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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every
two
to three 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. To receive the bulletin via email, contact LR/RI.
November 6,
2006
Bulletin #229
Dear Colleagues,
Calls for participation, employment, funding,
and conference and workshop
opportunities, online
and other resources. To post information, and/or to receive
the bulletin via email, please contact LR/RI or leave a message at
(401-863-2839).
Janet Isserlis
____________________________________________________________
NOTICES
ESOL share
- Tuesday, November 28 at 2:30 pm at
the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence.
Nazneen Rahman will continue to describe– and seek
input -- about techniques and approaches for ESOL classrooms,
especially at the lower levels. Nazneen’s goal is to introduce
the techniques and have people talk about their own experience.
Those attending her last session have asked for more - please join us.
Workplace
education share November
29, at 2:30 pm at the
Genesis Center - engaging employers: where are we at?
Call for Writings by Students in Adult
Literacy/Basic Education
Women's Perspectives #2: Women Who Dare ~ Daily Steps to Big
Accomplishments will showcase writings by adult literacy/basic
education students across all levels. This collection will continue to
empower women to exhibit the positive effect they have in our
communities.
The Call for writings is available at: http://www.litwomen.org/perspectives.html
*Note: There are two versions. The Call for Students
includes writings prompts. The call for use by teachers & tutors
includes some lesson plan ideas. The
deadline to send writings is December 22. Electronic
submissions (by email or on CD-ROM) are strongly encouraged. MAIL or
EMAIL writings to: WE LEARN, c/o Mev Miller, Ed.D., 182 Riverside
Ave. Cranston, RI 02910 welearn@litwomen.org If you
have questions or need more information, please contact: Mev
Miller welearn@litwomen.org 401-383-4374
Move Up (Intensive Adult Basic Education
Services for Welfare Clients) is a joint initiative of the
Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare. I'd like to
invite anyone interested in advocacy for adult education to view the
7-minute video I made in June as a project for a course in digital
movie making.
We've made it available on the PA ABLE Web site, at http://www.able.state.pa.us/moveup,
where you'll also find more information on the Move Up program. In PA,
we are showing this and a DVD version of the movie to workforce
investment partners, community stakeholders, and potential Move Up
participants. This is an amateur movie production, but the students I
interviewed make a powerful testimonial to the value of adult basic
education. I asked them very general questions, such as "Why are you
participating in this program?" and their responses were rich and
articulate. All six learners in the movie volunteered to speak on a
moment's notice. Only the teachers knew I was showing up with a movie
camera that day. I welcome your responses the Move Up video.
- Tana Reiff. ABLE Communications, Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13 http://www.paadulted.org (717)
299-8912
from Mariann Fedele,
moderator of the NIFL technology discussion list:
With the 2006 election
approaching you may be interested in doing lessons on the election
process, voting procedure, civics, and political issues. The internet,
and in particular social networking sites (like MySpace.com) and video
posting sites (like YouTube.com), have become important elements of
many political campaigns, and pod casts from organizations like NPR and
PBS offer access points to critical information on the issues, races
and campaigns that anyone, but especially adult new readers can use to
inform their election choices. Following are a few sites that you
may use to provide critical content to your adult literacy students
that they need to better understand the issues they face when voting in
November.
The PBS election 2006 resource page for teachers and students: It is
geared toward 6-12 but the lessons could be adapted, also linked to the
PBS Vote 2006 podcast. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/vote2006/index.html
The NPR Election 2006 main page: It offers an interactive map of the
races taking place around the country, an exploration of issues and a
related podcast. http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2006/map/
The league of Women Voters web site: Information about an array of
current social issues and offers a printable Protect Your Vote
pamphlet that can be used to help adult students better understand the
voting process and help them ensure that their vote is counted. http://www.lwv.org
Other voting resources can also be found at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/advocate.html.
learning opportunity: classes
available through the Certificate in
Family Literacy at Penn State University, Spring Semester 2007,
January 24th through April 25th:
Introduction to Family
Literacy (ADTED 456, 3 credits): Explores the rationale
for and characteristics of comprehensive family literacy, focusing on
the families served, services provided, outcomes achieved, and the
roles and responsibilities of the individuals, organizations, and
communities involved.
Interactive Literacy:
Parents and Children (ADTED 459, 3 credits): Focuses on
interactive literacy between undereducated parents and children from
birth to grade 3. Activities, including those for English language
learners, encourage language and literacy development for home and
formal care/education settings. Language, reading and writing/drawing
are treated in integrated, developmental processes. Instructional
strategies and methods are designed for family literacy and early
childhood educators to be able to develop and implement
intentional/planned interactive language and literacy learning
experiences for parents and their children.
To register or for additional information visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/
and go to Certificate Programs, Family Literacy. Email questions to:
Donna Bell at the National Center for Family Literacy dbell@famlit.org
or Sheila Sherow at Penn State University sms20@psu.edu.
Volunteers needed:
Federal Hill House needs literacy volunteers/reading coaches to help
parents that need to learn to read or need to improve their reading
skills. Duties will include: using assessment tools to determine
reading level and using beginning reading materials to bring clients to
a fifth grade reading level. Requirements: Good reading/writing
skills, ability to communicate ideas in an uncomplicated manner, and a
desire to help others. If interested, please call Sandra Perez at
421-4722.
