Teaching Reading to Adults

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LearningConnectionsPPSTutorPack

Learning Connections

Professional Practice Seminars:

Teaching Readingto AdultsA pack of resources and ideas for adult

literacies tutors

Judith Gawn, Jay Derrick, Samantha Duncan and Irene Schwab

A collection of ideas, strategies, innovations, resources and terribly


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A collection of ideas, strategies, innovations, resources and terribly


Contents

Section A: Background 4

Who the pack is for 4

How the pack came about 4

About the teaching programme 4

Aims and objectives of the teaching programme

5

The rationale for the teaching programme 6

What the tutors did and what info was drawn on 7

Suggestions for using the pack as a teaching and CPD resource 8

Section B: Teaching and Learning Activities-

based on classroom investigations and case studies 9

Talking to learners about reading 9

Stimulating interest in reading 11

Linking reading to practices outside the classroom 12

Working with beginner readers: 14The Language Experience approach

Using Phonics

Working with mixed ability groups 16

Reciprocal reading

Working with specific groups of learners 18

Finding and using appropriate materials: 20

Choosing texts

Simplifying texts

Teaching and learning approaches: 22

Giving feedback on reading

Id if i i di


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Section D: Links to resources on the theory of teaching reading33

Irene Schwabs presentation for the PPS programme: Working with Mixed

Ability Groups Sam Duncans paper for the PPS programme: What are we doing when we

read? adult literacy learners perceptions of reading This is a draft versionof a paper to be published in Research in Post-Compulsory Educationinautumn 2009

Jude Gawn and Jay Derricks paper for the PPS programme: Effective

teaching and learning Wendy Moss: Notes on the theories on the teaching of reading (see

references) Victoria Purcell-Gates: Theres reading...and then theres reading process

models and instruction. Allan Luke and Peter Freebody: The four resources accessed by literate

people.

Lighting the Way: the best available evidence about effective adult literacy,numeracy and language teaching

From Assessment to Practice: Research-Based Approaches to TeachingReading to Adults: a webcast

Internet video resources on theoretical aspects of teaching reading

Section E: Further information and resources

Reading links to key articles

Links to websites

Useful books / packs

Section F: Glossary

Section G: Facilitators of the PPS programme

Section H: Participants in the PPS programme


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Section A: Background

Who the pack is for

This pack has been produced for adult literacies practitioners in Scotland who are working

with adult learners to develop their reading skills. It is intended that it will support both

teaching and continuing professional development. In the pack there are lots of ideas forreading activities and resources which came from the practitioners involved in the

programme.

How the pack came about

The pack has been put together by drawing on the experiences of a group of practitioners

who took part in three continuing professional development (CPD) seminars in Glasgow andEdinburgh in late 2008/early 2009. The seminars were funded by Learning Connections, a

Division of the Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government and delivered by

Jay Derrick of BlueSky Learning Ltd, in collaboration with Judith Gawn from NIACE and

Irene Schwab and Samantha Duncan, both teacher educators from the Institute of

Education, University of London. More information about the facilitators can be found in

section G.

During the programme the tutors undertook classroom activities and investigations into

approaches and methods to teaching reading to adults. This pack contains ideas that were

tried out and evaluated by the participants, together with other materials and resources

recommended by participants and facilitators.

About the programme

The CPD programme consisted of three seminars alongside self-directed investigations into

classroom practice undertaken in tutors own classrooms. The first seminar in November

2008 aimed to stimulate thinking about the teaching of reading to adults, and about

t f th i k th t t f lt l fid t b t W ki i ll


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Working with beginner readers, and using phonics

Working with mixed ability groups

Effective teaching and learning

At the end of the third and final seminar, participants produced reports on their

investigations setting out what they had done, what had worked, what hadnt and why.

The 50participants who attended the programme were organised into nine groups. Thiswas done broadly on a geographic basis, in order to maximise the potential for group

members to communicate and support each other between the seminars. Mostly,

communication and interaction happened via email, although at times members did meet

up between the seminars. This emphasis on the importance of informal communication

between colleagues is a feature of the model for professional development known as

teacher learning communities (Wiliam 2007).

Participants also had access to the Learning Connections Virtual Learning Environment

(VLE), which enabled them to communicate with the group as a whole, and to access

programme documents and information.

The programme aimed to promote co-operative working between the tutors as

professionals to share and develop their own skills and knowledge. The facilitators also

provided support via email between the seminars and participants were encouraged to be

as proactive as possible, so as to get the most benefit from the programme.

Aims and objectives of the programme

The broad aims of the programme were to:

provide a framework and activities enabling tutor-led professional development

focusing on the teaching of reading to adults

evaluate this model of practitioner development
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A higher level of professional confidence and autonomy indicated by the

motivation and ability of practitioners to organise and sustain their own

professional development

Action research findings on the effectiveness and practicability of teacher

learning communities in the context of Scottish adult literacies work

A model for future professional development programmes focusing on different

CPD teaching topics

Participants were involved in the planning of the structure and content of this pack, as well

as contributing their experiences and the valuable insights they gained from the CPD

programme.

Rationale for the format of the programme

The facilitators approach to the teaching of adult literacy was informed by a socialpractices view. Encompassed in that view is a belief that tutors need to have a thorough

grounding in the range of cognitive, psychological and social theories about the

development of literacy skills in order that they can critically evaluate their practice and

provide the most appropriate strategies and support for learners. The teaching of reading is

viewed as a collaborative activity in which tutors and students work together in an equal

partnership. This view is embedded within theAdult Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum

Framework for Scotland (Communities Scotland 2005)and has been widely written about

by David Barton, Mary Hamilton, Ute Papen and others (see resources and references listed

in Section E below)

This overarching perspective also informed the approach to teacher development.

Particularly for teachers with experience, the most effective professional learning must

include collaborative, practical (classroom-based) and informal elements. Research byHattie, Sadler, Black and William and others (see references in Section E) strongly suggests

that the most important factor in student persistence, progression and achievement is the

quality of classroom teaching and learning, and that formative assessment approaches1

are likely to be a key part of effective teaching and learning.
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incorporating action research into teacher training and development. This aligns well with

an emphasis on formative assessment approaches and suggests that teacher development

activities, both initial and in-service, should also be planned and organised formatively, so

as to be most effective and to have maximum and sustainable impact on classroom

practice.

What the tutors did

The tutors identified a range of issues/relating to reading that they wanted to work on,

many of which were related to encouraging a greater interest in reading, in developing

reading stamina and in developing student autonomy. Tutors wanted to know and

understand more about working with beginner readers and with mixed ability groups,

addressing individual reading difficulties and encouraging learners to read more outside of

the classroom. Choosing appropriate texts and finding stimulating and relevant reading

material was another area where tutors felt they needed more ideas. On the basis of their

identified issues, the tutors chose to focus on a specific action that they could take in the

classroom as a form of mini-investigation. The idea was not for tutors to be told what they

should do, but for them to try things out, see what worked and what didnt and why.

Investigations and approaches that the tutors decided on included:

Talking to learners about the reading process

Actively involving learners in choosing texts

Setting up a self-directed reading group

Using the Language Experience approach with beginner readers

Focusing on phonics

Focusing on error analysis

Using the 6 Book Challenge to stimulate reading

Improving the quality of feedback on reading


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Differentiating approaches to address learning styles

Improving the assessment of individual reading skills and interests

Involving learners as critical readers of others texts

Encouraging active, critical reading

Often the approaches that tutors took involved more than one of the elements on this list.

Sometimes tutors tried one thing, found it didnt work for their group or individual learners

and then tried something different. The main objective was that the tutors reflected onhow things worked in order to develop, refine or occasionally reject their approach.

Suggestions for using this pack as a teaching and CPD resource

You can use the ideas and resources in this pack in your own classroom teaching or you

can use them as part of professional development activities, individually or collaboratively

within a teacher learning community (See Section D).

Whatever you choose to use, it is important to remember that not every approach will work

for every learner. It is up to individual tutors to try things out and find what works. In the

case studies, we have included information about what went well and what didnt work so

well which we hope will provide some pointers to things to do and things it may be best

to avoid.


