Adult Illiteracy - 7435 Words

Learning to read is like learning to drive a car. You take lessons and learn the mechanics and the rules of the road. After a few weeks you have learned how to drive, how to stop, how to shift gears, how to park, and how to signal. You have also learned to stop at a red light and understand road signs. When you are ready, you take a road test, and if you pass, you can drive. Phonics-first works the same way. The child learns the mechanics of reading, and when he s through, he can read. Look and say works differently. The child is taught to read before he has learned the mechanics Ââ€" the sounds of the letters. It is like learning to drive by starting your car and driving ahead. . .And the mechanics of driving? You would pick those up as you†¦show more content†¦I worked my way through a mountain of books and articles on the subject, I talked to dozens of people, and I spent many hours in classrooms, watching what was going on. What I found is absolutely fantastic. The teac hing of reading -- all over the United States, in all the schools, in all the textbooks -- is totally wrong and flies in the face of all logic and common sense. Johnny couldn t read until half a year ago for the simple reason that nobody ever showed him how. Time magazine called his book the outstanding educational event of that year and suggested that he represented the devil in the flesch to the education establishment. There is an answer to why Johnny can t read, but the answer is tough medicine to swallow. It requires education professionals, who for years have been engaged in a form of education malpractice, to admit that the methods of teaching reading they have vigorously advocated and staunchly defended ever since the 1930 s are dead wrong. If we are to seriously reverse the increasing number of illiterate adults in America and prevent the problem of illiteracy, we must swallow the medicine, as quickly as possible, and reject the instructional methods that have resulted in t he widespread illiteracy we have today. Two ways to teach reading Historically, all American school children were taught to read. Teachers never considered that a child could not be taught to read, andShow MoreRelatedLanguage Acquisition Ameliorates Adult Illiteracy848 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Language Acquisition Ameliorates Adult Illiteracy Being literate in todays society demands a myriad of functional abilities, which, when absent, can have dramatic health, economic, and social consequences.  Literacy possesses various aspects, such as reading, writing, speaking, and technology. Undoubtedly, language acquisition is a precursor to developing reading, writing, speaking, and technology literacy. Children must learn basic phonemes, graphemes, and morphemes as a basis for reading applicationRead MoreIlliteracy is a Common Problem Amongst Children and Adults in the World664 Words   |  3 PagesIlliteracy is a common problem amongst children and adults. Illiteracy exists in all nations all over the world. Not having the ability to read and comprehend is a fault of the school systems. Many people assume that illiterate Americans are concentrated in large cities with troubled schools. Although this may be true in some cases, there are rural areas where illiteracy is often times are overlooked. The United Nations Educ ational Scientific and Cultural Organization released a study stating thatRead MoreDoes Illiteracy Affect Crime and Poverty Rates?1757 Words   |  7 PagesDoes Illiteracy Affect Crime and Poverty Rates? Illiteracy is a growing problem in the United States. The amount of juvenile delinquents entering correctional facilities that are considered â€Å"functionally illiterate† is at an astonishing 85%. Being functionally illiterate means that these children lack reading and comprehension skills that are necessary in order to function in everyday situations as well as the ability to work and maintain a job. Complete illiteracy means a person cannot read orRead MoreEssay on Functional Illiteracy873 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Illiteracy? An adult or adults with a reading incapacity, a lack of knowledge of a subject, and/or a error in speech or writing according to Encarta World English Dictionary is a person or persons with illiteracy. Ronald Nash the author of an on-line article entitled The Three Kinds of Illiteracy he describes the three different types of illiteracy. Nash explains in detail cultural, moral, and functional illiteracy in his article. Cultural illiteracy defined by E.D. Hirsch Jr. is toRead MoreThe Cycle Of Illiteracy And Illiteracy984 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cycle of Illiteracy Illiteracy has always been a problem in society in various ways that I believe, can only be frowned upon. Events in the past and present days emphasize the importance of basic education focusing in literacy as an essential part of our society. An experience as simple as a parent being illiterate can have a ripple effect on their children. Such as, my grandfather, who was raised in Mexico and was taught that labor to provide for his family was of higher importance thanRead MoreEssay on Challenges Facing America741 Words   |  3 Pages One of the most important responsibilities of our nation is to protect and serve its citizens. As the new millennium begins, our nation must overcome many challenges that affect this responsibility. Three of the most important are terrorism, illiteracy, and the lack of moral values. Americans have considered terrorism as a horror that occurs in other countries and not as a real threat to America itself. As the recent terrorist attacks on our nation shows, this opinion was gravely incorrect.Read MoreJonathan Kozol The Human Cost Of An Illiterate Society Analysis1009 Words   |  5 Pageslimited in a world full of opportunities and advantages due to illiteracy. In this society, it is unfortunate that there are individuals who are illiterate, which ultimately affects their democratic lives. Many other citizens do not face this issue, and may not recognize the disadvantages that illiterates face. In Jonathan Kozol’s text, â€Å"The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society,† he discusses the various issues concerned with illiteracy, one of them being how it affects democracy. Democracy is a typeRead More Illiteracy in America Essay969 Words   |  4 Pages Illiteracy in America Walking into a class room full of seniors, one might not suspect that some of the students can not read above a third grade reading level (Mcmaster). In fact one million teenagers from the ages of 12 and 17 do not have the reading ability of a third grader. Literacy among American people is important because it affects our economy greatly. Not only that but it also affects the lives of the American population. Illiteracy is a large problem within the United States thatRead MoreHow Illiteracy E. Ffects Individual People And Society As A Whole1739 Words   |  7 PagesCiara Puckett Professor Jean Schloeman English 101 15 June 2015 How illiteracy e ffects individual people and society as a whole An Estimated 27 Million Americans are considered illiterate, and another 45 million are considered marginally competent in basic skills. (Women,illiteracy,pov) An illiterate person in our society faces trials every day that are taxing, making life difficult mentally and physically. There is an overwhelming amount of research and studies that indicate that individualsRead MoreProblems Faced by Illiterates Essay478 Words   |  2 Pagesthat sort would have. This chaos is not far from what millions of illiterates feel on a daily basis. The phrase illiteracy applies to more than a simple inability to read or write. There is also functional illiteracy. Functional illiterates can read words but they cannot comprehend their meanings, synthesize information or make decision based on what they read. Illiteracy could also be defined as restriction or confinement due to the simple fact that, thats the type of life many non-readers