Contact LR/RI
| The Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development
Center 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. To learn more about professional development opportunities, please contact the RI AEPDC at (401) 456 -2838 or (401) 863-2839 October 3, 2007 Bulletin #251 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,
Janet Isserlis
ESOL share - Tuesday, October 23rd at 3:00, Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Please bring ideas and questions. This is an open discussion group – all are welcome to attend. The first New Practitioner Orientation, a two-session professional development opportunity, will be offered on Saturday October 20th and Saturday November 3rd at the Genesis Center, from 9:30 to 4. In addition to readings before the orientation, participants will be asked to complete assignments between the sessions, totaling approximately sixteen hours over the course of the two week period. To learn more, or to register for the session, please contact Janet Isserlis at 863-2839 or janet_isserlis@brown.edu by October 15th. All new program staff - teachers, administrators, directors - are encouraged to participate. Another two-series session will be offered later in November/December, and three more sessions will be scheduled between January and June, 2008. New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) Board Vacancy: The NELRC's mission is to strengthen adult literacy services in the region by developing and facilitating collaborations and special projects among adult literacy practitioners, state literacy resource centers and policy makers. http://www.nelrc.org/ NELRC takes its direction from its diverse constituency groups. Each state has 4 representatives on the governing board: the State ABE director, the SLRC or staff development director and two practitioners. In addition, NELRC convenes work groups composed of practitioners and board members who help plan and implement the organization’s work in the chosen priority areas. Board members help develop, approve and monitor annual work plans; approve budgets; develop policy and operating principles for NELRC; serve as advocates for NELRC; help identify funding and support for NELRC projects and meet quarterly in different locations in New England. There is a vacancy on the board to represent Rhode Island. If you are interested in contributing to the work of the NELRC as a board member (for at least a two-year term), please send a letter of interest and a resume briefly describing your experience in adult education and literacy to Johan Uvin, Dept. of Education, 255 Westminster Street, Providence RI 02903, by October 31. A selection committee of current board members will be formed to determine the RI representative. The next NELRC board meeting will be held in Boston on December 10th. The Learning Disabilities Work Group is in the process of collecting ideas for the successful teaching of adults who have low literacy skills. We welcome your ideas for strategies, materials, lesson plans and resources that have been useful to you in teaching adults who are reading in the EFL levels 1 and 2. Please send your ideas to Nancy Fritz at Nancy@gencenter.org and she will share them with the LD group. Change Agent CALL FOR ARTICLES Theme: Voting and Advocacy Voting is one of the most fundamental ways to participate in democracy. Even those who cannot vote can still be a part of elections in other ways. Speaking up about issues that matter to you is also an important part of civic life. We are interested in hearing from teachers and adult learners about their experiences with voting or advocating to change public policy. The writings will be considered for a non-partisan edition on Voting and Advocacy that aims to provide adult educators and learners with re-usable materials that encourage activism, advocacy, and informed voting. Questions for students and teachers to think about (please choose one question to write on): - Have you recently voted in an election? What motivated you to do so? Why vote? - Have you ever been involved in calling, writing or visiting your elected representatives? What was the situation? How did you feel? What difference did it make? - If you can’t vote but you’re politically active, tell us what you do to get involved in elections or support candidates or campaigns? - Have you ever spoken up for something you believe in? What was it? What was your experience? What other channels (besides voting) have you used to make your voice heard? - What do you think about the U.S. electoral system? Feel free to comment on any relevant elements, such as representative democracy, the electoral college, the two-party system, etc. - Some people are not allowed to vote, such as those who are under 18, those who do not have citizenship, and (in some states) those who have committed felonies. What do you think about this? - Teachers, are you organizing your students to vote or advocate for changes in the program, the community, the state, or the nation? Tell us what you are doing, what progress you’re making, and how students are responding to these activities. - Write to us about successful lessons you’ve used in your classroom on voting or advocacy. Send us a lesson plan or lesson description that other teachers could use. All articles must be received by November 12, 2007. 