This study investigated informal learning activities among low-education adults, using data from the 2005 National Household Education Survey. Survey respondents were asked about their participation in six types of informal learning activities, from reading books to using computers to attending conventions. Respondents with the lowest educational…

In December 2007, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave MDRC a grant to conduct reconnaissance on promising strategies to reengage disconnected young people and improve their long-term outcomes. The primary objective of the grant was to identify key leverage points for future investment by government and foundations. MDRC consulted with…

This manual is designed for all adult education staff in the Cleveland Heights-Univesity Heights (Ohio) Public Schools who have worked in adult education for 1 year or less. It is intended to help staff participants develop an introduction to knowledge, skills, and approaches for working with adult learners. Contents include literacy statistics,…

This document was developed as a resource for teacher trainers and adult educators who are teaching writing to adults. It has been designed to provide suggested intended learning outcomes, instructional strategies, and resources in an easy-to-use format. Most of the document is a chart that lists 10 intended learning outcomes, with parallel…

This handbook defines and describes the benefits of both collaborative approaches and cooperative techniques. An introduction uses watercolor marbling as a metaphor for collaborative approaches and cooperative activities. Section I provides research results regarding problems of adult literacy programs, skills employers want, and Bloom's taxonomy.…

A curriculum was developed that is intended to be a practical interpretation of Francis Kazemek's metaphor of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) as storytelling. The curriculum, which is intended to encourage adult basic education (ABE) students to develop literacy skills by reading/writing about their experiences and visions, is designed…

This guide provides ideas for using the book, "Anthony Burns," by Virginia Hamilton, in adult General Educational Development classes. The book tells the story of a slave who escaped to freedom, but because of the Fugitive Slave Act was returned to slavery until a benefactor bought his freedom. The paper first discusses general ideas for…

This guide contains an annotated bibliography of 107 resources for: (1) Basic 0-4; (2) Adult Basic Education; (3) English as a Second Language; (4) pre-General Educational Development Test; (5) General Educational Development Test; and (6) workplace programs published since 1986. It also contains a listing of job-specific workplace curriculum and…

This curriculum was developed to assist adult education teachers (especially in Kentucky) to prepare adults to function in today's society and that of the next century. Materials in the guide go beyond preparing adults to pass the General Educational Development (GED) test to preparing them with life skills. The curriculum includes traditional…

Intended to help ABE (Adult Basic Education) teachers learn to design effective learning activities, this handbook provides activity suggestions, informative materials, and sample forms and materials. Section 1, Adults as Learners, discusses the adult learner's unique characteristics and includes an article on teaching strategies and learning…

An adult educator who teachers General Educational Development (GED) test preparation conducted an action research project to determine whether learning activities requiring students to learn about and discuss famous paintings would equip them with critical thinking skills that they could eventually use when completing the reading and writing…

An instructor and her students used questions to plan, teach, and assess a lesson in a Family Literacy/General Educational Development (GED) program. The class identified that their families should lose weight and exercise more to have healthier hearts. They focused on the area of responsibility, called Promote Family Members' Growth and…

This book, which is intended for adult educators and human resource developers, presents guidelines for assessing adult learning. The following are among the topics covered in the book's eight chapters: (1) basic principles of informal assessment (relationship between learning and assessment activities; sequencing learning and assessment…

This document consists of a booklet describing the Captured Wisdom project and transcripts of videos from the two CD-ROM disks. The booklet details how to get the most from the CD-ROMs with suggestions directed toward teachers, professional development providers, and administrators. Six Captured Wisdom learning sites are listed. The Captured…

This paper suggests techniques that teachers who prepare adult students for the General Educational Development (GED) tests can use with students who have learning disabilities. The first part of the paper presents a brief overview of symptoms exhibited by students who are learning disabled. Symptoms are classified under general behaviors,…