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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 17, 2000

Bulletin #88

Dear Colleagues,

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

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

LD TRAINING SESSION RESCHEDULED: RI's New England Partnership for Adults with Learning Disabilities team will present its second workshop in a series of three based on the Bridges to Practice guidebooks. The workshop will be on screening and instructional planning for adults with learning disabilities. This workshop will not focus on formal diagnostic procedures, but will assist practitioners and programs in ways to screen for possible learning disabilities among their learners. Basic information about Bridges to Practice (the information on which much of the LD Partnership training is based), is available online at http://www.ld-read.org. The workshop will take place on Saturday, March 4.

Due to sickness within the training team, the workshop on The Screening Process for Adults with Learning Disabilities has been rescheduled from Thursday, Jan. 20th at 1:00 until March 4th, the first Saturday in March, from 9:00AM to 2:30 PM. (Lunch will be provided). We are truly sorry and hope that this change doesn't inconvenience anyone. In the meantime, if any adult education agency would like us to present a session on Understanding LD for your staff, free of charge, please call or email Janet Isserlis at Janet_Isserlis@brown.edu or 863-2839 or Judy Titzel at JATDP@aol.com or 245-7326. Hope to see many of you on March 4th -- The RI team of the New England Partnership for Adults with Learning Disabilities - Judy, Lili, Lisa, Elaine

standards : The next meeting to work on the development of standards for adult education for the state will be held on Thursday, January 27 at 1 PM, at the International Institute of Rhode Island. The meeting is open to all; we're working to develop draft standards to publicize. A larger meeting to explore the standards work in depth will be held on February 2; information coming soon about that meeting.

Sharing/discussion session for adult educators with an interest in ESOL Tuesday, February 8, 3 PM at the Genesis Center (720 Potters Avenue, Providence). Sandy Jacobi and Nancy Fritz will share findings from the minigrant they completed last fall on ESOL pronunciation.

NCSALL's Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network is planning a study circle for Rhode Island Adult Education practitioners interested in learning more about Equipped for the Future as well as the development of standards for Rhode Island. The study circle will examine the ongoing work of the practitioner - driven development of standards in our state and the Equipped for the Future standards, focusing on the connections which may be made between them. While the number and hours of meetings have not been set, it is expected that three meetings of 2 - 3 hours each will be scheduled sometime between February and June. If you are interested in participating and would like more information, please contact David Hayes at PDRNRI@aol.com or at (401) 331-9261.

NEW ONLINE

Participation in Adult Education in the US: 1998-1999 provides the latest estimates of the level of adult participation in Adult Basic Education & ESOL programs, work related education activities, post secondary credential programs, apprenticeship programs, personal development classes, & other education activities. http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000027

The National Institute for Literacy has posted Literacy Skills for 21st Century America: A Blueprint for creating a more literate nation at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/policy/summit/blueprint.html This document will inform the national literacy summit, being held next month in Washington. Your input is important. If you have trouble reading the document on line, or need a hard copy, please contact LR/RI.

resources

Jenny Horsman's new book, Too Scared to Learn: Women, Violence, and Education (1999: McGilligan Books), is a critical resource for anyone working with adult learners. Based on Horsman's in-depth research into ways in which violence (political, personal, physical, emotional) influence womenÕs ability to learn, the book provides not only Horman's thoughtful insights, but also pulls together the voices of literacy learners and practitioners who have been affected by violence in one way or another into a very comprehensive whole. For those of us struggling with making our classrooms safe places for learners, for anyone working in adult education, Too Scared to Learn must be required reading. To order: contact Toronto Women's Book Store (email: twb@web.net) or McGilligan Books in Canada at 416-538-0945, or print an order form at http://www.nald.ca/canorg/cclow/scared/tooscare.htm. The book will be published in the US in May/June; for US ordering information contact Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 10 Industrial Ave. Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262 [8009BOOKS9]. email: orders@erlbaum.com

ERIC Digests from the National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education - available at http://www.cal.org/ncle or by phone at (202) 362-0700, extension 200; e-mail: ncle@cal.org or Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016

- Poetry in the Adult ESL Classroom (December 1999), by Joy Peyton and Pat Rigg: digest discussing ways to select and use poetry in adult language and literacy classes; provides information about poetry collections and resources for further reading.

- Native Language Literacy and Adult ESL Instruction (December 1999) by Klaudia Rivera. This digest reviews recent research related to the role of native language literacy and describes program types and instructional approaches that incorporate learners' languages into instruction.

- Using Videos with Adult English Language learners (August 1999) by Miriam Burt: Article providing a rationale for using video, guidelines for selecting and using videos in instruction, discussion of commercial videos, and a look at the future of video use in instruction.

