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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.May 20, 1998 Bulletin #44 Dear Colleagues, This bulletin carries new notices, information about pending legislation (page 4), staff development, and reminders of upcoming meetings, events and summer courses. For details, or to post information, please contact LR/RI or phone 863-2839. Thanks.
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES ADULT EDUCATION DAY - May 21st, has become an afternoon event this year. Join with adult learners, practitioners, and legislators to promote adult education. The schedule for the afternoon: 2 - 2:30 PM - agencies set up displays of programs and projects 2:30 - 4:30 PM - adult learners and agency staffs talk with legislators and advocate for programs. Agencies/teachers/students should set up appointments with their local reps to meet and lobby for adult education. From 4:30 to 5:30 a reception will be held in the Governor's State Room to recognize John O'Leary, Chair of the Adult Education Commission. As well, Frank Symonds will introduce the new national student organization, VALUE: Voices of Adult Learners United for Education. Please join us! Questions, information - contact Louise Moulton at 455-8041, or LR/RI. Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in ESOL in adult education will be on Tuesday, June 16th, at 3 PM at the Genesis Center, 720 Potters Avenue, Providence. Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in women's issues in adult education will be on Wednesday, June 24 , 3 PM at the Swearer Center for Public Service, 25 George Street, Providence. Please join us in contemplating and planning for a half-day conference concerning women and learning next fall, and to continue our conversations about women, literacy and learning. Please assist the Genesis Center by giving blood during its BLOOD DRIVE, to be held on Thursday June 4th, from 10 to 2, at the Center. Adult Literacy Council will be meeting on Tuesday, June 9th at LVA on West Exchange Street, at 1 PM. A new slate of officers is being nominated. Questions? Call Louise Moulton 455-8041. FUNDING: RFP's (requests for proposals) have been sent out from the RI Dept. of Education, and are due back on June 12th. For more information, please contact Bob Mason, 222-4600, ext. 12180. Eric Burton and Lois Maharg, authors of the ESOL/literacy text Going Places will be at the International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Avenue, on Friday, June 5 from 12:30-2:00 pm. Lunch will be served and complimentary copies distributed. The presentation will be about picture-based interactive methodology and will last about 45 minutes. Please RSVP to Amanda Rappaport, Addison Wesley Longman, by May 29, at 1-800-862-7778, ext. 4006, if youÕd like to attend. 100 Ways of Seeing Retreat Reflect Renew with colleagues around New England. July 15-17, Room and Board Provided, sponsored by the Adult Literacy Resource Institute (ALRI)/Boston Regional SABES Center. Applications, due at ALRI on May 29, are available at LR/RI. For more information call LR/RI, or contact Martha Merson, Steve Reuys or Maria E. Gonzalez: 617-782-8956. Serving Adults with Learning Disabilities, sponsored by the Adult Training and Development Network and the post secondary Education Disability Unit at the University of Connecticut. May 21, Hartford Marriott, Farmington, Conn. Regular fee is $95; discount available ($86) for three of more individuals registering together from the same institution. Information: LR/RI or call (860) 524-4046.
