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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.June 6, 2002 Bulletin #143
Dear Colleagues, Calls for participation, employment, funding, and conference and workshop opportunities, online and other resources. To post information, please contact LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839).
Janet Isserlis
NOTICES
Please know that all visitors to the RIDE/URI extension building can only enter from the Washington Street side of the building and must sign in and out with security there. The Westminster Street door can be used for exiting the building only. save the date - final sharing session for 2001-2002 RI Inquiry Projects will be held on June 13th at the Ray Conference Center at the Ray Conference Center at Butler Hospital in Providence, from 8:30 to 3:30. Please contact LR/RIimmediately if you can attend, so we can plan for lunch.. Marie Crecca-Romero, Project RIRAL - transition to college Sherry Fiaux, Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, Providence Public Library - A Participatory Approach to Curriculum Development Debra Blaine, Project RIRAL - improving our ability to serve students with learning disabilities. Pat Belart, Project RIRAL - supporting professional development Rebecca Foster, Hermes Leal and Victoria Richter, The Genesis Center - identifying career interests Jenifer Giroux, Rhode Island College Outreach Programs - native language - influence on learning English Baha Sadr, International Institute of RI - culture based approaches to adult learning Amanda Hathaway, Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, Providence Public Library - technology and language learning Leanne Ovalles, The Genesis Center - Stress Managment in the ESOL Classroom Michele Rajotte, The Genesis Center - learners' lives, interactions/engagement with communities Sacia Stiles, Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, Providence Public Library - Encouraging Active Learning read participants' initial proposals online
- then join us on Thursday to see how their work has developed over the
past academic year.
June 3- 14 Child Outreach - Vision, Hearing, Speech and Development Services. Providence Schools and the RI Department of Education will offer free Vision, Hearing, Speech and Development Screening services for every child, 3 - 5 years old, residing in Providence. Services are provided from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm daily per schedule below. For information, please call 456.9321. June 3rd and Tuesday June 4th at Mount Pleasant Library;, June 5th at the Martin Luther King Elementary School; June 6th at Wanskuck Boys and Girls Club; June 7th at the Carl G. Lauro Elementary School; June 10th at the Elmwood Community Center; Wednesday, June 12th at the Family Outreach Center; June 13th at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, and June 14th at the Silver Lake Community Center ESOL sharing/discussion session will take place on Tuesday, June 25 at 2:15 at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. No particular topic has been named; bring an idea, a question, or materials you like or would like to critique. 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 soon as possible. Women, Violence and Learning: Part of a series of four study group meetings on the topic of women, violence and education. Interested participants will read and discuss material on this topic. The next meeting of the study group dealilng with impacts of violence on learning has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 26 at 3:00 PM, at the Genesis Center. The group is discussing ways of presenting, teaching and dealing with domestic violence in the classroom. We will be exploring issues of power and control and their manifestations across cultures. Please contact Nancy Fritz at 781-6110 for more information. Participants are invited to check online resources at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/screen.html learning opportunities The Rhode Island Foundation is accepting applications until June 17 for awards from scholarship funds designed to assist Rhode Island women and single parents, male and female, in seeking post-secondary education. The Rhode Island Commission on Women/Freda H. Goldman Education Awards help women with the costs of transportation, child care, tutoring and other non-tuition needs associated with education or job training. Applications must show financial need and be registered or enrolled in a training or educational program. There are two awards of $300 to $600. https://www.rifoundation.org/
Cumberland, RI or Attleboro, MA area - is anyone offering ESOL classes on Saturdays? Please contact Betty Vermette at (508) 678- 2811, ext 2385. Offering summer classes anywhere? Please let us know; contact LR/RI if you have spaces for adult learners in any summer program. TRANSITION to COLLEGE administered by Project RIRAL
Did you know. . . College graduates can earn nearly double the wages
of high school graduates, and this income gap will only increase in the
coming years. In order for many adult literacy programs graduates
to reap these benefits and succeed in post-secondary education, they need
additional academic preparation and counseling. The New England ABE-to-College
Transition Project responds to this need by providing free college transition
services that include instruction in college level reading and writing,
algebra, college survival and study skills, time and stress management,
and educational and career counseling. Students who have transitioned to
college also receive mentoring. Transition to College has been funded
by a grant from the Nellie Mae Foundation. Project RIRAL runs their Transition
to College program in Pawtucket, Rhode Island at 175 Main Street. Anyone
who is interested in learning more about this program should contact Marie
Crecca-Romero @ 722-3100 ext. 182. Recruitment is going on
now for the August, 2002 session. Call today to sign up for Transition
to College.
