Contact LR/RI
| The Rhode Island Adult Education Professional
Development
Center produces a bulletin roughly every
two
to three 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, please go to Bulletin Archives. To receive the bulletin via email, contact LR/RI. To learn more about professional development opportunities, please contact the RI AEPDC at (401) 456 -2838 or (401) 863-2839 April 7, 2009
Bulletin
#298 Dear
Colleagues, Calls for
participation, employment, funding,
and conference and workshop
opportunities, online
and other resources.
Janet Isserlis NOTICES -
– in
addition to events listed here, a recently updated list of events
(including workforce development workshops, new practitioner Offer VALUE membership opportunities to your students Student leadership organizations are a critical component of any education system. VALUE is a national student organization. VALUE is currently very active in making sure that student voices are heard. The Rhode Island Office of Adult and Career and Technical Education is very interested in supporting student and alumni organizations and has supported several in the career and technical education arena. As for adult education participants, EDP assessment candidates, and GED test takers and graduates, it is important to clarify that membership fees in reputable student leadership organization is an allowable expense. Please, feel free to review the membership materials contained in the link below and discuss with your students, alumni, test takers, and staff. http://valueusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=104 Rhode Island Adult Education Conference, Tuesday, May 19th at Rhode Island College. Program will be online very soon at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/conference09.html needs and strengths The Professional Development Council is conducting its annual survey of the field, in order to inform the PDCenter’s workplan for 2010. Please click on the link below and take a few minutes to answer the short survey; your input is critical to this process. Many thanks. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=eJIW3qmEqMwq3mklkj0dSQ_3d_3d ESOL share Tuesday, April 21st, 3 pm at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. TESOL? COABE? read a good book, had a good lesson? Sharing conference reports, ongoing ideas and approaches. Please join us. You are invited to explore the no-cost Career Advantage Program Unemployed? Considering further training? Thinking of returning to school? Concerned about your skills? Career Advantage is designed to assist unemployed Rhode Islanders gain an academic advantage to smoothly enter and successfully complete training programs or college courses. Improve math, communication and workplace skills during classes at convenient times – 10 hours of instruction per week for eight weeks. This no-cost opportunity can give you the confidence to tackle the demands of a training program or to jump-start college coursework. Take the first step to a better career. The next open house for the program is April 15th. Interested individuals should contact Coordinator Lynn Watterson at 401-455-6042 or lpwatterson@ccri.edu for more information and eligibility requirements. On May 3-5, VALUE, in partnership with ProLiteracy, will be holding its 6th biennial National Adult Learner Leadership Institute and Adult Literacy Congress. As part of this Institute, we will hold a mock hearing on each of four recommendations made by the National Commission on Adult Literacy. Adult learners will listen to "testimony" from experts in the literacy field, ask questions, and then offer their views, the consumer perspective, on each of the four recommendations. The Commission made both general and specific recommendations. From all its recommendations, we came up with the top ten that we think adult learners may be able to provide insight to policy-makers. Now we need your help. From this list, we need to pick the four on which we'll hold mock hearings. Please rank these recommendations. On which ones would it be most important for policy-makers to hear the views of adult learners? To participate in the survey, go to: http://tinyurl.com/adabw6 Please share this message with as many people as you can. We'd like as much input as possible in selecting the four topics for the mock hearings. To learn more about this Leadership Institute, go to http://www.valueusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=100 You can register now. The early registration discount ends April 3rd. In advance, thanks for your help with this. I look forward to seeing many of you in the DC area May 3-5. - Marty Finsterbusch, VALUE Executive Director http://www.valueusa.org President Obama's Remarks on Education Reform - http://thepage.time.com/president-obamas-remarks-on-education-reform/ The Providence Public Library is sponsoring a 2009 Bilingual Young Authors Family & Class Book Writing Contest for 4-6 year-old children and a Story Writing Contest for children ages 7-12. Children from across the state are welcome to join. There will be Writing & Illustration Workshops this Spring. Contest Guidelines: 1. Write your own book and create a drawing to go with each page of your story. An adult may write the words, but the child must draw the pictures or create a collage. 