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 9, 2008 Bulletin
#281 Dear Colleagues, Calls for
participation, employment, funding,
and conference and workshop
opportunities, online
and other resources.
Janet Isserlis
Case Managers and /or Job Developers in adult education are invited to participate in a newly established monthly share group meeting. A great time to participate in forming the agenda for the year. Next meeting is Wednesday, October 22nd at 9:30 for Case Managers and 11:00 for Job Developers. You are welcome to attend either one or both! Warwick Public Library. For information, please contact Robin Adams (radams@ric.edu). ESOL share Tuesday, October 28th at 3:00 pm, Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Open topic – please think about approaches you’ve been using that work – or challenge you – for us to discuss. As well: what’s online? http://www.brown.edu/lrri/esol.html and http://www.brown.edu/lrri/advocate.html - input? Practitioner share, Thursday, October 23rd 3:00 p.m. at Crossroads RI, 160 Broad Street, Providence. Many practitioners struggle with helping adult learners stay engaged in learning. Responding to people's lives: Developing Adult teaching and learning, by Appleby and Barton, combines awareness of the complexities of adults’ lives while also focusing on classroom practice. Please join the discussion; the guide is online at http://www.niace.org.uk/publications/R/RespondingLives.asp. Visitor parking is available in the YMCA parking lot; please enter through the Copy Center; contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu for more information. Please join us on Wednesday, October 29th, from 3 to 5 at the Genesis Center in an examination of issues pertaining to violence, trauma and mental stress in the lives of adult learners and practitioners. at the Genesis Center Many of us are aware of issues that get in the way of learning and teaching. During this extended conversation/ workshop, we'll review some of the work that has been done in supporting adult educators whose work encompasses ongoing contact with men and women experiencing various stresses and strains - some of which have a direct impact on learning and classroom interaction. What do we already know about dealing with trauma, mental health and learning? What resources are available? What resources do we need to strengthen or develop? The purpose of this session is to review what we know, pool our knowledge and see if there are other people, resources/materials that we can access in order to ensure that our classrooms and workspaces are safe and welcoming places for all of us. Among other things, we'll consider issues of classroom practice, policy - both within and across programs and access to resources. Please contact Jessica Ortiz (jortiz@ric.edu) if you’re able to join us. (some resources that may be of use: http://www.brown.edu/lrri/screen.html) policy forum October 28 from 1 to 2:30 PM. register at: http://collegetransition.org/fall08policyforum.html Addressing Adult Learners Financial Barriers to Postsecondary Education - organized for state adult education directors and/or their designees. Guest experts from the Council of Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) will share from their recent study, Adult Learning in Focus. Participants are encouraged to share challenges, questions and successes in their efforts to make college education more affordable for adults. This is the first of a three interactive webinars geared to help advance the sharing and formation of policies that support adult learners' access to and success in college. The topic of the second form is dual enrollment, to be held in February. Building Futures offers a construction skills based GED class to help young men and women move into apprenticeships in the construction trades. Union apprenticeships combine well paid jobs with structured on the job training which enables the worker to advance. The starting wages of construction apprenticeships are well above minimum wage. The GED class is a first step toward meeting the requirements for these positions. Classes are held at Nickerson House in Olneyville. The class is free and open to GED students 18+. To join the next class cycle, you must attend one of these orientations: November 5: 6-8 PM; November 6: 3-5 pm; or November 7: 9:30-11:30 AM. Call 919-5919x203 to enroll. If you would like printed announcements to post in your organization please email Beatrice McGeoch at bmcgeoch@provplan.org. Wednesday, November 19, The Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, Providence - Home Across Lands, a film that chronicles the work of International Institute of RI staff and volunteers as they guide a group of Kunaman refugees making the transition from a life of despair in the Shimelba Refugee Camp in Ethiopia, Africa to a life of hope in their new home in Providence. 6:30: Patron Reception 7:15: Film Showing General Admission: $35 Reserved Seats: $100 Sponsorship Options: $500 to $5,000+ includes tickets, Patron Reception. To reserve tickets or for information contact Jessica Barry at jbarry@iiri.org or 401.784.8619. The Rhode Island Association of Admission Officers, in conjunction with the Rhode Island high schools, public and private, will be sponsoring the 32nd Annual Regional College Fair. The program will be hosted at the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick on Sunday, October 19, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Students from all 62 Rhode Island high schools and several schools in nearby Connecticut and Massachusetts will be invited to meet with college representatives from across the United States. Approximately 200 institutions, from Providence, RI to Honolulu, HI, participated in last year’s college fair attracting more than 5,000 high school students and their families. The RIAAO Fair will be the