As a follow up to the workshop offered by Heide Spruck Wrigley , material has been added to the ELCivics page. Heide Wrigley has contributed four files to LR/RI's ELCivics page in addition to resources already posted there. The new files: (1) a curriculum unit on people and places, (a Word file), (2) a Powerpoint file :,"A Guide to Field Trips"; (3) a Feedback Sheet sheet(another Word document), and (4) strategies for implementation (Powerpoint). Heide would like you to know that you can provide feedback in a number or ways: 1. by filling in the feedback sheet electronically and attaching the document to an email to Heide email: hwrigley@aiweb.com 2. by making comments on the curriiculum file directly and attach it to an email 3. By being part of a teacher share or providing feedback to the group 4. by writing an emails that explains what you did and how it worked for you - Heide will be working on additional activities in the spring, related to student generated projects, learner inquiries into civics topics and activities related to "community mapping;" please be sure to share any great ideas you have along those lines. Your input is still needed: Joyce Fowlkes Campbell, ESL Coordinator for the US Department of Education, is interested in learning about and sharing with others our work in ESOL practice. If you, or others you know, are working on particularly promising approaches with your adult ESOL learners, please let us know. A brief description of the context in which you work, the work you're doing and its implications for others -- how can we adapt it? what can we learn from your work? -- will be greatly appreciate. The US DOE disseminates this information on thier website; LR/RI will include your notice in upcoming bulletins and on its website as well. For more information, please contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu or contact Joyce directly at joyce.campbell@ed.gov funding opportunities - large and less large
The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) announces another round of education reform grants in areas of social science research. PRACC is particularly interested in issues such as high classroom turnover/mobility and its disproportionate impact on low-income, minority, and farm worker students. However, other issues will be considered as well. To apply, send PRRAC a proposal outlining the planned research and methodology, the advocacy work it is designed to support, a budget, timeline, and qualifications of the researchers. Maximum grant: $10,000. No application deadline. http://www.prrac.org/grants.htm Funding Solutions for Small Nonprofit Organizations A collection of resources to help small nonprofit organizations fundraise including ways to motivate your board, sample fundraising letters, phonathon advice, and tips to improve your direct mail solicitation. http://www.nonprofit-innovations.com/ ESL web-based resources: 2002 Mini-Grant Awards Now Available! You can apply to receive one of five national Mini-Grants in the area of ESL education. The ESL Special Collection mini-grants are designed to help adult literacy teachers develop ESL curriculum for inclusion on the Special Collection web site http://www.literacynet.org/esl. We are looking for applicants in each of three categories: Web-based, student-centered curricula. These curricula utilize the interactive and multi-media features of the web to deliver instruction; Print-based, student-centered curricula that can be posted via .pdf format on the ESL Special Collection. These might include collected lesson plans, class activities around a single topic or teaching idea, etc., and learner-created or learner-organized pages linking adult ESOL learners to relevant online materials, including student writings, "virtual visits" that enable students to experience a distant location via the web, student-created resource pages, etc. deadline for submissions: June 21. The mini-grants are payable to the recipient's education program, and are to be used to directly advance the project being developed by the recipient. Mini-grant recipients will receive ongoing developmental and technical support from the ESL Special Collection Development Partners. Rhode Island Special Interest Group of MATSOL The Rhode Island SIG is a group of professionals in ESOL and Bilingual Education organizing under the auspices of MATSOL, in order to meet the professional needs in the field in Rhode Island. Our purpose is to recruit ESOL and Bilingual Education professionals in Adult ESOL, Higher Ed, Workplace Ed, Elementary, Secondary, and Low-Incidence programs serving English Language Learners in Rhode Island, to determine advocacy and professional development needs. If you are interested in joining or learning more about the Rhode Island Special Interest Group of MATSOL, you can contact Jenifer Giroux by e-mail jgiroux@ric.edu or at 456-8794. employment opportunities Rhode Island Community Jobs (RICOMJOB) is a public e-mail announcement list that seeks to raise the profile of meaningful work in Rhode Island by helping non-profit and public interest employers publicize openings effectively. Anyone seeking a job that makes a difference in Rhode Island can join the list. Any non-profit, government or private sector employer advertising a paid position related to the public interest or community concerns can post a free job listing. Positions must be paid but may be part-time, full-time or temporary. To join the list as a job seeker or to post a job as an employer go to: http://www.ricommunityjobs.org Rhode Island Community Jobs is supported by the Swearer Center for Public
Service at Brown University and the Rhode Island Campus Compact.
