This paper argues that the "back to basics" movement represents a simplistic assessment of the problem it is trying to deal with. It is not necessary for the English curriculum to "return" to narrowly defined basic skills because the English curriculum, in fact, never left them, and that is the real problem. Language…

This paper argues that the immediate reason for the decline in literacy in our colleges is the shift from an emphasis on the traditional discipline required in construction to an emphasis on spontaneity in writing. Of the four phases of the creative process (preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification), only verification should be…

This paper describes the development of a program to teach reading and learning skills at the Kansas City, Kansas Community College, which was designed to decrease academic failure in vocational education programs. Primary goals of the program were to develop a screening test to identify students in need of assistance, before academic problems…

A structured language arts program based on children's interests can enrich the learning environment of the open classroom. This program should include both open-ended activities, which are outgrowths of instructional units based on group interest, and directed activities, which include the use of learning stations that teach the basic skills…

Commonwealth Ministries of Education were asked to report on how they are undertaking the improvement of the quality of basic education in their respective countries. The papers in this volume focus on: (1) Antigua; (2) Bermuda; (3) India; (4) St. Kitts and Nevis; and (5) Turks and Caicos Islands. Charts and statistical data support each country's…

Commonwealth Ministries of Education were asked to report on how they are undertaking the improvement of the quality of basic education in their respective countries. The papers in this volume focus on: (1) Botswana; (2) Namibia; and (3) Pakistan. Charts and statistical data support each country's report. (EH)

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…

Viet Nam's average annual population growth rate is 2.6%, which accounts for a large youth population: 37.7% of the total population is under age 15, compared with an average of 20% in developed or newly industrialized countries. A free basic education for all children is almost impossible to provide. With consideration of the Vietnamese people's…

The president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) examines the definition of basic mathematics skills. One basic skill is understanding formulas that are used in real life. Recommends that educators use the message of NCTM's standards to make choices that will reinvent mathematics education. Challenges teachers to teach…

Reviews changing high school science curricula in South Africa, outlining two recent movements: aiming syllabi at the 85% of students who do not graduate in the sciences, and teaching basic knowledge and skills rather than specific and narrow job skills that easily become obsolete. Suggests that closer cooperation between curriculum planners,…

Advertising in the mass media contains a wide variety of psychological, emotional, and cultural messages. In basic skills and English-as-a-Second-Language writing instruction, ads can be used to exemplify writing models presented in class. Basic skills students often come to writing classes discouraged or prepared for failure, and the structure of…

The objective of the study was to determine whether Competency-Based Testing (CBT) schools altered their curriculum differently than Non-Competency-Based Testing schools (NCBT), and, if so, what selected factors were identified as contributing to the differences among the responses secondary schools made to CBT. The data from 410 member high…

Reading instruction based on the acquisition of basic skills has produced a basic level of literacy in children, but such minimal levels of literacy are no longer sufficient for students required to deal effectively with complicated literary and informational material encountered in upper elementary, middle, and high school texts. Research in the…

This paper discusses the literacy situation in Thailand, where, while literacy is regarded as the basic right of every Thai, the greater proportion of the population reads at the elementary level. The paper first examines the national policy on literacy, focusing on problems which remain to be tackled under the Fifth National Economic and Social…

Five positions on the nature and purpose of basic studies in the college curriculum are considered. The five positions are summarized as follows: (1) to develop essential skills; (2) to introduce students to disciplines of knowledge; (3) to introduce students to the basic modes of thinking or ways of knowing; (4) to develop understanding and…