| Contact
LR/RI
|
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.July 6, 2000 Bulletin #99
Dear Colleagues, Calls for participation, conference announcements, information about resources on line and the usual range of notices follow. To post information, please contact LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839). Thanks.
Janet Isserlis ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES ESOL sharing/discussion meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 25, at 3:00 PM at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue. computer drop in sessions - Friday morning computer drop in sessions began again this summer on July 7 and continue through to August 18th, with the exception of August 4. A computer lab is available to us at the Brown Center for Information Technology, located at the corner of Brook and Waterman Streets in Providence. The lab is on the second floor [rm 269] and is open between 9am and noon. For directions or more information, please contact LR/RI. (Note - the CIT is usually very coolly air conditioned. You might want to bring a sweater). save the date - Kathy Tancrelle - August 23 or 24th, pending finalizing plan - a hands on session working with standards and rubrics; more to follow in coming bulletins. In the June 22 edition of Report on Literacy Programs newsletter, editor Dave Speights calls for practitioners who can point to ways in which the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) has specifically improved their practice do so by writing or faxing him at the addresses/number below. Any Rhode Island practitioners who feel that they have improved their practice through reading NCSALL research, reading Focus on Basics, or participating in a NCSALL sponsored event are encouraged to drop him a brief line. Speights has also suggested that practitioners may wish to cross-post to the NLA listserv: nla@world.std.com. The addresses : Dave Speights, Business Publishers, Inc., Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910-3928. Fax (301) 587-1081; email dspeights@bpinews.com For a copy of the editorial, contact David Hayes, NCSALL PDRN at 331-9261 or at pdrnri@aol.com From Thursday Notes, 6/29/00: Environment Scrutinized for Cause of
LD - New evidence points to a link between environmental poisons and
learning disabilities says US. News and World Report. New research ties
PCBs to lack of coordination, diminished IQ, and poor memory in adults
and children. For example, adults living near a chemical plant in Alabama
were unable to learn to read or write. See http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000619/poison.htm
for "Kids at Risk" published June 19.
more LD/ESOL resources: ESL Instruction and Learning Disabilities, the new digest from the National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) by Robin Schwarz and Lynda Terrill is available from ncle@cal.org, from (202) 362-0700, ext. 200, or can be downloaded at www.cal.org/ ncle/digests/LD2.htm NCLE is also unveiling a new feature: a resource collection. The title of this first collection is Learning Disabilites and Adult ESL and is posted at www.cal.org/ncle/whatnew.htm The Resource Collection contains articles, reports, books, websites, organizations, electronic discussions, policy materials, ERIC documents, and other resources that address the featured topic. NCLE welcomes your comments, suggestions, and recommendations for additions to the collection. Adult literacy and television: An annotated bibliography - The
Centre for Literacy in Quebec has researched and produced an annotated
bibliography on adult literacy and TV. Arranged chronologically from
the early 60s to the present, it reflects most major work undertaken to
use television for literacy campaigns and instruction. The bibliography
can be ordered ($10) online at http://www.nald.ca/litcent.htm,
or email literacycntr@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
online - Robert Geake's report on his minigrant project on learner involvement in voting processes has been completed. A presentation will be made on July 27 (more information will appear in the next bulletin). Read about the project (linked to LR/RI's advocacy page), or go directly to http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/geake.html Dorcas Place, an adult education center, needs volunteers to work with low-income adults as Mentors or as Literacy Tutors. At present, we have a long list of students waiting for volunteers to work with them. Training sessions for both Volunteer Literacy Tutors and Volunteer Mentors will begin with orientation on Wednesday July 12, 2000. Literacy Tutors meet with their students once a week to instruct them in reading, writing, and math skills. Mentors meet with their students once a week to guide and assist them with their career and educational goals. If you are interested in volunteering at Dorcas Place, please contact: the Tutor Program Coordinator, Joan Anthony, or the Mentor Program Coordinator, MarÌa del Pilar Velasquez at 273-8866. - The Rhode Family Literacy Initiative will hold Summer Adult ESL Conversation Classes at the East Providence Public Library. Classes are for all levels of ESL students. We will discuss, in English, a variety of interesting topics while working on English skills in a relaxed atmosphere. Classes begin on Thursday, July 13, 2000 at 6:30-8:00. The class will run until the end of August every Thursday night. Volunteers are also needed to work with Adults or to work with children in the literacy program. Please Call Kristen McKenna for information or registration at 435-1988. - The Rhode Family Literacy Initiative will hold Summer ESL Conversation Classes at the William Hall Library. Classes are for all levels of ESL students and children ages 3-12. We will discuss, in English, a variety of interesting topics while working on English skills in a relaxed atmosphere. Classes begin on Wednesday July 12, 2000 at 5:30-7:30. The class will run until the end of August every Wednesday night. Volunteers are also needed to work with Adults or to work with children in the literacy program. Please Call Kristen McKenna for information or registration at 781-2450. employment opportunities
Coordinator Providence Urban Debate League (PUDL) - a cooperative project between the Providence Public Schools and Brown University's Swearer Center for Public Service and Institute of Elementary and Secondary Education. The PUDL seeks to make public discourse and debate an integral part of Providence's public high schools and seeks to use communication skills to empower individuals while working towards improving academic skills. The program specifically aims to institutionalize debate in order to broaden public debate on the controversial issues of our time, ensure that all voices are heard, and seek innovative solutions to the challenges facing our city and our society. The Program Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the organizational integrity and direction of the program. To this end, the Program Coordinator must develop an in-depth understanding of the regional debate circuit at the high school and college levels, and exhibit an ability to work in effective collaboration with high school administrators and students. S/he will communicate with coaches and school administrators and a wide range of university departments to encourage their support for, and assistance in building school-site debate programs. Responsibilities: Coordination of PUDL programs: Manage school relationships:
recruit new schools; communicate with and provide support to coaches and
school administrators, organize Coaches' Seminars; maintain relationships
with university debate programs; develop and implement PUDL's by-laws;
supervise the PUDL Assistant and Coordinators; fundraise to support program.
