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Adult Learning Basics and Styles *

All individuals have their own "best way" to learn.  As a literacy tutor, it will be helpful to tap into your student's unique learning style in order to help them meet their literacy goals. Although there are many learning style theories, The Index of Learning Styles (developed by Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman), is a very simple way to understand learning preferences. This model describes the following types of learners:   

Lesson Planning

Effective tutors plan their lessons in advance, taking into account the interests and goals of the student. Although there are many ways to create a lesson plan, lesson plans should contain the following information:

  • Date, time, and location of meeting
  • Tutor name and student name
  • Materials needed for the lesson
  • Long term goals (such as getting a GED, driving permit, etc.)
  • Learning objectives (short term goals that are specific, measurable, and realistic)
  • Learning Activities (How will you help your student meet objectives: Be specific about the strategies that you will use, such as language experience, phonics, writing activities, etc.)
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    • work/practice suggestions
  • Reflections How did the day's lesson help student meet his/her goal(s)? What will you work on together next lesson?)
  • Download a sample lesson plan in PDF format. Top of Page

Strategies and Comprehension

Reading students often struggle with reading comprehension, which means they cannot construct meaning from the text.  Even if it sounds like students are reading fluently, they may not be able to understand or remember what they are reading. If this sounds like your student, try the following steps and model this strategy to your student by going through the steps out loud. Then, have your student practice during the tutoring session.  The goal is for students to automatically monitor their own comprehension when reading.  

  • RAP Reading Comprehension Strategy:
  • READ - Read the first sentence or paragraph, then stop.
  • ASK - Do I understand what I just read? Do I need to read it again?
  • Visual or Verbal Learners
  • PARPHRASE - Summarize what you just read in your own words. Say it out loud, say it in your head, or write it down. If you can't summarize, it probably means you should read it again.

KWL charts

KWL charts help with comprehension by encouraging students to reflect about what they will read before they begin and again after they are done reading.  The chart asks:

  • What do I know about the topic?
  • What do I want to know about the topic?
  • What did I learn? Using the chart is also a way to incorporate writing into the lesson. If students are not yet comfortable with writing, you can fill out the chart for them, using their words.
  • Download a KWL chart in PDF format. Top of Page

Phonics

Letter Sounds... Does your student confuse B and P sounds? Does your student have trouble pronouncing the sound of the letter F? First, figure out how you produce the sound yourself. What do you do with your tongue, lips, teeth, etc.? Then explain it to your student. For example, P is a puff of air. Your don't use your voice to make the P sound.

Hard and Soft C... Does your student have a hard time figuring out whether a word that begins with a C has a soft S sound or a hard K sound? What is the rule? C has a soft sound if the next letter is E, I or Y. It has a hard C sound if the second letter is A, O or U.

Writing Strategies

Many literacy students are very uncomfortable with writing.  They may be self-conscious because they know they will make mistakes in grammar or spelling.  It is important for tutors to be sensitive to these issues during tutoring sessions.

Here are some general rules for writing activities:

  • Choose a writing topic that is interesting to the student.
  • Teach the student to plan their writing before they begin.  Help them brainstorm, jot down key words, or use a graphic organizer.
  • Take small steps - For a beginning writer, start by writing individual words, then sentences, then paragraphs.
  • Focus on strengths first. Give specific praise, such as "I like the way you described your house.  I could almost see it in my mind."
  • Focus on only one mistake.  Often, beginning writers make many mistakes, but it would be very discouraging if you pointed them all out.  Teach one new writing strategy per lesson.  For example, use one lesson to talk about capitalizing the first letter of a sentence. Ask the student to look through their piece of writing and see if they followed the capitalization rule.  It is always better for a student to find their own mistakes. Top of Page
 

Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers help writers organize their ideas before writing. These work well both for beginning and advanced writers.  There are several types of graphic organizers.  Work with your student to find what works best for them. Here are some websites where you can download and print different types of graphic organizers.

Writing Activities

Remember to consider the level of the student.  Some activities listed above are inappropriate for beginners.  For very beginning writers, use the language experience approach, in which you record the words for the student.  Language experience helps students begin to connect verbal language and text.

  • Object Description - Bring in an interesting object, such as a pinecone, a piece of fruit, a stuffed animal, etc.  Take turns writing down a word that describes the object.  This simple activity will stretch vocabulary while helping the student become more comfortable putting words on paper.  
  • Picture Prompt - Bring in a picture of something that will interest your student.  Take turns writing sentences about something that is happening in the picture.  For the more advanced student, they can use the picture to write a story.
  • Personal Journal - This is a great way for a student to practice writing without worrying about someone critiquing their work.  Students may choose not to share their personal journal with the tutor.
  • Interactive Journal - Take turns taking home the journal and write to each other during the week. Share the writing during the next tutoring session.
  • Reading journal - Keep a reading journal during tutoring session.  After reading, help your student record their reflections on the text. Students can also journal about something they saw on the news, in the newspaper, etc.

Spelling

Spelling difficulties can be helped by using the following guides:

  • Focus on teaching a few words at a time. Create a notebook and set aside one page for each letter of the alphabet. Have the student add words he/she needs to practice on the appropriate page.
  • Use two different colored pens or pencils to write down spelling words. Write the part of the word that caused difficulty in a different color.
  • Sensing or Intuitive Learners
  • Use a tape recorder, say the word and then spell it out. Pause between words so the student can try and spell the word when listening to the tape.
  • Write down a list of your student's spelling words and ask him/her to use them when writing a letter or an essay. The best way to become a better speller is to practice writing.
  • For a complete description of these learning styles, click here.
  • For more specific tips on writing, spelling, or mechanics, the following websites may be helpful: Skillswise    The OWL Online Writing Lab
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"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself." - Galileo.