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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.
December 15,
2006
Bulletin #232
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
ENROLL ALL
NON-CITIZEN KIDS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR
Dear Colleague,
Your help is needed to ensure that all non-citizen children who are
eligible for RIte Care are enrolled before the end of the year.
Children who have certain immigration statuses will no longer be
eligible for Rite Care Health Insurance after December 31,
2006. However, every child who is enrolled before then will
remain eligible until they turn 18, as long as their family still meets
the income criteria.
Therefore, it is very important that we all encourage families with
uninsured children to visit a Family Resource Counselor (FRC) in their
community. FRCs are available to help families complete the Rite
Care application. In fact, the date that an FRC starts an
application
with a family is the date the Department of Human Services considers
the application process to have begun.
Therefore, if an FRC starts an application with a family on December
29th, for example, and the family is found eligible in January, the
child
will be enrolled back to December 1, 2006 and be "grandfathered" into
the program. Families can also call the RI Department of Human
Services directly to get a RIte Care application at 462-5300.
Remember, December 31st falls on a Sunday so applications will have to
be started by an FRC or submitted by an individual by December 29th.
The Poverty Institute has created a page on our website with the
locations and contact information of Family Resource
Counselors. There are also flyers in both English and Spanish
that you can print and post in your office.
Click here to get listings of FRCs and RIte Care flyers.
http://www.povertyinstitute.org/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_74_A_PageName_E_pubbenefitsmafrcs
Let's make sure all Rhode Island kids have a happy and healthy start to
the New Year. For more information, please contact Heidi Collins,
Director of Public Education, at 456-2751 or hcollins@ric.edu.
TEN ESSENTIAL
ELEMENTS OF STATE ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS from Art Ellison, Co-Chair, Policy
Committee, National Council of State Directors of Adult Education
AEllison@ed.state.nh.us
1. THE CAMPAIGN STARTS THE DAY AFTER THE
ELECTION IN NOVEMBER WITH LETTERS OF CONGRATULATIONS FROM LOCAL ADULT
EDUCATION PROGRAM DIRECTORS TO EACH ELECTED STATE LEGISLATOR
1. KEY STATE LEGISLATORS, MEMBERS OF THE
LEADERSHIP TEAMS, EDUCATION AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS, ARE
TARGETED FOR MAXIMUM CONTACTS
1. LOCAL ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE ALIGNED
WITH THE KEY LEGISLATORS ABOVE
1. TIMING-THE FLOW OF LEGISLATION FROM JANUARY
TO JUNE IN THE LEGISLATURE MUST BE UNDERSTOOD
5 THERE MUST BE A CORE GROUP
OF ADULT EDUCATORS COORDINATING THE
CAMPAIGN.
1. RULE OF FOUR; THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST FOUR
CONTACTS BETWEEN EACH LOCAL ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM AND STATE
LEGISLATORS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR (CONGRATULATIONS LETTERS, END OF YEAR
LOCAL REPORTS, REQUEST FOR FUNDING, MEETINGS WITH STAFF AND STUDENTS,
ETC).
1. FOCUS ON THE GOVERNOR-IN MOST STATES THE
APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS STARTS WITH THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET SUBMISSION TO
LEGISLATURE. IT IS A MUCH EASIER PROCESS IF THE GOVERNOR SUPPORTS YOUR
REQUEST
1. INDENTIFY YOUR CHAMPIONS IN THE
LEGISLATURE-USE THEM TO CARRY THE MESSAGE TO OTHER KEY LEGISLATORS
1. STUDENTS MUST BE INVOLVED IN THE CAMPAIGN.
IN MOST SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS 80% OF THE CONTACTS COME FROM STUDENTS AND
20% FROM STAFF AND FRIENDS OF ADULT EDUCATION
1. IDENTIFY ALLIES IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHO
WILL HELP YOU CARRY THE MESSAGE (BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, SOCIAL SERVICE
AGENCIES, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, HIGHER EDUCATION, ETC).
CELEBRATE THE VICTORIES, LEARN FROM THE DEFEATS, AND SIGN ON FOR THE
LONG HAUL
ESOL share
- Wednesday, January 17
at 2:30
at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence.
Cuisenaire rods and other tools for engaging students, reducing teacher
talk (continued from December share). Learn more about the
rods here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisenaire_rods;
(including a link to an article about their use in language
learning classrooms).
Please join us to share ideas about ways to use them.
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
From OVAE's Thursday notes:
OTAN Resources, For Adult Ed Teachers Check
out http://adultedteachers.org/,
created and maintained by California’s Outreach and Technical
Assistance Network, supported with AEFLA funds. The Web site
helps adult educators using technology to enhance and improve
instruction. Free features include: online Lesson Plan Builder
linked to databases of standards, instructional materials, and
assessments; teachers' Q & A for advice from adult education
experts; Internet in the classroom monthly activities; and electronic
resources like classroom activities, sites to use with students, lesson
plans, and media clips. Open to practitioners in and beyond California.
