Information for Adult Learners

Conversation Circle Summary

 Women learners had many different kinds of experiences with reading. Some experiences were positive. Some were difficult. Many women talked about reading in school. Some women talked about reading with their children. Women also talked about why they enjoy reading. Some talked about why they don't. Everyone had something to say, including the women who don't read very much.

 

School Experiences

A few of the women who participated in the conversations did have high school diplomas. They now attend classes to brush up on some skills. They also wanted specific work training. Many of these women were avid readers. However, some women with high school diplomas said they couldn't read very well at all.

 

Even my own parents didn't know that I had a reading problem, because I graduated from high school, just like normal.

One woman admitted that she didn't know how she got through school because she didn't get very good grades. However, most of the women in the conversation circles did not have diplomas. A couple of women said they had just learned how to read. Many learners just wanted to get their GEDs. Immigrant women wanted to learn how to read and write English better.

 

Do we like to read?

A few women said they love reading. They enjoy it and will read all types of books or magazines. One woman says she tries to read something every night. One woman was excited because she had just learned how to read.

…that was always the problem. I read something and I couldn't put it together. So now I'm wid it. I'll read anything because the more I do it the better I get at it.

 

Two women said reading helps them to "zone out." They get so absorbed by what they are reading that they loose awareness of the people and things around them. It takes time to get their attention. They get startled if someone suddenly interrupts them.

In one group, all the women spoke Spanish. They were avid readers of books in Spanish. They had difficulty reading English though.

I don't have much time to read. I'd rather listen to music. My free time is spent cleaning and listening to music while I clean.

Many participants, however, said they don't read much. They will only read when they have to. They will read if they have a goal, like for school or to get a job or just to get through daily life. Sometimes women just don't read much because they don't like it or don't have the time. One woman mentioned that if she had time to relax, she'd prefer to sleep, not read. One woman wondered why women only read when they are not in love or when they are bored.

 

Most of the time, though, women did not read because it was just too hard.

There's nothing sicker than having a book that you have to look up the words in the dictionary every 5 minutes.

 

Several women mentioned that it was hard to read when there is a lot of noise or distraction. Some things like social service forms or legal stuff, especially with small print, are very difficult. Several women didn't enjoy reading because they just don't understand what they read. They don't comprehend things but keep struggling.

 

We talked about how we read but just can't put it together. We don't understand what all the words mean and don't understand what the reading is about. Reading is hard. And if the material is boring then its really much harder. When it's like that, we don't want to do it.

 

We will read if it interests us

Most of the time, women said they would read if the material interested them. Even women who did not like to read said they would do it if they found something that kept their interest. Overall, women learners did not like to read boring books. In a few cases, women could not say what interested them.

I struggle with reading but will stick with a book if it keeps my attention. If I lose interest, I will put it down.

They didn't know what would appeal to them. Some women never found anything they liked to read. Several immigrant women said they read what the teacher gives them. However, it was easier to read English if they liked the story.

Several things held women's interest. For example, some women liked magazines with gossip articles. One woman said she liked to read the newspaper when there was something she wanted to know more about. Many women liked reading books where they had to guess what was going to happen next. They would keep reading to find out how something got solved. In one group, one woman suggested that younger women in the group needed to read more than just children's books. She thought maybe it would help them get into reading if it was more about their daily lives. For more details about what women learners found interesting, be sure to visit the other summaries: FICTION & STORIES, AUTHORS AND TITLES, REAL LIFE STORIES, or OUR CONCERNS.

 

Our strategies for reading

Women talked about the things that made it possible for them to read. One woman liked to read at night before going to sleep, especially the Gospels. One woman talked about relaxing in the bathtub with a mystery. Another woman talked about placing herself as a character in the book. A couple of women mentioned that they have to finish the books they start, even if they skip over some parts. They just like to finish things. Several women agreed that reading was much easier in a quiet space without distraction.

Many women liked to read with their children. Often this was the only time they would sit and read.

I read to my daughter and I want to boost up her reading level. I want more education for me and my daughter and son.

 

One woman mentioned that she read to her fetus. She thought it would go a long way in her baby's life. She also played music to her fetus and her baby still responds to what she played.

 

WHY reading is important to us

All of the women in the conversation circles had goals for improving their reading and general education. One woman had very specific concerns. She wanted to read instructions and directions and be able to understand various documents affecting her life. Other women had immediate needs, like getting a driver's license. Learning the rules was difficult because the driving manual was too hard to read. Several Spanish-speaking women wanted the driver's manual to be bilingual in English and Spanish.

I just want to get my GED so that I can get a better job and get off the 3rd shift and spend more time with my daughter.

Other women had more long-term goals for their education.Reading was connected to finding a better job or going to vocational school or college. Women wanted to get their GEDs and then learn more specific skills, like working with computers. One woman hoped to become a lawyer. Other women mentioned becoming a nurse or doing some kind of health care work. A woman who likes true crime stories thought she'd like to become a crime scene investigator or pathologist.

 

I want to start my own business sending tutors out to families - we don't have that no more like when I was 14. I had a tutor because I was pregnant... I called for a tutor to help me now but it cost $75 an hour and then they don't even want to come to your home. So my business is going to send them to your home. That's what I want to do.

 

 

Women also wanted to start their own businesses.

 

 

 

 

Though getting better jobs was important, reading better is also good for other things. Several women thought reading better would also help their children. They could get the assistance they need for their children (like health care) and help them with school.

English is very important for everybody everyday. So it is normal, but it is very important when people have trouble because English help people solve many problems in living life.

Immigrant women wanted to learn English better in order make life in the United States easier. Learning to read and speak English better would give them more opportunities. It would give them more freedom and help them to fit in. It will help them to understand American culture. One woman also mentioned that English is an international language. It will help her to travel more easily around the world.

 

Some women learners just thought reading helped them to understand their lives better. Reading helps women to understand how they are feeling. Reading about other women's real lives helps learners to not feel alone.

I was kind of therapy - therapizing - giving my self therapy through reading about what happened to the other people. And you know I basically figured out that why they feel the way they feel could have something to do with me. Is that something that would cause me to feel what I'm feeling?

 

One woman thought that if you don't read different kinds of things, you wouldn't know what interests you.

 

Reading is important because it expands your mind to new interests. You can use it to get a lot of information that you find interesting. You get brain exercise and learn how to read better. It pertains to everything...

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