Teaching adult education classes usually refers to any type of learning that an adult pursues beyond the traditional years of schooling. It may be a telecommunications class that the student’s employer is paying for, or it may be an adult literacy class, which helps illiterate adults, as well as those from other countries who don’t understand English, to learn to read the simplest of texts and documents. There are organizations such as DAEL (the Division of Adult Education and Literacy) that promote programs that will help American adults learn the basic of skills necessary in order to be productive workers, citizens and family members. All programs emphasize the basic skills of writing and reading in English.
DAEL normally allots funds to the different states earmarked specifically for an adult education. The states will then distribute those funds to the local eligible programs that are designed to improve literacy skills in adults. DAEL also gives assistance to the different states in order to improve the quality of the program and its capacity that in turn helps additional adults.
If the idea of working in the field of adult education appeals to you, then there is a chance that you will end up teaching as a lecturer or instructor in a university or college, or working at a public school, vocational school, in a training center that helps adults find jobs or even in a community agency. The required level of education and skills necessary will vary according to the position to be filled.
Generally, in order to teach in a public school system or in universities you will need to have a graduate degree and possibly need teacher certification and licensing as well. And, as a general rule, those who instruct adults in community or vocational schools will require a master’s degree. Finally, those who would like to become teachers of a self-enrichment type of literacy program may not need specific educational credentials but may need to show some type of portfolio of their work and demonstrate experience in the field.
Most adult programs do recommend that the instructors of both basic and secondary education take workshops or classes on teaching adults, as they must remember that they are working with learners from a variety of social, educational and economic backgrounds. It is important for teachers to be understanding and respectful of each student’s circumstances and be familiar with their concerns. All teachers, both volunteer and paid, should have excellent communication skills and know how to motivate their students.
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An international comparison of reading comprehension and performance indicated that juniors and seniors in the United States scored significantly lower than students in Brazil, Indonesia and other developing countries. Approximately 38% of high school seniors are reading at what is considered below basic levels, which indicates that there is a need for literacy programs in schools.
Many teachers were not surprised at these findings. They said it confirmed that even students who read well enough in the lower primary grades may encounter some trouble with reading later. In both middle schools and high schools, teachers usually consider themselves to be “content specialists” and believe that elementary school teachers are the ones who should be helping children to improve reading skills. One method of turning that around is to secure ongoing development by working with a literacy specialist who will coach the teachers on the best way of infusing literacy instruction while teaching.
There has been some movement in the right direction, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, which was signed into law in 2002. In general it says that states must develop and administer assessments in the basic literacy skills if they wish to continue to receive federal funding. These exams are given to students in certain grades in order to evaluate and measure improved skills. In addition, many states require high school seniors to pass an exit test if they want to graduate.
If you need further proof that a standardized literacy program is needed for students, then consider the fallout from poor writing and reading abilities in post secondary circles as well, as 73% of employers have rated the reading and writing abilities of recent graduates as “fair” or “poor.” Over a third of the undergraduates needed remedial writing and reading courses during the first year or two in college.
Gaining insights into the reading process helps students to read for recreation, as well as providing a way to help them with their problem solving abilities. After going over the current research that is available on the reading process, school officials decided that students were not being provided with enough tools to successfully complete their reading goals. In the high school literacy programs, the teachers are encouraged to make the reading portion of their lessons more interactive. To see if these programs have merit, all you have to do is read some of the personal testimonies that are given by both students and teachers.
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According to one study, over 50% of college students who were close to graduation were tested on different literacy skills, and it was found they lacked the skills necessary to complete certain tasks, including understanding a newspaper editorial article. Of the students that attended four year programs, over 50% of them were unable to perform more complex tasks, such as summarizing the results of surveys on parental involvement in schools. Of the students attending a two year school program, over 75% of them were unable to compare credit cards with different fees and annual percentage rates.
The main areas of this particular study included analyzing stories in the news and other writings, comprehending documents and utilizing the math skills necessary for checkbooks and even restaurant tips. One of the researchers may have understated the feeling of most when he said that it was a “little disturbing” that at this level of higher education students could not perform basic tasks.
