Skip to main content
Log in

Take-home video for adult literacy

  • Regular Papers
  • Published:
International Review of Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the past, it has not been possible to “teach oneself to read” at home, because learners could not read the books to teach them. Videos and interactive compact discs have changed that situation and challenge current assumptions of the pedagogy of literacy. This article describes an experimental adult literacy project using video technology. The language used is English, but the basic concepts apply to any alphabetic or syllabic writing system. A half-hour cartoon video can help adults and adolescents with learning difficulties. Computer-animated cartoon graphics are attractive to look at, and simplify complex material in a clear, lively way. This video technique is also proving useful for distance learners, children, and learners of English as a second language. Methods and principles are to be extended using interactive compact discs.

Zusammenfassung

In der Vergangenheit war es nicht möglich, sich “selbst in Heimarbeit lesen beizubringen”, da die Lernenden die Lehrbücher nicht lesen konnten. Videos und interaktive Compact discs haben diese Situation geändert und gegenwärtige Meinungen zur Pädagogik der Alphabetisierung herausgefordert. Dieser Artikel beschreibt ein experimentelles Erwachsenenalphabetisierungsprogramm, das Videotechnologie anwendet. Arbeitssprache ist Englisch, aber das Grundkonzept gilt für jedes alphabetische oder syllabische Schreibsystem. Ein halbstündiges Zeichentrickvideo soll Erwachsenen und Jugendlichen mit Lernschwierigkeiten helfen. Computeranimierte Zeichentrickgraphiken sind attraktive Lernmittel, die komplexes Material klar und lebendig vereinfachen. Diese Videotechnik dient auch Fernlerndenden, Kindern und Lernenden mit Englisch als Zweitsprache. Methoden und Prinzipien müssen durch den Gebrauch von interaktiven Compakt Discs erweitert werden.

Résumé

Jusqu'à présent, il n'était pas possible d'apprendre à lire seul chez soi, puisque les apprenants ne pouvaient pas lire les manuels d'enseignement. La vidéographie et le disque compact interactif ont modifié cette situation et remettent en cause les principes courants de la pédagogie de l'alphabétisation. L'article décrit un projet expérimental d'alphabétisation des adultes qui exploite la technologie vidéo. La langue utilisée est l'anglais, mais les concepts de base peuvent être appliqués à tout système d'écriture alphabétique ou syllabique. Un dessin animé sur vidéo d'une demi-heure se propose d'aider les adultes et adolescents éprouvant des difficultés. Les graphiques animés par électronique sont agréables à regarder et illustrent de façon claire et vivante les matières complexes. Cette technique vidéo se révèle également utile pour les apprenants à distance, les enfants et pour l'enseignement de l'anglais en seconde langue. Les méthodes et principes d'utilisation de disques compact interactifs restent à développer.

Resumen

Durante el pasado, no ha sido posible “el autoaprendizaje de la lectura” en el hogar, ya que los lectores no estaban en condiciones de leer los libros de enseñanza. Ahora, los videos y los discos compactos interactivos cambiaron esta situación, creando un desafío para los conceptos corrientes de la pedagogía de alfabetización. Este artículo describe un proyecto experimental de alfabetización de adultos mediante el uso de tecnología de video. El lenguaje utilizado es el inglés, pero los conceptos básicos son aplicables para cualquier sistema de escritura alfabética o silábica. Un video de dibujos animados de media hora de duración puede ayudar a los adultos y adolescentes con dificultades de aprendizaje. Las gráficas animadas por computadora son atractivas para el espectador y simplifican materias complejas de un modo claro y ameno. Esta técnica de video también está mostrando su utilidad para el estudio a distancia, para la instrucción de niños y para el aprendizaje del inglés como segunda lengua. Los métodos y los principios también se pueden ampliar mediante la utilización de discos compactos interactivos.

Аннотаци

В прошлом было невозможно “научиться читать” дома, потому что учащиеся не могли читать книги, которые бы их учили. Видеофильмы и интерактивные комракт-диски изменили эту ситуацию и делают вызов современным представлениям о педагогике обучения грамотности. Данная статья описывает экспериментальнвй проект по облучению грамотности Взрослых с использованием видеотехнологии. Использован английский язык, по основные идеи могут применены к любой алфавитной или слоговой системе письма. Полечасовой видеомультфильм поможет взрослым и подросткам преодолеть трудности в обучении. Мультфильмы, изготовленные с помощью компьютера, очень привлекательны и упрощают сложный материал, делая его ясным и живым. Эта видеотехника оказывается также полезной для учащихся-заочников, для изучающих английский язык как второй. Методы и принципы могут быть усовершенствованы при использовании интерактивных компакт-дисков.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, R. C., Hiebert, E. H., Scott, J. A. and Wilkinson, I. A. G. 1985.Becoming a Nation of Readers: the Report of the Commission on Reading. Washington, DC: National Institute of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barr, R. 1974–5. The Effect of Instruction on Pupil Reading Strategies.Reading Research Quarterly (4): 557–582.

