Literacy Basics - Community Literacy of Ontario

Strategies for Developing Learning Activities

The following information is provided to give you introductory strategies and resources for developing learning activities for learners. This information could also be used when providing training to paid staff and volunteer tutors.

Motivation

Adults learn best when they are motivated to do so. Motivation may come from within, a critical event may trigger it, or it may be encouraged by family, friends, a social agency, etc. You will, on occasion, meet learners who do not seem to be motivated. So what can you do? One way to capture their interest in learning is to help them see the relevance of what they are learning. You can also try to ensure that they experience some success right from the start. When this happens, adult students will start to gain confidence in their abilities and recognize their successes.

To encourage learner motivation, the first and most important step is to find out what the learner needs and wants to learn while in the literacy program. In Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies in Ontario, programs use a learner-centred approach based on a goal-directed assessment process. Using this type of an assessment process can help with learner motivation.

Another thing to think about is learning styles. We all have a preferred learning style and keeping this in mind when developing learning strategies can make learning more relevant and therefore more motivating. You can read more about learning styles in the Assessment Module of this series.

Variety is also important. Where possible, try to incorporate a mix of reading, writing and speaking/listening activities into each learning session. And don’t forget to add in a bit of fun! One excellent resource that you may find useful is Writing Out Loud which you can find at http://writingoutloud.ca.

Adult learners like to know why they are learning something, i.e. will it help with their future employment prospects or will it meet some other need? In the goal-directed assessment process, you will identify some gaps in learning and together with the learner, you will determine which gaps should be addressed by the literacy program. Keeping learning relevant to the learner’s needs will also help keep the learner motivated.

Success generally leads to success. Be sure to build in opportunities for success when developing learning activities. One way to do this is to set goals that are achievable in the short-term. This will help learners become more confident in their abilities and encourage them to continue learning. As learners gain confidence, you can set longer-term goals.

Remember to keep the learner involved as much as possible. A goal-directed assessment process is a good place to start and sets the groundwork for the learner to continue to be an active participant in the learning process. Knowing that you have some input can be very motivating!

A good source to learn more about motivation is John Keller’s model of ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction). You can learn about it at www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art3_5.htm.

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