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 August 26, 2008 Bulletin
#277 Dear Colleagues, Calls for
participation, employment, funding,
and conference and workshop
opportunities, online
and other resources.
Janet Isserlis
ESOL share Tuesday, September 23rd 2:00 pm, Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Voting, civic participation. What are we doing to inform and prepare ourselves/learners for the elections and ongoing community participation? his is an open discussion group. All are invited to participate. Voter information sites that could be of use: http://www.commoncraft.com/election http://nonprofitvote.org/ http://www.vote411.org/ http://www.lwv.org Practitioner share Monday, September 22nd, 3 - 5 p, Crossroads RI, 160 Broad Street Many practitioners struggle with helping adult learners stay engaged in learning, as numerous concerns can often make it difficult for learners to stay focused on educational programs. Join classroom teachers and administrators considering these issues and share both concerns and possibilities. We continue our discussion of means of creating safe space for learners while balancing high expectations, holding learners accountable for their participation, and considering our own accountability as well. Visitor parking is available in the YMCA parking lot; please enter through the Copy Center; contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu for more information. GED Testing The Education Exchange in Wakefield offers weekly GED Testing on Thursday and Friday mornings through the summer (with the exception of August 14th & 15th). For more information on registration call Candice Moretti at 783-0293. other RI Adult Education PDC events: http://www.ric.edu/aepdc/calendar.php RIRAL's TRANSITION TO COLLEGE - INFORMATION AND ASSESSMENT SESSIONS Weekend session begins in October. CALL TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE!  Transition to College is part of the Rhode Island State Transition Initiative in partnership with the Community College of Rhode. The program is held at 175 Main Street Pawtucket, RI. For more information, contact MarieCrecca-Romero@riral.org, Program Director at 401. 722.9800. from OVAE's Thursday notes, August 14, 2008 OVAE Studies Helping ELL Adults Earn High School Diplomas Learning English is no longer the only goal of instruction for many English language learners (ELLs). OVAE has funded a new $1.1 million two-year project to identify instructional and programmatic techniques to move adults from English language learning (ELL) to adult basic education and high school completion programs. OVAE will collect information at 10 local adult education programs in three states to document the implementation and effectiveness of this transition. These programs will be identified by early January and data collection will begin shortly thereafter. Synthesis of the information will help OVAE design its next steps to promote the transition of English language learners toward a broader education. Delaware' s WIA Incentive Funds Identify Transition Strategies Delaware is using a portion of its incentive grant awarded under the Workforce Investment Act to identify strategies to help adult education students transition to college opportunities. The state funded seven adult education programs to create practices helping students enter postsecondary education. Promising practices included: touring colleges, providing specific counseling on college entry, accompanying students to applications offices, helping students investigate entrance exams, and ensuring that all instructors discuss postsecondary options during classes. What Is the Impact Of Remedial Education? A new study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that remedial education to boost college-level skills may not have long-term effects. The research was based on an analysis of nearly 100,000 Florida students. Researchers found that, while being assigned remedial courses may increase the total credits a student completes and odds that the student will return for a second year of college, this does not increase the completion of college-level credits or eventual degree completion. http://www.nber.org/tmp/13281-w14194.pdf learning opportunities Adult Literacy (ADTED 457) is a three-credit undergraduate/graduate level Penn State course offered online through Penn State's World Campus. It can be used as an elective for several Penn State graduate degree programs, as well as for undergraduate credit. The course examines recent research and issues, and bridges the gap between research and adult literacy practices. It explores best practices for developing instruction and teaching adult students, including contextualized instruction, scaffolding techniques to promote independent learning, and self-regulation strategies to support self-directed learning and for successful transition into postsecondary education and training. The course has been designed to provide practitioners with a professional development opportunity to focus on their own areas of interest within the field of adult basic and literacy education, including, but not limited to, family literacy, workplace literacy and workforce development, health literacy, financial literacy, and information literacy. There are no prerequisites, and a background in adult education is not necessary for successful completion of the course. The curriculum allows students to participate at their own level of experience and need, and begins