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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.

January 12, 1999

Bulletin #60

Dear Colleagues,

Notice of upcoming professional development events, conferences and meetings, and funding and employment opportunities appear in this bulletin. To post information, please contact me at LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839).

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

ESOL share - Tuesday January 19th from 3 - 5 at the Genesis Center. Nancy Fritz recently completed a mini grant project focused on assessment of writing, listening and speaking English. Nancy will share her findings, and discuss the assessment instruments she reviewed, and will also share her own work around assessment. Please bring your own questions about assessment as well as any resources with which you're familiar.

The Governor's Blue Ribbon Adult Literacy Commission will meet on January 21st, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at the Genesis Center. The meeting is open to all; for more information please call Michael Kennedy at 222-6700.

directory update - LVA-RI is collecting information for a 1999 edition of the Directory of Adult Literacy Programs in RI. Information has been sent to all agencies previously listed in the Directory, and will be sent to potential new entries. If you know of an agency providing adult basic ed, GED, or ESL services that should be included in the Directory, please call Michelle at LVA-RI (861-0815). The 1999 edition, funded by the RI Workforce Literacy Collaborative through a grant from the Human Resource Investment Council, will be available in February.

TESOL forms on-line - registration forms for TESOL '99 ( March 9 through 13 in New York City) are available at http://www.tesol.edu/conv/t99/pp/download.html and/or contact LR/RI for more information. Early registration is due on January 14, 1999.

Workplace Learning Conference - Milwaukee, May 16-18. This conference brings together a range of those interested in workplace education -- teachers, program planners, funders, union representatives, business people, and governmental agency representatives. Sessions will be offered across four program tracks: Partnerships and Linkages; Program Design and Evaluation; Resources and Technologies; and Trends Affecting the Workplace and Workers. The Conference is designed by and developed for employers, labor leaders, educators, and governmental partners. The planning committee consists of a cross-section of stakeholders and includes representatives from Canada, Mexico, the UK, and the US, and is coordinated by the Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Information: http://www.cew.wisc.edu/ workplace or call 608-265-3542.

save the date: on March 15 Dr. Jenny Horsman will facilitate a workshop around women, literacy and violence. More information will appear in the next bulletin.

NOW- Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women will meet on Tuesday, January 19th, from 7:30 to 9:30 at the Sarah Doyle Women's Center on Meeting Street (between Thayer and Prospect) in Providence. Adult educators and all others interested in identifying areas of need and focus for the RI NOW chapter to work on in the coming months are invited to participate. For information, please contact LR/RI.

RI Workforce Literacy Referral Network

The RI Workforce Literacy Collaborative, a consortium of programs providing services to people in the workforce, announces the development of the RI Workforce Literacy Referral Network. The goal of the Network, which will consist of Collaborative members and other interested adult education providers, is to link all RI adult education providers into a comprehensive referral system to ensure that learners and employers have access to a continuum of services.

Using a common referral form, participating agencies will have the ability to access learners' records (with their permission) at any other participating agency. The Collaborative will produce a 1999 version of the Directory of Adult Literacy Programs in Rhode Island to assist in up-to-date, appropriate referrals. In addition, Network agencies will be invited to in-service training events sponsored by the Collaborative. Mailings or electronic bulletins will update members with the latest information and activities in workforce education. Participating agencies will also be consulted as the Network moves toward its long-range goal of an electronic system linking all providers. Most adult education programs have received a mailing inviting them to join the Network. If your agency has not received this mailing, please contact Donna Sherman at 861-0815 to request a copy.

All interested persons are invited to attend the Introduction to the RI Workforce Literacy Referral Network luncheon on Thursday, January 28, 12-2 PM, at the Elmwood Community Center, 155 Niagra St., Providence. In addition to information about the Network, the luncheon will feature a discussion with Dr. Lee Arnold, Director of the Department of Employment and Training, about The Changing World of Workforce Literacy. RSVP by Jan. 20 to Donna Sherman at 861-0815. Collaborative and Network activities are funded by the RI Human Resource Investment Council.

