Debunking the Myth of “Lack of Transferable Skills”
Teaching Adult Literacy Learners
Adult learners with no formal education or with interrupted education fall under the non-literate or literacy learners category. The assumptions about why these learners fall behind in most language learning programs are usually based on studies done decades ago, where they were characterized as not having transferable skills due to interrupted learning or no education, and therefore they normally take more time to learn any type of skill.
While the latter part is true, there are other reasons why literacy learners take more time to progress or to keep up with their literate colleagues. After years of teaching literacy learners, researching and developing teaching methods for this group and based on her extensive classroom experience in the ESL field, Maria will debunk the myth that “the lack of transferable skills” slows the learning process down. She will demonstrate that “life skills” are as important in the learning process as any other skills literate learners possess and using them not only gives them confidence, but makes the learning process fun and easy for everybody involved.
Through hands-on activities and the most recent research in the field, the participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of the literacy learners’ needs and what the teachers’ expectations should be.