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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.May 16, 2001 Bulletin #117
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 Tuesday, May 22nd
at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence, at 3:15 PM.
Another meeting to discuss possible collaboration/affilitation with MATSOL. will be held on June 12th, probably at Rhode Island College from 5:30 to 7:00 pm . Details to follow in the next bulletin or contact LR/RI. A survey about resources for ESOL activities, developed by Debby Venator, is available online. We request that teachers complete the survey and send their responses to LR/RI as sson as possible. Learning opportunity - fall 2001 Transition to College at Providence Adult Education Learning Center The Providence Adult Education Adult Learning Center is recruiting for its fall session. Students who are interested in learning about our program should call the center to be place on our waiting list. The Transition to College program is free, and open to students who have a GED or high school diploma, and are fluent in English. The 16-week transition program offers career-development workshops, basic computer classes, and reading, writing, math, and study skills classes to help prepare students for college. The program also offers assistance in attaining financial aid information, as well as, help filling out the college application forms. These classes are appropriate for adults who are looking to start college or a technical program but may need to brush up on their reading, writing and math skills. Students must also be proficient in English. The Providence Adult Education program is located at 160 Broad St., the YMCA building, second floor. For information, call Marie Crecca-Romero at 331-0766.
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. June 8: Math and Beyond: Integrating Content Areas All sessions will be held at URI - College of Continuing Education - Shepard Building, Room 328, Providence, 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. save the dates Thursday, May 24, 1-4 pm Cassandra Drennon, who has worked with practitioners around the country on issues related to practitioner research, will present a workshop focusing on teacher inquiry, its possibilities and ways in which we in Rhode Island might consider utilizing this valuable professional development vehicle. In June, current inquiry project participants will share their findings - meanwhile, information their work is available at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/inquiry.html The workshop will be held at the URI extension building, room 242, downtown.
and Thursday May 31. Extended ESOL/LD workshop with Robin Schwarz 9:30 to 3:30 (with lunch on your own from 12 to 1); Crystal Room, Alumnae
In this workshop, participants will learn about how learning disabilities affect a second or other language learner. Then they will learn a procedure for tentatively identifying students with learning disabilities. Finally, the participants will discuss some ways to help the students suspected of having learning disabilities in their efforts at learning English. Robin Schwarz, M. Sp.Ed., has been an ESOL teacher for over 30 years,
22 of those at American University, Washington, DC. In addition, she worked
with LD students for over 25 years at the Lab School of Washington. For
the last 12 years, she has focused her attention on ESL students with learning
disabilities. She recently began a Ph.D. in ESL/LD at Lesley University.
This presentation is sponsored in part through the RI Bridges to Practice initiative. Coffee and light refreshments will be available throughout the day.
Application forms for this year's Hands-on English ESL Minigrants competition are now available. To learn about the grants, please visit: http://www.handsonenglish.com and look for the "Minigrants" link. You can get an application form by contacting Hands-on English with your postal mailing address at P.O. Box 256, Crete, NE or download a PDF file of the application form on their website. The deadline for applying is June 30, 2001. online From Thursday Notes April 26, 2001 Subcommittee Supports Importance of Adult and Voc. Ed Deputy Assistant Secretary Rob Muller received a warm welcome from the
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and
Education during his FY 2002 budget testimony April 26.
Fulbright Teachers/ Administrators Sought For Work Abroad The US Department of State's Fulbright Teacher and Administrator
Exchange is seeking US
Barbara Garner, editor Focus on Basics : "Beyond the GED:
Making Conscious Choices about the GED and Your Future?" is available,
at http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu/teach.html
A set of three lesson plans (including all needed materials) for GED teachers
that conform to the new
from Nancy Sledd, moderator of NIFL's family literacy list: STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING SCHOOL READINESS Child Trends has crafted
a
EARLY LITERACY FINDINGS The National Association of Early Childhood
WORK AND PARENTING: THE WIDENING GAP
Workforce.org [http://www.usworkforce.org/]
- check this site from time to
from Thursday Notes, May 10 - Adults' Brains Still Grow While Learning Contrary to what scientists
used
From Thursday Notes, May 3, 2001: Comments Sought On Refugee Funds' Distribution The Office of Refugee Resettlement has issued a notice establishing
the
Check Out State Education Agency Web Sites - Curious about how
your program
Input needed health/literacy document -- To all adult educators, We are asking for your input on a draft document that will articulate a vision for the future of adult literacy with respect to health issues and describe specific action steps to accomplish that vision. A draft of "Vision and Action Agenda for National Literacy and Health" is posted on the Health and Literacy Special Collection Website through May 24th. Your review and comments are requested. This paper is one of four documents commissioned by the National Institute for Literacy Summit 2000 to generate focused thinking on specific issues and create action agenda items that will strengthen the adult education system in the United States. A group of nine literacy and health practitioners from across the country
Thank you in advance for your contributions to this process. If you have questions or concerns, please email the process facilitator, Judy Titzel, at jtitzel@worlded.org.
