This reflection essay reports on a book reading inquiry circle (BRIC) on Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by English as a second language (ESL) faculty from a college located in the Greater Seattle area. Since professional development is usually not provided for ESL faculty in basic skills programs due to lack of funding at the…

Building health literacy skills among adult learners has the potential to contribute to efforts to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes. Adults with limited literacy skills are more likely to be underserved by health services and at risk for poorer health. Recognition of the need for stronger health literacy skills and a desire…

A project was conducted to design and implement a curriculum for older adults in the areas of consumer events and consumer awareness. The project aimed to improve the seniors' basic skills by providing relevant content in a basic education context. During the project a curriculum was developed and presented through workshops held in 2 senior…

A participatory English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum development project in South Africa, "Use, Speak and Write English" (USWE), is described. USWE's attempt to translate its curriculum framework into workable materials is reported. Suggestions for handling the challenges facing adult basic education are suggested. (Contains 40…

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…

Numeracy training was provided for employees of two Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania) manufacturers. The curriculum was designed with a heavy emphasis on basic operation. Ten students began the course; seven completed it successfully. Unit tests evaluated each student's understanding of the material. Three students passed Qualifying Tests successfully;…

This monograph, one of four in a series, contains material on a particular aspect of literacy training. Developed from reports, papers, and case studies from the Regional Literacy Workshop (November 29-December 20, 1979) held in Udaipur, India, the monographs are suggested for use in training programs for literacy personnel as background…

Rationale and format are presented of some new adult learning materials developed for illiterates being served by the Philippines Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM). In part 1 the project's background, objectives, and curriculum design are introduced. The primary objective is defined as the intent to broaden the scope of PRRM's functional…

As part of the national plan for socio-economic development, the Indonesian adult literacy program established cooperative, informal learning groups in which a literate person was responsible for teaching 10 others to read. Program organization, curriculum development, and evaluation methods are described. (AM)

Surveys the work accomplished in post-literacy in India as part of the National Literacy Mission. Argues that post-literacy has become an arena of struggle between individual and group goals. Uses interviews and discussions to explore this field. Outlines the concerns being voiced in India about adult literacy learning. (CAJ)

Operation Soft Boot was a program designed to develop a computer literacy curriculum for use with adult basic education (ABE) students at their educational level. Computer literacy instruction included a review of the component parts of a personal computer system and their operation and a review of basic keyboarding skills. Instruction also…

The principle of primary education has long been established in the impoverished sub-Saharan nation of Mali, but despite official affirmations in favor of access to education, Mali still has one of the lowest rates of primary school attendance. This booklet describes the efforts of Save the Children/USA in mobilizing community support for 22…

This brief report describes a 1-year project to develop a curriculum on career exploration for adult basic education (ABE) students. The project components included developing and administering a needs assessment, developing and testing a curriculum during six workshops, and revising and packaging the curriculum. The curriculum was used with 35…

This final report describes a staff development project designed to provide for the effective and statewide dissemination of significant current or previous Section 353 special demonstration projects in Pennsylvania. A panel of 8 literacy experts reviewed 65 special projects funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult…

A panel of state staff, Professional Development Center directors, and other experts reviewed current or previous exemplary projects in Pennsylvania and in the U.S. and published project descriptions in a newsletter ("FOCUS" bulletin). Twenty-two special projects were selected as exemplary based on a five-point scale for innovation,…