I Need to Better Myself to Keep My Job

Description of the Learner:
Mr. Lee is 53 years old and works as a highway sign man and light equipment operator. He dropped out of school after 9th grade, because "they really wasn't teaching us much and I had trouble keeping up." He has always held jobs as a manual laborer and has been with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 28 years. He attends a multilevel Adult Basic Education/General Educational Development (ABE/GED) class for VDOT workers that are held in a trailer at a high school once a week for four hours each session. He and nine of his co-workers are given release time from work to attend the classes unless severe weather necessitates that they report to work.

Challenge Faced:
Mr. Lee wants to obtain a GED, but his immediate concern is he "can't spell" which causes him trouble completing work reports. At the beginning of the academic year (late August), Mr. Lee scored at a 5.3 reading grade level placing him in the "Low Intermediate Basic" educational functioning level on the TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education: CTB/McGraw-Hill) Form 7, Level M. In math, he scored a 6.4 grade level or "High Intermediate Basic Education" level. Mr. Lee had not been re-assessed since entering the class this academic year; it is now the following spring. His August scores showed more than a one-year, four-month gain in reading and a two-month gain in math.

Several weeks of school were missed this year because of severe winter and spring weather when schools were closed and highway work was required. Mr. Lee is worried about being laid off, because he feels that time away from class prevents him from showing that he is "bettering" himself.

What We Did:
When explaining how his previous teacher taught spelling, Mr. Lee explained that each week the teacher would "bring us some of her words and we gave her some of ours. She had us practice our writing and read to her and each other using all our words, but not every time." To create a smooth transition to me and my teaching style, I followed this routine by selecting a list of 16 homonyms (board/bored, brake/break, and so forth) and words that are often confused (accept/except, affect/effect). I also asked Mr. Lee his favorite words to spell. He enthusiastically spelled aloud and used in a sentence words chosen by other students such as encyclopedia, Albuquerque, Mississippi, and misspelled. I then asked him to choose five words from my list and one from his to write in sentences and read aloud. We spend about 30 minutes of each class on "guided discussion" of the selected words and generated sentences. In addition, his and other students' favorite words to learn are written on large cards for rehearsal with each other at the beginning of each class. Having their sentence on the back and perhaps a drawing helps them confirm the accuracy of their practice.

Analysis:
Mr. Lee seems to have internalized the word study instructional process and appears to think that his need to be a better speller is being addressed. The teacher-selected words are at his GED level while those selected for other students are at their levels. Judging from his engagement with words contributed by other learners and teacher-selected words, it appears that the social interaction of "contributing" vocabulary words to the class process is useful in vocabulary building for Mr. Lee, as he attempts to use new words when communicating.

What I Learned:
Finding appropriate level vocabulary for a multilevel group is a challenge. Using individual contributions to a class-supported list of words and also introducing vocabulary from other sources, such as GED preparation materials, seems a reasonable compromise to both individual learners and group needs. Shared ownership of vocabulary is a powerful instructional tool. Learners add recognition (sight) words to their spelling lists when the words hold importance for them in their work.

Mr. Lee, Group Discussion:

You have been teaching adult education for some time. How important do you think it is to teach vocabulary to adults who are learning to read?
Vocabulary isn't everything, but it doesn't do much good to sound out words if you don't have any idea what they mean. I bring in newspapers every day, so students can read, and/or look for words they know or don't know. News stories help put words in a context they can relate to, because it is interesting to them. When they can read an article, they see their progress and eagerly read to each other. This peer interaction allows them to help each other with unfamiliar words, and adds to their reading confidence.

How do you determine the spelling/vocabulary words to use?
I mainly use materials from the workbooks for the GED and some from the Workplace Essential Skills (WES) workbooks, because they are pre-GED level and relate to the workplace. When words are relevant to the students, they find them useful and helpful for their employment.

How did you know to develop the structure you use for your multilevel classes?
It evolved over time. Every learner I have had seemed to struggle with vocabulary, especially those wanting to obtain a GED. Even the better readers seemed to expect and want vocabulary practice. Writing sentences with relevant words gives students a way to practice their writing skills. Routine helps when the students miss class, because they know what happened while they were away, and they can ask for the day's word list. Routine also gives me time to work with individual students, because they can help each other, since they know what comes next. Those who are further along seem to truly enjoy helping others. Not all of the students work together every day on the job, but some do, and they "reinforce" each other. Some bring back stories to tell on each other.

What would you change if you could?
I wish we hadn't missed so much time this year due to bad weather. There have been whole months when the students couldn't get to class. Students like Mr. Lee are dedicated, but usually don't practice much on their own outside of class, so progress is slow when they miss class time. I would like to get other employers to give release time like VDOT, because it really makes a difference that the men are supported to improve their education. Also, I'd like to see the men coming to class once a week on their own time to show employee commitment to learning. I think it is a very smart thing for an employer to provide release time for class, and it is important for employees to demonstrate a willingness to give personal time.

Summary:

Director's Comments:

Mr. Lee's case story provides encouragement for other employers to work with literacy programs in developing employee skills. Such an arrangement is truly a win-win situation. Teachers are often told to provide structure and routine for children, but you clearly revealed the importance of structure and routine for adults. When English is a second language, the use of tape recorded articles read in a slow manner, so the student can follow along and listen to the tape several times for pronunciation as well as content, it helps build confidence in reading.