2. Stories must be unpublished and completely original. No adaptations. 3. Each page must be numbered and typewritten in English and Spanish. 4. The book must be least 5 pages but no more than 10 pages. Stories must be postmarked no later than April 15, 2009. Please submit the original. Two winners will be chosen by a panel of judges: an individual winner and a class book winner. An award ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Día de los Niños: Día de los Libros — a day to celebrate kids and books! Please call Carolina at 455-8035 to register for the contest. learning opportunities from the American Foundation for the Blind: AFB CareerConnect® presents two free online seminars for professionals working with children and adults with visual impairments. Session 1: Lifelong Learning in Career Education April 28, 2009, 2–3:30 pm (EST) Dr. Karen Wolffe, Director, Professional Development and CareerConnect, will discuss the career education model, how to help move children and adults through the appropriate stages of the model, the activities and resources available to instruct children and adults with visual impairments in career education, and more. Session 2: Determining Current and Future AT Needs April 29, 2009, 2–3:30 pm (EST) Ike Presley, Project Manager, Professional Development, will show attendees how to create a "toolbox" for success by presenting the tools needed to access and create printed and electronic information. This session will also feature professionals with visual disabilities discussing the career planning techniques and assistive technologies that have helped them compete in the workplace and advance their careers. Both seminars will broadcast live to your computer. For more information, and to register for one or both webcasts today, visit http://www.afb.org/careerconnect, or contact 888-824-2184 or careerconnect@afb.net. Brought to you free-of-charge through the generous support of AT&T. new on MLOTS (Media Library of Teaching Skills) at http://mlots.org, a free web-based video library of short classroom or tutoring adult literacy education (including ESOL) videos. The library was created to enable adult education teachers to have a video window on other adult education teachers' classes for program-based or PD center-based online or face-to-face professional development workshops, study circles and courses. Of course individual teachers can access it, too. Each MLoTS-made video is based on state content standards and/or research, theory or best practices. There is also an MLoTS page with links to adult education videos made by others, as MLoTS is intended as the "go to" library for adult literacy education classroom videos. In October, the MLoTS team video recorded a workshop at the Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education Conference, Network08. We showed two classroom videos (numeracy and ESOL) and we video recorded a small group of teachers discussing the videos. Find these two classroom videos, and the teacher discussion videos, at: ESOL/ESL Video: Food Vocabulary and Verb Tenses http://mlots.org/lorrie/lorriepage.html Numeracy/Mathematics Video: Ratio and Proportion http://mlots.org/abby/abbypage.html We would love to hear what you think of these videos, especially the new "Teacher Discussion" videos. - David J. Rosen, President Media Library of Teaching Skills, djrosen@mlots.org COLLEGE PREPARATION FOR ADULTS: The Rhode Island Transition to College (RI TTC) at Rhode Island Regional Adult Learning Center (RIRAL) is now enrolling students for its upcoming sessions. RIRAL/TTC is an intensive college preparation program that provides student success workshops, academic instruction in reading, writing, math, computer, and study skills to prepare students for college readiness. Career Exploration using DISCOVER online and monthly mentoring workshops are also part of the curriculum. In addition, students receive assistance with financial aid, college applications, and academic advising. While attending RIRAL/TTC, students enrol as a cohort in College Reading at CCRI in Providence. Information Sessions for fall Evening and Weekend programs: Tuesdays: April 14, May 5 and June 16 at 5:00 pm Saturdays: April 18, May 16 and June 20 at 10:00 am The RIRAL/TTC initiative is a free program with funding provided by the Rhode Island Department of Education and the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation in collaboration with the Community College of Rhode Island. For more information, contact: Marie Crecca-Romero, Program Director at 722.9800 or by email at MarieCrecca-Romero@riral.org. from World Education: The fall/winter issue of the excellent journal, Field Notes, with a focus on transitions from ABE to college, is now online, and includes articles such as "A Student's Perspective of a College Success Class" by Katie Shaw, "Technology Tools for College Success" by Pat Weisberger, and "Students Leading Students: An Interactive Campus Tour Model" by Karen Van Kirk. http://www.sabes.org/resources/publications/fieldnotes/index.htm National Priorities Project analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Numeracy, critical thinking and technology: have a look