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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every two weeks in order to inform area practitioners of news, events, and calls for participation and also as a forum for posing questions, issues and discussion topics. The current bulletin is posted below. To read previous bulletins, go to Bulletin Archives.February 6, 2001 Bulletin #111 Dear Colleagues, Calls for participation, conference announcements, information about resources on line and the usual range of notices follow. To post information, please contact LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839).
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES
ESOL sharing/discussion group will meet on Wednesday, February 14 at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence, at 3 PM.
Citizemship ESL classes: SEDC has openings for new students on a first come, first served basis. Classes are scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 am - 12 pm,; Thursdays and Fridays might be added in future. Students can register on the above three days at: SEDC 620 Potters Ave., 2nd Floor, Room #14 Providence. Contact: Ms. Winnifred Fox, SEDC Citizenship/ESL Teacher. For more information, contact SEDC at 941-8422. Adult citizenship classes are also offered in Woonsocket at the Senior
Citizens' Center (RSVP on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-5:30.
Classes are free. Enrollment is open; for information, please contact
Rosemary at (401)766-2300.
Learning opportunities in Cranston: Registration for Cranston Adult Vocational day programs will take place on January 16 - 19 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM at Cranston Adult Learning Center, 41 Heath Avenue, Evening program registration will take place on Janary 16 from 6:30 to8:00 PM at Cranston Career and Technical Center, 100 Metropolitan Avenue.. Tuition is $90 for the nursing assistant course and $75 for all others. Nursing Assistant, Computer Skills and Dental Office Skills courses all meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 6 to 9; Medical Office Skills meets Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 2 PM. Classes are offered to students 18 years or older and not in high school; students may take only one course. Only those interested in obtaining employment or upgrading job skills by the end of training may enroll. Classes begin on February 1, except for Medical Office Skills, which begins on January 29. For information, contact Doris Kushner at 785-8166.
Data base: The National Institute for Literacy in collaboration with Verizon and the US Department of Labor are in the process of updating their national database of literacy providers/hotlines. To this end, LVA-RI and the RI Workforce Literacy Collaborative have produced a hard copy and web-based directory; LR/RI also maintains a list of adult education providers on line. Please check these resources to be sure that your agency is included and that the information provided is accurate so that we can pass this information alongt to the national database collection. Both the database and the listing of programs can be accessed on line at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/centers.html. Please report any changes/additions no later than February 12. Thanks.
Online: Assessment and Evaluation in Adult ESL, the latest addition to NCLE's
online resource Collections, brings together articles, reports, standardized
test information, standards documents, and other readily available resources
that discuss methods, questions, and challenges of assessment and evaluation
in language and literacy instruction for adults learning English. Take
a moment to review the collection on NCLE's Web site at http://www.cal.org/ncle/ResAEv.htm;
the site is also linked to LR/RI's standards page.
Join us for a discussion with our very special forum guest Michael Miller. Motivational Speaker Miller has overcome great challenges to become the voice of adult learners for the new millennium. He was honored by the White House as the US Ambassador for Adult Education. "Ebony Magazine" and "Jet Magazine" listed Michael as one of the Future leaders of Tomorrow.. Michael Miller shares his thoughts with adult learners on the importance of adults pursuing their dreams of literacy and more. You are invited to submit your questions to him through February 15. Check back on March 1 to read the questions and answers. To access the LitLinker Forum and the Question/Answer page go to our homepage at www.pbs.org/literacyand then click on LitLinker Forum with Michael Miller. -Tonyea Tharpe PBS LiteracyLink, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314 Tel: 703-739-5131 Fax: 703-739-8495 email: ttharpe@pbs.org