New on the web site: Iowa has posted its state adult education plan online, at http://www.readiowa.org/state_plan/iowa_plan.pdf http://www.readiowa.org/state_plan/iowa_plan.pdf or get to it via LR/RIÕs Workforce Investment Act page VALUE, the national learner organization has its own homepage - go to LR/RIÕs learners page. The Women and Literacy page has also been updated in the past two weeks.

LOCAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - Availability of Critical issue Grants Applications are now being considered for grants for adult literacy programs from the Providence Journal Charitable Founadation/United Way Fund for Literacy. Tax exempt agencies serving Rhode Island and adjacent communities may apply. For more inforamtion or to request an application packet please call or write: United Way of Southeastern New England, Attention: Janet McHugh, 229 Waterman Street Prov., RI 02906 (401)444-0624 or e-mail: wja@compuserve.com Applications are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, January 29, 1999.

We want to thank all of those who took the time to respond to the New England Partnership for Adult Learning Disabilities - Program Survey. We are pleased that Rhode Island had nearly a 50% response rate. The results will be compiled soon and will be published in the LR/RI Bulletin. In response to the survey results, there will be in-service programs planned for late winter and spring that will include awareness, screening tools, program planning, and instructional strategies for working with adults with LD. Judy Titzel 245-7326 Janet Isserlis

5th Annual International Conference June 3­5, 1999, New York: "Re-inventing Freire and Boal from São Paulo to St. Paul" Proposals due Feb 1/99. - Proposals invited on all aspects of emanci-patory education and theatre including power relations in learning environments, systems of structural privilege and oppression, subversive challenge, and that relate to any oppressed group. Proposals must relate in some manner to Paulo Freire's model of liberatory education or Augusto Boal's approach to interactive theatre. Organizers seek proposals from teachers, theatre artists, and community activists who employ in their work or research the ideas of Freire and/or Boal. Please make this connection clear in your proposal; interactive presentations are strongly encouraged.The Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to challenge oppressive systems by promoting critical thinking and social justice. For more information, please go to: http://www.unomaha.edu/~pto/call.htm or contact LR/RI

CCRI: the office of Community Services offers the follwoing non credit programs at CCRI and Davies Vocational School in Lincoln.

conversation and vocabulary: 15 meetings: Saturdays, January 23 - May 1st, 9 to noon, $90; First session: Tuesdays/Thursdays, February 2 - March 30, $90, at Davies Vocational School; Second session: April 6 to June 1, $90, at Davies Vocational School; (both sessions meet 15 times)

writing for the ged: Saturday 9 to noon, 12 meetings, January 23 to May 1. $70

computer applications - courses for Windows 95, and introduction to Excel. These courses meet on Saturdays or Tuesdays; fee for computer course (12 meetings) is $80. registration has begun at CCRI in Lincoln.

Registration and placement testing occur Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 pm and on Saturday at 9:30 am. To learn more, please contact LR/RI or call Cecilia Londono at 333-7074. Registration for Conversation and Vocabulary cannot be accepted on the first day of class; be sure to register before classes start.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - ABE Certification Developer

The Massachusetts Legislature has passed legislation calling for the development of voluntary ABE Certification. The SABES ABE Certification Developer will work with the Massachusetts Department of Education, Adult and Community Learning Services' (ACLS) ABE Certification Coordinator to design an ABE Certification framework and process.

Responsibilities 1.Working with the ACLS ABE Certification Coordinator, design and coordinate development of an ABE certification framework and process. 2.Conduct focus groups and other activities with ABE practitioners to obtain their input to certification design. 3.Meet with institutions of higher education, as needed, to determine linkages with undergraduate and graduate level programs. 4.Participate in the ACLS/SABES working group on certification. 5.Act as a liaison with the pilot ACLS/SABES courses in adult learning theory, ESOL, reading, learning disabilities and math. 6.Liaison with the Massachusetts Department of Education Division of Teacher Certification. 7.Research existing ABE certification frameworks and processes in other states and in Canada. 8.Produce a draft ABE certification framework by September, 1999 for comment and review by ACLS, SABES and ABE/ESOL staff. Qualifications 1.Experience with conceptualizing and designing a system. 2.At least five years experience in adult basic education. 3.Ability to work with institutions of higher education. 4. Ability to work with Department of Education staff in Adult and Community Learning Services and in Certification. 5.Ability to complete complex tasks within tight deadlines. 6.Demonstrated skills in conducting inclusive processes. 7.Knowledge of assessment and evaluation protocols for teacher preparation. 8.Ability to work independently and as a member of a team. 9.Masters in education or in a related field or comparable experience. This is a full-time SABES position, housed at World Education, the SABES Central Resource Center. Mid-40s plus excellent benefits. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to: S. Waldron, World Education, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210 by January 29, 1999. Principals only please. World Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Voluntary information in this regard is welcomed. This posting also appears on SABESÕ web site at http://www.sabes.org/sabjob4.htm

