Literacy
The Adult Literacy Research Working Group (ALRWG), a panel of experts on adult reading research and practice, was established by the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) in collaboration with the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). It was part of the Institute’s efforts to provide educators, parents and others with access to scientifically based reading research, including research-based tools for improving literacy programs and policies for children, youth and adults, through the Partnership for Reading.
This position statement affirms the need to develop accessible and effective reading pedagogies in college writing classrooms so that students can engage more deeply in all of their courses and develop the reading abilities that will be essential to their success in college, in their careers, and for their participation in a democratic society. This statement assumes that, like instruction in writing, instruction in reading is most ethical and effective when it engages students’ diverse experiences, needs, and capacities and when it works from an asset-based (rather than a deficit-based) theory of learning. The statement outlines principles and best practices for developing reading-centered pedagogies and curricula and identifies resources and sites at postsecondary institutions that can support this work.
Many college students struggle with the literacy skills needed to be successful in higher education (Bettinger & Long, 2009; Snyder, Tan, & Hoffman, 2004). The difficulties emerge within students’ capabilities in reading and writing. Students must be taught the skills needed to be successful to complete the tasks assigned in college classes and in their future jobs (Hammond, 2008; Jobs for the Future, 2005). Students must think critically, connect ideas, and complete research projects (O’Sullivan & Dallas, 2010).
Critical Reading Activities, by Florida State University
This website from Florida State University offers a variety of critical reading activities that can be used and adapted to any reading/text.
Part I of III. This article focuses on the fundamentals of close reading and the qualities of a good reader. The text also discusses the presentation of effective strategies for reading a text closely and ways to be an effective reader.
Part II of III. This article focuses on the fundamentals of close reading and the qualities of a good reader. The text also discusses the presentation of effective strategies for reading a text closely and ways to be an effective reader.
Part II of III. This article focuses on the fundamentals of close reading and the qualities of a good reader. The text also discusses the presentation of effective strategies for reading a text closely and ways to be an effective reader.
Deeper Learning Through Questioning, by the Teaching Excellence in Literacy (TEAL) Center
Asking good questions is central to learning and sometimes can be more important than getting the answers, particularly when the questions encourage students to think critically. ”Skill in the art of questioning lies at the basis of all good teaching ” (Betts, 1910, p. 55). Equally important is helping students use self -questioning to monitor their learning. This fact sheet focuses on both teacher questioning and student self -questioning
Reading comprehension research has a long and rich history. There is much that we can say about both the nature of reading comprehension as a process and about effective reading comprehension instruction. Most of what we know has been learned since 1975. Why have we been able to make so much progress so fast? We believe that part of the reason behind this steep learning curve has been the lack of controversy about teaching comprehension. Unlike decoding, oral reading, and reading readiness, those who study reading comprehension instruction have avoided much of the acrimony characteristic of work in other aspects of reading.
Cross-curricular objectives serve as a kind of ‘safety net’ for core objectives. Firstly, cross-curricular objectives refer to competencies that do not pertain to the content of one or more subjects, but that can be taught, practiced and applied in it, such as learning to learn and social skills. Secondly, certain cross-curricular final objectives must also be regarded as a complement to the subject final objectives.
This research digest on reading comprehension is one of a series that reviews four components of reading: alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The digest contains a discussion of current research, provides references, and suggest strategies for teaching adults to improve their reading comprehension.
You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to write between the lines. — Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most effective kind of reading.
This article describes a unique course-based collaboration involving an English professor, a Learning Strategies Counselor, and a Librarian. The potential benefits and barriers of collaborative teaching in literature are reviewed. The article delineates a threeway instruction model built around an annotated bibliography assignment in a junior-level English class. The model integrates instruction in information literacy, critical reading, and literary studies to help students become effective readers and researchers. The results indicate that students benefit from this teaching model. The article also offers ways to make collaborative teaching work and provides suggestions for further research.
What does it mean to interpret a text critically?
This article highlights the motivational journeys of two African American tween readers with learning disabilities who made measurable gains in literacy achievement between fourth and eighth grades.
The Kentucky Skills U Lesson Bank is an open educational resource available to all adult educators in the state of Kentucky, as well as throughout the United States. The Lesson Bank provides quality lesson plans for instructional use.
To view available lessons, click on “Search for Lessons” in the navigation bar above and select the relevant content area (RLA, Math, etc.). Next, click “Lessons” to first select the correct strand and then the appropriate NRS level. A list of lessons available at that specific NRS level will appear. Click on the preferred lesson title to view a brief synopsis of the lesson.