- Reading and the Adult ESL Learner (August 1999) by Carol Van Duzer: Digests providing an outline of major reading approaches, discusses what fluent readers do in the process of reading, and suggests ways to improve English reading skills for adult learners.

- Improving Adult ESL Learners' Speaking Skills (June 1999), by MaryAnn Cunningham Florez: describes what speaking involves, what good speakers do in the process of expressing themselves and presents an outline for creating an effective speaking lesson and assessing learners' speaking skills.

Cultural Adjustment, Mental Health, and ESL: The Refugee Experience, the Role of the Teacher, and ESL Activities : new resource packet by Myrna Ann Adkins, Dina Birman, and Barbara Sample (1999). As the title indicates, this publication provides information on the kinds of stress refugees are likely to experience and how the ESL teacher can help them acquire both the language and the cultural information they need for successful resettlement in the United States. Appendices include many classroom activities and contact information for related organizations and websites. This 56-page manual is available free of charge from the Spring Institute for International Studies, 1610 Emerson Street, Denver, CO 80218 [303.863-0188] springinst@earthlink.net For other resources to use with adults learning English, visit Spring's website at www.springinstitute.com/elt/html/resources.html - Thanks to Miriam Burt at NCLE for these synopses.

From Lenore Balliro, editor of Bright Ideas, Massachusetts' adult basic education newsletter: The newest issue of Bright Ideasfocuses on gay and lesbian issues in adult basic education and includes articles by gay and straight educators and a gay student. Contents include book reviews, resources, a "Myths and Facts" sheet, a "Things We Can Do" piece, and several Web resources. Articles on integrating gay themes/literature into the curriculum, straight privilege, and the experiences of being gay in the field of adult basic education are also included. If you'd like a copy, contact Lenore at lenore_balliro@jsi.com; or wait a bit -- the complete issue will be posted on the SABES Web page at http://www.SABES.org.

program opportunity: HEALTH AND LITERACY EDUCATION IN THE CLASSROOM

The Health Education and Adult Literacy: Breast and Cervical Cancer (HEAL:BCC), a project of World Education, provides Adult Learning Centers with materials and support to combine health and literacy education in the classroom. The next step of the HEAL:BCC project is to work with Adult Learning Centers to implement and evaluate the HEAL:BCC curriculum. Components of this work include the Centers' participation in an orientation and a teacher training. Centers will receive copies of the HEAL:BCC curriculum, a resource box of materials, on-going support and training for teachers implementing the HEAL:BCC curriculum in their classrooms, linkages to local health care providers, and materials for learners. Teachers and learners will then participate a final project conference. Evaluation components of the project include for example a center-wide survey and curriculum feedback form for teachers.

HEAL:BCC is designed to support teachers in their primary goal of helping learners improve their reading, writing, and oral presentation skills. World Education is looking for three centers in Rhode Island to implement its HEAL:BCC curriculum in ABE, Pre-GED, or advanced ESOL classes. Each Center must commit 3 to 5 teachers to the project and be able to reach at least 75 students through classroom instruction. Selected Adult Learning Centers will receive a stipend of $5,000 for teacher time and other related costs. A fourth Center will selected to serve as a comparison Center for a stipend of $1,500. This center will be asked to complete evaluation components of the project, (i.e. the center-wide survey) but not implement the HEAL:BCC curriculum until after the evaluation period is over. Implementation will begin in the fall of 2000.

If your Center is interested in working on the HEAL:BCC project with us, please contact Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi by February 11, 2000 at 617-482-9485 or by e-mail at skurtz@worlded.org

PROGRAM INFORMATION - winter 2000

Community College of Rhode Island - non-credit courses at CCRI Lincoln, and Davies Career and Technical School. registration began on January 10 at CCRI; registration and testing take place Monday trhough Friday 3 - 6 PM and Saturdays at 9:30 AM. Any new students interested in Conversation and Vocabulary and writing courses must take the placement test at the time of registration.

conversation and vocabulary: Saturday mornings, 1/22 - 4/29, Levels 1 to 6, Lincoln, $90.00; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 - 8:30 OM, 2/8 - 3/28, $90.00 (at Davies)

advanced writing: Saturdays, 9:30 - noon, 1/22 0 4/1, Lincoln, $90.00.

