A well established journal from the Centre for Research in Learning and Change, University of Technology, Sydney. It is subtitled ‘An International Journal in the education and training of adults’ and is available freely. You just need to register.
The latest version is Vol 19, No 1 (2011) but issues dating back to 2006 can be downloaded. The many fascinating papers can usefully be browsed by title, journal or author.
A critical history of policy and practice from 1970 – 2000. The site is not yet complete but if you want an overview of ABE (adult basic education) in the last 6 decades take a look at the fantastic timelines.
Current Issues in Comparative Education is an online journal from Columbia university. Volume 5 no 2 May 2003 (Literacy, Education, and Development) includes an excellent article from Brian Street (King’s College London) What’s ‘new’ in New Literacy Studies (PDF).
RaPAL produce a bulletin three times a year. Well worth the subscription fee and an excellent source of research, critiques and practical ideas. If you believe that literacy is more than a set of narrow skills (and don’t think that the Adult Literacy Curriculum is the ‘be all and end all’ of literacy teaching) then this is the journal for you. I have been a member since around 2004 and always find it an interesting read.
VALBEC is a major Canadian body for networking, professional development, sharing information and promoting good practice in adult literacy (and numeracy – see below).
You can enrol and receive an informative free monthly newsletter. Back issues (dating back to 2004) are available but are not searchable which means you must open up each issue and skim through to find interesting things.
Mankind Is No Island “uses found signage on the streets of New York and Sydney to tell a touching story from the very heart of two cities and was shot entirely on a cell phone. The entire budget for the film was $57. “ This fantastic record/story of street literacy won the top $20,000 prize at Tropfest NY 2008, the world’s largest short film festival.
Based at Nottingham University, an excellent online journal with a wide range of papers.
"The journal ‘Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices’ publishes articles related to theoretical discussions and practices of critical literacy based on a wide range of perspectives and disciplines. We propose a definition of critical literacy as an educational practice that emphasizes the connections between language, knowledge, power and subjectivities."
This Linguistics department participates in research into literacy practices -particularly adult literacy. Working papers are available – for example Moral Panics about Literacy (David Barton, 2000) that I found very useful for my Module 3 Essay on Literacy as a social practice.
The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) took over the work of the Basic Skills Agency more than decade ago. The NIACE site is also now closed, but many of the useful policy and research documents now be found at the L&W Institute. Visit the Downloadable Publications area for dozens of free publications.
