Learner Persistence

This study circle is a follow-up to the Supporting ESL Learner Persistence training event that ends with practitioners self-assessing their program’s persistence practices. Building from this, participants will identify one to two promising persistence strategies to explore over the course of three months. Participants will be guided in drafting a plan, observing changes, analyzing contributing factors, and drawing conclusions about the strategies and their next steps. In addition, participants will read and discuss articles relevant to English as a second language persistence.

This training explores English as a second language learner persistence strategies that arise from the persistence research and from the promising practices emerging in local programs. Organized around six “drivers” of persistence, we will focus on program and classroom strategies that build students’ sense of community, competence, purpose, relevance, and agency.

This study circle is designed to provide an opportunity for teachers to review the research found in the recent National Academy of Sciences publication, Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research, and are based on research described in the chapter on motivation, engagement, and persistence.

This self-paced online course examines additional principles and strategies addressed in the National Research Council’s report, Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Supporting Learning and Motivation. This course supports teachers' understanding of strategies that motivate adult learners to persist including using and inspiring learners’ interests, building learners’ self-efficacy, using incentives and motivation, providing choice and autonomy, and using digital media to promote persistence.

This webinar will provide an overview of a LINCS study circle that focuses on adult learner motivation. Research highlights will be discussed, and participants will have an opportunity to share strategies they use to enhance learners’ motivation.