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: Cynthia Peters, Editor New England Literacy Resource Center/World Education 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210 Phone: 617-482-9485 fax: 617-482-0617; email: cpeters@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 at World Education. http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent Are you an Adult Education Student who is also an Artist Illustrator Cartoonist Graffiti Artist Computer Graphic Artist or Calligrapher ? The Change Agent iss looking for artwork, illustrations, and innovative designs to accompany articles in upcoming issues. Please submit a sample of your work. We will keep your name and work on file and we will call you to solicit your help with designing and illustrating future articles. If we use your work, we will pay a stipend of $50. Contact Cynthia Peters at cpeters@worlded.org or 617-482-9485. Send your samples to The Change Agent, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210. Learn more about The Change Agent at http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent ANNOUNCING -- A brand new issue of The Change Agent -- Taking Action to Stay in School How do students support each other to stay in school? How do they work together to find personal and collective solutions to the problems that make it hard for them to stay in school? How do they inspire, motivate, and encourage each other to balance a multitude of demands so that they can stay in school? In this issue, you'll find powerful writings by students and teachers, ready-to-use lesson plans, poetry, math, policy analysis, hands-on activities, and more. There are several cartoons that are great to use at any level but are especially helpful in the ESOL classroom. SUBSCRIBE NOW by visiting our web site (www.nelrc.org/changeagent) or calling 617-482-9485 ext. 491. SUPPORT THE ONGOING WORK of The Change Agent to make social justice part of the adult education classroom. - Thank you. Cynthia Peters, cpeters@worlded.org 617-482-9485 learning opportunities The National Council of State Directors is sponsoring advocacy training for adult educators interested in focusing their efforts on influencing policies and funding at the state level. The interactive workshops range in length from 2 hours to a full day depending on the needs of the participants. The training is usually held in conjunction with the State's Adult Education Professional Association conference or the state conference sponsored by the State Adult Education Office either as part of the conference or as a pre-conference session. Major topics covered in the workshops with a 55 page packet of handouts are: Reading a political biography, understanding the political system, identifying the most important people in the process, understanding the importance of timing, agreeing on the message, packaging the message, finding allies to help carry the message, closing the deal, involving of students and staff in the effort, the concept of political literacy as it relates to adult education programs, action planning for your specific state effort and making advocacy an ongoing part of adult education in the state. This training is provided to states by the Policy Committee of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education. Under the existing guidelines each state requesting the training provides the travel expenses for the trainer while the trainer's time is covered by the Council or other organizations. If you would like to participate in a training in Rhode Island, please contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu by October 12th, so that we can inquire into availability – dates and times – for a workshop to be held here. LEADERSHIP FOR A FUTURE 2008 LFAF is a four month leadership training program that builds the capacity of adult grassroots leaders in lower-income and minority communities to make positive change in Rhode Island. The program aims to build practical leadership skills, knowledge, and personal connections. 2008 DATES Friday, February 8th - Sunday, February 10th Overnight Leadership Retreat Saturday, February 23rd History of Communities and Labor Saturday, March 8th Community and Online Organizing Saturday, March 29th Collaboration and Building Relationships Saturday, April 12th Lobby for Change/Media Communications Saturday, April 26th Public Speaking Saturday, May 10th State Government (Budget, Finances & Taxes) Saturday, May 17th Rhode Island’s Economy and Political Overview Friday, May 30th Graduation at the State House For information, please contact Carolina Bernal at (401) 463-9900 or email: cbernal1@att.net or Nanda Shewmangal at (401) 467-1717 ext. 103 or email: nandas@etal.uri.edu LFAF is a collaboration of: the Institute for Labor Studies and Research and RI for Community and Justice. Discussion Announcement: On October 1 - 5, Marian Thacher will be joining the NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List to lead a discussion on the new online technology self-assessment for teachers at AdultEd Online, http://www.adultedonline.org. Marian is the director of OTAN (http://www.otan.us) a California adult education project that provides information and technology integration support for adult educators in California. Prior to her five years with OTAN, she taught ESL and was involved in workplace education and media projects in San Diego and Chicago. In addition to sharing information about the self-assessment and the professional development plan that accompanies it, Marian will share the development process and resources that were used to create the tool. Questions related to technology integration are: 1. What are the skills an adult education teacher should have in order to use technology effectively with learners? 