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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.December 2, 2003 Bulletin #174
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 (401-863-2839).
Janet Isserlis
NOTICES
Next meeting - Governor's Adult Education Task Force: Monday, 12/8, 8:30 - 10 AM, 50 Holden Street, Office of Higher Education ESOL share Tuesday, January 20 at 1:30 PM at Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence. focus: further discussion of in-service/ongoing workshops for new and current ESOL teachers and tutors and discussion, as well as discussion of materials and approaches that work: Also, discussion of ìOne Classroom: Two Language: dult Bilingual Curriculum Development, online: http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/fob/2003/taggart.html If you need a hard copy, please contact LR/RI. Adult education research share January 27th, 2 PM, at the Genesis Center .This meeting will focus on ongoing progress reports, and sharing resources around research and practice. To read about new projects, please see http://www.brown.edu/lrri/researchshare.html or contact LR/RI State Adult Education Conference - Thursday, April 22, 2004. calls for participation online at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/conference04.html The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities presents: What is Freedom?: Stories of Life, Love, and Struggle in America http://www.uri.edu/rich/what_overview.htm (multiple events) and Film Series: http://www.uri.edu/rich/filmsched.htm Call for papers: Journal of Language, Identity, and Education
The Journal of Language, Identity and Education is seeking submissions for a special topic issue that examines sexual identities within language education (or language-in-education) contexts. Abstracts due March 1, 2004. For more information please contact LR/RI.
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. Sponsors needed: Do you see yourself as someone who can offer guidance and support to a young person? YouthBuild Providence seeks potential sponsors for young adults. Everyone enrolled in YouthBuild Providence needs to have a sponsor outside of the program to help support them with the challenges that they face, but not all enrolled have someone supportive in their lives to play this role. Please read the information below and if you think you may be able to be a sponsor, contact Robert Nyahkoon at 401-273-7528 x.106 or: Andrew Cortes at 273-7528 x.102Sponsors are expected to bring in a BCI from the Attorney General's Office. YouthBuild is a 10-month program that seeks to simultaneously
address several core issues facing low-income communities: education, housing,
jobs and leadership development. It uniquely addresses the status of unemployed
and out-of school youth by providing them with opportunities to simultaneously
serve their communities. YouthBuild provides youth with skills to build
affordable housing for low-income families, while assisting them to attain
their G.E.D. In addition to the trainee's hard work and determination,
success at YouthBuild Providence requires support from caring adults who
are equally determined to see trainees succeed, which is why every potential
YouthBuild trainee at is expected to identify an adult who is willing to
serve as his/her sponsor. If a trainee cannot identify one, s/he must be
willing to work with one provided by YouthBuild. A sponsor is an adult
who believes in the ability of young people to achieve. A sponsor could
be a Parole Officer, Social Worker, Case Worker, parent, guardian, older
sibling, friend or any significant other willing to provide friendship,
support and guidance to the sponsored trainee, in order to help him/her
cope with the changing challenges of life while at YouthBuild.
Sponsors are considered an integral part of YouthBuild. They can expect
to: Receive regular reports of traineeís progress, Have access to YouthBuild
staff , Participate in YouthBuild activities - field trips, community service,
etc., Support and guidance from the staff, enjoy friendship and warmth
Being a sponsor is an excellent way to help keep a young person focused
on his/her goal. Five minutes a day of a sponsor's time to listen, talk
or simply sit with a trainee could mean the difference between success
and failure.
