Although most learning disabled (LD) adult learners have a strong desire to enhance their writing skills, many obstacles hinder their success. Characteristics of LD students found in their writing or actions include the following: frustration; poor study/note taking skills; test anxiety; lack of social skills; a difficult time following oral…

Describes how three tutors helped an adult progress from a nonreader to a competent and enthusiastic reader, using an approach rooted in whole-language research and practice. (SR)

A workshop for adult literacy tutors and learners was developed on the basis of the findings of a telephone survey of 45 tutors and presented to a total of 51 tutors and 48 students. The workshop, which was based on an experiential whole-language approach, was structured in a series of three 2-hour sessions. During the first session, tutors and…

This paper was designed to show that the two seemingly disparate concepts of andragogy (the study of how adults learn) and whole language are compatible and should be considered by planners and implementers of adult literacy programs. Guiding principles that both andragogy and whole language share are: (1) active participation of learners; (2) use…

Describes a two-year literacy project: an innovative adult basic skills class designed and orchestrated by the students themselves, where Head Start mothers and college-student volunteer tutors worked together. Attributes the project's enormous success to combining the whole-language approach with oral history and the writing process, resulting in…

Project ALERT (Adult Literacy Enhanced & Redefined through Training) was a 3-year effort to develop and deploy a number of innovative approaches to delivering workplace literacy programs to business partners, including manufacturers and unions. The project designed, developed, and implemented workplace literacy programs tailored to the…

This document presents the Project ALERT (Adult Literacy Enhanced & Redefined through Training) Workplace Literacy Project model. It describes each of the seven components of implementation: instructional delivery, staff development, recruitment, incentives, resources, organizational constraints, and union and management relations. Evaluation…

The New York Public Library Centers for Reading and Writing developed a Saturday writing class for adult literacy students. The class design also provided an opportunity to train volunteers and professional teachers in this model of writing instruction. One project goal was to formulate suggestions for others setting up such courses, which follow.…

A family literacy demonstration project was conducted to offer family literacy classes in three public schools in Philadelphia. Instruction was offered for 2.5 hours per day 4 days per week for parents of kindergartners and first graders from January to June and for parents and children together in July. The project was designed to help adults…

This paper describes Project FORWARD, funded by the Texas Education Agency to develop a life skills curriculum for JOBS (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills) participants. The Project FORWARD curriculum is designed to promote individual self-worth and independence so that participants can achieve self-sufficiency and eliminate dependency on…

The Monroe County Library (Union, West Virginia) and Peterstown Public Library (West Virginia) conducted a project that involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, computer-assisted, and intergenerational/family programs. The project served a…