2. What is the role of a professional development plan, and how should it be used? 3. How do we keep up with the fast pace of technology change? What are our learning strategies? What other questions would you like to discuss about technology integration competencies, professional development plans, and the challenge of keeping up? - Mariann Fedele, Director, NYC Regional Adult Education Network, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List mariannf@lacnyc.org http://www.lacnyc.org+ Creating Engaging ESOL Activities Using Computers - More and more of today's jobs require computer skills. Students who can effectively use computers have expanded career options. And here's good news for instructors: Research shows that interesting, engaging learning activities using productivity software are motivating and effective in helping students learn English! Course Description In this course you will learn to integrate productivity software (ex. word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software) into your ESOL instruction. You'll identify the steps necessary to incorporate computers and software applications into lesson plans, including analyzing specific language and computer skills. You will finish the course having developed, tested, and refined a learning activity for your own classroom. Course Format and Schedule Course dates: October 15 - 26, 2007 Estimated completion time: 4 hours During this two-week course you will engage in activities, readings, and online discussions-all at your own pace. The course will close with a scheduled webinar on October 26, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (EST). Facilitator Diana Satin, World Education, Inc. Course Fee $59 (ProLiteracy America members receive a 15% discount.) Questions? Please call 315-422-9121 ext. 283, or e-mail prodev@proliteracy.org. To register, go to http://www.newreaderspress.com/default.aspx?cat=prof&hid=289&pid=PLAEL10-F The National Literacy Summit.3 Webcast will convene global thought leaders to discuss and demonstrate how technology drives the definition of literacy and learning required in a competitive global economy. Monday, October 15, 2007 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR. FAREED ZAKARIA "Competitive Learning in a Global Economy" Widely respected for his ability to spot economic and political trends around the world, Dr. Fareed Zakaria has developed an international reputation as a global thinker. Dr. Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International and was named "one of the most important people of the 21st century" by Esquire. Indian-born and trained as an academic at Yale and Harvard Universities, Dr. Zakaria, at age 28, became the youngest managing editor in the history of Foreign Affairs. Through this Webcast, participants will: Examine the global context that drives the urgency to improve literacy and educational achievement in America; Define the literacy skills that are driven and enabled by technology, and that are required for competitiveness in the U.S. and global economies; Establish a clear definition of the "literate community," and Demonstrate resources and technology-driven solutions that enable communities to increase access and achievement to empower today's workforce. For more information, click here http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/index.php?id=207. EVENT SPONSORS American Library Association, Georgetown University, National Center for Family Literacy, National Coalition for Literacy, ProLiteracy Worldwide and Verizon Foundation to register: http://client.uvault.com/verizon/101507/ Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI) 2007-08schedule of classes. An English version and a Spanish version of the schedules are available at http://www.rifli.org . Classes are offered in Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket and Providence. Questions? Please contact Karisa Tashjian, Literacy Program Coordinator 401-455-8185 STAR Releases Teacher Resources The Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) project has released two issue papers useful to reading teachers - the Role of Instructional Leadership in Implementing Evidence-based Reading Instruction by Sandy Strunk and Managed Enrollment and Evidence-based Reading Instruction by John Strucker. (in PDF at http://www.startoolkit.org/) A new STAR outreach video of testimonials also has been posted. http://www.startoolkit.org/intro_video.html funding opportunities - large and less large Building More Literate Communities - Verizon Foundation Literacy grants are available to organizations committed to basic literary skills in the United States. Verizon has invested in a network of collaborative literacy partners, offering programs with a focus on e-learning. Verizon's leadership in technology and communications provides the distribution network. Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: November 30. http://foundation.verizon.com/02008.shtml - 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 employment opportunities are generally sent as they arrive via email; if you would like to receive this bulletin, and those updates by email please contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu. Employment opportunity: English for Action seeks a passionate, energetic and creative full-time executive director to provide leadership to the organization as it seeks to increase sustainability and community impact. Full description: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/211090-138 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 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 online / resources available New and Upcoming from CAELA Problem-Based Learning and Adult English Language Learners (April, 2007) In this brief CAELA staff member Julie Mathews-Aydinli discusses how problem-based learning aligns with research on second language acquisition. The brief gives guidelines for teachers and administrators on implementing problem-based learning in classes or programs for adults learning English as a second language (ESL), and outlines the benefits and challenges of using a problem-based learning approach with adult English language learners. The brief is available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/problembased.html Coming soon: CAELA briefs Workplace Instruction and Workforce Preparation for Adult Immigrants, Adult ESL Professional Development: State Capacity Building CAELA FAQ What are factors to consider when planning for, setting up, and evaluating a workplace program for immigrant workers? CAELA Online Resource Collection Helping Adult English Language Learners Transition from Adult ESL Programs into Other Adult Education Programs, Vocational Programs, and Postsecondary Education The CAELA Guide for Adult ESL Trainers - This comprehensive guide gives professional developers guidelines and specific strategies for