Development of Programs: Advise students on the development of new initiatives;
write and manage grants to support programs; work to integrate programs
into Center and Brown; Coordination of Resources: Act as resource
for individuals, community agencies and campus departments; assist in the
production of relevant newsletters, databases and web pages; Student
Advising: Meet with and advise students regarding career and academic
goals, fellowship programs and grant opportunities; senior theses; service
opportunities; and the development of new initiatives; Other duties as
assigned by the Director or supervisor.
SABES Associate Coordinator (Fall River, MA) The SABES Southeast Regional Resource Center is receiving funding to hire an individual responsible for planning and coordinating program and staff development activities, and providing technical assistance to Adult Basic Education (ABE) practitioners throughout the region. In addition, s/he will also serve as a member of statewide teams involved in developmental projects and facilitate communication between all providers of ABE services. http://www.sabes.org/bccjob1.htm LAUBACH LITERACY SEEKS APPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL BOOK SCHOLARSHIP FUND Laubach Literacy is seeking grant applications for its National Book Scholarship Fund (NBSF), which distributes books and other educational material to qualified adult literacy and education programs nationwide. NBSF grants are designed to help local educational groups expand their work or to begin new programs among under-served populations. First priority is given to family literacy programs that work to improve the literacy skills of parents and their children. Grants are also awarded to programs that work with special groups, such as the homeless, refugees, people learning English as a Second Language, and adults with learning disabilities. Last year, the NBSF gave $225,625 worth of in-kind grants to 96 programs. The fund has given $1,094,441 worth of grants to 546 programs since its inception in 1995. The NBSF is made possible through the support of foundations, corporations and individual donors across the country. For information or to apply for a National Book Scholarship Fund grant, contact Mara Roberts, project administrator, The National Book Scholarship Fund, Laubach Literacy, P.O. Box 131, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210; telephone 315-422-9121,e-mail at mroberts@laubach.org. Additional grant information is on line at http://www.laubach.org/NBSF/indexnbs.html. The grant application will also be available online from September 1 to November 30, 2000. Grant applications will be accepted until December 7, 2000. Laubach Literacy is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to helping adults improve their lives and their communities by learning reading, writing, math and problem-solving skills. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education has
loaded the full text of its most recent major publications and Digests,
Trends and Issues Alerts, Myths and Realities on the <http://ericacve.org>
website.
From: "Young, Glenn" <Glenn_Young@ed.gov>, OVAE: Wed, 5 Jul
2000 [NIFL-LD:2894]
CALL FOR ARTICLES - The Harvard Educational Review (HER) is planning
to publish a symposium on Immigration and Education. Although immigrant
learners are a growing presence in schools and educational programs throughout
the United States, there is a lack of sustained inquiry and dialogue about
their education.
ONLINE from E P N N e w s 6.21.00 http://www.epn.org/whatsnew/ Resources Page for Health Advocates: NHeLP has posted a new page of links and citations to documents and studies that may be of use to health advocates. http://www.epn.org/whatsnew/full_cite/133.html "School-to-Work and Work-Based Learning" The Institute on Education and the Economy has carried out several related studies on high school programs that include work-based learning. These programs were encouraged and funded under the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which called for new partnerships to be formed between educators and employers. Two recent research reports http://www.tc.columbia.edu/iee/PAPERS/Abstracts/wp12.htm, http://www.tc.columbia.edu/iee/PAPERS/Abstracts/wp15.htm focus on pedagogy for work-based learning, and the potential of work-based learning for teaching academic skills. http://www.epn.org/whatsnew/full_cite/134.html "Faith-based Institutions and High-Risk Youth" by Harold Dean
Trulear Based on field observations during the first 18 months of P/PV's
national demonstration project, Faith-Based Institutions and High-Risk
Youth, the report includes lessons learned about the distinct contributions
of faith-based institutions to the work of civil society, and the challenges
of building partnerships between faith-based groups and other institutions.
http://www.epn.org/whatsnew/full_cite/135.html
also on line - proposals from this summer's minigrant projects, now in progress. Look on LR/RI's advocacy and ESOL pages for proposals and also for updated links and information. draft standards are now posted on LR/RI's standards page. We hope to have a half day meeting in May to discuss the standards and gather feedback. In the meantime, please view the standards at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/standards.html and send comments to LR/RI. Hard copies of the standards are also available upon request. Almost 20 adult educators have participated in drafting these standards and welcome your input. Stop the Hate, http://www.stopthehate.net/index1.htm
- provides numerous resources of value to anyone working in adult education,
community development and/or hoping to consider viable ways in which to
approach social change.
resources
conferences - conferences are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin The New Readers for New Life conference: August 5-6, 2000 at
the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, about an hour north
of Chicago. This 7th annual conference is planned, organized and led by
adult learners from Illinois, and is open to anyone who would like to attend.
