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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.September 27, 2001 Bulletin #126
Dear Colleagues, Calls for participation, employment and conference opportunities, resources. To post information, please contact LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839). Thanks.
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES
ESOL sharing/discussion session will take place on Tuesday, October 23 at 3:00 pm at the Genesis Center. We will be thinking and talking about, among other things the general state of the world and its impact on learners and colleagues, an ESOL symposium in Washington that Nancy Fritz recently attended, and about themes and topics of focus for the coming academic year. 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. Reminder: on October 5th, Bob Mason will be leading a workshop on the 2002 GED tests, from 8:45 am to 1:00 pm, Room 501, Shepard Building, 225 Westminster Street, Providence. Seating is limited to 25. Please call Bob (222-4600, ext. 12280 or Janet Gauslin (222- 4600, ext. 12181) by September 28. No registrations will be accepted after that date. Inquiry projects: Applications for participation in the 2001/02 round of inquiry projects are on line. If you need assistance in accessing the application, please contact LR/RI. Application deadline has been extended to October 10. http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/inquiry.html Save the Date: October 19 8:30 - 12:30 URI College of Continuing Ed. (downtown Providence) discussion - Diagnosis and Evaluation of Dyslexia. Presenter: Brett Leimkuhler Ph.D. from the Center for Neuropsychology and Learning Disorders in Providence. Sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Education along with Project Learn. Details forthcoming in the next bulletin. employment opportunities 2 FAMILY LITERACY SPECIALIST OPENINGS. Project LEARN has an immediate opening for a Family Literacy Specialist to work as part of a team of adult education and early childhood professionals in the Central Falls Even Start Family Literacy Program. Applicants should have Adult Education experience in a multi-level classroom setting and interest in working with students who have learning differences. BA degree or combination of education and experience required. BCI and CANTS are a prerequisite to employment. This is a 20 hour a week position, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am
to 1:30 pm, for a minimum of 1 year. Potential for full time employment.
Salary is competitive. Please contact Project LEARN 769-4200, e-mail
LEARNri@aol.com, or send your resume to One Social Street, Woonsocket,
RI 02895.
LITERACY SPECIALIST OPENING Project LEARN has an immediate opening for a full-time Literacy Specialist to implement program goals for all classes and tutorials in Woonsocket, Central Falls and Pawtucket Responsibilities include the following: Recruit, interview and evaluate adult learners using a variety of test instruments. Liase with other staff members to refer students and to schedule classes. Provide ongoing support to students, teachers and tutors in all programs. Provide follow-up and coordination. Recruit; train volunteers for the Wilson Reading, Basic Literacy and Conversational English tutorials. Facilitate meetings and inservice training. Program data collection Applicants should have experience in adult education; the ability to work as part of a team; excellent organization and communication skills; experience with Excel and Access. This is a 40 hour per week position with a flexible schedule. Salary
is competitive and commensurate with experience; excellent benefits.
Please call Project LEARN at 769-4200, e-mail LEARNri@aol.com or send your
resume to Project LEARN, One Social Street, Woonsocket RI 02895.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Connecticut's 3 day Workplace Education Training will be offered
Oct. 10-12 in Hartford, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. You can register on-line
or contact Tamara Clemons at (860) 524-4048 or tclemons@crec.org
Fee: $200.00 In this workshop participants will: Learn why basic-skills
in the workplace is not "business as usual," master all the steps involved
in designing, developing and implementing an education program in the workplace,
visit a local industry and apply your knowledge first-hand, acquire the
skills necessary to market your services, and receive a comprehensive training
and reference manual for future use. TO register on line, go to : http://creccourses.com/viewCourses.php
.
