The Adult Basic Education Teacher's Toolkit

Facilitating Adult Learning in a Holistic, Participatory Classroom: A Model

"..people learn best when learning starts with what they already know, builds on their strengths, engages them in the learning process, and enables them to accomplish something they want to accomplish." (Auerbach, 1990, p. 39)

Using Learner Themes

One effective way to develop a positive learning setting is to begin with themes identified by the learners that are of personal interest to them and then use these themes as the basis for practicing literacy skills. You are a resource for the learners, one who offers ideas and suggestions as a peer within the group. You do not dictate the content or alone determine what the learning activities are to be. Learners will be involved in the following activities:

• Finding learners' themes
• Exploring the theme
• Extending the theme to action
• Evaluating what has been accomplished and determine further action

Figure 3-1: Using learner-centered themes to guide learning activities.

The learner-centered process is not linear. Learning does not occur in a neat sequence of events. Much of the practice, learning, evaluation, and action occur simultaneously across these areas. As new ideas emerge, new resources become apparent; practice reveals needs for further practice in other areas. As needs change, constant reevaluation leads to broader directions to be explored in learning activities.

In the following sections, each part of the learner-centered process is described with ideas for action and a sample scenario of how each part might be played out in the classroom.

Note:

It is very unlikely that any group of adult learners will develop a plan closely resembling this one. The point here is to illustrate what might occur and to encourage you to challenge your students to develop their own "custom-designed" plan for learning.

Finding Learner's Themes

Through listening and observation, you can discover a wealth of issues students might want to actively explore. Exploring these issues can provide valuable experiences for the learners. To find learners' themes, try the following ideas.

1. Listen to students talk to each other and to you, and be alert and aware to learn their immediate interests, ideas, and concerns.
2. Listen and observe students' responses to learning activities, such as some of the following.

• readings
• journals
• photos/drawings
• films/videotapes
• songs
• group discussions
• student-produced drawings/poetry/stories, and so forth
• collages
• student research (findings of a student's own search for answers to an identified problem)
• other learner activities that might give you insights into student interests and concerns

The teacher of an ABE class has heard several students express concerns about housing. One student is having problems with a landlord. Another will soon be forced to move. A drawing of a house or apartment is distributed to the learners. The following questions are discussed by the entire group.

• What do you see in the picture?
• What are your thoughts or concerns regarding the picture?
• Have you had problems finding safe, affordable housing?
• Have you had problems dealing with landlords?
• What would you do if you had to find a new place to live? (It is likely that students will bring out many points that need further discussion as they respond to these questions. Listen closely to determine other possible themes and issues that may need to be explored later.)

Record these words and other thoughts on a chalkboard or a large chart pad so that everyone can see the words. Make sure everyone understands what each word you write down means.

Ask each student to write three sentences about his or her current housing situation. Encourage students to use as many of the vocabulary words as they can and record them in their personal dictionary. At this point, you and/or an aide should help each student reread what he or she has written. Have students put their written work into a folder that they can use it again in the next class meeting. It is important for students to practice reading their own words, which should be an ongoing process. Similarly, have students continually update their personal dictionaries as they encounter new words in their learning activities.

This task enables learners to accomplish the following.

• Identify issues of concern to them personally.
• Relate what they already know about the topic to new things they learn.
• Determine what they want to know more about regarding the topic.

Exploring the Theme

Learners explore a theme through numerous activities involving the use of literacy and communication skills, which might include (1) group discussion of themes to be explored, and (2) identification of sources of information such as the following.

• people

• field trips to related businesses, organizations, and so forth
• guest speakers
• interviews with experts, people who know a lot about specific topics

• printed materials

• books (including novels, poetry, plays, cartoons, songs)
• other literature related to the theme
• newspapers
• phone books
• brochures
• maps, charts, and graphs
• photos/drawings
• diagrams
• bank statements
• application forms
• product labels

This list is just a start; students will generate other ideas. As students search for information from a variety of sources, they can record their thoughts, ideas, and findings in things like the following.

• journals/diaries
• photo stories
• oral histories
• drawings/ collages
• budgets/balance sheets
• publications
• letters/notes
• memos
• grocery lists
• to-do lists
• calendars
• phone registers (names, phone numbers, and addresses of contacts)
• poetry
• short stories/novellas
• personal dictionaries

A variety of literacy activities can be used to help learners as they practice reading, writing, and computation in the process of exploring a theme.