Volunteers Needed for Books Beyond -
Books Beyond is a books-on-tape reading program at
the Rhode Island prison in Cranston.
Volunteers help inmates choose new, age-appropriate books for their
children from a large selection of children‚s books that have been
purchased from the program. Under the guidance of the volunteer, the
inmates read the books onto audio tape. The volunteer then mails the
books and audio tapes home to the children. (At present, only inmates
who are literate are being accepted into the program. This program does
not require volunteers to teach or tutor basic reading skills.)
Purpose: Books
Beyond will create a much-needed tie between parent and
child. With the help and supervision of volunteers, inmates will
be able to provide messages of love, reassurance and connection to
their estranged children. The children will have a constant
reminder of their mothers and fathers, that is, books and tapes
that may be re-read and
replayed over and over. We believe that this volunteer
operated program will provide a regular and essential link between
incarcerated parents and their families, providing an opportunity for
healthy and carefully monitored contact. (See below for more discussion)
Volunteer Responsibilities
After volunteer is trained (see more below) and given first his or her
inmate assignment, volunteer is responsible to:
- set up meetings with the assigned inmate via phone with the prison
counselors;
- help the inmate to choose a book from selections that the volunteer
will take from the book collection and show to the inmate;
- help the inmate read the book onto audio tape;
- supervise recording sessions with the inmate; - label tapes and
address envelopes;
- hand the addressed envelope to the program coordinator (or leave at
the Books closet in Dix) for mailing
- check in with program coordinator when an inmate is finished.
Time commitment for
volunteers:
Preparation
1. One full day to attend New Employee Orientation (required by the
Department of Corrections for everyone working with inmates). This
class is usually offered one Monday a month. (see below for more
details)
2. One trip to prison property to have photo taken for computer system
that allows access to buildings (photo can be taken weekdays and
evenings).
3. One short, one-on-one meeting with Books Beyond program coordinator
Mary Lhowe for instruction and preparation (can be evenings or weekend)
Doing the work
1. After inmate is assigned, it takes an average of 3 or 4 meetings of
60 to 90 minutes per meeting with inmate to read and record books.
(Number of meetings may be higher for longer books -- i.e., young adult
novels -- going to older children). These meetings are scheduled by the
volunteer and prison counselors. Can be week-days, evenings, or
weekends, depending on availability of volunteer and inmate. Meetings
are scheduled by phone, working through counselors.
Requirements before
beginning work
To be eligible, volunteers must complete a one-day New Employee
Orientation (NEO) provided by the Department of Corrections and receive
approval to enter prison facilities. The NEO is offered one Monday a
month from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the prison property. Orientations are
scheduled on Mondays, November 20, December 18.
You must sign up for a New Employee Orientation by calling Donna
Kenyon, supervisor of interns and volunteers, at 462-2537 at least 3
days ahead. Also please tell me, Mary Lhowe, when you are ready to sign
up for NEO. If you want to volunteer, please contact Mary Lhowe,
program coordinator, by phone (401-739-5565) or email at
Lhowe@cox.net
Additional Background and
discussion:
More than 3,500 children in RI have a father or mother in prison.
Despite the problems of maintaining ties between parent and child, the
effort proves well worth it. Children are at increased risk of
abuse or neglect as their living situation changes rapidly and perhaps
frequently, loss of financial support, feelings of abandonment by the
parent, and subjection to social stigma.
Over time, these problems may develop into a host of other troubles,
ranging from decreased academic performance, delinquency, substance
abuse, or psychological disturbances related to trauma.
Maintaining contact with the incarcerated parent may mitigate some of
these tragic consequences for the children. Furthermore, there are
positive effects on the parents themselves.
Research has shown that maintaining family ties during incarceration
decreases the risk that the offender will turn to drugs or return to
prison. Studies show that parents with regular contact with their
children are more likely to contribute to paying child support. New
children's books were purchased for the program with funds from the
national Reading Is Fundamental program. All labor is volunteer.
learning
opportunities
Providence Public
Library events
- http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html
funding
opportunities - large and less large
Call for Nominations: 2007 Verizon Tech
Savvy Awards
These are the first national awards honoring programs that improve
parents’ and children’s understanding and use of technology. Four
$5,000 regional awards and one $25,000 national award will be
presented. The deadline for submissions is January 12, 2007.
The annual award will be given in March 2007 in Orlando, Florida, at
the National Conference on Family Literacy. The Savvy Awards were
established by the National Center for Family Literacy, the Verizon
Foundation, and Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack. The awards are
designed to support programs that help parents bridge the widening gap
between adults’ and children’s understanding of technology. The two
generations must learn about technology together so parents can be
effective teachers and advocates to ensure that their children are
literate in technology and prepared for the 21st century workforce.
Successful programs should create innovative ways to employ technology
as an important component in family literacy, and those methods should
have the ability to be easily replicated at other sites across the
country. Organizations that are 501(c)(3) nonprofits, such as
community-based organizations, libraries and schools, should apply.
