Includes "Skill Upgrading in Public and Private Organizations"; "Developing the Wealth of the Nation" (O'Toole, Simmons); "Dumbing down America" (Shanker); "Career Preparation"; "What Work Requires of Schools: The SCANS Report"; "Industry-Education Collaboration in Canada" (Clark); and…

By varying task conditions and constraints on subjects, this study attempted to extend and refine a developmental theory of partitioning as a foundational process undergirding children's construction of a rational number. Subjects were 31 preponderantly higher-grade pupils enrolled at an elementary school in Nova Scotia, Canada. Two tasks were…

The Generic Skills Curriculum is based on studies and surveys conducted from 1972 to 1975 by the Training and Research and Development Station to determine certain generic skills used in some 76 occupations across Canada. Generic skills are defined as those behaviors which are fundamental to the performance of many tasks carried out in a wide…

Illustrates how the newspaper can be used as comprehensible input for basic and literacy levels of English-as-a-second-language instruction by capitalizing on students' interests and their consumer and survival needs. (Author/CB)

Frontier College hosted a 2-day national forum to discuss workplace literacy issues. The following issues were identified for inclusion: (1) delivery models for workplace literacy; (2) "show and tell" sessions; (3) networking opportunities; (4) discussion of literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language training; (5) services and supports to…

Canadian students on the verge of completing their secondary education were tested to determine their proficiency in solving consumer-related mathematics problems that might be frequently encountered in their post-secondary everyday life. Their proficiency was rated as very good in basic computation and use of tables; satisfactory in comparison…

The cost of illiteracy to Canadian society has been estimated at $10 billion per year, the cost to business at $4 billion. In addition, there are human and social costs upon which it is impossible to place a dollar value. Human costs are stress and low self-esteem, worse health, lower income, and inability to participate fully in social and…

Ontario's curriculum development centralization is examined in respect to (1) definition and implementation, (2) narrowed curricular possibilities, (3) constraining aspects of standardized evaluation, and (4) narrowed teacher professionalism. (MB)

The work of Gee and Purves helps provide a framework for understanding cultural contexts and contextual boundaries of literacy. Gee (1991) uses the term "discourse"--a socially accepted association among ways of using language that can identify one as a member of a social context--synonymously with cultural context. Purves' (1991) work…

Discusses the need for lifelong learning to maintain a presence in a world economy. Looks at the widening gap between rich and poor and its relation to educational level and suggests that more emphasis must be placed on upgrading the skills of blue collar workers. (JOW)

This report and the companion backgrounder "Supporting Persons with Disabilities in Post-Secondary Education" represents the work of the "Foundational Learning and Diversity" sub-committee. Within the larger context and framework of "A Learning Alberta," the sub-committee focused on identifying priorities for…

"Proxy" measures have been developed and applied that extend the usefulness of direct assessments of adult basic skills. Three categories of users of data on adult literacy are as follows: (1) government authorities who need objective data to inform the decision-making process; (2) program delivery institutions who require an assessment…

This document provides a snapshot of literacy programs and activities in Canada for 1995-96. The first section describes the National Literacy Secretariat (NLS), defines literacy, and discusses NLS's mandate, structure, and principles. It describes the following: (1) activity areas supported by NLS (developing learning materials, increasing public…

This report presents the results of a process evaluation conducted after the first year of a 2-year literacy development project designed to assist grade 1 teachers at 4 Manitoba schools in becoming more effective in working with "at-risk" students to meet reading and writing performance expectancies. The report includes results from…