Hi John

I believe that we are receiving inadequate training in Literacy Level 4 as 
well. The teacher is not explaining the terms properly. Like I said I am not 
finding that too difficult since I am already familiar with most of the 
concepts but most of the students think the course is too difficult for them 
and they cannot even apply most of what they study in the class. We are 
studying Sythetic and Analytic Phonics in Phonology but even these topics 
were not taught properly. I know at level 4 we are expected to do alot of 
learning on our own but still for my colleagues the course is not being 
delivered properly. The delivery methods are not adequate either hence 
teachers are blaming the syllabus and not the trainers. I hope they will 
provide trainers with adequate training before initiating the course. Thank 
you for your comments.
Aliya



>From: "John Nissen" <jn at cloudworld.co.uk>

>Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>

>To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>

>CC: Jennifer Chew <jennifer at chew8.freeserve.co.uk>,Debbie Hepplewhite 

><debbie at syntheticphonics.com>,John Rack <jrack at dyslexia-inst.org.uk>

>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development

>Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:35:57 -0000

>

>

>Hi Aliya,

>

>It is very good to have a person who understands linguistics teaching

>literacy, because many teachers flounder through lack of understanding of

>the elements of language.  My particular concern is that, with the UK going

>over to synthetic phonics, teachers will not understand the basis of that

>change, and will continue in their old ways whilst trying to bolt on the

>phonics.  This will not work, and when they get poor results they will 

>blame

>the method.  So we really need to have good guidance to teachers, with

>practical advice on how to teach in various settings and how to teach

>learners with particular problems, including vision or hearing impairment,

>attention deficit, language understanding, conceptual misunderstandings,

>memory of sounds, etc.  At the moment such guidance is lacking, and we

>intend to do something about this.  We know that there are already some 

>good

>programmes to follow, such as Jolly Phonics, but without the teacher

>understanding the basis for synthetic phonics, and without practical 

>advice,

>the teacher is liable to fail to implement the method properly and obtain

>the 100% success which was shown to be possible in Clackmannanshire.  So

>good guidance will be crucial in teacher training.

>

>Best wishes,

>

>John

>

>John Nissen

>Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk

>maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud.

>Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics:

>http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm

>Tel: +44 208 742 3170  Fax: +44 208 742 0202

>Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk

>

>

>

>----- Original Message -----

>From: "Aliya AbdulLatif" <vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk>

>To: <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>

>Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 6:16 PM

>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development

>

>

> >

> > I am in UK and training to be a Literacy Tutor but so far except one

> > excercise everything else we are being trained in does not make any 

>sense.

> > Well, not to me because I have studied linguistics before but most of my

> > colleagues are facing difficulties trying to grasp the whole training

> > aspects. I believe the training should be more practical. We can write

> > tonnes of assignments but that will only show our skills of writing and

> > not

> > teaching or pdegogy.

> >

> >>From: "Missy Slaathaug" <mslaathaug at midco.net>

> >>Reply-To: mslaathaug at midco.net,The Focus on Basics Discussion List

> >><focusonbasics at nifl.gov>

> >>To: "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" <focusonbasics at nifl.gov>

> >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development

> >>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600

> >>

> >>Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states!

> >>

> >>And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be

> >>trained and educated in this.  My comment was only that too much

> >>information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even

> >>counter-productive.  Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour

> >>training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a

> >>conceptual framework to help them process much information.  They are

> >>hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what

> >>to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next

> >>week.

> >>

> >>But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed

> >>teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you

> >>more.

> >>

> >>Missy Slaathaug

> >>Pierre, South Dakota

> >>

> >>-----Original Message-----

> >>From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov

> >>[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of

> >>robinschwarz1 at aol.com

> >>Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM

> >>To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov

> >>Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development

> >>

> >>Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to

> >>Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher

> >>professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with

> >>information.

> >>

> >>This topic is near and dear to my heart.  As I indicated in another

> >>posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not

> >>seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning

> >>problems that several readers and responders have mentioned.

> >>

> >>In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal

> >>development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was

> >>mentioned.

> >>

> >>Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in

> >>adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do

> >>what they do.   Then learners suffer.   My article in FOB indicated

> >>that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask

> >>the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL

> >>learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress

> >>in their settings.

> >>

> >>Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this

> >>topic.  I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al

> >>Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the

> >>tutors and teachers in our programs.  In other words, it is not the

> >>needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive

> >>decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs

> >>of our learners.  I have advocated for years that there need to be

> >>minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult

> >>ESOL learners.  I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of

> >>stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed

> >>for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to

> >>address the learner's real needs.

> >>

> >>I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of

> >>learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning

> >>challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for

> >>them.    Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors

> >>because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more

> >>stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ

> >>inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning,  about

> >>the very most basic principles of language instruction,  about the

> >>culture of their learners. etc.    Also, program administrators have

> >>everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better

> >>experience and qualifications for teachers.  In the end, they will be

> >>more effective and programs with have better outcomes.  The NCSALL

> >>research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net)

> >>indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners

> >>happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because

> >>they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant

> >>learning needs.

> >>

> >>Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that

> >>adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12

> >>teachers are.  This can only be a good thing for our learners.

> >>

> >>And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a

> >>tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and

> >>language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than

> >>just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something.

> >>

> >>Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors

> >>is critical to having an effective program.

> >>

> >>As a start for ESOL and learning challengs,  programs might want to

> >>look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of

> >>Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities"  produced and

> >>distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit

> >>www.ldaminnesota.org to find it).  This walks teachers through the

> >>topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be

> >>at the root of learning difficulties.

> >>

> >>There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to

> >>English-speaking adults  called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART)

> >>

> >>Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little

> >>prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and

> >>beautifully thought out.   --And no, I don't have any financial

> >>interest in them......

> >>

> >>

> >>  Robin

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >>----------------------------------------------------

> >>National Institute for Literacy

> >>Focus on Basics mailing list

> >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov

> >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

> >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics

> >>

> >

> >

> >>----------------------------------------------------

> >>National Institute for Literacy

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> >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics

> >

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