Bulletin Archives

LR/RI homepage

Swearer Center homepage

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.

March 28, 1999

Bulletin #65

Dear Colleagues,

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

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

Discussion/sharing session for educators with an interest in ESOL in adult education will be held on Tuesday, April 6th from 3 - 5 at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Local practitioners will report on sessions from TESOL '99; all are invited to share feedback/ideas from the conference and/or other workshops, articles, conferences.

A Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook workshop, related to the collection of resources to help integrate civic involvement and community activism into education will be held on April 9th, from 1:30 to 4:30 at the International Institute of RI. If you have not already contact ed LR/RI, please contact Andy Nash at World Education [phone: (617) 482-9485, ext. 674, email: andy_nash@jsi.com -- a few spaces are still available. (If you haven't access to email, call LR/RI and I can pass your request along to Andy). This first of two workshops will orient educators to the Sourcebook as a teaching tool, explore start-up activities, describe projects that other teachers have guided. Participants will also consider the ways particular contexts affect what one can do and develop a plan for trying out the sourcebook in their own teaching. In the second workshop, participants will share how theyÕve used the sourcebook, consider ways to assess and report student growth and progress, and strategize ways to keep projects moving. Upon completion of the second workshop, participants will be given a small stipend.

The Governor's blue ribbon panel on adult literacy will meet on Thursday, April 22 at 8:30 AM at the International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, and will focus on a continued review and discussion of the commissionÕs goals and objectives. Please call Marsha McDowell, 222-6700, if you plan to attend.

Discussion/sharing session for educators with an interest in women's issues in adult education will be held on Thursday, April 8th at 1:00 PM at the Rochambeau Branch Library, Hope Street, Providence. Please join us to follow-up on information presented at Jenny Horsman's workshop on violence and literacy and to help us formulate ongoing plans for the spring and fall. Because of the snow, many people were unable to attend the workshop; those who were present have agreed to share their own responses to the information presented and handouts from the workshop will also be available at the meeting (and/or can be sent to you, please contact LR/RI).

The Adult Education Commission will meet on Wednesday, April 28 at the State House, at a time to be announced soon.

You are invited to LVA-RI's annual statewide conference "Steppingstones to Literacy" on Saturday, April 10, 9-4 at the Feinstein Center, Providence College. The keynote speaker is Jeanne Donato: "Storytelling: A Steppingstone to Literacy". There will be 3 series of concurrent workshops, with 6-8 choices within each series. Registration begins at 8:30 AM. Cost is $5 for LVA students and $25 for all others. This year a special feature is an Open House for persons who are interested in learning more about LVA. They are invited to attend the opening session and a workshop entitled "Welcome to LVA". After that they can stay for other workshops or leave. There is no charge for guests who are interested in volunteering in the program.

The Family Reading Programs at Coventry and West Warwick Public Libraries begin their spring cycles on April 12th. The programs offer adult beginning through intermediate readers and their children an opportunity to improve reading, writing, and conversational English skills working in small groups with trained, volunteer tutors. The spring cycle runs for ten weeks with classes on Mondays and Wednesdays (mornings in Coventry and evenings at West Warwick). We welcome new students at any time! Volunteer tutors, children's helpers, and computer lab helpers are needed at both sites. Training will be held on April 5th from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at West Warwick Public Library. For more information, times and directions, call Irene Peloquin at 822 - 9103 (Coventry) or 828-3750 (West Warwick).

The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative-East Bay announces 10-week Spring Literacy classes, starting April 13, in Warren and East Providence. The RIFLI offers classes in beginner to intermediate English reading, writing, speaking and computer skills. The classes are held in the library to create life-long learners who use the libraryÕs many resources. This is a family reading program therefore parents are encouraged to bring their children, ages 3-12 for age appropriate literacy classes while parents learn. Learners are grouped according to abilities into small groups. In the groups; students work with volunteer tutors. Volunteers are essential to the success of this program. Volunteers do not need experience, just a willingness to commit to 4 hours per week in a worthwhile program. East Providence classes are 6:30-8:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Weaver Branch of the library. In Warren they are held in the George Hail Library, 10:30-12:00. To get more information about the class or volunteering, please call Kristen McKenna at 434-2719 or 245-7686.

Summer Conversation Classes for intermediate to advanced ESL adults start the week of July 12, 1999, for 8 weeks East Providence, Weaver Branch, 6-8:00 on Tuesday evenings Warren, George Hail Library, 6-8:00 pm on Wednesdays.

New on the website: Updates from Inquiry projects, (go to Inquiry), and papers from the Adult Education Academic Session, held earlier this month at TESOL

-- from the International Literacy Institute, INTERNATIONAL LITERACY EXPLORER, at http://www.literacyonline.org/explorer/ -- a multimedia teacher training tool for basic education designed to give an overview of literacy and basic education issues and practices in an international context. The Explorer focuses in on innovative, useful, and/or effective literacy projects and programs across the globe, and includes supplementary sections on general literacy concepts and statistics (an extensive interactive database is one component) to help the user to better understand the consequences of widespread illiteracy, the need for and importance of literacy education, and the achievements of the specific literacy projects. The Explorer has four main sections: Literacy Overview, Literacy Projects, Statistics, and Resources.