• language experience stories
• story maps
• free writing
• solving word problems.

For more information on these kinds of activities, see Chapters 4 - 7, the Toolbox chapters.

Exploring the Theme: A Sample Scenario

To help students get started with their search for information concerning safe and affordable housing, you might begin by asking some questions. Some sample questions and the kinds of answers they might generate include the following.

• What would you do if you had to find a new place to live?

• ask my friends
• look in the newspaper for information
• move in with other family members or friends
• go to a real estate agent
• find out more about public housing

• What would you need to consider before moving to a new place to live?

• neighborhood
• safety
• cost
• proximity to work
• availability of public transportation
• availability of affordable child care
• space and arrangement of rooms
• utility costs
• yard maintenance
• how soon it will be available
• reliability of landlord

• How would you go about deciding the best choice for new housing?

• talk with people in the neighborhood
• compare costs of each potential house or apartment
• consider services available - schools, stores, emergency assistance, and so forth
• cost of getting to and from work, school, child care, medical services, and so forth

This is just a partial list of potential data that students can obtain and bring back to the classroom for further analysis by the group. Students in your classroom will develop different and probably more extensive lists of things to be considered As students respond, record their answers on a chalk board or chart pad. Show students how to record new vocabulary words in their personal dictionaries.

After learners have decided what kinds of information they need to make the best decisions about housing, they could develop an information form to keep track of what they learn as they search for answers. The information form might look something like the following, but let your students design one that will work best for them.

Housing Information Form

Phone number:

Person contacted:

Acceptable

Not Acceptable

Rent:

No. of Rooms:

Average utility bill:

Child Care Options:

School/s:

Location:

Reputation:

Transportation:

Schedule:

Neighborhood:

Location of shopping centers, grocery stores, etc.:

In this example, the group decides to find information regarding the availability of an apartment with the following specifications.

3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in the Sam Houston School District near the bus line and a child care center.

Based on an annual income of $12,000, the group calculates what can reasonably be spent for monthly rent. By using 1/3 of the monthly income as the basis for determining a reasonable rent, the students determine the monthly rent should not exceed $330. They decide that $65 is acceptable as an average monthly utility bill, and that the most they can allow for child care is $55.00 per month.

Distribute local newspapers to the group. Working in pairs, have students identify available housing that meets the requirements detailed in the preceding paragraph. You may need to read newspaper ads with the students, and you will need to explain abbreviations commonly used such as BR (bedroom), AC (air conditioning), and so on. Students can record addresses, phone numbers, and other information from the ads on the information forms.

To get further information, such as whether the apartment is still available, when they can look at it, or any information not included in the ad), students need to call the phone number listed. It would be a good idea for students to practice making the calls with each other first. Practicing first will help them remember to ask for all the information needed. They should record the information they get using the form.

Students can look at a map to locate the apartments for rent in relation to other services. They can measure distances on the map to determine approximately how far the housing is from necessary services. If students are not familiar with map reading, the teacher needs to provide special guidance in locating and marking streets. (A special exercise in reading maps could be added here. This type of exercise is helpful for solving math and geography problems, too.)

Have students use bus schedules to determine the routes and how convenient public transportation is to the property in question. (Here is another opportunity to include some math problems in your activity.)

At this point, students should have collected enough information to make an informed decision about the apartment to be rented. You can distribute a rental application for students to complete as a group or in several small groups. Students will need to discuss any technical language used in the lease. It might be helpful to invite a realtor or legal aide to answer learners' questions regarding leases and to give them information such as where to find assistance in filling out a lease and understanding its legal implications.

Remember, learner activities in this research phase should be based on what students already know.

Note:

Build on students' strengths, engage them in the learning process, and give them opportunities to accomplish something they want to accomplish.

Extending the Theme to Action

At some point, students will reach a level of comfort with their knowledge of the theme after having practiced their literacy skills. They become confident that they can communicate their ideas to a larger audience (which does not mean that perfect grammar or style are expected), and they can be encouraged to take action by doing the following.