TESOL adult ed standards The conceptual framework and the Core DRAFT Teacher Standards are now posted on TESOL's Web site at http://www.tesol.org/assoc/alstandards/index.html; Comments and response to the standards are being solcited; comments can be sent to Srisucha McCabe at smccabe@tesol.org. She will be collecting the responses for the TSTF meeting in St. Louis. The DRAFT Standards will be posted through February 15, 2001. The standards draft is also linked to LR/RI standards page, http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/standards.html
Funding opportunity: CTC Applications Expected in March Due to delays in receiving appropriations for FY 01, the Community Technology Centers program's applications for new awards are expected to be available in March 2001. To receive an application and notification via e-mail, sign up for C-TechTalk at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/CTC For a paper copy delivered by mail call 1-877-433-7827. NCCJ Study Circles on Race & Race Relations (message from Rob Jones, NCCJ) Last year after the tragic death of Sgt. Cornel Young, NCCJ started study circles on Race & Race Relations. This year The RI State Council of Churches, Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, Progreso Latino, URI Urban Initiatives, Providence College and NCCJ are sponsoring these dialogue groups throughout the state. We are looking for participants, facilitators, and host sites. If you are interested in being a participant or facilitator, please email me at Robert_Jones/Rhode_Island/NCCJ@nccj.org We have two dates for facilitator training; Saturday February 10 from 9 - pm & Monday February 12 from 5 - 9 pm at the Beneficent Church, (the dome church). You must register to attend either session. Bridging the Gap 2001 - learning support for all - a 5-part series of workshops being presented by RI' s Bridges to Practice team . The series, Bridging the Gap, consists of five 3-hour workshops, scheduled for February 2. March 2, April 6, May 4 and June 8. All sessions will be held at URI College of Continuing Education, Shepard Building, Providence. For more information, please contact Elaine Stafford (elaine_stafford@yahoo.com), 245ó1467; to register, contact LR/RI. There is no fee for this series of workshops. The RI Bridges to Practice team presents a 5-session continuum of best strategies for working with adult learners who have difficulties succeeding in a traditional classroom. These workshops will consist of multisensory, practical, direct teaching activities that can immediately be applied in an learning environment. March 2: Spelling: How hard it really is! April 6: Comprehension Strategies May 4: Down to earth grammar June 8: Math and Beyond: Integrating Content Areas All sessions will be held at URI - College of Continuing Education - Shepard Building, Room 328, from 1:45 to 4:45 pm. To register, contact Janet Isserlis at 863-2839, or janet_isserlis@brown.edu For more information contact Elaine Stafford at 245-1467 or elaine_stafford@yahoo.com Parking will be validated; refreshments will be served. Bridges to Practice presents these workshops in collaboration with the RI Department of Education.
Volunteer opportunity - VOLUNTEERS still needed: The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI) and The East Providence Public Library (Weaver) need volunteers to work with ESL Adults or ESL children in a Family Literacy Program. One-on-one tutors and group tutors are both needed. Class meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 at the Weaver Library. (transportation from Brown University can be provided if necessary). No experience is necessary, just a willingness to commit to class twice a week between January 9th and June 2001. Please call Kristen McKenna, Program Coordinator at 435-1988 or Julie Cramer, Program Assistant at 274-1845 for more information. Help someone learn English today!
resources available: ? From Barbara Garner, Editor. Focus on Basics Volume 4,C, TECHNOLOGY is now available on the NCSALL web site, http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall Articles include: "Across the Great Divide" by Jeri Levesque, who examines the status of technology instruction in a midwestern state. "Learning with Computers: The Theory Behind the Practice," by Jennifer Cromley, provides an overview of the theory of computer assisted instruction and some tips on how to ensure that technology is used well in the classroom. "Technological Attraction" by Ralph Silva & Walter Wallace takes us to Vermont, where enrollent surged as instruction in computer use was added to Vermont Adult Learning's offerings. "Teaching ESOL Using Word Processing: A Communicative Approach" by Steve Quann & Diana Satin, who share their experiences developing curricula and methods for teaching computer use as they teach ESOL. "Low Tech: Calculators, Videos, and The Abacus" is a conversation with G. Andrew Page about his experiences teaching learners to use calculators in a GED math class. In "Building a Web Site in an ABE Class" Maura Donnelly writes about supporting