Return-Path: <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g8IEb7X11044; Wed, 18 Sep 2002 10:37:07 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 10:37:07 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20020918102301.00a9fdd0@mail.psnyc.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Ira Yankwitt <iray@lacnyc.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:199] Re: FW: Teaching Reading With Adults X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.6 (32) Status: O Content-Length: 4011 Lines: 91 This is interesting, but I couldn't find the text at NALD. Does anyone know what title its under? At 09:48 AM 9/18/02 -0400, you wrote: > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Thomas Sticht [mailto:tsticht@znet.com] >Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 7:38 PM >To: dbaycich@archon.educ.kent.edu >Subject: Teaching Reading With Adults > > > This may be of interest to those NIFL Assessment list members who are > interested in research-based reading, instruction, and assessment for >adult > literacy and language students. The paper referred to in the following > abstract is available free on line from www.nald.ca under Full Text > Documents search by authors using S for Sticht. > > Teaching Reading With Adults > > Thomas G. Sticht > International Consultant in Adult Education > > In Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States renewed > interest is being given to the teaching of literacy, especially reading, > to adults using research-based information. > > Like the teaching of reading to children, the teaching of reading to > adults has many controversies. The same debates rage about the "whole > language approach" versus the "word recognition", "decoding", or "phonics" > approach in the field of adult reading as in the teaching of reading to > children ( McCormick, 1988 ). > > Additionally, there are debates about the purposes of teaching adults to > read, generally framed in the larger context of teaching literacy. Some > argue for literacy for "empowerment," "giving voice," or stimulating > "critical awareness" while eschewing reading (literacy) instruction that > is "technical," that is, aimed at teaching reading "merely" as a cognitive > task > (Street, 1984 ). > > Though there is no doubting the importance of the many issues involved in > these debates, our literature review has found no body of empirical > evidence to argue convincingly that students learn better, go further in > their education, or become more successful citizens in programs operated > in line with one or the other point of view. And, indeed, there is often > considerable ambiguity about just what the words being used actually mean > to different people (Ellsworth, 1989). > > Given the controversies and the variety of ways of viewing the job of > teaching adults to read, in this paper I have opted to present an analysis > of what learners might learn and what teachers might teach if we view > reading as one aspect of the use of graphics technology to develop tools > for communicating, developing knowledge, and accomplishing various tasks > (Bruner, 1968). The advantage of this approach is that it presents a body > of technical knowledge that may be learned within the context of any of > the various ideologies or instructional belief systems held by teachers of > adults. For instance, whether one subscribes to the "whole language" or > "decoding" approaches to literacy instruction, or to "empowerment" or > "functional, economic, utility" as aims of instruction, learners who wish > to become literates or to improve their literacy must learn to recognize, > interpret, and produce graphic symbols and devices such as forms, maps, > and textbooks. > > This paper discusses literacy as the mastery of graphics technology. > Topics include The Power of Permanent Thought, Information Processing in > Space, and The Guiding Light. Each topic is developed to show how the > basic elements of the graphic medium - its relative permanence, its > ability to be arrayed in space, and its use of the properties of light - > work together to permit literates to generate and access massive > collections of knowledge; to analyze and synthesize discrete information > into coherent bodies of knowledge; and to perform complex procedures with > accuracy and efficiency. > > > > > > > Ira Yankwitt Director of Adult Literacy Services Literacy Assistance Center 32 Broadway, 10th Floor NY, NY 10004 (212) 803-3356 iray@lacnyc.org
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