http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home funding opportunities - large and less large Applications Being Accepted for Grants from the National Book Fund ProLiteracy's National Book Fund (NBF) supplies books and materials to local adult basic education and literacy programs. The resources available through the NBF are from New Readers Press, the publishing division of ProLiteracy. In addition to New Readers Press materials, National Book Fund grants may also be in the form of ProLiteracy’s online self-paced professional development courses. Programs providing direct service in the areas of basic literacy, adult basic education, English as a second language (ESL), and family literacy will be considered for support. Applications must be postmarked by April 10 or earlier to be considered. For grant guidelines, application, and order forms for New Readers Press materials and online professional development courses, please see http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=356 Programs awarded a grant must provide a cash contribution to ProLiteracy equal to 20 percent of the grant award. ProLiteracy organizational members provide only 10 percent of the grant award! Explore the many other benefits of becoming an organizational member. - grants from the Public Education Network: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp - The federal government's new one stop
grant
site: http://www.grants.gov/ The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) announces another round of education reform grants in areas of social science research. PRACC is particularly interested in issues such as high classroom turnover/mobility and its disproportionate impact on low-income, minority, and farm worker students. However, other issues will be considered as well. To apply, send PRRAC a proposal outlining the planned research and methodology, the advocacy work it is designed to support, a budget, timeline, and qualifications of the researchers. Maximum grant: $10,000. No application deadline. http://www.prrac.org/grants.php Funding Solutions for Small Nonprofit Organizations A collection of resources to help small nonprofit organizations fundraise including ways to motivate your board, sample fundraising letters, phonathon advice, and tips to improve your direct mail solicitation. http://www.nonprofit-innovations.com/ employment opportunities employment opportunities are generally sent as they arrive via email; if you would like to receive this bulletin, and those updates by email please contact janet_isserlis@brown.edu. Substitute teaching: The Genesis Center is interested in adding to its substitute list. If you are an ESOL instructor who is interested in occasional work as a substitute, either day, evening or Saturday hours, please call Nancy Fritz or Pat Clarkin at 781-6110. Jobs in Literacy – nation wide postings on the National Institute for Literacy's LINCS site: http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/lincs/jobs/jobs.cgi Substitute list: if you would like your name added to the general list, please see contact LR/RI. The list needs to be updated so that it can function more usefully for teachers and programs hoping to work with them. (http://www.brown.edu/lrri/sub.html) Rhode Island Community Jobs (RICOMJOB) is a public e-mail announcement list that seeks to raise the profile of meaningful work in Rhode Island by helping non-profit and public interest employers publicize openings effectively. Anyone seeking a job that makes a difference in Rhode Island can join the list. Any non-profit, government or private sector employer advertising a paid position related to the public interest or community concerns can post a free job listing. Positions must be paid but may be part-time, full-time or temporary. To join the list as a job seeker or to post a job as an employer go to: http://www.ricommunityjobs.org Rhode Island Community Jobs is supported by
the Swearer
Center
for Public
Service at Brown University and the Rhode Island Campus Compact. from Thursday notes, April 2: DOL Announces Plans for ARRA Funding The U.S. Department of Labor announced plans March 18 to use existing programs to distribute funds available under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). DOL's Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 14-08 http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEGL/TEGL14-08acc.pdf provides policy guidance on the use of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult and Dislocated Worker funds, Wagner-Peyser Act funds, and WIA Youth funds. The TEGL also provides instructions to states for: Extending the life of current state plans for Title I of WIA and the Wagner-Peyser Act for an additional year; Submitting modifications to address how states will use ARRA funds to meet the growing demand for workforce development services; and Extending existing waivers and requesting new waivers. Survey Confirms Rise In Community College Enrollments The League for Innovation in the Community College http://www.league.org/index.cfm recently released a survey http://www.campuscomputing.net/content-item/new-community-colleges-and-economy-17-march-2009 suggesting that anecdotal reports of a flood of students