A discussion of adult learners of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) with special needs draws on what has been learned in an Australian program of adult immigrant ESL education and acculturation. It summarizes research undertaken within this program to identify groups of adult learners with special needs and the learning barriers that face them,…

Adult participation in education and learning in the United Kingdom was examined through a Gallup survey of a stratified (by region and town size) national sample of 4,673 adults aged 17 years and over from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Interviewers were given quotas for sex by respondents' age, class, and employment status.…

Because students spend only 19% of their time each year in school, families and schools need to focus jointly on "the 81% solution" to improve learning beyond the school day and year. This paper discusses examples of the 81% solution that are being implemented in a variety of communities by the LINCT (Learning and Information Networking for…

This report summarizes academic assessment data for Las Cruces (New Mexico) Public Schools bilingual students in 1996-97. It has eight sections: (1) results of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for third, fifth, and eighth grade students; (2) results of the La Prueba tests for grades three, five, and eight; (3) results of the New Mexico High School…

This document describes the development of the Mid-Plains Community College Area (MPCCA) community services outcomes and measurement instrument, and presents a summary of survey results from the 1997-98 year. As part of MPCCA's role and mission, students in continuing education will expand occupational, intellectual, cultural, social, and/or…

The guide contains ideas for independent language learning tasks, written for teachers by teachers from secondary and higher education institutions around the world. The tasks described serve as guidelines for creating varied activities for learners and for setting up ways for learners to take control of their own learning by determining how to…

This paper introduces a new application called multimedia annotation, currently being developed in the European Union-funded project DIANE. A system for instant multimedia authoring, with special features for supporting the creation of multimedia documents in a distributed working environment such as distance education, is described. The system…

This paper reports on research to study the benefit of a punctual self-directed learning experience with a hypermedia in the appropriation of a foreign language. Twenty-eight educational sciences students took a 55 item pretest on English notions. The students then engaged in a self-directed learning session using the CD-ROM, "L'anglais…

Current research shows that the skills of listening, talking, reading, and writing are learned simultaneously. Children acquire these skills from their experiences of copying adults and interacting with other children. The term "emergent literacy" refers to the combination of the four skills in literacy learning. The whole language…

A unit in a Glendale, California sixth grade social studies curriculum is presented as a model for addressing two problems in the instruction of the growing population of limited English-proficient (LEP) students: (1) inadequate teacher training; and (2) shortage of appropriate, effective instructional materials. For the curriculum segment on…

This report is an introduction to the concept of lifelong learning as a key to unlocking resources for an aging society. It describes a myriad of learning programs for older adults, from those provided by giant companies, to those conducted by small community centers, to those developed and run by elderly persons themselves. Programs are described…

This issue presents works in progress by students and professors at the University of Pennsylvania. Papers are generally based on research conducted for courses offered in the Language in Education Division of the Graduate School of Education. This issue contains the following papers: "Do Second Language Learners Need Negotiation?"…

This collection is designed for use by educators who need to make decisions about the use of microcomputers in schools, or who want to keep abreast of new developments in the field. The report provides an overview of the literature entered into the ERIC database in 1989 on computer use in elementary and secondary education, adult education, and…

This program of studies contains the mandatory requirements of each course or program in the Senior High School curriculum for the province of Alberta. An introduction lists the desired goals of education and the standards related to students' development of desirable characteristics. The bulk of the document reviews the course areas of: (1)…

This guide lays out the pedagogical and theoretical foundations of a culturally inclusive, vertical basic skills curriculum for adults testing at the 0-8 grade levels. Chapter 1 discusses the basis for the development of this curriculum: a sound basic skills adult curriculum is built upon a psychosocial examination of individual learners in…