Banish embarrassment by acknowledging it at the start of the classes. Accept that there are complex reasons for literacy problems. These reasons range from a family background where English was not spoken, to missing a crucial stage at school because of illness. Listen to the students as they each tell their story. Use this as a launch pad for your first class. According to Friere, this bottom-up approach can bring quick results.
Ask those students who are embarrassed to tell their stories, including the reasons they want to improve their literacy. As they share their stories, write key words on the board. The student might use the word "shame" or say he wants to get a better "job." Write the words "shame" and "job" and ask the students to do the same. You are making the literacy lesson immediately relevant to the students' lives.
Use the students' existing literacy. Even people who are functionally illiterate can almost always read a few words, without realizing it, such as "Exit" or "Danger." Ask the students to identify all the words they do know and use these words as a basis for a lesson by, for instance, linking them or building up a few sentences and forming a paragraph from the key word.
Record each student's life story. Type the story and present this text to the student. Ask him to read the story while you play the audio recording. Repeat this several times. Ask the student, eventually, to read his life story without the recording.