Religious or sectarian organizations may apply only if the program(s)
offered serve a broad cross-section of the community. Organizations
should apply within one of the regions specified on the map provided in
the nomination kit. For a copy of the 2007 Verizon Tech Savvy
Awards nomination form or to send a notice about the awards to a
colleague, visit http://www.famlit.org/techsavvyawards
Funding
opportunities from PEN Weekly
NewsBlast, (from Pen Weekly Newsblast; To view
past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_past.asp
Grants for Supporting
Children's Health, Education and Inner-city Services -The
Teammates for Kids Foundation accepts proposals for grants from
nonprofit organizations that specialize in working with children in the
areas of health, education and inner-city services. Maximum Award:
$50,000. Eligibility: 501 (c) (3) organizations with a record of
effectively delivering programs and services that improve the lives of
needy children. Deadline: February 1, 2007. http://www.teammates4kids.com/apply_for_grant/format_grant.htm
Grants for Community
Improvement Programs - Hamburger Helper is looking to lend a
helping hand to neighborhoods nationwide with its "My Hometown Helper"
grant program. Individuals from communities and organizations across
America can submit a written essay of 250 words or less describing how
the "My Hometown Helper" grant would help improve their community
project. Maximum Award: $15,000. Eligibility: Requests for funding must
be sponsored by a municipal or civic organization or public school.
Deadline: May 31, 2007. http://www.myhometownhelper.com/
Hasbro Children Foundation grants to support the development and/or
expansion of programs for children. Maximum Award: $500-$35,000.
Eligibility: Programs must provide direct services to children under
age 13. They must serve children and families who are economically
disadvantaged. They must be innovative and provide a model from
whichothers can learn.
Deadline: N/A. http://www.hasbro.org
The Allen Foundation supports educational nutrition programs, with
priority given to training programs for children and young adults to
improve their health and
development. Maximum Award: Past grants haveranged from $2,000 to $1
million. Eligibility:
Schools and schooldistricts should partner with local nonprofits to
form nutrition education
programs. Deadline: Ongoing.
http://www.allenfoundation.org/
UPS Foundation Education Grants fund
high impact philanthropic programs
that raise the level of educational instruction, family learning
opportunities, and school involvement projects. Maximum Award: varies.
Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. http://www.community.ups.com/philanthropy/grant.html
- other grants from the Public Education Network: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp
- The federal government's new one stop grant site:
http://www.grants.gov/
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.php
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/
employment
opportunities
Substitute
teaching: The
Genesis Center is interested in adding to its substitute list. If you
are an ESOL instructor who is interested in occasional work as a
substitute, either day, evening or Saturday hours, please call Nancy
Fritz or Pat Clarkin at 781-6110.
Jobs in Literacy –
nation wide postings on the National Institute for
Literacy’s LINCS site: http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/lincs/jobs/jobs.cgi
Substitute list:
if
you would like your name added to the general
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 available
from the PEN weekly newsblast: A Guide to Navigating Communications for
the Nonprofit: - Cause Communications' Communications Toolkit
A guide
to navigating communications for the nonprofit world is a comprehensive
resource offering practical information in virtually every area of
communications -- from how to develop and budget a communications plan
to what tools you need to help raise awareness and funds. The toolkit
is practical and easy-to-use, making it a must-have guide for
nonprofits seeking to revolutionize communications with strategic
marketing, advertising, branding, media relations, event planning and
more. Tips, templates and strategy outlines are based on more than 25
years of experience from the professionals at Cause Communications, and
on information from national qualitative and quantitative audits of
what nonprofits need in the area of communications. The book was made
possible by support from The Annenberg Foundation, The California
Endowment, The James Irvine Foundation and The Marguerite Casey
Foundation. http://www.causecommunications.org/CC/CC_news06_1.html
The Adventure of the American Mind Online
Education Program is funded by a grant from the Library of
Congress (LOC).
As a part of this grant, we have created self-paced online lessons
using resources available on the LOC website (http://www.loc.gov/).
These interactive, online lessons and additional educational materials
are available free on our website.
To learn more about the Library of Congress and these online, subscribe
to our monthly newsetter by sending an e-mail to aamonline@aweber.com
or visit our website (http://www.aamonline.org/
). For more information, please contact our office at 866.325.8585 or
contact Pamela M. Johnson, Ed. D. Director, Online Education Program,
An Adventure of the American Mind http://www.aamhomeschool.org
1459 Sand Hill Road, Suite 339, Candler, NC28715 828.670.8585 (office)
- 828.670.6929 (FAX) 828.691.1263 (cell) - 866.325.8585 (toll free)
New online at the Center for Adult English
Language Acquisition - an annotated bibliography on working
with beginning and literacy level adult English Language
learners. The resources in this collection were selected because
they are evidence-based and provide suggestions and materials for
practitioners working with adult English language learners. Voices of
researchers (e.g., Condelli & Wrigely, Nichols & Sangster);
teachers, program managers, curriculum writers, and trainers (eg.,Brod,
Holt, and Spiegel); and students (article by Florez) are included in
this bibliography. - Miriam Burt, miriam@cal.org
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/literacy.html
and, from the Center for Applied Linguistics’ Cultural Orientation
Resource Center: The Meskhetian Turks: An Introduction to their
History, Culture and Resettlement Experiences This profile provides
general information about Meskhetian Turks and their history. Topics
covered include Meskhetian Turk communities around the world, culture,
language and education, and resettlement in the United States, as well
as recommended reading. The profile can be downloaded at
http://www.cal.org/co/publications/cultures/MTurks.html. Print copies
available in December.
