This guide outlines a practical six-step procedure to plan education for adult learners. The first chapter outlines the instructional planning procedure, which integrates existing knowledge about how adults learn and the principles of designing instruction and examines the principles of adult learning. The next six chapters describe the following…

The 11-lesson instructional unit, "Work and Your Life," is designed for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at intermediate to advanced levels. Its focus is on the student's exploration of work and other lifestyle issues. The teacher functions as the facilitator or guide, while the student uses self-knowledge and outside resources to…

The question of what determines the appropriate use of self-directed learning (SDL) as opposed to teacher-directed learning (TDL) for midcareer professionals was examined through a review of the literature on SDL, SDL in professional development, and through interviews with 12 midcareer adults in a wide variety of professions. In general, the…

This set of Oakland Readers consists of four books of oral histories edited on four reading levels. Each book contains life stories told by students in the Second Start Adult Literacy Program. The books are intended for use by tutors and adult students/new readers in adult literacy programs. Life stories of eight students appear in each book. In…

Ideas and guidance for literacy program tutors are offered. This guide presents the characteristics of an adult learner, in contrast to a student from elementary or high school, and describes how the relationship between the tutor and the student should be established and maintained. Goals should be set up at the beginning of the program, keeping…

This report is a summary of information from both research and experience about the assumptions and practices that guide successful basic skills programs. The 31 guidelines are basic to building a solid foundation on which effective instructional programs for adults can be developed. The first six guidelines address some important characteristics…

A project geared to adult educators in rural central Pennsylvania addressed the topics of recruitment and retention of students in adult education programs in order to help the educators find solutions to these problems. Seminars conducted twice during 1993 covered the following topics: methods of recruitment, overcoming text anxiety, curbing the…

A follow-up study was conducted at Illinois' William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to investigate the experiences of students 25 years of age and older at the college, including the services they used, the barriers they faced, and the ways WRHC could assist adult students in the future. A survey instrument was mailed to a stratified random sample…

The Two-Year College Development Center undertook a project to identify two-year college programs in New York State that successfully serve one or more of the special needs populations targeted by the Carl D. Perkins Act. Four special needs populations were targeted for in-depth study: single parents/homemakers, learning disabled, limited English…

Very little attention has been given in Canadian education to "second chance" education to enable people to return to school to complete their educations. Education is a responsibility of the provincial governments in Canada; there is no Federal Government or unit specifically dealing with education. Although policy can vary greatly…

In 1991, a national study was conducted to identify the characteristics of adult women attending two-year colleges and determine how these characteristics influenced the students' educational experience. Data for the study were drawn from a cross-sectional survey of 7,558 students in 95 colleges, 58% of whom were women, and from two group…

The writings collected in these two journal issues are by adult literacy students at varying levels of writing and language skills. Most of the writings are in English, however, some are in Spanish, and some of the writings written in English are by non-native English-speakers. The writings take the form of poems, personal narratives, and…

A report on three regional conferences for educators and business representatives on the ways both groups can best serve the needs of liberal arts students is presented. The basic agendas of the conferences, which were sponsored by the Association of American Colleges, are outlined, and speakers participating in each category are listed. Excerpts…

Since January 1986, when the Illinois Secretary of State Literacy Grant Program began funding a wide variety of adult literacy programs, more than 30,000 students have sought help with reading. They have been matched with 25,000 tutors who have provided more than 2 million hours of volunteer instruction. The profiles in this booklet are stories of…

The focus of the adult education field is shifting to adult learning. Current trends are the continued development of the concepts of andragogy and self-directed learning, increased emphasis on learning how to learn, and real-life learning. Cognitive psychology is influencing work in adult learning. The concept of intelligence as it relates to…