Your input is needed:

LR/RI has been asked to address the professional development component of the larger state plan for adult education provision in Rhode Island. After reviewing documents describing what constitutes good professional development, I plan to summarize my understanding of what I feel would be useful to practitioners in the state, outlining key issues, questions and areas for further discussion. An important part of this reviewing and reflection process includes speaking to program directors and practitioners about their views of professional development. I'll then draft a first version of a proposal around professional development and submit it to Bob Mason, RI's director of adult education. In order for this document to reflect the needs, strengths and interests of adult education workers across the state, it will be circulated in hard copy and posted on LR/RI's web site. Additionally, meetings will be held around the state in order to facilitate discussion of this proposal. In the interim, if you would like to make your views known about professional development, please contact me via email janet_isserlis@brown.edu or at (401) 863-2839. The paragraph below may raise issues for your attention, and/or you may have other concerns/interests to express.

assumptions about professional development

Professional development works from strengths, rather than deficits. Practitioners are already capable of teaching well, while wanting to improve their practice in intentional ways.

Although people learn in different ways, the research on professional development suggests that one-off workshops are least likely to be useful to practitioners. While there are situations through which a workshop can be useful (such as in learning to use a particular piece of software ), without follow up, or ongoing support - through a more knowledgeable peer, or mentor, or through a series of related activities, regular contact with colleagues - workshop learning tends to be limited at best.

Staff development works best when it is practitioner - driven and -supported.

In addition to increased access to learning about classroom practice, professional development should also encompass - access to information - access to resources - access to others in the field

As well, advocacy - for programs that support learners, for full time, supported professional development, and for recognition of best practices should be part of this effort.

In order to address one piece of our ongoing development, that of working with women in adult education, we would like to ask you to respond to these questions:

1. What, if any, do you see to be particular needs of women learners in adult education?

2. What, if anything, do you feel you like to know more about, learn in greater depth, in terms of women and adult education?

3. What, if any, issues to you feel are particular to women working in adult education?

4. Are there any other issues, questions, learning youÕd like to see addressed in terms of women and adult education as part of your own ongoing professional development?

What suggestions would you make for a format for this learning to take place?

forms of development

workshops inquiry study circles mentoring mini-grants sharing/discussion groups

approaches to development

participatory 'expert' delivered self-motivated, self-implemented

Daphne Greenberg is facilitating a women and literacy listserv.

To participate in the NIFL lists, subscribe by sending an email message to: LISTPROC@LITERACY.NIFL.GOV with the following request in the body of the message: subscribe NIFL-Womenlit firstname lastname Substitute your first and last name spelled exactly as you would like it to appear. For example, to subscribe to the NIFL-Womenlit list Sue Smith would type: subscribe NIFL-womenlit Sue Smith There should be no other text in the message (e.g., your signature block). It is recommended that the subject line be left blank if possible.

from previous bulletins:

International Conference on Women and Literacy January 24-26, 1999, Atlanta: designed to bring researchers, practitioners and policy makers together to pose problems and develop an understanding of linkages between women's lives and literacies. Issues for discussion include women and literacy as related to: welfare to work, health, ethnicity and domestic violence; research, policy issues, applied practice and learners' perspectives. Registration fees: if postmarked by 11/15- $100; $125 if postmarked by 11/16; $150 on-site. For information, or for an application, please contact Sandy Vaughn at 404-651-1400 or alcsvv@langate.gsu.edu

