Six suggestions are offered to help adult basic education teachers to develop adults' critical thinking skills. The suggestions recommend that teachers (1) seek reasons for an answer, (2) look for alternative answers, (3) take a passive role in discussion, (4) do not give an opinion unless asked, (5) ask students to back up their opinions, and (6)…

Argues that a successful adult basic education program should recognize the differences between younger students and adults, provide a setting in which adults' dignity is not threatened, carefully diagnose each adult's needs, and prescribe and implement a program to meet those needs. (FL)

This article discusses the National Issues Forum (NIF), a national, nonpartisan program designed to encourage citizen discussion of important public issues. The programs try to recreate the town meeting concept of reaching consensus on public issues. Short workbooks are available on two reading levels for issues such as the superpowers, crime,…

This document provides information about five adult basic education (ABE) staff development programs that illustrate the use of the principles identified in a research report. (The 70 principles and 39 corresponding techniques relate to planning and conducting training for ABE teachers and other staff.) Each of these staff development projects…

This article is intended to provide adult basic education teachers with examples of functional learning activities for their students through use of the newspaper. It lists activities which are illustrations of those that can be used to teach functional skills in the key areas of reading and computation. For reading, suggested activities include…

Making adults aware that they regularly pick out main ideas in their everyday lives makes it easier for them to do it in reading. (DD)

This curriculum guide from British Columbia is divided into five parts. Part 1, on using the guide, first explains the place of the guide in the provincial curriculum development and articulation processes. Four purposes are defined; the scope of the curriculum is outlined; and an overview of curriculum aim, learner goals, and topics is given. In…

Cross ability tutoring--having more advanced students work with slower learners--seems to provide the repetitions required to teach the severely retarded a skill. At the Eastern Shore Vocational and Rehabilitation Center (Virginia), students who read at grade 2.0 or better are paired with others, some of whom are working on writing their names or…

This Brief first summarizes research findings regarding computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and its effectiveness in adult literacy education programs. The following findings are given: CAI is effective for a significant number of adult learners; CAI is effective because it provides the adult learner with flexibility, control, individualization,…

This issue of the journal, "Seeds of Innovation," focuses on the teacher as learner, on creating successful supportive learning environments for professional growth and development. It draws from experiences of Tennessee adult basic education (ABE) practitioners who participated in the 1993-94 Literacy Trainers Institutes and the 1994-95 Learner…

This article provides some practical information on use of poetry to teach such subject areas as history, literature, philosophy, social studies, minority and foreign studies, and the social sciences. Reference is made to the Watershed Foundation, which has a large collection of poetry on cassette tapes that feature the original authors reading…

Aimed at tutors with some experience of adult literacy work, this handbook offers information and advice that should help them adapt their teaching approaches to meet the needs of partially sighted students. It outlines the situations that are likely to arise during the tutoring situation with an explanation of common sense procedures and simple…

This report describes a project conducted to develop and publish instructional materials for educationally disadvantaged adults in independent living situations to assist them in developing skills such as bill paying, making and keeping appointments, and other related issues. After experimenting with other communication methods serving this type…

This sourcebook offers 10 examples of how partnerships between educators and newspapers can play an active role in preparing informed citizens and in making adult education more attractive and effective. The examples are drawn from newspaper-education partnerships in the following countries: Argentina, Cameroon, Mali, Mexico, the Netherlands,…

This booklet outlines approaches to adult basic education Spanish literacy. It includes the following: explanatory note for English (non-Spanish) readers; general goals of a Spanish language literacy (SLL) program in Holyoke, Massachusetts; checklists; learning objectives for reading and writing; SLL lesson plan guide; outline for SLL curriculum…