September 3, and ends December 3, 2008. For more information, visit: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/FamilyLiteracyCertificate.shtml or contact Dr. Sheila Sherow at sms20@psu.edu To register contact: http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/StudentServices_GettingStarted.shtml Adult Multiple Intelligences and Differentiated Instruction Course Dates: October 13–December 12, 2008; Online chats during Lessons 3, 4, and 5 Course Description Research conducted by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy shows that instructional practices inspired by Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory resulted in high levels of authentic instruction and student engagement. Integrate your understanding of Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory with the power of differentiated instruction in this facilitated, eight-session course. You’ll learn how to apply MI theory and differentiate instruction for all levels of adult basic education and English for speakers of other languages. The facilitator will guide you as you develop your own MI-based lessons. Objectives Upon completion of this course you will be able to: *Apply the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) to design learning activities that match your learning objectives *Use varying methods of differentiated instruction (DI) that address the different skills and interests of your learners *Apply knowledge of your own MI profile to your classroom teaching *Produce and reflect on a lesson or unit using both MI and DI Required Text: Viens, Julie and Silja Kallenbach. Multiple Intelligences and Adult Literacy: A Sourcebook for Practitioners. (New York: Teachers College Press, 2004. Copies of the required textbook can be obtained from the publisher, Teachers College Press (TCP), the publisher at http://store.tcpress.com/0807743461.shtml. The cost is $27.95 per copy. Bottom of Form Course Format and Schedule: facilitated, online During this eight-week course, you will engage in self-paced activities and readings, as well as asynchronous discussions with the facilitators and course participants. Three synchronous chats will be scheduled during Lessons 3, 4, and 5. Course Overview: Download at http://professionalstudiesae.worlded.org/pdf/midi_overview.pdf. Course Facilitator: Wendy Quiñones Estimated Completion Time: 40 hours Fee: $249.00 (negotiated group rates available) Registration: Complete and return the registration form, which you can download at http://professionalstudiesae.worlded.org/pdf/midi_reg.pdf. Payment must be received prior to enrollment. Registration is limited to 20 participants. Cancellation policy: World Education reserves the right to cancel the course if the minimum number of registrants is not met by September 29, 2008 Study Circle: Research-based Adult Reading Instruction Course Dates: September 25–November 19, 2008; chats on October 8 and October 29 at 12:30 or 1:30 pm EDT and November 19 at 12:30 pm or 1:30 pm EST Course Description The Research-based Adult Reading Instruction Study Circle is designed to engage practitioners of adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and English-for-speakers-of‐other-languages (ESOL) in discussing theories and concepts related to reading instruction. Questions about what research says about teaching adults how to read are particularly relevant as programs and teachers struggle with choosing the most effective ways to develop adults’ reading skills. Objectives During this study circle, you will: • Think about and share your own perspectives on teaching reading and discuss the research on reading with others. • Then look more in-depth at the reading research, who adult readers are, and how reading research can be applied to reading instruction. • Identify how to assess adults’ reading skills and what adult students should know about the reading process. • Develop an action plan for using what you learn in your own practice. Course Format and Schedule: facilitated, online During this eight-week course, you will work on team projects, engage in self-paced activities and readings, as well as asynchronous discussions with the facilitator and course participants. Chats are scheduled for October 8 and October 29 at 12:30 or 1:30 pm EDT and November 19 at 12:30 pm or 1:30 pm EST. Course Overview: Download at http://professionalstudiesae.worlded.org/pdf/reading_sc_overview.pdf Course Facilitator: Kaye Beall Estimated Completion Time: 20–24 hours Fee: $249.00 (negotiated group rates available) Registration: Complete and return the registration form, which you can download at http://professionalstudiesae.worlded.org/pdf/reading_reg.pdf. Payment must be received prior to enrollment. Registration is limited to 20 participants. Cancellation policy: World Education reserves the right to cancel the course if the minimum number of registrants is not met by September 10, 2008. What Every Teacher Should Know About Assessment (September 15 - 29; Webinars at 2 pm, Sept. 15 & 29) Your guide to basic concepts in student assessment - learn how to use standardized assessments effectively and develop better in-class assessments. Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 6 hours as completion time. Facilitator: Carey Reid, World Education, Inc. Course fee: $89 per participant The following two courses help you apply what you learn in "What Every Teacher Should Know About Assessment" to your classroom. Understanding and Using Published Assessments with Adult Learners (October 6 - 27; Webinars at 2 p.m. EST, Oct. 7 & 27) Published tests - standardized and non-standardized - are fixtures in adult basic education, but we rarely give much thought about their design, their intent, or their strengths and limitations. In this course, you will explore the main types of published reading assessments in use in ABE, the advantages and disadvantages of reading tests, and how the NRS uses the results of standardized testing. Prerequisite: What Every Teacher Should Know About Assessment or equivalent experience Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 12 hours as completion time. Facilitator: Carey Reid, World Education, Inc. Course fee: $179 per participant Assessments Developed by Teachers and Students (Nov. 10 - Dec. 12; Webinars at 2 p.m. EST, Nov. 10 & Dec. 8) Expand your assessment toolkit! Learn about tools to check day-to-day student progress, dynamic forms of assessment, and how to involve your students in assessment design. You'll learn how assessments can guide and inform instruction by focusing on learning objectives, assessment design, and lesson activities. And you'll be able to use rubrics and other tools to share assessment criteria and expectations with students. Prerequisite: What Every Teacher Should Know About Assessment or equivalent experience Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 12 hours as completion time. Facilitator: Carey Reid, World Education, Inc. Course fee: $179 per participant These courses combine top-quality content on student assessment in adult education and literacy with an easy-to-use online format. In these courses you'll explore assessment concepts and strategies in-depth through online activities, readings, and discussion boards, all with an expert facilitator and adult education colleagues across the country. Register by calling (315) 422-9121 ext. 367. Online registration open at http://www.ProfessionalStudiesAE.org beginning August 25th. Questions? Call 315-422-9121 ext. 283, or e-mail prodev@proliteracy.org MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT ProLiteracy members receive a 15% discount on all professional development courses - http://www.proliteracy.org/proliteracy_america/membership GROUP DISCOUNTS are available for organizations registering 5 or more course participants. Please call 315-422-9121, ext. 283, or e-mail prodev@proliteracy.org for more information. NAASLN webinars: http://www.naasln.org/webinars.htm. Upcoming topics include GED Accommodations, and Math. $20 for members, $30 for non-members. National Priorities Project analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Numeracy, critical thinking and technology: have a look http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home funding opportunities - large and less large Grants from the Juanita Sanchez Community Fund may support human service organizations, community centers, art institutions—any nonprofit that works toward enriching or improving the lives of Latinos in Rhode Island. Several grants will be awarded each year in the range of $500 to $1,500. For consideration in the upcoming grant cycle, grant applications must be completed and submitted to The Rhode Island Foundation, One Union Station, Providence, RI 02903 by October 1. The Juanita Sanchez Community Fund will accept no more than one application per organization in any given year; however, applying to the Sanchez Fund does not restrict an organization from applying for a grant from another fund administered by The Rhode Island Foundation. For more information, contact Inés Merchán, Community Philanthropy Associate, at imerchan@rifoundation.org or (401) 274-4564, and/or learn more at http://www.rifoundation.org/matriarch/documents/SanchezRFP.pdf Verizon Foundation -- Education, Literacy and Health Grants The Verizon Foundation aims to help people increase their literacy and educational achievement; avoid being an abuser or a victim of domestic violence; and achieve and sustain their health and safety. To achieve this goal, the Foundation funds programs in the following areas of interest: education, literacy, domestic violence prevention, healthcare and accessibility and Internet safety. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Proposals will also be considered from elementary and secondary schools that are registered with the National Center for Education Statistics. Deadline: November 1, 2008 Contact the Verizon Foundation directly for complete program information and application guidelines: http://foundation.verizon.com/grant/guidelines.shtml The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Announces the 2009 National Grant Competition http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/nga.html The Foundation's grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects that are designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000. Family Literacy programs funded through the Foundation's National Grant Program must include all of the following components: Reading instruction for parents or primary care-givers (pre-GED/GED/ESL etc.); literacy or pre-literacy instruction for children, and Intergenerational activities where the parents/primary caregivers and children come together to learn and to read. Programs can also include additional components such as parent support groups, parent involvement, home visits, job training etc.  - 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. 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.
