Adult literacy is a context-dependent, purposeful, and constantly changing phenomenon. What counts for literacy at the end of the 20th century is not what counted for literacy at the beginning of the century. Literacy is the ability to read, use written information, and write appropriately in a range of contexts. Literacy also includes the…

Standards in numeracy are a constant concern to educational policy-makers. However, why are differences in arithmetical performance so marked? In "Individual Differences in Arithmetic", Ann Dowker seeks to provide a better understanding of why these differences in ability exist, encouraging a more informed approach to tackling numeracy…

Describes a study of the literacy and numeracy experiences of two- and three-year olds from disadvantaged homes, as they occurred in Scottish day nursery schools. Found that numeracy experiences occurred less frequently than literacy experiences. Variation between the nurseries showed consistent patterns between variables relating to staff…

Examined the home and school numeracy experiences of young Somali children living in the United Kingdom. Results indicated that the home numeracy experience was in a more formal setting than the majority of school learning experiences. Explored cultural conflicts and recommended that teachers take into account children's home learning experiences.…

The authors investigated the effects of online discussion embedded within metacognitive guidance on mathematical literacy and self-regulated learning (SRL). They compared 4 instructional methods: online discussion embedded within metacognitive guidance (Online+Meta), online discussion without metacognitive guidance (Online), face-to-face…

The number skills of groups of 7- to 9-year-old children with specific language impairment (SLI) attending mainstream or special schools were compared with an age and nonverbal reasoning matched group (age control [AC]) and with a younger group matched on oral language comprehension. The SLI groups performed below the AC group on every skill. They…

This article traces the evolution of a quest for solving the problems involved in the analysis of multilevel data and the estimation of the value added effects of schools in influencing educational outcomes. The authors report the findings of two studies that followed several cohorts of students that were tested at two grade levels (Grade 3 and…

This was a correlational study conducted with a population of prekindergarten educators from a large, metropolitan school district. The purpose was to examine if there were relationships between and among early childhood teachers' sense of self-efficacy, their beliefs about the importance of mathematics, and their mathematics instructional…

This article demonstrates how a child's invented algorithm about tens and ones generated "transitional thinking" on the way to the construction of a mathematical understanding of place value. The articles also discusses how two important "best practice" classroom strategies, mathematical discourse, and the role of wait time in that discourse take…

The global economy has "flattened" the world in terms of skills and technology. A new workforce of problem-solvers, innovators, and inventors who are self-reliant and able to think logically is one of the critical foundations that drive innovative capacity in a state. The K-12 (kindergarten through grade 12) education system, with the…

This early childhood training workbook and three accompanying video series provide instruction for early childhood caregivers and teachers in the areas of guidance and discipline, math, and diversity. The video series "Guidance and Discipline" demonstrates the ways in which teachers help children become self disciplined. The three videos…

The aim of the Basic Skills at Work Program was to help improve the competence of the work force in England and Wales in basic literacy, numeracy, and communication skills. Of the 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales, 73 participated. Surveys of basic skills requirements as perceived by local employers indicated that…

This document, which was developed to meet the needs of trainers and workers in Australia's automotive industry for learning activities designed to boost auto workers' numeracy skills, contains a total of 33 learning activities organized into 8 sections. The topics covered in the individual sections are as follows: calculators (key words and…

A comparison is provided between general education core requirements and basic skills and competencies at the community college level in Illinois. First, general education core requirements from the Illinois Community College Board and South Suburban College are outlined related to communication; mathematics; humanities and fine arts; social and…

This document, which was developed as a resource for adult basic education teachers in Victoria, Australia, contains six units of science activities to help students develop literacy and numeracy skills while learning basic scientific concepts. Presented in the introduction are guidelines for using the material and a table detailing those basic…