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Section B Teaching and Learning Activities

Talking to learners about reading

Research suggests (see for example, Duncan 2009)that it is important to talk to learners

about the how of reading as well the why or the what, in other words to get learners to

reflect on what they are doing when they read. Encouraging learners to talk about their

perspectives on reading can help the tutor understand more about the learner and abouthow they are approaching reading. Being explicit about the approaches that you use as a

tutor, and involving learners in evaluating those approaches, including what works or

doesnt for them, can help to give the learner more say over the process.

Case Study: Learners thinking and talking about reading

One

tutor

decided

she

could

only

help

her

learners

with

their

reading

if

she

had

a

good

idea

of

what

reading

istothem,howtheydefinedorunderstoodreading. Shewasworkingwithagroupoftenlearners.She

startedbyinterviewing/meetingwitheachlearnerindividually,askingquestionslike:

Whatisreading?

Whatarewedoingwhenweread?

Whatkindsofthingsdoyoureadorwanttoread?

Whatseasyaboutreading?

Whatsharder

about

reading?

Howwouldyouhelpsomeonewhowantedtolearntoread?

Thetutoralsoranafocusgroup,askingsimilarquestionstothewholegroup,askingthelearnerstomake

mindmapsonflipchartpaperwiththeirideas. Withthelearnerspermission, sheaudiotapedthe

individualmeetingsandfocusgroups. Shelistenedtothemoverandovertocomeupwithalistofwhat

readingwastoherlearners.Next,shegavethislisttothelearnersandtheydiscussedit,bothintermsof

whattheyeachagreedordisagreedwith,butalsointermsofidentifyingwhatitmeantfortheirlearning.

Forexample,manylearnersfeltthatyouneedtostartbyreadingeasybooks(withwordsyoualready

know)overandover,beforeyoucanprogresstomoredifficultbooks. Thetutorandlearnersdiscussedhow

thismeanttheyshouldstartbypractisingreadingbookstheyalreadyfindeasierandonlywhentheyare

veryconfidentwiththese,moveontomoredemandingtexts.


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Starter activity

Introduce a discussion about reading. You can do this in pairs or in small groups. Asklearners what they can remember about learning to read, what sort of strategies they use

already and why they find reading difficult. Ask them to think about how they see someone

who is a reader and someone who is a non-reader. Ask them why they think it is important

to be able to read and whether it is more important to read some things than others.

Development activities:

Ask learners what they would most like to read. Encourage them to talk to each

other about their choice and explain why they have made it.

Reflect on what you are supporting your learners to be able to do. Do you want

them to read well technically, or do you want them to be active and critical readers,

or both? Be explicit with your learners about your approaches to reading as a

teacher and be prepared to justify why you think the way you do. Do your learners

share the same reasons for improving their reading or do they have different

motivations?

Talk about why people read and the different things that people read. You could

show a variety of reading materials. Is it more important to be able to read some

things than others? Why? Will understanding this make it easier to make choicesabout what you read?

Encourage the learners to read critically. Talk about what they think the writer is

trying to say to the readers, whether they have a particular point of view or why

they might have written what they have. Is the writer successful in getting their

point of view across?

Involve learners in evaluating what you are doing. If you try something new around

reading, let the learners know, ask them to tell you what they think about it,

whether it helps them or not and why.

Set up a reading group if learners are interested. Encourage them to choose what


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Stimulating reading

One of the first tasks was to think about how to stimulate reading as a fun and enjoyable

activity in the classroom. Tutors felt it was important to:

Let the learners lead on what they wanted/interested them

Encourage a passionate interest in reading by focusing on learners own interests

Build up a resource bank of texts fiction and factual books, magazines,newspapers, pictures, postcards, books with tapes/CDs.

Case Study: 6 Book Challenge

Onetutorbuiltupabankofresourcesbutthestudentsshowedlittleinterestuntilthetutorinviteda

librarianfromthelocallibrarythatwasrunningthe6BookChallenge. Thisgrabbedtheinterestofthe

learnerswhoallgotinvolvedinlookingatthebooksthatthelibrarianhadbroughtin. ThetutorsaidThere

wasarealbuzz. Onelearnerreadthreebooksinaweek. Thenextstepistoproduceaquarterlymagazine

towhichthelearnerswillcontributetheirbookreviews. Thetutorfeltthewholeexperiencehadhelpedto

bondthegroup.

Starter activity

Start up a conversation about what people read now and what theyd really like to be able

to read. Talk to the students about something you have read recently and why you enjoyed

it. Get hold of a supply of books from your local library or a collection of Quick Reads.

Development activities

Read a short story to the group stop at various points to discuss or ask questions

about what they think might happen next.

Record short stories from the radio and listen as a group.

Take part in the 6 book challenge.

Ask students to make a mental note of all of the things that they might read on their


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Case Study: From watching films to reading books

Onetutornoticedthatalthoughherstudentswerenotconfidentaboutreadingoutsidetheclassroom,

someofthemwereverykeenonfantasyandhorrormovies. Therewasintenseconversationaboutthe

latestHarryPotterfilmandthefilmsbasedonStephanieMeyersvampireseriesofnovels. She

suggestedthattheymightliketotryreadingthebooksthatthefilmsarebasedon,helpingeachother

whileintheclass. Afteratentativestart,thiswasverysuccessfulindeed,asotherfriendsofthese

studentswerereadingthesebookstoo,anditenabledtwostudentsinparticulartoreadwholebooks

which

would

have

been

far

too

daunting

before.

The

tutor

also

started

students

thinking

about

genres

offilmsandnovels,forexamplebyhavingdiscussionsaboutbooksbasedjustonlookingatthecover:

Whatdoyouthinkthisbookisabout?Whodoyouthinkwouldlikethisbook? Shethenextendedthis

bywritingshortsynopsesofbookstostimulatethesamediscussions. Finallyshegotstudentstowrite

theirownveryshortsynopsesofbookstheyhadbeenreading,andbeganextendingtheworktoinclude

reviewing. Alloftheseactivitiesgraduallyhelpedpeoplewhodidnotconsiderthemselvestobereaders,

togainmuchmoreconfidenceasnewmembersofthereadingclub. Thetutorsaidthatakeyelement

ofthis

strategy

is

to

keep

extending

the

work,

so

that

students

get

to

see

themselves

as

readers

in

general,aswellasreadersofaparticulargenre.

Linking reading to practices outside the classroom

A social practices view of literacy makes strong links between what people read and write

at home or work and what they do in the classroom. If reading in the classroom isnt

interesting and relevant to what the learners need or want to read in their daily lives, theywont be motivated to practice those skills outside.

The first thing is to find out from learners what they would be interested in reading. You

could ask learners to tell you about their hobbies and interests, but also think about those

situations where they wanted or needed to be able to read something and couldnt.

Case Study: Setting up a reading resource box

Severaltutorswantedtheirlearnerstobecomemoreselfmotivatedandtoreadforpleasureoutsidethe

classroom. Thetutorsdecidedtofocusonfindingtextsforlearnersthatsuitedtheirpersonalinterests,

whetherthatwasfictionorhobbies,andcollectedtogetheraresourceboxofbooksthatlearnerscouldtake

home and keep if they wanted to Learners were encouraged to read at home and make a note of any new


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Starter activity:

Put together a resource box with books and other reading materials on a variety of topics autobiography, romance fiction, true life stories, cookery books, sports manuals, specialist

magazines etc. Try to find books that will be of interest to your learners and of about the

right level for them involve your learners in putting the resource box together and ask

them to contribute ideas and examples of books they have enjoyed. Encourage learners to

borrow a book but dont pile on the pressure to finish it.

Development activities:

Use some time in the session to discuss what people have read, what they enjoyed,

and what they didnt. Ask people to say why they were motivated to read the book,

and if they didnt finish it, why not?

Encourage learners to write mini-reviews of what they have read for other learners

Ask the group to suggest other things that people might want to read: If you

enjoyed this, then you will also enjoy reading ....


