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Coffee With Literacy Texas

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Want to ask a question?

Need some help, or want some new ideas or resources for your literacy program?

Have some feedback or a request for a What Leaders Need session or for the conference?

Drop by this virtual session and chat with Jenny Walker, Literacy Texas Executive Director. All literacy questions welcome!

Join us online on Wednesday, July 10, any time between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm (there’s no official “start” to this event, so come whenever you like – and stay for as long or as short a time as you like).

No prior registration is needed. We’re looking forward to sharing a cup of (virtual) coffee with you and seeing where the conversation takes us!

Click here on july 10 to join the session

Announcement: Leadership Changes

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Literacy Texas Executive Director Steve Banta has announced his retirement, effective Q1 2024.

From Ernest Lewis III, Literacy Texas Board President:

“On behalf of the Literacy Texas Board, I would like to thank Steve for his commitment and tremendous contributions to Literacy Texas and the literacy field.Under his leadership, Literacy Texas is well positioned to continue serving as a resource for literacy organizations dedicated to assisting adult learners thrive in education, the workplace, and in their communities.We wish Steve well and express our heartfelt gratitude for his service.”

From Steve:

“It has been an absolute honor to lead Literacy Texas for the last four years. I want to thank my board of directors for supporting me on this journey, and all of the people who I’ve had the pleasure to work with along the way.I offer a special thanks to Mahalia Baldini and her staff at the Texas Workforce Commission for their support and guidance. Also, to Kathryn Bauchelle, my colleague at Literacy Texas, who raised the bar and helped shape the organization you see today.Addressing the needs of the adult low literacy population in Texas will be an ongoing challenge. I’m proud that Literacy Texas is well positioned for the future.”

Steve Banta headshot

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Reading Changes You

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Every year in September, we celebrate literacy.

So – 

Happy Literacy Month!

As we begin this special month of celebration, there are all kinds of ways for you to get involved:

Complete the Literacy Texas Needs Assessment and help us make sure the upcoming year of training and advocacy gives you what you need. You’ll also be in the running for prizes! Already completed it? Please share with a Texas literacy colleague – we want as many responses as possible!

Celebrate International Literacy Day on September 8, which this year has the theme ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’. 

Dive into Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (September 17 – 23), using quality toolkits and advocacy materials prepared by leading literacy orgs.

Relax with the Texas Great Read book choices for 2023, announced in mid-August by the Texas Center for the Book at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. And if you’re in Houston or nearby, add the 2023 Gulf Coast Reads book to your pile as well, ready for October.

And – the new Literacy Texas grant year starts on September 1, along with our new calendar of training and events. Because literacy transforms Texas! And YOU help make that happen.

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Join our mailing list so you don’t miss any news:

  • Local and national literacy news
  • Conference updates
  • Regional symposia
  • Best of Texas
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Adults only?

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“Andragogy” and “pedagogy” can seem like niche academic words – does the difference between them really matter?

At the recent South Plains Literacy Symposium, one of the most popular breakout sessions was A is for Adult: An Introduction to Andragogy. The session was an in-depth exploration of some of the major tenets of teaching adults, and some of the motivators, barriers, and drivers of persistence specific to adults.

And we say, hallelujah!

Too often, our field has taken the approach that “teaching is teaching” – and assumed that someone with experience teaching children must automatically also be able to teach adults effectively. Of course, that’s sometimes true – but it’s far from automatic. 

So what are the key differences?

Malcolm Knowles is one of the foremost experts in this area, and he’s broken his definitions down into five assumptions and four principles. Let’s take a look.

Knowles' 5 Assumptions of Adult Learners

1. Self-Concept
People become more self-directed as they age and mature.

2. Adult Learner Experience
People gain practical and theoretical experience as they age, and bring it to the learning process.

3. Readiness to Learn
Adults have a strong motivation to learn things that help them accomplish relevant tasks and gain practical skills.

4. Orientation to Learning
Adult learners are motivated to solve problems, moving from “knowing about” a topic to “knowing how” to do a specific task.

5. Motivation to Learn
Motivation for adults is usually internal, rather than external – and motivations are individual for each learner.

Knowles' 4 Principles of Andragogy

  1. Adults need to know why they need to learn something.
  2. Adults need to learn experientially – by doing.
  3. Adults approach learning as problem-solving.
  4. Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value.

 

So much changes for us as we age – in both our bodies and our minds.

Doesn’t it make sense for the way we’re taught to change as well?

Find resources to help you explore andragogy – and build it into your literacy program – in our Resources library.

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