Creating Learning Partners: A facilitator’s guide for training effective adult literacy tutors

Use of handout, group activity
Materials and equipment Handout 12.1: The Four Skills Communication Chart. The handout is blank. Flip chart and markers Pencil crayons or markers for tutors Preparation Copy handout. Familiarize yourself with the answers for the questions posed in the activity. STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS Hand out copies of The Four Skills Communication Chart. You can refer to the completed chart in the introduction to this activity. Ask “What are the four main language skills?” Confirm or correct their answers. Put the words speaking, listening, reading and writing on the flip chart. Draw a circle on the flip chart. Ask “How much of our time is spent communicating through each skill area?” Ask tutors to take a guess. Then complete the pie chart on the flip chart as it is in the introduction to this activity. Use a different colour for each skill. Ask tutors to do the same on their handouts. Draw a small chart with six boxes, as on the handout. Put the words input and output in the top boxes. Ask which two skills are mainly channels for receiving information and which two skills are mainly channels for providing information. Put the answers under the input and output headings respectively. Correct answers as necessary by posing examples. Expand on the input/output chart by saying that the skills are often combined to facilitate communication. For example, in conversations, speech is useless without listening and active listening encourages speech. It is useful also to combine skills sometimes when teaching, as the skills complement each other. State that tutors have just used all four skills in this activity. Ask tutors the following questions: What part of the activity involved listening? What part involved speaking? What part involved reading? What part involved writing? Turn over the flip chart paper. Ask tutors to turn over their handouts. Ask tutors the following: What are the four main language skills? What skill do we use the most? Point out that using all the skill areas provided more opportunities to learn the material.

Use of handout, group activity

Materials and equipment

Handout 12.1: The Four Skills Communication Chart. The handout is blank.
Flip chart and markers
Pencil crayons or markers for tutors

Preparation

Copy handout.
Familiarize yourself with the answers for the questions posed in the activity.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

Hand out copies of The Four Skills Communication Chart. You can refer to the completed chart in the introduction to this activity.
Ask “What are the four main language skills?” Confirm or correct their answers. Put the words speaking, listening, reading and writing on the flip chart.
Draw a circle on the flip chart. Ask “How much of our time is spent communicating through each skill area?” Ask tutors to take a guess.
Then complete the pie chart on the flip chart as it is in the introduction to this activity. Use a different colour for each skill. Ask tutors to do the same on their handouts.
Draw a small chart with six boxes, as on the handout. Put the words input and output in the top boxes.
Ask which two skills are mainly channels for receiving information and which two skills are mainly channels for providing information. Put the answers under the input and output headings respectively. Correct answers as necessary by posing examples.
Expand on the input/output chart by saying that the skills are often combined to facilitate communication. For example, in conversations, speech is useless without listening and active listening encourages speech. It is useful also to combine skills sometimes when teaching, as the skills complement each other.
State that tutors have just used all four skills in this activity. Ask tutors the following questions: What part of the activity involved listening? What part involved speaking? What part involved reading? What part involved writing?
Turn over the flip chart paper. Ask tutors to turn over their handouts.
Ask tutors the following: What are the four main language skills? What skill do we use the most? Point out that using all the skill areas provided more opportunities to learn the material.

Facilitation tip

People are more likely to take in new learning when they are invited to think about how the new ideas fit or do not fit with their experience. In talking about the pie chart, for example, are there cultural differences in how people communicate? What happens for people with low literacy skills?