online / resources available The National College Transition Network's newest publication, The College Transition Toolkit, is a comprehensive guide to program planning and implementation that draws on the expertise of practitioners from The New England ABE-to-College Transition Project and around the country. The Toolkit contains detailed information to help adult educators and administrators plan for the needs of students interested in pursuing postsecondary education and training. Chapter titles include: Program Models; Partnerships and Collaborations; Recruitment; Assessment; Counseling; Curriculum and Instruction; Planning; and Using Data for Program Development. The toolkit also provides templates that you can download and adapt for use in developing your college transition program, links to a variety of online resources, and supplementary printable resources. For more details about the toolkit and information on ordering, visit http://collegetransition.org/toolkit.html Other questions? Please contact Priyanka Sharma at 617-385-3788 or psharma@worlded.org. The Centre for Literacy in Montréal has posted presentations from its 2008 summer institute on ESL and Literacy. http://www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca/whatsnew/sli2008/index.htm RI DLT's Rhode Island Red job search feature is now drawing job postings from ALL local jobs boards (except Monster.com). To access this resource visit RI RED http://www.dlt.ri.gov/rired/ -- under quick menu click job search; choose location search criteria, provide job title or other criteria. Source codes are listed at the bottom of the page The Media Library of Teaching Skills (http://www.mlots.org) now has eight, original adult literacy education classroom videos, and links to 25 adult literacy education videos on other web sites. The MLoTS videos include ESOL/ESL, reading, writing, numeracy/mathematics, and adult secondary education. The latest addition is an ESOL class in a neighborhood in Boston. The lesson focuses on food vocabulary and verb tenses. All the videos are free and stream online, and are based on state curriculum standards or frameworks or on other best practices. They are intended for teacher professional development. They can be used as part of face-to-face or online courses, workshops, or study circles, and can also be accessed by individual teachers who on their own want a "window" to look in on other teaching colleagues' classrooms and teachin g practices. If you look at or use these videos we would like to hear what you think. If you are interested in making classroom videos in your state, please let us hear from you. -David J. Rosen, Media Library of Teaching Skills djrosen@mlots.org Office of Disability Employment Policy Releases three new Publications Soft Skills: The Competitive Edge http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/softskills.htm Tips on How Parents Can Put Their Children with Disabilities on the Path to Future Employment http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/parenttips.htm Recruiting Young People with Disabilities: A Hiring Strategy with Bottom Line Benefits http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/rypwd.htm Assessing the nation's health literacy: Key concepts and findings of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) describes health literacy results from the landmark 2003 NAAL, the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy in more than a decade. Published by the American Medical Association Foundation and written by Sheida White, PhD, NAAL Project Officer, this 100-page report will be of interest to clinicians, researchers, educators, insurers, and policy makers in both the health and education fields. Assessing the nation’s health literacy can be downloaded as a PDF at http://www.amafoundation.org/go/healthliteracy. Hard copies can be purchased for $20 through the AMA Bookstore (http://www.amabookstore.com/) or call (800) 621-8335 and ask for Item #OP423908. - Jaleh Behroozi Soroui and from the National Health Law Program's June 2008 Policy Briefing: Addressing Language Barriers That Impact Health Care for Millions http://www.healthlaw.org/library/folder.198370 Guidance documents from the UK’s Skills for Life – http://excellence.qia.org.uk/page.aspx?o=Guidance – contextualizing work for those with clearly identified learning difficulties (defined as): physical and sensory impairments – for example those with mobility difficulties or hearing or visual impairments; unseen disabilities such as health conditions, mental health difficulties and dyslexia; those whose disrupted learning experiences (for example those in offender establishments) and difficulties with learning have led them to work at a significantly lower level than the majority of their peers. numeracy resources: The Problem Solver, Massachusetts math newsletter, online at http://www.sabes.org/resources/publications/problemsolver/index.htm; Massachusetts also produces a math newsletter that focuses on research: the SABES Math Bulletin. You can access copies of that publication at: