Reading and Literacy

Building literacy with teaching programs is important for children and also many adults.

Literacy Teaching Programs for Adults

A study carried out in the United States in 2003 by the Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) had some surprising results about the literacy abilities of many citizens in the U.S. It found that a massive 43% of the population had reading ability at basic, or below nationally recognized basic levels. This creates quite a challenge and resulted in adult literacy teaching programs being implemented in many different States. The National Institute for Literacy launched a directory whereby adults and young people can find a literacy teaching program in their area, often run by many volunteers who are willing to help improve the literacy standards of the population by teaching adults to read.

It is often difficult for adults to admit that they have a literacy problem, and admitting difficulty and seeking help is an important step to increased literacy ability which can result in a more effective and efficient workforce and increased self esteem for the adults themselves.

Literacy Teaching Programs in Schools

New literacy teaching programs are being implemented regularly as research and development discovers new techniques which can be used in order to improve the literacy of children and make learning to read and write easy and fun. There are many techniques which have been used over the years, both in the classroom environment for education for the class as a whole, and in smaller groups whereby children who are identified with special needs are removed from the class and encouraged to take part in a teaching program which has been specially developed to suit his or her needs.

Many of these literacy teaching programs include paired reading, whereby children read to each other, (this is often helpful to pair one child who is proficient at reading with a child who finds it more difficult) or group dynamic reading, whereby children are encouraged to read in small groups and help each other with difficult words instead of relying solely on the input of the teacher. This can help to encourage self confidence for worried readers, who may not like to read for the whole class or for the teacher, but is encouraged and helped by other members of the group.

The best way to improve literacy and reading skills is practice, especially in children with ADD. This is the same for adults and children alike. If you have a young child who is learning to read, then encourage them to read anything and everything possible without even knowing that they are doing it. Shopping lists, supermarket goods, road signs, posters, every day we are bombarded with new and different reading opportunities which can all go towards improving reading skills.