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Working with beginner readers

1 The Language Experience approach

Working with new readers can often be challenging, but several tutors found that the

Language Experience approach worked well. Language Experience is a method for

encouraging reading by using the natural language and words of the learner for the

composition of reading texts, which they can then use for reading and writing practice. A

more detailed explanation and examples of this approach can be found in a recent articleby Jane Mace, calledLanguage Experience, whats going on?.

Here is another case study:

Case Study: Using the Language Experience approach

Atutorworkingwithalearnerwhohadsufferedastrokeandlosttheuseofhisrightside,wasstrugglingto

helphimlearntoreadagainandwritewithhislefthand. ShefoundthatusingtheLanguageExperience

approach,andreadingbackwordsthathewasfamiliarwith,increasedhisconfidenceandhismotivation.

Initially,theyfocusedjustonpeoplesnamesandsinglewords,andthenmovedontowholesentencesand

paragraphs. Thetutorfeltthatitwasimportantthatthelearnerwaswillingtotalkabouthimselfandfind

topicsthathadanemotionalconnection,sotheytalkedaboutSundaysandthebirthofagranddaughter.

Thelearner

was

very

happy

to

find

that

he

could

read

his

own

words.

In

the

words

of

the

tutor

something

clickedandhewassoonabletorecognisethosewordsinothertexts. Soonhebegantorecognisethe

punctuationandfoundrhythminthetext.

Anotherlearnerinthegroupwouldnttalkaboutthemselves,butwasinterestedinlearningtocook. The

tutorusedthesameapproachtoworkoneasyrecipes. Thelearnerisnowmovingontolongertextsand

readingbetter.

Starter activity

Find a topic that the learner is interested in talking about. Ask them to say a couple of

things about that. Write down the learners words verbatim (ie word for word) using a

t d bl i i t I iti ll k th t t t th th t d
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using the master as a guide. Ask the learner to read the text again to make sure it

is the same.

Ask the learner to identify single words which word says...?

Pick out key words for learning to spell. Keep a word bank on cards.

Record the learner reading the text. Erase stutters and pauses and give the learner

the recording so they can listen to themselves reading while they follow the text.

Identify words that have been learnt in other texts.

Things to be aware of

This activity can be time-consuming for the tutor in terms and therefore needs to be

planned in carefully so that other students dont feel neglected.

This is an activity that can be transferred to groups but is best done on a one-to-one basis.Providing the students are willing, you could pair them up to help each other with

reordering sentences, identifying words and practising reading. Some students may find the

personal aspect threatening until they feel confident with the teacher and the group.

2 Using Phonics

Using a phonic approach with beginner readers can really help to move them on,particularly if they have never learnt about sound-symbol relationships before. An

understanding of phonics can help students to decode unfamiliar words providing they have

a regular sound-symbol correspondence, eg how now brown cow. However, there are lots

of words in the English language that are irregular or where the sound is spelt in a variety

of different ways. For example, there are a number of different sounds for the ough

spelling: rough and tough may be ok, but what about cough, through, borough, dough,bough! Tutors also need to be aware of regional differences in how a student is

pronouncing a word which could lead to confusion. It is important to remember that

although phonics may be the answer for some words, that students will need a range of

strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. Its also important not to spend too long focusing


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useful resource. There is a suggested order for teaching phonics in the English National

Adult Literacy Core Curriculum, and the topic is also dealt covered in a NIFL webcaston

teaching reading, and a Teachers TV video debate.

Working with mixed ability groups

Many of the tutors on the programme were working with very mixed groups of both

beginner and fluent readers and they wanted their learners to become self-motivated and

to read for the pleasure of it. The challenge was to provide each individual within the groupwith appropriate reading material and to give them sufficient time and attention to keep

them motivated in their reading. In any group, a tutor needs to make sure that they

differentiate their approaches and materials according to the individuals reading readiness,

interests and learning profiles. In a mixed ability group there will be a range of differences

between individuals relating to their existing skills, knowledge and understanding, their

prior experiences of life and learning, their attitudes, motivation, interests and learning

style.

Organising learners on a course into flexible groupings or pairs can mean that all of the

learners can have access to the same content but have different learning outcomes

according to their interests, abilities and learning preferences. Several tutors found that

investigating their learners different learning styles and addressing those through different

activities helped. Understanding the different strategies that learners were using toapproach the decoding of texts meant that the tutors could pair up learners or organise

them in small groups to help each other.

Case Study: Group reading of plays and short stories

Onetutorwantedtoengageherlearnersmoreactivelyinreadingtogether. Havingassessedthatmostof

thelearnerswerecomfortablewithmoreactive,kinaestheticapproaches,shesuggestedtheyreadaloud

anddiscusshowtheythoughtthelanguageofthetextssoundedtothem. Initiallyshetriedtoencourage

thelearnerstomakeupandperformaplaythattheytaped,buttherewasnointerestinthat. Insteadthe

tutordevisedtwoshortplays,wherethetextswerebasedonconversationsbetweenthelearners. The

playswereengagingandamusingbecausethelearnersrecognisedthemselves,thingstheyhadsaidand

topics that had been discussed The learners were encouraged to make their own changes to their parts
http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/assesspractice/webcast0928.htmlhttp://www.teachers.tv/video/2999http://www.teachers.tv/video/2999http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/assesspractice/webcast0928.htmlhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculum


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Tutorevaluation

Theactivities

built

the

learners

confidence,

in

terms

of

their

use

of

language

and

generally,

and

their

ability

tochallengeandtoarticulatetheirideas. Thetasksledontocriticaldiscussionsofreading,howwespeak

andthewordsweuse. Theactivitieswerefunandchallengingandwereameaningfulwaytoreadaloud.

Theplaysbasedonthelearnersconversationshelpedtoreinforcetheideathatvernacularisvalidandthat

thewordsweuseareworthdiscussingandrecording.

Writingascriptcanbetimeconsuming. Somelearnersstillstruggledwithreadingtheirpartsanddidnt

progressvery

much.

Many of the tutors tried out approaches that involved the learners as critical readers of

texts. They wanted the learners to be more engaged and motivated by choosing texts for

themselves rather than choosing for them.

Case study: Involving the learner as a critical reader

Onetutor,whowasworkingwithlearnerswithmentalhealthdifficulties,hadaccesstotwowritersin

residencewhowereproducingshortstoriesbasedoncharactersfromthelocalarea. Thesuccessofthe

readingmaterialwasinthefactthattheyreflectedlocalexperiencesandlocalknowledge. Thelearners

wereaskedtoreadthestoriesascriticalreadersandhadthechancetomeettheauthorsandfeedback

theirideasandcomments.

Tostimulatethelearnersinterest,thetutorreadsomeoftheshortstoriestothem,stoppingatexciting

momentstodiscusswhattheythoughtmighthappennext. Thisrequiredthelearnerstoasktheirown

questionsofthetextandmotivatedthemtowanttofindoutmore.

Several tutors found that pairing students up to read helped with their motivation and

allowed the tutor some time to give attention to those most in need. This needs to be set

up carefully, with clear ground rules agreed by learners about how to give your partner

time and space to work things out for themselves, when to jump in and help, what sort of

questions the pairs might ask each other about what they have read. Activities such as this

also need to be monitored and evaluated to find out how and what ways they benefit

learners Ask learners directly about this and whether they might want to change in any


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Case study: Paired reading

Onetutor

decided

to

use

the

Quick

Reads

books

on

ashort

course

with

young

people,

many

of

whom

were

quitedisengagedfromlearning. Sheintroducedthelearnerstothelibrarywhereallofthebookswereon

show. Thelearnerschoseabookwhichtheycouldtakehomeandreadintheirowntimeandattheirown

pace. Thetutorpairedupthelearnersaccordingtotheirinterests: Itwasinterestingtoseehowthey

chosethebooksaccordingtocovers,pictures,blurbs. Thetutorwantedthediscussionbetweenthepairs

tobeinformal,sodidnotsetanyspecificquestionsanditdidntmatterhowfartheyhadgotwiththebook.