http://sabes.org/resources/publications/mathbulletin/index.htm 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 Lots to do at the library Providence Public Library's calendar of events: http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp reading resources, from Amy Trawick Practitioners often ask how they can find books, poetry, or even simple paragraphs that relate to adult interests and issues. I have added a few resources to the Reading section of the ALE Wiki, but I realize this is a very incomplete list. I wondered if we might pool our collective knowledge to create a "go to" list for the field. I'm envisioning this list being a list of collections of resources rather than a list of individual titles. If you know of a site that already provides such a list, please let me know and I'll just create a link to it from the wiki instead of recreating the wheel:). If you are interested in contributing to the list I've started, please do the following: 1) Go to the Reading section of the ALE Wiki. Shortcut: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Reading 2) Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the section Finding Materials for Adult Readers. 3) Add to or revise the current list. To edit the page, you need to be registered on the ALE Wiki. If you are not registered, take just a minute to complete a simple process. Click on "create an account or log in" at the top of any web page in the wiki. Fill in the information required (username, password, etc.). Once you are registered, log in. Then go to the page you want to edit and click on "edit" at the top of the page. Type your comments, select the "Show preview" button at the bottom of the page to see what they look like and then, when you like how they look, select the "Save page" button. If you need help or want to send an idea, question, or comment directly to me, you may contact me at atrawick@charter.net. Or, you can post directly to the discussion list. Thank you in advance for your great ideas! - Amy R. Trawick. Reading Topic Leader ALE Wiki http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page The Adult Literacy Education(ALE) Wiki is a free online environment for practitioners, researchers, adult learners and others interested in the connections between research, professional knowledge, and practice in adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English language learning. Like other wikis*, this is a text environment where one can read what others have written, but also easily contribute one's own knowledge, opinions, findings, and observations. The ALE Wiki includes discussions and resources on a number of topics ranging from adult basic literacy, to assessment, workforce and workplace education, and public policy. In the topic areas are selected discussions which have taken place on electronic lists, summaries of these discussions, links to relevant research, research citations, bibliographies, glossaries of terms, and other resources. National Science Teachers Association Learning Center Offers On-demand Science Training for Teachers NSTA has developed a new resource to improve the quality of science instruction in the nation's schools: an online hub that provides affordable, on-demand professional development to help educators boost their knowledge about various science topics, as needed. The online Learning Center http://learningcenter.nsta.org/ was introduced earlier this year with more than 3,000 electronic professional development resources and opportunities, including books, journal articles, web seminars, and online courses. More than 50 free, on-demand Science Object lessons allow teachers to increase their content knowledge at their own pace. The resource is particularly useful for K-8 teachers, who might have a general education degree but no in-depth knowledge of some of the science content areas they are expected to cover in their classrooms. Read the entire article at eSchoolNews.com http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/?i=54807;_hbguid=04180bda-e9ed-4864-8ef5-583ce95f0ff3%26d=top-news Reach Higher – the DVD: from Gail Spangenberg, Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy The National Commission on Adult Literacy released its final report, Reach Higher, America at an event at the U.S. Capitol on June 26th. The panel presentation and Q&A from that morning are now available in 5 short DVD segments from the Commission's website: http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org . Go to the Get Reports page and scroll to the bottom for the link. You will be able to view the segments on both PC and Mac platforms with current Flash or QuickTime players. Note that the full DVD can also be purchased from CAAL for a nominal sum (contact bheitner@caalusa.org for instructions and cost). 