This Toolkit is a resource to help adult education instructors and administrators better understand the problem of health literacy as it affects their learners. It is designed to support creative approaches to help learners increase health literacy as they engage in sound, productive adult literacy instruction. Information and resources are provided to educate the educator about health care in the United States and cultural issues relating to health, and to simplify creation of health lessons and curricula for teachers and programs.

The Toolkit is broken into the following sections:

Section A: What Is Health Literacy?
Section B: Why Is Health Literacy So Important?
Section C: What Resources Are Available?
Section D: Teaching Health Topics
Section E: Addressing Teachers’ Concerns about Teaching Health

Section A looks at definitions of health literacy from various stakeholders and proposes a more explicit definition that is helpful for the needs of adult educators and literacy learners specifically. Two glossaries are also provided as resources to educators who face the task of helping their learners understand the U.S. health care system. These are a glossary of Virginia-specific health care terminology and a glossary of terms used in health insurance and managed care.

Section B presents statistics and background information on health and health care among different population groups that are present in Virginia adult literacy programs. The benefits of teaching health to adult literacy learners are presented, as is a skill-by-skill breakdown of how health topics basic literacy, GED preparation, and English for Speakers of Other Languages instruction.

Section C provides extensive resources on affordable health services, potential program collaborators and funders, and extensive Web and print health teaching resources for use with adults. Where available, information is given on culturally and linguistically sensitive providers. Websites and printed material are described as to level of difficulty and suggested uses.

Section D examines the actual teaching of health. Recommendations are provided regarding teaching approaches, content ideas, curriculum design, instructional supports, and learner projects. Links are provided for existing Virginia adult health literacy curricula.

Section E is a response to the many valid concerns that teachers voice about teaching sensitive health topics. Suggestions are provided for ways to keep instruction of important health topics engaging, informative, and productive, while keeping teacher and learner discomfort to a minimum.

Resource #2. Introduction to the Skills for Life: Materials for Embedded Learning Family Health (www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/embeddedlearning)

By setting literacy, language and numeracy learning in realistic context-based settings, the hope is that the obvious value of enhancing literacy, language and numeracy skills will be self-apparent to learners. The resources in this file are intended for use by teachers – coming both from community-based and literacy, language and numeracy backgrounds.

First, the definition of ‘embedded learning’ that the project has used: Embedded teaching and learning combines the development of Literacy, Language and Numeracy with vocational and other skills. The skills acquired provide learners with the confidence, competence and motivation necessary for them to succeed in qualifications, in life and at work.