From Esther D. Leonelli, Community Learning Center, Cambridge: 3rd Annual YALD Spring Lecture Series Free and Open to the Public 1998 Adult and Adolescent Reading and Learning Disabilities, Sponsored by the Mass. DOE Young Adults with Learning Disabilities Project, Community Learning Center, SCALE (Somerville), Adult Literacy Resource Institute and Boston Region SABES - Friday, May 22 Wilson Reading System Overview; A Structured, Multisensory, Phonics Based Approach to Teaching Reading Barbara Wilson, Director, Wilson Language Training Sessions will be held from 3:30 to 5PM at the Central Square Library, 45 Pearl Street, Central Square, Cambridge (Adjacent to Municipal Parking Garage) For information / travel directions please call: Ashley Hager, Community Learning, (617) 349-6363, 6367. Refreshments served before each lecture from 3:00 to 3:30
Please note: due to the number of LD events planned for Fridays in May, the LD sharing/ discussion group will resume meeting early in June. TUTOR STILL NEEDED for a 39 year old man, dually diagnosed and living in a residential care facility in North Providence, is in need of a tutor to learn to read and write. Please contact Cheryl Bautista at Northridge Residential Care, 726-2131. SUMMER COURSES: International House of Rhode Island, 8 Stimson Avenue, Providence will be offering summer classes in ESOL. Advanced Conversation Classes meet Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 A.M. to 11 A.M. and Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 P.M.; Beginning Conversation classes meet Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 11 A.M. Advanced Beginning Conversation Classes meet from 10:45 A.M. to 12:15 P.M. and Intermediate Conversation Classes meet from 11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. on Tuesday and Thursday. An Advanced Beginning Grammar Class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. and the Advanced Grammar Class meets Thursdays from 11 A.M. until Noon. Learning English through Video for intermediate and advanced level students meets Mondays from 10 A.M. to Noon. Individual tutoring sessions are also available -- times are flexible but sessions are 1 and 1/2 hour per week for 4 weeks and are $40 for six hours. Fees are normally $30 per month for classes that meet twice a week; $15 to $20 per month for classes that meet once a week. Phone: 401-421-7181, FAX 401-751-9733 From Expressions: NEW THIS YEAR! For the first time, the Expressions journal will publish during the summer. Expressions currently seeks learner writings, either from the concluding school year or from new summer programs. In addition, we seek the names of sites interested in hosting Expressions writing workshops in June, July or August. If you and your learners are interested in being involved in Expressions this summer, please contact Diane Genereux, journal coordinator, at (401) 863-2338, or at Diane_Genereux@brown.edu As always, your feedback on the journal is greatly appreciated! Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you. Literacy Volunteers of America-RI professional development activities: while designed primarily for LVA tutors, the following are open to all interested participants; Please contact Donna Sherman at 861-0863 to reserve your place at any of these workshops: - Workshop leaders discussion: meet with other workshop leaders, discuss the LVA workshop - content, schedule, handouts, etc. Workshop leaders are invited to share their best practices; also a preview of "principles of effective training" required by LVA for affiliate accreditation. Thursday, June 4, 6:00 - 9:00 PM. - Outcome evaluation: Claudia Horn will identify and discuss the core components of an outcome evaluation system. Monday, June 15th, 9 - 4:30.
Summer Institute: A professional development event in adult education and employment August 19-20, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT. Advanced workshops for teachers, ESL series, family education and support, new teacher orientation, school to career exemplary programs, technology integration, and workshops for directors and administrative support staff are featured. Registration deadline is July 24, (late deadline July 31 with a $10 late fee). One day, $50, two days, $90. CEU's can be earned; for full schedule, contact LR/RI, or Elizabeth Kaflik at (860) 524-4046. The Institute for Labor Studies and Research's annual Labor Education Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, June 18, at 6:30 PM, at the Westin Hotel; the dinner honors workers who are continuing their education through the Institute and recognizes organizations for their outstanding contributions to the fight for workersÕ rights. Tickets are $40. For information, call 463-9900. Genesis Center's 15th Anniversary Celebration - Monday, June 1 at the Roger Williams Park Casino, from 5:30 to 8 PM. Donna Shalala, US Secretary of Health and Human Services will speak, and gourmet hors d'oeuvres prepared by the Genesis Center Food Service Students will be served. Tickets and information, please call 781-6110. This special celebration is sponsored by Citizens Bank. Summer computer class will start at International Institute of Rhode Island on Saturday, 6/6, and will run for 8 weeks. The tuition is $100, textbook is not included. Information? call Moin at 784-4610.