Technology and Adult Basic Education: The Changing Roles of Teachers - 1999 Winter Institute January 27 -29, 1999, Atlanta. Participants will examine current research and policy in the use of technology in adult education, model programs and assessment. Registration fees: $235, payable by 1/8/99. Information/application, email: mark.johnson@arch.gatech.edu or barbara.christopher@arch.gatech.edu, or Mark Johnson or Barbara Christopher:1(800) 428-7323. Information is also available online at http://www.arch.gatech.edu/crt/learning.htm

Learning Disabilities Association of America - 1999 International Conference Atlanta, February 24-27. Pre-registration deadline ($120 for members, $150 for non-members), January 11, 1999. Strands include adult and vocational/life skills, advocacy, assessment, cultural linguistic diversity, early childhood, instruction, legal/legislative, medical, mental health, parents/ family, principals/administrators, professional preparation and technology. Information: LDA 1999 Conference, 4156 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-1349.

The North American Alliance for Popular and Adult Education will hold the CommonFire Conference, Feb. 12-15, 1999, Tucson, Arizona. Educator/Activist Networks will meet in these areas: Participatory Research, Environmental Popular Adult Education, Popular Economics, Feminist Education, Anti-Racist and Multicultural Education, Music, Theater, Visual Arts and Cultural Work, Learning in Social Movements, Labor Education, Youth Organizing, Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual Organizing, Welfare Reform/Economic Justice, and Community Organizing. Information: Larry Olds, 3322 15th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407, 612-722-3442, lolds@mtn.org

Lenore Balliro, editor of Bright Ideas, facilitated a discussion on practitioner publishing with staff at IIRI earlier this month. In responding to that session, and to the LR/RI bulletin, Lenore has posed this interesting challenge: " I was wondering, in light of the meeting, about sending an interim newsletter out to people in between the information-full bulletin. Such a newsletter could analyze, point out, or illustrate the value of some of the things in reported in the bulletin. For example, notes from one of the women in literacy meetings, an op ed piece about why it's important to go to literacy council meetings and the value of advocacy for RI practitioners and so on. I find the newsletter very informative, but it would also be nice to have some of the events or information come alive."

Lenore's suggestion makes a lot of sense. Although some good writing is posted on the website, there's room for more both on-line and through the bulletin, and through an interim newsletter such as Lenore suggests. Ideas, opinions, reflections and questions are all important in the process of our building community and a collective knowledge base. Please consider sharing your thoughts through any of the media suggested above.

resource available: Vision for an Ideal System: Improving Services to Adult with Learning Disabilities, a document recording recommendations and considerations raised during focus group meetings (November/97), is available at no cost through the National Institute for Literacy Clearinghouse, 1(800)228-8813.

Sherri Cartee <scartee@cetlink.net> [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY list] has set up an adult learners/GED learners forum on Dejanews. "It's a page where adult learners are welcome to come and leave messages or respond to others' messages. I hope to develop the site more as time goes on, and I'd appreciate any suggestions or comments. I know that my students (workplace) don't often get the time to participate in discussions with other adult learners. I think this could be a place where adults could be as involved as they wish. They wouldn't be committed to a one-on-one keypal relationship unless they wanted to develop one. They could just come read messages occasionally if that's as much as they feel comfortable with. Please visit, and, if you think it's appropriate, encourage your adult learners to participate in any way they feel comfortable." http://www.dejanews.com/~adultged. The site is also linked to LR/RI's learners page.

CALL FOR INFORMATION - to anyone returning from the LVA, AAACE and/or other conferences - Have you heard about something new, different, interesting, compelling? Has something made you re-think your practice? Read something provocative? Will you share what you've heard in an informal discussion session in January and/or submit an article for the bulletin and/or website? There's too much expertise and too little time - let's try to find a way to connect with one another and the new and ongoing learning we're undertaking through our work. Please contact LR/RI.

relatively new on the website:

- Policy update, November 19, 1998 - Information on the development of states' five-year plans, from Alice Johnson, at NIFL (go to LR/RI's advocacy page).

- Domestic violence and adult learners - text from a discussion held with Marsha Wise of the Women's Center of Rhode Island at the last women's issues sharing session. (women).