her class to build a web site and what happened when they did. "Choosing and Using Web Sites for Literacy Instruction: Evaluation Resources and Strategies," by Emily Hacker, provides guidance for teachers who want to incorporate the web into their classes but don't know how to choose sites. "Professional Development and Technology" is a conversation with R. Stammen, who has found that staff need on-going support to successfully implement what they have learned about technology in professional development activities. In "Solving Problems with Computer-Assisted Instruction at the East Texas Literacy Council" by Kelley Snowden, we learn how one program used technology to solve scheduling problems, and found ancillary benefits along the way. In "Technology-Based Projects and Resources for Adult Basic Education," Janet Smith describes and provides contact information for 13 different projects and resources for ABE. from John Comings, Director National Center for the Study NCSALL: NCSALL researchers have just published another study, available in Monthly Labor Review, an online journal, at http://stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm. The article is "Second-chance" strategies for female school droputs by Boudett, Murnane, and Willett. The study looked at women's income ten years after dropping out of high school and found that women who obtained a GED in the 3rd year after dropping out of high school had incomes that were 25 percent higher than those who did not pursue further education. Those women who both obtained a GED and attended a year of job training or college had incomes that were nearly 50 percent higher. The data showed that these increases, while large in magnitude, still led to incomes that were, on average, below poverty level for a family of two. This data collection ended in the early 90s and so the present strong economy may support higher income levels. Ninety percent of the women in the study had children and 73 percent
had been married at one time. This suggests that a significant
number of the women in this sample were single mothers at the ten-year
mark. Even after obtaining a GED and participating in a year
of job training or college, high school dropouts who are single mothers
will probably find it difficult to make enough money to live above the
poverty line. For practitioners who are working in GED programs, this research
suggests that you are having an economic impact on the lives of your
students. If you can help them both obtain a GED and raise their
academic skills to a level where they can be successful in job training
or college then you will make a big impact on their income. The impact
on income gained from obtaining a GED is initially modest but grows
over time, and so evaluations of GED programs should allow for several
years to pass before measuring impact.
From Jon Randall: Check out the National Literacy Summit Initiative (NLSI) web site at http://www.nationalliteracysummit.org. The online database for commitments is expected to be operational by the end of next week. Look at your organization's existing priorities and determine how they relate to parts of the Action Agenda. Then, make one or more commitments of new or significantly expanded work and resources over the next several years to advance specific Action Agenda items. On the commitment form, you'll be asked indicate which Agenda action step(s) you're committing to work on and what you plan to do for each one. The text box will accommodate only up to 100 words for each commitment. NCSALL has developed a Group Discussion and Planning Meeting Guide to help organizations develop their commitments. You'll find it on the web site too! Please consider developing your commitment now so you can be among the first organizations to enter its commitment(s) in the database.
employment opportunities
Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative Program ESL Teachers: RI Family Literacy Initiative seeks Program Leaders
for East Providence and Cranston sites to teach/supervise in ESL/Family
Literacy Program. Part-time. BA/BS in ESL/Education or equivalent;
experience working with adults and/or children in an educational/tutorial
setting; computer literate; supervisory experience preferred. Call
Denise DiMarzio at 455-8041.
- Project LEARN has an immediate opening for a full-time Literacy
Specialist. This is an opportunity to work in a progressive
adult literacy program with a team of adult education professionals, committed
to using the best instructional practices. The Literacy Specialist
will implement program goals for all classes and tutorials at sites in
Woonsocket, Central Falls, and Pawtucket. Intake and evaluate adult
learners using a variety of test instruments. Recruit and train volunteers
for the Wilson Reading, Basic Literacy and Conversational English tutorials.
Provide ongoing support to both students and to tutors in all programs.
