Easy Books for Improved Adult Learner Reading Fluency & Comprehension

About This Session

Description

This session will focus on the important fluency-comprehension relationship. Some simple, easy-to-use methodologies will be demonstrated using authentic, high-interest literacy-supporting books.

What we'll cover:

Two basic yet important questions confront reading practitioners on a daily basis:

What materials do I ask learners to work with? and
What experiences do I ask learners to have with the materials?

Hiding behind the two questions is yet a third question:

What experiences do learners choose to have on their own with the materials? In other words, are the materials seen by learners as worthwhile?

By paying attention to this hidden third question (Are materials seen by learners as worthwhile?) sometimes the first two questions can be answered.

This breakout session begins with the presumption that the main cornerstone for successful outcomes for adult literacy programs is improved learner reading fluency and comprehension. This is a robust research finding in both first and second language reading. Yet few literacy practitioners know about the way learner fluency supports comprehension, nor how reading fluency can be developed in-class with learners.

This workshop will focus on the important fluency-comprehension relationship and how some simple methodologies can be used to improve both fluency and comprehension such as repetition of short passages, and audio support. These easy-to-use methodologies will be demonstrated using authentic, high-interest literacy-supporting books.

Participant input and commentary throughout will be encouraged and welcomed.