Pre-Literate Learners

Of the 380 English spelling rules, only ONE has no exceptions – no English word ends with the letter “v”.
Source: The American Literacy Council. (All quotes taken from espindle.org)
Most U.S. adults who learn to read well enough to be functionally literate require at least two years of reading instruction to become literate, while students in more than 98% of all other alphabetic languages learn to read in less than three months.
Source: Welcome to the Solution to English Illiteracy.
The United States is ranked 49th among the 156 United Nation member countries with regard to literacy.
Source: United Nations
George Bernard Shaw created the word “Ghoti” which he suggested was pronounced like the English word “fish” if some of the precedents of English spelling were used. He pointed out that the “gh” was pronounced like “f” as in “enough”, the “o” as in “women” and the “ti” as “nation.”
Source: REY, D S., 2006. Language In Use [online]. Cambridge, UK.

As if that isn’t enough to scare your typical learner away, imagine that you’d never learned to read or write in your own language.

That is exactly the situation facing a portion of the students in ESL classes throughout the US, and a class in Kansas City Missouri is described in Programs focus on illiterate immigrants.

The reason is not totally clear from the article, but it’s described a problem that pre-literate students are often in classes with others who can read and write in their own language. One explanation is that there are not enough pre-literate students to make a full group, and another is that there is a disincentive to do this because funding is tied to test results. My experience in for-profit language schools leads me to believe the the lack of funding in general is what prevents a non-profit organization from forming a class specifically for those pre-literate students and paying an appropriately-qualified teacher to teach them. Community organizations aren’t looking to make a quick buck off of their students, but rather to spend the funds they do have in a way that benefits the most people.

If there is a direct comparison, I have to say it eludes me, but it is interesting to compare this to a recent article about ESL classes for immigrants in the UK. There, critics assert that a new workplace English class or program - developed for those who come to the UK for a short period to work – is just too short. They ask whether those who use English “only” for the workplace really don’t need to learn as much as those learning English for general use.

Of course there are many differences in the respective situations in the US and UK, and I believe one is that most immigrants to the UK must take and pass language classes. In the US, knowledge of English is necessary to, for example, take the citizenship test, but classes are more on an “if you’re lucky” basis.

It’s also interesting to note that in the article from the UK, the question of “how much are employers responsible for paying?” is raised, and it is my impression that - again, while there are certainly different circumstances - this question is mostly absent in similar discussions in the US.

I did tutor an individual student in Chicago before going abroad to teach. However, she was bilingual (not in English) before she came to the US, and literate in those languages. I don’t have any experience at all with pre-literate learners, but I have come across a couple of resources which might be useful for those who do:

For learners who have Internet access in class or at home, Larry Ferlazzo’s Website of the Day Blog has a plethora of interactive links, tasks, and games.
Literacy Works - where I got my very first ESL teacher training has some resources for literacy in general.
OTAN: (The Outreach and Technical Assistance Network) “provides electronic collaboration, access to information, and technical assistance for literacy and adult education providers in California.” You have to register to view most parts of the site, and while the mission statement mentions that it is designed for those in California, those who register can view it as well.
A wiki page on Adult Literacy Education
The National Center for Family Literacy has a teacher’s toolkit where you can download tips and advice on different topics.
And for a little inspiration, read about Larry’s success arranging for computers and internet connections to be donated to some of his school’s pre-literate students.