Bringing it home to Rhode Island!
Announcing the 2007 Reading Across RI selection: The Memory of Running
by Ron McLarty
Starting in East Providence, RI The Memory of Running relates the
odyssey of Smithson Ide, an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking,
forty-three-year-old loser. Within the span of one week, Smithy’s
parents die of injuries from a car accident and he learns his long-lost
sister’s remains are waiting to be claimed in a Los Angeles
morgue. Smithy’s reaction to these tragedies is to climb on his
three-speed Raleigh bicycle (long forgotten in his parent’s garage) and
set off on an incredible cross country ride. Smithy’s trip is
more than one of miles logged and states crossed. As he encounters men
and women at their best and worst, he begins to remember who he was
before beer, Vietnam and loneliness helped him to forget. He starts to
find himself - his waistline - and friends as well. (Adapted from the
bookjacket)
Mark your 2007 calendars: The author will be the keynote speaker
at: the Fifth Annual Reading Across Rhode Island Conference on
Saturday, January 20th at Bryant University (9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
and the Guest Speaker at the May Breakfast at Rhodes on-the-Pawtuxet on
Saturday, May 5th (9:30 – 12 noon). The conference registration fee and
Breakfast tickets are both $25.
Barnes & Noble, Middletown has set up a special price at a 30%
discount for organizations wishing to purchase copies of The Memory of
Running in bulk within the next ten days. If you are interested in
purchasing multiple copies of the book for your classroom, library or
book group at the special price of $ 9.80/book, please contact Suman
Shah to place your order as soon as possible. Please note that
all checks and/or PO’s should be made payable to Providence Public
Library (with RARI on the notation line) and sent to Louise Moulton at
Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, Providence,
RI 02903. Further reading lists, book
discussion guides, the author’s website & an audio interview and
other supplementary material may be found on the website at
http://www.readingacrossri.org/ . For information, call
Louise at 455-8134. Hope to see you on January 20th!
Louise B. Moulton, 150 Empire St., Providence, RI 02903 401.455.8134;
lmoulton@provib.org
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
learning
opportunities
2007 Parent Workshop Series Brochure
- (for full schedule, please contact lrri@brown.edu)
Entrance to all workshops is $5.
Workshops will take place at the CVS-Highlander Charter School in
Providence on designated evenings from 7 ˆ 9 PM.
The program includes 13 workshops for parents, including:
Understanding Learning Styles, Organized for Learning, Orton-Gillingham
for Parents, Transitions
to Higher Education, The Journey of Parenting: Connections to the
Evolving Brains of Children
Ages 4 - 14, Self-Esteem, Quirky Kids, Understanding the Impact of
Early Reflexes on Sensory and
Academic Development., Parenting a Child with Learning
Differences, Homework, Using
Evaluation Data to Advocate for Your Child, Cultivating
Collaborations: Creating a Team to
Support Your Child Attention
Pre-registration is required. Seating is limited.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. - Cathy Sanford,
Director, Hasbro Center for Teaching Excellence c/o The Dunn Institute
for Learning Differences 401-831-7323
The CALL Interest
Section of TESOL is pleased to offer the opportunity to participate in
the Electronic Village Online
(EVO) 2007 season. This is a professional development project and
virtual extension of the TESOL 2007 Convention in Seattle . The
intended audience includes both TESOL 2007 participants and those who
can participate only virtually.
You do not need to be a TESOL member to participate in a free ,
six-week , wholly online session of the EVO, Jan 15 -Feb 25.
Please visit our Announcement Web page to select one among the various
offerings. http://evo07sessions.pbwiki.com
- Paula Emmert, On behalf of the EVO Coordination Team
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.
Providence Public
Library events
- http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html
funding
opportunities - large and less large
NewRoots Providence, next (rolling
deadline) December 31. http://www.provplan.org/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_139_A_PageName_E_NRSmallGrants
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
from Jeff Carter,
Executive Director, DC LEARNs - D.C. LEARNs, Washington D.C.'s
literacy coalition, has been selected by the State Education
Office (SEO) of the Government of the District of Columbia to
lead the development, design, and management of a new Adult Literacy Professional
Development Center for adult literacy, GED preparation,
workplace literacy, family literacy, and adult English language
learning programs in the District of Columbia. Major
organizational partners include the Adult Literacy Resource
Center (ALRC) at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and
the EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Center at
the Center for Literacy Studies (CLS), University of Tennessee. D.C.