citizenship training and preparation: Saturdays, 9:00 to noon, 1/22 - 3/25, Lincoln, $80.00 computer applications and intro to windows95, office 97 - Part I (limited to 15) Saturdays, 9 to noon, 1/22 0 4/8, Lincoln, $80.00; Tuesdays, 5 to 8 PM, 1/25 - 4/11, Lincoln, $80.00

computer applications and intro to windows95, office 97 - Part II (limited to 15) Thursdays, 5 to 8 PM, 1/27 - 4/13, Lincoln, $80.00

Registration for conversation and vocabulary cannot be accepted on the first day of class so please register before classes start. Refunds are given if class is cancelled or if you withdraw before the first meeting. Testing and registration will be at the Office of Community Services in Lincoln. Please pay course fees by check or money order, payable to CCRI. Cash can not be accepted. For more information, please contact Cecilia Londoño at 333-7074. This information is also available in Spanish.

Cranston Adult Vocational Programs

Classes begin February 8 and are offered to students 18 years or older and not in high school. Tuition is $75 per course. Students may only take one course per semester and only those interested in obtaining employment or upgrading job skills may enroll. Courses include nursing assistant - (with $45 testing and $20 application fee for certification) and computer skills, both offered on Thursday evenings, from 6 - 9 (with the nursing assistant course requiring an additional 20 hours practical experience). Registration: Day, at Cranston Adult Learning Center, 41 Heath Ave., (First Avenue off Elmwood), January 18-21, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Evening Cranston Career and Technical Center, 100 Metropolitan Avenue (off Phoenix Ave), January 18, 6:30 -8:00 p.m. For more information, please call 785-8166.

Labor and Globalization: From Seattle to Providence Monday, January 24, 7:00-9:30 PM What constitutes the forces of Globalization? What is or should be the role of the labor movement in the global economy? What new strategies of resistance were learned as a result of the WTO protests in Seattle? What are the possibilities for progressive coalition building against globalization in Providence? Forum Participants: Rick McIntrye, Professor of Economics, URI, Sara Mersha, Direct Action for Rights and Equality Living Wage Campaign, Paul Moura, National AFL-CIO Field Representative, Josefina Maria Saldana, Assistant Professor of English, Brown University, Aimee Tavares, Executive Director, Clean Water Action, Irene Tung, Brown University Student Labor Alliance and WTO Protester Location: DARE, 340 Lockwood St., Providence, (behind the Burger King across Broad St. from Central HS). Co-Sponsored by the Institute for Labor Studies and Research & the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University. For more information on the Rhode Island College class Theories of the Labor Movement (of which this forum is the first session) call 401.463.9900 or for more information on the forum call 401.863.1401.

more resources online: Martin Luther King resources and websites have been gathered at Education World, a large site linking lesson plans, educational websites and related information. Although many of the sites are designed for K-12 students, a good deal of the content is adaptable for adult educators and learners. View links to sites containing information about Dr. King at http://www.education-world.com/holidays/archives/mlking_2000.shtml

Math in Daily Life: How do numbers affect everyday decisions? Although itÕs not clear that this is a useful site for all adults learners, itÕs an interesting site for non-mathematically inclined educators to visit. A reminder, maybe, that math isnÕt as mysterious as some of us would believe. http://www.learner.org/exhibits/dailymath/ Both the MLK site and Math in Daily Life appeared in a free email newsletter from EducationWorld (http://www.education-world.com/). Visit the site to learn more about the newsletter and other resources gathered there.

LR/RI listserv: As some of you know, Literacy Resources has a list serv - an email discussion group available to anyone with access to email in the state (or beyond, as interest warrants). To learn more about the list, or to subscribe, please send an email message to janet_isserlis@brown.edu. To date, about 30 people have joined the list. Its purpose is to provide a forum for local educators to discuss policy, practice, resources, issues and news related to our work with one another. Unlike the bulletin, which arrives as email, the list is interactive - when you respond to message from the discussion list, everyone else on the list receives your message -- and the conversation, we hope, continues and grows.

Trauma and learning: Since October of last year, I have been working with a group of educators who are examining the effects of trauma (political, physical, emotional) on learning processes. As part of this work, I am very interested in speaking to program administrators, teachers and others involved in adult education as part of a process of learning about perceptions and realities of abuse and other trauma and the relationship of that abuse to adult learning. If you would like to discuss the work, or your staff would be interested in hearing more about it, I would be glad to meet with you individually, during staff meetings or in any other way that will enable us to begin sharing some of this learning. The final report, part of a fellowship project from the National Institute for Literacy, will be completed in the fall. - J.I.

Resources and preliminary information about the project are online at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/screen.html

conferences

Ninth Annual Action Conference: Advancing the agenda for working families, Saturday, January 22, 8:30 to 4:30 at the Providence Marriott.