only regional college fair program in Rhode Island during Fall 2008 and has been endorsed by the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC). For more information: Erin Flynn, New England Institute of Technology Admissions Office 401-739-5000 ext 3462 eflynn@neit.edu http://www.riaao.com The Change Agent Adult Education for Social Justice: News, Issues, and Ideas CALL FOR ARTICLES Please submit illustrations, cartoons, and graphics on this theme too! Theme: Health Attending to your health can be a challenging task. You have to find the right providers, deal with health insurance companies (if you’re insured), take time for healing, and sometimes work hard to get the attention you (and your family) need. The next issue of The Change Agent will focus on the personal, social, political, and financial concerns related to being healthy and dealing with illness. We are interested in hearing from teachers and adult learners about your experiences, stories, lessons, and reflections on health. You may use the following questions as writing prompts, but please don’t feel limited by them. And please don’t try to answer all these questions. Pick one or two and explore them, sharing your own personal perspective. Questions for students and teachers to think about: • What do you do to stay healthy? • How do you take care of your mental health as well as your physical health? • What is the most challenging aspect of health care for you and your family? • Do you use alternative medicine, like acupuncture or homeopathy? What is your experience with these practices? • What do you need in your personal life to feel healthier? • What do you need in your community to feel healthier? • What health practices did you learn in your country of origin or in your childhood that are different from what is commonly practiced now? • Share some home remedies that you may have learned from other family members or community members. Do these remedies work for you? All articles must be received by November 6, 2008. Suggested length is 500-1,200 words. Final decisions are made by The Change Agent editorial board. We cannot print writing that criticizes or endorses an y political candidate or party. 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, NELRC/World Education, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210Phone: 617-482-9485 fax: 617-482-0617.Email: cpeters @worlded.org All articles and emails MUST include contact information for the student and/or the teacher. 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.  The September 2008 issue of The Change Agent - Making Sense of Climate Change – is available. A deeper understanding of global warming, reasons for hope, actions you can take, opportunities for justice - these are just some of the reasons to bring the current issue of The Change Agent into your ABE or ESOL classroom. This issue offers 60 pages of short articles, illustrations, cartoons, math lessons, and quizzes to break down the science, economics, and everyday effects of global warming. Learn about greenhouse gases, energy-saving tricks that also save money, green jobs, justice-based solutions to climate change, and how adult learners are teaching their kids about conservation, saying no to junk mail, and lobbying their mayors to do more for the environment. http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent Support the Change Agent’s ongoing work to make social justice part of the adult education classroom. - Cynthia Peters, editor; cpeters@worlded.org learning opportunities 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. Creating Engaging ESOL Activities Using Computers Course Facilitator: Diana Satin, Oct. 20 - Nov. 24, 2008, Webinar @ 2:00 p.m. (EST), Nov. 21 Research shows that interesting, engaging learning activities using productivity software increases students' motivation and helps them learn English for all the reasons they come to your classes. In addition, it's a fact that more and more jobs require computer skills. Students who can use computers effectively expand their career options in countless ways. Creating Engaging ESOL Activities Using Computers I Through this course, you will integrate computer software into your ESOL instruction. You'll identify the steps necessary to incorporate computer 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. During this five-week course you will engage in self-paced activities and readings, as well as asynchronous discussions with the facilitators and course participants. The course will close with a live Webinar. Documentation: Certificate of Completion will document 12 hours as completion time. Register at http://www.newreaderspress.com/Items.aspx?hierId=6590 or http://www.ProfessionalStudiesAE.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 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 - 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 a manual of family numeracy activities, ready to use in early literacy programs, day care centres, primary grades and Adult Basic Education/Literacy programs. Patterns, recipes, and hand-outs all included (109 pages). Download your free copy: http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/familymath/cover.htm Math for the whole person: Spirit, heart, body and mind are all connected in the activities in this book. When we balance the spirit, heart, body and mind, math becomes part of our whole lives, not a beast or a barrier. Activities for the whole family: Things to do in the kitchen and on a walk, rhymes, games, and things to make, all to promote math thinking and learning. For more information: Kate.Nonesuch@viu.ca. Funded by The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada English for your health: A Health Literacy Curriculum for Beginning ESOL Learners, a site designed to teach high-beginner to low intermediates preventive health care and to interact with health care providers. http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_nm=ALP_English_Health survey on advocacy – information about resources: The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) is interested in your opinion on the need for advocacy resources that will help others overcome challenges to participating in adult literacy public policy advocacy. