Invisible StrugglesInvisible Struggles
How to help low-literacy students in How to help low-literacy students in the STAR Classroomthe STAR Classroom
Handouts: Two minute test Retention Pyramid Bloom’s Taxonomy of Scale
Activity:A test: Two minutes to decipher the handout in
front of you. Do not get help from others Do not look at it until timing begins
Three groups:1. Those who read easily
2. Those who need to take additional steps to read
3. Those who cannot read at all
What did you feel during the activity?This is how our students feel.
It is all around us. . .
40 million Americans are functionally illiterate
One in three prisoners/parolees function at a low reading and math level (below 6th-7th grade)
--National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992
What is Literacy?The U.S. Congress incorporated the following definition
into the National Literacy Act of 1991:
“An individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."
People with Low Skills: Cannot write out numbers on a check Cannot read a map Cannot count correct change Cannot complete a job/DMV application Cannot understand prescription doses Cannot understand a meeting schedule
Literacy Scale:Prose Literacy: knowledge and skills needed to understand
information from a text.Document Literacy: knowledge and skills needed to locate and
use words and symbols in materials such as job applications, transportation schedules, maps, tables and graphs.
Quantitative Literacy: knowledge and skills needed to to apply math operations (alone or sequentially), using
numbers embedded in printed material. Needed for balancing a checkbook and figuring out interest or loans.
--National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992
One in Three Parolees. . .One in Three Parolees. . .Scored at the lowest tested level:Scored at the lowest tested level:
Prose Literacy Level 1Prose Literacy Level 1
The knowledge and skills needed to understand information from a text:
Read signs Read a white board Read a handout
These parolees do not have:Document Literacy: knowledge and skills needed to locate and
use words and symbols in materials such as job applications, transportation schedules, maps, tables and graphs.
Quantitative Literacy: knowledge and skills needed to to apply math operations (alone or sequentially), using
numbers embedded in printed material. Needed for balancing a checkbook and figuring out interest or loans.
--National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992
The research shows. . . Lack of literacy skills increases a person’s
sense of disconnection with the community in which they live
Criminal behavior is more likely to occur among people who feel a sense of “exile” from the community in which they live
How do you know & What can you do? How can you tell someone has low reading
and math skills? How can you meet their needs in the
classroom? What are the “Do’s and Don’ts” with low-
literacy students?
How can you tell? You can’t Your students will hide it These students feel shame and
embarrassment every day They will avoid situations that may cause
them more embarrassment or exposure
Identification. . . They will ask to take the work home They will say they don’t have their glasses They will ask you to read things for them They will say they are sick and don’t want to
participate They will act out when confronted (asked to or
expect to be asked to read out loud) They will get other students to write for them
They will also. . . Ask a lot of questions about written information (or
ask for a printed handout of what is on the board) Have trouble reading cursive Ask you how to do the assignment after you have
given it in detail Carry a book or newspaper Never take notes Pronounce words incorrectly based on the way they
hear them, but not from having read them
Easy to miss. . . Sometimes it looks like a refusal to
participate Sometimes it looks like repeated
socializing during instruction Sometimes it looks like defiance Sometimes it looks like rage Sometimes it looks like manipulation Sometimes it is absence. . .
Some will not return. . . If a student fears exposure, he or she may
risk returning to prison rather than being found out
If the learning environment replicates the same uncomfortable atmosphere that the student remembers from childhood, he or she will shut down
We Can’t Solve Their Problem: But we can ensure that learning happenslearning happens
through: Multi-modal learning strategies Using Audio, Visual and Kinesthetic
strategies simultaneously Using Group work Ensuring a safe, non-judgmental
environment
Helpful Strategies: Five-step Process Review, Review
Review (let’s go back and make sure we’re all on the same page)
Rephrase 4 and 5 times if needed
Always reward participation
Summarize what you’ve covered
Check for understanding (not a Yes or No question)
Ask open-ended questions
Always ensure that the board, the handout and your discussion match
Levels of Comprehension:1. Knowledge – recall, recognition
2. Comprehension – interpret
3. Application – use the information
4. Analysis – examine in detail
5. Synthesis – originates, integrate ideas
6. Evaluation – assessment, criticism
Retention Pyramid How much do you remember from
college? From High School? From Grade School?
Why do we lose students as they increase in grade level?
Do: Don’t: Look for literacy issues when
there is defiance or resistance Notice/point out student
progress Use multiple strategies Respect student confidentiality Draw students into discussions Treat these students like
everyone else Reassure students when taking
pre-post tests
Point out students to read; instead, ask for volunteers
Make the reader analyze the reading, open up for others
Embarrass or single out the student
Hand students forms or papers to fill out alone
Confuse students, be visually, audibly and kinesthetically consistent
Push a student if you do not know his literacy level
Always ask yourself. . .
Could this be a literacy issue?
Before you assume the student is
simply non-compliant
Helpful Tools for Students: Free tutoring at every
library Word banks Phone book for words Prison literacy
programs Hooked on Phonics
Review How do you identify it?
A helpful strategy. . .
Something you should not not do. . .