Course of action empowers adults with reading skills
CITY of Glasgow College has already built a strong track record in literacy learning through its City Phonics course.
Created by Diane Gardner, and originally launched in 2018, at that time it brought a completely fresh and structured approach to teaching adults how to read and write.
It was designed for adults with severe literacy issues: those with dyslexia, non-native English speakers and reluctant readers.
“As the name suggests, it’s a phonics-based course, and that’s relatively new in adult education,” Diane says.
“There are 44 sounds in the English language and we teach those sounds. Then we blend them together to make words.
“I was originally teaching family literacy, helping parents to help their children, but wanted to put together something that was more adult-centric.
“So we created a very structured programme that made them aware not just of the sounds of our language but also taught them to read and write in sentences.
“We have to ensure that what we are teaching is making a real difference to people’s lives and is relevant to them.”
Surprisingly, there was nothing similar available in the UK to help adults learn how to read and write.
The synthetic phonics approach City Phonics uses proved to be successful in schools, and it now offers a vital first step in literacy for the lowest level of adult learners.
Achieving the City Phonics
accredited qualification prepares students for SCQF Level 2 English and Communication; Essential Skills Entry Level Literacy (England and Northern Ireland) and Essential Skills Level 1 (Wales).
The City Phonics course and its resources have been taken up by a broad range of organisations and it is now being delivered widely across Scotland as well as globally.