• producing reading materials for other learners, including

• booklets
• newsletters
• signs/posters
• recipe collections
• advice columns
• writing letters and memos
• speaking to groups, starting with their own class
• teaching a skill to someone, beginning with something basic or simple
• participating in community projects or activities

Extending the Theme to Action: A Sample Scenario

In this example, students decide they have developed a useful form for collecting information about housing. They decide the form should be reproduced and distributed to realtors and community agencies that help individuals locate housing.

Students generate a list of realtors and agencies from the phone directory and information from the local Chamber of Commerce. They decide how they will distribute this form to the realtors and agencies. They need to compose a cover letter to accompany the form. This letter can be a collaborative writing assignment. See the section on Collaborative Writing in Chapter 6, Writing Skills Toolbox.

In the future, students may want to start a student newsletter and include information they have collected. If you decide to start a project such as a newsletter, you will need to use some of the techniques described in the Writing Process section of Chapter 6, Writing Skills Toolbox. For example, the first thing students would want to do when beginning a student newsletter is talk about who their intended audience, or reader, is. Who are these students? What kind of information would they want in a student newsletter?

Evaluating Accomplishments and Determining Further Action

The purpose of evaluation in this case is to determine factors that lead to the development of a learning situation that is meaningful to an individual student. Together, the students and the instructor examine what has been achieved in the process of exploring a theme.

• Identify skills that have been gained.
• Identify skills that need further practice.
• Identify other interests of the students to be explored that will provide opportunities for further practice of literacy skills.

Learners should continually be engaged in evaluating their own work and progress toward goals. A portfolio of the learner's work, along with teachers' frequently-documented observations, offer opportunities for evaluation. These documents also serve as valuable tools for motivation, further goal setting, and personal growth.

Regularly acknowledge and record specific skills that students gain as they achieve new skills through practice. Frequently determine new directions for exploration. Evaluation must not be a final activity of a project, but an ongoing activity that allows students to recognize successes and determine future directions.

Evaluating: A Sample Scenario

You can use any documents students produce in this project as evidence of growth. You should use these documents to assist students in self-evaluation of achievement and help them determine further learning goals. Letters to realtors, notations of information gained in the search for housing, budgets figured, maps read, application forms completed, personal writing describing the students' feelings regarding housing, action outside the classroom, and other examples of student work provide the necessary evidence for students and the instructor to use in determining future learning activities.

The following questions may help you with your evaluation.

• Was the student able to identify sources of housing information?
• Was the student able to access housing information using print materials, for example, newspapers, phone book, real estate flyers, and so forth?
• Was the student able to identify things to be considered in making choices for housing?
• Was the student able to compute a realistic budget?
• Was the student able to use a map to locate housing sites, bus routes, and so forth?
• Was the student able to record findings from project activities that would help in locating safe, affordable housing?
• Was the student able to use the information to make an informed decision regarding the choice of housing?
• Was the student able to complete application forms for housing?
• What other skills were gained?
• What skills need further practice?

Vocabulary lists students develop as they use their own language and learn to recognize it in print are an important indicator of progress toward student goals. As students continually review their personal lists and see that they now recognize and use their words in print, they gain confidence that additional words in print can be learned.

It is important to learn from students how they feel about the project. Ask students such questions as:

• Did you learn something valuable from this project?
• How can you use this these skills in the future? What other ways besides finding an apartment could you make use of the things you learned to do in this exercise?
• What else would you like to learn?

A group discussion addressing these questions will help learners evaluate their personal achievement and will help you determine future learning projects. At any point in the learning process, take the opportunity to have students write their personal thoughts - a song, poem, or story - to express their feelings. You can also read short stories or novels in class about others who find it difficult to locate safe and affordable housing (constantly watch for articles related to themes of interest to students, in magazines, newspapers, novels and other literature.)

Every opportunity students have to practice reading, writing, critical thinking, and problem solving with themes that are of personal interest provides valuable experiences from which further learning can evolve. But remember that student interest must be maintained. If students seem to lose interest in a theme, do not force them to continue in that direction. Watch for indications that students need to move on to other topics of study.

Learning can and should be challenging, exciting, rewarding, meaningful, and fun! But whether it is these things depends largely on the relationship between teachers and students. Where there is a mutual respect and expectation of success among the participants, unexpected heights can be and have been achieved.