TutorEvaluation

Itwashelpfulthatitwasntoverlyplannedormonitoredwithlaboriouswritingexercisesattached. The

tutoralsoreflectedonwhatmoresheneededtofindoutaboutherlearnersandaboutherownknowledge

oflanguageandreadingapproaches. Shefeltthatitwasagoodactivityforfindingoutthevocabularythat

learnersfounddifficult. ThefactthatsomelearnersspokeacommonlanguageathomebutreadinEnglish

becausetheyfounditeasierhadmotivatedhertolookattheimpactofmothertongueontheirliteracy

capabilitiesin

English.

It

was

difficult

to

assess

what

the

impact

of

paired

activity

had

had

on

the

learners

individualreadingdevelopment. Therewasverypositivepeerpressuretochooseandreadabook,butit

wasunclearhowmotivationaltheactivityactuallywas.

The benefits of paired reading can be extended by the use of reciprocal reading, in

which tutor and student, or student and student, take turns leading a conversation about a

piece of writing. The technique is summarised here. The idea is that in leading the

conversation the students will be predicting, questioning, summarising and clarifyingmisleading parts of the text, and thus continually checking their understanding of it. The

technique implies the belief that making sense of texts, especially if the context is

unfamiliar, is best done in collaboration with others. Further summaries and discussions of

this powerful technique can be found in Section E.

Working with specific groups of learners

Many of the tutors on the programme were working with particular groups of learners, such

as young homeless people or young parents. They found it was important to base their

approach to reading within the specific context or situation in which the students were

learning This meant developing activities and learning materials specific to that context:
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Case study: working with single parents

Anothertutorwasworkingwithagroupofsingleparentswhodecidedtowritebedtimestoriesfortheir

children. Theyreadanumberofstoriestogetherandthenchoseastorywheretheycouldusethestoryasa

templatebutwithdifferentcharacters,beginningsorendings,tomakethemrelevanttotheirownfamilies.

Case study: working with traveller women

Atutorworkingwithagroupofyoungwomentravellersfounditveryhardtofindsuitablematerials. She

askedthewomentowritestoriesabouttheirownexperienceswhichtheysharedandreadtoeachother.

(Fortextsspecificallyabouttravellerexperiences,seeFurtherInformationandResources)

Many of the tutors were interested in developing phonic approaches to reading, particularly

where learners had specific difficulties in reading. One tutor used the language experience

approach combined with phonological exercises. Phonics can really help some students

and the tutor recommends persevering even if it seems hard initially. She suggests: Make

it fun! But if, after a while, it really doesnt seem to make sense to the learner, try anotherapproach.

Case study: Language Experience combined with a phonic decoding approach

Topicsfordiscussionwerediscussedwiththelearnersandthenthetutorscribedthelearnersstory. The

textwasthenusedforthelearnertoreadandforthetutortoidentifyanydifficultiesthelearnershadin

reading. Thetutordevisedarangeofphonologicalexercisestohelpwithsoundingoutandspellingthe

words. Sheencouragedthelearnerstoidentifywordstheywantedtospellandtotypeupthestoryifthey

could. Thetutorsaysthattherearebenefitsforlearnersatalllevelsandthattheyallenjoyedit. For

beginnerlearnerstheyaremorerelaxedbecausetheyrecognisetheirownwords. Forbetterreadersthis

approachhasencouragedthemtobemorepreciseandnotjusttryandguesswhatthewordmightbe. The

tutor also used the text to help learners consider the use of punctuation


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Finding and using appropriate materials

1 Choosing texts

Many tutors were keen to motivate their learners to read more widely and to be more

independent in their ability to choose what to read. The key to this, they agreed, was

finding texts and materials that were of personal interest to learners and emotionally

engaging (passionate interest texts). This required that the tutors find out more about

their learners interests, hobbies and purposes for reading.

Case study: Encouraging learners to be self-motivated readers by choosing their

own reading material

Agroupoftutorsfocusedontailoringbookchoicestolearnersinterests,withtheaimofencouraging

learnerstobeselfmotivatedreadersforbothpleasureandfurtherlearning. Thetutorsdiscussedwiththe

learnerswheretheirpersonalinterestslayandfoundbookstomatchthoseascloselyastheycould. Book

choicesincluded:

visual

dictionaries,

books

on

autism,

poetry,

history

of

farming

during

the

war,

Catherine

Cooksonnovels,booksonfishing,Disneybooks,DungeonsandDragonstypefantasy,sportsmagazinesand

newspapersections,learnerauthoredstoriespublishedbyNIACEandotherpublishers,historicalfiction.

Somelearnerstooktothereadingeasierthanothers. Forothersitprovedtobethoroughlyenjoyableand

spurredthemintojoiningthelocallibraryforthefirsttime. Thebigquestioniswhetherlearnerswilltake

thenextstepoffindingtheirownreadingmaterialindependently.

Tutorevaluation

Overallithadapositiveimpactonlearners. Onelearnerisnowdevelopingherownshortstorywritingwith

awriterinresidence. Ithasalsohelpedthetutorstounderstandmoreabouttheirlearnerswishesand

motivations. Accompaniedvisitstothelocallibrarycanhelplearnerstotakethebigsteptowardsbecoming

moreindependentreaders.

Some

learners

who

had

never

shown

an

interest

in

reading

for

pleasure

didnt

particularly

enjoy

this

activity

andmorethoughtwillneedtobegiventohowtoengagethem.

Sometimes tutors need to look for materials outside of their own comfort zones and try


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Several of the tutors had used song lyrics as reading material with their learners. Mr

Presidentby Pink was recommended! Tutors on the programme suggest its a good idea to

build up a bank of interesting song lyrics.

Casestudy:Usingsonglyricstoengageyoungpeopleinreadingactivities

Onetutorwasworkingwithagroupofyoungpeople(1625)withverybasicskillsinreadingandwritingand

lowselfesteem. Noneofthemclaimedthattheyread,althoughtheywerenotunwillingtodoso. Finding

suitablereadingmaterialsforthemhasbeenaproblemsoshedecidedtousesonglyricstoengagethemin

readingand

asked

them

to

bring

in

music

that

they

liked

to

listen

to.

The

group

discussed

what

they

felt

the

songswereaboutandmadegroupnotesabouttheirthoughts. Usingoneofthesessionstofocusonusing

theinternettosearchforsonglyrics,thetutorthenaskedeachlearnertopickasongandprintedoutthe

lyrics. Eachsongwasusedasaminiproject. Thetutorhelpedthelearnerstobuilduppersonalwordbanks

andshealsocreatedwordcardsandsoundcardgamesthatrelatedtothewrittentext. Shealsofound

computerbasedactivitiesthatrelatedtotheareastheywantedorneededtoworkon. Somestudents

movedontoreadingshortstorieswithaccompanyingCDstolistento.

Tutorevaluation

Theactivityreallyswitchedtheyoungpeopleontolookingatwrittentextsandgainingmoremeaningfrom

them. Knowingthattherewasntarightandwronganswertotakingmeaningfromwordswasreally

important.

2 Simplifying texts

Sometimes students will struggle with reading what they want to read because the text is

too difficult. It is a good idea to produce a simplified version to make texts easier to read,

but be careful not to lose the original ideas or other features which made the text

interesting in the first place. Although lots of words can be replaced by more easily

decoded alternatives, you may want to leave in some harder words which are key to the

meaning or which the student is keen to be able to read.

To simplify a text:


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Enlarge the font use Ariel or Comic Sans

Dont put too much on a page and leave plenty of white space around the text

Use double line spacing

Use illustrations to help with understanding

Learning Connections has produced a guidance leaflet for simplifying texts.

NIACE/BSA has produced an updated version of their free guide to readability.

Effective teaching and learning approaches

This section draws on recent research on the most effective teaching and learning

approaches and techniques. These apply in general to any teacher teaching any subject to

any group of students in any situation, though the specific context will influence how they

are used. You can find out more about this research and its implications by following up

the references given in Section E on effective teaching and learning. Participants in the

PPS programme focused on three areas under this heading: giving feedback, identifying

errors, and reading for comprehension.

1 Giving feedback on reading

Most teachers are familiar with giving feedback either orally or written. Often feedbackfocuses on the content of a piece of work or the performance of a skill. Something along

the lines of:

You read that well, its much more fluent. Just be more careful with noticing the

word endings. Well done.