conducting workshops and study circles on a number of topics of importance in adult ESL instruction including conducting needs assessments, planning lessons for multilevel classes, instructional strategies for working with literary-level learners, and teaching reading and writing. From Thursday notes, September 27: Math Outlook Up for Low-Skilled Adults MPR Associates, the University of Tennessee, Rutgers University, and Technical Education Research Centers received an $800,000 three-year contract from OVAE to improve adult math instruction nationwide. Together they will convene a work group of nationally known mathematics researchersand practitioners to identify math content and reasoning skills that promote success, competence and deep understanding of math fesearchers and policy-makers. The brief was developed in response to suggestions on topics of concern to the field from the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition's Technical Work Group. http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/work.html Help in Planning Mentoring Programs - planninor low-skilled adults. The contractors will create a publication to disseminate the new research and work of the National Math Panel among groups providing and engaged in adult learning, and will use the work group to help plan and execute a sound professional development model to enhance adult math instruction throughout the country. The model will include field testing of the Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy (TIAN) strategies that several states have participated in developing. College Education For Civic Involvement A report from the College Board, Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society, shows that a college education can pay off more than just financially. The report, a follow-up to the original 2004 publication, uses data from the Dept of Education, the Census Bureau, and surveys by other higher education groups. It suggests that college graduates may be more engaged citizens and make healthier decisions than those who do not have a college degree, and argues that higher education has a high rate of return for society and not only for individuals’ lifetime earnings. A more educated workforce means greater tax revenue, greater productivity, lower demands on social support programs, and greater levels of civic participation, per the report. http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/185478.html Workplace Instruction and Workforce Preparation for Adult Immigrants, an OVAE-sponsored workplace literacy brief on English language learning , outlines strengths of and challenges for workplace, vocational, and standard classroom approaches. It also provides good background for rg tools and hints for designing and implementing a mentoring program that could help adult students. Information organized by topic is available online covering planning and design, program management, operations and evaluation as well as special topics such as mentoring at work or for immigrant youths. E-mentoring programs can access online toolkits in English and Spanish, technical requirements, and tips for online implementation http://www.mentoring.org/program_staff/index.php?cid=63 special edition, Thursday notes on Monday, October 1, 2007 Executive Order Supports Adult Education President Bush signed Executive Order 11030 on Sept. 27 to strengthen adult education in America. The order tasks Secretary Spellings with leading an Interagency Adult Education Working Group to coordinate a joint approach to addressing the education needs of adults. The working group will bring together all relevant federal agencies to strengthen existing programs aimed at improving adult participation in postsecondary education. “College access is not just about access for high school students,” said Spellings, “it’s about access for adult learners. http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/09/09282007a.html Secretary Announces Ready-for-College Grants Secretary Spellings recently announced four discretionary grants from OVAE totaling more than $2.8 million to support states and colleges working to increase adults’ access to a first postsecondary credential. The Ready-for-College: Adult Education Transitions Program grants went to: Colorado Community College System Foundation, Essex County College in New Jersey, North Carolina Community College System, and Kansas Board of Regents. Funding began Oct. 1, 2007. The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) has released a Policy Brief by senior analyst Julie Strawn of the Center for Law and Social Policy. This publication, Policies to promote adult education and postsecondary alignment, was prepared for the 3rd meeting of the National Commission on Adult Literacy on August 20, 2007. As introduced by its author, the publication focuses on "helping adults with lower skills and/or limited English proficiency earn postsecondary credentials that open doors to family-supporting jobs." It examines obstacles to moving toward this goal -- with major attention to lack of alignment between federal and state adult education efforts, job training services, and postsecondary education policies. It also draws attention to the financial, personal, and family challenges that prevent adults from seeking and completing programs. Numerous policy and action recommendations are given for Commission consideration. The publication is available for download, at http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/pandp.htm It is also available in bound version from CAAL (for pricing and ordering instructions, bheitner@caalusa.org). The International Classroom Virtual Visit (Virtual School) project is beginning its ninth year, linking classrooms across the world to enable students to meet each other virtually, share information about their cultures, their classrooms, and their 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 can be from age seven to adult. We hope classes will engage in lively written discussion, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to discuss. We have 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. To participate in this year's project, 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. Once you receive confirmation that you are on the I.C.V.V. 