  • Beech, J. R. and Colley, A. (Eds.) 1987.Cognitive Approaches to Reading. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertelson, Paul. (Ed.) 1987.The Onset of Literacy: Cognitive Processes in Reading Acquisition. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, L. and Bryant, P. 1983. Categorising Sounds and Learning to Read — a Causal Connection.Nature (301): 419–421.

  • Bruner, J. 1960.The Process of Education, New York: Vintage Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, P. and Bradley, L. 1985.Children's Reading Problems: Psychology and Education. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chall, Jeanne. 1983.Learning to Read: the Great Debate. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doctor, E. A. and Coltheart, M. 1980. Children's Use of Phonological Encoding when Reading for Meaning.Memory & Cognition (8): 195–209.

  • Downing, J. and Leong, C-K. 1982.The Psychology of Reading. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downing J. 1979. Linguistic Awareness, English Orthography and Reading Instruction.Journal of Reading Behavior (10): 103–114.

  • Downing, J. 1987. Comparative Perspectives on World Literacy. In: D. Wagner, ed.,The Future of Literacy in a Changing World. Oxford: Pergamon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehri, L. C. 1980. The Role of Orthography in Printed Word Learning. In: J. F. Kavanagh and R. L. Venezky, eds.,Orthography, Reading and Dyslexia. Baltimore: University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehri, L. C. and Wilce, L. S. 1985. Movement into Reading: Is the First Stage of Printed Word Learning Visual or Phonetic?Reading Research Quarterly (20): 163–179.

  • Ehri, L. C. and Wilce, L. S. 1987. Does Learning to Spell help Beginners Learn to Read Words?Reading Research Quarterly (22): 47–65.

  • Fowler, C. A., Shankweiler, D. and Liberman, I. Y. 1979. Apprehending Spelling Patterns for Vowels: a Developmental Study.Language & Speech (22): 243–252.

  • Gillooly, W. B. 1973. The Influence of Writing System Characteristics on Learning to Read.Reading Research Quarterly (8): 167–199.

  • Goodman, K. S. 1976. Reading: a Psycholinguistic Guessing Game. In: H. Singer and R. B. Ruddell, eds.,Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading (2nd ed.) Newark, DE: IRA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman K. S. 1982.Language and Literacy: The Selected Writings of Kenneth S. Goodman. Vol. II. F. V. Gollasch, ed. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goswami, Usha. 1988. Orthographic Analogies and Reading Development.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology 4(0A): 239–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gough, Philip. 1976. One Second of Reading. In: H. Singer and R. B. Ruddell, eds.,Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leong, C. K. 1991. From Phonemic Awareness to Phonological Processing to Language Access in Children Developing Reading Proficiency. In: D. J. Sawyer and B. J. Fox, eds.,Phonological Awareness in Reading. New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liberman, I. Y., Shankweiler, D. and Liberman, A. M. 1989. The Alphabetic Principle and Learning to Read. In: D. Shankweiler and I. Liberman, eds.,Phonology and Reading Disability: Solving the Reading Puzzle. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. A. 1956. The Magical Number Seven Plus or Minus Two: some Limits on Capacity for Processing Information.Psychological Review (63): 81–9.

  • Morais, J., Cary, L., Alegria, J. and Bertelson, P. 1979. Does Awareness of Speech as a Sequence of Phones arise Spontaneously?Cognition (7): 323–331.

  • Morris, J. 1994. Phonicsphobia.Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society (8)2: 3–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson T. 1986. Reading is not a Guessing Game: the Great Debate Revisited.Reading Psychology (7): 197–210.

  • Perfetti, C. A. 1984. Reading Acquisition and Beyond: Decoding includes Cognition.American Journal of Education (93): 40–60.

  • Piaget, J. 1959.The Language and Thought of the Child. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, F. 1978, 1985.Reading without Nonsense. New York: Teachers College Press. Also published asReading by Cambridge University Press, 1980.

  • Stanovich, K. E. and West, R. F. 1979. Mechanisms of Sentence Context Effects in Reading: Automatic Activation and Conscious Attention.Memory & Cognition (7): 77–85.

  • Stuart, M. and Coltheart, M. 1988. Does Reading Develop in a Sequence of Stages?Cognition (30): 139–181.

  • Tarnapol, L. and Tarnapol M. 1976.Reading Disabilities: an International Perspective. Baltimore: University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tzeng, O. J. L. 1983. Cognitive Processing of Various Orthographies. In: M. Chu-Chang and Rodriguez, V., eds.,Asian and Pacific American Perspectives on Bilingual Education: Comparative Research. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vernon, M. D. 1957.Backwardness in Reading. London: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weaver, Constance. 1988.Reading Process and Practice: from Socio-Psycholinguistics to Whole Language. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann Educational.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yelland, G. 1987.The Influence of Sentential Context on Word Recognition Performance of Inexperienced and Skilled Readers. Doctoral thesis, Monash University.

  • Yule, V. 1983.Preparing to Read Through Play. VHS 83/042T. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Television.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yule, V. 1993.Teach Yourself to Read, or Find our Where You got Stuck. 30-min VHS Video. Melbourne.

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yule, V. Take-home video for adult literacy. Int Rev Educ 42, 187–203 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00597965

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00597965

Keywords

Navigation