This type of feedback, usually referred to as the praise sandwich, can become very blandand meaningless, with the tutor merely commenting on how the student has done. A

more useful model is one where the feedback is a two-way, interactive dialogue between

tutors and students and between students themselves. The purpose then becomes not just

about giving the student information about the progress they have made and practical
http://www.adultliteraciesonline.com/alo/viewresource.htm?id=454http://www.niace.org.uk/development-research/readabilityhttp://www.niace.org.uk/development-research/readabilityhttp://www.adultliteraciesonline.com/alo/viewresource.htm?id=454


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Casestudy:Givingfeedbackonreading

Twotutors

focused

on

improving

the

quality

of

the

feedback

that

they

were

giving

to

learners

about

their

reading. Theyalsoattemptedtoassesstheimpactonlearnersofgivingmoreandbetterfeedback.

Thetutorswerekeentoprovideusefulfeedbacktotheirlearnerswhichhelpedthemtothinkaboutthenext

stepstheyneededtotake,andtomoveawayfromblandcommentssuchasfantasticorbrilliant. They

reflectedonthepurposesoffeedback,whichtheyidentifiedaspraise,correctionandcheckingfor

understanding. Theyfeltitwasimportantnottooverpraiseasthiscouldinthelongrunbecome

meaningless.They

agreed

that

correction

was

not

about

the

tutor

telling

the

learner

what

they

had

got

wrongbutthatfeedbackshouldbeundertakenasadialoguebetweenthetutorandthelearner,ideally

askingquestionsthatencouragethelearnertospotmistakesforthemselves. Checkingforunderstanding

wasalsoaboutdialogue,forinstancerephrasingsomethingthelearnerhasjustreadtoassesstheir

comprehension.

TutorEvaluation

Bothtutors

felt

that

they

had

become

more

reflective,

that

the

exercise

had

concentrated

their

minds

and

thatthequalityoftheirfeedbackhaddefinitelyimproved. Howevertheyalsofeltthattheyneededtoknow

moreabouthowtomeasuretheimpactoftheirchangesonlearners.


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2 Identifying errors in reading

The tutor in the case study below built her classroom investigation around analysing errorsin learners reading. Although initially worried that she was focusing on the errors, the

strategies she used helped her to more accurately identify the specific areas that learners

needed to work on. She is still concerned about whether focusing on errors may have a

negative impact or whether accuracy is more or less important than understanding.

Casestudy:Erroranalysistoaddressreadingaccuracy

Onetutordecidedtofocusonanalysinglearnererrorsintheirreading. Shelistenedtoeachlearnerreading

andmarkedtheerrorsonaseparatesheet,tapingthereadingifthelearnerfeltconfident. Tapingthe

readingalsoallowedhertothinkaboutpaceandfluency. Sheanalysedtheerrorsundertheheadings:

substitution/omission/addition/repetition/transposition/pronunciation. Shealsomadeanoteof

wherethe

learner

managed

to

self

correct.

This

made

her

more

aware

of

the

type

of

error

being

made

and

howoftenthelearnermadeit. Itallowedhertoplangroupworkaroundspecificareassuchaswordendings

andbeginnings,letterpatternsandsightwords. Theactivitypromptedagroupdiscussiononhowpeople

usedifferentstrategieswhentheycometoanunfamiliarwordwhichhelpedbuildgroupcohesionand

confidence. Thetutoralsolookedattheuseofpunctuationandhowthishelpedinexpressionwhenreading

aloud.

Tutor

evaluation

Identifyingandanalysingthetypeoferrormadethegroupmoreawarethattherewasareasonfortheerror

andithelpedthelearnerstoseethattheywerenottheonlyonesmakingmistakes. Thetutoralsofeltit

helpedwithspellingandwriting. Notingandacknowledgingwhenthelearnerwasselfcorrectinggavean

opportunityforpraiseandconfidencebuilding. Tapingthereadingandplayingitbacktothelearnergave

themanopportunitytohearthemselvesreading,withtheerrors. Whentheytapedthesamepassagebeing

readafterworkingonerrorcorrection,theyreallynoticedthedifference.

Theonetoonereadingandtapingwastimeconsumingandonlyworkedwhenthetutorhadavolunteer

withher. Initiallyitwasdifficultmarkingtheerrorsasthestudentread,althoughthiswasaskillthatthe

tutorimprovedafterafewruns!


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3 Reading for comprehension

We are all agreed that whilst it is important to be able to decode unfamiliar words, themain thing is that students understand and can gain meaning from what they read. This

means understanding the explicit meanings and being able to read between the lines, to

think about what the implicit messages are. Students therefore need to be introduced to a

range of comprehension strategies. These might include:

Introducing the reading text with a discussion about what the students know already about

this topic and what they might expect from the text

Familiarising the students with key words that appear in the text

Stopping during the reading at suitable points to highlight what may be unfamiliar

ideas or vocabulary, to discuss unexpected or controversial ideas, or to ask

questions about what might come next

Encouraging students to summarise what they have read or explain to each other

Asking students a series of questions, either oral or written, about factual details or

vocabulary but also to stimulate thinking about why something might have

happened as it did, whether the students agree with what they have read, or what

might happen next.

Encouraging students to ask questions for themselves about what they have read

One tutor found that encouraging her students to listen to a story with their eyes closed

and visualise what was happening in the story actually helped with reading and

comprehension.

Case

Study:

Improving

reading

for

comprehension

Oneofthetutorsusedanapproachwhichinvolvedthelearnerinvisualisingthestoryasshereadsinorder

tohelpherdevelopreadingfluencyandimprovecomprehension. Thetutorbeganbyprovidingthelearner

withavarietyofsynopsesofarangeoftexts. Sheaskedthelearnertochoosewhatshewantedtoreadand

to think critically about the reasons why she had chosen that particular text. The tutor provided books on


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Section C - CPD Activities

1 What happened on the PPS programme

The reading programme on which this pack has been put together was based on a model

of professional development known as teacher learning communities. It was proposed by

Dylan Wiliam (Wiliam 2007) for the sustainable organisation of continuous professional

development of teachers. The model advocates that small groups of teachers meet

periodically to evaluate innovations and experiments in classroom practice that each hascarried out in their teaching since the last meeting. The aim is collectively to share and

improve practice and understanding, but also to improve motivation and professional

autonomy. Teacher learning communities can be supported by inputs of various kinds

from outside the group from time to time. The model incorporates features of effective

teacher development as found by research in the USA, England and Scotland among

others, including study circles, peer coaching, and teachers investigating their ownclassroom practice (NCSALL 2003, Learning Connections 2008, Davies et al 2007).

2 Organising your own tutor-led investigations

During the first of the seminars, we took the tutors through a series of questions, to help

them think about particular issues or problems they wanted to address in relation toteaching reading in their groups. The process helped them decide on a particular problem

to try to deal with, and then helped them think about exactly how they would try to

address it, in terms of making a specific change (or innovation) to their classroom practice.

The process also got them thinking about how they would be able to decide if the changes

they had introduced into their practice, had made any difference: in other words, what

evidence they would be looking for, to see whether the changes were useful and deserved

to be kept, or not useful, and so dropped. Carrying out this process of deciding on an

innovation in practice, seeing what happens and evaluating it, is a process of classroom

investigation, and would be an example of practitioner research.

In the PPS programme the idea was that the tutors would collectively evaluate their


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We provide here adapted versions of the pro-formas used during the series, which you

could use (and amend or adapt) to organise your own classroom investigations.

First, the initial process of deciding which problems to try to address. We call this Problem-

based development process for practitioner action research, a six step process for setting

up your investigation. It is a one page form.

Next, the planning sheet for your investigation. This gets you set out clearly what you aim

to find out in your investigation, what actions you will take, and how you will assesswhether any improvements have taken place. It is a one page form.

Finally, the report sheet for your investigation. This is where you record what happened

and what action you have decided to take as a result of your investigation. Again it is a one

page form.

The case studies that appear throughout this pack are all examples of simple classroom

investigations that could be undertaken by any tutor. Its always easier, and more fun if

there are colleagues to discuss things with, but you could do it on your own. This way you

build up knowledge, experience and craft wisdom about your teaching based on your

evaluation of what actually happened in your classes.