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: LIAISON/TRAINER for the New England Partnership for Adult Learning Disabilities The New England Partnership for Adult Learning Disabilities is a regional consortium working to build capacity in the area of teaching adults with learning disabilities. A four-part manual is being developed to facilitate this process so that program administrators and and staff development personnel can be trained to train adult educators in strengthening and improving teaching practice with LD adults. The RI Liaison/Trainer will be responsible for attending a preliminary planning meeting in June in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and will then participate in a part-time capacity as trainer over an [18 month] period, collaborating with New England partners and trainers in designing and implementing training in LD practice to adult educators throughout the state. SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND EDUCATION REQUIRED Applicants must have - Bachelors degree and minimum of three years teaching experience in adult education, with particular experience working with adults with learning disabilities; familiarity with the field of learning disabilities, especially as it impacts adult learners is an asset; effective oral and written communication skills; experience in building collaborations; willingness to engage in independently designed learning projects to expand understanding of the issues and strategies to more effectively serve learning disabled adults. - Major experience in the field of learning disabilities especially as it impacts adult learners. - Wilson or other LD-relevant training, and access to email are assets. WORKING CONDITIONS/MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS Reliable transportation to engage in regular statewide travel; willingness to travel to meetings held out-of-state; a flexible schedule may be negotiated TO APPLY: To be considered, please send a resume and brief letter summarizing skills and experience NOT LATER THAN June 5, 1998 to Literacy Resources/RI, PO Box 1974 Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 or fax to (401)863-3094. COMPENSATION - $25/hour, paid through a personal service/consultant contract. Tentative projection of hours: during the period 1 June to 30 Sept 1998 approximately 100 to 120 hours; from 1 October 1998 - 30 September 1999 approximately 240 to300 hours. Participants sought for heath and literacy survey: The Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network is looking for practitioners who are interested in completing a short, 39 question survey for a NCSALLstudy on the use of health related issues in literacy learning environments. Any practitioners who have used health-based lessons in their ABE or ESOL classes or who are interested in doing so can obtain a copy of the survey and description of the research project by contacting David Hayes at PDRN RI@aol.com or by phone at 331-9261. Health literacy resource: From Sarah Furnas, Health Literacy Project: a free publication produced by the National Health Law Project , "Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care Settings: Legal Rights and Responsibilities" for people with limited English proficiency, is now available; a summary appears on their web site: www.healthlaw.org. A copy can be obtained from their funder, Kaiser Family Foundation, by calling 1-800-656-4533 and asking for publication #1362. Also, they are updating their 1996 publication, "Literacy, Health and the Law: An Exploration of the Law and the Plight of Marginal Readers within the Health Care System." Some remaining copies are available at a reduced rate. If interested please contact Sarah at Health Promotion Council of SE PA 311 S. Juniper, #308, Philadelphia, PA 19107 or email: hlphpc@libertynet.org. Providence Housing Authority summer programs: Youth recreation, and work/learning programs are available to youth; GED, computer skills and work experience programs are available to adult living in Providence Public Housing. For information, please call LR/RI for contact information. Providence Public LibraryÕs Language Exchange will be starting in July. Call Heather Zorn at 455-8066 for more information about this one-to-one summer tutorial program.
LEGISLATIVE ALERT: Members of the adult education committee are working to support the passage of 98-S 2848, an Act Relating to the Workforce Opportunity Improvement Act of 1998, introduced by Senators OÕLeary and J. Cicilline. The full text of the bill is available on line at http://www.state.ri.us/billtext/98s2848.htm or from LR/RI. The bill improves opportunities for adult education in the state, mandates financial support for adult education programs, gives the Adult Education Commission the right to make recommendations as to the use of the funds and ensures that the Job Development Fund7% set aside is used for the purpose of adult education and that these funds be in addition to the support provided by the Department of Labor and Training. Information /hearing schedules are likely to be updated with little notice - if you need assistance with access to the State web site, to find out more, or for contact information about appropriate legislators to contact, please call LR/RI. Another act worth consideration is S98-2929 Senate Finance 04/03/1998 -AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- FAMILY INDEPENDENCE ACT , which directs the department of human services to pay a clothing allowance to family independence act recipients who begin work or enter a vocational program. Texts of proposed legislation can be found at the Secretary of StateÕs website: http://www.state.ri.us/ A list of proposed legislation, organized by subject, can be found at http://www.state.ri.us/WWWSUBJT.HTM To follow the progress of a particular bill, click on Bill Tracker. This will tell you whatÕs been done, what hearings are scheduled, etc. For assistance with/access to the web, please contact LR/RI. Your voice can make a difference in the passage of legislation.
