One of the goals of education in Canada is to prepare young people to participate in paid work, either as employees or self-employed. Many educators faced the challenge of preparing youth for the highly competitive and changing global marketplace by calling on employers to articulate and communicate their needs. In an attempt to address the…

This digest considers the school counselor's role in helping students to acquire the basic skills they will need throughout their lives. A contemporary definition of basic skills includes not only the modern versions of the "three Rs" (reading, writing, and computing), but also encompasses a variety of attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors…

Discusses materials in the ERIC system that offer definitions of basic skills, describe secondary basic skills programs, and provide competency standards and catalogs for basic skills. (MKM)

The fifth National Education Goal--every adult will be literate and possess the necessary skills for competing in a global economy and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship--is being implemented in part through workplace literacy programs. To reach the goal of universal literacy in the United States, five objectives were…

The book provides suggestions for activities designed to infuse life skills into the basic curriculum for adolescents and older students with disabilities. Modeled after the Life Centered Career Education approach, the book presents activities geared to three domains (sample competencies in parentheses): (1) daily living skills (managing family…

This question-and-answer sheet defines health literacy and its importance in the United States, discussing implications for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners, instructors, and programs. It also offers recommendations for addressing health literacy in the ESL classroom. It focuses on what health literacy is (a constellation of…

This ERIC FAST Bib presents annotations concerning four major areas related to workplace literacy: (1) the definition and design of curriculum; (2) trends, issues, and challenges in workplace literacy; (3) model programs and projects; and (4) reference materials for practitioners. Contents include annotations of 45 journal articles, conference…

Despite the existence of the "Newspaper in Education" program in many elementary and secondary schools, this Digest suggests newspapers remain an often overlooked resource which can be incorporated into almost any teaching curriculum, and which is particularly useful for teaching older remedial students and adults. It discusses some ways…

This digest summarizes the literature on principles of changing behaviors in students with behavior disorders. Principles include: (1) focus on behaviors that need to be changed; (2) identify new behaviors to be developed; (3) provide opportunities to practice new behaviors; (4) treat social skills deficits as errors in learning; (5) teach…

The digest addresses, in question-and-answer format, ways to promote peer acceptance of handicapped students. Topics covered include the effects of first impressions on nonhandicapped students and the impact of physical proximity, and the nature of interdependence among students' learning goals and rewards as structured by the teacher. A…

Debate continues about the appropriate role for vocational education at the secondary level. The many educational reform reports issued during the early to mid-1980s initiated a reexamination of the role of secondary vocational education. As a result of the reform reports, high school graduation requirements in academic areas have increased, and…

Guidelines for teaching English as a second language (ESL) are directed at teachers and teacher trainees. With an emphasis on teaching ESL quickly and efficiently to adults, the six chapters address teaching ESL to competencies, teaching ESL to nonliterate adults, vocational ESL, ESL instruction in the workplace, teaching ESL in the multilevel…

Presented are 65 participation-oriented environmental education activities for teaching basic skills in language arts and mathematics. Intended for students in the elementary through high school grades, lessons are classified by grade level and subject area. Each lesson plan describes the purpose, lists required materials, and explains the…

Mastery of literacy skills may be a preventive and proactive way to address the problem of the high cost of imprisonment and the huge increase in the prison population. However, correctional educators contend with multiple problems in delivering literacy programs to inmates. Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey indicate that, of the 5…

Integrated programs provide students with a balanced mix of academic and vocational skills needed in the workplace and for lifelong learning. Basic skills in mathematics, science, and communication form the foundation for lifelong learning and the content for higher-order skills. Occupational skills depend on and do not exist apart from academic…