[AAACE-NLA] Recruiting low-literate adults
Barbara Arguedas
barguedas at sfccnm.edu
Mon Nov 6 11:33:05 EST 2006
I agree with all of the reasons listed. Our volunteer literacy program,
Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (LVSF), is affiliated with our ABE
program. Though we refer low literate students to LVSF, there are still
very few total students. We know they are out there and your
suggestions are excellent.
Recently, we engaged in a project with the civic housing authority in
which two surveyors went door-to-door to ask about the issues that kept
adults from finding work that pays a living wage. Integrated into the
survey were questions about their level of education and the goal was to
determine the need for literacy level instruction. We also held one
basic literacy class in the neighborhood as a result of the project. The
door-to-door method is critical to learning more about these hidden
populations. The surveys were conducted in low-income, mostly public
housing, neighborhoods. The results of these surveys are still being
tallied, so I don't have the specific outcomes as yet. We are holding a
forum to share the results of this project with city officials, business
leaders, and other community members so that more funding can be secured
to hold literacy level instruction right in the neighborhoods.
Thank you for raising this issue. It is definitely one that we are
challenged by.
Barbara Arguedas
Director of Adult Basic Education
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, New Mexico
-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of David
Rosen
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 3:15 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Recruiting low-literate adults
Janet and others,
The person who asked me this question was only interested in the
problem of attracting native speakers of English, in a country where
the first language is English. This is difficult for many reasons,
some of which are listed below. I hope others will add to this list
of reasons from their experience or research.
=========================================================
Reasons why it is difficult to attract low-literate adults to adult
literacy programs
1. Previous experiences in school -- and sometimes also in adult
education programs -- which are painful and/or futile
2. Not wanting to take the chance that anyone -- employer, co-
workers, friends, neighbors, or family members -- will know they have
great difficulty reading and writing
3. Not knowing what programs are available in their community, what
they offer, and if they are effective
4. Not wanting to go to a program in a school building or other place
which is identified as school-related (the privacy issue, the
reminder of past shame or frustration in school)
5. Not believing that it is possible for them to learn to read and write
6. Not having family support needed to take the risk of enrolling,
then to persist (indeed, in some cases having a powerful family
member who discourages them from participating in any education)
===========================================================
Some of your suggestions, Janet, reminded me that some of the
solutions to attracting low-literate adults might include:
1. Literacy programs located in or designed to serve people in
women's shelters, substance abuse halfway houses, or community re-
entry programs for ex-offenders.
2. The importance, sometimes, of matching a learner and (one-on-one)
tutor by gender, cultural, color, religious faith and/or class
background. Sometimes these are important in helping learners to
have trust in their tutor. Of course, having a teacher who is well-
trained in teaching adults to read and write, and in addressing
specific reading disabilities as well, is also essential.
I know there are people on this list who have wrestled with how to
attract and enroll low-literate adults in adult literacy programs.
You teach in or manage programs whose primary purpose is serving low-
literate adults. Maybe you have some answers, not all of them.
Maybe you know what does not work and should be avoided. And since
this is the public policy list, maybe you also have some thoughts
about how changes is local, state or national policy might make this
task easier.
Some of the teachers on this list might be willing to take this
question to their students, or to graduates of their programs -- as a
simple kind of action research project.
Some of the adult learner leaders on this list might have some good
ideas.
I would prefer that you post your thoughts to the list so we can all
learn more about this, but if you prefer to email them privately to
me I would still be grateful.
Finally, Is anyone aware of any research on this question? If so,
could you provide a citation? Thanks.
David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.com
On Nov 4, 2006, at 10:17 PM, Janet Isserlis wrote:
> David and all
>
> A timely question. Just back from the two-day LESLLA conference - an
> international conference examining approaches to language and literacy
> education for basic level learners, including learnings from
> practice and
> research and implications for policy.
>
> The recommendations you mention seem geared towards people wanting
> access to
> literacy learning in their own first language. I think another
> piece to
> consider has to do with making literacy and language learning
> available
> through other venues -- formally and informally, e.g. through faith
> based
> organizations, health centers, women's groups and the like. We
> need to be
> working across disciplines to make ourselves available to help
> people doing
> other work (folks in community centers, for example) become more
> aware of
> the embedded literacy and numeracy practices in everyday life and
> help them
> either learn to help others on an ongoing basis as well as make
> information
> about learning centers and literacy programs more widely available.
>
> Basic information about LESLLA is on line at http://www.leslla.org
>
> Wonder if others at the LESLLA conference could add to this
> discussion?
>
> Janet Isserlis
>
>
>>
>> AAACE Colleagues,
>>
>> Someone recently e-mailed me: what do we know from research and
>> professional wisdom about successful ways to attract and enroll low-
>> literate adults in adult literacy programs? I am posting the question
>> here because there is no e-list that I am aware of which is
>> particularly suited to it and, because although I am looking for
>> research and professional wisdom, what I learn may have implications
>> for policy. Do we have experts in this area, people who have studied
>> how to attract and enroll low-literate adults in a variety of
>> contexts, who know what strategies work? If so, who are they?
>>
>> Here's what I have so far. Any additions? Any research you would
>> recommend?
>>
>> 1. Assure complete privacy so that no one will know that a learner is
>> enrolled.
>> 2. Use "literacy ambassadors," adult learners enrolled in programs,
>> who can meet privately with groups of job seekers, welfare recipients
>> or other groups where there may be a high incidence of adults with
>> low literacy skills, and who can tell them about their own
>> experiences as adults with reading difficulties/disabilities, how
>> enrolling in a program was helpful to them, and how their lives have
>> been changed as a result.
>> 3. Provide one-on-one basic literacy tutoring by well-trained tutors
>> with a background in specific reading disabilities.
>>
>> Thanks for your advice.
>>
>> David J. Rosen
>> DJRosen at theworld.com
>>
>>
>>
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