http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/08/22/growth entering community colleges are in fact correct. More than three-fourths (77 percent) of community college presidents participating in the survey reported enrollment gains in core academic and degree transfer programs. Nearly half (46 percent) of the presidents reported enrollment gains of 5 percent or more in core academic programs. Large numbers of presidents reported growing enrollments in remedial-developmental education programs (82 percent), and student success-freshman development programs (59 percent). Community colleges also are reporting increases in just about every major type of program they offer─with notable increases in online certificate and degree programs. Web Site to Help States Boost Job Opportunities The Joyce Foundation http://www.joycefdn.org/ has launched a new Web site http://www.shifting-gears.org/ called Shifting Gears, which provides comprehensive information on how five Midwestern states can equip low-income working adults with the skills and credentials essential for 21st century jobs in America’s turbulent economy. The site spotlights examples of innovative policies and practices from across the country, including those funded by the Joyce Foundation’s Shifting Gears initiative. The foundation's Shifting Gears projects are operating in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. These states are using the funds to re-engineer adult education, workforce development and postsecondary education policies to support economic growth and help provide job opportunities for low-skilled workers. The Center for Law and Social Policy administers the Web site. http://www.clasp.org/publications/033109shiftinggears.pdf
online / resources available ProLiteracy and the Verizon Foundation have compiled a set of free resources for citizenship teachers and tutors: http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/tln/content/how-can-i-help-immigrants-prepare-take-us-citizenship-test The collection includes: - 3 self-paced on-line professional development courses: Citizenship: The Interview, Citizenship: The Civics Test, and Citizenship: The Literacy Test. (These courses are easy to navigate--you can go forward or back among the screens, skip around, and start/stop/resume anytime you like. The courses include audio and visual presentations, interactive review sections, a course summary exam, and printable certificate of completion.) - a pair of podcasts (recorded by Lynne Weintraub) Citizenship: Engaging Multiple Modalities in the Citizenship Classroom Citizenship: Teaching Conversation Strategies in the Citizenship Classroom (with short PDF handouts to accompany each podcast) 4 short fact sheets: Citizenship: Starting a Citizenship Class, Citizenship: Becoming a U.S. Citizen Checklist Citizenship: Benefits of Becoming a U.S. Citizen, Citizenship: Things to Consider Before You Apply, and reproducable lesson activities. coming soon: interactive on-line activities (for students) with skills practice for the citizenship test Navigation note: For each resource, click on the word "go" in green text--this will lead you to a description of the resource. At the bottom of the description, look for "Resource: Link" (in green). Clicking on this link will take you to the material you have chosen.- Lynne Weintraub, Amherst MA A new brief that available from the CAELA Network Web site at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) at http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pd_resources/supporting.html Written by Sarah Young of CAL (and the CAELA Network, a project of CAL), the brief is titled Supporting and Supervising Teachers Working with Adults Learning English. I think it is a useful followup of sorts to the discussion we had in January with MaryAnn Florez, Donna Kinerney, and Brigitte Marshall, on issues around managing programs for adult English language learners (http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage/09programs_summary.html) Coming soon: a companion piece to this brief. Brigitte Marshall and Sarah Young will soon be publishing a brief on Observing and Providing Feedback to Adult ESL Teachers - Miriam Burt moderator, discussion list for those working with adult English language learners mburt@cal.org From The Working Poor Families Project http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/about.html Preparing Low-Skilled Workers for the Jobs of Tomorrow - Many state economic development leaders are focusing resources on strategies to spur growth in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). However, many efforts are geared solely to generating more high-skill scientists and engineers. "Preparing Low-Skilled Workers for the Jobs of Tomorrow" explores how to ensure that existing workers have the education and skills necessary to fill middle -skill, technical and support STEM positions. The brief, released by the Working Poor Families Project, also identifies how state policies can better prepare today's existing low-skilled workers for middle-skill positions. http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/pdfs/WPFP_policy_brief_fall08.pdf from the PEN (Public Education Nerwork) weekly newsblast, March 27, 2009: - In a research précis on reading