This teacher's guide is designed to help teachers conduct a course in fundamental blueprint reading as part of a workplace literacy program. The course offers nine central topics necessary for initial exposure to blueprint reading. Each topic lists several learning objectives, specific terms or vocabulary, and a measurable outcome. The topics in…

This information sheet describes Numeracy and Mathematics, one of four streams or subject areas offered in the Certificates in General Education for Adults (CGEA) in Australia. The learning outcomes are organized into four different categories or domains according to different purposes and functions of using mathematics: numeracy for practical…

This document, one of four volumes comprising the 1995 Goals Report, is the fifth in a series of annual reports. This document provides in-depth information on the progress toward the National Education Goals that each state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands has made against…

This paper is a description of a union-sponsored workplace literacy program conducted in a large metropolitan hospital. The section following the introduction presents the research methodology, including data collection and data analysis procedures. The section entitled "The Making of a Workplace Literacy Program" looks at the planning stages of…

A study of the Philadelphia Lutheran Settlement House's Women's Program was conducted to determine what methods and practices the program uses to maintain a high retention rate (75 percent) of students in its adult basic education (ABE) classes and what else can be done to retain students more effectively. Data were gathered from two basic…

A study surveyed adults with literacy problems and evaluated the Parents-as-Partners-as-Learners project. Eighty English-speaking adults in the eastern townships of Quebec, Canada, were interviewed concerning their literacy problems. Results indicated that health and social problems were identified by the adults as the major impediment to…

Based on 4 years' experience in a Goodwill adult literacy program, this handbook offers insights to teachers who want to facilitate student-directed group learning. The handbook is organized in seven sections that cover the following: (1) comments on the nature of adult learning and the philosophy of the approach; (2) thoughts on progressive…

A cooperative project received a federal education grant to provide workplace literacy education in communications, mathematics, and problem-solving skills for the printing/graphic arts industry. Partners in the 18-month program were Catonsville Community College in Baltimore (Maryland), the printing industries of Maryland and Southern…

Through a federal grant, Salt Lake Community College (Utah), in conjunction with two area industries, implemented a workplace literacy project to serve 225 employees. The training included work-related curriculum and instruction in reading, English as a Second Language, oral communication skills, written communication skills, mathematics, and…

Although a large number of adults in the United States are assumed to need literacy training, little agreement exists on that number. Adults who attend literacy instruction are assumed to acquire the skills, but little is known about program effectiveness. Another assumption is that adults should define their goals, but this does not ensure that…

Poor preparation of adult literacy educators is often blamed for the failure of adult literacy students. Four critical issues related to developing the adult literacy professional work force are as follows: how literacy is learned in adulthood; how practitioners learn and improve their practice; how new knowledge is generated in and for the field;…

Inquiry-based staff development is a promising direction for rethinking practice and research and for generating knowledge from a field-based perspective for adult literacy. Rethinking staff development entails investigating a number of current assumptions: the nature and function of literacy learning in adulthood; adult literacy practitioners as…

An evaluation of an 18-month workplace education program at 2 health care sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showed that the curriculum designed could be adapted for other workplace education programs. The workplace education program was designed to help improve the language skills of employees at Neville Manor and at the Cambridge Hospital. Of 35…

SHELCOM, an adult education project in homeless shelters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, investigated the effects of using computer technology on participants' writing and communication skills. The project consisted of 2-hour workshops, twice weekly, complemented by online support and instruction. Learners paired across the city worked on creating…

This packet contains an instructor guide and student workbook detailing 32 activities that hospital workers can use in a classroom setting to improve their vocabulary and spelling skills. The activities encompass the following: (1) different ways to look up words to spell them correctly; (2) pronunciation of words used around the workplace; (3)…