2009 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year Presented by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and Toyota, the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year Award is given to educators who demonstrate exemplary efforts to help parents and children achieve their academic and non-academic goals. The 2009 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year will receive a $7,500 award for his/her program, courtesy of Toyota. He/she also will receive a trip to the 18th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy in Orlando, Florida, where he/she will be recognized during the Opening General Session. Nominations will be accepted online through December 5, 2008 Visit http://www.famlit.org/toyotateacher for nomination guidelines. What's new at NIFL? http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/whats_new.html Educating the Public and Elected Officials about Adult Education: Report on Adult Education Advocacy Efforts in New England by the New England Literacy Resource Center at World Education This new report takes stock of the program, policy and legislative context for adult education in each of the six New England states. It discusses local and statewide advocacy strategies by adult educators. The findings show that adult education advocacy efforts in New England are multi-faceted, and growing in sophistication and reach. The report discusses the principal challenges and related promising strategies revealed through interviews with leading adult education advocates in New England. They are grouped into four areas: 1) Visibility; 2) Framing the Message; 3) Student Involvement; and 4) Increasing and Sustaining Advocacy Efforts. Available for downloading (as a PDF file): http://www.nelrc.org/expertise/civic.html#educating (For a word doc version, please contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu) Seven habits and more: a recent online discussion about reading and ESOL (and English speaking) learners, led to a number of resources being shared, including Heide Spruck Wrigley's Seven Habits of Successful Readers, http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/7Habits.pdf. To follow the entire conversation, go to http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/2008/date.html and follow the conversation thread that begins on May 12th (you’ll need to scroll down the page). The UK's Open University course, 'Who counts as a refugee' considers the interrelationships between citizenship, identity and belonging, personal lives and social policy for people who have fled their country of origin seeking asylum in the UK, and includes useful information about refugee status and related issues for those living in other countries: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3490 UK National Curricula for ESOL, Literacy and Numeracy, with associated material and support for teachers, including the competencies for each skill at each level. As well, a significant number of resources for working with people with a range of disabilities. (See, for example): http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_literacy/access/workwith/principles/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_esol/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_literacy/ http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_numeracy/ Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection series Now Available Through VIDEO-ON-DEMAND The adult learning series Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection are available online through the Rhode Island PBS video streaming portal. In 25 half-hour segments, the Workplace Essential Skills series presents refreshers in fundamental reading, writing, and math skills as they relate to getting, keeping, or advancing in a job. Lessons also cover job applications, resume writing, and job interviews. An orientation segment touches upon the use of the different components included in this series. Lessons are written at a pre-GED level, and can help prepare adults for the GED tests. Four workbooks accompany the series. In 39 half-hour programs, the GED Connection helps learners prepare for the GED exam. Episodes cover subjects and skills related to work, community, and home life. Practice tests help learners know what to expect, see which skills they need to strengthen, and build confidence. Access to Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection series through RI PBS video streaming is free. Users access VOD through an account and passcode, available by email request to Education@ RIpbs.org or by calling Education Services at 401-222-3636 x 211. Video streaming, also known as video on demand (VOD), allows users the convenience of watching lessons at any time from an Internet-connected computer. VOD is also flexible, allowing users to watch several episodes in one sitting, or repeat lessons as often as desired. Both the Workplace Essential Skills and the GED Connection series are also broadcast on RI PBS LEARN, digital 36.2 and Verizon 787. The Workplace Essential Skills broadcasts Fridays at 12:30 PM and the GED Connection series broadcasts Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays at 12:30 PM. For Workplace Essential Skills and the GED Connection broadcast dates please visit: http://www.pbs.org/tvschedules/ For information about RIPBS Education Services please visit out web pages at