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ZWa5JKLDsJilZjENAhSloQ_3d_3d Please complete this survey by October 28, 2008; it should take less than 10 minutes to complete. The NCL will use the results to develop the Online Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit. This Web-based toolkit will be a one-stop online collection linking to existing advocacy resources as well as to new resources you would like to see developed. The toolkit will be available online in January. - Jackie Taylor Consultant to the National Coalition for Literacy advocacy@ncldc.net from Thursday notes, October 2: At least one in five residents of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas spoke Spanish at home in 2007, according to new American Community Survey (ACS) data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Nationwide, an estimated 35 million, or about 12.3 percent of U.S. residents, spoke Spanish at home last year. About 19.7 % of the population ages 5 and over spoke a language other than English at home, the ACS data show. That figure was 17.9 percent in 2000 and 13.8 percent in 1990. A state-by-state distribution of that population useful in planning English-language learning services appears at R1601. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GRTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-_box_head_nbr=R1601&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=US-30&-mt_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_R0601_US30&-CONTEXT=grt States Help Struggling Teen Readers Citing a growing national awareness of the need to address the reading skills of struggling teen readers, states are incorporating professional development in literacy instruction into their secondary-school-level teacher preparation and certification requirements, modifying curriculum standards, and establishing state policies to guide this change. A new report by the Education Commission of the States indicates that 23 states require interventions such as tutoring, additional reading time or a different instructional approach to help adolescents who are struggling with reading skills. Fourteen states have aligned their literacy standards across grade levels. The report presents a state-by-state review of current strategies. http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/78/51/7851.pdf Thursday notes, October 9, 2008: New Tool Helps Calculate Broadband Width ED has created a bandwidth planner, located on the School 2.0 Web site. It includes a calculator to help programs planning on offering distance education assess how much broadband width they have available. Distance education applications can benefit from improved speed and capacity after available broadband is identified. http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit/bandwidth_calculator/about ACT Presents State-by-State Data On Workforce Pipelines ACT has released the Future Workforce Gap Summary http://www.act.org/news/data/08/workforce.html providing states with information on their workforce pipeline http://www.act.org/news/data/08/statemenu.html for high-growth jobs that require a two-year college degree or more. ACT used the 2008 results for high school graduates along with career interest information and long-term state occupational projections (based on job growth and replacement) to create gap projections for each state. Many 2008 graduates are not ready to meet or exceed ACT’s college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, mathematics, or science. States can download the estimates of the percentages of students in their 2008 classes that met ACT college readiness benchmark scores in each content area. http://www.act.org/news/data/08/states.html Dorcas Place funded for Full-service Community School The Department (ED) recently announced that Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center in Providence, will receive a $2.3 million, five-year grant to develop a full-service community school. Funds will support a school-based, streamlined system of services for low-income families. Services will include family literacy, after-school programs, parental involvement initiatives, wrap-around case management and health and nutrition programs. Partners in the project include the Greater Providence YMCA, John Hope Settlement House, Providence Public School District and Making Connections Providence. The funding from the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE) is authorized by Sec. 5411 of ESEA. It supports nationally significant programs to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education at state and local levels and help all children meet challenging academic content and achievement standards. http://www.ed.gov/programs/communityschools/index.html Fall Edition of Catalyst Read about the upcoming release of the National Early Literacy Panel report; who's new at the Institute, how books, and barbershops are helping boys build literacy skills, and more. For your free subscription to the Institute’s quarterly newsletter, contact B. Denise Hawkins, Editor/Director of Communications at bdhawkins@nifl.gov. Print copies can also be ordered from the Institute: by calling EDPubs at 1(800) 228-8813 (TDD/TTY1-877-576-7734) by emailing edpubs@inet.ed.gov, or faxing 1(301) 470-1244. To subscribe to the NIFL's Announcement List, http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/announce or send an e-mail to listhelp@nifl.gov. Available on the CAELA Network Web site - the September issue of Network News, a quarterly newsletter. Check out information on CAELA Network state meetings, publications from the Network for practitioners working with adult English language learners, and links to information about conferences of interest to these practitioners. http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/newssept08.html To subscribe to this online publication, send an email to caelanetwork@cal.org 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 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 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 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 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 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
