Revisiting Reading: Exploring an intensive reading pedagogy in adult literacy

Abstract

Applied linguistic research into genres of written communication hashad a considerable impact in recent decades on the pedagogy of writing inall sectors of education in Australia, from early schooling to post-secondaryand workplace contexts (eg. Christie and Martin 1997). Attending to thesocial purpose of language and modelling and deconstructing texts inpreparation for supported writing has become a common feature of manyprograms, including those in the field of adult English as a SecondLanguage (ESL) and adult literacy. However, effective engagement withmodel texts for writing is dependent on students being able to read thosetexts. While reading continues to be explicitly identified as a component ofmost adult literacy programs, there is evidence to suggest that less attentionmay be given to the deliberate supported development of reading skills(Burns and de Silva Joyce 2000, 2005). This paper reports on a projectfunded by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research(NCVER) in Australia. The study, Investigating the impact of intensive readingpedagogy in adult literacy, was designed to explore the relevance and thepotential of an intensive, explicit reading pedagogy, Reading-to-Learn, in adultand community education (ACE) and TAFE colleges in metropolitanSydney, teaching literacy in ESL and adult basic education (ABE) classes.The study was a partnership between practising teachers andresearcher/teacher educators. It identified positive outcomes for students,with advances in reading abilities for many students well beyond thoseanticipated by teachers and students alike. Teachers also reported verypositive outcomes for their own professional development. Importantly, thestudy also identified a number of system-level features that would need to bein place to support a broader adoption of the pedagogy.