The Communities of Practice (CofP) framework and theories of engaged participation have profoundly shaped how we theorize, investigate, and represent a variety of learning and teaching processes, both in and out of classroom contexts. Within this framework, useful distinctions have been made between a teaching curriculum and a learning curriculum,…

"Adult Language Learners: Context and Innovation" presents instructional practices that are particularly successful with adults. Adult language learners are goal oriented and direct their learning to fulfill particular needs or demands: to advance their studies, to progress up the career ladder, to follow business opportunities, to pass…

There is a need for instructional models in English as a second language (ESL) and adult basic education (ABE). However, before adequate models can be built, a unifying theory of learning for this unique instructional category must be advanced. Existing learning theories, particularly for adult learners, are helpful but need to be refined to fit…

Adding to the resources for evidence-based practices, this occasional paper provides sources of research and professional wisdom that are useful to the design of evidence-based instruction. This annotated bibliography is divided into seven subsections that focus on reading, writing, math and numeracy, English as a second language, GED, adult…

Family literacy has developed over the past decade into an increasingly significant--and often contested--area of research, practice, and policymaking in the fields of literacy and family studies as well as in the broader arenas of education and schooling. The purpose of this chapter is to give the reader a better understanding of the general…

To benefit from the support of public and private sector leaders and to ensure that all students receive effective services, the adult education system must identify program models that have empirical evidence to support claims of effectiveness. The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences defines evidence-based education as…

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2015-END 2015, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 27 to 29 of June. Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and…

This document provides guidelines for designing mentoring programs to facilitate the professional development of adult basic education (ABE) and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instructors. Chapter 1 discusses the rationale behind mentoring in ABE programs. Special attention is paid to the following topics: how mentoring fits with adult…

This volume of newsletters focuses on connecting research and practice in adult literacy programs. Issue A of August 2001 includes: "Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults" (Ashley Hager); "Beginning ESOL Learners' Advice to Their Teachers" (MaryAnn Cunningham Florez); "The Neurobiology of Reading and…

Robert Kegan's constructive-development theory of adult growth postulates three different ways of knowing (instrumental, socializing, and self-authoring) and suggests that, although individuals develop differently, individual development can never be separated from culture. The potential of the constructive-development perspective on adult…

The Bob Steele Reading Center was established in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1986 under board and staff leadership of the Literacy Volunteers of America-Connecticut (LVA-CT). The center has been under the management of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH) since 1989. Located in an alternative high school in a predominantly Hispanic…

Focusing on interactions between theory and practice in adult education, this proceedings of refereed papers (45), symposia (3) and roundtable summaries (21) include the following: "Adult Literacy Classroom as a Social System" (Beder); "Documenting Outcomes for Learners and Their Communities" (Bingman, Mincey); "Essence of…

Since its establishment in 1996, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) has actively conducted and disseminated research to help build effective, cost- efficient adult education and literacy programs for adults who have low literacy and math skills, limited English skills, and/or no high school diploma. Funded as…

This book contains eight papers on adult learning and literacy. "The Year 1998 in Review" (Fran Tracy-Mumford) examines educational legislation and policy and developments in adult education program development, program accountability, strategic alliances and partnerships, and instructional methodologies and technologies. "Lessons…

These proceedings contain 102 papers, 32 roundtables, and 5 symposia. Among the papers are "Weathered by Their Experiences" (Aiken); "Politics of Knowledge and Theory Construction in Adult Education (AE)" (Alfred); "Self-Directed Learning as a Political Act" (Andruske); "All Things Bold and Beautiful" (Armstrong); "Violence Against Women" (Baird);…