From djrosen at comcast.net Sun Jan 1 18:32:33 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 18:32:33 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Literacy List Updated Message-ID: <65423178-F949-450B-92AE-F5626C4E9B91@comcast.net> Colleagues, For several years, as a volunteer service, I have published the Literacy List, a large online collection of free Adult Basic Education and English language (ELL/ESL/ESOL) Web sites, electronic discussion lists ("listservs"), and other Internet resources for adult basic skills learners, teachers and tutors. I have just updated it, removing a few outdated links and adding new ones. Please have a look. If you know of a good free Web site resource which you think should be added, please let me know. The Literacy List gets better as a result of teachers sharing their favorite online resources. You will find the Literacy List now in two locations: http://alri.org/literacylist.html or http:newsomeassociates.com (Select Publications at the Bottom of the Page) All the best in 2006. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Jan 3 13:42:51 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2006 13:42:51 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Try the ALE Wiki to share Adult Literacy Education ideas and info Message-ID: Hello List Members and Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had good holidays and some restful time off. I want to pass on an invitation for a new online networking and information-sharing website for Adult Literacy Education practitioners. It's called the ALE Wiki and can be found at: http://wiki.literacytent.org There are many topics listed that you can share information about, including a section on Research to Practice, Practice to Research. I will keep an eye on this section and cross-post items of particular interest to the FOB community, but I encourage all of you to check out this site for yourself and contribute your unique and valuable ideas! Read on for a more complete description of the ALE Wiki from its creator, David Rosen. Cheers, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator jmckinney at worlded.org >From David Rosen: Dear Colleague, Are you an adult literacy practitioner (e.g. a teacher, tutor or program administrator) who, through teaching, managing, reading, coursework, and/or dialogue, has gained professional wisdom - in one area or in many - that you would like to share? Maybe you have been thinking about your practice for some time, and are now ready to write about it for the first time. Perhaps you have written about your practice and published your thoughts already. Perhaps the professional wisdom you value is embodied in someone else's writing, and this has so influenced and benefited you in your practice that you want others to know about this writing. Perhaps you don't have answers but you have questions you would like to share. I invite you to join your colleagues in contributing knowledge - professional wisdom and research - to others who are working in the field of adult literacy education (including English language learning.) I invite you to contribute to - and benefit from - an adult literacy education community of practice. The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki has an odd name. For some, a community of practice with such a name cannot be taken seriously. For others, especially for those who may be familiar with the world's largest, and well-respected encyclopedia, the Wikipedia, a wiki is an innovation, a presence, and a power in 21st century world knowledge. The ALE Wiki is a serious and beneficial undertaking to capture and make available our field's knowledge and wisdom. Like most wikis, the ALE Wiki is a collaborative volunteer effort. Nearly five hundred people in our field have registered so far in its one year of existence. Over forty people have taken the time to introduce themselves. Several people are now responsible for developing topic areas such as Assessment, Professional Development, Technology, Public Policy, Workforce Development, Family Literacy, Numeracy and others. How can you learn more and get involved? You could: * Visit the ALE Wiki regularly at http://wiki.literacytent.org * Register at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php? title=Special:Userlogin&returnto=Main_Page or, for short, http:// tinyurl.com/a8gz * Introduce yourself at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/WhosHere * Pick one or more topic areas and add your professional wisdom or research: answer a question, amplify someone else's answer, cite a good reference, define a word in the glossary, add articles you have written (or references to them) or add to or clarify something that you - or someone else - has written in the ALE Wiki * Become a Topic Area Leader - for an existing topic area that needs a leader, or for a new area that you would like to add (See a description of this role at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ AleAreaLeader ) or * Become An ALE Wikiteer - get on the mailing list and receive a weekly Wiki update. There is no cost involved - only your time. But there is benefit - to you and to your colleagues. I hope you will accept this invitation. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. David J. Rosen ALE Wiki organizer _______________________________________________ Alewiki mailing list Alewiki at lists.literacytent.org http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/alewiki From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Jan 11 11:04:34 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 11:04:34 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Join or Renew Membership with AALPD for 2006! Message-ID: Hello All, I'm passing on a message from Jackie Taylor about joining the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD): Dear Colleague: Are you interested in getting more involved with adult literacy professional development? If so, then I hope you will join or renew membership with the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD) for 2006: http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm While you are joining or renewing membership this month, you will also have the opportunity to: 1) Vote on this year's slate of officers (by January 31) 2) Vote on the top 6 priorities for AALPD (by January 31) Membership with AALPD is *free*. If you'd like more information about joining AALPD, then please see below. Thanks! Jackie Taylor, List Moderator, Adult Literacy Professional Development, jataylor at utk.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why should you join or renew your membership? Renewing Membership: As we grow and expand, we need updated information about our members in order to advocate effectively for professional development and provide members with the best possible services. So, we are asking everyone to renew their memberships by registering as an AALPD member in January of each year. ***Please take a moment to update your membership information and *vote* for this year's slate of officers and the top 6 AALPD priorities by visiting: http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm New Membership/Prospective Members: If you are not yet a member, are you interested in: - getting more involved with adult literacy professional development? - contributing your voice along with other advocates of adult literacy PD? - taking part in establishing (in the eyes of policy makers) the legitimacy of a national association of practitioners committed to adult literacy professional development? We invite you to become a formal member of the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD). Membership in AALPD is *free* and open to adult educators interested or working in professional development in adult literacy. Individuals join AALPD by completing and submitting the Membership Form: http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm ============================================================= Vote While You Join or Renew Membership 1) **Members Vote for Slate of Officers by January 31st** On the membership page, you can also VOTE for the current slate of nominated AALPD officers (Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer). http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm 2) **Vote on the Top 6 Priorities for AALPD** This year, the AALPD Executive Board is identifying top priorities for AALPD. Ideas for AALPD activities were gathered both from individuals in the field and by the board. Update your membership at: http://www.aalpd.org/membership_form.cfm and scroll to the bottom of the page to vote on the top 6 AALPD priorities. ============================================================= Why should you become a member of AALPD? * It's free! * You can vote for AALPD officers and on special issues that arise (Only AALPD members will be eligible to vote). * We will send you the latest information about upcoming trainings, events and resources. * You can have input into the design of next year's COABE pre-conference session. * You can contribute your voice to our advocacy efforts. * You can help to establish AALPD's legitimacy in the eyes of policy makers by demonstrating a strong membership of concerned practitioners committed to professional development. Thank you for joining or renewing your membership with AALPD. We're glad to have you on board! On behalf of the AALPD Executive Board, Jackie Taylor Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator jataylor at utk.edu ===================================================================== The Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD) is a national group for professional developers in adult literacy. As a special interest group within COABE (Commission on Adult Basic Education), AALPD meets at COABE Conferences and other professional development events. AALPD is a member of the National Coalition for Literacy. ===================================================================== From cesarwattsg at yahoo.com Mon Jan 16 11:52:38 2006 From: cesarwattsg at yahoo.com (Cesar Watts) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:52:38 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed Message-ID: <20060116165238.53045.qmail@web30302.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear Friends: Do you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native English speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult education information, as she has very low literacy skills. Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator DC LEARNs www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org 1-866-732-3688 --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060116/63d91285/attachment.html From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Jan 16 18:49:37 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:49:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] New from NCSALL--Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 6 Message-ID: <006401c61af7$82daa7d0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> The newest volume of the Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice (Vol. 6, 2006) is now available from NCSALL. For more information, please visit the NCSALL Web site at http://www.ncsall.net. It includes chapters on: ? demographic change and low-literacy Americans ? the role of vocabulary in adult basic education (ABE) ? implications of research on spelling for ABE ? issues in teaching speaking skills to adult ESOL learners ? the preparation and stability of the ABE teaching workforce ? the adult literacy system in Ireland ? broad-based organizing as a vehicle for promoting adult literacy To order the Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 6, visit Erlbaum?s Web site (https://www.erlbaum.com/shop/tek9.asp?pg=search&mode=regular). To order Volume 6 at a 30% discount from NCSALL, go to our Order Form (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1002); limited quantities available. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060116/5cd52e7a/attachment.html From RFrench at Bath.k12.ky.us Tue Jan 17 10:02:26 2006 From: RFrench at Bath.k12.ky.us (French, Regina) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:02:26 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed Message-ID: <38539BE27FCED3118CBD0004AC4CF3F9018D8BA1@E025000N0> You should be able to send her to the Adult Education Center in the county where she lives, as they should be able to help her with literacy skills. Study times are usually set up so that they have a one on one relationship and privacy from other students. Volunteers are often used with low literacy level students, meetings can be at the library or any other place both feel safe and comfortable. _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Cesar Watts Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 11:53 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed Dear Friends: Do you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native English speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult education information, as she has very low literacy skills. Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator DC LEARNs www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org 1-866-732-3688 _____ Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060117/ae258f0b/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Jan 17 10:45:11 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:45:11 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed Message-ID: Dear Cesar, I would suggest that this woman find a friend who can help her to find an Adult Basic Education program in her local area, preferably one with a family literacy program, which could help her children's and her own emerging literacy skills together. If she can find someone to help her (or possibly you) who has internet access, try the National Institute for Literacy's program directory at: www.literacydirectory.org You can check the box "Help with Reading and Writing", and put in a zip code and mile radius to find nearby adult basic education programs and their phone numbers. Many are free. Without internet access, she could call her city's Department of Human Services to find the same information. Good luck! Julie McKinney >>> cesarwattsg at yahoo.com 01/16/06 11:52 AM >>> Dear Friends: Do you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native English speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult education information, as she has very low literacy skills. Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator DC LEARNs www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org 1-866-732-3688 --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. From cesarwattsg at yahoo.com Tue Jan 17 15:14:07 2006 From: cesarwattsg at yahoo.com (Cesar Watts) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:14:07 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed (clarification) Message-ID: <20060117201407.68540.qmail@web30306.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Thank you for your reply but let me clarify my request, as I?m actually looking for different information. The learner that I referenced in my previous request is actually looking for resources that she can use to educate herself, and in turn, educate her children on her own. She is not interested in participating in or attending any formal programs. Do you have any advice about information that I can share with her (for example, internet sites with literacy lesson plans for adults/children, reference books, etc.)? Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:59 AM Subject: non-reader who wants info on adult ed Dear Friends: you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native english speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult education information, as she has very low literacy skills. Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator DC LEARNs www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org 1-866-732-3688 --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060117/6636ca68/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Jan 17 16:30:37 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 16:30:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non-reader who wants info on adult ed(clarification) Message-ID: Oh, that is different! The ESOL Special Collection has online activitiesfor literacy learners. It is geared to speakers of other languages, but they do have a good selection of activtities that could be used by primary English speakers as well. www.eslcollection.org/ (Click the button for Students/Learners) The Family Literacy Special Collection also has nice activitites for parents and children to explore to enhance literacy skills: This is the Family Links Page (a better starting place for your caller): http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/FamilyLit/parent_links.html This is the home page: http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/FamilyLit/index.html You may also find good suggestions by asking on two other discussion lists: Adult English Language Learners, and Family Literacy. This link will take you to the other discussion lists: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html I would say, however, that someone with very low literacy skills would find it very difficult to use these kinds of resources without any guidance. She does sound like a very resourceful person, though, and I wish her luck! Julie >>> cesarwattsg at yahoo.com 01/17/06 3:14 PM >>> Thank you for your reply but let me clarify my request, as I'm actually looking for different information. The learner that I referenced in my previous request is actually looking for resources that she can use to educate herself, and in turn, educate her children on her own. She is not interested in participating in or attending any formal programs. Do you have any advice about information that I can share with her (for example, internet sites with literacy lesson plans for adults/children, reference books, etc.)? Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:59 AM Subject: non-reader who wants info on adult ed Dear Friends: you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native english speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult education information, as she has very low literacy skills. Cesar Watts Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator DC LEARNs www.readoutloud.org www.dclearns.org 1-866-732-3688 --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP. From djrosen at comcast.net Tue Jan 17 16:56:22 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 16:56:22 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] [PovertyLiteracy] non-reader who wants info on adult ed (clarification) In-Reply-To: <20060117201505.68898.qmail@web30306.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060117201505.68898.qmail@web30306.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <64E65FB6-C6C8-421D-BA6E-DBD51761B64F@comcast.net> Hello Cesar, If the person you describe is truly a nonreader, or having trouble with decoding and encoding, this will be tough to do entirely on her own. Would she be interested in a tutor? There are computer programs that may assist her, but these are designed to be used with a tutor or teacher ? Language Tuneup kit ? Reading with Phonics ? Lexia Reading SOS ? Learning 100 (Steck Vaughn) ? Reading Horizons ? Academy of Reading ? My reading Coach Descriptions of most of these will be found on my software list (soon to be updated) at http://newsomeassociates.com/ (Select Publications, then Adult Literacy Education Software Recommendations.) David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Jan 17, 2006, at 3:15 PM, Cesar Watts wrote: > > Thank you for your reply but let me clarify my request, as I?m > actually looking for different information. The learner that I > referenced in my previous request is actually looking for resources > that she can use to educate herself, and in turn, educate her > children on her own. She is not interested in participating in or > attending any formal programs. Do you have any advice about > information that I can share with her (for example, internet sites > with literacy lesson plans for adults/children, reference books, > etc.)? > > Cesar Watts > Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator > > > Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 10:59 AM > > Subject: non-reader who wants info on adult ed > Dear Friends: > > you have any advice for me to share with an adult non-reader(native > english speaker) who is interested in obtaining information about > basic reading and writing? A woman called me the other day and she > is interested in educating herself and supporting her children's > emerging literacy skills. I can help her out in relation to > children's literacy, but wasn't sure where to send her for adult > education information, as she has very low literacy skills. > > Cesar Watts > Read Out Loud Hotline Coordinator > DC LEARNs > www.readoutloud.org > www.dclearns.org > 1-866-732-3688 > > > Yahoo! Photos ? Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover > Photo Books. You design it and we?ll bind it! > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Poverty, Race, and Literacy mailing list > PovertyLiteracy at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/povertyliteracy From miriam at cal.org Sat Jan 21 16:38:06 2006 From: miriam at cal.org (Miriam Burt) Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:38:06 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] New briefs from CAELA are online Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F903D0B@MAIL.cal.local> Hello everyone: The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) published two briefs in late 2005: Adolescent Learners in Adult ESL Classes and Online Professional Development for Adult ESL Educators: Adolescent Learners in Adult ESL Classes CAELA staff member Sarah Young has written a brief that explains some of the reasons why adolescents may attend adult ESL classes and describes the characteristics of adolescent learners. The brief also provides guidelines for adult ESL program administrators, instructors, and communities to improve adolescent ELL's chances of success in and beyond adult ESL programs. Download it at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/adolescent.html Online Professional Development for Adult ESL Educators This brief describes current efforts to provide online professional development opportunities and resources for adult ESL teachers and discusses factors that must be considered in the development, delivery, and evaluation of professional development that is available online.This brief is written by Karen Taylor technology manager at the Arlington (Virginia) Education and Employment Program (REEP) and CAELA staff member Julie Mathews-Aydinli. Download it at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/onlinepd.html While you're online at CAELA's Web site www.cal.org/caela , check out the Ask CAELA (on the home page). The current topic of ASK CAELA is professional learning communities and includes an interview with Jessica Dilworth, the adult education director at Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona. Miriam ************ Miriam Burt Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060121/555fea9a/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jan 23 21:46:36 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:46:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Career Opportunities at the National Institute for Literacy Message-ID: Hello All, I'm passing this on from the National Institute for Literacy. -Julie The National Institute for Literacy is launching projects in new areas and seeks additional staff members, including those with expertise in early literacy, English language acquisition, and workforce and basic skills development. Other positions include: Associate Directors for Communication and Programs, Contract Specialists, Human Resources Officer, Budget and Policy Analyst. For more information on career opportunities with the National Institute for Literacy and how to apply please visit: http://www.nifl.gov and click on Career Opportunities. Please review instruction on How to Apply. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Questions regarding these positions should be submitted to staff_search at nifl.gov Note: Applications will be accepted until 3:00 p.m. February 10, 2006. Shelly Coles National Institute for Literacy _______________________________________________ From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jan 23 21:58:47 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:58:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion of State Professional Development Systems Message-ID: Hi All, Here's a message I'm passing on from Jackie Taylor, moderator of the Professional Development Discussion List. I'd recommend checking this out...the folks I know on the guest list have a lot to offer! -Julie Colleagues: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List is hosting a disscussion of "State Professional Development Systems," featuring professional development offered both regionally in New England and in the following states: California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Colleagues from all states are invited to participate and share their work or experiences with state PD! To participate, subscribe by visiting: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment See below for the list of guests participating. I hope you will be able to join us! Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Topic: State Professional Development Systems Discussion Dates: January 30 * February 10 Guest Facilitator: Cassie Drennon Bryant, President, Cassandra Drennon & Associates, Inc. To participate: Subscribe by visiting: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment General Overview: Join our guests to discuss a broad range of topics on how state professional development (PD) systems work, including (but not limited to): funding, leadership, structure, provision of PD, policy, state initiatives, assessment and evaluation, continuous improvement, and other related issues. The discussion is open to anyone who would like to share their work or experiences with state PD. Guests from the following seven states and one region will be joining us in discussion and participating on behalf of their professional development entities/organizations: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GUESTS New England Silja Kallenbach, Coordinator, New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC)/World Education California Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D., Principal Research Analyst and California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) Director, American Institutes for Research Erik Jacobson, Research Analyst, American Institutes for Research/CALPRO Wendi Maxwell, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education Florida Teresa G. Bestor, State Director of Adult Education and Compliance Monitoring, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education, Florida Department of Education Debra Hargrove, Coordinator, Florida TechNet Massachusetts Mina Reddy, Director, System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES) Central Resource Center, World Education Steve Reuys, Director, Adult Literacy Resource Institute/Greater Boston SABES Regional Support Center George Kohout, Director, SABES Western Regional Support Center and has worked for five years as Technology Coordinator New Mexico Nick Evangelista, Executive Director, New Mexico Adult Education Association New York Ira Yankwitt, Director of the New York City Regional Adult Education Network (NYC RAEN), Literacy Assistance Center Ohio Jeff Fantine, Director of the Central/Southeast ABLE Resource Center at Ohio University, participating on behalf of the Ohio ABLE Resource Center Network Rhode Island Janet Isserlis Project Director, Literacy Resources/RI ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To participate, subscribe by visiting: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment See you on the list! Best, Jackie Taylor From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Feb 1 09:24:12 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:24:12 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Evaluation results coming soon Message-ID: <23408297.1138803852352.JavaMail.root@vms076.mailsrvcs.net> Thanks again to everyone who filled out the "Focus on Basics" evaluation survey (so long ago). Although we're just having the report proofread now, I was able to incorporate some of your suggestions into Volume 8A. I'll soon post a summary of the results to the FOB list, and announce when the full document is available on the Web. Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Feb 3 11:19:50 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 11:19:50 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Guest Speaker on FOB List: Feb. 15-22 Message-ID: Hi All, I'm happy to announce a Guest Speaker Discussion: February 15-22! Please join us for a discussion with FOB author, Robin Schwarz. We will discuss her article in the most recent FOB: "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners" is about ESOL learners who seem "stuck", and how we can find the real reasons for their struggles and find ways to get them back on track. You can find this article at: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 I'll post questions to think about on Tuesday, Feb. 7th, and the discussion will start on Wednesday, Feb. 15th. We'll wrap up by the following Wednesday. (I know that a Wed. to Wed. time frame is a little odd, but we are trying it out to accommodate scheduling issues!) I encourage you to re-read the article and start thinking about your experiences with learners who have been "stuck", and the intake or interviewing procedures that you use. Robin Schwarz is an ESOL tutor, LD specialist and consultant in ESOL/LD issues, and is a partner in the TLP Group in Columbus, Ohio. We are so pleased to have her as guest speaker! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Feb 3 13:26:51 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 13:26:51 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Guest Speaker on FOB list: Feb. 15-22 Message-ID: Hi All, I'm happy to announce a Guest Speaker Discussion: February 15-22! Please join us for a discussion with FOB author, Robin Schwarz. We will discuss her article in the most recent FOB: "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners" is about ESOL learners who seem ??*stuck?? , and how we can find the real reasons for their struggles and find ways to get them back on track. You can find this article at: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 I??*ll post questions to think about on Tuesday, Feb. 7th, and the discussion will start on Wednesday, Feb. 15th. We??*ll wrap up by the following Wednesday. (I know that a Wed. to Wed. time frame is a little odd, but we are trying it out to accommodate scheduling issues!) I encourage you to re-read the article and start thinking about your experiences with learners who have been "stuck", and the intake or interviewing procedures that you use. Robin Schwarz is an ESOL tutor, LD specialist and consultant in ESOL/LD issues, and is a partner in the TLP Group in Columbus, Ohio. We are so pleased to have her as guest speaker! