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1. Introduction Objectives: In this unit you will Understand how the characteristics of the adult learner match you and your student Analyze the characteristics and responsibilities of a good tutor Consider the different meanings of adult literacy Learn about learner-centered learning and learning styles Estimated time for completing this section: 3 hours Review In the last unit, you familiarized yourself with the blogger format and the content in this online course. For those who are technologically savvy, navigating this course will be easy. Others might need more help from our online mentor or technical facilitator. For some, concepts offered throughout this course will be new. For those who have taught before, this course will seem like a review. This online tutor training, therefore, is designed to teach volunteers with a variety of skills and knowledge. As you go through this unit, keep in mind that your adult students will also possess a variety of skills and knowledge that you...

2. Before You Begin Why do you think we asked you in the introduction to consider the obstacles you might encounter in completing this online training? Did others in your group have similar responses? Now, think about the problems your adult learner might have in attending tutoring sessions. How would their reasons compare to yours? Now go to comments and read what others have to say. Required Task: Click on 'comments' below and post one or two thoughts. Optional: Before you continue to the next module , here is a checklist for marking your progress. Click here to download the PDF checklist that will help you keep track of where you stopped. You may save the document in your files. It will not save in this blog.

3. Teaching Children Versus Adults Teaching adults is different from teaching children. Adult literacy programs ask even experienced K-12 teachers to go through tutor training because of these differences. The chart, Children vs. Adults, briefly describes some differences between adults and children as students. Click on image for a larger view and easier reading.

4. What is a literacy tutor? A tutor in an adult literacy program is a volunteer instructor who helps adult students achieve their literacy goals in a private, confidential setting. Most adult literacy students can only recall bad experiences in school, and they are often reluctant to discuss or reveal their learning problems to their boss or even their families. As an empathetic and caring tutor, you can break down these barriers by offering customized and remedial instruction at a pace that allows your students to gain confidence as they experience increasing success in learning. Optional Links (Click on the following links to learn more about tutoring.) Definition of a tutor Benefits of tutoring Characteristics of a good tutor The tutoring environment Optional: If you are curious about what tutoring is like, please watch this 4-minute video on YouTube of tutors talking about tutoring: Points to ponder (Required for new tutors) Consider the pros and cons of tutoring a student at a ne...

5. Required Assignment To learn more about tutors and the tutoring environment, please read one of the following passages from your tutor handbooks, if your program has assigned you one of the following: LitStart , Chapter 1, pages 4-11 Tutor , pages 139-146 Teaching Adults: A Literacy Resource Book, pages 7-17 Or you may read this online passage instead: While this passage is geared towards tutoring children, the principles of good tutoring hold for tutoring adults as well: empathy, preparation, outlook, passion, open-mindedness, and reliability. Click on the link below the image. Click on image to see a larger version " Characteristics of a Good Tutor " at  http://www.onlinetutoringworld.com/hometutoring/tutor-quality.htm Optional activity Flip quickly through your tutoring handbook and make note of the topics that will be covered. Will your questions be answered in these books? If not, develop a list of questions.

6. What is adult literacy? Before we continue, let's study a definition of adult literacy.  From  Adult Literacy Defined  at   http://wvde.state.wv.us/abe/definingstatus.htm . As you can see, the definition of adult literacy is fluid and changes over time. These days, the definition of literacy and numeracy includes the skills learned in technology-rich classroom environments. Literacy can mean many things to many people. A literate, well-educated person from 1946 would find it difficult to decipher some of today's contracts, medical information, or office manuals, especially those pertaining to technology. Attitude also plays an important role in adult literacy. An adult who manages to make a decent wage will often not view himself as illiterate until he faces a crisis, such as an impending job layoff, or has made a life-threatening error, such as giving his child an incorrect dosage of medication.  Some individuals feel such a deep sense of shame about their i...

7. Learner-Centered Learning Why does adult literacy instruction focus on learner-centered learning rather than on the traditional lectures we tend to associate with classroom instruction? Learner-centered learning means that students are at the center of their own learning. This type of instruction is especially important for adults who generally tend to be self-directed and can identify what they know and don't know. Optional Activity: Click here to learn more about learner-centered learning. Learning Styles When learning a new skill, such as refinishing an antique piece of furniture, what is your preferred method of learning? Watching a video? Reading instructions and studying diagrams? Listening to a tape? Or doing a combination of the above? Some of us gather information most effectively by reading or watching (visual learners); others by listening or verbalizing (auditory learners); and others by hands-on "doing" (kinesthetic or tactile learners). These characteris...

9. Summary Adult literacy learners are not so very different from adult literacy tutors. Both lead busy, responsible lives. Their motivation to attend tutoring sessions can be influenced by life's pressures and their insecurities about learning or teaching. Adult learners lean toward certain learning preferences and tutors lean toward certain teaching preferences. Their ability to learn or teach is affected by their physical and emotional well being. This discussion on the adult learner has set the stage for the next unit in this workshop, "Teaching Reading to Adults." We will now guide you through the various stages of teaching reading to adults whose literacy skills are uneven and whose confidence in their ability to learn is uncertain at best.

8. Required Assignment for New Tutors If you have never done this before, take an online inventory to see which types of intelligence most strongly characterize your personal learning style here or paste the following url into your address bar www.acceleratedlearning.com/method/test_your_style.html Kolb's Learning Styles. This image shows another way of characterizing learning styles. Click on image to view a larger version. Then read a passage in one of the following: LitStart , Chapter 1, pages 14-25 Tutor , pages 19-24 Teaching Adults: A Literacy Resource Book , pages 18-28 If your program does not use either text, choose the online assignment, " Learning Styles ,"   http://adulteducation.wikibook.us/index.php?title=Learning_Styles from All Things Adult Education Wikibook. Optional Link :  Learn more about " Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences ",  http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept97/vol55/num01/Integrating-Learni...

Self Check Required Activity: Please complete this self-check for Unit One: Adults as Learners and Tutors . __T __F 1. Once an adult decides to sign up for literacy instruction, nothing will stop her from reaching her goals. __T __F 2. One reason adults sign up for literacy instruction is to be less dependent on others. __T __F 3. Adult literacy students are often reluctant to discuss their learning problems, even with their families. __T __F 4. In one-on-one instruction tutors offer customized lessons at a pace that allows the students to gain confidence in learning. __T __F 5. Learner centered learning encourages a student to become a partner in learning. __T __F 6. Everyone has similar learning styles. __T __F 7. It is all right to teach a student at home. __T __F 8. The definition of adult literacy is fluid and changes over time. __T __F 9. Adults need a lot of direction and straight teaching and lecture. __T __F 10. Multiple intelligence theory suggests that we draw from eight dis...