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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every two weeks in order to inform area practitioners of news, events, and calls for participation and also as a forum for posing questions, issues and discussion topics. The current bulletin is posted below. To read previous bulletins, go to Bulletin Archives.5 December, 1997 Bulletin #28 Dear Colleagues, Activity around discussion groups and planning for advocacy around adult education across the state continues. If you're unable to attend the meeting on December 9, please contact Louise Moulton or LR/RI to learn more about proactive measures being considered to further access to adult education across the state.
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES PRACTITIONER WRITING GROUP: Practitioners are invited to meet to write, share, and give feedback in a supportive environment at a second meeting, to be held on Wednesday, December 17 at 3:00 PM at the Swearer Center for Public Service, (25 George Street, Providence). We can use this session as a forum for sharing writing, generating writing ideas for ourselves/our learners, setting up email or other exchanges. Also, see the new page, Writing from the Field, on LR/RI1s website. Adult Literacy Council meeting - December 9 at 2PM, Genesis Center 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Please join us to continue the conversation about advocacy and adult education. Members of the Literacy Council and others in the adult education community participated in a meeting with David Rosen on November 5, as part of the process of beginning to identify those issues we need to focus upon, and strategies for finding a unified voice for taking our message to legislators and others invested in adult learning in the state. Among many other suggestions, Dr. Rosen encouraged us to consider two or three concrete projects (a post card campaign, adult education day activities, for example) to take on during this program year. Please join us to make your voice heard and/or contact Louise Moulton or LR/RI for more information. ADULT EDUCATION AND WELFARE TO WORK INITIATIVES: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH, PRACTICE AND POLICY, is a recently released report written by Deborah D'Amico, Ph.D., as part of her work as a NIFL Literacy Leader Fellow. Touching on important research into and recommendations about welfare, work and education, the report is available at no charge by calling the National Institute for Literacy at 1-800-228-8813. Please try to make the time to read this report, as many of its findings touch closely upon topics under discussion in various advocacy and other policy groups and discussions, both locally and nationally. Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in learning disabilities Friday, December 12 at 3 PM, at the International Institute of Rhode Island, 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. Many of us who don't work specifically with LD learners can benefit greatly by learning more about the strategies, methods and approaches developed for LD students, particularly multi-sensory structured phonic reading instruction. Learning how such instruction can be applied to our teaching contexts can only strengthen our abilities overall. At this meeting, Sandy Jacobi will share her experience of working with LD learners in both one to one and classroom contexts; as well she will facilitate a discussion of the Wilson method, sharing with us a typical Wilson lesson, and the rationale behind the methodology. ESOL Sharing/discussion group will be held on Thursday, December 12 from 4 to 6 PM, at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Please join us; bring ideas, questions and concerns around ESOL practice. REMINDER - Inquiry projects: Applications for inquiry projects are due on December 11th. Questions? need more information? Please contact Bob Mason (277-4600, ext 12180) or LR/RI EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: The U.S. Dept. of Education's Division of Adult Education and Literacy has posted its Adult with Disabilities Specialist position. The position is a GS 12/13 starting salary for a 12 is 46K and for a 13 is 54K - grade level and starting salary is negotiable based on background, and is mainly involved in area of adult literacy and development of policy on issues related to learning and other disabilities. Deadline is December 15th. The job announcement is 97-319LP; for more information, call Jocelyn Swimpson at 202-401-0559 HEALTH AND LITERACY: From the NIFL-FAMILY listserv, for agencies working in collaboration with health care agencies: Pfizer Inc. is inviting applications for two $50,000 grants. One will support research and