3 Further ideas and suggestions for CPD

Of course, classroom research projects are not the only way to engage in continuous

professional development. Reading, surfing the net, and talking to colleagues informally

about teaching are also important aspects of CPD, as well as the more traditional forms it

takes, such as attendance at conferences or training courses. All these activities are

formally counted as legitimate CPD work in the English system now, in which every post-16

teacher has to undertake 30 hours per year of CPD, recorded by the Institute for Learning,

which licenses teachers to work.

The internet


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Reading up on teaching reading

We believe teachers need to have a positive attitude towards research into their areas ofwork. It is a problem that research reports and articles are often written for other

academics rather than for teachers, but persevere! The reports and publications from

organisations like NRDC, NCSALL and Learning Connections (see the references section),

are designed with teachers in mind, not just academics. After all, what is the point of

academic research into the most effective ways to teach reading, if it is never read by

teachers?

Accessing research reports isnt always easy, but more and more publications can be found

on the web, as our references section shows. Where something relevant and interesting

hasnt been published on the web, then you will have to get it from a university library,

which may mean asking a favour of someone who works or studies there. Or you could ask

your training manager to buy the book it is in for your organisations CPD resource centre.

Improving feedback

Discuss what makes effective feedback with your colleagues. It is common sense that some

kinds of feedback are more useful to learners than others. We can teach ourselves how to

give the most useful and productive kind, and avoid feedback that can demotivate

students. This isnt just about praising students, though encouragement is important.

Research findings say that it is also important to be constructive, and this may meanpointing out errors and showing learners how they can improve their work.

In general, research suggests that the purposes of feedback are:

It helps clarify what good performance is

It facilitates the development of skills of self-assessment and reflection in learners

It delivers high-quality information to students about their learning It encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning

It encourages positive motivation in learners

It provides information to teachers to shape teaching


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did no better than those who were given no feedback at all, and that the work of

learners given only constructive advice, improved considerably (Butler 1998)

be given as soon as possible: research suggests that oral feedback is more effective

than written feedback

emphasise appropriate success criteria and relate to the learning objectives of the

student(s)

aim to develop the learners own understanding of quality and ability to assess their

own performance, whatever the subject and context, by drawing attention both to

successful areas of work and to problems reflect high expectations of the learner, and should avoid being patronising

not be quantified, though reference to appropriate level descriptors may be

appropriate. Giving grades or marks can demotivate students, especially those who

are least confident, and particularly if the grades are made public and compared

be part of an ongoing dialogue and continuous process of assessment: the giving of

feedback does not guarantee that students will pay attention to it. Part of theteachers role is to check whether their feedback is having an impact on the

students work

Discuss these points with colleagues, and work out how you can apply them in practice.

Improving classroom questioning

All tutors use questioning as part of their teaching. But it is worth trying to improveyour

questioning technique, because some questions are more useful than others. In general,

questions should aim to increase learners own thinking and learning about the topic, and

some types of question do this better than others. Discuss classroom questioning with your

colleagues. Here are some ideas to get you going, based partly on Swain et al (2006):

Teachers need to develop a repertoire of questioning techniques, and share ideas with

colleagues to maintain and develop this repertoire. Double questions, leading questions,

rhetorical questions and closed questions (those looking for a unique correct answer) can

discourage students from reflecting on the problem or from revealing that they do not


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uncovering thinking (can you explain this?),

offering strategies (have you thought about.?),

or re-assuring (are you happy with that?).

Sometimes a devils advocate question (are you sure?) can be useful

There are also issues to consider for the way questioning fits into your overall approach to

teaching, and into your planning:

Increase waiting timefor answers this extends learner thinking time, and so

encourages them to think about answers rather than trying to get it right first time Move away from limited factual questions to open questions and problem-

solving taskswhich involve learners in discussion and encourage collaborative

working

Teachers need to become more skilled at framing questionsthat

a) help them to learn more about the pre-knowledge of learners and to identify

gaps, misconceptions in knowledge, and

b) will explore issues that are critical to the development of learners

understanding

Follow up activitiesneed to provide opportunities to extend understanding

Students can be encouraged to think and talk more by the right kind of questioning and

listening. This can produce useful outcomes in terms of knowledge about the students

understanding and their pre-conceptions, as well as time for the teacher to think about

responsive strategies, while they listen to their students.

Self- and peer-assessment

The third area you could think about with your colleagues is how to design and carry out

activities involving self- and peer-assessment by learners. Research on effective teaching

and learning states clearly that in principle most effective learning is likely to include self-

and peer-assessment. Yet researchers found that these were not being widely used by


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be able to use their new skills as confidently and fluently as possible when they do not

have the support of the class and the teacher. They need to develop the ability to perform

and simultaneously to monitor their performance, and that of others they interrelate with,

in the same way that we all do when we are driving a car: we get better at it with practice,

until it becomes mostly routine. This applies equally to speaking and listening, reading and

writing, and also to dealing with real-life situations and decisions of various kinds which

require mathematical understanding, confidence and skills.

We therefore need to build self- and peer-assessment practice into all learning tasks.Through these activities students can practice and develop their capacity to make critical,

aesthetic and practical judgements of the quality and effectiveness of their developing skills

and knowledge. If they are not encouraged to develop these skills fluently as part of their

learning, what they learn will be de-contextualised and more difficult to transfer between

different situations outside the classroom. This fluency can only be developed through

practice, and students may need to be provided with relevant conceptual tools and

vocabulary, as well as practical collaborative experience of making, exchanging and

discussing judgements of the quality of their own and others work. This type of

assessment activity involves students talking together and with their teacher about practice

in different contexts, and about learning, assessment, and success criteria, developing the

ability to reflect on and evaluate their own and others performance.

Relatively few ALLN teachers observed in research studies use these activities very much atall, and those that do tend not to integrate them into all aspects of the course. It may be

that part of the reason for this is that teachers are nervous about challenging their

learners, some of whom may appear to lack the confidence to taking a more active and

participatory role in learning. With some learners there may be cultural barriers based on

their previous experience of education. Addressing this situation does need careful

preparation, but can produce great benefits: improving confidence in learning is a key aim

of most adult students, who are generally highly-motivated to learn.

Self- and peer-assessment activities will also provide rich evidence for the teacher upon

which to base further developmental questioning, and to give constructive feedback to

individuals and to the group as a whole.


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For your CPD activity, we suggest you think about the very real difficulties that could arise

with self- and peer-assessment by learners, and how these could be prepared for and

managed. But remember that the activities can be very simple, and that if it can be turned

into a game, within the context of a group who are relaxed with each other, then much can

be achieved. Here are three sample activities involving self- and peer-assessment: how

could you use these in the context of teaching reading?

1.As an introduction to peer-assessment within the group, students can be given

model answers, both good and not so good, and asked to suggest ways in whichthey could be improved.

2. Students work on developing their own list of appropriate assessment criteria,

allowing them to use their list on a real piece of work.

3. Groups of students can design questions on the relevant topic for the other groups,and then assess the answers given against both official and unofficial assessment

criteria.


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Section D - Theory

Irene Schwabspresentation for the PPS programme: Working with Mixed AbilityGroups.

Sam Duncanspaper for the PPS programme: What are we doing when we read? adult

literacy learners perceptions of reading. This is a draft version of a paper to be published

in Research in Post-Compulsory Educationin autumn 2009.