development in American schools, The Center for Public Education examines "Reading beyond grade three" in its At-a-glance series. Students who are strong readers by the end of third grade still need more advanced reading skills to succeed in middle and high school, and progress in reading achievement appears to stall in the upper grades. In 2004, average reading scores for nine-year-olds on the Long Term National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rose to their highest level in the 33-year history of the assessment (11 points). For thirteen-year-olds, scores rose only four points between 1971 and 2004, and average scores for 17-year-olds stayed virtually the same. At each grade level, white students outperformed their black and Hispanic classmates by more than two grades. The synopsis also indicates that some American adults lack even the most basic reading skills. In 2003, five percent of U.S. adults were not literate in English, about 11 million adults nationwide. On the positive side, just seven of 44 countries -- including three Canadian provinces -- outperformed U.S. fourth graders in 2006 in literacy. http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/c.kjJXJ5MPIwE/b.5022325/k.D46B/Ataglance_Still_learning8212reading_beyond_grade_three.htm To read a colorful online version of the NewsBlast, visit: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp Teaching to tests that are worth teaching to In an op-ed in The NY Times, E. D. Hirsch writes that as lawmakers consider reauthorizing NCLB, they must "find a way to maintain accountability while mitigating the current tendency to reduce schooling to a joyless grind of practice exams and empty instruction in 'reading strategies.'" President Obama has called on states to assess students differently, but Hirsch says: not so fast. "These much maligned, fill-in-the-bubble reading tests are technically among the most reliable and valid tests available." Their problem, in his view, is that their content is de-contextualized and random. "Children are asked to read and then answer multiple-choice questions about such topics as taking a hike in the Appalachians, even though they've never left the sidewalks of New York, nor studied the Appalachians in school." He urges a different testing scenario: "If the reading passages on each test were culled from each grade's specific curricular content in literature, science, history, geography and the arts, the tests would exhibit what researchers call 'consequential validity' -- meaning that the tests would actually help improve education." Test prep would focus on content rather than "the fruitless attempt to teach test-taking." This would bolster the comprehension skills of disadvantaged students, since the tests aren't knowledge-neutral. "We do not need to abandon either the principle of accountability or the fill-in-the-bubble format. Rather, we need to move from teaching to the test to tests that are worth teaching to." Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinion/23hirsch.html To subscribe to the newsblast: go to PEN's website http://www.publiceducation.org and follow the instructions in the lower left-hand section of the homepage. browsealoud – screen reader. learn more: http://www.house.gov/house/browsealoud.shtml The New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) has published the findings of action research done by 18 New England adult education programs that investigated persistence strategies in their varied contexts over the course of a semester. This report of the New England Learner Persistence Project is online at http://nelrc.org/persist/report09.pdf. In addition to describing the specific strategies and outcomes that resulted in each program, the researchers concluded that persistence can be improved by addressing key adult needs, such as the need to feel competent or the need for a sense of community. To see other work being done at NELRC, see http://www.nelrc.org/expertise/index.html. - Andy Nash, New England Literacy Resource Center On February 12th, the National Commission on Adult Literacy was represented on a panel that appeared before the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness (of the House Committee on Education and Labor). The written and supplemental testimony for this appearance is available from the Publications page of the Commission's website http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org ) and CAAL's site http://www.caalusa.org -- as items NC-CAAL4 and NC-CAAL5. Minnesota Literacy Council's online training site – for out of state users: The courses for adult learners and educators on the Minnesota Literacy Council (MLC) online training site are developed and maintained by MLC staff through supplemental service grants from the Minnesota Department of Education. They are provided free of charge to Minnesota’s adult learners, teachers, volunteers, and other Adult Basic Education practitioners. Out-of-state visitors are welcome to explore the site to access learning resources as well, but we cannot offer CEUs or course completion certificates to out-of-state users. If you are a not a Minnesota resident, you are welcome to browse the self-access online learning materials, but please do not submit course