A Language Experience Approach

This resource is to help people who want to learn to read- it is a one to one or small group approach.

• Find out what they are interested in, or something interesting that is topical.
• After you have talked with the learner ask them to identify a few interesting things which you can write down.
• Discuss any changes the learner wants to make to what you have written.
• Write it neatly or type it out in an accessible font such as arial or comic sans.
• Read it slowly to the learner so that they can follow what you are reading.  You may need to indicate with your finger.
• Now the learner can echo read after you until he or she is confident to try it alone.
• Use pictures and the text for different activities. e.g cutting the text up and asking the learner to reassemble a sentence.
• Build a library to reading cards so that the learner can rehearse their words with different activities e.g. matching.

Here are some links with more information.  There is also stuff on U Tube.
http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/referencematerials/glossaryofliteracyterms/whatisthelanguageexperienceapp.htm
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela/e_literacy/language.html

www.readingmatrix.com/articles/wurr/article.pdf 

 

Some of the links refer to children or to ESL (English as a Second Language).  The technique works with a variety of learners and it is always worth exploring other sector/learner group approaches to teaching Literacy.