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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.February 4, 1998 Bulletin #34 Dear Colleagues, On Saturday, January 24th, a group of practitioners came together for Connections through Literacy, a conference about intergenerational literacy and its implications. What's notable about the conference is that it was completely organized and run by practitioners. The committee organizing the conference, Terri Coustan, Carol Altreuter, Beverly Chase, Debbe Fate, Nancy Fritz, Sally Gabb, Jody Gray, Louise Moulton and Betty Simons, have proven that it is possible to take an idea, explore it, develop it and bring people together for learning and sharing. With financial assistance from RIDE through IIRI's family literacy program grant, and the hard work of many people, the conference was an energizing experience. A meeting for anyone interested in discussing the conference, and more importantly, next steps, will be held on Friday February 27, at 8:30 AM at the International Institute of Rhode Island, and a follow-up to the conference, a workshop with Dr. Susan Baum in March, is described in this bulletin.
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in learning disabilities Friday, February 6 at 3 PM, at IIRI, Providence. Many of us not working specifically with LD learners can benefit greatly by learning more about 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. Given the continued interest in the topic, Sandy Jacobi has agreed to again share her experience of working with LD learners in both one to one and classroom contexts. Sandy will facilitate a discussion of the Wilson method, sharing with us a typical Wilson lesson, and the rationale behind the methodology.
Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in women's issues in adult education\ As a follow-up to a session held at the family literacy conference, a discussion meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 18 at 3:45 at Dorcas Place (270 Elmwood Avenue, Providence). Included among the issues raised are isolation, barriers to learning, violence, hardships of single mothers, assumptions about class, race and gender. Everyone is welcome to the discussion; please bring your questions, concerns and issues. PRACTITIONER WRITING GROUP: Practitioners are invited to meet, write, share, and give feedback in a supportive environment at a third meeting on Wednesday, February 25 at 3:00 PM at the Swearer Center for Public Service, (25 George Street, Providence). Participants at the last meeting agreed to bring some writing to share, and invite others to do the same (although everyone is welcome - with or without writing). We can use this session to share writing, generate writing ideas, set up email or other exchanges. Also, please see the new page, Writing from the Field, on LR/RI1s website. Members of the Adult Literacy Council will meet at 1 PM on Tuesday, February 10th at Knight Memorial Library, Elmwood Avenue, in Providence, to continue the discussion about plans for Adult Education Day in May, and for general work around advocacy, particularly as legislative activity increases at the state house. Please join us.
The New England Literacy Resource Center newsletter and an update from the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network were recently distributed at the family literacy conference and by regular mail; if you haven't received copies and would like to do so, please contact LR/RI.
Citizenship workshop at World Education, Boston: What ABE Teachers Need to Know About Citizenship, on March 4 from 1-4 PM. This workshop is open to adult educators with an interest in the citizenship process. ESOL teachers not teaching citizenship are also encouraged to apply; more and more immigrants are seeking out naturalization to protect themselves against anti-immigrant legislation, like the recent welfare reform (Personal Responsibility) act. Lynne Weintraub, ESOL Coordinator at the Jones Library in Amherst, will go over the nuts and bolts of citizenship--who is eligible, an overview of citizenship tests, and so on. She will also cover some approaches suitable to beginning level students. Lynne is the author of the forthcoming book Citizenship: Passing the Test , due out this spring from New Readers Press. If you have questions or want to register, contact Lenore Balliro at (617) 482-9485 or e-mail at lenore_balliro@jsi.com CONFERENCES - for more information on any of these conferences, please contact LR/RI March 28, 9 to noon - A Continuation: Connections through Literacy presents Dr. Susan Baum on Multiple Intelligences Theory in the Classroom: Pathways to Implementation. An overview of practical yet authentic strategies for implementing Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) with all types of learners. The strategies suggested are based on a new publication, co-authored by Baum and Gardner. These strategies represent Gardner1s charge that we use MI as a tool to improve teaching and learning, not as an end in itself. Through activities and reflection, work-shop participants will explore five specific uses (pathways) for Multiple Intelligence Theory to improve teaching and learning. Dr. Baum is a professor at the College of New Rochelle, teaching graduate courses in elementary education and in the education of gifted and talented students. With 30 years' experience in the public school system, this published author and educational consultant brings a wealth of experience to share with adult education practitioners in RI. Please join us on March 28th at the International Institute, 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. For information, contact Terri Coustan (351-4252 or TCoustan@aol.com). Registration fee, payable to Connections through Literacy, is $10, and can be sent to Debbe Fate, LV-NRI, 303 Clinton Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895. Cancer, Culture and Literacy: Future Directions for Health Education and Promotion First biennial conference, is being held from April 30 to May 2 in Clearwater Beach, Florida. For more information. Call for lessons from the field and poster sessions - due February 10. Scholarships are available, also