Two articles are referenced that note the importance of understanding the contradictions underlying literacy program policies and practices. They underscore the importance of ethnographic research as a means of informing policy. Implications are discussed. (Contains 21 references.) (Author/LB)

Critical thinking is examined as a set of skills and a means for social change. It is presented as not just higher order thinking but also a search for the social, historical, and political roots of conventional knowledge and an orientation to transform learning and society. (Contains 15 references.) (LB)

Some studies from the fields of adult literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) are summarized that provide a personal look at literacy learning. (Contains 17 references.) (LB)

Resistance to the notion of empowerment among students in a graduate English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher preparation program is analyzed using a postmodern and feminist framework. Focus is on the role of facilitator, a role instituted to help students reflect on their own collaborative and critical processes. (Contains 39 references.)…

It is suggested that those championing the growing national family literacy movement in the United States miss the point that society itself, not the families, constructs the conditions of poverty. Implications for meaningful change are discussed. (Contains 13 references.) (LB)

As the number of organizations engaged in some form of workplace literacy training grows, their capacity to enhance worker skills/knowledge and improve productivity becomes more challenging. Two factors are important: instructional program fit in the workplace and types of organizational support available. (Contains six references.) (LB)

Problems in the definition of competency-based education are discussed. Theory and examples are cited in three areas: limited range of competencies, emphasis on knowledge rather than use, and lack of requirements for a phrasebook approach. (Contains four references.) (LB)

The term "alternative assessment" has become commonplace in the field of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy. Just what it means and how to practice it are discussed. (Contains 14 references.) (LB)

A participatory English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum development project in South Africa, "Use, Speak and Write English" (USWE), is described. USWE's attempt to translate its curriculum framework into workable materials is reported. Suggestions for handling the challenges facing adult basic education are suggested. (Contains 40…

The relationship between U.S. national policies on literacy, available literacy programs, and individual lives is examined. A discussion of the pressures to become literate in English is followed by an analysis of language use in immigrant families and the effect of native language loss. Recommendations regarding the plurality of literacies are…

The role of teachers, teacher educators, researchers, program planners, and advocates in the somewhat unfocused field of adult literacy is discussed. They are invited to focus on three directions: shifting focus to families and communities, knowledge development, and multilevel collaboration. (Contains 10 references.) (LB)

In 11 innovative programs examined as part of a U.S. study on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy, the philosophies that informed the ESL curricula ranged from literacy that encouraged personal growth or individual empowerment to literacy for social adaptation or assimilation. (Contains 35 references.) (Author/LB)

The increasing popularity of participatory approaches to adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction have positive and negative implications. Although learner-centered content helps adults learn best, it may also limit learning resulting from the learners' own marginalization. Political (i.e., social context) factors must be considered.…

Two articles on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy are reviewed regarding the role of the teacher. One emphasizes a North American context with well-trained and experienced teachers; the other, a context whereby learners delineate their literacy use and teachers may be less experienced. An account of Chinese literacy training is reported.…

The whole-language approach is discussed as a perspective-in-practice anchored in a vision of a equitable, diverse society. (Contains four references.) (LB)