There were a number of areas with significant gaps between what we teach in classes for adult ELLs and what faculty say students need for success.
Independence and autonomous learning: The supports and scaffolds we provide in many adult ELA classes
are not provided in postsecondary classes. For example, we provide opportunities for multiple revisions of work and we don't place grades on work.
Adult ELA teachers assign little homework or outside reading due to personal constraints of learners.
Academic reading/writing: Adult ELA educators may not give enough practice with reading non-fiction, complex texts.
We don't have learners conduct research or produce extended writing as much as we could.
Academic listening: We put little emphasis on note-taking while listening to lectures or short talks.
Critical thinking: Many materials and curricula lack higher-order thinking tasks and questions.
Technology: Making use of technology to learn is expected in postsecondary settings.
Some adult educators may lack the skills and confidence to teach digital literacy to students, and then use technology as a learning tool.
Instructional techniques: An overall finding was that the emphasis on life skills and personal experiences common in many adult ELA curricula
does not represent the realities of what learners face at work, in further education, or in their communities.