The RI Workforce Literacy Collaborative presents workforce development training events this summer and fall: - SCANS/ESL/Computer Based Training - Jenifer Giroux, Peter Morrison,
Computer Assisted English Language Instructors, RIC. Fridy, October
26, 9 am to 2 pm. Presentation of strategies and lesson planning, hands
on computer based lesson development using existing technology. Lunch
will be served. The session will be held at RI College Outreach Programs,
Whipple Hall 103. To register, contact Karon Dionne or Peter Morrison
at 456-8690, or email Kdionne@ric.edu
online EL Civics : in anticipation of funding which will be made available
soon, LR/RI has begun assembling resources addressing EL Civics education;
I welcome suggestions and resources to add to the site, as well as practitioners'
writings, lesson ideas and other material relevant to English Language/Civics
education for adults. RFP's have been distributed; for information
on grants, contact Bob Mason (222-4600; ext. 12180). Find content
information on EL /Civics at:
From Thursday Notes, September 13, 2001 Get To Know Your ESL Students' Culture Do you have new students from Bosnia? Are you teaching Iraqi Kurds? Need to bone up on Somali history and culture? Visit the Center for Applied Linguistics' Refugee Service Center website for background information on the cultures of recent immigrants. The site is sponsored by the US Department of State at http://www.cal.org/rsc/ and provides links to other useful resources. From Thursday notes, September 20, 2001 Separate Immigrants From Terrorism ? An article by immigration lawyer Cyrus Mehta says terrorism should be dealt with appropriately, but that Americans should not link all immigrants to terrorism. He warns against an over-reaction in restricting immigra-tion. He points to the realization of the positive impact of immigration, as evidenced by the recent negotiations between Presidents Bush and Fox to regularize the flow of Mexican workers who have jobs in the US. He emphasizes that immigration still continues to be good for the US, just as it has been for New York City. See http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/colum_article/articles/2001,0918-Mehta.shtm from Mary Ann Florez, at NCLE: the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE) has just posted an online collection of links and resources related to promoting cultural understanding in the classroom. The collection http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/library/tolerance.htm has sections with links to information on the Middle East, Islam, and Arab Americans as well as talking to children about violence and death and challenging sterotypes, intolerance, and racism. NCBE has primarily a K-12 focus in the materials it produces, collects, and disseminates, but many of these links are general resources or materials that could be adapted for use with adults. Laubach Literacy International is accepting grant applications for its National Book Scholarship Fund, which distributes New Readers Press books and educational materials to qualified US adult literacy providers. Organizations that receive books from the Scholarship Fund use these books to provide men, women, and children with the literacy instruction they need to learn to read. Education-al materials from Laubach Literacy are specifically designed to meet the unique learning needs of adult literacy students, tutors, teachers, and trainers. The Fund helps literacy organizations expand current programs or initiate new efforts. First priority is given to applicants working with parents and children to improve literacy skills. Grants are also awarded to ESL and adult basic education initiatives. For information about the NBSF or to apply, visit the NBSF Web site at www.nbsf.org. The grant application will be online until November 30; the deadline for applications is December 6, 2001. For additional information, please contact Mara Roberts, project administrator by phone 315-422-9121, extension 345, e-mail mroberts@laubach.org or by writing to the National Book Scholarship Fund, Laubach Literacy, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210. Women, Violence, and Adult Education Institute 2001, November 9 World Educationís Women, Violence, and Adult Education project recognizes that low education skills, unemployment, poverty, and violence against women are all closely connected. In the fall of 1999 we began a three-year project to support practitioners in adult basic education to address issues of the effects of trauma on learning. Participants are partnering with students and community workers to explore ways to change teaching practice and influence policy to better serve those who have experienced violence. Our first project event was an institute in April 2000. Adult education practitioners from twelve programs gathered from across New England to explore issues of violence and oppression in relation to education. Following the event, six programs took on work to address the implications of violence on learning. Teachers from these programs participated in a series of four trainings to share ideas, discuss research, and create a supportive community of educators. This group has developed strategies and materials that are now being compiled in a Sourcebook as a way to share the work with others. DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THIS YEARíS WORK? Be part of the one-day Women, Violence, and Adult Education Institute 2001, November 9, in Andover, Massachusetts. You will hear from current programs, have the opportunity to discuss resources, and decide if and how to participate in the follow-up activities. Those who attend the institute may apply to work from January to September 2002 on project activities which will include: - A series of three free workshops led by project staff and teachers to explore ways of using and adapting the draft Sourcebook in different adult basic education