In the technology solutions column of this special issue of Adult Literacy Education, that focuses on Broadening the Lens on Adult Literacy Education Outcomes, the author wants to challenge the field to expand the view of digital literacy. Of course, basic digital literacy skills must be included, but the field needs to look beyond to the digital…

This brief is a guide for Adult Education and Literacy practitioners who are ready to teach the PS-TRE. One goal of the guide is to nudge practitioners to reconsider current technology integration in ABE classrooms, adding a cognitive dimension to their technology use instruction. In doing so, teachers can include instructional activities that…

Having the highest levels of skills in problem solving using ICT (information and communication technologies) increases chances of participating in the labour force by six percentage points compared with adults who have the lowest levels of these skills, even after accounting for various other factors, such as age, gender, level of education,…

Quantitative literacy has been recognized as an important skill in the higher education and workforce communities, focusing on problem solving, reasoning, and real-world application. As a result, there is a need by various stakeholders in higher education and workforce communities to evaluate whether college students receive sufficient training on…

Learners inevitably enter adult technical training classrooms--indeed, in all classrooms--with different levels of expertise on the subject matter. When the diversity of expertise is wide and the course makes use of small group problem solving, instructors have a choice about how to group learners: they may distribute learners with greater…

The authors examined the implementation of assistive technology in a community literacy centre's writing program for adult learners. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that (a) software and instructional methods for writing must be selected according to the needs of and in conjunction with adult learners, (b) learners needed…

This study explores the use of cogenerative dialogue (cogen) in an Adult Basic Education (ABE) program located in New York City, and the ways in which students and teachers collaborated to cogenerate resources that afforded a positive and equitable learning environment built on solidarity and new perspectives on teaching and learning of…

Holistic math focuses on problem solving with numbers and concepts. Whole math activities for adults include shopping for groceries, eating in restaurants, buying gas, taking medicine, measuring a room, estimating servings, and compiling a family cookbook. (SK)

Open-ended tasks for developing numeracy skills reflect the fact that real-life math problems are seldom closed or have a single right answer. The "giving a party" problem shows how different math concepts and problem-solving skills can be brought out in open-ended tasks. (SK)

Proposes a problem-solving model of incorporating critical thinking into a basic literacy program. The author, an inmate, provides concrete steps of creating the curriculum by offering a description of two units that she developed. Relates the critical-thinking curriculum to developments in understanding of the reading process. (JOW)

A detailed report on availability of, purposes for, advantages and disadvantages of hardware and software in Adult Basic Education is given. Problem of how to reduce complexity of using instructional devices, and how to reduce need for readjustments of present programs to install them is discussed. (NF)

This instructional packet is one of a series of five modules that emphasize a systematic decision-making model for common problematic situations. The steps of the model are identifying the problem, gathering information, developing and assessing alternatives, implementing a solution, and evaluating and modifying the solution. Aimed at adult basic…

A project that served as a demonstration effort in ABE is discussed. This project endeavored to: (1) identify significant research literature in the social sciences relevant to such problems; and (3) develop and disseminate a series of monographs which translates the findings of research and suggests solutions to problems in a manner which was…

A holistic philosophy that learning should be driven by a quest for meaning is manifested in adult basic education by such varied approaches as process writing, whole language, problem posing, alternative assessment, mathematics as problem solving and critical thinking, and family literacy. (SK)

The principal failure of attempts to reduce illiteracy in the United States lies in the conceptualization of the problem to which literacy is the solution and in an underfinanced practice that parallels dominant educational institutions, emphasizing the service of individuals. Adult education plays a critical role in liberatory action. Although…