Happy spring, Literacy Council tutors!

The latest newsletter from the Goodling Institute/ ISAL (Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy), part of Penn State College of Education, found its way into my e-mail inbox, and its article on Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) is worth a recap here. I think it’s inspirational stuff!

Using Black Literary Societies from the 1800s as her blueprint, Dr. Gholnecsar Muhammad, Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, coined the term HRL, stating that, “literacy instruction should develop learners across four interrelated pursuits- identity, skills, intellect, and criticality- challenging instructional models that value skills while overlooking learners’ cultural and intellectual lives.” What it narrows down to is giving students more agency over their own learning and providing instruction that addresses the student as a whole person vs. “a math student” or “an ESOL student”. So what does that look like in practice? Here are some suggestions:

• Try using student-generated materials in class. This turns learners into “meaning-makers rather than passive recipients of knowledge.” (Muhammad) The collaborative nature also helps build rapport between tutor and student instead of all instruction being teacher-led.
• Use enabling texts. Enabling texts are reading materials that actually apply to students’ lives, things like community health resources or … (also called realia- “real life” materials).
• Encourage writing practice to authentic audiences.

ProLiteracy’s Teacher Training Plus has some excellent, free webinars being offered in April and May. They are as follows:

• April 8 | English Language Learning | Encouraging Adult ELL Students to Practice Speaking Outside of Class

• April 22 | High School Equivalency | “Can You Show Me A Different Way?”

• May 6 | Adult Foundational Education | Yes, Early Level Learners Can Think Critically!

• May 20 | Workplace and Digital Literacy | The Power of “Yet”: Cultivating Growth Mindset

You may register for these, as well as watch past webinars, at the ProLiteracy website: https://www.proliteracy.org/courses/teacher-training-plus/.