SUMMER professional development opportunity: Internet drop-in sessions will continue this summer, beginning Friday, June 26th from 9 am to noon, and continuing on Fridays through August 7th. During these sessions, practitioners and/or learners are invited to come to the Swearer Center for Public Service at 25 George Street, Providence, to learn more about using computers generally, and word processing and the internet particularly. If Friday mornings are not convenient, other times can be arranged by appointment. Please call LR/RI if youÕd like to participate. Are you interested in participating in other forms of professional development activity during the summer months? Please contact LR/RI - possibilities range from discussion groups, focused workshops, reading groups. Is there a time of day or day of the week that works best for you? Particular areas of interest? Formats (discussion groups, workshops, reading circles)? Please - you tell me. If you're aware of any summer programs for adult or intergenerational learners or practitioners that have not yet been announced in the bulletin, please contact LR/RI
Professional development initiative: This spring I spent time at the RI Dislocated Worker Program, facilitating classes for teachers there so that they could have an opportunity to observe one another's classes and to reflect on their learning and teaching. (The full text of their reflections is available on the LR/RI web site at Writing from the Field - or contact LR/RI for a hard copy). Please let me know if you would like to participate in this process of professional development. All that's required is your willingness to share your reflections about the observation/learning process for others. I hope to build a block of writing and thinking about this and other forms of our own professional development both through the bulletin and the web site.
planning ahead: International Institute of RI announces fall classes English Language Center To learn to speak, understand, read and write English as a Second Language (ESL) September ~ June 9:00-12:00, Mon ~ Fri. 7:00-9:00, Mon ~ Thur. $65/month for morning class, $35/month for evening class For non-native English-speaking adults. Call in August for information about September registration at 461-5940. Job Training & Placement For people who want to work, October ~ May 9:00-1:00 for English Some afternoons for vocational training, Free if you meet the eligibility requirements. Nominal book fee. Eligibility: Residents of Providence or Cranston; 22 years or over; low income; work permission, intermediate English. Sign up now; you will receive a letter in late July. Call for more information at 784-4602. English for Work To improve your English for work, September ~ June, 9:30-11:15am, Mon ~ Thur, 6:30 - 8:30pm, Mon - Thur $35 per month. For non-native English-speaking adults who need to improve English for work.If interested, call Julie Fischer at 784-4607. Citizenship/ESL To prepare for the citizenship examination, September ~ June 9:00-11:00am, Mon, Wed, Fri. 6:00-8:00pm, Tue, Wed, Thur. 9:00-12:00, Saturdays, Free for weekday classes $25 for Saturday class. Eligibility: Four years residence in US; some English fluency. Sign up now. We will call you when space is available. Call for more information at 784-4611. Family Literacy/ESL To learn to read for adults and pre-school children, September ~ June § 9:00-11:00am, Free. Eligibility: Less than five years of formal education or native language has non-Roman script or no native language literacy. Sign up now. We will call you when space is available. Call for more infomation at 784-4614. Computer Training To learn Windows95, Word, Excel, Saturday sessions year-round, 9:00am-11:50pm, 12:00pm-2:50pm, 3:00pm-5:00pm, 8-week sessions: Tuition: $110 (registration, lab and textbook fees are included) Shorter sessions: Tuition to be announced, some English fluency is needed. Call: 784-4610 morning class infomation; 784-4612 afternoon class information If you're aware of any summer programs for adult or intergenerational learners that has not yet been announced in the bulletin, please contact LR/RI
REMINDERS: Stats resource available: The State of Literacy in America: Estimates at the local, state and national levels, is now available, free of charge from the National Institute for Literacy. While the use and abuse of statistics can be daunting, the volume is of interest - it projects literacy abilities and problems on local levels using the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) as a basis for these estimates. For a copy of the publication, call 1-800-228-8813.
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.
from previous bulletins: 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.
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.
Materials are evaluated by subject specialists according to the following criteria: significance, relevance, timeliness, applicability, authority of author, comprehensiveness, clarity of presentation, reflection of emerging trends, capability of meeting users' needs, and generalizability. Every item submitted is given careful consideration. If an item is not selected for ERIC, the author is given an explanation of why it did not meet the selection criteria.
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