Let’s turn the page on adult literacy ed.

Our program actually teaches reading to adults. Teaching reading to adults requires a specific set of skills—by both the tutors and the students. Our volunteer tutors are trained to explicitly and methodically teach the sound-to-symbol relationship that makes up the reading code.In addition to decoding, we teach vocabulary, reading comprehension, fluency, and content knowledge. Students are assessed in every lesson, and every lesson spends a significant block of time reading real text. We have taken these methods and made them accessible to adult students, and teachable by volunteer tutors.

Somehow the idea spread that phonics is boring and that it’s more exciting to “just read.” This led to the widespread adoption of a method of teaching reading known as “Whole Language” or “whole word teaching” or its step-child, “balanced literacy”, all of which have been discredited after leaving generations of students behind. More and more schools are going back to explicitly and directly teaching the reading code. It’s not boring! What’s truly exciting and deeply satisfying is the mastery of an essential skill.

It is rare to encounter an adult who is completely illiterate. Our students mostly arrive knowing some words and having some literacy skills. For this reason, we don’t like the word illiterate, and prefer to discuss skills: Most of our students are lacking the literacy skills that would enable them to function efficiently or independently in our ever-more literate society.

Most students start the program unaware that there is a code—a logical system of connecting sounds to symbols. Many think that you just have to memorize all the words.Most of our students arrive reading at first- to second-grade level. Essential skills such as reading mail, applying for a job, or traveling alone on an unfamiliar route are not possible.

Many adults with low-literacy skills exhibit signs of dyslexia, a language-based learning disability that makes learning to read very difficult. Most of them went to schools, either in the U.S. or elsewhere, that were not equipped to teach reading to dyslexic children. Other students, especially those raised outside of the U.S., had their education interrupted or denied at an early age for a variety of reasons.

In a perfect world, these students would learn to read first in their native language, then perfect their English, and THEN learn to read in English. But most adults don’t have the time or resources to do this. We use the Volunteer Literacy Project curriculum with these students, with an extra focus on vocabulary—teaching reading and English simultaneously.

There are numerous excellent reading programs on the market, but the vast majority were written for children. Adult reading students have some issues and needs that are different from those of children learning to read. It’s our belief as well that adults shouldn’t have to suffer the indignity of using childish materials meant for a six-year-old. Our materials were designed for adults. Our texts were written for adults, about adult situations. The drawings and icons were made with adults in mind. With more than 36 million adults needing help learning to read, there is no reason to use materials meant for children.

Each program can make its own decision about whether to meet online or in person. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Many students prefer online, and as the tutoring in generally one on one, this can work. For online work, students and tutors must have a device and a wifi connection.

The Volunteer Literacy Project’s original mission was to provide curriculum that can be taught by trained volunteers. We look forward to the day that this most overlooked sector of the population receives prioritized funding that allows for a certified professional reading specialist to serve each and every student'’s needs. Until that day comes, we are training volunteers to use this program. Our volunteers have little or no experience with teaching reading. Over the course of at least four training sessions they learn to use our scripted curriculum.