This column describes possibilities for using digital literacies with tweens as a platform for investigating issues of social justice.
Memorable Reading, Part I: Fiction, Poetry, and Drama by Susan Naomi Bernstein
Memorable Reading, Part II: History, Philosophy, and Psychology, by Susan Naomi Berstein
Memorable Reading, Part III: Non-fiction, Pedagogy, and Writing Studies, by Susan Naomi Bernstein
Finding practical ideas about college reading and learning strategy programs that have been drawn from theory and research is difficult for most veteran instructors but is even more difficult for those instructors new to the field. Over a decade ago the authors reviewed the literature and generated a list of their own ‘best ideas’ as a way of facilitating professional development. Given the promising research trends and best practices that have emerged since then, the authors deemed it important to update these ideas or recommendations. In addition, the authors have purposely cited many scholarly sources in order to provide an extensive bibliograpby for colleagues new to the field.
Presents a guide for teachers in facilitating reading across texts. Promotion of deeper understanding and response; Selection of texts; Ways of arranging texts; Recommended activities; Representation of outcomes.
Although research on improving child literacy is converging, no such body of research exists for adult literacy. Yet the need is no less significant. This study extends the knowledge garnered with younger populations by determining the reading comprehension strategies most important to adults’ success on adult literacy outcome measures and aligning them with previously researched interventions.
Based on research conducted at Wilbur Wright College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, this article explores the strategies, methods, and theoretical frameworks used by English instructors to teach reading-writing connections in developmental and credit-level writing courses.
This 2014 study examined the role of oral language skills in reading comprehension and listening comprehension levels of 125 monolingual (L1) and bilingual (L2) English-speaking learners in England. The study concludes that there is evidence, albeit limited, suggesting that interventions targeting broader oral language skills can improve comprehension. To sum up, the findings from the present study revealed that after about 4 or 5 years of formal schooling in English, more L2 learners tend to show significant developmental delay in their English language skills, and this seems to be one of the primary reasons contributing to their lower performance on the reading comprehension and listening comprehension measures. Although these findings need to be pursued further, the observed results clearly underscored the challenges facing the educators and policy-makers alike to meet the oral language and educational needs of learners from diverse language backgrounds with important and far-reaching implications for the socio-emotional and economic well-being of this increasing population of learners.
Seven Necessary Elements for Effective Reading Instruction, by Andrew Johnson
Effective classroom reading instruction for all students at all ability levels should include these seven elements:
Comprehension in textbooks, scholarly books, and research journal articles, along with identification of important information can be problematic for college students. Reading is fundamental in all academic disciplines. Many college instructors do not see that teaching students reading skills as part of their job, and that reading required college-level textbooks and scholarly books are not different from reading general (non-academic) materials. These instructors also assume that students have developed proper reading skills from previous academic years.
John Trimbur’s much-cited 1991 essay, “Literacy and the Discourse of Crisis,” persuasively argues for a view of literacy crisis discourse as “always strategic,” and demonstrates the ways in which it has reified “the meritocratic educational order” (285-286). This project considers Trimbur’s argument close to 25 years later, examining twenty-first century literacy crisis discourses immersed inextricably in a technological age. The notion of literacy crisis is a popular trope in the field of composition, rhetoric and literacy studies.
This white paper, commissioned by the College Reading & Learning Association, examines the terrain of college developmental reading. The terrain of college developmental reading is vast and varied, including both classroom and non-course-based instruction, and it expands traditional understandings of what is considered remediation in the reading field. Because developmental education has recently garnered unprecedented attention at national levels, this white paper is especially timely. Our purpose is to engage in a critical look at the field to illuminate both the role and impact of college developmental reading.
Discusses the key applications of critically-reflective teaching in the community college classroom. Discovery and research by community college teachers of assumptions they make about teaching and learning; Analysis of pertinent topics and relevant issues; Implications on school administration for community colleges.
The National Institute for Literacy hosted a webcast titled From Assessment to Practice: Research-Based Approaches to Teaching Reading to Adults on Friday, September 28, 2007. This webcast presented a practical and compelling rationale for the use of research-based principles for adult reading instruction. Dr. John Kruidenier, Dr. Rosalind Davidson, and Ms. Susan McShane used two components of reading, word analysis and comprehension, as examples to illustrate research-based practices, focusing on specific assessment and instructional strategies derived from the research.