The knowledge and abilities necessary for reflective and able adult literacy teaching are discussed. Focus is on whether there are common theoretical underpinnings in the adult basic education (ABE) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) fields, and a comparison of ABE and TESOL field practices. (nine references) (LB)

Australian adult literacy and basic education educators are challenged to reconcile the demands of educational providers, learners, and government training agencies with their own beliefs about the aims/purposes of literacy. This paper examines three issues: historical trends driving "second chance" education; "New Times"…

Recent history of policy development for adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) in Australia is in need of scrutiny. Two lines of analysis are useful for framing developments in language policy in Australia: the first examines the ways in which professional cultures operate to influence policy and the second looks at orientations in policy.…

Addresses salient questions raised by a research project on interrelationships between adult literacy and English as a Second Language. A basic issue discussed is how "pedagogy" itself should be addressed in this context: i.e., how does it relate to curriculum content and how do theory and practice come together in this area? (Contains…

Examines the often experimental programs and approaches of the Australian Army Education Service pertaining to adult literacy during World War II. The article records the extent of numeracy and literacy difficulties in the 1940s, comments on army responses to the pedagogical challenge they posed, and finds interesting similarities to the current…