On the brighter side, a majority of the students at four year schools and community colleges did demonstrate some intermediate skills, meaning that they were able to perform some moderately challenging tasks. Some examples of the tasks that our college students were able to perform included finding the cost of office supplies ordered, consulting a reference guide in order to find out what vitamins are in different foods and identifying locations on a map.
There is a brighter side; the overall average literacy level of university students is actually higher than the average level of adult literacy nationwide. However, even though it sounds encouraging, experts claim it is not exactly surprising given the fact that the group of adults tested included those who had significantly less education.
College students, when compared with like levels of education in others, showed superior skills when searching and using information that has been gathered from texts and documents. Many of the students performed very poorly with problems that involved math and that 20% of those students who were going for a four year degree possessed the most basic of quantitative skills. For example, they were not able to estimate whether or not a car had adequate fuel to make it to a gas station and about 30% of them following a two year path had only the basic mathematical skills.
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The Improving America’s Schools Act of 1993 was the largest contribution to the Kindergarten through grade 12 educational process by the federal government. This act was to ensure that all students in the United States would have the chance to develop the knowledge and skills necessary, which at one time was only offered to “top students.” Support was offered in an effort to make the national education goals a reality in every school, but especially for kids living in poverty. By using professional development, increasing the level of instruction and demanding accountability, and combining those concepts with high standards and federal money, teachers are able to help move all students towards a higher education.
The success or failure of this will make a world of difference. For the children it may mean the difference between finding doors open or closed to them as adults. For the nation it may affect economic prosperity, democracy and world leadership, or it might mean an overall decline in the US standard of living and influence around the world.
All of this has, of course, been mentioned and suggested before; however, experts are beginning to consider that perhaps it was not specific enough, that the resources have not been focused on implementing a good literacy program. So, ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) have broken it down into what they feel are the five most important educational areas.
The traditional add-on type programs are not powerful enough to succeed. Leadership and support for world literacy will help all communities to prosper; therefore, all families and schools must do everything they can to enable their children to reach higher levels of literacy standards.
According to the experts, the first educational area that needs improvement is standards, as higher standards need to be set for all children. Following this is ensuring that improved teaching methods and learning are a priority in every school. Thirdly, the government needs to offer flexibility in order to stimulate local initiatives that are partnered with responsibility for student performance. Students, parents and communities need to work together to meet the higher education goals. Many believe that more federal funds should go where it is needed the most, such as the poorer communities and schools.
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There are many instructional aides available that claim they are the best when it comes to teaching literacy skills. However, perhaps there is no “best” program, but a combination of programs, such as a balanced approach that encourages teachers to make conscious decisions every day about the best way to help each child become a better reader and writer; specifically to “fine tune” what he or she is doing in order to meet the needs of each child. A balanced approach recognizes the contributions of many different perspectives.
A balanced literacy program is made up of several components, such as a teacher reading aloud as this provides an example of adult literacy while developing a sense of text and story. Reading aloud also helps to improve vocabulary and active listening skills, which then encourages a prediction. Shared reading by the teacher and student helps to improve reading skills, as it develops phrasing and fluency, and increases comprehension.
Additional components involved with the balanced literacy programs include teacher guided reading. This refers to a teacher assigning a reading selection that is at the appropriate level for the individual student. Experts believe that this helps to expand the student’s belief in their own abilities and encourages independent reading skills to improve. This will also increase comprehension, help to develop fluency and will provide opportunities for the student to use mistakes as learning experiences.
Interactive writing is another portion of a balanced literacy program and involves the teacher and student writing portions of text together. In this instance, opportunities are provided to plan and construct the text, and it creates an opportunity to teach students how to apply what they have learned. It is also a great method for improving spelling and using resources that are available.
