The Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) has made a strong commitment to professional development for its paid staff and ongoing training for its volunteers. During its 25-year history, GPLC has faced three challenges as it implemented its current staff development system. In this article, the author discusses these three challenges: (1)…

Describes four approaches to competency-based staff development piloted in Texas during 1978 and 1979. These approaches to staff development are identified as (1) the pre-post workshop model, (2) the pre-inter-post workshop model, (3) the opportunities course model, and (4) the diversified training model. (CT)

This self-directed staff development project was organized in order to utilize the learning-on-your-own concept within the context of professional development. Information is provided about the project's organization, about the types of learning projects undertaken, about barriers and aids to completing the projects, and about the role of…

Suggestions for an individualized approach to staff development of adult educators is offered in this monograph. Individual commitment to professional growth and administration allocation of time and resources are seen as prerequisites to implementation of any program. In discussing program types, the report cautions that large group programs,…

Throughout 1993-94, a team of adult education practitioners and state staff from the Kentucky Department for Adult Education and Literacy developed a staff development system for adult educators in the state. Input was gathered from the staff development advisory committee, from student and teacher focus groups, and through other public and…

Poor preparation of adult literacy educators is often blamed for the failure of adult literacy students. Four critical issues related to developing the adult literacy professional work force are as follows: how literacy is learned in adulthood; how practitioners learn and improve their practice; how new knowledge is generated in and for the field;…

Inquiry-based staff development is a promising direction for rethinking practice and research and for generating knowledge from a field-based perspective for adult literacy. Rethinking staff development entails investigating a number of current assumptions: the nature and function of literacy learning in adulthood; adult literacy practitioners as…

A report is given of a 1-week intensive inservice conference for 97 Wisconsin vocational, technical, and adult education instructors, conducted to develop competencies stressing innovative individualized curriculum and instructional delivery. The program of educational experiences developed presentations on topics that stressed individualized…

The product of a three-year adult education teacher training project conducted for Florida's adult educators, this guide is designed to assist planners, facilitators, evaluators, and administrators of staff development programs for adult education teachers to design and conduct effective personal and professional learning experiences. It provides…

This document contains 47 presentations which focus on professional preparation of personnel in vocational-technical education and industry as an essential step in achieving excellence in educational and industrial training programs. The presentations include "Critical Issues Facing Vocational Teacher Education" (Zellner, Parrish); "A Call for…

Two articles are presented relevant to media and adult learning. In the first article, "The Pedagogy of Communication: Conscientization through Mass Media," David G. Gueulette sets forth ideas derived from Freire's theory of literacy training and suggests means by which effective teaching strategies can be developed through popular mass…

The Greater Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Literacy Council (GPLC) is a volunteer-based literacy council that provides adult basic and literacy education services to the area's citizens. The GPLC conducted an action research project to determine whether adding monthly meetings for professional teaching staff and providing opportunities for interaction…

This guide and accompanying supplement seeks to promote ongoing professional development activities suitable for traditional adult education, as well as basic skills instruction in other learning environments by doing the following: (1) broadening the base of professional development approaches; (2) enhancing individual choice of appropriate…

This document, which is intended for staff development managers, senior and middle curriculum managers, student services managers, and teacher trainers in further education (FE) and higher education throughout the United Kingdom, summarizes the experience of nearly 20 further education colleges and adult education services in the United Kingdom in…

Program and professional development staff in adult education currently employ a variety of strategies to select professional development materials, but generally lack a systematic selection approach. Selections are often based on familiarity rather than quality or how well-suited the materials are to the learning goals of instructors and the…