assignments as we will not be able to respond to your submissions. http://online.themlc.org/ from The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) : National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003, from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). The report provides the only available snapshot of adult literacy rates for individual states and counties. The report, based on the 2003 NAAL and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), will serve as an important source of literacy information for policymakers and researchers. The report will be accompanied by an interactive web tool, which will show data for all states and counties. The tool will also provide the ability to compare states, counties, and progress in states and counties over time. http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/index.aspx (estimates) and http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009482 Refugees From Iraq Now Available his publication provides in-depth information about refugee groups from Iraq, describing the various ethnic and religious communities of Iraqi Arabs (both Sunni and Shi’a), Iraqi Christians, and others. Topics include history, conditions in countries of asylum, characteristics of the refugee population, cultural features of each of the different communities, religion, language, education, and resettlement considerations. http://www.cal.org/topics/ri/backgrounders.html online: LessonWriter.com is a free website where teachers can copy, paste and submit any text (an article, essay, story, etc.) and create comprehensive, standards -based lesson plans and student materials in minutes. LessonWriter is a simple, fast and free way to use authentic, high-interest content to motivate students while delivering the explicit language instruction that ELL's need in both English and content-area classes. There are advanced features that can differentiate instruction for multilevel classes and class tracking features that will automatically scaffold lessons. http://www.lessonwriter.com RI DLT's Rhode Island Red job search feature is now drawing job postings from ALL local jobs boards (except Monster.com). To access this resource visit RI RED http://www.dlt.ri.gov/rired/ -- under quick menu click job search; choose location search criteria, provide job title or other criteria. Source codes are listed at the bottom of the page Lots to do at the library Providence Public Library's calendar of events: http://www.provlib.org/calendar.asp National Coalition for Literacy Launches Online Advocacy Toolkit The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL), a national leadership organization dedicated to advancing adult education in the United States, has launced its new online Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit (http://www.ncladvocacy.org/). Developed with an aim to change the conversation about adult education in the U.S., the Toolkit provides adult education and literacy advocates with the tools and knowledge to raise awareness of 30+ million Americans with limited literacy and 11+ million who cannot communicate in English. Recent statistics from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) showed that 1 in 7 U.S. adults have below basic literacy skills. Although numbers remain little changed from similar statistics taken 15 years ago, federal support and resources for adult education have steadily declined over the years. During this period of economic crisis, millions of adults are in search of improving their education and work skills in order to re-enter the workforce. There is no greater time than now for states and the federal government to invest in adult education, and NCL hopes to push that effort forward by providing the tools and resources to adult education advocates across the country. Containing resources, facts, and reports provided by member organizations of the NCL, the Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit is a one-stop shop for advocates interested in improving adult education. This project has been supported by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which invests millions of dollars each year in literacy programs that help individuals reach their full potential. The NCL is a national adult education leadership organization comprised of member organizations and adult education professionals, committed to promoting adult education and literacy, family literacy, and English language development in the US. NCL advances adult education, language, and literacy by fostering collaboration at the national level among public and private organizations. - Jennifer Maloney, Director National Coalition for Literacy PO Box 11592 Washington, DC 20008 301-602-6358 (cell) jennifer.maloney@ncldc.net http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection series Available Through VIDEO-ON-DEMAND The adult learning series Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection are available online through the Rhode Island PBS video streaming portal. In 25 half -hour segments, the Workplace Essential Skills series presents refreshers in fundamental reading, writing, and math skills as they relate to getting, keeping, or advancing in a job. Lessons also cover job applications, resume