This guide is designed to assist States, agencies, and/or facilities who work with youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk (N or D). The information in the guide will benefit those who are (a) interested in implementing pre-posttests, (b) in the process of identifying an appropriate pre-posttest, or (c) ready to evaluate current testing…

"Making Sense of Decoding and Spelling: An Adult Reading Course of Study" is an evidence-based course of study designed to teach adult learners to decode and spell words more accurately and fluently. It is designed to be used as one component of a comprehensive adult reading course. The target population for the course is adult basic education…

Practical suggestions are presented for developing cloze passages and using them with groups, beginning students, and dyslexic students. (SK)

Describes closed and open word sorts and their use for vocabulary development with adult literacy students. Suggests that the sorts enable them to rehearse new vocabulary, discuss various word classifications, and develop convergent and divergent thinking through deducing the defining characteristics or words. (SR)

Facilitation techniques to motivate students preparing for the General Educational Development Tests include (1) interviewing students before the first class; (2) identifying needs and problems; (3) mutually designing the learning plan; (4) selecting instructional methods; and (5) evaluating outcomes. (SK)

Holistic math focuses on problem solving with numbers and concepts. Whole math activities for adults include shopping for groceries, eating in restaurants, buying gas, taking medicine, measuring a room, estimating servings, and compiling a family cookbook. (SK)

This training guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) to help connect research and practice in the field of adult education and family literacy. A Health and Adult Literacy and Learning (HALL)/NCSALL Health Literacy Study Circle+ is a professional development activity for adult basic education…

Discusses a variety of programs, practices, and materials available to the teacher of adult basic education. (MKM)

This exercise is intended to help those working with adult basic education (ABE) students gain greater insight into the interests and concerns of adults entering their program. It is a group activity that presumes that at least some of the participants are familiar with entering students. It can be adapted to reflect the traditional two or three…

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)…

Because the new General Educational Development Test emphasizes essay writing, the author presents ideas for teaching and evaluating essays, teaching critical thinking and reasoning skills, and using the concept of teacher-as-learner as an effective role model. (SK)

A weekly classroom newsletter produced jointly by students and teachers is a practical way of involving adult basic education (ABE) students in writing activities while simultaneously increasing each student's ownership of the class. Such newsletters benefit ABE programs by incorporating the following recognized principles of adult education: ABE…

The "Ready-Set-ABE" project was initiated to address the special needs of students entering adult basic education (ABE) programs directly from literacy training or others at a low level of ABE performance. The program was designed to provide these students with the tutoring they need to function successfully in mainstream ABE classes by…

Suggests effective means of integrating computers into adult literacy education using commercial word-processing and data base programs including teacher-student interaction. Points out that activities used in most "reading software" are not consistent with the cognitive view of comprehension. (Auth/ARH)

Describes five steps for increasing the literacy level of adult beginning readers using creative plays. Notes that creative plays as reading material empowers the adult beginning reader because (1) the content is personalized; (2) it allows for positive reinforcement on an affective level; and (3) it provides insights into possible strategies for…