afternoon sessions; overview of the day, and morning sessions, here

lunch 12:15-1:15

Afternoon sessions: 1:15 - 2:15

adult learner strand Advocating for Adult Education in D.C. - RI Adult Learners and Practitioners who have taken part in the Student Leadership Trainings in D.C. in early May will share their experiences, and what they have learned about how to influence Congress. This session is primarily for adult learners, although practitioners are also welcome. Jill Holloway, Executive Director of the RI Adult Education Professional Development Center and student learners will present ideas.

workshop: Living Curriculum: EFA's Participatory Approach to Building Curriculum in the ESOL Classroom
- Oscar Perez and Elizabeth Walsh, English for Action

In this interactive workshop directed at ESOL instructors, English for Action (EFA) staff members will introduce EFA's "Living Curriculum". The workshop leaders will then facilitate a collective brainstorming activity, in which participants will generate and share concrete ideas for lessons, activities and classroom routines that contextualize language competencies in learner-generated themes and reflect the principles of participatory education.Ê

Camilo Gaston-Greenberg, Lead ESOL Facilitator, began as a volunteer at English for Action. Camilo teaches an intermediate level class and a beginner class focused on low-literacy. He also enjoys creating logos for programs and events, and organizes the annual EFA cup, a soccer tournament and fundraiser for the organization.

Elizabeth Walsh, Education Director at English for Action, began her life in adult education as a volunteer facilitator at EFA while an undergraduate at Brown. She has worked with immigrant, refugee and displaced populations in Providence, Austin, TX, and Bogota, Colombia, and is principally interested in participatory education for health literacy and in the context of dislocation and trauma.

presentation: on the STAR initiative
- Barbara Bowen

This academic year, 16 adult education programs in Rhode Island have participated in the National STAR (Student Achievement in Reading) Training Network (NSTN), and are completing a full cycle of STAR training by May 2009. Rhode Island is part of a cohort of 7 states to complete its training this year, and is now part of a network of 18 states who have trained and participated in NSTN under OVAE (Office of Vocational and Adult Education) through the US Department of Education since the projectÕs inception.

Through three training institutes offered throughout the academic year, participating RI programs have reviewed, learned and practiced evidence-based reading strategies particularly targeted to Intermediate ABE learners (ranging from GLE of 4.0 to 8.9). Research in both adult and K-12 education has demonstrated that students at this range of reading level have difficulty making academic progress due to a variety of reading deficits. To this end, the training program emphasizes diagnostic assessments in each of the four reading components, and research-based instructional strategies in targeted reading components in order to build knowledge and skills in reading. The reading components which we will examine include alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

This workshop is intended to examine our collective teaching methods for each of the 4 reading components, to reflect on our best practices based on student progress, and to acknowledge our questions in teaching adults at this reading level. Training for another cohort of adult education programs from within RI is being planned and organized for the academic year 2009-2010. Interested agencies are encouraged to contact Barbara for further information.

Barbara Bowen is the Literacy Specialist at the Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development Center.

presentation: Tailoring Adult Education to the young participant (16-21): Creative Engagement Strategies, Inclusive Culture, and Soft Skill Development
- Susan Jacobsen, Melissa Cupp, and Myles Winter

Providing adult education services to youth requires innovative approaches, as these services are designed for adults. The developmental and educational needs of adolescents are vastly different than those of adults. Teens have yet to acquire many of the adult experiences included in the high school credentialing curricula and exam. As such, teens require intensive instruction, real life experiences, and staff support and mentoring to prepare for adult life. VNS GED & Career Academy programs are Solution Focused (Gutterman), based on a Family Systems-Problem Solving Model (Rubenstein), Participatory Competence (Kieffer) and practice the following service integration principles: Service is Youth and Family Centered, Culturally Competent and Community Driven, Strength-based, stresses the development of critical thinking and process knowledge and accommodates different rates and styles of learning through personalized instruction. Four core program components will be explored through interactive, fun activities used in the VNS classroom:

Susan Jacobsen, MA, LMHC, program director at Visitng Nurse Services, is a mental health counselor with expertise in adolescent development, adult education, welfare-to-work and workforce development programming.

