Discusses language as skill and the idea that there are common elements between language and general skill acquisition. (Author/VWL)

A British longitudinal study measured adult numeracy at ages 16 and 37. The longer the absence from paid employment, the greater the negative impact on numeracy. This effect was strongest for men who had poor math scores at 16. (SK)

Librarian's jobs are increasingly involved in high tech equipment and cyberspace resources because most of them have had to learn about technology. Guidelines are provided for horning one's basic skills and computer knowledge. These skills can then be used to help students and teachers in taking the school technology program forward in the future.

"High School Redirection" is an alternative high school program for youth considered at risk of dropping out. The program emphasizes basic skills development (with a particular focus on reading skills) and offers limited extra-curricular activities. The schools operate in economically disadvantaged areas and serve students who have…

There are very few jobs today that do not require basic literacy and numeracy skills. Even when the job itself is manual, employees need to read health and safety notices, fill in a job sheet and check their pay and overtime hours. Service industry jobs place even more demands on the workforce, with their emphasis on efficiently and rapidly…

This article features Crisis Skylight, a learning and activity centre, which opened in Spitalfields, East London, in 2002. Crisis Skylight was developed by Crisis, a national charity for single homeless people. It gives homeless people a chance to learn alongside other, non-homeless, members of their communities. Skylight's remit was…

In this paper, preliminary comments are made about "The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum" document questioning its framing of the arts "disciplines". The notion of the "the arts", which appears to take its meaning from the generic term "art" that directs us to class together music, painting, visual art,…

"QuickSmart" is a basic academic skills intervention designed for persistently low-achieving students in the middle years of schooling that aims to improve the automaticity of basic skills to improve higher-order processes, such as problem solving and comprehension, as measured on standardized tests. The "QuickSmart" instructional program consists…

This paper presents examples of rubrics that can be used in the assessment of the acquisition of generic skills in accounting education. A rubric is a matrix containing the various factors of an assignment along one dimension (rows) and descriptors of the qualitative levels of accomplishment along the other dimension (columns). A rubric can…

Generally, teachers are good students. Most know how to successfully address a variety of academic tasks demands. Many know how to compensate for any personal weaknesses they have with specific skills. Sometimes teachers are such good students that they forgot what it was like to struggle to learn something. Unfortunately, students with emotional…

Skills are listed that are to be introduced at the kindergarten level in Mississippi's schools. The list includes skills in the following areas: reading, English/language arts, accelerated English, mathematics, art, computer education, foreign language, health, physical education, music, oral communication, science, and social studies. Skills to…

When outlining is used as a task to focus discussion of a reading selection in small collaborative learning groups, it helps students to map out a sequence of ideas on a trial basis, takes the pressure off students to come up with a "right answer," and gives them a feel for the process by which meaning gradually develops and unfolds.…

An attempt to discover career communication needs of graduates. (CH)

Discussed some programs designed to introduce adolescents to direct experience with adults in the world of work as a natural learning environment. (Author/RK)

In 1979, the Education Department's steering committee for basic skills coordination worked toward institutionalizing the coordination of basic skills programs at the federal level. This report discusses the committee's objectives and activities during that year in the areas of communication, regulations, organization, monitoring, technical…