The Adult Tutoring Program within the Literacy Center of West Michigan has been running monthly professional developments (PDs) (known as tutor in-services) for volunteer tutors since early 2021. All in-services fit into at least one of the categories of strategies, life skills, civics, next steps, or digital literacy. The team has been able to…

Most adult literacy studies tend to focus on learner outcomes, and the few that do include tutors usually focus on their compassion as volunteers and/or assess the effectiveness of tutor training. Since community adult literacy programs are largely dependent on volunteer tutors to provide instruction, tutors come from various backgrounds and are…

This paper focuses on the power dimension of social practices. The study sought to understand the literacy-related practices of a retired woman without a high-school diploma in everyday life and community activities. It drew on social practice theories, the New Literacy Studies, and transformative learning. The ethnographic approach chosen to…

The focus of this article is to highlight adult education in Saudi Arabia. It also investigates the roles of early official and volunteering initiatives that established the adult education and literacy system in Saudi Arabia. In addition, a brief overview of the development of adult agencies such as Night Literacy Schools and Adult Education…

Adult educators are often part-time workers or volunteers and, as such, they must simultaneously negotiate multiple professional identities. This negotiation process may trigger conflict among professional identities, which can provide an opportunity for transformational learning. In this case study, the authors explore this conflict and learning…

The purpose of this study was to examine participants' perspectives on how a volunteer-based adult literacy class supports the learning of adults with developmental/intellectual disabilities. Interviews were conducted with four tutors, three adult learners, and two coordinators and observations of the class occurred over a 6-month period during…

Describes the achievements of Frank Laubach, founder of Laubach Literacy International, pioneer of a pragmatic method of literacy instruction and advocate of volunteer literacy tutoring. Compares Laubach's ideas with those of Paulo Freire. (SK)

Suggestions are offered for incorporating George Herbert Mead's ideas on the structure of literacy instruction, the use of volunteer tutors, student assessments, and instructional activities. (JOW)

This collection of selected reminiscences of a volunteer teacher in the Pennsylvania prison system recounts her experiences teaching illiterate and near-illiterate prisoners (and others) how to read. The collection describes several different individuals (in and out of prison), their diverse reactions to reading, and their understanding and use of…

A volunteer scheme in Bradford, England was set up to serve the needs of illiterates and semi-literates who couldn't attend a class. The service provided a confidential, free of charge, one-to-one, tutorial relationship in either the tutor's or client's home. (MW)

Literacy education volunteers during 1988 numbered 77,000, two-thirds of whom served as tutors in basic literacy and English-as-a-second-language classes. The other third served in supportive roles as administrators, recruiters, teacher aides, counselors, and providers of child care and transportation. The number of volunteers rose from 34,500 in…

This handbook is designed to provide a comprehensive reference source about adult illiteracy for Michigan public librarians, whether or not they currently work with local literacy councils. Introductory material provides listings of members of the Michigan State Legislative Council and Library of Michigan Board of Trustees, and a listing of the…

A survey of volunteer programs in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy instruction in Illinois is reported. The report begins with a review of literature concerning ESL literacy volunteerism, most of which is descriptive and program-specific. The statewide survey results are then summarized, giving an overview of ESL volunteer programming.…

These state profiles for Program Year 1988 contain information based on 1980 Census data and information taken from the Annual Financial and Statistical Reports submitted to the Department of Education by the states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. State profiles are arranged alphabetically by state. For each state, these demographic…

A project provided three types of supportive services to adult education programming in the State of New York. The first component of the project was the development of a literacy information and referral system to link potential students and volunteers with program providers. The second phase of the project involved the development and…