NCSALL Reports #4, Integrating Health and Literacy: Adult Educators' Experiences by Rima E. Rudd, Catherine Zacharia, and Katharine Daube documents some of the experiences of teachers in Massachusetts who included health lessons in their ABE and ESOL classes. Interviews conducted for this study were originally meant to help in designing a national survey, and did serve as a pilot for that survey.

NCSALL Reports #9, Findings from a National Survey of State Directors of Adult Education by Rima E. Rudd, Lucy Zahner, and My Banh discusses the findings from a survey sent out to state directors asking them to identify factors that would enable adult educators to build health literacy skills with the students in their classes. Directors were asked to offer assessments of current teaching priorities and of the barriers to/benefits of addressing health topics in ABE and ESOL programs.

The executive summaries from NCSALL Reports, called Research Briefs, are available on the NCSALL web site at http://hugse1.harvard.edu/~ncsall. Copies of the full reports are available for purchase through World Education. The cost for both reports is $5; order forms and a complete list of NCSALL publications are available through Kim French [617/482-9485 or via e-mail at Kfrench@WorldEd.org].

Grant resource information The GRANTSEEKER TIPS disseminates bi-weekly tips and ideas for people wanting to successfully pursue grants from foundations, corporations, and government agencies. To join free, send e-mail to MinerL@mu.edu and enter "Subscribe" in subject line.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Substitute instructor needed: 20 hours per week (M-F), 8:30 - 12:30 for all of May 1998 and possibly two weeks to be arranged. Academic, computer, and job-readiness preparation program for AFDC recipients in Pawtucket; case management support provided. Contact Lisa Egan, Project Opportunity, 723-9962; salary in the range of $20/hour; position still open

A visiting Portuguese man seeks a tutor for three weeks of daily English lessons. Pay is negotiable. Beginning April 10, please contact Valeria Gauz, 863.3074

Seeking a weekly reading tutor for a Providence man to meet in the Providence Public Library or other accessible location. Flexible schedule and knowledge of dyslexia helpful. Volunteer or fee negotiable. Please call Mr. Doren James at (401)453-5908, leave message if necessary.

A participant in Project ADVANCE, a career ladder program for Southeast Asian prospective teachers, needs a tutor to help her with graduate level math course assignments. Because she is employed full-time during the week, she needs this help on the weekend. If you can provide tutoring, please contact Fran Collignon by email at Fran_Collignon@brown.edu or by telephoning Fran at the Education Alliance, (401) 274-9548, xt. 275.

call for articles for The Change Agent from adult educators and learners on the theme of perspectives on adult education - personal, historical, economical, political

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 related concerns part of their teaching and learning. It is published by the New England Literacy Resource Center, and its editors want to hear your opinions, ideas and experiences in and out of the classroom on the theme. Different kinds of writing are sought -- learning project description, sample lessons, book/movie reviews, personal stories, interviews, dialogues, plays, poems, math activities, as well as cartoons, drawings, graphs and photographs. Please send writing (on PC disk if possible) to Marie Horchler, NELRC/ World Education, 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210, email mhorchler@worlded.org, or phone (617)482-9485. Please announce your intent to submit as close to April 1st as possible. All articles must be received by May 1st. All articles will be considered. Final decisions about content are made by the Change Agent Editorial Board which welcomes referrals to people/programs working on projects related to the theme of this issue.

Save the date: Seventh Annual Conference On Serving Adults with Learning Disabilities, May 27 - Hartford Marriott Hotel, Farmington, CT. Registation: $95, or $86/each for groups of three or more individuals attending from the same institution; registration deadline is May 21st. Brochures available via LR/RI, (after March 31st), or contact Debbie Kalanquin, (860) 524-4045.

LR/RI's hard copy mailing list is still lost in cyberspace. If you know of someone not receiving the bulletin, please ask that person to contact LR/RI so that we can reconstruct the mailing list . The list can not be retrieved from the data base into which it disappeared.

conferences

Trapped by Abuse Conference: April 16 - 18, 1999. At the University of Michigan League, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Participants will have an opportunity to: share information about the relationship of domestic violence, work, and welfare; learn about new research data; discuss innovative service delivery approaches; determine policy implications; and envision a new research agenda. Jill Nelson, author, is the featured speaker: "Everyday Violence: Gender and Race, Poverty and Abuse." Call Taylor Institute for more information: 773-342-5510

Workplace Learning Conference - Milwaukee, May 16-18. Bringing together teachers, program planners, funders, union representatives, business people, and governmental agency representatives, sessions will be offered across four tracks: Partnerships and Linkages; Program Design and Evaluation; Resources and Technologies; and Trends Affecting the Workplace and Workers.Information: http://www.cew.wisc.edu/workplace or call 608-265-3542.

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

"A Woman's Place Is...in the Curriculum" conference, August 1- 5, 1999, Rohnet Park, California, focusing on multicultural approaches to incorporating women's history into the k-12 curriculum. Contact: National Women's History Project, 717-838-6000 or nwhp@aol.com .

relatively new on the website:

- 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).

from previous bulletins: 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.

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).

women and literacy listserv.

To participate, 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.

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 Institute's 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).