ProLiteracy announces self paced online
courses for trainers: http://www.proliteracy.org/proliteracy_america/training/prof_dev.asp
online
discussion:
During the week of November 6, the Adult Literacy Professional
Development (PD) Discussion List will be hosting a guest discussion on
Peer Mentoring and Peer Coaching in Adult Literacy Professional
Development. Subscribers on the PD List specifically asked to
hear success stories of practitioners involved with peer coaching or
peer mentoring, from the coach or mentor, and/or from the teachers who
benefited from this method of professional development. If you
are a practitioner who has such a success story, will you share your
story with us?
During October 10 – 25, we are collecting success stories. If several
are submitted, then they will be compiled into one document and shared
with PD List subscribers prior to the guest discussion. Stories should
be 1-3 paragraphs in length, or as a general rule of thumb, above the
fold' on your computer monitor. For your convenience, we've provided
some guiding questions below that you may find helpful in writing your
success story. To Submit Your Story: Email your story directly to
Jackie Taylor: jataylor@utk.edu I will place your story in the
ALE Wiki at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Peer_Mentoring/Peer_Coaching_Success_Stories
(try: http://tinyurl.com/z8mey)
OR post it there yourself. To learn how to add to the ALE Wiki,
visit: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Ale30minute
Your story will be available to you on the ALE Wiki (should you wish to
edit or revise) until October 25th, after which time it will be moved
to the NIFL web site. The link to the stories will be emailed to PD
List subscribers prior to the discussion. You are also invited to join
the PD List and participate in the discussion! We would like to hear
your recommendations for providing and improving this method of
professional development. If you would like to subscribe and
participate, please let me know at your earliest convenience.
Please see below for guiding questions. Thanks for your interest and
support! All the best, Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional
Development List Moderator, National Institute for Literacy,
jataylor@utk.edu http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment
Stories of Success with
Peer Mentoring and Peer Coaching in Adult Literacy Professional
Development Guiding Questions
Please tell us your success story with peer mentoring/coaching.
Success is how you define it. The success stories can be 1-3 short
paragraphs (or as a general rule, 'above the fold' on your computer
monitor). Questions or ideas you might address could include (but
are not limited to) any one or more of the following:
What was the focus of your peer mentoring/coaching experience?
Were you a mentor or coach, or were you being mentored/coached? How did
you get involved? (appointed, self-selected)
For Practitioners who were Mentored or Coached:
What questions did you address or change did you make?
What did you do differently (or what attitudes or feelings changed with
respect to your adult education practice) as a result of your
participation in peer coaching/mentoring?
Did your changes in thinking or acting affect learner outcomes? If so,
how did you know?
Would you suggest to other practitioners that they get involved with
peer mentoring/coaching? Why or why not?
For Peer Mentors or Peer Coaches:
What worked about the mentoring/coaching experience, and how did you
know it worked? What changes did you help to bring about, that
may not have occurred otherwise? What did you learn from the
experience? How did you benefit as a professional? Did you
produce an article, write a report, or do a presentation for
others? What did you value most about the experience? Do
not feel you need to answer all questions. These are just discussion
points from which you might selectively choose.
Radical Math is a resource for
educators interested in integrating issues of social, political, and
economic justice into math curriculum and classes… RadicalMath.org has
the goals of raising mathematic literacy and simultaneously developing
ways to address a range of community issues. The website supports
educators to teach many different types of math within the context of
studying social, political, and economic justice issues.
RadicalMath.org also contains teaching materials on important financial
topics for youth such as owning a credit card, paying for college, and
avoiding subprime lenders, as well as materials on Ethnomathematics.
Visit http://www.radicalmath.org/
for more or email info@radicalmath.org
Teacher's Guide to the Occupational Outlook
Handbook describes hundreds of jobs. For each job, it tells what
workers do, working conditions, the training and education needed,
earnings, and expected job prospects. Job search tips,
information about the job market in each state, articles about specific
occupations and industries, and additional career information are
included. http://www.bls.gov/oco/teachers_guide.htm
A new article in the
on-line journal Exploring Adult Literacy at http://literacy.kent.edu/cra/new.html,
Intergenerational Literacy Programs for Incarcerated Parents and Their
Families: A Review of the Literature by William R. Muth, Ph.D. The
article reviews what research has found out about the effects of family
literacy activities on incarcerated parents and their children.
NCSALL by Role http://www.ncsall.net/?id=787
This new section of NCSALL's Web site offers a variety of professional
development ideas on: adult multiple intelligences, adult student
persistence, authentic context, General Educational Development (GED),
and reading
Professional developers and program administrators access guides for
facilitating half-day seminars and multi-session study
circles. Policymakers read relevant research articles and
reflect on policy-related questions.
Teachers and tutors access self-studies that invite them to (1) read
the related research, (2) reflect on this research and their practice,
and (3) focus on an aspect of their practice. - Kaye Beall, Outreach
Coordinator/ NCSALL Dissemination Project, World Education, 4401 S.