the other will support programs to improve health literacy. Any individual or organization involved in health care delivery is eligible to apply, and the grants may be used to fund existing projects or programs. The application deadline is April 30, 1998. Information: contact Charlene Landis, Pfizer Inc. 235 E. 42nd St. New York, NY 10017; 1- 888-457-3033 (toll free). AIDS RESOURCES ONLINE The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1s national AIDS clearinghouse is located at http://www.cdcnac.org. It's Up to Us: An AIDS Education Curriculum for ESL Students and Other English Language Learners, by Henry Lesnick, is available on line at http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/homepages/lesnick/AIDS. AVERT, AIDS Education and Research Trust, a British site, is at http://www.avert.org/ World AIDS Day is observed on December 1st, but the need to work on appropriate educational strategies around HIV and AIDS prevention education persists year round. WORD FOR WINDOWS International Institute of Rhode Island offers an introductory course to Microsoft Word6 for Windows on Saturdays. The class hours are 9:00am-12:00pm, 12:30pm-3:30pm; length of the class is 8 weeks; the tuition is $110 (Textbook, registration and lab fees are included); limit to 15 people per class. The International Institute of Rhode Island is located at 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907. For information, please call: (401)461-5940 (receptionist) or (401)784-4610 (morning teacher) or (401)784-4612 (afternoon teacher) The next PLANNING MEETING for the intergenerational learning conference, Connections through Literacy, will be held on Friday Jan 9 at 8:30 AM at the International Institute of RI. REMINDERS: Practitioner, Administrator, Learner Participation Sought for NCSALL Research The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy seeks practitioner, learner and ad ministrator assistance in four of its current research projects. All projects offer financial compensation and the opportunity to learn about and help improve practice through research. Brief de scriptions of each of the four projects, ( Adult Diagnostic Reading Study, Learner Motivation Study, Learner Identified Impacts Study, and Literacy Practices of Adult Learners), their needs and compensation, offered appeared in the last bulletin (on line, see bottom of this page). Additional information on the projects, including time requirements, time frames and contact information is available through the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network. Contact David Hayes at (401) 331-9261 or PDRNRI@aol.com. HOLIDAY FOOD FESTIVAL: Genesis Center, celebrating 15 years of service to the community, is hosting a Holiday Food Festival at Roger Williams Park Casino, December 11, from 5 to 8 PM. Featuring creative dishes from over 20 of RI1s finest restaurants, as well as raffle prizes, the event benefits Genesis Center1s programs. Tickets are $25 / adults and $5 for students. For tickets/information, call 781-6110. CASA: COMMUNITY AFTER SCHOOL INTERGENERATIONAL ARTS AND ACTIVITIES PROGRAM is seeking an Adult ESOL instructor, an instructor for GED en Español, a GED preparation instructor and one for the Computer Literacy/Writing Lab. All hiring will be done by, and programming administered under the auspices of the Genesis Center, operating as lead and fiscal agency for the project. Submit resume to Sally S. Gabb, Program Director, The Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence, RI 02907. (Full job descriptions appeared in the last bulletin; on line see the bottom of this page, please contact LR/RI.). Deadline: December 12.
from previous bulletins:
Information exchanges: Is your program taking on a new project or direction? Do you want to ask other practitioners/programs about their work? The bulletin is a vehicle for disseminating information, asking questions, sharing resources. Please utilize it . Call, write, fax or email to send information, questionnaires, calls for resources, whatever.
Practitioner, Administrator, Learner Participation Sought for NCSALL Research The Natitional Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy seeks practitioner, learner and ad ministrator assistance in four of its current research projects. All projects offer financial compensation and the opportunity to learn about and help improve practice through research. Following is a brief de scription of each of the four projects, their needs and compensation offered. Additional information on the projects, including time requirements , timeframes and contact information is available through the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network. Contact David Hayes at (401) 331-9261 or PDRNRI@aol.com.
LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION ON-LINE (from Fran Keenan at the Center for Applied Linguistics): http://www.StateServ.hpts.org provides current and exclusive state legislative information on welfare reform & immigrants. The 1996 welfare law rewrote the rules for immigrants, originally cutting $24 billion in cash, medical, and food stamp benefits. Although $12 billion in SSI benefits were restored in 1997, states are still challenged by the cost shifts from federal to state and local safety net programs, and are determining whether and how to serve particularly vulnerable immigrant populations. State legislation is summarized by cash assistance, medical assistance, nutritional assistance, and naturalization. Also available on-line are the Project's popular new series of issue briefs "Welfare Reform & Immigrants." Currently posted are briefs on: State Trends, Nutritional Assistance, and TANF. The website was launched by the Health Policy Tracking Service at NCSL. StateServ also provides information on state policies and legislation in the areas of adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, and youth access to alcohol. The website is supported with grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ford Foundation. For more information on StateServ, call The Health Policy Tracking Service at 202-624-3567 or e-mail them at: info@hpts.org. For more information on Welfare Reform & Immigrants, contact Ann Morse, Immigrant Policy Project, (ann.morse@ncsl.org) or Jeremy Meadows (jeremy.meadows@ncsl.org). We welcome your comments. (The IMMIGRANT-NEWS-L distribution list is a service of NCSLnet, the Electronic Information Network for State Legislatures. National Conference of State Legislatures. For information on NCSLnet services send a blank e-mail message to: NCSLnet-Info@ncsl.org).
CASA: COMMUNITY AFTER SCHOOL INTERGENERATIONAL ARTS AND ACTIVITIES PROGRAM is seeking an Adult ESOL instructor, an instructor for GED en Español, a GED preparation instructor and one for the Computer Literacy/Writing Lab. All hiring will be done by, and programming administered under the auspices of the Genesis Center, operating as lead agency and fiscal agency for the project. Job descriptions follow: Adult ESOL instructor: Provides 1 and 1/2 hours of ESOL instructions, 3 days/wk, from 2:30 to 4PM at the Alfred Lima Elementary School. 1 and 1/2 hours per week paid prep time; total 6 hours/wk @$18/hr. Qualifications: Teaching degree preferred; experience with adult ESOL required. Must have experience working with inner city low income limited English proficient adults. Experience/ interest in the arts preferred. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide ESOL instruction in multi-level adult ESOL classroom, maintain assessment portfolios with learners, coordinate with CASA children1s expressive arts projects, including content related to areas of visual, performance and folk arts, attend one staff meeting per month to coordinate program. GED en Español instructor: Provides 1 and 1/2 hours GED en Español instruction 3 days/wk, from 2:30 to 4PM at the Alfred Lima Elementary School. 1 and 1/2 hours per week paid prep time; total 6 hours/wk @$18/hr. Qualifications: Teaching degree preferred; experience with adult education required. Must have experience working with inner city low income adults. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide GED en Español instruction in multi-level classroom, maintain assessment portfolios with learners, coordinate with CASA children1s expressive arts projects, including content related to areas of visual, performance and folk arts, attend one staff meeting per month to coordinate program. GED preparation instructor: Provides 1 and 1/2 hours GED preparation instruction 3 days/wk, from 2:30 to 4PM at the Alfred Lima Elementary School. 1and 1/2 hours per week paid prep time; total 6 hours/wk @$18/hr. Qualifications: Teaching degree preferred; experience with adult education GED preparation required. Must have experience working with inner city low income adults. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide GED preparation instruction in multi-level classroom, maintain assessment portfolios with learners, coordinate with CASA children1s expressive arts projects, including content related to areas of visual, performance and folk arts, attend one staff meeting per month to coordinate program. Computer Literacy/Writing Lab instructor: Provides 1 and 1/2 hours computer literacy/writing instruction 3 days/wk, from 2:30 to 4PM at the Alfred Lima Elementary School. 1 and 1/2 hours per week paid prep time; total 6 hours/wk @$18/hr. Qualifications: Teaching degree preferred; basic computer literacy/writing instruction experience with adult education a plus. Must have experience working with inner city low income adults. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide basic computer literacy/writing instruction in multi-level classroom; maintain assessment portfolios with learners; coordinate with CASA children1s expressive arts projects, including content related to areas of visual, performance and folk arts; attend one staff meeting per month to coordinate program. Submit resume to Sally S. Gabb, Program Director, The Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence, RI 02907.