Liase with other staff members
Applicant should have experience in adult education either as a classroom teacher or tutor, possess good organization and communication skills; experience with Excel and Access. This is a 40 hour a week position, for a minimum of one year. Salary is competitive with excellent benefits. Please call Project LEARN at 769-4200, e-mail LEARNri@aol.com or send your resume to Project LEARN, One Social Street, P.O. Box 567, Woonsocket, RI 02895
- The National Center for Family Literacy, a private nonprofit organization located in Louisville, Kentucky, is seeking a creative, dynamic individual specializing in the area of reading. Training Specialist- responsible for: providing expertise in the area of reading and writing acquisition to NCFL initiatives, projects, and partnerships through instruction, training and technical assistance; producing content for print and web-based materials on literacy learning and instruction for family literacy audiences; and supporting NCFL and family literacy audiences in efforts to apply and translate research on literacy learning and instruction into high quality family literacy practice. Qualifications Required: Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree in early literacy, reading, or language education preferred; postdoctoral candidate or doctoral degree desirable. Experience as a practitioner and researcher in learning settings with young children birth to age eight and/or adult learners. Ability to provide high quality presentations, training and technical assistance about literacy learning and instruction to varied audiences. Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Position requires excellent presentation and written communication skills, problem solving, teamwork and flexibility. Extensive travel is involved and candidate must be willing to relocate to the Louisville, KY area. Skills in content development and organization are necessary to meet the challenge of this position. NCFL is an equal opportunity employer. To Apply: Send resume and letter of application to: The National Center for Family Literacy, Human Relations Officer, 325 W. Main Street, Suite 200, Louisville, KY 40202-4251. cutoff date for is February 20. - Employment opportunity ? Genesis Center ESOL teacher with supervisory experience, 18 hour position, teaching and supervising workforce ESOL classes. Evening classes, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 6 to 8 PM. Supervisory hours flexible. $17/hours, call Nancy at Genesis Center, 781-6110 by February 14, 2000.
Stop the Hate, http://www.stopthehate.net/index1.htm
- provides numerous resources of value to anyone working in adult education,
community development and/or hoping to consider viable ways in which to
approach social change.
conferences - conferences are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin
NCTE Assembly for Research Midwinter Conference February 9 - 11 Berkeley, California New Literacies for New Times: Bakhtinian Perspectives on Language, Literacy, and Learning for the 21st Century This conference is concerned with new ways of becoming literate in these new times. As our classrooms become more diverse, our notions of literacy must account for the multiple voices represented by the wide range of students we teach. Our keynote speakers and workshop leaders all have been influenced by the theories of Bakhtin and will show how BakhtinÇs theories can prove particularly helpful for framing our thoughts on issues of equity and social justice in literacy learning. They will consider lessons they have learned through their research and practice, and they will focus our attention on important challenges that lie ahead. The workshops and conversations that take place on Friday will include mini-courses on theory and research methods related to how language embodies multiple voices and points of view. On Saturday the presentations and round table discussions will focus on the many ways that literacy functions and is used in our culture. On Sunday the round table discussions will be expanded to focus on issues of learning, both in and out of school. Throughout the weekend multiple voices from the field will be heard, blending the points of view of university-based researchers and teacher researchers. Keynote Speakers & Workshop Presenters Include: Anne Haas Dyson, James Gee Kris Gutierrez,Shirley Brice Heath,Glynda Hull, Carol Lee, Guadalupe Valdés Representatives from the Bay Area and National Writing Project The Conference will be held at University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education. Dean Eugene Garcia will host a Welcome Reception on Friday evening, February 9, from 5 - 7PM at the MenÇs Faculty Club. DEADLINE - Registration - Jan. 9 For information about proposals or registration, e-mail Terri Callenat tlcallen@uclink4.berkeley.edu
TESOL St. Louis, February 27 ? March 3. Information
is available on line at http://www.tesol.org/
The National Conference on Family Literacy - Dallas, Texas March 18-20, 2001. Proposals are invited for participation in the Poster Session on Monday, March 19. Closing date for receipt of proposals is Friday, November 24. Information on the conference and the proposal form for the Poster Session are available online at http://www.famlit.org/conference/conf2001.html Texas Foreign Language Education Conference 2001 Call For Papers University of Texas - Austin March 23-24; http://www.utexas.edu/students/flesa/texflec Deadline for proposals: January 15, 2001 The keynote speaker, Dr. Robert C. Gardner of the University of Western Ontario. Proposals for presentations of papers are invited in the areas of: foreign language pedagogy, assessment & evaluation, language & culture, language & technology, second language acquisition, literacy, and bilingual education. Our theme, Bridging the Gap: Theory & Practice in the Language Classroom is a charge to examine the dichotomy that exists between theory and practice - academia and the classroom. Papers should explore the complementary perspectives provided by examining both theory and practice. The core goal of the conference is to encourage dialog. We hope to provide a bridge between researchers and teachers so that we can come together to paint a picture that more closely resembles the realities of classroom life. An ideal proposal will consider one of the topic areas while demonstrating application of theory in the foreign language classroom. Both quantitative and qualitative research are appreciated as long as the research is compatible to conference themes and guidelines; traditional and non-traditional modes of inquiry (e.g. arts-based research & action research) are acceptable. Preference given to creative and innovative presentations. Further information online at http://www.utexas.edu/students/flesa/texflec The 2001 COABE Conference will be held in Memphis, Tennessee, April 1-4, 2001. The registration brochure can be found online at http://cls.coe.utk.edu/abe/taace/coabe.html For hard copies, contact LR/RI.