Sam Duncanspresentation on Working with Beginner Readers, including Phonic

Approaches

Jude Gawn and Jay Derrickspaper for the PPS programme: Effective teaching and

learning

Jude Gawn and Jay Derrickspresentation for the PPS programme

Wendy Moss: Notes on the theories on the teaching of reading (see references)

Victoria Purcell-Gates: Theres reading...and then theres reading process models and

instruction. What does it mean when adults come to us for help with reading? What is it

that they want help doing? What do they mean by 'reading'? What do we, as teachers of

adults, think they mean? And what do we mean when we say we teach 'reading'?Available

at: www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=460

Allan Luke and Peter Freebody: The four resources accessed by literate people. Read

about these ideas at this Tasmanian Education Department site for English teachers:

http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/liteng.htm#four Alternatively, read Luke and

Freebodys own online paper (rather long and theoretical, but good), together with

comments and discussions from other practitioners and academics, at:

http://www.readingonline.org/research/lukefreebody.html

Lighting the Way: a snappy summary of the best available evidence about effective adult

literacy, numeracy and language teaching, from the New Zealand adult literacy organisation

Te Ako Mo Te Ora, or Learning for Living.
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=460http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/liteng.htm#fourhttp://www.readingonline.org/research/lukefreebody.htmlhttp://www.readingonline.org/research/lukefreebody.htmlhttp://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/liteng.htm#fourhttp://www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=460


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Susan McShane: Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults: First Steps for

Teachers. Washington DC: National Institute for Literacy, The Partnership for Reading and

National Center for Family Literacy, 2005. Sam comments:I think overall this is the most

useful on phonics (it deals with lots more than phonics but also gives a really good clear

overview of all the sound-symbol issues- what she calls 'alphabetics' and defines key terms

- and gives classroom tips- really good!

Teaching content is teaching reading: brain science suggests that teaching reading

needs to be about more than skills and vocabulary; an entertaining but serious

video/presentation by Professor Daniel Willingham, at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc

Talking Point Phonics: a televised debate on the pros and cons of approaches to

teaching reading that emphasise the primary importance of phonics. On Teachers TV, at

http://www.teachers.tv/video/2999

School matters Michael Rosen on literacy: a Teachers TV video in which Michael

Rosen criticises the present policy enthusiasm for phonics based teaching, and explores

alternatives, at: http://www.teachers.tv/video/5417

NRDC Research briefing on Formative Assessment: summarises the key messages

from NRDC and other research and development activity on formative assessment in adult

learning. Available at: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=153#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEchttp://www.teachers.tv/video/2999http://www.teachers.tv/video/5417http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=153http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=153http://www.teachers.tv/video/5417http://www.teachers.tv/video/2999http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc


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Section E - Further information and resources

Books, articles and papers on the theory and practices of reading and adultliteracies in general

Barton D and Hamilton M (1998): Local Literacies: reading and writing in one community.London: Routledge

Barton D, Hamilton M, Ivanic R (eds, 2000): Situated Literacies: reading and writing in

context. London: Routledge. Jay comments: 13 papers from the New Literacy Studiesresearchers and theorists.

Brandt D (2001): Literacy in American Lives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Jaycomments: an inspirational read about the way literacy practices change over time andwhat this can tell us about the changes in society, families and work. Not just aboutreading, but reminds us why we do what we do!

Brice Heath, S. (1983). Ways with Words: Language, life and work in communities and

classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Brooks G, Burton M, Cole P and Szczerbinski M (2007): Effective Teaching and Learning:

Reading. London: National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and

numeracy (NRDC), also available online at www.nrdc.org.uk

Burton M (2007a): Reading Developing adult teaching and learning: practitioner guides.

London: National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy

NRDC, also available online at www.nrdc.org.uk

Burton M (2007b): Oral reading fluency for adults. National Research and Development

Centre for adult literacy and numeracy NRDC, also available online at www.nrdc.org.uk

Burton M, Davey J, Lewis M, Ritchie L, Brooks G (2008): Improving reading: phonics and

fluency. National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy NRDC,

also available online at www.nrdc.org.uk
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/http://www.nrdc.org.uk/


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on which much British and American policy is based. It shows how much of this evidenceis based on the findings of very few, small scale and essentially politically biassed studies,

and makes the case for more independent research.

Crowther J, Hamilton M, Tett L (eds, 2001): Powerful Literacies. Leicester: NationalInstitute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)

Duncan S (2009): What are we doing when we read? adult literacy learners perceptionsof reading, Research in Post-Compulsory Education 14 (3)

Freire P (1972): Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Penguin. Jay comments: Classic

analysis of the role of literacy teaching and education in preventing social and political

emancipation, and how this can be avoided.

Hamilton M, Barton D, Ivanic R (1994): Worlds of Literacy. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters

Herrington M and Kendall A (eds, 2005): Insights from research and practice: a handbook

for adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL practitioners. Leicester: National Institute for Adult

Continuing Education (NIACE). Jay comments:An essential resource for literacies

practitioners, consisting of a selection of 71 articles from issues of the RaPAL Journal,

published quarterly since 1986. It starts with a paper inviting practitioners to embrace

research within their practice as a means of developing their critical, investigative,

professional stances, and explaining RaPALs position on the importance of integrating

research and practice. The bulk of the book is made up of the selection of articles and is

organised under themed headings. It concludes with a paper on learning about dyslexia

through research and practice.

Huey E B (1968). The Psychology and Pedagogy of Reading. Cambridge,

MA: The M.I.T. Press. Sam comments: THIS IS GREAT!! It has some interesting bits

about how sounds - symbols have been taught in recent history (including something on anancient greek, or roman?- who forced his slaves to dress up as letters of the

alphabet and move around to teach his son to read...

Hughes N, Schwab I (eds, 2009 in press): Teaching adult literacy: principles and practice.London: Open University Press Details at http://www mcgraw
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the ways in which literacies are changing as a result of digital technology, and the

implications of this for teachers.

Lindsay A and Gawn J (2005): Developing Literacy: supporting achievement. Leicester:

National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)

Mace J (2004): Language Experience: Whats going on? Literacy Today (39) available at:

http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/mace.html

Manguel A (1996): A History of Reading. London: Penguin

McCaffrey J, Merrifield J, Millican J (2007): Developing Adult Literacy: approaches to

planning, implementing and delivering literacy initiatives. Oxford: Oxfam GB

McShane S (2005): Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults: First Steps for

Teachers. Washington DC: National Institute for Literacy, The Partnership for Reading and

National Center for Family Literacy. Sam comments:I think overall this is the most useful

on phonics (it deals with lots more than phonics but also gives a really good clear

overview of all the sound-symbol issues- what she calls 'alphabetics' and defines key terms

- and gives classroom tips- really good!

Millar R and Klein C (1986): Making sense of spelling. London: DCSL

Morgan E and Klein C (2000): The dyslexic adult in a non-dyslexic world. London:

WileyBlackwell

Moss W (2005): Notes on Theories on the Teaching of Reading, Research and Practice inAdult Literacy (RaPAL) Bulletin (56)

NCSALL (2005): Understanding what reading is all about: teaching materials and lessons

for adult basic education learners, July 2005, available at:

http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/uwriaa.pdf

Palincsar A and Brown A (1984): Reciprocal Teaching of Comprehension-fostering and

Comprehension-monitoring Activities, in Cognition and Instruction 1 (2) pp117 175 Jay
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/mace.htmlhttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/uwriaa.pdfhttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/uwriaa.pdfhttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/uwriaa.pdfhttp://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Pubs/mace.html


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literacies teaching and learning. As well as explaining the theoretical aspects of this

approach, Papen also illustrates the practical implications of the theory for teachers in

classrooms. Highly recommended.

Pennac, D. (2006). The Rights of the Reader (S. Adams, Trans.). London:

Walker Books. Sam comments:Again, more journalistic than academic, but really, really

lovely! Pennac proposes 10 rights for readers in relation to teaching approaches.

Purcell-Gates V (undated): Theres readingand then theres reading: Process Models andInstruction, available at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=771&pid=460

Tett L, Hamilton M, Hillier Y (eds, 2006): Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Language: policy,

practice and research. Maidenhead: Open University Press

Wolf M (2008): Proust and the Squid: The story and science of the reading brain.

Cambridge: Icon Books. Jay comments: Proust and the Squid is a fascinating andpassionate book about reading, written by Maryanne Wolf, Professor of Citizenship and

Public Service at Tufts University in the US, where she is the director of the Centre for

Reading and Language Research. 'We were never born to read', Wolf begins. 'No specific

genes ever dictated reading's development. Human being invented reading only a few

thousand years ago. And with this invention, we changed the very organisation of our

brain, which in turn expanded the ways we were able to think, which altered theintellectual evolution of our species.' She details the neuroscience behind reading, and

makes the case for the tranformative powers of reading on human cognition. She discusses

the earliest known examples of written language, the question of whether reading online is

making us 'stupider', and why dyslexia can be a gift. Why it's called Proust and the Squid,

you'll have to read it to find out! Very stimulating and life-affirming, highly recommended.

