Adult Learner Transitions

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Books and other resources described in the Library section may be requested for a 30-day loan. We will mail each borrower up to five loan items at a time (just two for first-time borrowers), and even include a postage-paid return address sticker for mailing them back to us! Borrowers must be affiliated with a non-profit program providing adult or family literacy services. Annotated bibliographies of our entire library of resources are available in hard copy by request, or can be viewed on our website. Call 800-441-7323 or e-mail tcall@tamu.edu to check out materials described here or to request hard copy listings of even more resources.

First in the Family: Advice About College from First-Generation Students.
Kathleen Cushman. Providence, RI: Next Generation Press, 2005. Written for high school-age students who will be the first in their family to go to college, this book emphasizes the “three Cs” of the college journey: conversation, connections, and confidence. Most of the students who share their stories in this book have completed their second year of college, and are going on for more.

The Gift of Self Esteem. Education for Change.
Carson City, NV: Filmwest Associates, 2000. Videos and participant guide comprise a learning system to help adults make the decision to succeed, giving them the tools to define and achieve success. Topics of the 26-minute videos are: Achieving Balance in Life; Five Principles to High Performance; Unlocking Your Potential; Taking Charge of Your Life; Managing Your Emotions; Releasing Your Brakes; The Worry Buster; The New Mental Diet; Rapid Learning Techniques; Five Keys to Goal Setting; Seven Steps to Goal Achieving; Developing a Success Personality; and Parenting. Participant’s guide presents discussions and exercises for each video program. Set of 13 Videos with Participant Guide is available for loan to Preferred Borrowers ONLY. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.

Learning Success: Being Your Best at College and Life, Third Edition.
Carl Wahlstrom and Brian K. Williams. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 2002. Written for the growing number of part-timers, parents, working students, commuters, and other nontraditional students, as well as for traditional on-campus students, this book describes the three keys to success in college and life: staying power, mindfulness, and technology literacy. Third Edition (also known as “Media Edition”) includes an interactive CD-ROM that reinforces and extends the text’s content, and is available for loan to Texas Educators ONLY.

Transitions to Postsecondary Learning: Course Starter Kit.
Howard Eaton and Leslie Coull. Vancouver, BC, Canada: Eaton Coull Learning Group, Ltd., 1998, 2000. 48-minute video features eight real-life secondary students with specific learning disabilities and/or ADHD who have made successful transitions into college, university, or vocational institute. They openly discuss the challenges they have faced and how they have attained success through self-advocacy and positive self-efficacy beliefs. Kit also includes Discussion Guide, Student Work Guide (workbook), and a Self-Advocacy Handbook for Students with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Disorder. Set of Video with three books is available for loan to Preferred Borrowers ONLY. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.

The ABE Math Standards Project: Volumes 1 and 2.
Esther Leonelli and Ruth Schwendeman, Editors. Malden, MA: The Massachusetts Department of Education, 1994. The ABE Math Standard Project was a field-based research project for teacher development, based on application of The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics to Adult Basic Education Learning Environments.

Adult Numeracy Development: Theory, Research, Practice.
Iddo Gal, Editor. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc., 2000. “This book was designed as a resource for educators, trainers, researchers, curriculum developers, and managers interested in the development of mathematical knowledge and skills, broadly viewed, as part of adult education, literacy education, continuing education, workplace training, and mathematics education in diverse learning contexts. Book is available for loan to Preferred Borrowers ONLY. Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.

The Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 3.
John Comings, Barbara Garner, and Cristine Smith, Editors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2002. This volume of NCSALL’s annual publication of commissioned articles includes a chapter on “The Inclusion of Numeracy in Adult Basic Education” by Dave Tout and Mary Jane Schmitt. That chapter covers influences on math in adult education (e.g., GED exams and commercially-produced workbooks); the place of numeracy in the National Reporting System and Equipped for the Future Content Standards; lessons to be drawn from K-12 research on math education; and important policy developments, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, which continue to influence math education at the K-12 and ABE levels. Book is available for loan to Texas educators ONLY.

Exploring What Counts: Mathematics Instruction in Adult Basic Education.
Bonnie Mullinex. Boston, MA: World Education, 1994. This is a report on the Research into Adult Basic Education Mathematics (RABEM) Project. This study explored five key aspects of the mathematics instructional context: the program context, the instructional environment, the ABE math instructor, the adult learner, and the content, curriculum and support materials used in math instruction.

Teaching Math to Adolescents and Adults.
Beth Ann Leaf and Linda L. Thistlethwaite. Macomb, IL: Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center, 2000. This manual was designed for adult educators working with students at all levels of mathematical ability. The strategies and accompanying problems are based on the math standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, with a slight revision of those standards to make them more relevant to adult learners. Some chapter topics include: the importance of having adult learners make connections between math literacy and real life; helping adult learners to view math learning more positively; and specific math strategies, with example problems at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of mathematical ability. Strategies have ties to Howard Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences.

