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Read.in^ and
Learning
A HanJhook for AJults
PAT CAMPBELL
LEA.RNf^^G RESOURCE
CENTRE
GRANT P^acSWAN
Grass Roots Press COLLEGE
Edmonton, Alberta
Copyright © 2003 Grass Roots Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be
invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data
Campbell, Pat, 1958-
Reading and learning: a handbook for adults / Pat Campbell.
ISBN 1-894593-22-7
1. Reading (Adult education) I.Title.
LC5225.R4C345 2003 428.4’07r5 C2002-906-50-8
Author: Pat Campbell
Editors: Jessica Gonzalez, Janet Isserlis, Grace Alalicky, Judith Tomlinson
Book design: Lara Minja - Lime Design Inc. '
Printed and bound in Canada by Quality Colour Press Inc.
Grass Roots Press
PO Box 52192
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2T5
Phone toll-free: 1-888-303-3213
Fax: 1-780-413-6582
Web: www.literacyservices.com
Grass Roots Press gratefully acknowledges the
support provided by the National Literacy Secretariat,
Human Resources Development Canada.
In 2001, student focus groups were organized in Regina,
Halifax, and Toronto. These students shared their questions
about becoming better readers. Their questions shaped the
content of this handbook. I am very grateful to the students
who were involved in the focus groups. I would like to
thank Debbie Purton, Sheila Nunn, and Susan Toews for
organizing the focus groups.
f
Finally, I would like to thank Jessica Gonzalez, Janet
Isserlis, and Grace Malicky for reading the handbook and
providing suggestions for improving its content. Special
mention goes to Judith Tomlinson for copy-editing the
handbook.
Tatle of Contents
Introduction
PAGE 1
Learning
PAGE 3
What will help me to learn?
What makes learning difficult?
Readi:mg
PAGE 30
How can I remember and understand what I’ve read?
How do I figure out the words I don’t know?
How do I choose reading material?
What causes reading difficulties?
Review
PAGE 54
1
Tkis li andtook answers some questions
atout reading. Here is a question tkat
mii Le on your mind:
Will my reading improved
The answer to this question is “yes.” Everybody
can improve their reading through instruction
and practice. And remember, you’re never too old
to learn! O
1
<1
Learning
W^liat will lielp me to learn?
You will be learning new skills that will help you
become a better reader. Here are ten suggestions to
help you learn these new skills:
• Believe in yourself.
• Set goals and work towards them.
• Work with a tutor or teacher whom you trust.
• Ask your tutor for feedback.
• Ask for the support of your family and friends.
• Use all of your senses. /
• Be actively involved in lesson planning.
• Vary your lessons.
• Review what you have learned.
• Read at home and at work.
Let’s take a closer look at each suggestion.
Bellileve m yourse //.
Think of something that you can do well. Did you feel
confident when you learned this skill? If you weren’t
confident at first, what helped you develop confidence?
Did you practice doing something new until you were
able to do it well? Feeling confident helps you to learn
new skills.
6
Set goals and work towards th em.
Write down your goals. Then, make a goal plan with
your tutor or teacher. A goal plan breaks your goals
into small steps. If you don’t have a goal, it is easy to
get side-tracked.
1
Work with a tutor or teacher
whom you trust.
Learning is easier when you trust your tutor. If you
trust someone and feel safe, you are more willing to;
• Ask questions.
• Speak your mind.
• Share your hopes and fears.
• Make mistakes.
Asking questions and making mistakes is an important
part of learning.
9
Ash your tutor for feedback.
The question “How am I doing?” is a good way to get
feedback right away.
Ash for the support of your
family and friends.
Your family and friends can help you in many ways.
A friend might baby-sit your child when you meet
with your tutor or go to class. Your children might try
to be quiet when you are studying. Your partner might
free up your time by helping with some of the chores.
What you
Senses
remember
Hearing, 20%
Seeing 30%
Hearing & Seeing 50%
Hearing, Seeing,
70%
and Talking
Hearing, Seeing,
Taiking, and Doing 90%
Use all of ifour senses.
Let’s say you wanted to learn how to change a tire.
If someone told you how to change a tire, you might
remember only 20%. By watching a person change a
tire, listening to them, and asking questions, you
might remember 70%.
By watching a person change a tire, listening, asking
questions, and then doing it yourself, you might
remember 90%.
16
Be actively involved
in lesson planning.
Help your tutor to plan lessons around your goals.
Choose reading material that interests you and relates
to your goals. Look around your home, at work, at a
library or bookstore to see if there is something you
want to read. You can bring this reading material to
your lesson.
1
■ — —.
Vary your lessons.
>
Learning becomes more interesting if your lessons
are varied. Use the time to practice your reading and
writing. Take time to discuss the ideas in books.
When you feel tired, tell your tutor that you would
like to take a break.
Let’s 0o over what
we learned tonight.
Review what you have learned.
At the end of each lesson, discuss what you have
learned. If something was hard to understand, ask
the tutor to explain it again.
! 2)
Read at h ome an d at work.
Try to read something every day. It does not have to
be a book. It can be the horoscope, a memo, the want
ads, or the back of a cereal box. If you have children
or grandchildren, you can read to them.
24
makes learning
difficult?
Stress
If you have too much stress in your life, it will be
hard to learn. Stress makes it hard to concentrate
Some people find that it helps to talk to a friend,
a neighbour, a roommate, or a counsellor. Some
people find that exercise helps relieve stress, too.
