Literacy Teaching vulnerable learners and those on community orders or probation 1 1

Aims Aim To consider effective strategies for teaching literacy to vulnerable learners and/or those on community orders/probation Objectives By the end of the session you will be able to: identify some strategies used by effective literacy teachers select activities appropriate for adult literacy learners who are vulnerable and/or those on community orders/probation This session has been designed to help you consider a range of ways to assist learners in developing their literacy skills. Although the suggestions and ideas we put forward in this session are aimed at vulnerable learners and those on community orders or probation, they are good practice and appropriate for any literacy teaching. The ideas are based on a review of the available research evidence and on our own experience of teaching literacy. During this session, we hope that you will be able to reflect on some strategies known to be used by effective literacy teachers and consider how and why they might be appropriate for the learners you work with. Literacy 2

Activity 1: Who are your learners? Take five minutes to discuss and record what you know about your learners. Think about: What has been their previous experience of education? What skills / attitudes do they come with? What literacy skills do they need to or might want to develop? What do you know about how they like to learn? What might be the main barriers to learning they face? Activity 1 The purpose of this activity is to consider who the learners are and what they bring with them. Learners are not empty vessels to be ‘filled up’ with knowledge and skills. They come with ideas, experiences and knowledge of language, texts and the world, all of which can be valuable in helping them improve their literacy. They will already be engaged in literacy practices (they will be doing some reading and writing in their lives) even if this is sporadic and unacknowledged. They may well have had negative educational experiences in the past which will colour how they view returning to learning. Teachers need to take into account any particular attitudes and experiences the learners bring and also try and focus on the positive- the reading and writing that learners want/ need to do so that teaching is relevant, interesting and stimulating for the learner. Literacy 3

Who are your learners? Your learners will have: Ideas, experiences, and knowledge of language, written materials, and the world Prior experience of literacy, and of reading and writing, even if they do not acknowledge this Potentially, bad experience of education in the past Important to take these aspects of learners’ experience into account Activity 1 The purpose of this activity is to consider who the learners are and what they bring with them. Learners are not empty vessels to be ‘filled up’ with knowledge and skills. They come with ideas, experiences and knowledge of language, texts and the world, all of which can be valuable in helping them improve their literacy. They will already be engaged in literacy practices (they will be doing some reading and writing in their lives) even if this is sporadic and unacknowledged. They may well have had negative educational experiences in the past which will colour how they view returning to learning. Teachers need to take into account any particular attitudes and experiences the learners bring and also try and focus on the positive- the reading and writing that learners want/ need to do so that teaching is relevant, interesting and stimulating for the learner. Literacy 4

Adult Literacy Learners There is an evidence base of teaching practices with proven effectiveness for adult literacy learners, developed by a critical review of the available research Can you predict what might be in it? Activity 2 We want to start straight away thinking about what is good practice so we are going to look at what the research tells us. Incidentally, predicting before reading is one strategy that is often used in teaching reading. It helps to activate the learners’ schema (draws out what they already know about a subject) and gets them thinking about it before reading, so they can link what they read to what they already know. Take a few minutes to share what you think might be seen as effective practices in teaching literacy. Literacy 5

Enhancing literacy teaching for adults: the evidence base Benseman, Sutton & Lander, 2005: Explicit teaching by well-trained teachers in phonics, fluency, vocabulary building and comprehension Ongoing assessment in reading and writing Teaching directed by assessment ‘Authentic’ reading, writing and oral activities that relate to learners’ lives and experience A variety of reading, writing and oral activities Sufficient number of hours of tuition, possibly more than 100 hours Further notes: A useful review of practice has been conducted by Benseman, Sutton and Lander (2005): Working in the Light of the Evidence, as Well as Aspiration: A Literature Review of the Best Available Evidence about Effective Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Language Teaching. (See references at the end). It is a summary of research and professional wisdom from practitioners. These are some of the important points that are made: Explicit teaching It is not enough to assume that learners know something or to hint at it. Teaching needs to be clear and explicit (and sometimes repetitive) so that learners know what is going on and are able to practise it Well-trained teachers Those who are teaching literacy need to understand how language works, how it is used and how it is learned. There are books and courses to support with this. Phonics, fluency, vocabulary building and comprehension were seen as the four key elements of reading instruction by the US National Reading Panel, published in 2000 and very influential in defining what needs to be taught under the heading of literacy. Ongoing assessment is important so both the learner and the teacher can see what progress is being made. Teaching needs to be directed by the results of diagnostic assessment , so that teachers can build on what they know to be the learner’s strengths and can target specific areas for development. Authentic tasks mean that learners can see that reading and writing can have value in their own lives and is not merely something that has to be done to please the teacher. A variety of activities keeps learners engaged and motivated. If one type of activity doesn’t work for them, then they will have other opportunities to learn by using different types of tasks and resources. Learning can be slow and difficult; no-one learns to read and write in a week or two. All learners need sufficient hours of tuition to be able to master a skill and build enough confidence to use it. Literacy 6