http://www.ripbs.org/Education/ - Dr. María D. Velásquez de Tondreau Education Director Rhode Island PBS 50 Park Lane Providence, RI 02907 Phone: (401) 222-3636, ext. 211 Fax: (401) 222-3407 Education@RIpbs.org great online resource: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/index.asp National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, dedicated to conducting research and development projects to improve literacy, numeracy, language and related skills and knowledge. On this site you will find information on all our activities, including: Research and development projects <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/projects.asp> Creative routes to specialist teacher qualifications <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/creativeroutes> The Voices on the Page storybank is now live! Read all of the 640 stories here <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/voicesonthepage.asp> Research reports and reviews <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=329> Latest e- newsletter <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=671> News and events <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/news.asp> While the work originates in the U.K., much of it has usefulness and validity for work in this country. 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 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 : 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 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 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 Effective Transitions in Adult Education to be held on November 17-18, 2008 in Providence, RI Registration for the conference in now open: http://collegetransition.org/conference08/registration.html For more information, contact Priyanka Sharma psharma@worlded.org or call (617) 385-3788. – 2008 National Refugee and Immigrant Conference: Issues and Innovations September 25-26, Chicago, IL The 2008 Refugee and Immigrant Conference offers groups and individuals assisting refugee and immigrant children and their families an opportunity to network and learn about issues affecting refugee and immigrant children and their families, schools, health, and health care, along with the challenges of cultural adjustment. http://www.thecenterweb.org/alrc/refugee.html - questions, please contact Lynn Osheff (losheff@thecenterweb.org). ProLiteracyWorldwide's 2008 annual conference at the Peabody, Little Rock, AR October 2 - 4: http://www.proliteracy.org/conference/ Conference on Learner Persistence, October 17, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm. RI College – Student Union Ballroom The purpose of the persistence conference is to enable practitioners to meet to learn about one another's efforts in the areas of supporting learner persistence in adult education. Representatives of programs that did research projects through the NELRC (New England Literacy Resource Council) last spring, as well as those that have initiated projects on their own, will share their work so that area practitioners may learn more about strategies, approaches and practice that can further adult learners’ persistence in their engagement with adult learning. This half-day conference will begin with a plenary session, providing an overview of learner persistence, followed by brief presentations facilitated by practitioners whose programs have addressed elements of persistence. Smaller breakout sessions will enable conference participants to focus on particular strategies and approaches so that clear next steps will be identified and action plans developed. To register, please contact Jessica Ortiz: jortiz@ric.edu Eleventh Annual Multicultural Conference and Curriculum Resource Fair Presented by the RIC Dialogue on Diversity Committee November 1st, theme: Teaching for Change: Privilege, Power and Possibilities Program includes: Workshops on promising practices in multicultural education; A curriculum fair, including curriculum resources, books, software, and videos; Keynote address by Dr. Peggy McIntosh, "Youth Hour" - a round table dialogue with keynote speaker and college and high school students. http://www.ric.edu/promisingPractices/workshops.php  call for proposals from the MATSOL Conference Committee: We would like to invite you to present next spring at our annual conference on May 7-8, 2009 at the Sheraton Four Points in Leominster, MA. The 2009 conference theme is Multiple Literacies: Launching English Language Learners into a New Era. There will be a K-12 strand on both days and an Adult, Workplace and Higher Education strand on Friday, May 8. Our keynote speakers will be Stephen Krashen and Jim Cummins. We hope that you will consider sharing your strategies, tools, materials and research with your colleagues in the field of ELL and ESOL education. You can view and print instructions for submitting an online proposal at http://www.matsol.org/mc/page.do?orgId=matsol&sitePageId=68100 Proposals are due on December 1, 2008. 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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