Madison St., Muncie, IN 47302, Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax:
208-694-8262 kaye_beall@worlded.org
Change
Agent: CALL FOR ARTICLES Theme: Caring for Our Children
In today's world there are many stresses on families. Parents,
especially working parents, are juggling lots of
responsibilities, often without enough support. How are parents
managing? How are kids managing? We are often so busy in our day
to day living that we don‚t have time to think about whether
others are having the same struggles and what to do about them˜both
individually and collectively. This issue will explore how we
care for our children, who is caring for our children, how the
government helps, and what more it could do. We will also explore the
existence of different kinds of families, programs that help
families and kids learn together, and value that society gives to
raising children today.
Questions for students and teachers to think about: (Please choose one
question to write on.)
What support do you need to take care of your children? What
support do you have?
What responsibility does the government have to help us take care
of our children?
How do you help your children to grow and learn?
Who cares for your children? What do you think about child care
in this country?
What counts as a „family‰ to you? What do you think about
different kinds of families?
Are you involved in your children‚s education? How?
All articles must be
received by November 10, 2006.
All articles will be considered. Suggested length is 500-1,200 words.
Final decisions are made by
The Change Agent editorial board.
A stipend of $50 will be paid to each adult education student whose
work is accepted for publication in this issue. Please send
material (preferably by email) to:
Angela Orlando, Editor
New England Literacy Resource Center/World Education
44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-482-9485 fax: 617-482-0617 email: aorlando@worlded.org
The mission of The Change Agent is to provide news, issues, ideas, and
other teaching resources that inspire and enable adult educators
and learners to make civic participation and social justice
concerns part of their teaching and learning. It is published by the
New England Literacy Resource Center.
http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent
The International Classroom and School Virtual
Visit (Virtual School) project is beginning its eighth
year, linking classrooms across the world to enable students to meet
each other virtually, share information about their cultures,
classrooms, and communities, and to build cultural understanding.
Classes can include English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL/ESL),
Adult Basic Education (ABE, GED), elementary or secondary
education, or family literacy., students from age 7 to adult. As
in past years, we hope classes will engage in lively written
discussion, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to
discuss. This year we have set up a free wiki, so classes don't
have to create their own web pages, and we will help teachers to
use free Internet telephony so their classes can talk to each
other if they can find a time that works to do that.
If you would like to participate in this year's project,
1. Sign up on the I.C.V.V. e-list by going to: http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/icvv
Scroll down the page to choose an ID and password. That's
it, easy and free.
2. Once you receive confirmation that you are on the ICVV e-list,
send an e-mail to icvv@lists.literacytent.org
indicating your interest in participating this year.
Be sure to describe your class, when it will begin, and what age
group or nationality you would prefer to partner with. If you
would like to look at classroom virtual visit projects from
previous years go to: http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school.htm
and then choose
http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school2003.htm
We look forward to your joining the project. Let one of us know
if you have questions. All the best,
David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net and Susan Gaer sgaer@yahoo.com
[and] ....for those interested in the International Classroom Virtual
Visit Project. One of the new project features this year is that
participants in one class, matched with participants in another class
(usually in a different country) can use Wikimapia. Each class
could label the important buildings and geographic features of their
community on a wikimap -- including writing about each feature in the
wikimap label window, and maybe linking to a digital photograph they
take of that feature. (They could in some cases label their own house,
and in the window include a link to a photo of their family, although
not everyone will want to put a family photo on the web. In other
cases they could label an historical feature which is important to
their community, and include a photo and even an historical
essay.) The 2 matched classes will then share their
community maps and talk about their communities. The community
maps -- especially if bilingual -- could also be used for other
education-related purposes. The ICVV project includes in-school
classes, too, so there could be a cross-generational match.
It will be interesting to see what adults think is important and what
kids think is important in their communities. To see - and,
if you like, label -your neighborhood, go to
http://www.wikimapia.org Zoom in to your community, and add labels.
The Adult Literacy
Education (ALE)
Wiki now has 30 topics, a newly designed front page, over 730
pages of content, and more than 600 subscribers. Every week
adult literacy educators add new content.
The ALE Wiki is a community of practice and a professional development
treasurehouse. http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page
ALE Wiki soon to be two years old To improve practice in our
field, teachers need to quickly and easily find the results of
research and professional wisdom. This is a practical, everyday
concern.
A teacher has a question that needs an answer, such as What are
effective ways to increase student persistence?. How do you
handle a multilevel classroom? What is the optimum class size for
beginning ESOL or basic literacy? What assessments are used in
our field? Does my state offer free professional development or
training? Does getting a GED lead to increased earnings? or How
can I be an effective advocate for adult literacy? Suppose there
were one place to find answers to these questions,
organized by topic -- and within each topic by teachers'
questions -- and with lists of web-accessible research and professional
wisdom sources. Suppose the topic area included some of the
best discussions in the field. Suppose that this gold mine of
professional development, designed to be accessed "just-in-time", were
free. That's what the Adult Literacy Education Wiki is
becoming. Some topics are nearly there, while others have
just scratched the surface. Increasingly, it is becoming
the "go to" place for teachers, researchers, administrators, and
grant writers, both those new to the field and old hands.