Heating assistance:Ý If you know someone who is without heat service, please have them call ACORN right away at 780-0500, so we can give them the information they need to enroll in the assistance program. learning opportunities TRANSITION TO COLLEGE in collaboration with Project RIRAL and the New England Literacy Resource Center is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2004 semester. This free sixteen week program will assist students who want to update their academic skills and receive support on the college application and financial aid process. Students who enroll in TTC will also receive three academic credits from the Community College of Rhode Island. The program is opened to GED and high school graduates who meet program criteria. The program meets in the evening in Pawtucket and on Saturday mornings at CCRI in Providence. Anyone interested should contact Marie Crecca-Romero at 722-9800, or email (creccaromero@cox.net) to arrange for a placement test in December. TTC's Spring semester will begin at the end of January. Space is limited. Online learning: Principles and Practices of Online Teaching TESOL will offer a new, revamped online program on Principles and Practices of Online Teaching, starting early January 2004. To be updated on this new and exciting program, contact edprograms@tesol.org. what do you think? LR/RI has had an online survey on its site forever. Previously, those who may have come across the survey were asked to copy and paste it into an email message, or to print it and complete it. Thanks to the brilliant technical support and inservice learning provided by Brown University, the survey can now be completed on line. I'd be grateful if you could please take the time to complete it. While occasional word comes back about the work LR/RI has done, this survey attempts to be somewhat more systematic in considering the work that's done and the work that needs to be accomplished. Please complete the survey at http://www.brown.edu/lrri - scroll down and click on the link to the survey. If you lack web access and wish to complete the survey, please contact LR/RI to receive one via snail mail or fax. OVAE's "Blueprint for preparing for America's future. The Adult and Literacy Education Act of 2003" The Blueprint can be found at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/aeblueprint2.doc. It's been described as a document comparable to that which spawned the No Child Left Behind initiative. We should read it. funding opportunities - large and less large Applications Available for the 2004 Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund Deadline: January 15, 2004 Sponsored by the Talbots Charitable Foundation, a philanthropic program of apparel retailer Talbots the Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund is a $100,000 scholarship program that awards five $10,000 scholarships and fifty $1,000 scholarships annually to women seeking a bachelor's or associate's degree later in life. Since its inception in 1997, the fund has awarded college scholarships to 330 women ranging in age from their late twenties to their early sixties. To be eligible, applicants must be women currently residing in the US who earned a high school diploma or GED at least ten years ago; be seeking a degree from an accredited 2- or 4-year college, university, or vocational-technical school; and have at least two full- time semesters or twenty-four credits remaining to com- plete their undergraduate degree. The deadline for entries is January 15, 2004, or until one thousand eligible applications have been received. Application forms will be available at the Talbots Web site. http://www.talbots.com/about/scholar/scholar.asp Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Announces ScholarshipCompetition for Community
College Students Seeking Bachelor's Degrees Deadline: February 2, 2004
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/ The Coalition of African, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois (CAAELII) is pleased to announce that a free 20-lesson curriculum is now available for download at their web site. These lessons were suggested and tested by teachers at the CAAELII Coalition of 20 community based organizations serving immigrants and refugees in Chicago. Developed under a grant from the Illinois Community College Board, they are aimed at students in EL/Civics classes who want to become more active and involved members of their community. The lessons include: Identifying your Elected Representatives, Writing a Letter to your Elected Representative. Calling your Elected Representative, Dealing with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) Crime and U.S. Citizenship, Getting Legal Status: An Overview,Sponsoring Relatives for a Green Card, Understanding Funding for ESL and Citizenship Classes.How a Bill Becomes a Law, The Bill of Rights and the Amendments that Guarantee Voting Rights, What to Do if You're Stopped or Questioned by the Police Using the Internet for Lesson Plans and as a Resource in the Classroom, EL/Civics Internet Resource Guide, Domestic Violence, Voting and Voting Rights, Elections,The Citizenship Interview (Parts 1-7) and Dictionary The Citizenship Interview (Parts 8-10) and Practice Interview To download one or all of the lessons go to the CAAELII web site at http://www.caaelii.org/ and click on the English Language, Civics and Citizenship Teacher's Toolbox. Also available for free download at the CAAELII site is the Active Citizens Technology in Our Neighborhood (ACTION) Curriculum, easy language lessons for beginning computer users. For more information or for questions, contact Khem@caaelii.org . More advocacy: This is a California-specific message, but our colleagues at California literacy hope it offers ideas for other states.Ý Join The Fight To Protect Adult LiteracyÝ Who: You, your friends and colleagues, and California Literacy, Inc. What: In 5 minutes, convince the governor and legislature to save adult education. Your opinion matters!! Why: California is experiencing an unprecedented state budget deficit and the deadline for a budget is looming. Cuts to adult education are a genuine threat! When: Tuesday, Dec. 9 How: Join the "Virtual March," set for Tuesday, Dec. 9. California Literacy has made it easy and effective. Pre-written email and fax messages are available. Editing portions of the text if you desire. Go to http://caliteracy.org/advocacyawareness/advocacy/index.html. Join the march and tell a friend. Tell 10 friends! The goal on Dec. 9 is for 25,000 emails, faxes, phone calls and letters to arrive at the offices of the Governor and State legislators. Please forward this message to all colleagues and friends you think may be interested. Together, we will convince State legislators that California residents care about adult education. Thank you in advance for taking the time to fight for literacy. Sincerely, California Literacy, Inc.