LEARNs member organizations, which include nearly all of the
adult literacy programs in the District, will also play a
significant role in the planning, design, and implementation of
the project. The search is underway for a manager for the project: http://www.dclearns.org/archives/001855.html
Please visit our Web site for more information about D.C. LEARNs -
jcarter@dclearns.org 202-331-0141 ext. 22
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
new website: The Institute for Language and
Education Policy is a newly formed, nonprofit organization
dedicated to promoting research-based policies in serving English and
heritage language learners. We are teachers, administrators,
researchers, professors, students, and others who believe that the time
for advocacy is now. Learn more
- http://www.elladvocates.org/
NCES REPORT - Dropout Rates in the US: 2004
This report builds upon a series of National Center
for Education Statistics reports on high school dropout and completion
rates that
began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2004, and provides
data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three
decades (1972–2004), including characteristics of dropouts and
completers in these years. Among other findings, the report shows that
in students living in low-income families were approximately four times
more likely to drop out of high school between 2003 and 2004 than were
their peers from high-income families. Focusing on indicators of
on-time graduation from public high schools, the averaged freshman
graduation rate for the 3 most recent years for which data are
available shows an increase from 72.6 percent for 2001–02 to 73.9
percent for 2002–03 to 74.3 percent for 2003–04. To download, view and
print the publication as a PDF file, please visit:
Reflect 6, the magazine of the UK’s
National Research and Development Centre is now on-line.
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=71
Articles of interest address numeracy, ESOL, work force learning and
practitioner-research.
Immigration's Impact on the Workforce
Volume 4, Issue 3 Commonwealth Corporation announces the
release of its Research and Evaluation Brief, Immigration's Impact on
the Workforce., which looks at the impact of new foreign
immigration on the population and labor force of Massachusetts, by
examining their demographic characteristics, educational attainment
levels, and English Language proficiency. It also discusses the
potential implications for workforce development in the state. To view
the brief please visit the CommCorp website at http://www.commcorp.org/researchandevaluation/briefs.html
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
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 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.
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
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
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
4th Annual
(Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy March 9 – March 10, 2007
Northeastern University Boston.
The
conference
theme for this year is Threads of Experience: Creative Spaces for
Women's Learning.
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. http://www.litwomen.org/conference.html
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.
ANN Teaching and Learning Principles: A Map for Implementing Effective
Math Instruction for Adult Learners - The Adult Numeracy Network (ANN)
will hold a full day Math Institute as part of the COABE Pre Conference
on March 25. The Institute will address four strands (Number, Geometry,
Data, and Algebra) for all adult learner levels. Attendees will
participate in group learning activities which will increase
understanding of concepts and emphasize the importance of an activity
based curriculum. Individuals can register through the COABE07 website
for the one-day Pre-Conference Session. - Esther Leonelli Moderator,
ANN Numeracy list
Creating Balance in an Unjust World
Conference on Math Education and Social Justice Long Island
University . Brooklyn, NY, April 27 - April 29 http://www.radicalmath.org/conference
We are looking for people to. present a session, register as a
participant, wolunteer for planning or at the conference, tableas an
organization or vendor, donate financially or in-kind.
Registration - sliding scale $25-125 and free for session
facilitators
To present/facilitate a session download the application at http://www.radicalmath.org/conference
Conference Overview:
Join educators, parents, students, activists, and community members
from around the country to explore the connections between math
education and social justice. We invite you to share your
thoughts, lesson plans, questions and be a facilitator for a workshop,
interest group, or presentation. Facilitators may also choose to
present on topics related to math and social justice i.e. equity in
education, literacy and social justice, etc. Sessions need not be
entirely polished presentations as we hope to share ideas in order to
build together.
Goals of the conference:
Bring together educators, researchers, parents, activists, and students
to collectively discuss social justice and math education; Foster
new and innovative partnerships and collaborations; Create a space to
share resources, lesson plans, best practices, and other classroom
materials; Develop structures for ongoing discussion and working groups
about math and social justice; Organize a
national voice in the ongoing debate over math education reform; Plan
actions, advocacy, future meetings, etc.
Session Formats -
Workshops, Interest Group Gatherings, or Presentations.
All sessions will be one hour and 30 minutes in length. Workshops are
interactive sessions intended for 15-40 participants that may utilize a
variety of formats including small group work, open discussion, and
break-out sessions. Interest Group Gatherings are informal
sessions
bringing together 15-40 participants with similar interests for more
casual conversations to engage in network building, and collective
thinking around common issues, and do not require the facilitator to
present information. They are brain-storming sessions where the
facilitator helps guide a discussion around a common interest.
Presentations are lecture style sessions that may have one speaker or a
panel of speakers.
Proposal ABSTRACT due
December 18.
Proposal APPLICATION due 1/22/2007
Notification - January 29;
Accepted Facilitators confirm sessions by registering before February
12,
Notification of session date and time by March 31.
Contact: Taeko Onishi ktaeko@gmail.com (646)259-5602
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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