Adult illiteracy is a serious national problem that affects a minimum of 23 million Americans. Unfortunately, adult educators who face the important challenge of obviating this problem seem divided as to which methods for teaching reading to adult learners are most effective. This article provides a brief review of the literature regarding the current practices for teaching reading to adults and children. The author suggests that much of the methodology that has proven effective with school-aged poor readers, such as the teaching of phonics in a direct instruction manner, may be quite appropriate for use at the adult level.
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