settings. Regional support and mentoring from programs that worked on the project last year. - A project listserv discussing issues of trauma and learning. - Study groups on chosen topics such as: education in corrections, learning disabilities etc. To attend the November institute - copy and complete application [available via email, fax or snail mail from LR/RI] by October 12; for more information call Elizabeth Morrish or Caye Caplan at 617-482-9485. Or obtain more information at http://www.sabes.org/dvconf.pdf From Jon Randall -- Input Wanted by Thanksgiving For New Federal Literacy Legislation The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) is spearheading efforts to produce an omnibus literacy bill in the U.S. Congress. Such a bill will call for changes in a number of public laws that impact adult and family literacy in this country. The concept paper for this bill can be found at http://www.natcoalitionliteracy.org . Click on Commitment 3 on the Policy and Legislation page. Then click the link to the Omnibus Literacy Legislation page. Please look over the concept paper and forward suggestions. Pass it along to others in your organization's network and urge them to make recommendations. Convene focus groups to review the paper and make suggestions. The NCL will accept input until, November 22nd. Please send your input to OLL@fedstrategics.com. We're asking for input from adult education and literacy programs at every level, individuals, researchers, corporate supporters, grant-making entities, government agencies at every level, labor unions, and others. We want to lay the groundwork for a piece of field-driven legislation like the National Literacy Act of 1991. -- Work on this omnibus literacy bill provides every sector of the literacy field the opportunity to have its unique policy needs addressed legislatively ? to advocate for solutions based on experience. Local programs, putting their heads together with similar entities at the state or national level can recommend legislative provisions to improve funding equity and to improve the federally funded programs under which providers operate. For years we have longed to be proactive. We now have the vehicles to
be proactive: the National Literacy Summit Initiative and this omnibus
literacy bill. We can educate Senators and Congresspersons about adult
and family literacy and frame future policy discussions by outlining both
needs and preferred solutions. By Thanksgiving, please contribute your
thoughts and improvement suggestions on things already in the draft concept
paper. Also send us recommendations for additional provisions. We're not
looking for legislative language, just the CONCEPT and the RATIONALE behind
the recommendation. If you can identify the law that should be amended,
that's great. If you can't, that's okay. The NCL will review the recommendations
received, and add to the concept paper those that it feels can be supported
by all constituencies. Not everyone will agree with all of the provisions.
This legislation must meet the needs of multiple constituencies. Therefore,
we must think as broadly as we can and oppose only those things with which
we absolutely can't live. The National Coalition for Literacy includes
45 public- and private-sector agencies with a national focus on adult and
family literacy. Many of them have national networks of individual and
organizational members. NCL strives to forge a unified, proactive voice
for the literacy field in this country and lead advocacy efforts for sound
public policy and increased resources. Check us out at www.natcoalitionliteracy.org.
[for full text of this message, please contact LR/RI.]
Particularly as issues of xenophobia become visible in the media and our communities, ways of facilitating conversations, of listening and being aware of learnersÇ and colleaguesÇ different degrees of ability and willingness to discuss events, and the risks that these traumatic events deeply affect us all, please find whatever support you can -- in whatever forms it takes. LR/RI can provide lists of websites and articles geared towards helping children cope, presenting a range of political analyses about current events, as well as media outlets representing a both mainstream and other points of view. As adult education workers, it seems that part of our work must continue to focus on learning and working with others to dispel rumor and racism and to work towards understanding and growth. Some news and information resources: http://www.nytimes.com The New York Times http://www.projo.com The Providence Journal http://www.globeandmail.com The Globe and Mail, CanadaÇs National Newspaper http://www.thenation.com The Nation, news weekly http://www.google.com/news/
-News and information about attacks in US; links to news sites and support
resources related to the terrorist attacks on the US assembled by search
engine google.com
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/ From Taylor L. Willingham: Help me make the voices of Adult Literacy Students Heard! The literacy community has been invited to participate in developing a discussion guide on health. This guide is being developed by a network of people who participate in National Issues Forums (NIF), which bring together citizens to discuss important public matters. The NIF network wants to hear your thoughts on health so that we can write a discussion guide that reflects how you and your friends and family are experiencing health-related issues. We will produce a discussion guide that will be written at an easy-to-read level that teachers and tutors can use in lessons and that adult learners and students can use in their study and personal growth. Please copy these questions, share with learners and return your response to the email address below. If access to email is a problem, a regular mail address is also included: 1. What do you value (or what really matters to you) about your own
health and health care?
