Hi Robin,

Certainly there is diversity.  But a common factor in illiteracy is the 
inability to decode.  If that can be conquered, then fluency and experience 
will follow through practice.  A single, concerted approach to tackling the 
decoding problem can achieve remarkable results,
compared to a mixed or 'balanced' approach, as was discovered in the 
Clackmannanshire study.

Cheers from Chiswick,

John

(John Nissen)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robin Millar" <r.millar at uwinnipeg.ca>
To: <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics"



> In response to Kathy's comments.  I can only say that I heartedly agree.

> Adults come not only with varying degress of reading abilities, but

> varying degrees of schooling (good and bad) that affect how and what

> kinds of approaches they might need to make progress.  We are talking

> about folks who may have some very specialized reading needs as well.

> In my experience, most adults lack fluency and experience,  decoding is

> simply one of many issues they need to conquer.  I might refer to my

> colleague Pat Campbell in Alberta who has written an excellent guide for

> teachers of adults called "Teaching Reading to Adults: A Balanced

> approach."

>

> Dr. Robin Millar

> Executive Director

> Centre for Education and Work

> 515 Portage Avenue

> Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9

> 204-786-9395

>

>>>> kolson2 at columbus.rr.com 12/16/05 12:02 PM >>>

> John,

>

> The lack of research on evidence-based adult education is a major

> reason why

> the ESOL lab school in Oregon was established. It provides

> documentation

> through video and audio for teachers/researchers to observe what

> happens in

> the classroom and which particular teaching approaches are more

> successful.

> This issue of Focus on Basics describes some of the research that has

> been

> carried on to date. It is my hope that we will someday (soon, I hope!)

> have

> research which shows or at least hints at which reading methods produce

> the

> best results.  Having said that, though, I am well aware that the

> answer is

> not so simple as our students come with varying degrees of reading

> abilities

> in their native languages and thus are not starting out from the same

> minimal reading abilities that entering school children are. In

> addition,

> while primary teachers have their students for six or more hours a

> day,

> adult education teachers do not. We have no way to determine whether

> our

> students actually learned their reading outside of class, through

> self-study, from their children, etc. In other words, there are so

> many

> variables to control for that it does make scientifically-based

> research

> very, very difficult.

>

> Kathy Olson

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]

> On Behalf Of John Nissen

> Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 5:52 PM

> To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List

> Cc: familyliteracy at dev.nifl.gov; Debbie Hepplewhite;

> focusonbasics at nifl.gov

> Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on

> Basics"

>

>

> Hello all,

>

> I am trying to find out how one should teach literacy skills to adults.


[snip]


>  The evidence of the Clackmannanshire study, shows that the

> [synthetic phonics] approach

> works for everybody, including 'dyslexics' and childen with special

> needs.

> In this study of 300 children in a deprived area of Scotland there were

> no non-readers after synthetic phonics had been introduced!

>

> Anyway, the UK government is now convinced, and is going to adopt

> synthetic phonics for schools.  See

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm.

> Should we adopt it for adults?

>

> Cheers from Chiswick,

>

> John

>

>

> John Nissen

> Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk

> maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud.

> Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics:

> http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm

> Tel: +44 208 742 3170  Fax: +44 208 742 0202

> Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk