Propel Professional Learning

What About Professional Learning for Tutors?   Literacy Corner By Carrie Cannella                                     Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash Tutors are our primary adult literacy educators. When we think about them in that way, we remember not only how very important their contributions are, but also how important offering professional development is for them, just as we do for paid instructors. Most tutors are volunteers, but that is not to say that a staff member, adjunct faculty member, or contract employee can’t do small group tutoring, be the point person for consistent drop-in programs, create learning opportunities, and provide materials and support to volunteer tutors. In fact, a staff member focused on education would take a significant burden from coordinators who are consistently overtaxed ...

by Carrie Cannella Finally! Have you noticed that an end to the “whole language” versus phonics approach to teaching reading may be in sight? Again, the country is embracing a not-really-so-new approach called “structured literacy” based on the “science of reading.” If you are a Baby Boomer, you probably remember learning phonics. If you trained as a K-12 teacher decades ago, you probably had to write a paper on this war (I did). We have been talking about this for so long, but I am hopeful that we have now passed the ‘this or that’ phenomenon. Students need all the components of literacy to read well, period. The ability to distinguish sounds and associate them with written letters, however, is particularly crucial for students with reading disabilities. The emphasis on the science of reading comes as more and more evidence supports the explicit teaching of the various parts of reading, as more and more American children struggle with reading. This is a positive development for the fu...

by Nadia Kader As educators, we are responsible for utilizing best practices in the learning environment for our students. Best practices are theoretically backed; behind every best practice teaching method is a theory or multiple theories to ground the practice. Adult education uses many different theories, one of which is andragogy. According to its creator, Malcolm Knowles, andragogy is “the art and science of adult learning.” But what exactly does that mean? This article aims to tie andragogy to practice in the adult education environment. Knowles outlines four principles of adult learning: Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance and impact on their lives. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented.  Knowles made five assumptions about adult learners: Self-concept - a...