Sample Activity

Teaching and Learning in Authentic Contexts

5. Overview of This Research (25 minutes)

• Explain to participants that this next activity is designed to give them an overview of the research.

• Introduce the research study, Literacy Practice of Adult Learners, by referring to Reading #1: “Taking Literacy Skills Home” that was distributed in the Pre-Meeting Packet. Ask how many in the group had a chance to read the article. If most have not read it, give the group about 10 minutes to read the article through the first two paragraphs in the “Change” section.  

• Post the “Literacy Practice of Adult Learners” newsprint. If most people have not read the article, use the questions on this newsprint as prediction questions – a pre-reading activity.
  
  

Literacy Practice of Adult Learners

by Victoria Purcell-Gates, Sophie Degener, Erik Jacobson, & Marta Soler

What did this study look at?

Who were the participants?

What two dimensions of literacy instruction did the study examine?

What were the results?

Divide the group into four pairs or small groups. Ask each pair or group to use Reading #1: “Taking Literacy Skills Home” to answer the questions on this newsprint and be ready to report their answers to the group.

• After 10 minutes, ask one pair or group to volunteer to answer the first question. Ask for any additions from the other groups and summarize the answers on the newsprint. Go to the next pair and question and repeat the process until the first four questions are answered.

• Post the “Literacy Practice of Adult Learners: Questions About the Research” newsprint.
  
  

Literacy Practice of Adult Learners :

Questions About the Research

What questions do you have about this research?

Ask each pair or group if they have questions about how the research was conducted. List these questions on the newsprint. Suggest that, as they read more about this study, they may discover the answers.

They may also want to read the NCSALL Report # 17, Affecting Change in Literacy Practices of Adult Learners [PDF] for more detail on how the research was conducted. Tell participants that this report is available free for downloading from NCSALL's Web site, under Publications, Reports.