The Article

Adult learners who participate in more “authentic” literacy activities, similar to ones that occur in people’s lives, are found to read and write more in their lives outside of school. This is one of the findings revealed a two-year study sponsored by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). As the principal researcher in this study, Professor Victoria Purcell-Gates describes the relevance of this study and its findings.

Discussion

Undoubtedly, the most significant outcome of authentic literacy instruction for adults is helping them to read and write more in their lives. Almost as important, though, is the effect it has on the children of those adults. Students whose parents read and write more start school knowing more about reading and writing themselves. Although this study focused on adult literacy learning, these practices also may translate into beneficial strategies for students of all ages who are learning to read and write. But how can a teacher tell the difference between authentic literacy and “school-only” activities? Purcell-Gates gives an in-depth description that differentiates the two. For example, reading a newspaper to learn the news has an authentic purpose, as opposed to reading a newspaper to identify main ideas in articles, which is classified as a school-only purpose. Purcell-Gates defines authentic texts as those found in everyday life, such as letters, fliers, magazines, novels, mortgages and so on. Examples of school-only texts include worksheets, flashcards and stories written for learners. Purcell-Gates also offers a portrait of an authentic literacy class, in which the teacher often designs lessons around issues that arise in the student’s neighborhood. In one adult class, the teacher realized that the news of a girl assaulted in the area deeply affected her students, so she devoted much of the week’s lessons to activities related to that topic. She brought in newspaper articles to read and discuss and helped the class write a letter to the editor. Although teachers such as these also used explicit skill teaching, Purcell-Gates notes that “the key was they embedded this teaching within authentic literacy activities.”

What It Means to You

How do teachers in your district develop literacy opportunities that hold more real-life significance for students? What strategies can be put in place in your curriculum that uses materials and activities more in tune with what your students encounter outside of school?

For More Information

Purcell-Gates, V. (2002). Authentic Literacy in Class Yields Increase in Literacy Practices. Literacy Update, 11 (7) 1-9. The article can be downloaded at www.gse.harvard.edul~ncsall .

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