6.2.3. Training and Experience in Teaching Adult Basic Education

The instructors in ABE programs are themselves well-educated; 76.5 percent of the female instructors and 92.5 percent of the male instructors reported having earned a university degree (see Table 6-3). About half of the instructors reported that their background was in the area of education and one-third in arts. A further 8.3 percent of the female instructors held a college diploma, most likely in the field of education. No question was asked about the professional development of instructors in the area of basic literacy, adult education, or curriculum development. However, 40 percent of the instructors had six or more years of teaching experience in the field of ABE (see Table 6-5). If one assumes that a background in the field of education and experience in teaching is the most appropriate training for ABE instructors, then the majority of instructors in the sample can be described as being well-prepared to teach ABE (60 percent).

No questions were asked about the current professional development activities of the instructors nor about the opportunities available to them for such activities.

The point was made in Chapter 2 that under-educated women need to learn more than reading and writing at a functional level. They also need to acquire basic skills in science and mathematics to prepare them for entry into technical, non-traditional occupations. If women are to receive such training, ABE instructors must be prepared to include the relevant knowledge and skills in the program. Only 7.7 percent of the instructors in the sample described themselves as having academic science backgrounds. No questions were asked about the instructors' perceptions of their preparedness to teach mathematics and science to women in ABE programs.

In introducing' science and mathematics to women students in ABE programs, it is essential that the instructors be aware of the potential problems involved. Women's lack of self-confidence in learning mathematics and science has been documented elsewhere (Science Council of Canada. 1984). On the erroneous assumption that science is a male domain, the educational system has often neglected to provide women with an adequate scientific training. Teaching basic science to under-educated women who have had little or no previous science education, therefore, is difficult. Professional development activities could be designed to help ABE instructors learn more about teaching basic science to adult women. This task must be accomplished. with the appropriate commitment of financial resources, if under-educated women are to have a real opportunity to improve their access to non-traditional occupations and, thereby, to better incomes.