If you have questions about this service, please contact us at ricomjob@brown.edu
online / resources Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) announces a new publication entitled, Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization and Citizenship. This 346-page handbook explains the new N-400 (Application for Citizenship) and contains up-to-date legal analysis of citizenship eligibility, requirements, and benefits. The handbook includes 12 study units on US history and civics with historic photos, time lines, vocabulary, and sample tests. It also contains many useful INS forms and sample correspondence from INS, as well as chapters on citizenship for children and people with disabilities. Written by Aliza Becker, a best-selling author on citizenship, and CLINIC staff, it is geared for immigrants, community leaders, social service providers, and other non-attorneys, using simplified English without emphasis on legal terminology. The cost is $25. To order the handbook, send a check to CLINIC at McCormick Pavilion, 415 Michigan Ave., N.E., Washington, DC 20017 or call (202) 635-2556. http://www.cliniclegal.org/publications.html Harry Seda has designed a survey on students' use of technology; your help is sought in disseminating this survey to adult learners. Harry writes in the introduction to the survey: "Dear Fellow students: As a student ambassador and advocate I am doing another survey to help students find services, programs, and/or software programs that might help you learn and become more knowledgeable and a more productive member of your community. The content of this survey will better reflect the diverse needs and levels of all students, including English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL for short). Many students had written to me saying they would like to learn more about technology with computers. In order to find and develop new programs and find proper workshop settings to fit that need, I need your help by completing this survey found on my web site." The Web address for the survey is: http://harry_i_seda_lva.tripod.com/studentsurvey/index.html Built to Last: Why Skills Matter for Long-Run Success in Welfare Reform by Karin Martinson and Julie Strawn. This review of recent research on welfare-to-work strategies shows that the most successful programs have focused on employment but made substantial use of education and training. In particular, the postsecondary education and training appear to be key to obtaining higher-paying jobs. This report has important implications for the current debate over reauthorization of the federal welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families . Findings suggest that Congress should encourage states to include quality education and training services in welfare-to-work programs and allow sufficient time for recipients to complete both basic education and skill training. http://www.clasp.org/ [under "new publications"] from Thursday notes, 06/06/02: $15M in CTC Grants Available - Community Technology Centers grants totaling $15M are available for eligible applicants. The CTC program helps eligible applicants create or expand centers to provide disadvantaged residents of economically distressed urban or rural communities access to technology and the training to use it. This year's competition requires applicants to offer adult education and family literacy activities through technology and the Internet. Approximately 83 grants are expected and the deadline for applications for this competition is July 19. Download notice and application forms here. Welfare Developments on Capitol Hill - As welfare reauthorization moves to the Senate this month, a number of Members are promoting the potential of adult education for moving people off the welfare rolls. A May 23 letter sent by 20 Senators to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), advocates counting vocational, postsecondary and adult basic education, including GED, English literacy and literacy activities toward work requirements. The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over welfare reform in the Senate. Meanwhile, Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced legislation that would allow clients to take up to two years of vocational education to help themselves off welfare. Under that bill, clients could count vocational and postsecondary education toward the entire work requirement for up to 24 months. information: contact:jon.weintraub@ed.gov NRS Training Sessions on Now - If you're still scratching your
head about National Reporting System (NRS) requirements, help is on the
way through one of four OVAE-sponsored training sessions held: June 21-22
in San Diego; June 27-29 in New Orleans; July 11-13 in Oakbrook, IL; and
July 15-17 in Washington. There is "homework" you will need to do before
and after the training. To register, contact: dshaewitz@air.org or azaida@air.org.
