Adult education

This document is part of a collaborative research project on quality assurance in prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) in post-secondary education. The research included literature reviews, interviews with quality assurance experts at the partner institutions, focus groups with adult learners, and individual interviews with internationally educated professionals who had experienced PLAR.

This document offers an overview of a Nova Scotia initiative that incorporates an informal assessment with the apprenticeship registration process. The assessment determines whether an apprentice needs support in acquiring the skills needed to succeed in training. If so, a learning plan is developed, using trades-specific material.

This is the curriculum for a refresher course in document use, developed as part of a Nova Scotia initiative that includes an informal assessment as part of the apprenticeship registration process in order to identify candidates who need help to acquire the skills required to succeed in their programs.

This document is housed on the AlphaPlus server, where it can be downloaded in PDF format.

This video features literacy instructors and learners in Nova Scotia, demonstrating how conversing in written form can build literacy skills.

The instructor might start by writing a question like “How are you?” on a piece of paper, then hand the paper over to the learner, who writes a response. The instructor can ask simple questions if the learner’s skills are basic or more challenging questions if the learner is more advanced.

This manual is designed to help instructors teach the skills required to work in a group.

The learning activities in the manual have been field-tested within Literacy and Basic Skills programs in both rural and urban settings in Ontario. Learner levels covered in the field tests ranged from LBS Level 1 to Level 4, equal to Level 1 and 2 in the Essential Skills.

This video features literacy educator Kate Nonesuch, explaining how an instructor can use thinking aloud to help adults learn math.

She uses a math problem that involves determining what percentage one number is of another. As she looks at the problem, she discusses aloud the points the problem raises; estimates her answer; and draws a diagram to help in her calculations.

In this video, literacy educator Kate Nonesuch explains a technique to help adult learners get more out of their reading.

When a person reads a text, some of the information is right there on the page, she points out. Other information emerges because the person thinks about the text and questions its meaning.

This video features Linda Thorsen, an instructor with Nova Scotia’s Valley Community Learning Association, offering strategies for teaching fractions, decimals and percents to adult learners.

This guide grew out of a two-year research study investigating workforce Essential Skills (ES) approaches and implementation processes. It includes information about what workforce ES programming is; how it can be designed; and who benefits from it.