Basics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice: An Introduction for Teachers of Children 3 to 6.
Carol Copple and Sue Bredekamp. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2006. This short, easy-to-read book is an overview of the principle of “developmentally appropriate practice” (DAP). Topics include: defining DAP; how young children learn and develop; guidelines for DAP; creating a community of learners; an appropriate curriculum; teaching; assessment; relationships with families; and characteristics of children at 3 to 5 years. This book provides an introduction to DAP as the guiding principle behind early childhood education today.

Coaching For Quality in Infant-Toddler Care: A Field Guide for Directors, Consultants, and Trainers.
Jesse Leinfelder and Marilyn Segal. Washington, DC: Zero to Three, 2005. Appropriate for professional development of infant-toddler teachers and as a resource for parent educators, training binder’s ten curriculum sections include: enhancing infant and toddler care; pursuing quality; creating a welcoming environment; making “prime times” of caregiving routines; respecting individual differences; knowing infants and toddlers; responsive caregiving; language and listening; exploring and discovering; and connecting with parents. Binder is available for loan to Texas educators ONLY.

Cooing, Crying, Cuddling: Infant Brain Development: The Child Care Collection.
Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1998. Infant brain development is discussed in this 28-minute video, including illustration of the impact of a stimulating environment on infant through 15-month-olds. The information is appropriate for professional development of teachers and caregivers. Videotape is available for loan to Preferred Borrowers ONLY. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.

Developing Partnerships With Families Through Children’s Literature.
Elizabeth Lilly and Connie Green. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2004. This book is outlined in a way that all components of a family literacy program will be able to access useful information. Chapter topics include early literacy development, sharing the magic, linking home and school literacies, families of many cultures, all types of families, family transitions, and daily lives in families. Topics covered include theories, language development, genres of books, influence of stories, developing literacy partnerships, a model for family involvement, cultures, and more. Book includes many idea lists, charts, examples, and lists of favorite books, and is available for loan to Texas educators ONLY.

Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, and Diane Eyer. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Inc., 2003. “Although parents know that the early years are learning years, just what that means has been confusing — until now. [This book] makes practical sense of the vast number of technical studies and hyperbole of advertising claims. It explains in clear, compelling and scientific terms how learning really takes place,” says Ellen Galinsky, Families and Work Institute, as quoted on the back cover.

Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, Second Edition.
Adrienne Herrell and Michael Jordan. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2004. Aligned with TESOL Standards, book includes many practical strategies for teaching English Language Learners (ELL). Charts offer strategies, goals, standards, lists of resources, illustrations, examples, and step-by-step methods. Sections include: strategies for enhancing instruction through planning; strategies for supporting student involvement; strategies for building vocabulary and fluency; and strategies for building comprehension. Book is appropriate for all ELL teachers and their students; programs with early childhood students and their parents can plan interactive literacy activities to integrate the family literacy components with the strategies and ideas in the book.

Making Friends and Getting Along With Peers: Social & Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers: The Child Care Collection.
Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2003. The importance of relationships and how relationships impact self-worth and early learning are shown and discussed in this 21-minute video. The information is research-based and drawn from the landmark book, “Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development”, published by the National Research Council in 2000. 21-minute videotape is available for loan to Texas educators ONLY.

The Parent’s Guide to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and Retell Old Favorites.
Margaret Read MacDonald. Little Rock, AR: August House Publishers, Inc., 2001. While it is directed to parents, others will find this book’s many hints, resources, and stories for storytelling useful. Topics include: why tell stories, how to tell stories, fingerplay stories, expandable stories, participation folktales, family stories, stories you create, and books to take you further.

Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence.
David Keirsey. Del Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Book Co., 1998. The original edition of this book became a bestseller and “a favorite training and counseling guide in many institutions—government, church, business—and colleges across the nation adopted it as an auxiliary text,” according to the publisher. The guide includes the “Keirsey Temperament Sorter” and the “Keirsey FourTypes Sorter,” a shorter questionnaire. The four broad temperament types—artisans, guardians, idealists, and rationale — are described with examples of behavior and thought; and described in relation to parenting as well as leadership styles.

Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers. Reading Rockets.
Washington, DC: WETA Public Broadcasting, 2002. Five-part series includes 30-minute videos hosted by authors or television personalities. Topics include: roots of reading; sounds and symbols; fluent reading; writing and spelling; and reading for meaning. PBS states that “the programs also feature practical advice for parents and interweave the personal stories of children, families, and teachers.” Children’s book authors are featured as well. Toddlers through young readers are addressed in segments that can be a resource for teachers, used in parenting classes, or used as professional development for early childhood family literacy teachers. A Viewer’s Guide, Teacher’s Guide, and a Family Guide (in both English and Spanish) are included. Loan set includes either five VHS tapes or a DVD with three books, and is available for loan to Texas educators ONLY.

Relationships, the Heart of Quality Care: Creating Community Among Adults in Early Care Settings.
Amy C. Baker and Lynn A. Manfredi/Petitt. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2004. This book focuses on the impact of relationships on early childhood and how this fits in a new model for early childhood programs. Chapters include the following: why relationships are important, when relationships are undermined, individual attitudes and behaviors, meeting children’s needs, community, and the next steps.