Good Morning and Happy Friday from Literacy Connexus everyone! I hope that this blog post finds you happy, healthy, and enjoying your summer break (if you had one)!
As we approach back to school, and begin to prepare for new student arrivals, I wanted to share a couple of wonderful resources for working with the preliterate and nonliterate adult English language learner demographic.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may have noticed this topic come up quite a few times. You’ll also very likely see it again, because this demographic is near and dear to my heart. When Literacy Connexus says literacy for all, we mean for all.
So, what is a preliterate or a nonliterate student in the first place? According to Savage (1993) there are 4 main literacy types that may need literacy instruction.
Preliterate students speak a language whose written form is rare or does not exist.
From: Savage, K. Lynn. (1993). Literacy Through Competency-Based Educational Approaches in J. Crandall and J.K. Peyton (Eds.),
Non-literate students (formerly illiterate) speak a language that has a written form, but
they have not learned to read or write it themselves.
Semi-literate students have some formal education and are able to read and write at an
elementary level (usually up to grade 4 reading level).
Students who are literate in a non-Roman alphabet are functionally literate in their
native language, which uses characters or a non-Roman alphabet; they therefore need to
learn the formation of the Roman alphabet and the sound/symbol relationship in English.
Approaches to Adult ESL Literacy Instruction. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Now that we know who they are, what are some things to keep in mind when serving these students?
- They are still adult students. As much as we may want to use those tried and true methods that we’ve used when teaching our children, we have to keep in mind that these students are still adults. That means we have to use adult appropriate material, and make literacy real for our students in direct relationship to their everyday lives.
- Many of these students either have no formal education exposure, or very little formal education exposure, so we may have to teach them how to be a student. This means that everything from holding a pencil to developing memory skills may be new for them.
- Preliterate and nonliterate students need a strong oral foundation to build literacy on.
- Even though many of these students will be starting from the beginning with literacy, they still have skills and strengths in oral language. We have to both recognize them, and use them to help our students connect their oral language to written language.
- Most importantly, building literacy takes time. Repetition and variance over time are key!
To learn more about how to serve preliterate and nonliterate students in your programs and classrooms check out these resources:
- For a little background information on this demographic and a list of 8 techniques and methodological suggestions check out: Working with Preliterate and Non-Literate Learners by Colleen Shaughnessy, M.A.
- For a tutor curriculum guide that focuses on developing initial English literacy skills in basic reading and writing, built upon listening and speaking skills check out: Tutor Curriculum Guide for Adult ESL Preliterate Learners by Cielito Brekke.
I hope that some preliterate or nonliterate learners find their way into your hearts and classrooms this year, and that these resources allow you to help them reach their literacy goals. For more teaching and tutoring training, check out Literacy Connexus’ TEX training offerings this summer!
Until next week, blessings and happy teaching!