Explicit teaching by well-trained teachers: Core dimensions of reading Text level Comprehension (explicit and implicit) Reading fluency Types of reading (skimming, scanning, detailed reading) Sentence level Use of implicit knowledge of grammar and punctuation to aid understanding Word level Decoding (phonics) Vocabulary building Further notes: Enhancing literacy learning for adults involves ‘Explicit teaching by well-trained teachers in phonics, fluency, vocabulary building and comprehension’ The next three slides give an overview of what teachers need to know about these topics. The adult literacy core curriculum which gives more detail about them (http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/node/1515) has a framework which differentiates between three dimensions of reading and writing. This model recognises that reading and writing are complex processes and that fluent readers and writers operate on different levels. Text focus- addresses the overall meaning of the text, the ability to read critically and flexibly and write in different styles and forms Sentence focus- deals with grammar and sentence structure Word focus- looks at individual words, their structure, spelling and meanings This slide shows how those key components of phonics, comprehension, fluency and vocabulary building, identified by the National Reading Panel, fit into this framework. Literacy 7

Core dimensions of writing Text level Composition Planning and drafting Sentence level Grammar Punctuation Word level Spelling Handwriting In terms of writing, the core dimensions also fit into the text, sentence and word level model. It is important to work on all dimensions concurrently; too much focus on, for example, word level activities, leaves the learner without the complete picture about the purpose and audience they are writing for. Literacy 8

Core dimensions of speaking and listening Speak to communicate clearly and appropriately Support opinions with arguments and evidence Listening Listen for gist Listen for detail Respond appropriately Discussion Engage in discussion Additional notes: Speaking and listening skills are also important and need to be integrated with reading and writing, even though they don’t fit the same text, sentence, word model. It is often noted that oral communication is a significant concern for those serving sentences. It is often assumed that that learners already have these skills, but having a clear understanding of what is being said to you and being able to give voice to your own opinions and enable them to be heard can be particularly important for vulnerable learners. Literacy 9

Activity 3 Which methods work best for literacy teaching? Take into account : what you know about your learners the evidence base of effective teaching practices the core dimensions of literacy that learners need Refer to the Literacy Activities – Activity 3, and complete the exercise. Activity 3 This activity is designed to help you to think about what methods might work best for literacy teaching and learning. The methods that work best are likely to be those that will engage, empower and motivate learners. Think about: what you know about your learners the evidence base of effective teaching practices the core dimensions of literacy that learners need Literacy 10

Activity 4: Andragogy – how adults learn Malcolm Knowles' theory of Andragogy (1980s) has six assumptions: Need to Know: adults need to know the reason for learning something Experience: experience (including error) provides the basis for learning activities Self-concept: adults need to be responsible for decisions on their education Relevance: adults are most interested in learning subjects which are relevant to their work and/or personal lives Motivation: adults respond better to internal rather than external motivators Orientation: adult learning is problem-centred rather than content-oriented Activity 4 Andragogy is a learning theory about how adults learn (as opposed to pedagogy- the education of children). Developed by Malcolm Knowles in the 1980s, the theory of andragogy is built around some crucial assumptions about the characteristics of adult learners that are different from the assumptions about child learners on which traditional pedagogy is based. Andragogy argues that adults need a different type of teaching because of their greater experience of life. This activity will help to explore this theory in more detail. How might these assumptions be relevant for literacy teaching? What might they mean in practice? What particular approaches or methods might be involved? Work in pairs or small groups. Each pair should take one of these 6 assumptions and discuss how it might translate into literacy teaching. Make notes on any planning, teaching or assessment methods it implies. Be prepared to report back on your discussion to the whole group. The trainer will want to take feedback from each pair or small group first, but might then use the following six slides to reinforce what the groups feed back and to add any points they may have missed. Knowles, M. et al (1984) Andragogy in Action. Applying modern principles of adult education, San Francisco: Jossey Bass. A collection of chapters examining different aspects of Knowles' formulation. Literacy 11

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Involve learners in planning the curriculum Share aims and objectives with learners Be clear about the purpose for all activities Explain how any activity will relate to real-life skills or tasks 1. Need to know Literacy 12

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Find out what skills, abilities and experiences the learners bring with them Encourage them to talk about their experiences and respond to each other Use their experience as a basis for writing (language experience approach; blogging) Find interesting and relevant texts to read that they will understand and want to respond to 2. Experience Literacy 13

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Involve learners in the planning and assessment of their learning Encourage them to talk about what they want to learn and why Negotiate the curriculum Involve them in the choice of resources Agree targets and support them to achieve 3. Self-concept Literacy 14

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Ensure that whole and meaningful texts are the basis of instruction Embed speaking, listening, reading and writing tasks within authentic communicative activities Negotiate topics that are relevant in a domain of their lives (work, home, leisure) 4. Relevance Literacy 15

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Involving learners in decisions about their education is motivating and empowering They can be involved in: Devising the curriculum Selecting the resources Choosing the teaching methods Deciding how they want to be assessed 5. Motivation Literacy 16

How might this translate into literacy teaching? Choose tasks that are challenging but achievable Provide a mixture of proficiency and developmental tasks Recognise that problem solving is best done collaboratively Encourage learners to discuss issues and seek help from each other 6. Orientation Literacy 17