1
:c'
Poor hyesight
Does the print look blurry to you? Do you have to
hold the print far away from your face to see it? If so,
it is a good idea to get your eyesight checked. Poor
eyesight and hearing can affect your ability to learn.
/
/
28
equate Instruction
It will be hard to learn if you are not getting the
instruction that you need. You might be in a class
that is too easy or too hard for you. Or you might be
reading material that is too easy or hard for you.
Or perhaps you aren’t being taught the skills you
need. Or the pace of instruction might be too fast.
If the instruction is not meeting your needs, be sure
to tell your tutor or teacher.
Reading
Do you know people who:
• Can remember what they have read?
• Can understand what they have read?
• Know how to figure out unfamiliar words?
Did you answer “yes” to each question? If so,
you know people who are fluent readers. Let’s take
a closer at how to become a fluent reader.
How can I rememter and
understand wkat I ve rea d?
Fluent readers are always reading for meaning. They
do more than just read the words on the page. Fluent
readers make the words come alive. They do this by
thinking about what they are reading. Let’s take a
look at eight ways to read for meaning:
I
Klaus is a farmer. He is reading a flyer
about a tractor that is for sale.
Visualize.
Sometimes, authors use words to describe people,
places, and things. Try to form a picture of a person,
the place, or the thing.
1
3ob is reading a newspaper story about a woman who rescued
her cat from a burning apartment. By reading between the lines
Bob figured out that the woman was brave.
Read between the lines.
Authors don’t always tell you everything. Sometimes,
authors expect you to figure some things out on your
own. When you figure out some things, you are reading
between the lines.
/
Rose is reading a mystery.
She is trying to predict the murderer.
36
Make predictions.
Fluent readers make predictions when they read
stories. For example, if they are reading a suspense
novel, they try to predict what is going to happen.
Making predictions helps to set a purpose for reading.
How many CDs
do I have to
buy if I join this
club?
Carlotta is reading the membership policy
to find the information she wants.
38
Set a purpose for reading.
Before you start reading something, ask yourself:
Why am I reading this?
What do I want to know?
/
Bella is reading a work memo.
40
Read all of the material quickly to get an idea of
what it is about. Then, read it a second time, paying
attention to the details that you need to know.
I don’t get it. What
am I supposed to
do? I’ll try reading
it once more...
h
t
Jennifer is reading the directions for baby formula
Chech your understanding.
When you are reading, always ask yourself, “Does
this make sense?” If it doesn’t, try rereading the parts
that are confusing.
>
This isn't the way
I make pie crust.
Oh well, you learn
something new
every day.
Carlos is a baker. He is reading a pie crust recipe.
%
Relate what you read
to what you know.
When you read, think about what you already know
about the topic. Learning becomes easier when you
relate new information to what you already know.
>
46
That’s not true!
Terry is a vegetarian. He is looking at an ad that promotes beef.
Be a critical reader.
Reading material contains invisible messages. These
messages reflect the values of the author. These
messages also reflect different points of vietv. Try to
figure out the invisible messages.
Then, see if the author’s values match your values. See
if the author’s point of view is the same or different
than yours. When you question the author’s values
and views, you are being a critical reader.
>
47
How do I figure out tk e words
I don t know?
Fluent readers use meaning and phonics to figure out
words.
Fluent readers often guess words that they don’t know.
If fluent readers can’t read a word, they:
• Read to the end of the sentence.
• Think of a word that makes sense
in the sentence.
• Ask, “Does this word make sense
/
in the sentence?”
If this doesn’t work, they go back to the word and try
to sound it out.
If this is too hard, they sound out the first letter in
the word. Then, they think of a word that starts with
that letter and makes sense in the sentence.
49
How do I ckoose
reading material?
Fluent readers choose reading material at their reading
level.
Your reading material shouldn’t be too easy or
difficult. Here’s one way to figure out if a book
is too difficult.
• Choose a paragraph.
• Count out 100 words.
• Read them.
• Underline the words that you do not know
how to read.
• Count up the underlined words.
If there were ten words or more, it is too difficult.
Wkat causes rea ding
difficulties?
Reading difficulties are not usually inherited. Reading
difficulties can be caused by early home and school
experiences. Sometimes, they are caused by poor
vision or hearing.
/
Let’s see if your rea’ding difficulties stem from life
experiences. Read the following questions and answer
“yes” or “no.”
• Did you miss a lot of school because of illness?
• Did you change schools frequently?
• Was it too noisy at home to study?
• Did family problems make it difficult to
concentrate?
Did you answer “yes” to one ore more of these
questions? If so, your early life experiences might
have contributed to your reading difficulties.
Let’s see if your reading difficulties stem from early
home experiences. Read the following questions and
answer “yes” or “no.”
• Were there books in your home?
• Did you have a favourite book as a child?
• Did you ever go to the library to take out books?
• Did you ever see your parents or caregivers read?
• Did someone read books to you before you
started kindergarten?
Did you answer “no” to one or more of these ques¬
tions? If so, your early home experiences might have
contributed to your reading difficulties. Children who
have not been read to may experience difficulty when
they start school.
53
Review
Let’s take a moment to review the suggestions to help
you learn and become a fluent reader.
Ten suggestions for becoming an effective learner:
• Believe in yourself.
• Set goals and work towards them.
• Work with a tutor or teacher whom you trust.
• Ask your tutor for feedback.
• Ask for the support of your family and friends.
• Use all of your senses.
• Be actively involved in lesson planning.
• Vary your lessons.
• Review what you have learned.
• Read at home and at work.
64
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