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. Registration fee of $15 covers the cost of a hot breakfast fare and mid-morning snacks. DEADLINE for registration: October 10th. To register, please contact Jessica Ortiz: jortiz@ric.edu Inaugural Event: RI-TELL: Rhode Island Teachers of English Language Learners Conference: Supporting Immigrant Students and Families in an Anti-Immigrant Political Climate, October 18th 8:45 AM - 12:30 PM Rhode Island College Student Union Ballroom Event Refreshments Sponsored by Hillary Grant, ESL Specialist & Representative Featured Session: Panel of Immigration Experts A Portrait of Rhode Island Children in Immigrant Families—Elaine Budish, Research Analyst, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Rhode Island Immigration Close Up—Bill Shuey, Executive Director, International Institute of Rhode Island Immigrant Students and Education Rights in RI—Veronika Kot, Staff Attorney, Rhode Island Legal Services Breakout Sessions: Adult: Designing Responsive Programs for ESL Immigrant Adults - Brady Dunklee, ESOL Instructor, Institute for Labor Studies and Research and Literacy Program & Central Falls Public Library, Andrés Ramírez, Intensive ESL Program, Rhode Island College Secondary: Planning Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Immigrant Students - Pamela Ardizzone, ELL Specialist, Providence Public Schools Elementary: Welcoming Immigrant Children to Your School: Strategies To Get Your Learners Off to a Great Start- Christine E. Dowding, ESL Teacher, Warwick Public Schools Pre-register online using a credit card by October 14, 2008 Pre-registration: $45 ($30 for full-time students[Proof of full-time student status required at check in]) Includes 1 year of RI-TELL membership with all member benefits; Conference registration and canvas tote *. CEU credit available On-Site Registration: $55 ($40 for full-time students) Check payment only. All memberships expire on September 30, 2008. You must renew your membership to register at the member rate. Become a Member of YOUR Professional Association at an Inaugural Rate that Includes: One year of membership; Registration for the Fall Event, A RI-TELL canvas tote to identify you as a member Member benefits: Subscription to MATSOL Currents newsletter and monthly E-Bulletin. Notification of upcoming events and advocacy alerts. Access to members-only areas of the MATSOL web site. Subscription to RI-TELL/MATSOLworks job listings and ELists. Reduced registration fees for conferences and events. Membership in your choice of two Special Interest Groups. Support of RI-ELL/MATSOL's advocacy work on behalf of all ESOL professionals, students and their families. Membership is an allowable cost under RIDE funding, as a professional development activity. Register now at http://www.matsol.org For more information: Email: RITELL@matsol.org For assistance logging on: membership@matsol.org TEMAS FAMILIARES CONFERENCE FREE Workshops in SPANISH for Teens, Parents, October 18th, 2008 PAIS/Cooley Academy; 182 Thurbers Avenue, Providence 9:00 am – 3:00 pm FREE: Registration Transportation from Central Falls Light Refreshments, Raffle Supervised Activities for Children Ages 3-12 Teachers and Childcare Providers can obtain professional developmental hours recognized by DCYF To register and/or for more information please contact: Ready to Learn Providence 490-9960 Central Falls COZ (Jackie Parra) 727-7700 X 113 Lifespan (Rosa de Castillo) 431-5410 X 228 Lourdes Pichardo 301-5028 Keynote Speaker: Nationally Recognized Educator, Luis Hernández Workshops Include: Guiding Behavior (different sessions for different age groups of children), The Importance of Being Bilingual, Children and Depression, Hazards in the Home, Stress Management, Teen Parents, Fathers Involvement and many more. Event Sponsors: Lifespan, Cooley Academy, Sodexo, Central Falls School District, Explorations Unlimited, Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, Lourdes Pichardo, Ready to Learn Providence, Office of Child Support Services, Progreso Latino, Providence School Department and Prevent Child Abuse RI 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  Re-Envisioning Writing Assessment, November 1. Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center, Southbridge, MA http://www.umass.edu/reenvision/confprogram. Registration deadline October 15. 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. – call for proposals: WeLearn conference, March/09 http://www.litwomen.org/conference.html - more online and in the next bulletin – deadline – November 30th. 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 street yoga - Through the teaching of free yoga, meditation and wellness classes we seek to help homeless youth increase their physical, emotional and spiritual strength, stamina and flexibility so they can better meet their own core needs. We work closely with those service providers striving to help homeless youth secure safe housing, nutritious food, accessible health care, employment, clean clothing, educational choices and human dignity.
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