Launched in December, 2004, at the Meeting of the Minds I
practitioner-researcher Symposium in Sacramento,
California, it will have is second birthday this year at Meeting
of the Minds II, November 30- December 2.
The ALE Wiki now has 31 topics, 14 topic leaders, over 700 registered
users -- 65 of whom have posted a brief bio statement,
and nearly 800 pages of text. It was presented at an
international conference on Wikis at Harvard this year. A
chapter of a new book on communities of practice will be
devoted to the ALE Wiki. It includes the work and the writing, or links
to writing of many of the top people in our field from across the
world. Not bad for a two year old, especially one that was
created and raised entirely by volunteers. You can use the ALE Wiki.
http://wiki.literacytent.org You can contribute to it -- it's
easy! Go to:
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/New_Here%3F
You might want to be a Topic Leader.
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Topic_Leaders If so,
e-mail me. (djrosen@comcast.net) And, of course, the
volunteer "wikiteers" appreciate your comments.
What is useful? What would you like to see to be added or changed?
David J. Rosen
Career Voyages – US Dept of Labor
website exploring career options in advanced manufacturing, automotive,
construction, energy, financial services, health care, hospitality,
information technology, retail, and transportation industries, as well
as in emerging industries -- biotechnology, geospatial technology, and
nanotechnology. Learn which industries are growing, how to qualify for
a good job, and where to get started. http://www.careervoyages.gov/index.cfm
Includes video (with subtitles) illustrating a number of occupations.
Study Circle Guide: Adult Student
Persistence
Newly revised to include the second phase of the NCSALL research on
adult student persistence, this guide provides comprehensive
instructions for facilitating a 10.5 hour study circle. It explores
research about adult student persistence and ideas for how to apply
what is learned in classrooms and programs. The guide is based on a
review of the NCSALL research on adult student persistence conducted by
John Comings and others, summarized in an article entitled Supporting
the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students and other studies on
student motivation and retention. It includes articles, resources, and
action research reports to help practitioners consider strategies for
increasing adult student persistence. The guide provides all necessary
materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a 3-session
study circle with an option for a fourth. Each session lasts 3
and-a-half hours. To download the guide, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=896
- and –
The National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for the
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy present Persistence Among Adult Education Students
Panel Discussion This 30 minute video focuses on persistence in
ABE, ESOL, and GED programs, and features a NCSALL study entitled,
"Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students." Dr.
John Cummings presentation examines student persistence in adult
education programs. He presents a working definition of persistence,
examines existing research, and describes NCSALL's 3-phase study of the
factors that support and inhibit persistence. Other panelists include
practition-ers, Kathy Endaya and Ernest Best. Online: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/persistence/persistence_cast.html
You may need to cut and paste the whole web address in your
browser, or you could try this shorter version: http://tinyurl.com/s6tcu
Macintosh users will need to select the
Quicktime format for viewing the presentation.
The DVD of the panel will be available within the next two months, for
more information, contact info@nifl.gov. To read the Special
Topics list discussion with Dr. Cummings, for more information, go to:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/000088.html
Jo Maralit, National Institute for Literacy mmaralit@nifl.gov http://www.nifl.gov/
Practitioner Research
Training Guide: Research-based Adult Reading Instruction -
provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a 31-hour training
that guides practitioners through an investigation of a problem related
to reading. Practitioners conduct the research in their own classrooms.
The guide provides all necessary materials and clear instructions to
plan and facilitate a four-session practitioner research training. The
sessions vary in length. To download the guide, go to
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1143 - and -
Training Guide: Study Circle Facilitators - provides comprehensive
instructions for preparing experienced adult education practitioners to
facilitate NCSALL study circles. The training focuses on the NCSALL
study circle, Research-based Adult Reading Instruction http://www.ncsall.net/?id=892
. However, the training can be adapted to
prepare facilitators for NCSALL study circles in general or on another
topic. The guide provides all necessary materials and clear
instructions to plan and facilitate a one-day, study circle
facilitators training. The training is six hours in length. To
download the guide, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1137
Oregon has been engaged in a collaborative 2 year Science and Math
professional development initiative for ABE/GED and ESL teachers. We
are thrilled to share with other states that two Oregon adult literacy
instructors were chosen to go on Teacher at Sea Expeditions to the
Mariana Arc and the Antarctic with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. These are amazing opportunities for the field of adult
education and for our instructors, many of whom are part time.
Students, instructors, and the general public can follow the second
expedition to the Antarctic from July 3 - August 15, and learn about
the scientific research at the Polar Science Station website
http://literacynet.org/polar; The website includes background
information, photos, learning activities, links to other resources
about Antarctica, and journal logs sent from the ship during the
expedition. You can write to Marian Tyson or other scientists
while they are at sea by using the "Contact Marian" button on the Polar
Science Station website, or directly to mtyson@literacyworks.org. This
project builds a special connection between a trained ABE instructor
and all adult education professionals and their students. For more
details and to download a flyer on this initiative, go to
http://www.coabe.org
Announcing a website on Learning
and Violence http://www.learningandviolence.net
In the aftermath or presence of violence, too many people believe they
cannot learn. This innovative interactive site is a resource to support
learning. Join us to: Build an Understanding of the scope of the
problem and of different forms of violence and their impact on
learning; Explore Possibilities to learn differently, help
yourself and others learn, and take care of yourself;
Create Change by learning about new initiatives in every sector
of education and finding others working on this issue;
Imagine a Future by dreaming with us about a world without violence
and inequality.