Workshops will cover housing, nutrition, medical, transportation, senior citizens and other critical issues. Registration for student/low income elderly is $10, and $25 regular fee. For information, contact Bill Flynn at 728-5555, or FAX 725-1020. from Robert Sumner-Mack Volunteer, George Wiley Center: On January 22nd, the George Wiley Center is holding its annual R.I.Campaign to Eliminate Childhood Poverty... The focus is on ACTION - to seek commitments from key decision makers for specific achievable goals - such as extending RiteCare to a larger population of low income residents as well as more accessible mental health services; increasing funding for emergency housing to unemployed; changing bus schedules in South County and Woonsocket to facilitate auto-less employees getting to their jobs; a State-run temporary jobs agency for State jobs. NEEDED: Attendees ready to speak up and get the commitment of those who can make decisions. Follow-up at the local branches (Woonsocket, Pawtucket, etc.) is critical to success. Please plan to attend [a]nd please identify others who are directly affected by these problems and encourage them to attend and become involved.

Third National PRO-NET Professional Development Conference: Looking to the future: Lessons learned and lessons to be learned in promoting effective professional development. sponsored by the US Department of Education's Division of Adult Education and Literacy and the Pelavin Research Institute, February 10 and 11, 2000 The Madison Hotel, Washington, DC. (hotel deadline for reservations is January 11; reservations made after this date will be accepted on a space available basis only and the government rate cannot be guaranteed). For information contact Renee Sherman at (202) 944-5327 or via e-mail at rsherman@air.org

Cancer, Culture and Literacy 2nd Biennial Conference May 4-6, 2000 Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Our goal for this unique interactive conference is to assist health professionals to develop effective cancer communications that are multicultural, multilingual, and literacy appropriate. Healthcare professionals interested in developing effective cultural and literacy appropriate cancer prevention and cancer control programs and messages; health educators, nurses, physicians, researchers, community leaders, outreach workers, faculty, students/ trainees, policy-makers, literacy specialists and other healthcare professionals. Information: Moffitt Cancer Center Education Program: Susan Easter, M.S. (813) 632-1775 [seaster@moffitt.usf.edu] http://www.moffitt.usf.edu/Promotions/ccl/index.htm Conference brochures and on-line registration available January 2000 Jointly sponsored by the University of South Florida and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institute for Literacy and Cancer Research Foundation of America

Bet on a Better Future: LDA 2000 and Beyond. International conference of the Learning Diabilities Association of America, February 16 - 19, 2000, Reno Nevada. For information, please contact LR/RI.

- Designing our future, a national Congress on women's learning, March 2 to 5, Toronto, Ontario. This national Congress provides a significant opportunity for individuals with personal or organizational interests in women's education and training to meet and network. The aims of the Congress, and associated on-line discussions, are: to clarify what we know about the challenges and opportunities that have arisen; to think together about what we can do now, through research, practice, policy, and/or advocacy to achieve more effective involvement by women in current and future learning opportunities. details about the congress and the online discussion groups concerned with congress topics/strands are online at http://www.nald.ca/CANORG/cclow/congress.htm

To Promote the General Welfare: Ending Women's Poverty, A strategic conference for action to end women's poverty, March 6-7, 2000, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington DC. Registration, $100, with limited scholarships available upon request. For information, please contact LR/RI, or see online contact information at http://www.nowldef.org/html/policy/conf2000.htm Hotel reservation deadline is February 7.

The 2nd National Conference of REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library Services for the Spanish Speaking), is scheduled for Tucson, AZ, August 3-6. Conference information may be found at: http://clnet.ucr.edu/library/reforma/rnc2/ Theme: The Power of Language: Planning for the 21st Century. The conference chair is Susana Hinojosa (shinojos@library.berkeley.edu); (510) 643-9347. The president of REFORMA is Toni Bissessar (t.bissessar@yahoo.com); (718) 230-2750. Further information may be obtained through the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) at 800-545-2433, #4294; and the office of the ALA Diversity Officer at 800-545-2433 #4276.

Commission on Adult Basic Education National Conference - COABE Conference 2000 March 5-8, 2000, Chicago, Illinois. Conference registration and hotel information will be available online soon at http://cait.org/iacea/coabe/ .

TESOL 2000 will be held in March, in Vancouver, BC. Information is available online at http://www.tesol.edu.

relatively new on the website:

- 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:

list servs:

- LR/RI's list serv does not require membership, and eagerly welcomes additional participants. To join the list, please send your email address to janet_isserlis@brown.edu. Anyone with an interest in adult learning is encouraged to join.

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.