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 results of a questionnaire survey of 246 college and adult reading programs are presented. In 190 cases instruction was conducted on a group basis. Completely individualized programs were reported by 16 institutions. Objectives were ranked by 172 institutions in the following order: comprehension, flexibility, rate, study skills, vocabulary,…

A model of the various tasks of the instructor of illiterate and semiliterate adults is presented and discussed. These tasks include assessing the learner, instructing the learner, selecting methods and materials, and evaluating the effectiveness of instruction. An abbreviated case study is used to illustrate these instructional roles. (AA)

Adult literacy programs must provide individuals with the essential knowledge and skills which enable them to function effectively within their environments. The goal of adult literacy programs must be to enable students to become less dependent on others, which is also the goal of most adult students. Administrators of adult literacy programs…

This joint investigation involving the Omaha Job Corps Center for Women and the Marquette Job Corps Center for Women assessed the remedial reading programs of the two centers. A major objective was to provide Job Corps norms for the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Survey E, forms 1M and 2M. Each center designated control and experimental groups.…

The performances on selected measures of reading achievement and intelligence of 24 educationally disadvantaged adults and two groups of elementary children were investigated and compared. The first group of children was drawn from a low socioeconomic level, and the second, from a high socioeconomic level. There was a stronger correlation between…

A survey was made of the reading programs which exist in commercial reading firms, college and university reading centers, and corporations in the United States and Canada. The resulting data, recorded here, are presented so that one may become familiar with the current status of reading improvement programs in both countries. Fifteen tables…

The progress of several projects defining and measuring adult literacy is reported in this publication of the National Reading Center. A summary description of the basic approach of the project is given, rather than a digest of findings. Among the studies reported on are the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading, the Adult…

The objectives of this three day seminar were to increase the knowledge about the functionally illiterate adult and his characteristics, research about non-reading adults, materials available for them, public library services and programs for illiterate adults as well as basic adult education activities offered by schools and other community…

The basic reading course outlined in this student handbook emphasizes the decoding process. The contents consist of a letter-and-sound spelling chart and 87 course modules which are based on single-letter and letter-combination sounds. Many of the modules include exercises, and some contain reading material. (JM)

Examines two features that the "Philadelphia Daily News" has employed on behalf of Philadelphia's adult literacy campaign, (1) "The Savvy Reader," a column which reports news stories to lower level readers, and (2) "Fresh Start," a nine-week series designed to give adults daily practice toward the Grade Equivalency…

This article reports some cautions to consider when too much emphasis is placed on phonic instruction, especially with adolescent and adult learners. The importance of developing automaticity in word identification and fluency in reading rate is discussed. Six specific procedures designed to improve reading fluency are outlined. (Author/CT)

Presents a short excerpt from Barbara Kingsolver's book "High Tide in Tucson," intended as a read-aloud for adult beginning readers. Discusses the selection, why it was chosen, and specific activities (both language arts and other) that could grow out of this excerpt. (SR)

Presents 27 book talks suitable for elementary school children through adults. For each book, appropriate age/grade level is noted and a ranking is assigned for popularity and quality. Book talks for both fiction and nonfiction works are included. (27 references) (LAE)