with a Feb.10 deadline. The 4th Annual Meeting of the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN) will be held April 1, 1998 in Washington, DC in conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) national meet ing. ANN is a national organization of ABE/GED/ESOL teachers, workplace educators, developmental math teachers, and others interested in adult basic math education. We publish a quarterly newsletter, The Math Practitioner, and host an electronic listserv called the Numeracy list. In 1996 ANN published A Framework for Adult Numeracy Standards: The Mathematical Skills and Abilities Adults Need To Be Equipped for the Future, funded by NIFL as part of the EFF project. This year ANN joins the NCTM as an at-large affiliate dedicated to adult learners We have planned a meeting agenda specifically geared to teachers and to sharing new approaches and current practice. We are seeking presentations from other math practitioners. For registration information and/or to submit a proposal for a roundtable discussion, please see our web page at: http://www.std.com/anpn/ For information, contact Esther D. Leonelli, Numeracy list moderator (Numeracy@world.std.com) Workplace Learning: Strategies for Success: Third annual conference designed by and developed for employers, unions, educators and governmental partners. April 20-21, Milwaukee Wisconsin, with pre-conference events on April 19. Early registration deadline, February 13 ($265); standard deadline February 14-April 3($295); late date, after April 3 ($375).Toll free:1-800-446-0399. call for presentations: Connecting to the Future: Technology in Adult Literacy is a conference being held on June 9 and 10 at the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Presentation proposals are due on February 20. For a copy of the proposal application form, please contact LR/RI. LEARNING OPPORTUNITY - NEW PROGRAM HRIC English for Work Program: This program is an ESOL program with a workplace-centered content. Prerequisites: Students should be 18 years or older, they should be currently employed but in need of more English skills in order to advance in the job; or unemployed and looking for work. Location: International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood start date: First module, 2/9/98, second 4/6/98 Program duration, 8 weeks each modules Class hours: Monday through Thursday 9:30 - 11:30 AM or 7 to 9 PM. Registration : Contact Julie Fischer 784-4607. Register now.
On-line electronic workshop: "But I'm Not a Therapist: Literacy Work with Survivors of Trauma" Starting February 9, for 9 weeks Workshop Facilitator: Jenny Horsman Last year, Jenny Horsman, a feminist literacy worker and researcher, spoke with more than 150 literacy learners, literacy workers, and therapists across Canada. Her research showed that violence has profound impacts on women's ability to learn and to meaningfully participate in literacy programs. In this on-line workshop, participants will look at the research together, searching for ways to improve our practice and our programs to respond in ways that will support all learners. This on-line workshop is for anyone who is interested in the impact of violence on women's learning and has access to the internet. This includes literacy workers, ESL instructors, counsellors, therapists, shelter workers, feminists, academics, students, activists, and others. Complete information about workshop registration is available on LR/RI's website http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/women.html Starting February 9, 1998, listen to the ideas and experiences of other literacy workers. Share your own thoughts and experiences. Every week or two, we'll study a new theme from the discussion paper. For more information, contact Betsy Trumpener at btrumpener@alphacom.gbrownc.on.ca or call 416 415-4740 on Tuesdays &Wednesdays. For those needing assistance with access to the information and/or to the internet, please contact LR/RI. "But I'm Not a Therapist" research was sponsored by the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women and funded by the National Literacy Secretariat.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Lead trainer: Literacy Department, grant funded, one year full time position. The lead trainer will work with Providence Public Library's literacy programs and will tutor at two programs sites between January and March. Overall duties include program co ordination, training, supervision, attending/chairing meetings, and reporting. Requirements: BS/BA in ESL/Education or equivalent; supervisory experience; computer literate and experienced in the use of Mac or IBM PCs, previous experience working with adults and children in an educational/tutorial setting, a commitment to literacy and an interest in working with adults or children of diverse economic or cultural backgrounds. Travel throughout the state is required. Rate: $13.00/hour, appli cations accepted until position is filled. Some additional information is available at LR/RI. Apply to Dan Austin, Assistant Director of Administrative Service, Providence Public Library, 225 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 telephone: (401)455-8061. An affirmative action/equal employment opportunity employer. Save the date: On Thursday, April 23, from 2 - 4 PM, WSBE/Channel 36 will be receiving the teleconference, Integrating technology in the ABE/GED curriculum. The program will demonstrate how technology plans progress from words on a page to actual use in adult education settings. It is also being designed to show how to integrate technology into instruction. More soon. funding information: On December 30th, The Department of Labor issued the RFP for the discretionary dollars in the welfare reform packet in the Federal Register. Funds available for the first (of two rounds) of grants total about 360 million. The average grant is expected to be 1-5 million (the second round is roughly the same.) The due date for the first round applications is March 10th, second will be about 4-5 months after that. These grants, focused on hard to serve populations, are seeking innovative and inclusive approaches. Learning Disabilities is included as