FROM: Laura Weisel, President of NAASLN I am excited to introduce the renewed National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs. Over the past year, the association leadership has worked hard to rebuild NAASLN to meet the growing demands on education and vocational service providers working with a variety of adults with special learning needs -- learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, developmental disabilities, and physical disabilities. We invite you to join forces with NAASLN to forge the pathway to meet our vision. It is our passion to bring together providers and support services into a single organization to stand united, advocate for legislation and resources, share research and best practices, develop collaborative partnerships, and forge a future filled with enhanced opportunities for adults with special learning needs. To become involved: - Attend the NAASLN National Conference -- Forging the Future, September
13-15, in Milwaukee, co-sponsored with the Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition.
This conference will offer over 50 sessions for practitioners and administrators
presenting research, cutting-edge models, practical ways to better serve
adults with special learning needs, as well as up-to-date
- Become a member of NAASLN. Join NAASLN and become part of a growing
group
employment opportunity: Coordinator, part-time for adult literacy program. Assist in all phases of volunteer tutoring program including outreach, public relations, and recruitment. Twenty hours per week, flexible schedule includes some evenings. Starting pay is $14.00 per hour. Good clerical, interpersonal and computer skills a must. Some college education or experience with literacy programs, preferred. Send resume with references by May 30, 2001 to LVA-Kent County, 1672 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI 02816 or lvakc@ids.net. RI non-profits, community service organizations, and schools Sunday,
May 20
Come meet members of a growing network dedicated to addressing the digital
coordinated by the Brown Community Media Group and Rachel Paras, Mt.
Hope
Legislative session: Track bills, stay informed about pending legislation (education and other) by checking the RI General Assembly Webpage http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/ News about math - Extending Mathematical Power, a newsletter focusing
on
Employment Opportunity: ESL Instructor Energetic individual needed to teach Russian refugees ESL in preparation for citizenship exam. Applicant must show sensitivty to people of Jewish culture, have good instruction and communication skills and one year experience in adult education instruction. Please fax 401-331-5772 or send your resume to Dan Kane, LICSW
Equal opportunity employer. No phone calls, please.
Research to Practice is the theme of the newest issue of Focus on Basics, now available on the web: http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu -- click on the "Newest issue of Focus on Basics" box. Contents include myth-shaking findings from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning, findings from the Literacy Practices study on what teaching approaches are more likely to result in increased literacy activity at home, and the sad state of conditions under which ABE teachers labor. Post responses to these articles and questions to the researchers on FOBís electronic discussion list; to subscribe or read archives, go to http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/nifl-fobasics/focus_on_basics.html Language and Literacy is a Canadian on-line journal for educators interested in a broad range of literacy issues encompassing research and teaching in multimedia, print, and oracy. Available at http://educ.queensu.ca/~landl/ conferences - conferences are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin The Ninth Annual Conference on Serving Adults with Literacy Disabilities will be held on May 24th at the Hartford Marriott Hotel in Farmington, Connecticut. For information, please contact LR/RI, or go to http://www.crec.org/atdn/workshops/ldconf.shtml 38th Annual Correctional Education Association Region I Conference
will be held June 3-5 at the Providence Biltmore Hotel. Glenn Young, from
the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and a long time advocate
for adults with learning disabilities, is scheduled as a keynote speaker.
Preliminary information is available through LR/RI, or contact Janet Labreque,
MATSOL Fall Conference Call for Proposals "Telling Our
Stories" October 12-13, 2001
Call for presenters: AAACE Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland - October 17-21 Proposals for presentations are due June 8th. For more information,
please contact LR/RI or call the AAACE office at (301) 918-1913, or send
email to aaace10@aol.com
from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, RESOURCES:
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. 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 |
