have different normative values based upon studies. Some go back to the 1950s, others are more modern. When scoring and analysing the tests, certain patterns emerge and guide the teacher in developing a program to address these gaps. The types of errors consistently made show where the confusion lies. The actual standard of literacy in this country has fallen dramatically. Current tests use norms which I think are too lenient, so I use some older tests as well. This is because they have more value in terms of a wider vocabulary and the student’s ability to infer when the meaning isn’t clear. This is a critical thinking skill.

In addition, comprehension questions that are posed orally to the learner throughout the test can reveal a great deal about the way the reader interacts with the text whilst they are reading. The most important aspect is whether they visualise what they are reading. Are they projecting a movie in their head as they read? Or do they merely read the words without any real understanding? Some learners are very good at decoding and with their accuracy, inflections, tone, and expression, sound as if they perfectly understand what is read. However, upon being questioned, they demonstrate very clearly that they have not retained the meaning and purpose of the text. The questions also reveal whether the reader understands information given orally, a function in a different part of the brain. Do they have a specific language problem, (speaking, listening), which needs addressing? When a writing sample is included, these assessment tools provide a quick, clear picture of the skill set of the learner upon which a program can be based.

In the initial assessment, I take into account many factors that don’t appear on the surface to have anything to do with literacy, but are nevertheless part of my assessment, because they too, have a bearing on how the learner learns. These include: posture when sitting at the table to write, their pen/pencil grip, their distance from the page, any easily observable emotions associated with the activity, (stress, anxiety), diagnosed health or developmental conditions, whether they have a primary language other than English and whether they acquired that language easily, whether they are numerate, their verbal vocabulary, syntax and grammar, their ability to understand and respond appropriately to questions given orally and, of course, the learner’s own thoughts/feelings/observations about their learning history.

What works with some learners may not work with others, but there is usually a consistent level of success with certain activities, which are proven to work. Confidence building, especially in the initial stages, is absolutely vital to the success of this program. As an adult, it will be necessary for the learner to accept that the material they may be using may seem childish to them, but it is important to start right at the beginning and the simplest words will be childish in nature. But if we can move through this phase as quickly as possible and if the learner can accept that this is where we have to start, progress can be rapid.

There are games and activities which have been proven to assist kinaesthetic learners ‘switch on’ the visualisation part of their brain and thus enable them to develop a sight word vocabulary; to memorise the shape and size of words and also to develop a mental movie of what they are reading, which helps recall and understanding. Most of us take this for granted. For kinaesthetic learners, these skills must be specifically taught and mastered. As the switch occurs, the learning becomes faster and easier.

A home program is absolutely crucial to the success of this endeavour. If the learner commits to practice, every day, and to playing the games and going through the exercises, they will, absolutely, positively, succeed and make progress. Belief in their ability to succeed can be a fragile thing, but if the program is individually targeted and moves through the predictable stages at an appropriate pace, confidence can be maintained and built upon. The learner’s motivation will propel them forward, through challenges and periods of stagnation.

A seemingly unconnected aspect to a literacy program is physical activity. The human brain is ‘plastic’ – that is, it continues to grow and adapt throughout our lifetime. This is why brain-injured patients can relearn how to walk, talk etc. Our modern life is often very static, with long periods of inactivity. Physical movement helps the brain to process new experiences and knowledge. For kinaesthetic learners, this is even more important. The gross motor movement of arms and legs helps the brain focus by crossing the midline between left and right hemispheres of the brain, to help understand and retain information. Reading whilst walking is one small example of combining gross motor movement and learning.

Working with older learners is very rewarding for the teacher because once on board, adults are hungry to improve. They know they have a lot to catch up on and they want to get down to it as soon as possible. Charting their success is very important to keeping their confidence levels as high as possible. It gives them a sense of control and a solid record of their progress. Retesting and reassessment at regular intervals (every six months) forms the basis of this record. They need to know that their scores are higher as a result of all the effort they are putting in. It also provides an opportunity to explain why progress in certain areas has not occurred as fast as they would like. Self-knowledge and understanding of their individual skills and challenges imparts power to the learner. Analysis of all the factors helps build a picture of how the learner learns and what methods will help them. This evolves as the program unfolds. It is essential that the learner moves at their own pace. There will be periods of quick improvement and periods of stagnation. This is normal. The challenge is to push through and keep the motivation and progress ongoing. I have seen unbelievably rapid improvement in many of the most severe cases and the joy this brings a learner’s self-confidence is wonderful to witness.

Learning to read and write is a step-by-step process. If any steps are missed, progress is affected. Adults who have struggled with literacy often tend to be kinaesthetic learners or have specific learning disabilities. The school education system typically fails these learners because their needs are not mainstream, requiring a more creative approach. In recent years this aspect of teaching has begun to be addressed, but it is still a long way from being adequate to the needs of these learners. An adult education program follows the exact same steps to literacy development that is used for children, because the phonemic skills and visual memory skills required to become literate are the same, no matter the age of the learner. The stages are predictable, concrete, and if the guidance and tools are available to the learner, success is guaranteed.

Becoming literate is life-changing and can affect all aspects of a person’s life, not just at work, but also at home. To articulate thoughts and feelings effectively and to access new learning through literature, means to engage in personal and professional relationships with confidence.

Click HERE to read more about Dawn Meredith on our The Who’s Who of the Braddon Beagle page.