The website is beginning. Bookmark it and come back often to watch
it evolve. Help build it. Add your voice: share your
knowledge from learning,
teaching and research in words and images. Contact Jenny Horsman jenny@learningandviolence.net
This website is an initiative of Spiral Community Resource Group/ and
Parkdale Project Read, developed with start up funding from the
Adult Learning Knowledge Centre of the Canadian Council on
Learning
The International Adult Literacy Study (IALS)
is now available in a searchable database, permitting users to retrieve
prose, document and quantitative literacy data for each of the
countries listed in the table, and for a wide range of combined
intermediate variables. Users can produce estimates of mean
performance, and percentages of each proficiency level for each of the
IALS literacy scales by any combination of background variables. Each
estimate is accompanied by the appropriate measures of statistical
reliability. The IALS database home page: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-588-XIE/ials-eiaa.htm
- access the database from there.
teaching resource: No Human is Illegal: An
Educator’s Guide for Addressing Immigration In the Classroom;
available at http://www.nycore.org
In the recent weeks HR4437 advocates have sought to
introduce
legislation that will radically change the legal, social, and economic
status of immigrant communities in the US. The debate rages on and we
have heard
opinions ranging from the conservatives to the democrats to the
left—and a powerful constituency has emerged stronger than ever before
in the 21st century—students. How will educators encourage these acts
of critical thinking, civic responsibility, agency, and above all—
student leadership in advocating for all human rights? How can
educators engage their students in these critical issues in the
classroom? How can we serve as the liaison between students andthe
mixed messages the media and politicians are sending?
This guide is for educators to take on the important
issues that
teachers and students alike have been tackling in
their activism from INSIDE the classroom. This resource can be
best used online as a web resource. – from Sally Lee, Founder, Teachers
Unite sally@teachersunite.net 646-206-4160, http://www.teachersunite.net
Google Scholar enables searches for
scholarly
literature, including
peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical
reports from broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find
articles
from a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint
repositories and universities, as well as articles available across the
web. Google Scholar orders search results by how relevant they
are
to your query, so the most useful references should appear at the top
of
the page. This relevance ranking takes into account the full text of
each
article as well as the article's author, the publication in which the
article
appeared and how often it has
been cited in scholarly literature. Google Scholar automatically
analyzes
and extracts citations and presents them as separate results, even if
the
documents they refer to are not online. This means your search results
may include citations of older works and seminal articles that
appear only in books or other offline publications. http://scholar.google.com/
Living in Poverty slideshow does
the
math: what
does it take to live at the poverty level.
http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour2.htm
RI Foundation online scholarship
directory - searchable by city/town,
intended field of study, current high school, and more. http://scholarship.rifoundation.org/
YouthBuild USA Learning Network has
links to Web sites and
full-text
documents, and includes a section on "Authentic Materials/Engaged
Learning/Constructivism/Contextual Learning/Project-based Learning." http://www.youthbuild.org/learningnetwork/professionaldev.html
Providence Community Resource Network
(PCRN) http://www.provplan.org/pcrn
Spanish language version of PCRN is up and running.
You
can access the site from the PCRN home page, http://www.provplan.org/pcrn,
or go to http://www.provplan.org/pcrnespa.
The Web pages, online instructions, and the content of the database
have
all been translated.
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
The African Immigrant
& Refugee Foundation invites you to the 5th Annual Conference
entitled: African Diaspora Youth in the US: Challenges, Contributions,
Triumps. November 17 and 18, Silver Spring, Maryland
We invite you for a dialog on the issues facing
African students with interrupted education among other challenges
facing them and their families, during the African Immigrant and
Refugee Foundation (AIRF)
forthcoming 5th Annual Conference. The AIRF is a nonprofit
organization based in DC, MD that was founded in June 2000. Our mission
is to facilitate the effective transition of African immigrants
& Refugees to America. Please visit our website for more
information: http://www.airfound.org Thank you Gathoni Kamau. AIRF
Conference Planning Committee Tel. 301.593.0241 Tel. 202.234.2473
Call for Presenters for the 4th Annual
(Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy now available.
WE LEARN seeks presentations in all educational areas serving women
students in adult literacy/ basic education. We encourage students and
program groups to apply. To download the details and an
application
form, go to: http://www.litwomen.org/conference.html The
conference
theme for this year is Threads of Experience: Creative Spaces for
Women's Learning.
DEADLINE for Proposals: December 1, 2006
March 9 – March 10, 2007
Northeastern University Boston,
Massachusetts Keynote Speaker: Antonia Darder
Pre-Conference Seminar
The Impact of Violence on Learning: Building Connections to Deepen
Understanding March 8, 2007 9:30 – 4:30 Co-Sponsored
by WE LEARN
& Northeastern University School of Professional and Continuing
Studies. If you have questions or need more information, please
contact: Mev Miller welearn@litwomen.org
401-383-4374.