writing, and job interviews. An orientation segment touches upon the use of the different components included in this series. Lessons are written at a pre-GED level, and can help prepare adults for the GED tests. Four workbooks accompany the series. In 39 half-hour programs, the GED Connection helps learners prepare for the GED exam. Episodes cover subjects and skills related to work, community, and home life. Practice tests help learners know what to expect, see which skills they need to strengthen, and build confidence. Access to Workplace Essential Skills and GED Connection series through RI PBS video streaming is free. Users access VOD through an account and passcode, available by email request to Education@ RIpbs.org or by calling Education Services at 401-222-3636 x 211. Video streaming, also known as video on demand (VOD), allows users the convenience of watching lessons at any time from an Internet-connected computer. VOD is also flexible, allowing users to watch several episodes in one sitting, or repeat lessons as often as desired. Both the Workplace Essential Skills and the GED Connection series are also broadcast on RI PBS LEARN, digital 36.2 and Verizon 787. The Workplace Essential Skills broadcasts Fridays at 12:30 PM and the GED Connection series broadcasts Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays at 12:30 PM. For Workplace Essential Skills and the GED Connection broadcast dates please visit: http://www.pbs.org/tvschedules/ For information about RIPBS Education Services please visit out web pages at http://www.ripbs.org/Education/ - Dr. María D. Velásquez de Tondreau Education Director Rhode Island PBS 50 Park Lane Providence, RI 02907 Phone: (401) 222-3636, ext. 211 Fax: (401) 222-3407 Education@RIpbs.org National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, dedicated to conducting research and development projects to improve literacy, numeracy, language and related skills and knowledge. On this site you will find information on all our activities, including: Research and development projects <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/projects.asp> Creative routes to specialist teacher qualifications <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/creativeroutes> The Voices on the Page storybank is now live! Read all of the 640 stories here <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/voicesonthepage.asp> Research reports and reviews <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=329> Latest e- newsletter <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=671> News and events <http://www.nrdc.org.uk/news.asp> google literacy site: http://www.google.com/literacy/ outstanding resource: http://www.youthliteracy.ca/ - Youth Literacy work in Canada The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - The U.S. Civics and Citizenship Online: Resource Center for Instructors is available online at: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=b36e663784bcd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=b36e663784bcd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Assisting Refugees with Disabilities Program : Resource Guide for Serving Refugees with Disabilities available at http://www.refugees.org/DisabilityGuide The guide, written for refugee case managers and those serving refugees with disabilities, includes 139 pages of information about resources for serving adults and children with disabilities, housing for refugees with disabilities, assistive technology, medical resources, citizenship and disability, benefits for refugees with disabilities and more. If you have any questions or technical assistance needs, please contact Xuan Nguyen, Director of USCRI Health and Human Services at xnguyen@uscridc.org or at 202-347-3507 ext 3056. RI Foundation online scholarship directory - searchable by city/town, intended field of study, current high school, and more. http://scholarship.rifoundation.org/ YouthBuild USA Learning Network has links to Web sites and full-text documents, and includes a section on "Authentic Materials/Engaged Learning/Constructivism/Contextual Learning/Project-based Learning." http://www.youthbuild.org/learningnetwork/professionaldev.html conferences and workshops - conferences and workshops are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin Rhode Island - Training/events around employment issues for people with disabilities http://www.ric.edu/uap/training.h
RI-TELL - RI Teachers of English Language Learners Spring Conference Teaching ESL Through the Arts: Part One: Using the Visual and Dramatic Arts to Teach A Second Language Saturday, April 25th Rhode Island College Student Union Ballroom 8:45 AM-12:30 PM Featured Session: John C. Chamberlin, Associate Professor, Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design, RI School of Design The Power of Visual Arts and Design in Generating Verbal and Written Language Adult: Drawing in the Adult ESL Classroom, Katherine Meyer, ESL Specialist, Institute for Labor Studies and Research (ILSR) and International Institute of Rhode Island and Artist Secondary: Getting Hands On Experience in Communicating in a New Language, Elizabeth Anne Keiser (and student leaders), TALL University (Arts Literacy Project), Central