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Introduction
The unfortunate history of adult literacy programmes in India and in the majority
of developing countries has been tat they began and ended with a primer. A primer
is seldom meant to impart a functional level of literacy. Some programme produced
' fellow-up books ', 'pamphlets', 'bridge materials' and so on, to be read after
the primer. But the difficulty gap is usually so great that the 'primer literate'
can hardly read and understand them. Then the system of distribution is generally
so inadequate that they hardly reach the readers.
For a useful literacy programme we should think in terms of a 'total course' and
not in terms of primers and follow-up books or bridge materials. The production
of primers in isolation should cease.
But a total course cannot be planned and produced unless a norm of minimum literacy
ability to be acquired is fixed and other inputs are known. Fortunately this is
so in NAEP.
To attain,
in my opinion, the following reading materials are essential :
1.
a primer with teaching charts and flash cards and a teacher's guide.
2.
two well-illustrated text books, each of at least 48 pages.
3.
two supplementary books each of at least 32 pages.
4.
one Arithmetic book.
Preparation
of Text books
Out
of the above, the text books, if properly constructed, have the crucialrole :
-they take the learners to the desired level literacy and set the goals of learning.
-they help to develop the abilities of comprehension, reading speed, writing ability,
decision making, choosing between alternatives and lead to attitude change.
-they develop a taste for continued learning.
Which
one first, the text books or the primers ?
Generally the primer is prepared first. As a matter of fact this seems to be the
first and the only concern of some producing agencies. I am suggesting that the
text books should be prepared first. The advantages seem to be several :
a. Then there is a chance that a complete course will emerge, as the primer will
be
produced any-way.
b. The messages, the vocabulary, the syntax can be lifted and 'introduced' in
the
primer itself. Thus a strong link could be established between the two.
If the
primer is based on the 'key words' and the 'sentence method', these
can be
taken from the text books.
c. The lessons of the text books can be graded in the manner that either the
difficulty level of the beginning lessons is of the same level as the end lessons
of the primer or a step lower to develop confidence in reading.
The
content :
Should
the content of the text and the supplementary books relate to technical topics
like agriculture, animal husbandary, co-ops and so on or should relate to social
values, awareness, beauty in life, entertainment? My feeling is that technical
topics should be left alone. The technical ministries are well equipped to produce
such reading materials and there is no dearth of books on potato growing, kitchen
gardening, poultry farming, growing of fruit trees, cattle keeping etc. It is
also doubtful whether a farmer reds books to learn farming techniques or it is
acquired by practice. Moreover the radio and the T. V. are already providing useful
agriculture information in abundance.
It is rather easy to write on such topics. It is a matter of picking up a pamphlet,
borrowing freely from it and becoming a writer overnight. But to write a delightful
story and that too with a message, without lecturing and using the word 'should'
is a challenge. La verula (small pox) produced by the Pan American Union is a
good example of such a story. Or the Mexican film story in which a young illiterate
boy fails in love with a young literate girl. They often meet along, the boy wants
to propose but words fail him as he has little self confidence. The girl waits
for the day when he would get courage to propose. One day they meet on an hill.
They stand facing each other in silence and the girl waiting and expectant. The
boy sweats but again words fail him. The girl in exasperation writes something
in the dust. A passer by comes along. He asks him to read it for him. He does.
The word is IDIOT.
The
next day we see the boy in the illiteracy class pouring over his book and burning
midnight oil in his hut.
My experience reveals that this is the kind of books the adults love to read.
But such books cannot be produced in a 'workshop' which seems to be so popular
with us.
PRIMER
CONSTRUCTION
Objective
What is the main objective of the primer : to teach literacy skills or draw attention
to problems or change of attitude, or all the three ? Which aspects are to be
primary and which to be secondary ?
Organisation
How the classes will be organized ? With what frequency ? Total duration of teaching
? In what physical conditions ? Types of teachers to be used ? Who will supervise
with what effect ?
Literacy
skill building
1.
What method of teaching has been selected ? Does it suit the genius of the language
? The cultural pattern ? Can the teachers use it effectively ?
2. If the analytical method has been used how much is the load of sentences /
phrases to be recognized : Do the configurations differ sufficiently or they are
similar ? Have the learning units received enough exposure (drill) to become
sight sentences / phrases ?
3.
If the synthetic method has been used what is the logic of selecting elements
of the language to be recognized ? Does the pattern of the language to be recongnised
? Does the pattern of introduction follows a logical arrangement or
it is
difficult to be easily followed by the learners ?
4.
Are there aids to recognition and recall ? Are there 'props' ? Can the props themselves
be recognized at sight and the message, if there is one, can be easily understood
by the learners or the props themselves have to be taught first ?
5.
Do all the elements introduced receive enough drill when they occur for the first
time and in subsequent lessons, to be recognised 'at sight' : what is the method
of drilling ; are they to be drilled with external aids e.g. flashcards,
flannelgraphs ; are the aids easy to handle and can they be used in our situation
?
6. What is the basis
of selecting the 'key words' if they have been used ; useful, most common, contain
most frequently used letters of the alphabet ?
7.
How is the lesson load, both in terms of ideas and recognition ; how long each
lesson will take to master ; how has the time been determined; the likely psychological
effect on learning if the lesson takes too long to master ?
8.
Does it contain exercises to develop comprehension ability to analyse, ability
to observe details, to see relationship, to develop reading speed, to encourage
self-learning to break the monotony of teaching etc., or they would be included
in the text books ?
9.
What is the purpose of the visuals ? Do they have extraneous details which are
likely to confuse the message ?
Message
/ Content
1. Are
there any message/s in the lessons ; are they of economic or social value or both
?
2. If 'problems' have
been presented how were they determined ?
3.
Have solutions been offered or only attention drawn to them ?
4.
If solutions offered are they within the means of the average learner or they
are mainly of academic value ?
Language
1. Are sentences short ? Do the short sentences add to the ease of reading and
understanding or they make the meaning obscure because of the conjucts ?
2. Diction : is the style of writing appealing, teaching emotions, does it have
flow and beauty of expression or mainly prosaic ?
3. Is there clarity of language ?
4. Does it have local colour ?
5.
Are there stories with human interest or it is full of hard advices only ?