Proficiency and developmental tasks easy, typically involving only knowledge and comprehension not dependent on prior learning can be attained in short time all students should be able to get them right Proficiency tasks dependent on prior learning students will not get them all right development is slow and requires effort involve higher order skills like evaluation & synthesis Developmental tasks Additional notes: Useful to look at how these tasks are applied in relation to Functional skills Petty uses the terms mastery and developmental, instead of proficiency and developmental Literacy 18

Examples of different types of tasks Proficiency tasks Developmental tasks Complete a close exercise (gap fill) on a text to show understanding Write a summary of a text to show understanding Listen and respond to closed questions Listen and respond to open questions Read and follow a set of instructions Read and respond to a short story Write a personal statement by filling in a writing frame Write a personal statement Literacy 19

Participatory learning Any teaching method can be participatory if the learner is involved in choosing it Try choosing methods that involve learners making their own decisions and relying on each other rather than the teacher Collaborative tasks build independence and empower learners Beginning readers? Try Language Experience approach More experienced readers? Try Reciprocal Reading Writers (any level)? –Try Writing at the House Literacy 20

Language Experience Approach Two learners work together. Learner A is the catalyst; learner B is the writer A has a discussion with B and writes down a small portion of what s/he says. It is important to use B’s exact works (not to translate into Standard English) A writes it out clearly for B, who reads it back. When B can read it as a sentence (or two) A cuts it into chunks and then words for B to pick out individual sections or words and rearrange. Literacy 21

Writing at the House 1 Autobiographical, reflective writing Provides authentic writing task Focuses on process not product of writing Learners read relevant autobiographies as models and discuss themes Brainstorm ideas and write (multiple) drafts Consider audience, purpose and genre Present work and get feedback from peers and tutors Literacy 22

Writing at the House 2 The autobiographical nature of the writing ensures relevance to the learner and offers the teacher insights into the learner’s world. Their learning is supported by the reading of relevant and engaging texts. The techniques and strategies they learn in the workshop are integrated into every other course. In the job skills class they use active voice, descriptive language, grammatical rules, etc in CVs and cover letters. They apply the word processing skills learnt in the IT class in their writing in the workshop. In the life skills class they record the minutes of each session, writing clearly, accurately and succinctly. See Resources slide at the end. Literacy 23

Reciprocal reading (1) Also collaborative technique for developing comprehension from research by Anne-Marie Palincsar (1984, 1985) Divides comprehension of text into 4 explicit stages Why use it? It makes explicit the different elements of comprehension It divides these elements of comprehension between several people, making the task less onerous for each It supports the process of comprehension It allows all learners to contribute and learn from each other predict clarify question summarise Further notes: Predicting- Use of prior knowledge (of texts, subject, world) and on structure and content of text; encourages thoughtful, strategic reading Clarifying – Deals with unfamilar vocabulary; unfamiliar structure; new or difficult concepts; meaning loss Implement repair strategies (reread; context clues, grammar clues, dictionary or other reference materials) Monitor own comprehension - identify when there has been a comprehension breakdown and take action to restore meaning Questioning – Frame questions before, during and after reading, for self-checking. Question unclear parts, puzzling info, connections to other things, characters, and so on. Offer solutions, find relevant information to answer questions, monitor own comprehension; help others Generate own questions, think about what they don’t know and need or like to know, make personal meaning out of texts and engage in purposeful reading. Summarising- Identify main ideas, integrate information identify the most important info and communicate it clearly Another order might be summarise; question; clarify; predict Or question; summarise, clarify, predict Literacy 24

Predict Clarify Question Summarise What do you think will happen in the next section? Clarify Was there anything you didn’t understand? How can we work out what it means? Question Think of a question you can ask the rest of the group about what you have read Summarise What happened in the section we just read? Literacy 25

Activity 6: Reciprocal reading Refer to the Activity Sheet and complete the exercise. Literacy 26

In summary, when teaching literacy, think about ... The learners and what they bring What effective literacy teachers do: teach explicit literacy skills; inform teaching with on-going assessment; use a variety of literacy tasks which are authentic and related to learners’ experiences How adults learn and how this impacts on their learning of literacy (andragogy) How different types of teaching methods and learning activities can motivate and support learners How to promote participatory learning activities Literacy 27

Further resources On the resource list you will find more references and resources, many of which can be downloaded, that you might want to look at. There are some general literacy resources, and some that are specific to the participatory methods we have been discussing today. Literacy 28

Brian Creese (numeracy), Jay Derrick (assessment and embedding), Materials in this CPD were devised by the following members of the Institute of Education: Brian Creese (numeracy), Jay Derrick (assessment and embedding), Jane Hurry (motivation and exit strategies), Maria Kambouri (ICT), Irene Schwab (literacy) and John Vorhaus (continuing professional development and learner contexts) Helpful suggestions and comments were made by Joe Shamash and Olivia Varley-Winter at City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development. If you would like to contact us please email Jane Hurry at j.hurry@ioe.ac.uk Literacy 29

The CPD Framework An outline of the sessions Literacy 30