This guide is designed to help home tutors in New Zealand who are working with adult learners of English as a Second Language in need of basic literacy training. This audience includes preliterate and semi-literate individuals, as well as individuals literate in a non-Latin alphabet language. After an introductory section, the second section…

Fourteen teachers from four California school districts developed this practical guide for teachers faced with a growing number of adult nonliterate students in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. The guide is organized as follows: student goals and objectives, student characteristics, student identification, classroom activities,…

In 1991, a study was conducted at Cumberland County College (CCC) to examine the demographic characteristics, academic goals, attendance patterns, opinions about the school, and other relevant data about CCC's nontraditional age student population (i.e., students aged 25 to 55 years). In fall 1990, 1,147 nontraditional aged students were enrolled…

According to Jack Blaney, there are three basic learning modes, each with their own characteristics, requirements, and implications. While each is appropriate within the proper parameters, there is wide support in the adult education literature for the use of the collaborative mode in facilitating adult learning. An analysis of the works of…

Activities undertaken in Ohio to plan and implement continued education and training of adults and to promote economic revitalization of the state are described. The activities represent Ohio's participation in the Education Commission of the States' Lifelong Learning Project. State-level planning for adult continuing education is discussed in…

A study examined the continuing education needs and interests of Kansas adults. Using a stratified and systematic questionnaire, researchers interviewed 998 Kansas adults. Based on data obtained from the respondents, the researchers concluded that 46 percent of adults in Kansas feel that they will probably become involved in adult education within…

This special issue of the "Courier" has been produced to mark the beginning of International Literacy Year 1990. It brings together papers from adult educators involved in literacy work about who needs literacy and why, what literacy is, who can help in creating the right conditions for literacy to succeed, and how to evaluate literacy…

The problem of adult illiteracy in Canada is now accepted as socially significant, whether defined in terms of numbers, impact on the economy, or implications for the future. A reasonable estimate would be that one in five Canadian adults has a severe enough problem with reading, writing, or arithmetic that his or her functioning in society is to…

Several factors are related to adult students' completion or noncompletion of reading assignments before class--lack of study time, their motivation for taking college classes, their need to feel involved in the learning process, and their expectations for success in the classroom. One of the biggest fears of adults returning to a school…

This guide was developed to help teachers prepare adult students for the essay writing section of the General Educational Development (GED) tests. It informs teachers of what is expected of students on the essay section of the GED examination, and leads them through the writing process in preparation for teaching students how to write an essay.…

A study was conducted to identify and describe the different mechanisms of adult education services provided by non-university institutions in Canada. Specifically, the study sought to determine which institutions were involved in adult education, which service-delivery modes were most widely used, current trends, and which institutions and…

The "problem-posing" education model of Paulo Freire takes as its departure point the life experience of the learner, rather than the teacher's knowledge. Ursuline College (Cleveland, Ohio) created several courses for returning adult students that were based on Freire's ideas. One course called "Humanities Focus on Life" is for…

A model of literacy instruction for limited-English-proficient (LEP) adults is described that is designed to increase effective parent involvement in children's education. Through the implementation of this model, LEP parents acquire language and parenting skills that allow them to participate more fully in their child's educational process. The…

Despite the fact that students over age 25 will soon comprise the majority in higher education, programming and resource allocation at many universities remain inadequate to meet adult needs. Institutions have also failed to invest in adult education research. At the same time, pressures for objective assessment of student learning in higher…

The history, development, and content of the notional-functional "threshold-level" (T-level) syllabus and the application of its principles in the preparation of new second language instructional materials are outlined. The context for development of the syllabus by the Council of Europe was based on the need for a uniform, sequenced program of…