Training for future reading instructors for any age includes four reading areas to be consistently addressed with students: Alphabetics, Vocabulary, Fluency, and Comprehension (Alvoflaco). :) If you want to brush up on each of those, our LINCS Resource Center contains a very helpful review of each of those areas as they relate to adults.
https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/teach_adults.pdf - National Institute of Literacy: The Partnership for Reading. "Teaching Adults to Read: A Summary Of Scientifically Based Research Principles," by Mary E. Curtis and John R. Kruidenier, 2005
"This Partnership for Reading publication describes strategies proven to work by the most rigorous scientific research available on the teaching of reading. The research that confirmed the effectiveness of these strategies used systematic, empirical methods drawn from observation or experiment; involved rigorous data analyses to test its hypotheses and justify its conclusions; produced valid data across multiple evaluators and observations; and was accepted by a peerreviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts. The application of these researchbased strategies will increase the likelihood of success in reading instruction." (Intro)
Reflection Questions (following your review of the report or simply from your experience)
- Is it helpful to you as an instructor to have those four areas identified and analyzed? Do you systematically address those among your ABE students?
- What tools have you found that engage students in one or more of those areas as they become better readers? Are other areas missing? What, if anything, would you add or delete?
- How do you assess your students in order to know where to target your instruction?
Please share your responses to these questions or to any other reflection on this important topic! Leecy
Comments
The resesarch in adult ed reading doesn't talk about it but I propose we add motivation to the list, which I suppose would make it Alvoflacomo. How can we motivate our reluctant, struggling readers to want to do something that is hard for them?
Good question, Di! How, indeed, can we hook into the motivation of our adults to buy into the Alvoflaco process? Maybe we can add Goals to the list. Adults persist in learning new skills in scary areas, like reading and writing, only when we connect to their interests and goals, which, of course, many don't recognize until they do, hopefully with our help! The acronym lengthens to ALVOFLACOMOGO! :) Leecy