This book provides educators and education policy makers a picture of where the field of teaching adult English language learners is today in order to build a more effective delivery system for the future. It places adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) in the broader context of the U.S. education system (K-12 and adult education), then…

Impelled by students' difficulties to learn new concepts from assigned readings, this paper examines effective literacy instruction in their respective classrooms. By targeting three linked areas of concern: students' motivation to read assigned texts, the learning strategies students bring to their reading experiences, and students' abilities to…

This paper discusses the collaborative planning, implementation, and assessment processes that are shifting the educational focus in public schools and teacher education programs from how teachers teach to how children learn. It emphasizes the second year of a 3-year grant, in which a university and public school district are attempting to improve…

Published originally in 1952, the bulletin "How Children Learn to Read" was the first in a series designed to illustrate the philosophy and principles set forth in The Place of Subjects in the Curriculum, Bulletin 1949, No. 12. It was planned to describe as simply as possible, especially for inexperienced teachers and for parents, the process of…

A University of Toronto effort to develop an accurate measure of affective characteristics in pharmacy school applicants to replace the interview resulted in development of a self-assessment instrument. It was found that a combination of overall grade point average, pharmacy college entrance examination verbal and reading scores, problem-solving…

Reveals that literacy training in small, rural, and primitive communities can affect demonstrable changes in the feelings, attitudes, and well-being of its participants. Utilized interviews, discussions, and observations at two sites in Zambia to highlight the outcomes of literacy training. Discusses the program's weaknesses as well as strengths.…

Demonstrates how reading, and creative thinking can increase literacy and create historical empathy in a sixth-grade class. The centerpiece of the class on ancient civilizations is an adaptation of "Antigone," by Sophocles. Recommends the use of dramatic literature because of its ability to engage and transform students' thinking. (MJP)

Describes a self-instruction procedure designed to provide students of science and technology at the tertiary level with a basic vocabulary in a foreign language of around 1,000 items. The technique represents an efficient method for bridging the gap between the vocabulary that beginning L2 students possess and that required to read L2 scientific…

The purpose of Even Start, as outlined in federal legislation, is to help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and low literacy by providing a unified family literacy program for low-income families. Even Start has three related goals: (1) to help parents improve their literacy or basic education skills; (2) to help parents become full…

The project approach to learning includes a focus on in-depth study of a topic, along with teaching style, learning style, and theme. In contrast to a thematic approach, the project approach encourages children to be actively engaged in their own studies, with teachers acting as guides and facilitators. In the project approach, students use…

Connecticut's Basic Skills Proficiency Test, administered for the sixth time in October 1985, measures reading, language arts, mathematics, and writing skills. The test was intended to identify students who require further diagnosis and remediation in order to participate successfully in ninth grade classes. Results indicated that over 90 percent…

The Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) helps to improve basic skills mastery by assessing student achievement and district performance levels in reading, writing and mathematics. TABS was designed to provide information for instructional planning in the state-funded compensatory education service. Minimum competency objectives are to be…

Focusing on problems, programs, and projects in college and adult reading, the papers in this volume were drawn from the eleventh annual meeting of the National Reading Conference held in 1961. The 29 papers are grouped into three sections, the first of which contains studies and theoretical papers that deal with reading speed and comprehension.…

During the 2002-03 school year, one Philadelphia fifth grade class developed a core curriculum designed to teach every child the 21st century basic skills: the ability to think, learn, and create. This effort was a pilot for a rigorous Harvard University based program to develop proficiency for each child in a mixed ability classroom of 29…

Recounts a series of primary grade-level literacy-related activities using Margaret Miller's, "Who Uses This?" The book features the occupational tools of various professions and the activities emphasize word construction and recognition, problem solving, shared reading, and interactive writing. Includes a nine-item selected bibliography. (MJP)