Questions about pre-training activities go to lcondelli@air.org
breathe - everyday yoga at your desk. http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html e-literacy: The National Institute for Literacy's electronic newsletter is online (new and archived issues) at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/eliteracy/archive.html NIFL also maintains an online calendar of events at http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi The March issue of e-literacy is available at: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/eliteracy/02_03_01.html
search LR/RI - the search function at http://www.brown.edu/lrri has been improved so that the LR/RI website is now searchable. Please try it. Let me know what you think.. Thanks to Bill Dennen at Brown for his assistance in getting it to work. Free education publications are available from ED Pubs, the U.S. Department of Education's Publications Center. To order free books, brochures, videos, and more, visit the ED Pubs Web site (http://www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp) or call ED Pubs toll-free at 877/433-7827.
CALL FOR PAPERS 2003 TESOL Journal Special Issue Theme: Promoting L2 Literacy, Coeditors: Nancy Clair and Marjorie Terdal Literacy is recognized today as more than just reading and writing ability and more complex than the simple dichotomy of "literate or illiterate." Rather, literacy is an extremely complex notion that is increasingly defined by the contexts in which it occurs and the factors that affect it, including economic, political, social, and cultural factors. For these reasons, ESOL researchers and practitioners must address the variety of literacies that learners seek to develop. These ESOL literacy learners are very diverse, representing not only children acquiring literacy in their L1 and L2s simultaneously but also adults who may lack or have limited literacy in their L1 and who are developing literacy in English for vocational, functional, critical, expressive, sociocultural, or general academic purposes. The Autumn 2003 issue of TESOL Journal will focus on classroom-based
practices and current scholarly perspectives related to ESOL literacy development.
The purpose of this special issue is to bring together a variety of perspectives
and current practices related to ESOL literacy education from the range
of settings where it occurs, including ESL and EFL contexts; in schools,
workplaces, community centers, and homes; and with children and adults.
These topics listed are meant to be illustrative, not restrictive. Submissions
may address related areas or more than one of the areas. Submissions are
welcome in all departments: feature articles, perspectives, reviews, tips
from the classroom, and heard on the Web. All submissions must conform
to regular submission guidelines, with the exception that three hard copies
are requested of all submissions, regardless of the department. Submissions
should be sent to the address below. The deadline for submissions is January
6, 2003. Send queries and material to: Marjorie Terdal, Applied Linguistics,
Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207 USA, Queries
only to terdalm@pdx.edu and nclair@attbi.com
Call for Papers: Women and Literacy Edited by Mev Miller Women's Studies Quarterly is the leading journal on teaching in womenís studies. Thematic issues feature material for specialists and generalists alike, including the most recent scholarship available in jargon-free language; classroom aids such as course syllabi; discussions of strategies for teaching; and up-to-date, complete bibliographies as well as hard-to-find or never-before-published documents and literary materials. Intersections of race and class with gender are of special concern, as are international perspectives. The Quarterly seeks writing for a December, 2003 issue on Women and Literacy. Cross-cultural and international in scope, this issue seeks to include a selection of essays from practitioners in the fields of literacy and adult education as well as from women's studies. Contributions made by literacy practitioners co-authored with women learners or authored by women learners are especially encouraged. This issue encourages writings in a variety of genres, e.g., memoir, personal essays, collections of student writings. Essays may be both reflective of actual practice or theoretical issues. Contributors are asked to include a brief description of your experience in the literacy field. For the purposes of this issue, "women and literacy" pertains to the
concerns and issues for adult women learners (18+ years of age) who have
pre-basic or limited reading/writing skills in predominately print-based
cultures. This issue seeks to heighten the awareness of womenís studies
academics and feminist educators to the issues of literacy for adult women.
It also strives to explore beyond functional definitions of literacy. Questions
to be addressed may include: What are your definitions of "literacy"?
