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ERIC Number: ED320037
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990-Jan-12
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Rethinking Adult Literacy Programs: A Humanities-Based Curriculum.
Anania, Joanne
The Roosevelt University Humanities Enrichment Program tries to acknowledge the adult part of adult literacy. Its instructional materials are of interest and value to the adult student and, therefore, provide incentives for reading and discussion instead of serving merely as skill-building exercises. The materials are drawn from literature, history, architecture, and anthropology and are presented by humanist scholars. The students are all Illinois Public Aid recipients, about 97 percent are Black, and about 80 percent are female heads of households. The program's first year was developed around the following four themes: "Cityscapes,""Looking for America,""Lives of Women and Children," and "Heroes and Outlaws.""Cityscapes" is a good example of how the themes were turned into adult education courses. This 5-week course involved two architects, a historian, materials and strategies developed by a reading specialist, newspaper articles, and a walking tour. As with the other themes, this one was begun by identifying familiar aspects of the subject area. Then a degree of generalization and abstraction was introduced in the presentations and reading materials. Finally, there was an experience (the walking tour) that provided concreteness to which the familiarities and abstractions could be applied. Program evaluation was accomplished by student questionnaires and narratives, written by the humanists, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Student responses were very positive. (CML)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois (Chicago)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A