Melissa Cupp, MMEd, RMT, Youth Development Coordinator, started her career as a classroom teacher in Baltimore County Schools. She is a Registered Music Therapist and VNS' local 'pied-piper' attracting, engaging and retaining youth with joyful compassion.

panel persistence strand on Persistence: what we did and why it matters
- Angela Salvatore, Lynn Foley, Nancy Fritz, Barbara Alsabek and Janet Isserlis

In October, 2008, practitioners met for a half-day conference focused on learner persistence. As a follow-up to that conference, a number of participants submitted workplans to address specific actions taken at program and classroom levels to address and support persistence. In this session, practitioners from two programs discuss the decisions they made, plans they implemented and outcomes of their work.

Lynn Foley has been working in Adult Education since 1989. She is currently a teacher at Project Impact through RIRAL. She also is the Transition to College Specialist at CCRI.

Angela Salvadore: has been working in Adult Education since 1990. She has worked as a counselor and instructor at Warwick Adult Education. Angela is currently the Transition Pathways Coordinator at CCRI.

Nancy Fritz is the Adult Education Director at The Genesis Center. She has been working in adult education since 1987. She has an M.A. from Brown University in ESL/Cross-cultural Studies.

Barbara Piccirilli Alsabek. MED TESL, is an ESOL Instructor at Genesis Center and teaches ESOL and teacher training at Rhode Island College.

Janet Isserlis works at the Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development Center and at the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University.

paper: The forms and functions of teacher questions across different community-based ESL classrooms
- Chun-Chun (Jasmine) Hsu

This paper examines the reasons that two teachers used particular questions in the community-based English language (ESL) classrooms. It suggests that ESL practitioners look beyond the question types that teachers used and consider sociocultural dynamics.

With increasing numbers of immigrants coming to America in recent years, it is important to examine the pedagogical issues present in such settings. The majority of studies focus on formal education in school systems (e.g. Brock, 1986; Lee, 2006) in the field of second language acquisition and less attention is paid to community-based settings which aim to help immigrants successfully adapt to American society. It is unclear whether the findings of previous studies on teacher questions can be applied to community-based settings. Therefore, this study investigates (1) the various forms and functions of teachers' questions, and (2) the factors that influence teachers' choice of questions across different community-based ESL classrooms.

Two classrooms were observed at a non-profit organization for immigrants. The participants included two native English-speaking teachers and their intermediate-level immigrant adult learners. Interviews on teacher questions with the teachers were also conducted. The findings showed that one teacher used more referential questions and the other used more display questions, but both achieved actively learning atmosphere and fulfilled their teaching goals. Through analyzing the observational data, three main factors which influence the teachers' choices in questioning were found: a) teaching materials; b) teachers' teaching beliefs; c) students' diverse backgrounds. This study highlights the issue of what type of teacher questions would facilitate students' learning. It also reveals that teacher questions can serve as a function of cultural respects, particularly in the language classrooms where students have huge age differences and diverse cultural, language, and educational backgrounds. Plans for teacher training will also be discussed.

Chun-Chun (Jasmine) Hsu is a language teacher working in the U.S. She was formerly a graduate student at Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

Afternoon sessions: 2:30 - 3:30

adult learner strand Adult Education from the Learners' Point of View: a panel of adult learners will share their own stories, make thoughtful recommendations to the adult education community, and take questions and discussion from the audience. This session is for everyone involved in adult education. Presenters are members of the Statewide Student Leadership Group (facilitators to be announced shortly)

workshop:Collective Drawings and Problem Trees: Exploring Health Issues using Popular Education tools
- Alicia Pantoja

How do health issues affect us? How do these issues manifest themselves in our communities? What opportunities do we have? What are our visions of change? Using popular education tools that can be easily used in ABE and ESOL classrooms, together we will explore these issues and envision collective solutions.

Alicia Pantoja has loved the world of popular education and adult classrooms for more than six years. She has worked at English For Action and the International Institute of RI with immigrant and refugee families learning and sharing literacy and community change skills with learners from all over the world. Alicia believesÊ education is the tool for social change and is excited to share her questions and tools with you.

workshop: Learning to Teach: The Genesis ESOL Program at Brown University
- Camilla Hawthorne, Nancy Fritz

The Genesis ESOL teacher education program prepares university students to facilitate adult ESOL learning through observation of professionally taught classes, ongoing reflection, reading and discussion. In this session, we will discuss how learning is supported to benefit both university students and adult ESOL learners and practitioners in multiple contexts.