Books and articles on effective teaching and learning, including teacher

development

Ackland A (2008): Professional development through professional enquiry, in Reflect (12),

the magazine of the National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and
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Black P, Harrison C, Lee C, Marshall B, and Wiliam D (2003): Assessment for Learning:

Putting it into Practice. Buckingham: Open University Press

Butler R (1998): Enhancing and undermining intrinsic motivation: the effects of task-involving and ego-involving evaluation on interest and performance.British Journal ofEducational Psychology (58) pp1-14

Davies P, Hamilton M, James K (2007): Maximising the impact of practitioner research: ahandbook of practical advice. London: National Research and Development Centre for adult

literacy and numeracy (NRDC), available at:http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=123#This handbook is for everyone who would like to conduct small-scale action research

projects within their own organisation: from senior managers to individual teachers orteams planning to work collaboratively. It is a practical guide on how to initiate andmanage practitioner-research programmes, based on the experience of 17 practitioner-ledresearch projects funded by the NRDC between 2004 and 2006.

Gardner J (2006): Assessment and Learning, ed J Gardner. London: Sage

Hattie J (2003): Teachers make a difference: What is the research evidence? Paperpresented at the Australian Council for Educational Research Annual Conference on BuildingTeacher Quality, October 2003. Available online:www.visionschools.co.nz/assets/documents/john_hattie.pdf

Learning Connections (2008): Practitioner-led research: the Individual Learning Planning(ILP) Process, available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1046/0063543.pdfLooney J (2005): Formative Assessment Improving learning in secondary classrooms,Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development

Looney J (2008): Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Adults improving foundation

skills, Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Paris: Organisation for Economic

Co-Operation and Development

Richardson V (2003): How Teachers Change National Council for the Study of Adult
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=123http://www.visionschools.co.nz/assets/documents/john_hattie.pdfhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1046/0063543.pdfhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1046/0063543.pdfhttp://www.visionschools.co.nz/assets/documents/john_hattie.pdfhttp://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=123


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Swain J, Griffiths G, Stone R (2006): Integrating formative/diagnostic assessment

techniques into teachers routine practice in adult numeracy. Research and Practice in Adult

Literacy (RaPAL) Journal (59) pp17-20

Tracey S (ed 2008): Practitioner Research in Essential Skills: perspectives on engagement

in learning. Belfast: The Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) Northern Ireland.

Available at:

http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/docs/Practitioner_Research_in_Essential_Skills.pdf

Jay comments: this isa new report containing case studies of Practitioner Research in

Essential Skills, (what Literacies is called in Northern Ireland). It reports on projects looking

at text messaging, learner motivation, giving praise, literacy and job impacts, the role of

talk in learning writing, tutors' responses to errors when learners read aloud, peer learning,

and others.

Wiliam D (2007): Content then process: teacher learning communities in the service of

formative assessment, in Ahead of the curve: the power of assessment to transformteaching and learning (pp 183-204), edited by D. B. Reeves. Bloomington, IN: Solution

Tree

Policy documents

Adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland(ALNIS), Scottish Government 2001, available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158952/0043191.pdf

An Adult Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Framework for Scotland, Scottish Executive

2005, available at: http://www.aloscotland.com/alo/38.html

Skills for Scotland: a lifelong skills strategy, Scottish Government 2007, available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/197204/0052752.pdf

Skills for Life Core Curriculum Documents, Department for Education and Skills 2002

onwards, all available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculum

Skills for Life Learning Materials, Department for Education and Skills 2005 onwards, all

available at: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=201231
http://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/docs/Practitioner_Research_in_Essential_Skills.pdfhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158952/0043191.pdfhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158952/0043191.pdfhttp://www.aloscotland.com/alo/38.htmlhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/197204/0052752.pdfhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=201231http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=201231http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=sflcurriculumhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/197204/0052752.pdfhttp://www.aloscotland.com/alo/38.htmlhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158952/0043191.pdfhttp://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/docs/Practitioner_Research_in_Essential_Skills.pdf


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Learner texts

Romany and Traveller Family History Society: a range of publications athttp://www.rtfhs.org.uk/

Texts about traveller experiences:

o The Yellow on the Broom by Betsy Whyte, Berlinn 2005o Red Rowans and Wild Honey by Betsy Whyte, Corgi 1991o The Summer Walkers: Travelling People and Pearl fishers in the Highlands of

of Scotland, by Timothy Neat, Canongate 1996

Quick Reads: http://www.niace.org.uk/quickreads/user/index.php This is a rapidly-expanding series of short but complete books written by high-profile authors for

adult new readers. Authors include Andy McNab, Ian Rankin, Colin Jackson, Maeve

Binchy, Scott Quinnell, and many others.

Resources on Traveller culture, collected for the use of schools, but much of it useful

for adult learning too:

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/literacy/traveller/#poems Secrets, by Sue Torr (Gatehouse Books 2009). Sue was a dinner lady when, at the

age of 38, she finally admitted that she couldn't read or write. Secrets is an

autobiographical account of the difficulties she faced in a life without literacy. It has

been designed for both beginner and confident readers, with standard text on the

left-hand page and a simplified text on the facing page. Secrets also makes

fascinating reading for children of primary and secondary school age. For more

information, go to: http://www.gatehousebooks.co.uk/book/7

Working with learners with learning difficulties and disabilities

Bradley A (2001): Induction: Starting Work with People with Learning

Disabilities. Kidderminster: BILD.

Scottish Government (2007): Effective Learning for Adults with Learning

Difficulties: Research Summary.

Websites and other resources
http://www.rtfhs.org.uk/http://www.niace.org.uk/quickreads/user/index.phphttp://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/literacy/traveller/#poemshttp://www.gatehousebooks.co.uk/book/7http://www.gatehousebooks.co.uk/book/7http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/literacy/traveller/#poemshttp://www.niace.org.uk/quickreads/user/index.phphttp://www.rtfhs.org.uk/


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knowledge. On this site you can download all the NRDC publications, including research

reports, effective practice guides, and research briefing papers.

Research and Practice in Adult Literacy (RaPAL)

RaPAL is an independent network of learners, teachers, managers and researchers in adult

basic education and literacy across the post-16 sector. Established in 1985, it is supported

by membership subscription only. Membership contact: Jessica Abrahams:

[email protected] For other contacts, including RaPAL Journal, see the website:

www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/rapal.htm

The Adult Literacy Education Wiki: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page

This US-orginated site is a portal for accessing all sorts of resources on adult literacy: one

of its many sections is on Reading. As a wiki its content is added to by anyone, though it is

carefully moderated (wiki is a Hawaiian word meaning quick). It inevitably has an over-

emphasis on the context of teaching in the US and Canada, but dont let this put you off, it

is a vast and rich range of resources give yourself time to explore it!

The Excellence Gateway: http://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/page.aspx?o=home

This is a portal for practitioners at all levels within the learning and skills sector in England.

Here you can access resources, inspire innovation and share good practice. With quality

improvement at its core, the Excellence Gateway offers support and advice, and

opportunities to participate. It has a specialist section on adult literacies under the heading

Skills for Life.

The Adult Literacy and Numeracy Australian Research Consortium(ALNARC):

http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/alnarc/ALNARC give information on research into literacy and

numeracy within Australia.

The National Agency for Adult Literacy of the Republic of Ireland(NALA):

http://www.nala.ie/ NALA is an independent membership organisation concerned withdeveloping policy, advocacy, research and offering advisory services in adult literacy work

in Ireland. As well s providing detailed information about adult basic skills work in Ireland,

NALA's site also has reserach reports and teaching resources for tutors and employers.
mailto:[email protected]://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/rapal.htmhttp://www.literacy.lancs.ac.uk/rapal/rapal.htmhttp://wiki.liter