one of the areas of hardest to serve that needs to be addressed The lead for all the grants must be a private industry council (PIC). The application, and guidelines can be found through the DOL homepage (dol.gov) within the welfare reform section. For assistance with reaching these sites on the internet, contact LR/RI. Resource available: Teaching and Learning with Internet-based Resources, by Susan Cowles, is available in hard copy or on line at http://www.nifl.gov/susanc/inthome.htm From the on-line introduction: "Literacy students, instructors, program administrators, and other life-long learners are all in the group moving along the information superhighway. Some people have been running for a while; others are just starting down the road. Beginning to use the Internet can sometimes seem as grueling as participating in a marathon. This short course is designed to make the jour ney as informative and enjoyable as possible." To order a hard copy of the document, please call 1-800-228-8813. Susan Cowles is a Literacy Leader Fellow for 1996-97; this document is her fellowship report to the National Institute for Literacy. CALL FOR PAPERS: NCSALL and Rutgers University are planning a national invitation conference on the Impact of Welfare Reform on Adult Literacy Education for the end of June. The conference will feature four invited papers, and policy-oriented discussion seminars. A publication will result. At this stage we are trying to identify people to author the four papers. If you know people who are knowledgeable and write well, we would much appreciate adding them to our list of potential authors. Self nominations are fine. Please respond directly to hbeder@rci.rutgers.edu, or at the address below. Many, many thanks. Potential author's name ______________________________ Potential author's address _______________________________________________ Potential authors' email ___________ Phone _____________ Fax _______________ Comments: Hal Beder, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education, 10 Seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08903 Phone: (732) 932-7496 ext 213
REMINDERS:
The 11th Annual National Adult Learning and Technology Conference will be held at Michigan State University's Kellogg Center, from July 28-31, 1998. Proposals for presentations are due on 2/13/98; registration materials will be available in hard copy after 3/15, or on-line now. For more information, please contact LR/RI or check the conference website at http://slrc.ehhs.cmich.edu/altconference/
Conference: SITE 98 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education http://curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU/aace/conf/site/ March 10-14, 1998 Bethesda,MD. The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) presents "the ninth annual conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), an international association of individual teacher educators and affiliated organizations of teacher educators in all disciplines, who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education." The conference will feature over 500 presentations in 24 major topic areas. Pre registration before 1/29 is $215 for members of SITE, and $260 for non-members. After 1/29, rates are $260 and $295. K-12 teachers have a $115 rate, (and I wonder if adult educators could try for a reduced rate with a letter from a supervisor?). For more information see the website, or contact LR/RI.
LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE - Ensuring the right to learn, dream, work, succeed: March 11-14 in Washington, DC. LDA, (formerly ACLD) is the only national organization devoted to defining and finding solutions for the broad spectrum of learning disabilities. For information call (412) 341-1515.(Literacy Assistance Center newsletter 1/98)
AMERICA READS FUNDING From the NIFL-Family listserv (Please note, applications for these funds must be made on paper using the application kit. E-mails and FAX submissions will not be accepted). Below is a portion of the text from the AmeriCorps*VISTA America Reads NOFA published in the Federal Register, 12/18/97. The entire text will be provided in the application kit, or can be accessed from the website of the Government Printing Office at http://www.access.gpo.gov. Availability of Funds for Ameri-Corps*VISTA America Reads Projects-Nationwide. SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service announces the availability of funds for fiscal year 1998 for new AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program grants focusing on the America Reads initiative in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Program grants are authorized under Title I, Part A of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended (Pub. L. 93-113). Project applications will be written to cover a 24-month period although grants will be awarded for a 12-month period with a renewal option. As part of this effort, the Corporation is soliciting applicants which are public or private non-profit organizations, including cur rent AmeriCorps*VISTA project sponsors. Approximately 35-40 grants are expected to be awarded in April 1998 with AmeriCorps*VISTA members beginning service prior to the start of the 1998-99 school year. DATES: Applications must be received by 5:00 P.M. EST, 1/28/98. Application in structions and kits are available from AmeriCorps*VISTA, Corporation for National and Community Service, 1201 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20525, (202) 606-5000, ext. 249, TDD (202) 565-2799, or TTY via the Federal Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Applications should be submitted to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Mailstop 9207, Washington, DC 20525, Attn: Kathleen Dennis. The Corporation will not accept applications that are submitted via facsimile or e-mail transmission.
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.
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).
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.
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 PDRN RI@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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