employment opportunities
Guest Editor and Production Coordinator NELRC / World EducationBoston, MA Part-time (24 hours/week) consultant position, March - June 2004 SABES Associate Coordinator Continuing Education and Community Services Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA, Non-Unit Professional/Managerial Position Grant-funded. (SABES-funded January 1, 2004 through June 30, 2004. Continuation contingent upon funding.) also at World Education, staff associate posting The Genesis Center has openings for part-time ESOL Instructors for evening and Saturday positions beginning in January. Please call Nancy Fritz at 781-6110 or fax resume to 461-8788.
Substitute list: if you would like your name added to the list, please see contact LR/RI. The list needs to be updated so that it can function more usefully for teachers and programs hoping to work with them. (http://www.brown.edu/lrri/sub.html) 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 The NIFL ESL Special Collection [ http://www.literacynet.org/esl.]continues to grow. More than a dozen, high-quality, peer-reviewed materials were added in October,. The Collection now includes: http://www.clese.org/products_papers.htmBright
Ideas: A Growing Body of Useful Information
Four new digests from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education are available at no cost (until December 31) in paper, PDF or as an email message and will be on the Clearinghouse website (ericacve.org). Send requests to ericacve@osu.edu and indicate the format you prefer. If you want paper copies, be sure to include your mailing address.ÝÝÝ Alternatives for At-Risk and Out-of-School Youth by Sandra Kerka examines research on what makes alternative programs effective environments for youth at risk and describes programs in which these factors play a key role.Ý Career Development of Diverse Populations by Sandra Kerka examines some of the research and issues involved in multicultural career development. Rather than trying to address all aspects of diversity, the focus is on racial and ethnic minority populations. The Role of CTE in Entrepreneurship by Bettina Lankard Brown reviews the literature on CTE's role in providing entrepreneurship education, including the behaviors and skills that contribute to entrepreneurial success, curriculum components and delivery strategies that have proven to be effective, and networking opportunities that offer students support they need to start their own businesses. Career Development of Older Adults by Susan Imel describes how information from research and theory can be used to address the career development needs of late midlife adults. Again, please request your copies as soon as possible since we will have a skeleton staff over the holidays and will be closed after December 31. Send requests to ericacve@osu.edu or wagner.6@osu.edu. - Judy Wagner From Barbara Garner Editor, Focus on Basics: Curriculum. It's at the heart of education. It reflects our educational philosophies and beliefs. What does research tell us about curriculum? How do people create it? The newest issue of NCSALL's Focus on Basics is available online at http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu Click on the box "Newest Issue of Focus on Basics" on the home page. Articles address curriculum from the perspective of the classroom, the program, and the state. Guidelines for high quality bilingual curriculum development are included, and theories of curriculum are addressed. After you've read the issue, discuss it with peers via a moderated online discussion on the NIFL-AALPD list. To subscribe:http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/ Civics 101 - website of the RI Secretary of State, at http://www.rules.state.ri.us/civics_101/; a high school curriculum that may be adaptable for adult learners and/or useful for initiating critical reflection about citizenship and communities. The Language of Opportunity: Expanding Employment Prospects for Adults with Limited English Skills , CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL POLICY: Heide Spruck Wrigley, Elise Richer, Karin Martinson, Hitomi Kubo, and Julie Strawn - This report describes the demographics and economic circumstances of low-income adults with limited English proficiency (LEP) as well as the language and job training services available to them. The authors summarize lessons from scientific evaluation research on employment programs for low- skilled adults and provide recommendations for policy and practice that would increase opportunities for LEP adults to gain access to higher-paying jobs. The appendix includes profiles of several programs that are successfully training and working with LEP adults. http://movingideas.c.tclk.net/maabqTuaa0pCpb44rKKb/ .The Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women has placed many of its critical resources on women and literacy online. To access these materials at Search CCLOW - http://www.nald.ca/cclow/search/ - or contact LR/RI for more information.Ý conferences and workshops - conferences and workshops are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin
Rhode Island - Training/events around employment issues for people with disabilities http://www.ric.edu/uap/training.html Sponsored in part by the US Education Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education, the 7th Annual Workplace Learning Conference December 8 ? 10, Chicago, Illinois is designed by a cross-section of employers, unions, educators, trainers, governmental partners and others with a commitment to excellence in workplace learning. Special basic skills sessions include: ESL in the Workplace,Workplace education Standards and Assessment, The Promise of Technology in Work-based Education, Developing and Sustaining Programs, and Workplace Best Practices. LINCS' Workforce Education collection will also be featured by Dr. Donna Brian, Content Developer/ Coordinator of the Workforce Education Special Collection. More: http://www.workplace-learning.net/ save the date: RI Reading Disabilities symposium, The State of the Science of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities, January 15th, in Cranston, RI, 8:30 ? 3:00. Details forthcoming. To learn more about key note speaker, Sally Shaywitz, nd her work at http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=718&g=1 The First Binational Symposium of Education Researchers March 12 and 13, 2004 Mexico City, Mexico http://simposio.asu.edu Information can be obtained from: Southwest Center for Eduation Equity and Language Diversity Arizona State University PO Box 871511 Tempe, AZ 85287-1511 The theme of Mexican immigrant student dropouts in U.S. schools (K-12), under-education in Mexico, and the relationship between the two. Both qualitative and quantitative studies will be accepted. Some of the researchers involved in this effort are special education researchers. Tanya Shuy email: tshuy@nifl.gov
other events and conferences http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi TESOL worldwide calendar of events http://www.tesol.org/isaffil/calendar/index.html
from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, RESOURCES:
SABES Resource Lists Available. From Carey Reid [full message here]: As you might know, Massachusetts now has a rigorous, stand-alone ABE teacher's license. SABES, the System for Adult Basic Education Support, is a state-wide staff development system funded by MassDOE. Ö[S]months ago I asked if NLA subscribers were interested in helping SABES build resource lists, by standard, in support of teachers seeking the new license here in Massachusetts. Many of you helped out, thank you, and we've also worked with small groups of people locally to build these 29 lists, now with over 150 resources--books, articles, websites, and videos. The lists are now available on SABES's license support website at http://www.sabes.org/license. You can get quickly to the lists by clicking on the "new resources added" link under What's New, or at any time by using the resources link on the bottom of every webpage. When you arrive at the chart listing the 29 standards, click on any standard to go to the resource list we've compiled for it. The lists are annotated; with the annotations, teachers who wish to improve their knowledge and skills in respect to a particular standard can be more assured they're getting the resource they want or need. If the resource can be viewed or downloaded on the Net, we've provided a link. Additionally, we want to improve these lists, so please email me
if you'd like to suggest additions or changes. BTW, the full list
of resources is also collected in a ProCite bibliography file, so if you
use that software and would like to have your own "instant" database, let
me know and I'll email you the file. As stated earlier, SABES is funded
by the Massachusetts Department of Education. To avoid confusion,
the website is not an official DOE site but rather one of SABES's means
of supporting license-seeking teachers in our state. Links to Massachusetts
DOE webpages, however, are provided on the site.
breathe - everyday yoga at your desk. http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html 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 |