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From EJacobson at air.org Mon Feb 6 18:04:38 2006 From: EJacobson at air.org (Jacobson, Erik) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 15:04:38 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] National Reading Conference - J. Michael Parker Award Message-ID: National Reading Conference - J. Michael Parker Award The National Reading Conference (NRC) - 56th Annual Meeting will take place in Los Angeles, CA, from November 29 to December 2, 2006. The conference covers a wide range of literacy related topics, including sessions on adult literacy. Information about the annual meeting is available at http://www.nrconline.org/. I encourage adult literacy researchers to join the dialogue at the meeting and to consider submitting proposals In addition, to encourage research on adult literacy, NRC has established the J. Michael Parker Award. This award is given to graduate students and untenured professors who present research on adult learning or education at the annual meeting. More information and submission guidelines are available in the meeting's Call for Proposals - http://www.nrconline.org/pdf/2006callforproposals.pdf Submissions are due March 1st, 2006, and must be submitted electronically. Erik Jacobson Chair, J. Michael Parker Award Committee National Reading Conference From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 7 10:06:45 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 10:06:45 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion about Adolescent Language Learners Message-ID: Hi all, I'm passing on this announcement from Lynda Terrill about an upcoming discussion on the Adult English Language Learners list: The Adult English Language Learners is planning an online discussion on adolescent learners in adult ESL/ESOL classes from February 8-14, 2006. To join the English language list, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html and follow the directions for subscribing. ********* Adolescent English language learners (ELLs) are a growing population in secondary schools and a steady presence in postsecondary (adult) education programs. Many of you have experienced the unique characteristics and needs that adolescent ELLs present in the adult ESL classroom. Like their adult counterparts, some of these adolescents may be undocumented or may not have high literacy or education levels in their native languages. They may be trying to juggle work, education, community, and family responsibilities both here and in their native countries. Some may be struggling with cross-generational reunification issues. Others may have been born and raised in the U.S. but failed to succeed in traditional K-12 schooling. Despite their varied educational, social, and cultural backgrounds, these adolescents have one thing in common - their developmental stage and related needs may set them apart from the adult students in your classes. As high school exit criteria grow more demanding in the United States, students with limited or interrupted schooling are finding it difficult to graduate within the timeframes traditionally allocated for high school study. As a result, these students are turning to adult education to earn high school diplomas, increase their job skills, and improve their English language proficiency. On February 8-14 Sarah Young, author of Adolescent Learners in Adult ESL Classes, http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/adolescent.html will lead a discussion and respond to questions about this topic. Sarah is an instructor at the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Arlington, Virginia. She is also an adult ESL content specialist at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she works on several projects related to adolescent and adult English language learners. On February 8, Sarah will summarize some of the issues related to adolescents studying in adult ESL/ESOL classrooms (e.g., who these learners are and why they are in adult ESL/ESOL classes, what instructional strategies may work well with this population, what types of educational opportunities may be available). To review the topic before the discussion, please read brief (above), which includes an extensive bibliography. We hope you will share your own experiences, advice, and comments, before, during, and after the days that Sarah leads the discussion and fields questions. If questions or comments are raised before next Tuesday, I will forward them to Sarah. You may also send comments or questions to me off the list at lterrill at cal.org Lynda Terrill English Language Discussion List Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th St, NW Washington, DC lterrill at cal.org tel 202-362-0700 fax 202-363-7204 http://www.cal.org/caela Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Feb 8 08:11:53 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 08:11:53 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Questions for Discussion of Struggling ESOL Learners Message-ID: Hi All! Please remember that we are having a guest speaker starting next Wednesday (Feb. 15th--the day after Valentine's Day). Robin Schwarz, a longtime LD specialist, researcher and ESOL tutor, will discuss her recent article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners ", about ESOL learners who seem "stuck", and how we can find the real reasons for their struggles and find ways to get them back on track. You can find this article at: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 Following are some questions to think about as we prepare to discuss this article. If you have staff meetings coming up, I encourage you to use them as a chance to discuss the following questions as they relate to your center or program. Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? We'll see you next week for the discussion! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 14 11:48:09 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:48:09 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion of Struggling ESOL Learners starts tomorrow! Message-ID: Hi All, Please remember that our discussion with Robin Schwarz starts tomorrow--Wednesday, Feb 15th! If you know someone who would be interested, please forward this on. To read the article: "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners" go to: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 If you are not subscribed to the FOB list, you can subscribe at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Below are the questions we posted last week to get us thinking about the article and how it relates to the work we do. Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? We'll see you tomorrow for the discussion! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From hgalindo at carlosrosario.org Tue Feb 14 14:16:15 2006 From: hgalindo at carlosrosario.org (Hugo Galindo) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 14:16:15 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion of Struggling ESOL Learners startstomorrow! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060214191641.2236311C44@mail.nifl.gov> Julie: I am interested in the discussion. I have never participated in this kind of electronic communication. I still feel I need more information regarding the mechanics, the time, duration and the expected time to finish. We all have our jobs and our responsibilities during the day. Please advice. Hugo Galindo From PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com Tue Feb 14 17:31:21 2006 From: PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com) Date: 14 Feb 2006 22:31:21 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion of Struggling ESOL Learners startstomorrow! Message-ID: <1139956281.2290239811.24538.sendItem@bloglines.com> Hugh-- The discussion basically follows what you're already doing, but there will be a guest answering topic specific questions. This specific guest will be available for a week. It's a great way to "discuss" a specific topic. Jean Marrapodi Providence Assembly of God Learning Center Providence, RI --- hgalindo at carlosrosario.org wrote: > > Julie: > I am interested in the discussion. I have never participated in this kind of > electronic communication. I still feel I need more information regarding the > mechanics, the time, duration and the expected time to finish. We all have > our jobs and our responsibilities during the day. Please advice. > Hugo Galindo > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Feb 15 08:02:12 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:02:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Feb 15 09:51:18 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:51:18 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: <33367179.1140015078935.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Hi All, I have two questions, one for Robin and one for list members. Robin, in your article you concluded that staff training is one of the ways to ensure that learners' needs are understood and, one hopes, appropriately addressed. Given the limited pre-service training time most ESOL programs have, what one or two things would you suggest programs focus on with NEW teachers, vis-a-vis "the variety of noneducational issues that can impede learning"? Can you direct us to any particular resources that are helpful? List colleagues, what training or orientation, if any, does your program give or did you get as a new teacher (or a teacher new to that institution?) to prepare you to address these issues? Can you share any particular resources that were helpful? Regards, Barb Garner (Focus on Basics editor) From: Julie McKinney Date: Wed Feb 15 07:02:12 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Feb 15 11:36:16 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:36:16 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: Hi All, Robin will be checking in at lunchtime, let's put something out here to share with her. Some ideas: * answer Barbs question about the training you received as a new teacher * address one of the discussion question (see below) * ask Robin one question Thanks, Julie Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Barbara Garner 02/15/06 9:51 AM >>> Hi All, I have two questions, one for Robin and one for list members. Robin, in your article you concluded that staff training is one of the ways to ensure that learners' needs are understood and, one hopes, appropriately addressed. Given the limited pre-service training time most ESOL programs have, what one or two things would you suggest programs focus on with NEW teachers, vis-a-vis "the variety of noneducational issues that can impede learning"? Can you direct us to any particular resources that are helpful? List colleagues, what training or orientation, if any, does your program give or did you get as a new teacher (or a teacher new to that institution?) to prepare you to address these issues? Can you share any particular resources that were helpful? Regards, Barb Garner (Focus on Basics editor) From: Julie McKinney Date: Wed Feb 15 07:02:12 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com Wed Feb 15 11:56:54 2006 From: PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com) Date: 15 Feb 2006 16:56:54 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: <1140022614.1169321133.15418.sendItem@bloglines.com> Hi Robin. It's wonderful to gain your insight here. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the LD/ESOL connections. In my work, I've seen a plateau effect in native-English speaking low-literacy learners we discussed about a year ago on this board. We captured a lot of that on the ALE Wiki and explored some of the rationale. Many confirmed that for some reason the NSE (native speakers of English) learners get stuck at a second or third grade level and don't get past that point to become true readers, winding up in decoding-ville with minimal comprehension. I'd suspect that learning disabilities play in here too. Some of what I've found in my research on metacognition and the NSE low-literacy learners implicates the learners' concepts about reading and I think that's a factor too. You mentioned your Navaho contact not having a word for learning disabilities. I wonder if some of the ESOL learners have trouble with the conceptualization of the reading process too. We work with a population of recently immigrated older Liberian women with no schooling at all, and find that there are so many assumptions in American culture that they have no concept of. I wonder if the conceptualization of the reading process has some implications for your populations too. Jean Marrapodi Providence Assembly of God Learning Center From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Feb 15 12:22:21 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 12:22:21 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] New from NCSALL--Program Administrators' Sourcebook Message-ID: <005b01c63254$6149b560$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> If you administer an adult education program, you face a wide variety of challenges: * How can you help students make "level" gains? * How can you help students gain the skills they need to reach their goals? * How can you help students stay in programs long enough to meet their goals? * How can you prepare and retain good teachers? * How can you document the successes of your program? The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) conducted research relevant to these questions. The Program Administrators? Sourcebook (December 2005) is designed to give you, as a program administrator, direct access to research that may help you address the challenges you face in your job. Written by Jackie Taylor, Cristine Smith, and Beth Bingman in collaboration with five local program administrators, this sourcebook presents NCSALL?s research findings in short sections related to key challenges that program administrators face in their work as managers of adult education programs. It also presents the implications of these research findings for program structure and services, as well as some strategies for implementing change based on these implications. To download the Program Administrators' Sourcebook, visit NCSALL's Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1035 To order the Program Administrators' Sourcebook at $10.00/copy, go to the NCSALL Order Form (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=674); limited quantities available. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060215/203dbc6e/attachment.html From hgalindo at carlosrosario.org Wed Feb 15 14:35:51 2006 From: hgalindo at carlosrosario.org (Hugo Galindo) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:35:51 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060215193545.5889E11D68@mail.nifl.gov> Robin I am in Washington DC and I am working with a large number of adult immigrants with very limited academic background and in many cases illiterate. I have many questions but I would like to focus on two burning questions at this time: 1) Where can we draw the line between illiteracy and learning disability? 2) Is it pedagogically sound to teach how to read and to write in their native language before attempting to teach English as a second language? Thank you for your thoughts and ideas. Hugo From akohring at utk.edu Wed Feb 15 15:17:41 2006 From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:17:41 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Wondering about struggling writers Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060215144716.03226d00@pop.utk.edu> Greetings all, While reading Robin's article- "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", I was struck by the discussion about Surer and issues around pre-literacy skills. I took an ESL instructional course a few years ago at the University of Tennessee where the topic of teacher preparation for teaching handwriting was raised. And most of the articles I found in looking into that topic indicated that many instructors did not feel prepared to provide that type of instruction. But what I also discovered in the process, was some suggestions and ideas to guide instructors. For example: - Collect writing samples for analysis (level appropriate) - Observe students as they write. What to look for: grip, posture, slant, wrist stability, eye-hand coordination, hand dominance - Plan for teaching interventions such as: --Practice script: Lined/unlined paper, Letter formation- Direction, Starting/ending point, Spacing, Size, Connections -- Modeling -- Integrated Approaches: a) Practice handwriting within context- Use authentic materials, Practice has a purpose such as letter to a friend or taking a phone message b) Utilize other skills: Reading left to right, Write on board or vertical surface, Use math, art, games, and other activities or manipulatives c) Mix of explicit and integrated approaches Yet the overall question this raised for me was- is there a connection between the reluctance of some ESOL learners to write partly connected to pre-literate skills such as handwriting in the English language?? Aaron Aaron Kohring Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/) Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Phone:(865) 974-4109 main (865) 974-4258 direct Fax: (865) 974-3857 e-mail: akohring at utk.edu From mslaathaug at midco.net Wed Feb 15 15:46:09 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:46:09 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <005e01c63270$d9978670$070ac90a@explorit3> The training I received as a new teacher did not touch on issues of learning disability in our ESL learners. I am now working in South Dakota, designing teacher training modules for new ESL adult ed teachers, and we are concerned that we at least touch on this issue of how teachers can help struggling learners. I think it might best be tied in with assessment, and ongoing assessment. New teachers perhaps can be thoroughly immersed in the idea that they need to assess and later re-assess their learner's needs and progress all along the way. You have to beware of overload in new teacher training, however. They can only absorb so much in one sitting. Perhaps this topic is best dealt with after 6 months or even 1 year of teaching, in a continuing training for new teachers. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 10:36 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Robin will be checking in at lunchtime, let's put something out here to share with her. Some ideas: * answer Barbs question about the training you received as a new teacher * address one of the discussion question (see below) * ask Robin one question Thanks, Julie Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Barbara Garner 02/15/06 9:51 AM >>> Hi All, I have two questions, one for Robin and one for list members. Robin, in your article you concluded that staff training is one of the ways to ensure that learners' needs are understood and, one hopes, appropriately addressed. Given the limited pre-service training time most ESOL programs have, what one or two things would you suggest programs focus on with NEW teachers, vis-a-vis "the variety of noneducational issues that can impede learning"? Can you direct us to any particular resources that are helpful? List colleagues, what training or orientation, if any, does your program give or did you get as a new teacher (or a teacher new to that institution?) to prepare you to address these issues? Can you share any particular resources that were helpful? Regards, Barb Garner (Focus on Basics editor) From: Julie McKinney Date: Wed Feb 15 07:02:12 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Feb 15 16:45:18 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:45:18 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Making connections with struggling learners Message-ID: Aaron's thoughts about how pre-literacy skills (or lack of them) can affect learners made me think back to some learners I've worked with. I was trying to remember how it came out that they were not literate in their first language, or that their first language was not a written one. A woman from Nigeria came to mind...she was outgoing, bold, and funny and spoke very well, but her writing skills were far behind her speaking skills. I noticed it in terms of her handwriting, spelling, and ability to put her thoughts on paper. When we started talking about her writing, she told me that that she had no literacy skills until she came to the U.S. as a young adult, and the whole concept of writing was new to her. It was her open personality that made it easy for her to tell me this. If she was a quieter, more private person, or less articulate in English, it would have been much harder to figure out. So my question for Robin and others out there is: How can we make connections with people to get at the root of these issues without pushing too much and overstepping our role. A person's personality is one among many factors that we have to consider in order to follow the best approach. Robin's article gave some good information about asking privately and gently, and I would love to expand on that and ask for more advice. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Feb 15 17:44:39 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:44:39 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: <2448696.1140043479520.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> Missy, I agree, the question of overload is always one to consider. Would it be worth including Robin's article in a packet of reading material packet for your new teachers? A set of articles they might read on their own, when they get a chance...? Barb Garner From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Wed Feb 15 14:46:09 CST 2006 To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! The training I received as a new teacher did not touch on issues of learning disability in our ESL learners. I am now working in South Dakota, designing teacher training modules for new ESL adult ed teachers, and we are concerned that we at least touch on this issue of how teachers can help struggling learners. I think it might best be tied in with assessment, and ongoing assessment. New teachers perhaps can be thoroughly immersed in the idea that they need to assess and later re-assess their learner's needs and progress all along the way. You have to beware of overload in new teacher training, however. They can only absorb so much in one sitting. Perhaps this topic is best dealt with after 6 months or even 1 year of teaching, in a continuing training for new teachers. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 10:36 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Robin will be checking in at lunchtime, let's put something out here to share with her. Some ideas: * answer Barbs question about the training you received as a new teacher * address one of the discussion question (see below) * ask Robin one question Thanks, Julie Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Barbara Garner 02/15/06 9:51 AM >>> Hi All, I have two questions, one for Robin and one for list members. Robin, in your article you concluded that staff training is one of the ways to ensure that learners' needs are understood and, one hopes, appropriately addressed. Given the limited pre-service training time most ESOL programs have, what one or two things would you suggest programs focus on with NEW teachers, vis-a-vis "the variety of noneducational issues that can impede learning"? Can you direct us to any particular resources that are helpful? List colleagues, what training or orientation, if any, does your program give or did you get as a new teacher (or a teacher new to that institution?) to prepare you to address these issues? Can you share any particular resources that were helpful? Regards, Barb Garner (Focus on Basics editor) From: Julie McKinney Date: Wed Feb 15 07:02:12 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Wed Feb 15 17:47:44 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 17:47:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! In-Reply-To: <2448696.1140043479520.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: all On the one hand, yes, overload is a concern. but are there also ways to begin to integrate awareness of issues around LD and reading difficulties from the get go, without waiting for the big LD workshops? Janet Isserlis > Missy, > I agree, the question of overload is always one to consider. > Would it be worth including Robin's article in a packet of reading material > packet for your new teachers? A set of articles they might read on their own, > when they get a chance...? > > Barb Garner > > From: Missy Slaathaug > Date: Wed Feb 15 14:46:09 CST 2006 > To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! > > > You have to beware of overload in new teacher training, however. They > can only absorb so much in one sitting. Perhaps this topic is best > dealt with after 6 months or even 1 year of teaching, in a continuing > training for new teachers. > From TMcKelton at gwinnetttech.edu Wed Feb 15 18:53:19 2006 From: TMcKelton at gwinnetttech.edu (McKelton, Terri) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 18:53:19 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: Barb, While Robin's article is extremely informative and worth having at my fingertips, I've found that giving teachers too much to consume, even at their leisure, is truly an overload. I am the lead ESL instructor in charge of curriculum development and staff development meetings at a technical college in Gwinnett County, and I particularly like the idea of having a continuing training for new teachers. At each of our quarterly staff development meetings, one of the items on the agenda is a break-out session for teachers at different levels. Incumbent teachers get to share their experiences with new teachers. I give them discussion questions to cover in their groups, and then they share what they've discovered with the rest of the staff. Many of our teachers are retired elementary school teachers or current ESOL teachers. They absolutely love sharing their classroom challenges and ideas with each other in small groups. I'll certainly add Robin's article to one of my staff development agendas. T. McKelton -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 5:45 PM To: Missy Slaathaug; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Missy, I agree, the question of overload is always one to consider. Would it be worth including Robin's article in a packet of reading material packet for your new teachers? A set of articles they might read on their own, when they get a chance...? Barb Garner From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Wed Feb 15 14:46:09 CST 2006 To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! The training I received as a new teacher did not touch on issues of learning disability in our ESL learners. I am now working in South Dakota, designing teacher training modules for new ESL adult ed teachers, and we are concerned that we at least touch on this issue of how teachers can help struggling learners. I think it might best be tied in with assessment, and ongoing assessment. New teachers perhaps can be thoroughly immersed in the idea that they need to assess and later re-assess their learner's needs and progress all along the way. You have to beware of overload in new teacher training, however. They can only absorb so much in one sitting. Perhaps this topic is best dealt with after 6 months or even 1 year of teaching, in a continuing training for new teachers. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 10:36 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Robin will be checking in at lunchtime, let's put something out here to share with her. Some ideas: * answer Barbs question about the training you received as a new teacher * address one of the discussion question (see below) * ask Robin one question Thanks, Julie Discussion Questions 1. Stories: Have you had struggling learners in your program? How common do you think this problem is? Do you want to share a story of a learner you have worked with, and tell us how you were able to find out the issue, and what you did to help? 2. Physical Disabilities: How do we screen for them and what specific accommodations can we make in the class or program for them? 3. Intake/Counseling Procedures: What does your center or program do for a routine intake? What is the procedure to address a learner who is not progressing? How well do you get at factors such as physical and health problems, living situations, amount and nature of literacy skills, nature of the primary language and cultural communication style? 4. Responding: Once there is a reason discovered for a learner's struggles, how well-equipped are you to respond to the problem? How do you learn how to accommodate a hearing or visual problem? What do you do for the learner with anxiety or depression? Do you have access to a consulting teacher, or someone knowledgeable in the complexities of a given culture's communication style (as in the example of the Sudanese men in the article)? 5. Staff Training/Professional Development: What kind of training do we all need in order to ensure that our intake procedures are complete and appropriate? What kind of training will help us to respond an effective way? 6. Did This Article Change Something You Do? Share with us anything that you changed, did, started, or stopped as a result of reading this article. Why? What result did you get? 7. What Connections Did You Make With This Article? Even if you did not change anything, did it ring a bell or hit home to you in some way? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Barbara Garner 02/15/06 9:51 AM >>> Hi All, I have two questions, one for Robin and one for list members. Robin, in your article you concluded that staff training is one of the ways to ensure that learners' needs are understood and, one hopes, appropriately addressed. Given the limited pre-service training time most ESOL programs have, what one or two things would you suggest programs focus on with NEW teachers, vis-a-vis "the variety of noneducational issues that can impede learning"? Can you direct us to any particular resources that are helpful? List colleagues, what training or orientation, if any, does your program give or did you get as a new teacher (or a teacher new to that institution?) to prepare you to address these issues? Can you share any particular resources that were helpful? Regards, Barb Garner (Focus on Basics editor) From: Julie McKinney Date: Wed Feb 15 07:02:12 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Hi All, Our discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners starts today, and here is an introduction from our guest author, Robin Schwarz: Hello to all those on the Focus on Basics discussion list. It is my great pleasure to be guest author this week in a discussion of my article, "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners", which appeared in the most recent issue of FOB. As you can probably tell, I am deeply devoted to these learners. Many remain my close friends. Their experiences constantly remind me that I must continue to urge teachers and others who work with them to consider the broad range of issues that these learners deal with in their lives and learning efforts. My interest in sorting out the learning difficulties of English language learners really took root when I was an ESL teacher in an Intensive English Program ( IEP) in Washington, DC over 20 years ago. I had begun teaching English as a foreign language in West Africa with the Peace Corps in the late 60's and early 70's ( yes, I am THAT old....) and continued as an ESL teacher in Washington after my return from Africa. Besides teaching ESL in DC, I also pursued intensive training in learning disabilities at a well-known diagnostic center there and then began teaching at the Lab School of Washington--first with younger children and later in the Night School of the Lab School, which was one of the first programs for adults with LD. ( And where I hired Neil Sturomski as a tutor--and later he hired me as a teacher!!) I had just completed a master's in LD when I started working with the adults with LD and soon began noticing that many of the struggling students in the ESL program where I worked in the daytime had problems that closely resembled those of the adults with LD. Wondering whether I had missed that piece in my degree or in my ESL training, I soon realized that the intersection of LD and second or foreign language learning in adult learners was a much neglected topic. Though there was beginning to be a lot of focus on how to determime whether ELLs in K-12 had LD or not, virtually no work was being focused on post-secondary ELLs. So I started learning what I could about all related topics. Throughout the 90's I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with classes of ESL learners in our IEP who were at risk for failure and was able to try out many methods and ideas that were being studied in relation to American college students struggling in foreign language classes. I realized that the principles of foreign/other language learning and the collision with apparent LD would be the same--and in fact, that direction has led me to a great deal of research that has been done about LD across languages and cultures. Europe particularly has focused on this topic and provided rich research for me from which to learn. In 2000, I left Washington for Boston to pursue a doctorate in education, focused on LD/ESOL, at Lesley University ( actually in Cambridge). Though I arrived convinced I could devise a test that was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for identifying LD than existing tools were, my doctoral studies soon led me to realize that the issues were indeed as complex as I had thought when I first began my interest in this topic. Encounters with learners such as the ones described in my article convinced me that no single test could reveal these issues. I learned that many ELLs in adult ESOL or adult education were being perceived as having learning difficulties or even learning disabilities, when in fact other issues were the cause of their problems. Since I turned