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| Meeting Adults' Reading Needs | In recent practice, teachers in many adult education and family literacy classrooms focus on GED preparation and other goal-related instruction.
Many of these adults naturally are not able to read GED-level textbooks or other goal-related materials, but in a multi-level classroom, teachers often feel they can't provide the kind of individualized reading instruction that these adults need. Teachers try to do all possible to manage small- and large-group learning activities aimed at what seem to be common needs and rely on workbooks for individualized skills instruction. During the learning lab type of class, adults spend a large portion of their class time working independently on the skills they need, using textbooks or computer-assisted instruction programs, while the teacher circulates to provide help. Inside classrooms the teacher is able to provide a volunteer tutor to work one-to-one with a learner who needs extra assistance.
This method developed in response to the realities of the setting and the learners. Common in adult basic skills education is the multi-level classroom. The adult learners enrolling are busy with other life responsibilities, usually have limited time to give to education, and may be erratic in attendance. That’s why tutors often have found that some combination of the activities described above is the only workable way to manage their classes. It was found in most of the adult literacy classrooms observed "little evidence of teachers, systematically assessing learners' needs or evaluating whether instruction met individual or group needs." It was also concluded that continuous enrollment and mixed skill levels are very serious problems for adult educators.
There are states that beginning to move away from the multi-level class format and are recommending that programs provide classes designated for specific ability levels. In some municipals with many classes at various sites, this kind of programming already exists.
Although the setting allows for individualized instruction, teachers usually have limited information about learners' needs. Equipped with a couple of TABE test scores, they are expected to know just what each adult needs and how to go about providing it. It's not unexpected that little clear reading instruction is going on.
However now people have access to research that tells us that adult learners have widely varying needs, and that they can administer specific assessments to create meaningful learner profiles. It is also known now that if people work on those aspects or components of reading that are identified as needs, they might really make a difference for adult learners.
The realities of your situation are obviously still with you! You can find ways to use what people know to meet the reading needs of adults with varying skills and abilities. Rather, meeting learners' needs is a matter of classroom management: planning simultaneous small-group activities, for example. You should also require training to build your skills and awareness of options in instructional strategies. Especially, if you are working with beginning readers, you may want to find out more about one of the structured programs that have proven successful with children and adults who have reading disabilities.
Otherwise you may be "running hard" to keep up with the needs of a growing number of immigrants, many of whom need to learn to speak as well as read and write English. As your class includes these students along with native speakers of English, you are challenged indeed! First, you may need special training to build awareness of cultural differences, so you can work effectively with these learners.
You should also find some other kinds of resources as well: more class offerings, more flexible space, teaching assistants, tutors, computers, etc. Although you don't see a way to make these changes soon, knowing what needs to be done is the first step. The research information - based instruction and assessment options and the instructional planning examples may help you to think creatively about what you can do with existing resources. Sometimes, you may identify a target to aim for, so you can advocate for the kind of program services that adult learners need.
To come to the point, you can begin with some concrete steps to help adult learners improve their reading skills:
• Use assessments to identify the range of reading needs in your class.
• Use research-based instructional strategies to address those needs.
• Plan ways to get additional training and support.
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