Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Adult Literacy Education

Abstracts: Adult literacy educators enter into teaching positions where they are entrusted with the education of adult learners, often without any prior preparation, and with very little guidance on how to actually teach the learners in their classes. Many happen upon jobs teaching adult literacy education, without previously having education as a career goal. Typically, the formal educational training of adult literacy educators is not in adult literacy, nor in the content areas that these instructors are expected to teach. Internationally, there is concern about the quality of educators in adult literacy due to their lack of formal education in adult literacy content areas (reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies) and their lack of teacher qualifications (Lucas, et al, 2005). This study examined the current state of teacher preparation and professional development from the perspective of thirty-seven current teachers, twentyfour from within the federally and state-funded adult literacy education system in Ohio.The study also examined how well current hiring and professional development requirements prepare them for instructional practice and instructional decision-making with adult learners from various cultural and educational backgrounds. The study suggests a model of professional development that can potentially provide teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to feel prepared to deliver instruction to adult literacy student