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. To see classroom virtual visit projects from previous years go to: http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school.htm. Let one of us know if you have questions. - David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net amd Susan Gaer sgaer@yahoo.com from Pen Weekly Newsblast, September 14, 2007 : EDUCATION INVESTMENTS LOWER RATES OF VIOLENT CRIME & INCARCERATION The Justice Policy Institute led off their four-part research brief series, announcing that states investing more money in both their K-12 and higher education systems have lower rates of violent crimes and incarceration, and likewise save billions in crime-related expenses. The brief notes that increased graduation rates have a significant impact on public safety, as a five percent increase in males graduating from high school produces almost $5 billion dollars in savings on crime-related expenses. Additionally, states that are able to get students farther along the educational pipeline had lower crime rates than the national average. Similarly, states with higher college enrollment rates experienced less violent crimes, and those states with the biggest increased expenditures on higher education saw decreases in violent crimes. Across the country, the difference between white and minority students’ educational opportunities are stark. Conse-quently, minority students are more likely to be incarcerated but also more likely to face violent crimes in their daily lives. The next three research briefs will focus on the effect housing, employment, and drug treatment have on public safety and crime. http://www.justicepolicy.org/content.php?hmID=1811&smID=1581&ssmID=61 CHILDREN'S HEALTH HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ACADEMIC SUCCESS? The connection between good student health and academic success is no news for teachers, who see its critical importance everyday in their classrooms, or to researchers who have studied it. Self-reported physical health problems are associated with school failure, mostly because health problems contribute to school absenteeism, trouble with homework, and student-teacher bonding, writes educational psychologist Gerald Coles in a blog entry on the District Administration website. Asthmatic children in the US miss approximately 14 million days of school, but the rate of school absenteeism is twice as high among poor and minority asthmatic children living in urban areas. Health insurance makes a difference! A California study showed that after obtaining health care, children who had been in poor health improved their school attendance, attention in class, and the extent to which they kept up with school activities. Of course these changes contributed to improved academic performance. A University of Missouri study found that children who enrolled in the state's health insurance program had 39% school absences. Uninsured children with asthma miss more school days. Educators can make a difference in taking one important step to help poor children's health and education. Go to the Campaign for Health Care: http://www.childrenshealthcampaign.org - sign a petition to Congress and the president that calls for health coverage for all children, find information on how to call your senators and urge them to support the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) and how to recruit family and friends in this effort. Both the House and Senate bills would provide additional funds to provide health insurance for millions of children. Given the realities of current domestic policy, both bills and the final compromise bill will be a critical victory for many poor children. http://www.districtadministration.com/pulse/commentpost.aspx?news=no&postid=48079 - To view past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_past.asp - To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/subscribe.asp Research Utilization in the Field of Adult Learning and Literacy: Lessons Learned by NCSALL About Connecting Practice, Policy, and Research By Cristine Smith, Beth Bingman, and Kaye Beall This occasional paper is a summary of what the staff of the NCSALL Dissemination Initiative learned about how to connect research, policy and practice in ways that promote evidence-based practice in the field of adult learning and literacy. Go to http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#utilization to download the paper. google literacy site: http://www.google.com/literacy/ outstanding resource: http://www.youthliteracy.ca/ - Youth Literacy work in Canada Shannon Gavin, a senior graduating from Brown this year, has developed a new website, as her capstone project in Middle East Studies, called Arab Perceptions of the United States: Video Interviews from Amman, Jordan and Damascus, Syria.You can view them, and supporting text at http://arabperceptions.wordpress.com Journal of Online Mathematics and its Applications offers articles, learning modules, "mathlets" (single-purpose learning tools), reviews of online resources, and a developers' area. Search contents of the journal by type of resource (e.g., article), by subject (e.g., number concepts, data presentation, plane geometry), or both. The journal makes extensive use of graphics, animations, video clips, and other media. Articles and other materials are peer reviewed. (Mathematical Association of America, National ScienceFoundation) http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1875 The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - The U.S. Civics and Citizenship Online: Resource Center for Instructors is available online at: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=b36e663784bcd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=b36e663784bcd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Assisting