The
56th Annual Conference of the New York Association for
Continuing/Community Education will be held May 6-8, 2007 in
Albany,
NY. The conference brings teachers, tutors, administrators and others
from across New York State together for professional development and
networking. Presentation topics span the entire range of adult
education, from ABE/GED/ESOL programming to Community Education to
Workforce Education. NYACCE has issued a Call for Presenters, which is
available at our website – http://www.nyacce.org We invite you to
submit a proposal. The deadline is December 8, 2006. Questions can be
directed to the Program Chair. Cathy DiRolf at cdirolf@cves.org
-Sue
Licata, NYACCE Past President Director, Maryvale Community
Education
The Commission on Adult Basic Education
(COABE) and the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education
invite you to submit a proposal for presentation at the 2007 COABE National Conference to
be held in Philadelphia March 25-28, 2007.
The Conference Request for Proposals
is available through the conference website: http://www.coabe2007.org/rfpo7.htm
Proposals are due no later than November 18, 2006. The conference
committee is interested in outstanding and innovative practices in all
aspects and areas of adult education, and is looking for presentations
based on successful implementation, current research, and sound
practice. The planning team would like to encourage anyone with
innovative ideas or resources related to adult education to come to
Philadelphia and share their expertise.
From Erik Jacobson,
Chair, J. Michael Parker Award Committee - The National Reading Conference's
(NRC) 56th Annual Meeting will take place in Los Angeles, from November 29 to December 2.
The conference covers a range of
literacy related topics, including adult literacy. Information is
available at http://www.nrconline.org/.
I encourage adult literacy researchers to join the dialogue at
the meeting and to consider submitting proposals. In addition, to
encourage research on adult literacy, NRC has established the J.
Michael Parker Award, given to graduate students and
untenured professors who present research on adult learning or
education at the annual meeting. Information and submission
guidelines at http://www.nrconline.org/pdf/2006callforproposals.pdf
November 30-December
2, 2006 A MEETING OF THE MINDS II SYMPOSIUM
The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, the
California Department of Education Adult Education Office, and the
California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project of the
American Institutes for Research announce a Meeting of the Minds II: A
National Adult Education Practitioner-Researcher Symposium.
Scheduled for November 30-December 2, at the Sheraton Grand hotel in
Sacramento, California, the symposium is designed to provide
opportunities for adult education practitioners and researchers to
share and discuss current research findings and practitioner wisdom. It
will engage practitioners and researchers with questions related to
goals, accountability, and efficacy and efficiency in policy, practice,
and research. The ultimate goals of the symposium are to highlight
systemic changes that can enhance literacy practice and increase
student learning gains. The theme of this symposium is Systemic Change
and Student Success: What Does Research Tell Us? As in the first
Meeting of the Minds Symposium that was held in 2004, each session of
the 2006 Symposium will be structured so that the research presentation
is followed by a panel of practitioners who will discuss implications
for practice or policy. In addition, conference attendees will have
opportunities for small group interaction and networking with
researcher-presenters to discuss not only how research can inform
practice and policy, but also how practice and policy can inform and
suggest a research agenda.
Nationally recognized adult education researchers will discuss their
studies in reading, learner persistence, ESL instructional strategies,
technology innovations, transitioning adults to college, authentic
materials, health literacy, adult numeracy, family literacy, social
justice, innovations in statewide assessment, practitioner inquiry,
professional development, and many more. In addition, a featured
concurrent session consists of a panel of adult literacy
learners. Presenters include Kathleen Bailey, Hal
Beder, Alisa Belzer, Beth Bingman, Larry Condelli, Ros Davidson, Ron
Glass, John Fleishman, Daphne Greenberg, Kathy Harris, Erik Jacobson,
Jere Johnston, Tara Joyce, Cheryl Keenan, Mark Kutner, Susan Levine,
Myrna Manly, Dennis Porter, Paul Porter, Steve Reder, Pat Rickard, Rima
Rudd, Maricel Santos, Robin Schwarz, Renee Sherman, Heidi
Silver-Pacuilla, Cristine Smith, John Strucker, Robin Waterman, Cynthia
Zafft, and others. Throughout the symposium, each research presentation
will be followed by a panel of practitioners who will respond to the
presentations, and then by group discussions among participants who
will share their reactions and explore implications from their
perspectives as practitioners, researchers, and policy makers.
The opening plenary session features presentations by John Comings on
Advice from NCSALL Research on Building High Quality Programs and by
Mark Kutner on results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
(NAAL) and the Health Literacy survey. A second plenary session
features a panel discussion on the topic of how research influences
policy in adult literacy education.
To register online: http://www.researchtopractice.org.
Registration is limited to the first 300 people. - Mary Ann
Corley, Ph.D. CALPRO Director and Symposium Coordinator
American Institutes for Research
call for proposals: MATSOL 2007 Conference - http://www.matsol.org/ - Click on
Conference 2007; conference will be held March 8-9; proposals are due
on December 15.
The National Center
for Family Literacy 16th Annual National Conference on Family
Literacy,
March 4 - 6, 2007, Orlando, Florida. For further
information,
please visit http://www.famlit.org/Conference/index.cfm
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
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.
please
submit
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
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