LR/RI website: a shortcut. The URL for Literacy Resources/RI's website has not changed; you can now get to it more quickly by using this new address: http://www.brown.edu/lrri/ -- with thanks to Kath Connolly and Bill Dennen at Brown University for making it so. conferences and workshops - conferences and workshops are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin Different Voices, Common Quest: Adult Literacy & Outreach in Libraries June 13 - 14, 2002 Marriott Marquis Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia The 1-1/2 day resource-intensive staff development preconference session is designed for staff seeking effective service delivery strategies that promise to expand and enrich outreach Services in libraries. Conferees will learn, contribute, evaluate and develop new strategies, celebrating the impact of library outreach in local communities in this outcome-focused training opportunity. Library Outreach Service areas covered: Adult Literacy, People with disabilities, Mobile libraries, Immigrant populations, Poor and homeless, People who are gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgendered, Rural library communities, Academic institutions Senior and people who are homebound, School libraries To register go to https://cs.ala.org/annual/2002/ for preconference ALA-AL1 on the registration form. For more information contact the American Library Association's Office for Literacy & Outreach Services (OLOS) at 800-545-2433 #4294 or email: olos@ala.org . The Rhode Island Special Interest Group of MATSOL - Inaugural Professional Development Event Rhode Island College Saturday, June 15, 8:30 a.m. - Noon. Workshops include: Assessment presented by Linda Filomeno and Fran Mossberg Bringing the Language to Life: Developing Thematic Curriculum for ESOL Students presented by Sally GabbIntegrating Technology into Thematic Units presented by Cathy Fox and Nancy Carnevale Multilevel Teaching presented by Janet Isserlis for information, please contact LR/RI - and watch for an email and/or snail mail flyer coming soon. ESOL and learning disabilities - 2 workshops with Robin Schwarz, June 18 and 19, noon to 4 pm at the Genesis Center. The first session will focus on screening ESOL students for learning disabilities. In the second, Robin will present effective strategies to use in the classroom with LD students. A light lunch will be served both days before the workshop; to register, call Nancy Fritz at 781-6110 by June 14th. Registration is limited to 25 participants. Presented through a professional development grant from the RI Human Resources Investment Council. GRASSROOTS USE OF THE INTERNET Saturday, June 22 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Yale University New Haven, CT Featuring: Net workers for the Social Change, Free- Software Activists, Nonprofit Technology "Circuit Riders", Community Organizers using Technology. Program includes Speakers and Workshops on: Tools for developing and updating your website, Shared on-line databases for activists, Free software (open source) for non- profits, Email communication & online advocacy, Case study: protest coordina-tion via the internet, Databases for the local elections, Technology on a budget,Appropriate use of technology for the empowerment and engagement in low-income communities. How can we use the Internet to strengthen coalition and movement- building? How can we overcome the "digital divide" within our organizations? How can we effectively use the Internet in our organizing without getting drowned in a flood of "too many messages? information: http://organizenow.net/conference.html The League for Innovation is accepting proposals for the 2002 Conference on Information Technology, November 17-20, Long Beach, CA. Join your colleagues in this learning community to discover how information technology is transforming educational and social enterprises. The conference appears to be aimed primarily at community and two-year colleges, which means it could have implications for adult education generally. http://www.league.org/2002cit/index.html 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 Adult Education and the contested terrain of public policy: MATSOL Fall Conference MATSOL's 30 Years: Measuring Our Success October 3-4, 2002 Lantana's Conference Center in Randolph, MA http://www.matsol.org/ World Congress & Exposition on Disabilities (WCD), October 3-5, Orlando, Florida. Educators, Adapted Physical Education Specialists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Therapists and Speech Specialists: multidisciplinary disability conference and trade show in the industry, sponsored by the EP Foundation for Education, Inc., a 501(C) 3 not-for-profit organization, with the assistance of EP Magazine. The comprehensive program also includes an intensive schedule of adapted physical activity sessions, and an additional 50 conferences in the employment symposium, sponsored by the Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. CEU accreditation will be offered for educators through The Council for Exceptional Children, an authorized provider recognized by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). CEU accreditation for OTs, PTs, recreational therapists, social workers, speech & language pathologists and nurses will be offered through the University of Pittsburgh. http://www.wcdexpo.com for conference details and to pre-register at discounted rates (enter source code EDU. 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. 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. 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/ 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.
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 |
