The Adult Literacy Learner

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The Adult LiteracyLearner
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Characteristics of Adult Learners(Baker,
D. Colvin and Root, 1987 Ennis and Woodrow,
1992 Steck-Vaughn, 1989 Winnipeg Core Area
Initiative.)
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• Confidence Adults often come into a learning
  situation with fear and apprehension, following a
  long history of failure. It takes a great deal of
  courage to admit their needs and ask for
  assistance. Once in a program, some may exhibit
  negative attitudes because of their past
  failures.

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• Competence Each adult learner has unique talents
  and has succeeded in some area of life church,
  neighborhood, family, job, hobbies, sports, as
  part of a network of friends. They are mature
  people who deserve being treated as such.

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• Energy Adults are sometimes tired when they
  attend classes as a result of their other
  responsibilities. They may be working full-time,
  looking after a family and attending classes.

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• Goal-Oriented Adult learners usually have
  definite goals when starting an educational
  program. These goals may include
  self-improvement, getting a driver's license,
  reading to their children, improving job skills,
  getting a job or a promotion, getting a high
  school diploma or equivalent.

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• Learning Styles Different people have different
  preferred styles of learning. Some will learn
  more easily if they can see or feel what is to be
  learned, while others may have to hear it to know
  it. Most adult learners know how they prefer to
  learn if the right questions are asked.

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• Life experience Adults have a wealth of
  personal, family, work and life experiences which
  provide unlimited possibilities for the creation
  and understanding of lessons.

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• Motivation Adult students are usually highly
  motivated when they begin. The motivation can
  quickly lessen if they become discouraged, if
  progress is slow, or as time passes and other
  responsibilities affect the amount of time and
  energy they can give to their learning.

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• Motives Adults often attend classes with a mixed
  set of motives education, social, recreational,
  and sometimes out of a sense of duty or because
  they are required to (ie. by their employer, to
  receive certain benefits, or by law).

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• Needs Change Needs of the adult learner will
  change over time. The goals identified by the
  learner at the beginning may become more
  realistic, evolve as learning takes place, or
  change with one's life circumstances. For
  example, wanting to read with one's children may
  become secondary to learning to read messages
  from the school and write messages to the teacher
  if a child is sick or having problems at school.

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• Reaction time Increased age or poor health can
  affect the reaction time, vision and hearing of
  adult learners. However, they do not lose their
  capacity to learn.

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• Responsible Adult learners, like all adults,
  have many responsibilities. They are busy earning
  a living, taking care of a home and family, often
  just trying to survive. As a result, many
  students have little time to review and absorb
  large amounts of material at one time, or to
  waste on things which they don't perceive to
  contribute directly to their learning.

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• Results Adult students need to see immediate
  change and growth. They may be intolerant of
  anything that does not help them achieve their
  goal. Often, as adults, student's goals are
  overly ambitious.

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• Self-conscious Many adults develop strategies to
  conceal their lack of education. These strategies
  may show up as excuses for non-performance.

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• Self-Motivated Many adult learners are strongly
  motivated towards studying as they see education
  as a way to improve their self-image, and reach
  other personal goals.

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• Uneven Learner Adult learners will not
  necessarily learn at an even pace. It may simply
  be because some things are more challenging for
  the learner than others. Or there may be external
  factors affecting their ability to concentrate.

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Principles of Adult Education
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• Achievement Realistic standards of student
  achievement should be jointly developed by the
  tutor and student.

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• Adult The vocabulary, themes, and language of
  all adult learner materials must be clearly
  written for this audience.

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• Apply Give your students opportunities to apply
  newly-acquired skills as quickly as possible in
  real-life situations.

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• Experience Build on the adult's past experiences
  wherever possible in the learning situation.

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• Goals Organize each lesson around specific
  learning goals. Tell students what objective they
  will achieve with each lesson.

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• Independence Materials should allow adults to
  make discoveries on their own with limited
  teacher supervision. Adults need independence and
  are capable of assuming responsibility for their
  own learning.

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• Integrate Combine several skills and teach them
  concurrently. Reading materials should supply
  information and develop ideas while developing
  new reading skills.

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• Meaningful All learning materials should be
  vital and meaningful to an adult learner. The
  vocabulary must be adult-oriented.

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• Progress Provide adult learners with progress
  reports at frequent intervals. These can serve as
  an important stimulant to adult learning.

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• Steps Develop skills for the adult learner in
  small, sequential steps so that students are not
  overwhelmed with too much information at one time.

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• Stimulate Make learning stimulating but not too
  demanding. These adults are already threatened by
  school, so don't give them materials beyond their
  ability.

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• Success Make sure adult students consistently
  experience success in learning. Don't allow them
  to fail.

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• Time Because students and teachers feel the
  pressure of limited learning time, make the most
  efficient use of each lesson.

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STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS

• I have the right to learn at my own pace and
  not feel stupid.
• I have the right to ask whatever questions I
  have.
• I have the right to need extra help.
• I have the right not to understand.
• I have the right to say "I don't understand".
• I have the right to feel good about myself.
• I have the right to be treated as a competent
  adult.

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Learning Styles
Adapted from http//www.literacy-alberta.ca/resour
ce/crlepa/creating.pdf
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Why is it important to understand that we all
have different ways of learning?

• No one way is the right way
• We all have a preferred learning style
• Its important we understand our own learning
  styles
• Its important we understand the learners
  preferred learning styles
• Its important we know about the variety of
  learning styles so we can plan effective lessons

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Learning Styles

• Visual
• Auditory
• kinesthetic

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Visual Learning Preferences

• Some people learn best when they see information
  written down.
• They like to have things neat and organized and
  will often make lists.
• They like videos and other visual presentations.
• They would rather read themselves than be read
  to.
• They have good memorization skills.
• They are visual learners.

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Auditory learning preferences

• Some people learn best when they hear the
  information and discuss it.
• They prefer to read out loud and when asked to
  read to themselves they may mouth or whisper the
  words.
• They dont like lengthy descriptions but they do
  enjoy phonics.
• They are auditory learners.

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Kinesthetic learning preferences

• Some people learn best by doing an activity.
• They have a short attention span and need to move
  around a lot.
• They may be good at sports or dance.
• They enjoy using their hands to learn and prefer
  hands on activities like field trips.
• They are kinesthetic learners.

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Preferred Learning Environments

• We all like different environments when we are
  learning.
• Some people may want to be very comfortable and
  prefer soft easy chairs.
• Other will prefer their learning to take place at
  a table.
• The degree of light, noise, food and other
  stimulants all play apart in creating an optimum
  learning environment.