This paper presents the organization and content of a two-week workshop designed for teachers of adult illiterates in New York State prisons. It explains why the "backwards" organization of practice to theory, rather than theory to practice, worked. It includes many specific teaching techniques for adult inmates who are becoming literate,…

The CHALLENGES Literacy Project, a 2-year government-funded demonstration project, supported volunteer tutor programs to meet the literacy needs of adults with developmental disabilities in Alberta, Canada. Of the 20 students in the program, most were female; most were aged 20-29; 3 spoke English as a Second Language; 12 lived with family; 18 were…

This paper offers a description of the Ball-Stick-Bird reading system which has been used successfully to teach students with IQs as low as 20 to read with comprehension. A summary of research findings on this approach is presented as well as a discussion of these findings within a neurological/behavioral/evolutionary framework. A new theory of…

In view of the fact that 13% of the 9, 13, and 17-year-old students in the United States have been found to be functionally illiterate in a national study, this booklet was produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to review efforts that have been undertaken to strengthen students' command of reading skills. Among the topics discussed are…

Literacy education experience shows that literacy is not easily disseminated to adults and that the skills of newly literate people are notable. Dropout, mastery, and retention rates are about 50 percent at each stage, so the effectiveness rate of some projects may only be 12-15 percent. To find causes for the low effectiveness of literacy…

This pack provides material for new tutors who are beginning to be involved in literacy work with adults. The activities can be used in one-to-one or small group situations and include a range of suggestions for beginning learners and those needing to brush up on their skills. This pack contains nine sections. Section 1 provides ideas for helping…

Designed to instruct adult literacy teachers in using Language-Experience and Oral History techniques and distributed statewide to teachers in Nevada, this manual presents reading materials, diagnostic packages, and guidelines for adult literacy program organization. The first of three chapters begins with an introduction to the manual, and…