As nonprofit adult literacy programs are often the only options for low-income Latin American immigrants in North America, problems accompanying these programs affect the ability of immigrants to benefit from them. North American nonprofit adult literacy programs often struggle due to the difficulties inherent in using volunteer instructors (often…

The author suggests that the specification of common literacy demands that are valid on the societal level, that is, which are applicable and meaningful to diverse adults living in diverse environments, is an impossible task. He further suggests that the development of a valid and uniform national curriculum for functional literacy is equally…

Recounts the history and context of the adult literacy movement in Ethiopia. Looks at delivery systems, curriculum and program development, teaching methods, teacher training and recruitment, achievements, funding, evaluation, and policies. Suggests that, since social change is always difficult and Ethiopia has undergone many hardships, the…

The increasing popularity of participatory approaches to adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction have positive and negative implications. Although learner-centered content helps adults learn best, it may also limit learning resulting from the learners' own marginalization. Political (i.e., social context) factors must be considered.…

The authors review current practices in writing instruction in adult literacy classes. They observe that students spend little time writing. Innovative teaching activities are mentioned. They discuss goals of writing instruction and how to adapt present practices to meet the writing requirements of the General Educational Development Test. (CH)

This paper presents a case and some ideas for integrating basic skills development with occupational training. Explaining why traditional instructional methods do not work in the workplace, the paper summarizes learning theories that support work force literacy programs. It explains how to identify the skills needed in the workplace, provides…

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…

A study was conducted to describe and analyze the types of curricular and instructional approaches currently being used in adult literacy programs in New York City. A small representative sample of 16 programs and 48 staff members were selected for study. Information was gathered through onsite observation and interviews with 39 staff members.…

This article collects some of the many ideas that were generated in one of the workshop options at the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit Materials Conference. The ideas it presents illustrate the purpose of the workshop, which was to explore, discuss, and plan ways of using objects and visual material as a source for generating ideas and…

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 document consists of the final report and teacher handbook from a project conducted to develop a curriculum of information, strategies, and activities for adult basic education teachers, tutors, and counselors to use in helping adult students improve their higher order thinking skills. Findings of a review of the available literature on…

The product of a project conducted in Massachusetts to apply the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" to adult basic education (ABE) learning environments, this volume is a collection of teacher-researchers' essays on field-based application of the adapted…

This document is the outcome of a project conducted in Massachusetts to apply the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" to adult basic education (ABE) learning environments. The first chapter describes the work of the Math Team, a committee of 22 adult basic…

This document contains the final report of a study conducted to test the feasibility of developing and implementing instructional modules--for adults in Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language--based on information about text processing demands and task difficulty gleaned from past national adult literacy surveys. Another objective…

A program for coping with the needs of functionally illiterate persons that focuses on the rural population of seasonal farm workers is described in this handbook. The program starts with emphasis on satisfying life's basic needs and annihilating the fear of want while exposing participants to new techniques to prepare them for the labor market.…