This article describes strategies used by the author in intermediate level reading, writing and social studies-history GED classes in Harlem and the Bronx. Since four out of five of the New York State TASC exams are based on reading, I assign extensive reading and discussion, as well as strategies for answering multiple-choice questions. In…

While adult literacy programs have historically been marginalized within the US educational system, there is growing interest in making these programs more academically effective. Because of this, the General Education Development (GED) exam was recently revised to be more rigorous, especially in its assessment of writing. Although these changes…

In this case study, I examine the ways adult learners improve skills and practices around communication, problem-solving, motivation, self-esteem, and technology through engagement in a makerspace curriculum focused on composition. A primary objective is to provide insight into the various ways that adult education environments can incorporate…

Purpose: This paper aims to draw on the analysis of instruction and student work in an English Language Arts classroom to discuss how teachers may support dispossessed students' journeys toward radical healing (Ginwright, 2010) by using critically caring pedagogies -- pedagogies grounded in teachers' deep understanding of the systemic inequalities…

A multiple-probe, multiple-baseline, across-subjects design was used to examine the writing performance of four low-achieving adult students with and without disabilities enrolled in general equivalency diploma (GED) preparatory classes. Students' writing was evaluated before instruction and after self-regulated strategy development (SRSD)…

For the nearly 39 million U.S. adults who do not have a high school diploma, the General Educational Development (GED) programs and exam have served as the main avenue for improving individuals' skills and helping them earn a high school credential. However, few students who start these programs ever get this credential, and even fewer advance to…

Raymond Carver's "Fear" is a list poem. It follows an easily replicable structure and provides young people an opportunity to express and share feelings that often get in the way of their learning. Each line but one begins with the words "Fear of... " In this article, the author describes how poetry can become the vehicle for students to…

For many years, the General Educational Development (GED) credential has been viewed as the high school dropout's safety net. Though not as well regarded as the high school diploma, the GED has opened up educational and economic opportunity for millions of young people and adults who did not finish high school. Nearly 680,000 people take the full…

While plans for adult education programs are forming on a state level, Miami University Middletown (MUM) is developing a new program, Write Now! This program has three goals: (1) to encourage students to complete GEDs (General Educational Development); (2) to encourage those who have earned GEDs to consider postsecondary education; and (3) to…

Discusses the changes needed in General Educational Development (GED) student instruction as a result of the new composition requirement in the GED test. Outlines techniques for teaching composition to GED students. (CH)

This article focuses on using writing activities in adult basic education/General Educational Development level classes to increase students' self-confidence, enjoyment of writing, and opportunities for group instruction. Suggestions are made for early writing experiences as well as later activities. The writing activities most enjoyed by other…

This bibliography is divided into three sections. Section I, Review of General Educational Development (GED) Publisher Composition Texts, reviews extensively the texts published by Cambridge, Contemporary, Scott Foresman, and Steck-Vaughn to enable the instructor to choose a primary text. The reviews tell the exact instructional sequence of the…

This handbook is intended to provide teachers with background information about the writing skills needed by General Educational Development (GED) students as well as practical instructional activities for use in the adult basic education/GED classroom. A guide to using the ideabook explains the POWER format that involves Prewriting, Organizing,…

A pilot project determined whether a proposed essay addition to the new General Educational Development (GED) test batteries, scheduled for release in 1988, could be successfully administered and scored in local test centers with an acceptable degree of test reliability and validity. Conducted in cooperation with the GED Testing Service, the…

Two interviews, one with an experienced instructor of General Education Development (GED) classes and another with a student working towards a GED, provided a neophyte instructor with insight into the similarities and the differences between the composition teaching techniques learned in college and those which seem to be effective in teaching GED…