Once the above components have been introduced, the final stage of the balanced program is independent writing. Using these types of programs will strengthen the student’s text sequences, sentence structure, reading development, and will help to improve writing strategies, which in turn will help them to understand the abundant uses of reading and writing. Above all, this balanced literacy method helps children to develop active independence that improves their problem solving abilities, which of course will be needed throughout their adult life.
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In general, the word literacy means that you have the ability to make and communicate meanings to other individuals using symbols that are socially appropriate. Comprehension continues to improve by using different things that you know from your own experiences in speaking, writing, listening and reading as a way to make yourself understood. In a child, language development plays one of the most important roles when learning writing and reading comprehension.
Experts tell us that a person’s past experiences or problems are unable to be separated from the acquisition of newer words in a literacy program. In other words, each person brings with them a new group of experiences that is based on their background, which influences their interpretation of texts. This information that they have already learned must be in some way connected with the new information in order for new learning to happen. Children from a different culture may not have the necessary prior knowledge needed in order to teach them new vocabulary meanings that are different from their own cultural contexts. For instance, a person raised in a more vegetarian culture is likely unable to understand terms such as rare, medium and well done as a reference to the cooking of meat.
In order to learn, use and apply new literacy skills children need examples and support. At the different levels of school grades, as children begin using new words on their own, a teacher will continually introduce higher standards of reading and comprehension. However, teachers still need to coach children when necessary in order for them to gain literacy confidence.
Teaching someone is much easier when you can show them how literacy will actually add value or meaning to their life. What a child brings to a learning experience does affect the outcome, so their enthusiasm, curiosity and desire to learn will help to improve reading skills and writing skills. For instance, the simple act of letter writing to a loved one will give the endeavor a more personal value, instead of just writing a generic letter in a friendly format. The connection between what they are being taught and its significance as being useful must be obvious to a child in order to ensure continued learning.
A child’s social location and cultural experience can include ethnic, gender, religious and the socioeconomic differences, all of which can influence interpretation of learning experiences. Shared writing and reading experiences, classroom discussions and similar activities support literacy development. A child constructs meaning from their every day language and experiences that they encounter, so a more stimulating interactive environment will enhance their learning. Encouraging conversation and collaboration among many diverse groups, as well as social learning context being created that allows for diverse views to become shared and explored, will help to further along their understanding of different cultural viewpoints. Children, and even their parents, need to feel empowered and realize the relevance of the education being received.
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If someone asks what makes a good teacher, you will more than likely have some pretty concrete ideas. Naturally, good teachers have a wonderful ability to motivate students enough to want to learn and above average teachers show them the best way to learn by using methods that are relevant and memorable. It is about being both devoted to and passionate about your career and possessing the ability to pass that passion on to your students.
Some instructors realize that you need to treat the students as “consumers of knowledge,” always being at the top of your game by using resources both inside and outside your particular area of education. But, it is not just about reading journals or manuals; it is more about leaving your comfort zone and immersing yourself in the entire community.
Being a good teacher is about leadership, listening, being responsive, questioning and above all remembering that each and every class and student is different. It is also about getting responses and developing ways of communication with the quieter students. You must be comfortable with pushing the students to excel while still being human, remaining professional and respecting others.
Keep in mind that good teaching is not necessarily about having a set agenda or being too rigid. Instead, teachers should remain flexible, not be afraid to experiment and be able to adjust to whatever the circumstances may be; remembering that while grades are important, many learning opportunities and experiences are not graded. You should be able to deviate from your scheduled lecture or other plans easily if there is a better way for students to learn.
There is style involved with teaching as well; should instruction be entertaining? Perhaps, yes, but that does not mean that it should lack meaning or substance; an effective teacher knows that it is not necessary to stand at the front of the room as if glued to the floor, or having all eyes staring at a slide show while you drone on and on. Effective ways of teaching math, literacy skills and computer skills, for example, can come from imagining your class as an orchestra and realizing that each student plays a different instrument at varying proficiencies. Good teachers teach not because they have to; not for the money. It is something that they thoroughly enjoy and can’t imagine doing anything else.
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