Creating Authentic Materials and Activities for the Adult ...

Creating

Authentic Materials and Activities

for the

Adult Literacy Classroom

A HANDBOOK FOR PRAC T I T I O N E R S

Erik Jacobson

Sophie Degener

Victoria Purcell-Gates

Erik Jacobson has been involved in community-based adult education for more

than 10 years. He has focused on materials development and capacity building

from the perspectives offered by the variety of roles he has played: teacher,

program developer, and researcher. At the root of his work is a commitment to

addressing the connection between literacy education and social justice.

Sophie Degener is currently completing a doctorate in language and literacy at the

Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her interest in the impact of teachers¡¯

pedagogical beliefs and practices on the achievement of their students has been

reflected in her work as an elementary school teacher, family literacy program

co-founder, and researcher.

Victoria Purcell-Gates is Professor of Literacy in the College of Education at

Michigan State University. She conducts research on literacy development as it

occurs in and out of school. Her studies have focused on emergent literacy, early

literacy learning in school, and adult literacy; she was principal investigator for

NCSALL¡¯s Literacy Practices of Adult Learners Study (LPALS). She has taught

literacy learners from young children through adults for more than 30 years.

Printed in April, 2003

Contents

In t ro d u c t i o n

v

1 Using and Learning Litera cy in Contex t

1

Defining Authentic 1

Assessing Authenticity 4

Identifying the Purposes for Reading and Writing 5

Frame One: Functions of Language 5

Frame Two: Literacy Practices 8

Life Changes Yield Literacy Change 13

L e a rning Literacy in Context 13

Frame Three: Functional Context Education 13

Frame Four: Situated Cognition and Constructivism 16

27

Getting to Know Students Through the Intake Process

Getting to Know Students During Class 33

Sharing Personal Histories 37

2 Getting to Know Students

30

3 Using Authentic Materials and A c t i v i t i e s

43

Identifying Important Text Types 44

Types and Uses of Texts Used by Teachers and

Students in the LPALS 45

Issues Related to Type of Text 53

Thinking About Purpose 56

Class Planning Issues 58

in the Classro o m

NCSALL

I n t ro d u c t i o n ¡ô iii

4 Authentic Th e m atic Activities

67

Sample Themes for Adult Literacy Instru c t i o n 6 9

Theme One: Household Ta s k s 7 0

Possible Extensions of the Cooking Activity 7 4

F u rther Suggestions for Household Related Projects 75

What Makes these Activities Authentic? 76

Theme Two: Parenting and Family 78

F u rther Suggestions for Thematically Related Projects 84

What Makes these Activities Authentic? 86

for the Classro o m

89

Getting Started with Learner-Contextualized

Assessment 90

Assessment of Pro g ress 92

Other Forms of Learner-Contextualized Assessment

S t a n d a rdized Assessments 97

5 Assessment

6 Concluding Th o u g h t s

R e fe re n c e s

105

107

Appendix One: Two Class Po r t ra i t s

Class Portrait One

Class Portrait Two

113

113

116

119

Student Writings 119

C u rriculum Guides and Teaching Resources

Webliography 124

R e s o u rces

iv

120

¡ô Creating Authentic Materials and Activities for the Adult Literacy Classroom

95

Introduction

This handbook is the result of a five-year study of adult literacy education

in the United States entitled ¡°The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners

Study,¡± which we will refer to by its acronym, LPALS. It is one of many

research projects conducted by the National Center for the Study of Adult

Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), a joint effort of World Education, the

Harvard Graduate School of Education, Portland State University, Rutgers

University, and the Center for Literacy Studies at The University of

Tennessee. The LPALS focused on one of NCSALL¡¯s research priorities:

the nature and impact of classroom practice in adult basic education. This

introduction describes our research, presents key findings, and provides

an overview of the goals and structure of this handbook.

¡ô B ACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

When we began our work, we believed that adult literacy education should

help students master new types of texts, engage in new literacy practices

(uses of reading and writing), and increase the frequency with which they

engage in pre-existing practices. Unlike many in the field, we also believe

that individual and programmatic success should be measured by how

much students use what they learn in literacy education in their lives

NCSALL

v

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