Refugees with Disabilities Program has produced a Resource Guide for Serving Refugees with Disabilities - available at http://www.refugees.org/DisabilityGuide The guide, written for refugee case managers and those serving refugees with disabilities, includes 139 pages of information about resources for serving adults and children with disabilities, housing for refugees with disabilities, assistive technology, medical resources, citizenship and disability, benefits for refugees with disabilities and more. If you have any questions or technical assistance needs, please contact Xuan Nguyen, Director of USCRI Health and Human Services at xnguyen@uscridc.org or at 202-347-3507 ext 3056. Resources from EdChange family of Web sites: A new Classism and Poverty Awareness Quiz http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/quizzes.html ; Newly designed Social Justice News Service site http://mail.socialjusticenews.net/mailman/listinfo/news_socialjusticenews.net- email-based news service, periodic email digests of links to articles related to equity, social justice, and multiculturalism from sources all over the world. New essays and links to essays http://www.edchange.org/publications.html New essays in the Multicultural Education Research Room http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers.html CAELA's online resource collection,Working with Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners. is now available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/collections/literacy.html The collection includes links and annotations to many resources related to working with adult English language learners, who have had limited access to formal education. - Lynda Terrill, Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th St, NW, Washington, DC 20016 lterrill@cal.org 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 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 Vocabulary Strategies that Work MATSOL's RI Special Interest Group will hold a one day event with Michael Graves from the University of Minnesota: Saturday, October 13th, Second Floor Student Union Building at RI College, 8:45-12:30 Opening Session: Designing a Comprehensive Vocabulary Program for English Learners. Break Out Sessions Please choose one of three workshops to attend for your breakout session. Please state your choice of breakout session when you register. - Vocabulary Building Strategies for Adult ESL Learners Sherry Lehane and Chris Bourret, Lead Teachers, Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative, Providence - Strategies for Academic Vocabulary Development in Middle and High School Erin Papa, ESL Teacher,Calcutt M.S., Central Falls, Kelly Healey and Jennifer Walker, ESL Teachers, Jenks Junior High, Pawtucket - Word Study for Elementary ELLs Linda Iannetta, ESL Teacher, Cumberland • Registration Fee $5.00 for RI SIG of MATSOL Members $10.00 Non-Members R.S.V.P by October 5, 2007 and state your breakout session to jane_george@nksd.net or ncloud@ric.edu or go to http://my.memberclicks.com/matsol 8:45-9:15 Book Exhibit, Registration, Greeting and Networking, 9:15-10:30 Opening Session: Dr. Graves Designing a Vocabulary Program, 10:30-10:45 Coffee Break/Book Exhibit, 10:45-12:00 Breakout Sessions: Choose One 12:00-12:30 Book Signing/Raffle & Exhibits REGISTER FOR SCALE'S 2007 READ.WRITE.ACT. CONFERENCE! OCTOBER 26 - 27. http://readwriteact.org/rwa/rwaconference.html 17th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy Call for Proposals Literacy Grows Families and Communities, March 30/April 1, 2008, Louisville, KY The National Center for Family Literacy invites proposals for presentation at the National Conference on Family Literacy. NCFL is interested in session presentations that share successful, specific outcomes and strategies that work well for the diverse populations family literacy serves. Proposals (accepted online only) hare welcome from literacy practitioners and are encouraged from professionals in administration, policy and research.. NCFL encourages presenters to carefully read the criteria and guidelines before submitting proposals. Deadline for submission of concurrent proposals is October 26; deadline for submissions for literacy showcase poster session is December 7. information http://www.famlit.org/Conference COABE and the Missouri Association for Adult, Continuing and Community Education (MAACCE) invite you to submit a proposal for presentation at the 2008 COABE National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, April 28 - May 1, 2008 at the Adam's Mark Hotel. The conference committee is interested in outstanding and innovative practices in all aspects of adult education including basic literacy, basic numeracy, workforce development, family literacy, English as a Second Language, volunteer/community-based literacy, correctional education, and all other areas. The program committee is looking for presentations based on successful implementation, current research, and sound practice. Access further information and the Call for Presenters form online at http://www.coabeconference.org/call_for_presenters.html Proposals are due no later than October 31, 2007. Presentation Co-Chairs: Janet Geary - 816.413.5461 | jgeary@coabeconference.org Ramona George - 417.447.8861 | rgeorge@coabeconference.org Join us for two days of workshops on Effective Transitions in Adult Education, November 8-9, 2007 in Providence, RI. Our keynote speaker, Dr. JoAnn Crandall, will kick off the event with a discussion of transition for English language learners. For more details, http://www.collegetransition.org/novconference.html Cynthia Zafft, Director, National College Transition Network at World Education nctn@worlded.org 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
breathe - everyday yoga at your desk. http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html
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