Falls Public Schools Elementary: Developing Language and Literacy through the Arts—How to Use Calligraphy to Teach Critical Literacy Skills, Margaret Garcia-Engstrom (and art mentor students), Art in Education, Robert L. Bailey and Alfred A. Lima Elementary Schools Register Online http://www.matsol.org Non-Members: $55 Conference Fee for Current Members: $10 Become a Member and Conference Fee: $45 ($30 for full-time Students-Proof Required) Includes all member benefits; Conference registration and canvas tote for first 50 to sign up! Member Benefits: Biannual Newsletter “Currents” E-Bulletin RIWorks—Job Postings Member Rates at Two Conferences Per Year, other PD Opportunities Sponsored by Melanie Greitzer ESL Specialist & Representative R Questions: contact jane_george@nksd.net MATSOL Annual Conference : May 7-8, 2009 at the Sheraton Four Points in Leominster, MA. The 2009 conference theme is Multiple Literacies: Launching English Language Learners into a New Era. There will be a K-12 strand on both days and an Adult, Workplace and Higher Education strand on Friday, May 8. Our keynote speakers will be Stephen Krashen and Jim Cummins. http://www.matsol.org COABE Conference 2009, Louisville, KY April 17-22 Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE), Kentucky Association of Adult & Continuing Education, and Kentucky Adult Education Council on Postsecondary Education are pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for the 2009 COABE national conference. . The goal of the Annual COABE National Conference is to provide best practices and program guidance to adult basic education professionals. http://www.coabeconference.org/ For more information, contact: Lorena Lasky, COABE 2009 Concurrent Sessions Chairperson, Jefferson County Adult & Continuing Education Lorena.Lasky@kentuckianaworks.org 502-574-4123 The Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed conference May 18-24 at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. The conference focuses on civic engagement and organizing through popular education and the arts, and features several internationally renowned keynote speakers. These include theatre artist and scholar Augusto Boal, popular education scholar Dr. Deborah Barndt, Dr. Ananya Chatterjea's Minneapolis-based women of color dance group, and over 100 papers, workshops, and performances led by PTO members. For information and registration go to http://www.ptoweb.org. Pre- and post-conference workshops are also available for registration separate from the conference. For more information, contact Sonja Kuftinec at skuftinec@aol.com. National Community Literacy Leadership Conference Buffalo – June 10 -13 Conference activities reflect the diversity of our field supporting the interests of a wide range of literacy coalitions, service providers, funders, business leaders and literacy stakeholders. We present a special focus on the economic crisis with panels discussing critical workforce and training issues around the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and support for families with limited literacy skills. On the final day of the conference, literacy leaders from across the country will gather for the Right To Literacy Convention. They will debate and vote on resolutions that will become a platform to organize for system change. The Convention Committee has been hard at work to ensure that each region has the opportunity to prepare and submit resolutions. Regional delegates will represent their constituent groups at the Convention, following in the Upstate New York tradition of the famous 1848 Women’s Rights Seneca Falls Convention. To learn more and to register: http://www.literacypowerline.com/ . Questions? please contact Hannah Mallon (9792895175). The National College Transition Network at World Education invites you to submit a proposal to present at its third annual national conference on Effective Transitions in Adult Education to be held on November 16-17, in Providence. If you wish to submit a proposal, please visit http://www.collegetransition.org/callforpresenters09.html to complete and submit the online form. You will receive an email from NCTN confirming the receipt of your proposal within two business days of submission. Please click on the link above for more details about the proposal submission process. The submission deadline is May 25. Feel free to email psharma@worlded.orgor or call me at (617)385-3788 if you have any further questions. - Priyanka Sharma, National College Transition Network World Education, Inc. other events and conferences http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi TESOL worldwide
calendar of events http://www.tesol.org/isaffil/calendar/index.html
breathe - everyday yoga at your desk. http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html street yoga - Through the teaching of free yoga, meditation and wellness classes we seek to help homeless youth increase their physical, emotional and spiritual strength, stamina and flexibility so they can better meet their own core needs. We work closely with those service providers striving to help homeless youth secure safe housing, nutritious food, accessible health care, employment, clean clothing, educational choices and human dignity.
|