PROJECT BASED LEARNING AND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET How is the internet being used in adult education? What are some helpful uses, and how do we sort through the huge amount of material available on line? Susan Gaer is interested in helping programs link to one another, and has been doing so through an email project homepage on-line, at http://www.otan.dni.us/webfarm/emailproject/email.htm. If you have or know of similar learner work on line, please contact Susan at SusanG2@aol.com. As well, David Rosen (who in addition to advocacy work, has done a great deal of work on and research into using the internet) has asked that we have a look at the inquiry maps on the Adult Literacy Resource Institute1s home page. As he explains, "[a]n Inquiry Map is a group participatory research process on a topic of high interest to the group. Participants (in this case, adult learners) make their own questions, and then set about finding answers to them. The Inquiry map is a process which is never finished. Many of the questions go unanswered, are only partially answered, or have only one answer given where other points of view are possible. So, there is room for other participants to join in the process at any time, to add their answers, their comments on the answers already given, and questions which they might also choose to research." Questions, answers and comments can be posted to David Rosen <DJRosen@world.std.com>, and he'll add them to the inquiry map. So, it keeps on being an inquiry process with each new person who reads and adds to it. He welcomes additions of questions and answers; as you may know, many internet sites run threaded conversations on a variety of topics. The ALRI sites are: http://www2.wgbh.org/MBCWEIS/LTC/ALRI/I.M.html and http://www2.wgbh.org/MBCWEIS/LTC/ALRI/IM3.html (How to make inquiry maps). The LR/RI website has added a page about technology and learning as well. The page consists of the beginning of a discussion about the ways in which technology can be used interactively -- is the screen just a big flashy workbook, or is there more to it? Your comments can be sent by email, fax or regular mail, and will be added to the page to continue the conversation.
NCSALL Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network Now Scheduling On -Site Introductions The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network / Rhode Island is now scheduling on-site introductory meetings with practitioners and administrators as part of its ongoing effort to facilitate the development and strengthening of ties between researchers and practitioners. The sessions will highlight current NCSALL research and its connection to Rhode Island adult ed practice, introduce Focus On Basics - an adult ed pulication aimed at addressing practitioners' needs - and encourage discussion on practitioners' roles in research, ways in which research results can be applied to practice, and the utility of the PDRN to the Rhode Island adult ed community. Meetings will be tailored to suit a group or program's time restrictions and can be made to run anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes. Adminstrators and practitioners interested in learning more about or scheduling an on -site meeting should contact David Hayes, PDRN / RI Practitioner Leader, at (401) 331 - 9261 or by email to PDRNRI@aol.com.
and also from previous issues:
Workshops available - During the past few years I've worked with a team of women from around Canada, through the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women, on Making Connections: Literacy and EAL Curriculum from a Feminist Perspective. The curriculum was developed for learners in basic education and English language programs. A series of workshops have been developed and are available to anyone in the area with an interest in learning more about incorporating the curriculum and its approaches into their own work. Please contact me (Janet) at LR/RI for more information and/or to schedule a workshop. Information about the curriculum is also available online at http://www.nald.ca/canorg/cclow/EAL.HTM. While the cost of the curriculum document itself is $20, there is no charge for the workshops.
For the teacher sharing session on Thursday, July 10, these brief articles were reviewed: Cross-Cultural Issues in Adult ESL Literacy Classrooms, (http://www.cal.org/ncle/digests/CROSS_CULTURAL.HTML) Race and Gender in Adult Education, http://coe.ohio-state.edu/cete/ericacve/docs/race-gen.htm and Adult Eduction: Social Change or Status Quo? http://coe.ohio-state.edu/cete/ericacve/docs/dig176.htm You can link to the articles at the URLs above, or contact LR/RI for hardcopies.
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