- An update on VALUE, the national learner organization, (go to learners), new postings on the links, women and literacy and inquiry pages, as well.

- Research Agenda for Adult ESL The National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, in collaboration with National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy and with additional sponsorship and support from Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, has published a Research Agenda for Adult ESL. Its objectives are to provide funders with clear priorities for funding; to provide researchers with support for proposing specific projects; and to provide a focus for dis-cussion about how to improve adult ESL programs. The document incorporates feedback from learners, instructors, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers, and is available, free, from NCLE, 4646 40th street NW, Washington, DC 20016; (202) 362-0700 extension 200, or can be downloaded from NCLE at http://www.cal.org/ncle (and is also linked to LR/RI's ESOL page).

- The Key on line - Monthly newspaper for adults in Wisconsin's basic education and ESL programs.  http://www.keynews.org/ (and is linked to LR/RI's learner page).

Making Connections across culture: Critical reflection on a feminist adult education resource - by Arlene Wells. A report on a research project that examines the way in which one feminist literacy resource does and doesn't accommodate the needs, strengths and cultures of women learning and teaching in adult literacy programs. The report moves beyond an analysis of one curriculum document into a careful reflection of the ways that race, class, and gender (among other things) interlock and contribute to helping or hindering women's learning. The welfare reform page has been updated, as have other pages around the site. Please contribute your input and feedback to the site.

REMINDERS, RESOURCES:

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy has recently released a set of informative fact sheets outlining for practitioners and others the projects with which NCSALL researchers are currently engaged. Project histories, plans, and implications for practice are all highlighted in the fact sheets. Projects include studies of Learner Motivation, Impact of Literacy Programs on Adult learners, Adult Multiple Intelligences, Home Literacy Uses, Adult Development and Literacy Learning, Staff Development, Assessment, GED Impact, Health and Literacy, and Reading Diagnostics, Anyone interested in reading about one or all of the projects or anyone who may be interested in project participation information may receive copies by contacting David Hayes at (401) 331-9261. (The PDRN bulletin, including a link to the NCSALL fact sheets is also available online.

From Jan Richter, KidsCampaigns Outreach Specialist, Benton Foundation jan@benton.org on the NIFL-family listserv: I am the Outreach Specialist for KidsCampaigns, a comprehensive web site (http://www.kidscampaigns.org) providing information and tools for people to act on behalf of kids, from volunteering to voting. One of my duties is to compile and write the KidsCampaigns Weekly, a weekly email newsletter that briefs kids' advocates on what's in the news about kids' issues and what's new on-line to inform and engage KidsCampaigners -- advocates, concerned citizens, parents, service providers, etc. If you're interested in subscribing to the KidsCampaigns Weekly, you can sign on by sending an email to listserv@cdinet.com, with the message subscribe kids-weekly YourFirstName YourLastName

list servs:

LEARNER is intended primarily for adult learners. LITERACY is a general list for adult literacy practitioners and others. Information on these electronic lists is below.

LEARNER To subscribe to LEARNER, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org

Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LEARNER Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LEARNER should be addressed to: LEARNER@nysernet.org Questions regarding the list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin Moderator, LEARNER bdevlin@dreamscape.com

LITERACY To subscribe to LITERACY, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org

Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LITERACY Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LITERACY should be addressed to: LITERACY@nysernet.org Questions regarding the LITERACY list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin bdevlin@dreamscape.com

Welfare to work listserv: from Glenn Young - For those interested in the subject of welfare reform and learning disabilities, there has been a listserv created through NIFL. To sign up, please send a message to: listproc@literacy.nifl.gov write in the body of the message subscribe nifl-wtwld and your name. Do not write anything in the subject line and do not use any dots or dashes other than between nifl and wtwld. (Click here for more information on listservs).

AIDS RESOURCES ONLINE

from the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse (NAC): On December 1, 1998, World AIDS Day, the CDC National Prevention Information Network launched an improved, redesigned Web site, replacing the National AIDS Clearinghouse Web site and providing expanded services with clear organization and simple navigation. The URL for the new site is the same as the existing National AIDS Clearinghouse Web site, http://www.cdcnpin.org.

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.

David Rosen 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).

Workshops available - Since 1995, 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.