Input session · learner literacy
When the barrier isn't the language. Some learners can't yet read or write fluently in any script, including their own. This session is about noticing that, and adapting; not about ESOL methodology in general, which the rest of the course covers.
Look at the line below for two seconds, then look away. What did it say?
Most people can't hold or reproduce a script they've never learned to decode. That is the position some of your learners are in with the Latin alphabet, even after weeks in your class.
Click each to reveal what it looks like in the room.
Each of these is a real moment from a beginner class. Decide: does this need a literacy adaptation, or is it a normal beginner-level language gap? Click to check.
This handout is written for a fluent reader. Pick the version you would actually give a pre-literate beginner group.
Original handout
In pairs, look at each technique below and agree: would you use this in week one, or only once basic letter recognition is established? Click to compare with the note.
In one sentence each: what is one thing you would check about a new learner's literacy before assuming their silence in a reading task is a language problem?
Most trainees will never teach a fully pre-literate class on this course. The point isn’t to make them experts; it is to make them notice the possibility before they misread silence as low ability or disengagement.
| Stage | What you do |
|---|---|
| Lead-in | The Mongolian line on screen for two seconds, then away. Nobody can hold it; that is the feeling. |
| What literacy covers | Five cards, one at a time, whole class. Number 5 (where it shows up on this course) keeps it honest. |
| Spot the barrier | Four moments, pairs decide, click to check. |
| Adapt the handout | Two handouts, three versions each. Pairs pick; the notes under each option say why. |
| Techniques | Five techniques, week one or later, pairs, then the note. |
| Wrap-up | The one question. Protect it. |
Scenario 3 (can’t hold a pen correctly) is deliberately the one most likely to be misjudged as babyish or irrelevant. It is a real signal in adult pre-literacy classes and worth a beat of discussion.
The wrong-but-tempting answer is usually the version that is just shorter text; it still assumes fluent decoding. The right answer relies on images and realia doing the work language can’t yet.
Don’t present the notes as the only right sequencing. Some centres introduce letter names before letter sounds, or vice versa. Use disagreement in the room as the discussion, not a wrong-answer moment.
Time is short for this much ground. If the handout activity runs long, cut to two of the three technique cards rather than skipping the wrap-up question. That question is the takeaway.