from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, RESOURCES: LD/ESOL resources: ESL Instruction and Learning Disabilities, the new digest from the National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) by Robin Schwarz and Lynda Terrill is available from ncle@cal.org, from (202) 362-0700, ext. 200, or can be downloaded at www.cal.org/ ncle/digests/LD2.htm NCLE is also unveiling a new feature: a resource collection. The title of this first collection is Learning Disabilites and Adult ESL and is posted at www.cal.org/ncle/whatnew.htm The Resource Collection contains articles, reports, books, websites, organizations, electronic discussions, policy materials, ERIC documents, and other resources that address the featured topic. NCLE welcomes your comments, suggestions, and recommendations for additions to the collection.
list servs: LR/RI listserv: As some of you know, Literacy Resources has a list serv - an email discussion group available to anyone with access to email in the state (or beyond, as interest warrants). To learn more about the list, or to subscribe, please send an email message to janet_isserlis@brown.edu. To date, about 30 people have joined the list. Its purpose is to provide a forum for local educators to discuss policy, practice, resources, issues and news related to our work with one another. Unlike the bulletin, which arrives as email, the list is interactive - when you respond to message from the discussion list, everyone else on the list receives your message -- and the conversation, we hope, continues and grows. VALUE e-list: VALUE has established a valuelearners mailing for email users, hosted by the Western/Pacific Literacy Network, part of the National Institute for Literacy Information and Communication Network System (LINCS). This "e-list" is a way for adult learners who are members of VALUE to communicate with each other. Only adult learners who are members of VALUE can subscribe to this e-list. VALUE is the national organization for adult learners (current or former participants in adult basic skills programs) in the United States. VALUE provides training and other supports to adult learners who want to be more effective leaders in their education programs, communities, and states. This e-list is being managed by members of VALUE's Communications Committee. Subscribers are encouraged to communicate about information, ideas, questions, or problems of interest to them. If you are a member of VALUE and need help subscribing, please contact LR/RI. If you're not a member, but would like to become one, contact LR/RI or visit the VALUE website at http://literacynet.org/value
LEARNER is intended primarily for adult learners. LITERACY is a general list for adult literacy practitioners and others. Information on these electronic lists is below. LEARNER To subscribe to LEARNER, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LEARNER Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LEARNER should be addressed to: LEARNER@nysernet.org Questions regarding the list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin Moderator, LEARNER bdevlin@dreamscape.com LITERACY To subscribe to LITERACY, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LITERACY Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LITERACY should be addressed to: LITERACY@nysernet.org Questions regarding the LITERACY list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin bdevlin@dreamscape.com
Professional development initiative: In 1998, I spent time at the RI Dislocated Worker Program, facilitating classes for teachers there so that they could have an opportunity to observe one another's classes and to reflect on their learning and teaching. (The full text of their reflections is available on the LR/RI web site at Writing from the Field - or contact LR/RI for a hard copy). Please let me know if you would like to participate in this process of professional development. All that's required is your willingness to share your reflections about the observation/learning process for others. I hope to build a block of writing and thinking about this and other forms of our own professional development both through the bulletin and the web site.
Please contact LR/RI if you have information, questions or announcements to share with adult educators in Rhode Island. Bulletins go out at least twice a month; more frequently when there's more to share. To submit information for the next bulletin, please contact LR/RI by phone (401-863-2839), mail (PO Box 1974, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912) or email. back to LR/RI home |