Please send your responses to me at taylor@austin-pacific.com .Thank you! Taylor L. Willingham Austin-Pacific Consulting Co. PO Box 1255 Salado, TX 76571 254.947.3793
conferences - conferences are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin
The National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs - NAASLN, in conjunction with the Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition and the Milwaukee Area Technical College, is sponsoring an international conference, Forging the Future, September 13 -15, 2001, in Milwaukee, WI. Over 50 sessions will be presented offering you the most up-to-date research, policies and legislation, technology, and best practices to successfully support adults with special learning needs in attaining their goals to become successful workers, parents, and integrated members of our communities. DUE to recent events, this conference was canceled. Check its website to learn when/if it will be rescheduled. Visit http://www.naasln.org for an up-to-date listing of sessions and conference information. COABE May 6 - 11, 2002, Charleston, South Carolina- http://www.coabe2002.org/ ; the call for presentation is on line at http://www.sclrc.org/coabe2002/Presentations.htm and proposals are due on December 1st.
Literacy Volunteers of America, Octobe 17-20, Albuquerque, New Mexico http://www.literacyvolunteers.org/conference/ Speakers have been scheduled and information appears online. The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Adult Educators From the Margin Through the Mainstream: Annual Conference October 17-20, 2001 Baltimore, MD http://www.aaace.org/ Laubach Literacy Action Biennial Conference will be held in San Diego May 30 - June 1, 2002. http://www.laubach.org/USProgram/biennial.html
The Project for Research on Welfare, Work and Domestic Violence (sponsored by the Center for Impact Research and the University of Michigan School of Social Work Center on Poverty, Risk, and Mental Health) invites you to its 3rd Trapped by Poverty/Trapped by Abuse Conference Friday, October 26 to Sunday, October 28, 2001 at The University of Michigan League Ann Arbor, Michigan Please visit the following website for registration materials, as well as list of speakers and preliminary presentation titles: http://www.impactresearch.org/documents/42.pdf MATSOL October 12-13, Sturbridge, MA. Pre-registration deadline is September 21. Full information is available at http://www.matsol.org/whatsnew/matsol.pdf, or contact LR/RI. Call for proposals http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/CASAE/cnf2002/call2002i.html 21st Annual Conference May 30-31 & June 1, 2002 Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Due: November 30, 2001 Adult Education and the contested terrain of public policy: Digital Democracy: Civic Engagement in the 21st Century, is the theme of the National Civic League's National Conference on Governance. The conference will be held in Washington, D.C. Nov. 15-17, 2001 and will bring together participants representing government, the private sector and community-based organizations to discuss the Information Revolution's impact on public life. The conference will analyze societal effects of technology on democratic practice, focusing on E-Govern-ment, The Internet and Politics The Internet and Community. http://www.ncl.org/ncg/index.htm Heritage Languages in America: Second National Conference Washington, D.C. October 18-20, 2002 The first day of the conference will be an invitational research symposium at the University of Maryland,. The final 2 days will be a public meeting in Tysons Corner, VA. The conference is being organized by the Center for Applied Linguistics and the National Foreign Language Center, with support from the University of Maryland. Building from the foundation of the First National Conference in 1999, the conference will seek to further the aims of the Heritage Languages Initiative, a national effort to develop the languages of our heritage communities. It will bring together heritage language community and school leaders, representatives from pre-K-12 schools and colleges and universities, researchers, and federal and state policymakers. The goal of the heritage languages initiative, and this conference, is to continue to make manifest the economic and social benefits to our nation of preserving the languages spoken by those living in this country. In addition to general sessions, participants will have opportunities to meet with special interest constituencies, based on instructional settings, language, and other common concerns. As with the first conference, there will also be poster sessions. The call for poster session proposals will be made in the spring, 2002. Information about the conference will be disseminated on a regular basis through the heritage languages listserv, heritage-list. Individuals wishing to subscribe to that list should contact Scott McGinnis at the National Foreign Language Center (e-mail smcginnis@nflc.org; phone 301-403-1750 x18; fax 301-403-1754). Also check the heritage languages website, http://www.cal.org/heritage Joshua Fishman, Yeshiva and Stanford Universities
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. 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 |