in that direction, I have deepened my knowledge of how culture impacts adult learners-- both their culture and ours-- how first language issues make learning English more complicated than we expect, how the learner's level of literacy impacts acquiring literacy in a new language, and how dyslexia, when in fact it IS present, appears across languages. Wherever I go to do workshops and presentations about the factors that impact ELLs, people confirm that the wide range of obstacles for their learners: An LD specialist in the midwest, attempting what I had wanted to do earlier--test ELLS for LD-- has found that low literacy renders even "non-verbal" tests useless and that despite having been deemed to have adequate oral skills for testing, those who were very culturally different were extremely reticent in a testing situation. A teacher in California realized that her students kept doing poorly in her writing class because they had never heard of the notion of a main idea and another, herself from South America, enthusiastically agreed that time notions were very different in her country. A high-level official in adult education in a southwestern state, himself a Navajo, confirmed that the Navajo do not even have words for "learning disabilities," and another worried that the school board governing the schools on a reservation would not be excited about a new way to identify learning challenges among the adult learners in their community. Two Colombian doctors who were my students in Massachusetts were able to explain that the teacher expectations they had encountered in their conversation classes in a proprietary ESL school in Boston were very different from what they had known and were confusing to them. And on and on. Every week I learn more about these challenges and renew my efforts to understand them and communicate them to teachers and programs. I look forward to discussing YOUR experiences with and questions about adult ESOL learners who struggle to learn. Robin Schwarz Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From janeaddeo at comcast.net Wed Feb 15 19:50:19 2006 From: janeaddeo at comcast.net (janeaddeo at comcast.net) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:50:19 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Welcome to our discussion with Robin Schwarz! Message-ID: <021620060050.14152.43F3CC4B000AB07C000037482209229927010A0B0B0E0A020E06@comcast.net> Hugo, 1. Illiteracy vs. LD I teach Beg. ESL to recently arrived, mostly illiterate Latino students. In my experience the lack of literacy emerges quite early- at the introduction of the alphabet and spelling of names or noticing a student has difficulty holding a pen or pencil. Recognition of LD or handicaps tends to take longer. At times another student has informed me of a classmate's difficulty. Students seem more willing to admit illiteracy than LD/ handicap. It is often a problem to locate needed services for students because of their lack of insurance or legal status. 2. Given the time and the resources to teach literacy skills in the student's native language is sound practice. Literacy in the first language facilitates literacy in the second. -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "Hugo Galindo" > Robin > > I am in Washington DC and I am working with a large number of adult > immigrants with very limited academic background and in many cases > illiterate. > > I have many questions but I would like to focus on two burning questions at > this time: > > 1) Where can we draw the line between illiteracy and learning disability? > > 2) Is it pedagogically sound to teach how to read and to write in their > native language before attempting to teach English as a second language? > > Thank you for your thoughts and ideas. > > Hugo > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com Wed Feb 15 22:31:23 2006 From: PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.2164047 at bloglines.com) Date: 16 Feb 2006 03:31:23 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Pre-Literacy Resources Message-ID: <1140060683.601830673.7189.sendItem@bloglines.com> The NIFL-ESL list has been discussing pre-literate learners and has included some tremendous resources some of you might not have seen. I've copied and pasted the posts with some of the links to save you search time. A test! I'm not sure of the alphabetical order rationale in here, but this is short and sweet and free: >From Charles Larue Developed with a grant from the MN Dept of Education: The LaRue Literacy Skills Test http://www.mcedservices.com/PDFs.html and Pre-Literacy Exercises are available free online. >From Pauline Mcnaughton The Canadian Language Benchmarks: ESL for Literacy Learners (adults) which starts out at the Foundation Level with the assumption that learners have never even held a pencil. http://www.language.ca/display_page.asp?page_id=255 >From Shash Woods Tacoma Community House Training Project in Tacoma, Washington has developed a booklet called "Making It Real" that is a guide to teaching adult pre-literate refugees. While it does not deal with early literacy for children, it is a useful resource for teaching adults. The book contains a wealth of information on techniques and activities and a checklist and resource section. You can download it for free from http://www.tchtrainingproject.com >From Marian Burt In fact, in Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners, the National Center for Family Literacy along with the Center for Applied Linguistics published a guide for those working specifically with adults learning to read who are not native English speakers - discussing the role of phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic processing, and background knowledge. In section II, pages 57 -59, these skills are discussed. Then, on pages II- 60 -61, pre-reading activities to use with pre-literate and nonliterate English language learners are described. (The next pages have activities to use with beginning level learners, intermediate, and advanced). You can download the toolkit in PDF at http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html Jean Marrapodi Providence Assembly of God Learning Center From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Wed Feb 15 22:50:34 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:50:34 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: non/lowliterate learners and literacy In-Reply-To: <8C800B694646FD8-1400-1C57@mblk-r40.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C800B694646FD8-1400-1C57@mblk-r40.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8C800C3465CF9FE-17D8-3FC@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> Hi All-- sorry I did not catch up with the discussion earlier-- I am not using the list and messages correctly I fear, because the e-mail on my computer does not work and replying directly is impossible-- I have to jump to my other e-mail systems. But here is an attempt to get in and answer a few questions about non-literate learners and reading in first language. These were answers posted on the NIFL=ESL discussion list a week or so ago--the same questions came up there. This question was from a director of an ESL program in DC:? ? Is there any research on teaching? Adult LD or illiterate students in their own language for a semester or 100 hours, before? immersion into English???? Basically, if the student learns how to read and write and/or? decode in their language, is that a benefit to them in their process of learning English???? ? Here are my responses to that question: -? There is literature about that advantage. Many recommend that literacy happen in first language, if at all possible. The transferability of phonological skills that accrue through gaining literacy is considered to be very high. Thus becoming literate in one language supports gaining literacy in another--College students who start a foreign language in college are expected in two semesters (roughly 160 hours of instruction) to be able to converse at about SPL 3 ( basic conversations about everyday topicsthat are reasonably grammatically correct), read literature in that language and write brief compositions in that language. Compare that with the progress of someone who has low level literacy--or none at all-- in 160 hours of instruction.......The outcome would be very different.? ? However, if the language of the student is an unwritten language (e.g. Dinka --a language spoken by many Sudanese) literacy would have to develop in a second language anyway.--the Sudanese usually speak Arabic or Kiswahili --some very fluently). It would presumably be better for that person to attempt literacy in his or her strongest language, as literacy requires a vocabulary of, I believe David Rosen said, roughly 3,000--5,000 words --something many ESOL learners might be a long time acquiring.? ? Basic literacy in any language is supported by phonological skills: phonological awareness, underlying literacy skills, and phonological memory, underlying aural/oral skills ( listening and speaking). Thus those skills must be verified to be strong in an adult that is becoming literate. These are pre-literacy skills--not directly related to text--the kind of skills nursery rhymes were intended to support in English. It is a sense of the sound chunks of a given language ( i.e. words, syllables--and sometimes discrete phonemes, though actual phoneme awareness in an alphabetic language takes exposure to print.) and how these chunks can be manipulated. In English, phonological awareness includes an awareness of rhyme. It also includes awareness of tone and pitch and other non-language sounds ( suprasegmentals). These are the skills the huge majority of children come to school with, or had well-developed before they were exposed to print concepts. In the researchi on reading difficulties ( dyslexia ) phonological awareness, has been found to be the basic skill needed for literacy--which is why it is so difficult for dyslexics to master reading--they are known to have difficulties with phonological awareness. Therefore, if it is not well? developed, a learner will have enormous difficulty in becoming literate.? ? *************************************************? Another list question had to do with whether learning "fractured grammar" in one language would result in fractured grammar in another:? ? Since understanding and mastering grammar is dependent on good phonological skills (remember the manipulating of chunks part-- moving or adding words, syllables or sounds to new meanings is what we describe as grammar-) then it is a universal skill and not a language-specific one. The field of second language acquisition does not consider that interference of one's first language with the new language is anything other than a normal language learning stage. If having fractured grammar in one language would lead to the same thing in the new language, then the opposite could also be presumed to be true. But having perfect grammar in one language