The program provides Brown University students opportunities to observe and reflect upon adult ESOL classes taught at the Genesis Center, a community-based adult ESOL center in Providence. Brown students observe classes at Genesis, and share written observations with one another through a group wiki (a web site allowing users to edit pages and add content). Students meet weekly, engaging in a process of learning about adult education, pursuing questions that arise from their ongoing observations. Program coordinators follow up with relevant readings as questions emerge. Over the course of the year, students take on greater roles in the classrooms in which they initially participated as observers.

This process is informed by what we know about professional development, focusing on ongoing participant-driven learning, reflection and discussion. Guided group discussions are structured around Brown students' input. The program utilizes peer learning and an iterative reflective process in order to prepare university students who will, in subsequent years, participate as teachers in other Brown-sponsored adult ESOL classes.

In this session, we discuss how the program supports learning for university students and provides leadership opportunities, while also assisting learners at Genesis. The facilitators will encourage the group to consider benefits and challenges to host sites and participating teachers-to-be in a teacher education program of this nature. Our goal is to illustrate how this approach to teacher education is replicable in other contexts, and to expand understandings of teacher education and professional development for paid and unpaid practitioners.

Camilla Hawthorne is a senior at Brown University and studies International Relations. She co-coordinates the Genesis ESOL Teacher Education Program.

Nancy Fritz, Adult Education Director of the Genesis Center in Providence, has been working in adult education since 1987. She has an M.A. from Brown University in ESL/Cross-cultural Studies.

workshop: Empowering Women Through Literacy: From Experiences to Practical Matters
- Mev Miller, Sally Gabb, Denise DiMarzio

In this interactive discussion, contributors to Empowering Women through Literacy: Voices from Experience will discuss their specific chapters and experiences. The editor will provide information about the overall lessons we learned about women's literacy from the broad range of teacher-contributors. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences as well.

Empowering Women through Literacy is the first comprehensive collection of writing from the field by everyday educators who experience the joys and challenges, creativity and barriers to acknowledge or integrate innovative solutions to support women's learning needs in adult basic education and literacy settings. This volume provides an opportunity to hear from 47 contributors from around the world who reflect on their experiences with critical topics of adult literacy practices; how to empower women through literacy and current research based practice.

Contributors Denise DiMarzio & Sally Gabb, and Co-Editor Mev Miller live in Rhode Island. During this roundtable, we will discuss our articles portraying our work with women learners. Mev will also present an overview of some of the practitioner experiences included in the volume. We will invite and encourage participants to share their experiences, insights, and questions.

Denise DiMarzio has taught English and writing since 1991 and now works as the Writing Specialist for the Center for Developmental Education, Bristol Community College.

Sally S. Gabb has taught in adult education since 1971. Currently, she is the Reading Specialist for the Center for Developmental Education, Bristol Community College.

Mev Miller, Ed.D. is Founder & Director of WE LEARN (Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network) and Co-Editor of Empowering Women Through Literacy.

workshop: persistence strand Tips, Tools and Strategies for Case Management with a focus on Persistence
Robin Adams

This workshop will showcase and examine a variety of tools to assess, monitor and support learners at various stages of participation in the AE system. The focus will be on recognizing learner strengths and building on these strengths in order to guide them toward daily problem-solving strategies for greater persistence in their short term and long term goals.

Robin Adams, Workforce Development Professional at the Rhode Island Adult Education Professional Development Center, has a bachelor's degree in Business and over 20 years experience in business administration and operations in the public and private sectors. Her background includes providing technical assistance and professional development to staff, community organizations, and entrepreneurs, and has worked directly with learners and practitioners in adult education / workforce readiness for the past several years.

workshop: Teaching STAR vocabulary
- Amanda Duffy, RIFLI

This presentation will focus on the importance of teaching vocabulary in the intermediate levels of adult education. The techniques demonstrated will reflect STAR (Student Achievement in Reading) research based methods, as related strictly to vocabulary. This presentation is appropriate for teachers working with students assessed in NRS levels 3 and 4. This will be appropriate for teachers of ESL and ABE.

After completing the presentation, participants will be able to know where to find resources for vocabulary assessment and will be able to determine if this method is applicable for their students. Participants will also be able to see a video of the method in practice from a real classroom. Participants will have the opportunity to practice the methods shared and work with one another to create a simplified STAR vocabulary lesson and will be given tools to perform informal classroom assessments regarding vocabulary retention and use.

Amanda Duffy teaches an Intermediate ESL class and an ESL book discussion through RIFLI. She has been working in adult education for two years.

back to overview; morning sessions

2008 conference; for previous years' conferences, scroll down