In the field of adult education, literacy is a contested concept, so it is not surprising that terms like food literacy are also highly debated. While some associate food literacy with individual food shopping and preparation, others look to it as a means to engage with larger issues of global import. Given that food literacy is a fairly new term,…

This paper gathers descriptions on the use of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and essential skills cross Canada. IALS was developed as a population measure to lay out the distribution of skills and their relationship to other social and economic attributes. The information was taken from federal, provincial, and territorial…

Over the past decade, the field of health literacy has advanced from providing limited tools for simplifying language into the basis for a viable theory of the complex relationship between knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and health outcomes, ranging from the individual to the societal level. While roughly a decade passed between what seem to be…

Evaluates the efforts to achieve a common or single definition of adult literacy in the United States. The article describes the current understandings of literacy as reported in the professional literature, focuses on the feasibility of establishing a common definition of adult literacy in America, and explores the normative aspects of the issue.…

Examines three myths concerning illiteracy: (1) the Third World remains poor because of high illiteracy rates; (2) nations can be rated on a scale that compares relative literacy rates, and (3) what is needed is a reliable definition. Concludes the real issue is not literacy, but equity and justice. (CH)

Argues that literacy in the United States, more than an educational concern, is a powerful sociopolitical force. Describes many definitions of "literacy" from different contexts, including political and educational. Explains the origins of the OLRC (Ohio Literacy Resource Center). Concludes that in just one year of operation, the OLRC…

Literacy education is modeled along a continuum moving from a technical conception of literacy to a conception of literacy as praxis, or critical literacy. These competing models are contrasted, and special emphasis is given to one adult basic literacy organization that is managing to humanize the process. (Author/BJV)

The heterogeneous nature of learning disabilities has led to confusion regarding their definition and their intervention. Although the law protects adults with learning disabilities both in the workplace and classroom, it provides only a broad definition that has been subject to many interpretations. There is a paucity of longitudinal research on…

Reports the major findings of the Pedagogical Relations between Adult Literacy and Communication project, which examined the relationship between the fields of adult literacy education and communications. It was found that the knowledge each field has of the other is, overall, very limited and often erroneous. (six references) (MDM)

The causal relationship among adult literacy, social evolution, and economic development has traditionally made adult literacy programs a priority in developing nations. To develop effective adult literacy programs, educational planners must consider a variety of linguistic, cultural, economic, and political needs. First of all, planners must…

This monograph contains eleven exemplary articles that focus on topics related to competency-based adult education. Among the articles included are (1) Competency Based Education: Is It Applicable to Adult Education Programs?, by James E. Hertling; (2) What Adult Performance Level Is--and Is Not, by William G. Spady; (3) Competency Based…

This bibliography was compiled for The Centre for Literacy's 2005 Summer Institute: "Adult Basic Education & Literacy, Media and Technology." The references and annotations point to relevant research, project, strategy and evaluation reports that describe and analyze the current and future influences of changing technologies on…

Forty representative learning disabilities specialists from 19 states met to discuss ways of improving the diagnosis, remediation, and counseling of adults with learning disabilities. First, the activities of the Jones Learning Center at the University of the Ozarks regarding diagnosing and mainstreaming college students with learning disabilities…

Contextual learning is rooted in a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. According to constructivist theory, individuals learn by constructing meaning through interacting with and interpreting their environments. Current perspectives on what it means for learning to be contextualized include the following: situated cognition, social…

This packet contains both a teacher's guide and a student activity book designed to help adult students prepare to find and keep a job. Both booklets cover the following topics: preparing oneself and looking for jobs, filling out applications and other forms, writing resumes, preparing for an interview, and keeping a job. The teacher's guide…