Teaching Adults Through Projects

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SCANS-Related, Project-Based Instruction in Adult Education: A Professional Development Packet. (Tibbetts, et al, 2000). Pelavin Research Institute developed this two-part, 1-1/2 day workshop on integrating SCANS- related content, collaborative activities, and project-based learning. FREE copies available in TEXAS only.

Mothers United for Jobs, Education, and Results: 1997-8 Project FORWARD Project-based Learning Project Summary. (Green, 1998). San Antonio GED/JOBS teacher reports on a project-based learning experience in which the women in his class created their own Web pages. In the process, they learned computer keyboarding, writing, and Internet search skills, as well as gaining self-esteem and self-confidence in the use of technology.

Project-Based Learning for Adult English Language Learners: ERIC Digest. (Moss and Van Duzer, 1998) Provides a rationale for using project-based learning with adult English language learners, describes the process, and gives examples of how the staff of an adult ESL program have used project-based learning with their adult learners at various levels of English proficiency.

The Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) in the United States: Moving From the Margins to the Mainstream of Education. (Sticht, 2000). Sticht reports that from 1992 through 1996, over 15.5 million adults with less than a 12th grade education enrolled in the national adult education and literacy system (AELS). This report enumerates many ways in which this nation's AELS contributes to the common good and suggests four ways to strengthen the AELS and move it from the margins to the mainstream of American education.

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy. National Literacy Summit 2000 Steering Committee, September 8, 2000). This 16-page position paper resulted from the National Literacy Summit, a joint public-private effort to define a direction for the field of adult literacy in the U.S. The primary goal of the resulting action agenda is: "By 2010, a system of high quality adult literacy, language, and lifelong learning services will help adults in every community make measurable gain toward achieving their goals as family members, workers, citizens, and lifelong learners." Among the report's proposed outcomes is: "Persuade Congress to appropriate $1 billion annually to the adult education, language, and literacy systems." Also available online at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/summit.html

Project-Based Learning Hot Topic Packet. (TCALL, Sept. 2000). Web-published and other resources on using project-based learning in the adult education, ESL, & family literacy classroom. FREE copies available in TEXAS only.

Assessment and Montessori for Adults. (Hamilton, 2000). The author compares adult learning and development theory with that of childhood education, then discusses the Montessori method-related process principles which influence the choice of assessment tools for adult education. She uses an example of authentic assessment, or "assessment that empowers learners to actively develop their knowledge in usable ways."

Brief Articles for Latino Parents. (ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education & Small Schools, 1999). Six brief, reproducible articles in both English and Spanish suggest "best practices" parents can use to help their children do well in school.

Bright Ideas, Volume 9 Number 3 (Winter 2000): Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Issues in Adult Basic Education. Articles by gay and straight educators and a gay student discuss integrating gay themes/literature into the curriculum, straight privilege, and the experiences of being gay in the field of adult basic education. Bright Ideas is published by SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support, Massachusetts Department of Education). Web-based version and subscriptions are available through SABES at http://www.sabes.org/resources/brightideas/vol9/bi93.htm   FREE copies available in TEXAS only.

Equipped for the Future Content Standards: What Adults Need to Know and Be Able to Do in the 21st Century. (Stein, 2000). The EFF content framework includes purposes of adult learning, common activities in which adults should be able to engage, generative skills needed for these activities, and knowledge domains adults should understand and be able to use in those common activities. EFF also provides adult learners, educators, policymakers, and stakeholders with a common language and set of knowledge and skills that can be used to improve teaching and learning, accountability, and investment in the enterprise of adult education. This publication describes the EFF development process, how teachers are using EFF, and the EFF assessment system being developed over the next few years. FREE copies available in TEXAS only. Also available online at http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/collections/eff/eff_publications.html

Family Literacy Hot Topic Packet. (TCALL, June 2000). Packet of resources useful as an introduction to family literacy. Includes information on the Texas Family Literacy Center at UT-Austin, publications from the National Center for Family Literacy on "How to Begin a Family Literacy Program" and more. FREE copies available in TEXAS only. Or see the LINCS "Family Literacy Special Collection" at http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/FamilyLit/

Health Literacy Toolbox. ( Osborne, 2000). Articles in the Toolbox are written by health literacy advocates, including clinicians, adult educators, consultants, researchers, and administrators. Developed by the Coordinator of Health Literacy Month, the Toolbox is intended to promote the need for health information that its intended audience can understand. FREE copies available in TEXAS only. Also available online at http://prenataled.com/healthlit/hlt2k/script/index.asp

Home Literacy Activities and Signs of Children's Emerging Literacy, 1993 and 1999. (Nord, et al, 1999). Report from the National Center for Education Statistics presents information on the extent to which families are engaged in literacy activities with their 3- to 5-year-olds who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten. It also presents information on signs of children's emerging literacy (such as whether children recognize letters, write their own names, read or pretend to read), as well as changes in home literacy activities and signs of children's emerging literacy between 1993-1999.

Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier. (Lazarus and Mora, 2000). The much-studied "digital divide" is not only a gap between those with access to computers and the Internet and those without. This report analyzes the other divide -- the lack of useful, linguistically and culturally diverse material and applications on the Web, which could serve the needs and interests of low-income, low-literate, non- native English speakers, and other under- served Internet users. FREE copies available in TEXAS only.

Perceptual Learning and Lifelong Montessori: With Explanatory Addition: The Montessori Method for Adults. (Hamilton, 1999). The author believes that adults can benefit from Montessori teaching methods and materials, as well as the use of reflective practice by educators as a tool for improving instruction. A course outline on applying Montessori methods to adults is included, as an introduction to educators unfamiliar with Montessori terminology.

Piece of the Puzzle: How States Can Use Education to Make Work Pay for Welfare Recipients. (Carnevale, et al, 2000). This report from the Educational Testing Service makes the case that states should invest a substantial portion of the $4.2 billion welfare surplus in short-term, targeted education and training for current and former welfare recipients, so they can qualify for jobs that pay a living wage and offer benefits for their families. The study profiles three highly successful community college programs in Missouri, Michigan, and Oregon that did just that. FREE copies available in TEXAS only.

Politics, Policy, Practice and Personal Responsibility: Adult Education in an Era of Welfare Reform. (D'Amico, 1999). In this NCSALL Report, D'Amico challenges the prevailing discourse of policy with respect to literacy, poverty, work, and welfare reform. She discusses the implications of education and training policies with respect to employment of both welfare recipients and displaced workers, and implications for the field of adult literacy education. FREE copies available in TEXAS only. Also available on NCSALL Web site at 
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=29 [Scroll to find title.]

Windows of Opportunity: Strategies to Support Families Receiving Welfare and Other Low-Income Families in the Next Stage of Welfare Reform. (Sweeney, et al, 2000). This report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities addresses TANF rules that have given states more flexibility since the initial welfare reform legislation. Of particular interest to adult educators is the section on expanding education and training opportunities for TANF recipients, improving their future prospects while addressing educational and skill barriers parents face in finding work. FREE copies available in TEXAS only. Also available online at http://www.cbpp.org

Work-Related Learning Guide for Family Literacy and Adult Education Organizations. (Jobs for the Future, 1999). Incorporating work-related learning activities into family literacy and adult education programs will enable learners to broaden their learning experiences both in the classroom and at the worksite. The guide offers options, models, and challenges involved in linking work and literacy programs, including numerous real-life examples.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education has published the following publications:

Trends and Issues Alerts:

• Emotional Intelligence: Keeping Your Job
• Roles for Adult Educators
• Technological Proficiency as a Key to Job Security
• Virtual Learning: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• The Workforce Investment Act: Some Implications for Adult and Vocational Education

Myths and Realities:

• How Emancipatory Is Adult Learning?
• Self-Directed Learning

ERIC Digests:

• Mental Health and the Adult Refugee: The Role of the ESL Teacher
• Native Language Literacy and Adult ESL Instruction
• Poetry in the Adult ESL Classroom
• Reading and the Adult English Language Learner
• Using Video with Adult English Language Learners

The following resources are available on our Web site or by calling (800) 441-7323 to request a free paper copy. Click on the titles below to view these documents.

Learning Disabilities Related to Adults in Texas. (Visser, 2000). This TCALL report describes the nature of LD, frequency of LD in adults, how LD shows up in the classroom, screening tools/issues, best practice versus current practice in Texas, accommodations, and further Web resources.

Implementing a Needs-Based ESOL Program in an Inner-City Neighborhood in Houston. (Revuelto, 1999). This TCALL report describes how the need for an inner-city ESOL program for adults was ascertained, how the need was met and the program developed, including staff training.

Big Ideas Entrepreneurial Projects: Creating New Ways to Work and Learn. (Williams and Petter, 1999). ESL, ABE, and GED students at the Kyle Family Learning & Career Center participated in three entrepreneurial projects over the course of nine months, with goals of enhancing students' understanding of workplace interactions, increasing English language usage, and strengthening basic skills. This report includes background, project descriptions, and teachers reflections.

Piñatas: The Story of a Local Hero: A Unit on Family Literacy. (Ramos and Smith, Summer 1999). Written for a graduate course in Family Literacy at Texas A & M, this project includes lesson plans for all components of a family literacy program, planned around the theme of the piñata-making tradition of Hispanic culture.