The site is about 45 minutes away from Chicago's O'Hare airport,
and lodging is available at a Super 8 for about $55 for a 2 person room
.
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. The Immigration and Refugee Services of America's National Alliance
for Multicultural Mental Health and the International Institute of Los
Angeles are hosting Future Directions in Refugee Mental Health on
July 24-26, 2000, in Burbank, CA. This conference will explore the knowledge,
skills, and approaches necessary to integrate mental health concerns into
programs that assist refugees in moving beyond survival to personal success
and self-sufficiency. Plenary sessions, break-out sessions, and intensive
three hour working groups will be held to provide in-depth information
exchange. Featured topics include:
Call for Proposals to present at the 10th Annual National Conference
on Family Literacy, Partners in Learning, to be held March 18 - 20, 2001
in Dallas, Texas. Deadline to Submit Proposals: October 6, 2000. Call for
Proposals available at: www.famlit.org If it is not possible to access
the form off the website, you may call 502-584-1133x135 and make a request
for one to be mailed to you or faxed to you. (If you leave a voice
message, please provide your complete mailing address and/or fax number)
AAACE brochure - national adult education conference schedule is available online at http://www.cdlr.tamu.edu/tcall/aaace/conferences/aace2000.htm. AAACE will be held in Providence this fall. More information will appear in bulletins this summer.
January 22-24, 2001 Atlanta, The Center for the Study of Adult Literacy at Georgia State University, in collaboration with Laubach Literacy Action and the Centre for Literacy of Quebec, announces the third International Conference on Women and Literacy. The focus of the conference is Language, Culture, and Literacy as they relate to women in adult basic education classes. Call for Presenters - presentation proposals are due August 1. We are defining adult basic education as basic literacy, ESL, family literacy, health literacy, workplace literacy, pre GED, and GED classes. We purposely did not define language and culture in the proposal, because we want presenters to feel free to define these terms in ways that are meaningful for them. The conference will address the following question: How do language, culture, literacy and women interact in basic literacy, ESL, family literacy, health literacy, workplace literacy, pre-GED, and GED classes? Proposals for presentations are invited from Practitioners, Researchers, Policy Makers, and Learners. Proposals with an international perspective are particularly encouraged. All proposals should address Practice, Research, and/or Policy, and can be presented as a seminar, workshop, demonstration, panel discussion, or round table. The round tables will be scheduled for 1 hour, and all others for 1 1/2-hours and 3 hours. Lead presenters will be notified regarding proposal acceptance by September 1. More information: contact LR/RI, or download forms at http://education.gsu.edu/CSAL .
from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, 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
women's 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 has been published in the US; for US ordering information contact
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 10 Industrial Ave. Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262 [8009BOOKS9].
email: orders@erlbaum.com
list servs: 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. listserv for ESOL teachers-in-training: TESOL Student Discussion List ...the perfect resource for students in ESL/EFL teacher training programs who want to exchange information about methodologies, classroom applications, theory, ESL/ EFL Research, ESL/EFL, resources. To subscribe, send an email to subscribe-students@lyris.tesol.edu <mailto:subscribe-students@lyris.tesol.edu> In the body of the e-mail, type subscribe students and your name. Details will be sent to you. Participants must be current members of TESOL VALUE e-list: VALUE has established a valuelearners mailing for
email users, hosted by the Western/Pacific Literacy Network, part of the
National Institute for Literacy Information and Communication Network System
(LINCS). This "e-list" is a way for adult learners who are members of VALUE
to communicate with each other. Only adult learners who are members of
VALUE can subscribe to this e-list. VALUE is the national organization
for adult learners (current or former participants in adult basic skills
programs) in the United States. VALUE provides training and other supports
to adult learners who want to be more effective leaders in their education
programs, communities, and states. This e-list is being managed by members
of VALUE's Communications Committee. Subscribers are encouraged to communicate
about information, ideas, questions, or problems of interest to them. If
you are a member of VALUE and need help subscribing, please contact LR/RI.
If you're not a member, but would like to become one, contact LR/RI or
visit the VALUE website at http://literacynet.org/value.
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). Professional development initiative: In 1998, 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.
Please contact LR/RI if you have information, questions or announcements to share with adult educators in Rhode Island. Bulletins go out at least twice a month; more frequently when there's more to share. To submit information for the next bulletin, please contact LR/RI by phone (401-863-2839), mail (PO Box 1974, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912) or email. back to LR/RI home |
