So as context, I am a part of a small proto cadre organization, with around a dozen members. We study theory together, and are heavily involved in organizing in our local area. Some of my comrades really struggle with reading comprehension, to the point they really struggle to understand even essay length texts-- and not for lack of trying, these people genuinely do want to learn and study. They are just people who have been severely failed by the American education system. I am in a strange position; I am looked to for help as I read a lot and have more of a background in theory than most of them. But I don’t really know how to help. I was a terrible student and I barely graduated high school. Reading is just something I’ve done a lot of for as long as I can remember. Does anyone have any advice on how I can better support my comrades?

  • Maeve@kbin.earth
    10·
    10 days ago

    I’m sure it’s different in every area, but when I taught both US students and ESL at my local literacy council, we just gave a basic comprehension test and started students at that level with national literacy council approved workbooks. It’s kind of a drag to have to do that first to stretch comprehension, but other than that, a couple paragraph at a time with a dictionary, pen and notebook. I would look up each word I didn’t know/was unsure of, write it down with the pronunciation and definitions, and write a sentence with it like I was in primary school doing vocabulary word homework (this was before smartphones and PCs). When I got to the end of the paragraph or page, depending on the difficulty of what I was reading, I reread, glancing at my notes. Then I’d reread the whole chapter. It’s slow, tedious, and it worked for me. It worked so well that I used the method after I had a smartphone to read hard copy Hawking. Sorry I can’t offer a quicker method, and it’s been a few decades since I worked with the literacy council. Less than a decade ago, I worked with two people who literally could not read or spell "cat” or “dog.” I went to the dollar store and got the little work booklets for preschoolers and started there. The 60+ year old with “severe learning disabilities” was reading Dr. Seuss within a couple of months, but I also ended up buying the large plain not cards and cutting different-sized windows in them so all the words didn’t “swim together.” I suspect they experienced vision issues and/or dyslexia. Maybe there are more modern methods, now.

    With my kid, I spent good money on Hooked on Phonics. It helped a lot but dyslexia really messed with them.