This case study investigates Carolyn, an effective volunteer ESL and literacy instructor of adult African refugees, in order to understand both what it means to be a qualified instructor, and also how community-based volunteer instructors may become more qualified. The study's findings suggest that Carolyn's qualifications are a combination of…

Despite high staff turnover and a predominance of part-time positions in the field of adult education some adult education teachers create careers for themselves that span many years--even decades. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2007), teachers are the most important factor in improving student achievement. Knapp (2003) points out…

Effective communication with teachers is a critical element of any successful professional development. Teachers are the foundational component of any educational system. It is vital that adequate attention is focused on appropriate and effective training of these teachers. Ideally, professional development offers a means of collaborative support…

Community-based approaches to literacy should consider the dynamics of context and culture, develop community and connection with learners, have meaningful participation, and involve practitioners in inquiry and reflection. (SK)

Reflections of an enterprise-based literacy teacher highlights three focal areas of workplace learning: (1) critical thinking/reflection/problem solving; (2) contextualized learning; and (3) attitudinal. A workplace teacher must have knowledge and understanding of culture gained through action, feedback, reflection, and theorizing. (SK)

A study was conducted at a program in rural southwest Virginia to determine whether Head Start parents and adult basic education/high school equivalency program students use critical thinking skills. More than 50 definitions of critical thinking were collected, and Bloom's Taxonomy was reviewed for background information. The teachers' manual for…

Relates the experience of a middle school reading teacher who also teaches a weekly general equivalency diploma (GED) class to adult learners. Describes two of her most memorable adult students, and notes how working with adult learners has helped the author appreciate their persistence and desire to learn, and has helped her with her middle…

This guide is designed to assist professional development facilitators responsible for helping Virginia's adult literacy practitioners develop and implement the professional development plans that constitute a key component of the state's professional development system for paid and volunteer literacy training providers. The following are among…

In the Adult Multiple Intelligences (AMI) study, 10 teachers of adults from the northeastern region of the United States explored for 18 months the ways that multiple intelligences (MI) theory could support instruction and assessment in various adult learning contexts. The results of this research were published in a book by Julie Viens called MI…

An evidence-based connection between adult educator professional development (PD) and learner outcomes is difficult to document, yet there is an intuitive assumption that professional development is linked to better teaching and learning outcomes. The field appears to be shifting away from one-shot PD to practitioner engagement in sustained,…

In a series of mathematics education workshops in which teachers from adult basic education and vocational education worked together to design teaching situations on particular contents in mathematics in order to make explicit and bring into reflection the teaching strategies used by each group. The workshops constituted a common space of…

This series of five short papers describes an interdisciplinary, community action research project in Newfoundland that sought to enhance and extend the traditional and technological literacy of adults. The papers were part of an action research project conducted by the directors and tutors which made computers available in community resource…

The quarterly theme-based publication "Focus on Basics" was launched in January 1997 as part of a multipronged effort by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy to connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education (ABE). The effectiveness of "Focus on Basics" as a means of professional…

The experiences, attitudes, and needs of three literacy learners and one paid literacy teacher in Melbourne, Australia, were examined. The analysis was framed by the following principles: (1) literacy is a feminist issue; (2) adult literacy education is best defined as broad, general education that is grounded in language and fosters depth and…

A project targeted teachers in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, who faced unique difficulties in their literacy and numeracy practice. Cross-cultural training and education were affected by isolation and geographic distance, often an absence of professional support and development, and limited access to resources. The project offered…