does not guarantee having perfect grammar in the new language--if phonological awareness is fundamentally weak but that weakness was overcome through repetition and practice in one language, it will raise its ugly head when a new language is encountered. Think how many high school and college students who fail miserably at learning a foreign language even though they are highly literate in their first language. I know I have at least one person like that in every audience I address, large or small. ? In fact, it was that very phenomenon--very bright college students unable to learn foreign languages--which launched research into how dylexia impacts foreign language learning.? ? *******************************************************? Still another question was what to do if learners wanted to learn English and not become literate in their own language:? ? As for learners not wanting to become literate in their first language, it is their choice, not ours. But as always, we want it to be an informed choice. They should be helped to truly understand that it is probably actually a shorter route to English literacy to start with first language literacy. And becoming literate in their language doesn't have to mean they are barred from English classes--where a lot of other kinds of literacy-- signage, labels on groceries, directions on commeon objects--can take place. And of course, their becoming literate in their first language means being taught literacy by someone literate in it....which could be a challenge for many programs--finding someone literate enough and trained to teach it.? ? Robin? ? From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Wed Feb 15 22:51:51 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:51:51 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing In-Reply-To: <8C800BB460518EE-17D8-FD@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C800BB460518EE-17D8-FD@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8C800C37420B72E-17D8-40D@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> I don't want to forget to mention the amazing Emily Griffiths Opportunity School in Denver. This is a century-old ESL school for adults that has a large program for non-literate refugees. They do a wonderful job--and when I visited in November, the director described a program for non-literate Somali women that was highly successful in getting the women to speak, read and write English--very gradually and gently. Perhaps someone can contact the school and find out more about how they do it.? ? Thinking about the writing question also made me think of the Sudanese I have worked with and another cultural issue--I think I mentioned that in the article-this was the situation where the learners were not interested in answering what they considered to be obvious -ridiculous??--questions. When given a different set of prompts about topics they were interested in, they did very well.? ? ?And finally, I cannot emphasize often enough how important it is to be sure your adult learners can SEE. Adult ESOL learners typically do not give vision care very high priority-- yet many have vision challenges. It is very hard to write clearly and form letters accurately if you cannot see. Wherever possible I urge that you facilitate eye exams--and urge the optometrist to check for binocularity problems as well as acuity problems. Binocularity is the ability to focus both eyes on one object and keep them there--then move them smoothly together. A suprising number of adults who struggle to read and write have this problem. To help your learners in the meantime, provide colored paper to write on, and larger than usual figures to copy or trace. The reduced glare and larger figures make it easier to see to write.? ? Robin From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Wed Feb 15 22:52:26 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:52:26 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: LD in ESL In-Reply-To: <8C800C1625ECFA6-17D8-343@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C800C1625ECFA6-17D8-343@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8C800C3895EF946-17D8-412@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> As I indicated in my opening message, distinguishing LD in ESOL learners has been my focus and specialty since about 1985--the more I learn about this, the less I know. What I know at this point, as my article was intended to illustrate, is that there are many other legitimate issues that impede learning progress in adult ESOL learners ( and younger ones, too, for that matter.) These issues are given short shrift by inexperienced or unaware ESOL teachers and other teachers who do not know about second language acquisition, low literacy implications, cultural differences and their impact, etc.? ? Where once I felt that LD issues were rather common among ESOL learners, I now think they are no more common than they REALLY are in adult learners in this country-- though there is now a strong belief that the incidence is high, my experience and recent work has led me to believe there are many other issues causing difficulties for adult learners: vision, visual stress syndrome ( difficulty with light sensitivity and looking at black print on white paper), hearing, health, attention problems, etc.? ? In the ESOL learners, what emerged as signficant barriers to learning were weaknesses in core phonological skills, as mentioned in an earlier post, and problems with actual discrimination of sounds in English. It is perfectly normal for the adult brain to have more difficulty perceiving sounds of a new language accurately--and those who are monolingual may have even more difficulty than those who are already multilingual ( though I do not wholly agree with the contention of some in linguistics that speaking multiple languages automatically precludes difficulty in hearing a new language accurately--again, I have ample anecdotal evidence to know that, like any other generalization, is not true--though may be true more often than not)? ? When I have put heavy emphasis in my teaching on the drilling of hearing fine differences in sounds -- minimal pairs such as bit/bet or sheep/cheap or feet/ Pete--- or tap/tab -- I find that my students' aural comprehension soars and then their ablitiy to hear and remember the language accurately also soars--and then reading comes along much better, too.? ? I use a book called Pronunciation Contrasts in English, by D L. F. Nilsen and A. P. Nilsen. To my knowledge, it has been recently reprinted-- it is a book of all the minimal pairs in English-- and each page includes a diagram of the mouth for each sound, plus a list of all the languages for which that contrast is a a difficulty. I cannot recommend it enough. If you contact me off-list, I can forward my handout on drilling these pairs.--thge book does not have drills per se.? ? As for phonological skills, as mentioned in that earlier post, I find it is essential that core phonological awareness be strong before literacy is attempted. I cannot recommend enough screening this skill ( can the learner hear rhymes ( once the concept is explained) ?) Can the learner count the number of words in a sentence s/he hears? If these skills are weak, they must be addressed. People with true dyslexia have great difficulty hearing and producing rhyme and have been repeatedly shown in studies to have significant weaknesses in phonological awareness in general. This skill PRECEDES phonemic awareness--which in English comes later, as literacy begins to develop. ?Just bear in mind the progression of skills that children go through before they begin to read. Children are not aware of single sounds in words until they are first aware of the larger chunks of language. ( And don't forget that many language on the planet are NOT alphabetic, and therefore do not have phonemes per se. If your learner's language is like this, then the very concept of phonemes and letter sounds has to be approached quite differently than it would be for a learner from an alphabetic language. )? ? Phonological MEMORY supports the learning of new vocabulary and language strings-- idioms and syntax, etc. If your learner cannot repeat a sentence of more than 3 or four words completely accurately, this skill should be targeted through activities in counting words in sentences and saying them accurately-- gradually increasing the length of sentences repeated, etc. I am constantly challenged in this by people saying that if you know the language you can repeat the sentences. But actually, a person with good phonological memory can do this relatively easily without any idea of what s/he is saying. This skill is tested in the native language by using nonsense words (see a test like the C-TOPP --Comrpehensive TEst of Phonological Processing Skills) for example. ) It is irrelevant to test nonsense words for ESOL learners, since a foreign language is ipso facto nonsense words until one learns a lot of vocabulary. Just try it with low frequency words-- words we rarely use in conversation.? ? This skill can be so weak as to constitute a learning disability--though it is not classified as such. Phonological awareness weaknesses, on the other hand, are known to be at the heart of dyslexia--and so ARE LD-- except that we need to have attempted to strengthen awareness in a new language before deciding that it is a disability---. It is possible to determine in first language that there is a reading disability, but it requires having the correct tools to do it-tests of reading nonsense words in that language and other tasks that test core phonological awareness and speed of decoding. The usual tools for diagnosing LD in English do not work with non-native English speakers, except those tests of phonological awareness, and then we have to be careful that the tests are not weighted to English speakers.? ? This is getting long-- sorry for so much information-- I guess this will overload a lot of people. But since these are the core skills needed for language learning and reading, it seems awfully important that teachers know about them and understand what challenges are likely plaguing their adult learners who are stuck.? ? More tomorrow on reasons why those readers may plateau at 3rd or 4th grade. Robin? ? From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Thu Feb 16 07:39:04 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 07:39:04 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] non/lowliterate learners and literacy In-Reply-To: <8C800B694646FD8-1400-1C57@mblk-r40.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C800B694646FD8-1400-1C57@mblk-r40.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8C8010D1AE15B4F-1088-15A8@mblk-d38.sysops.aol.com> Hi All-- sorry I did not catch up with the discussion earlier-- I am not using the list and messages correctly I fear, because the e-mail on my computer does not work and replying directly is impossible-- I have to jump to my other e-mail systems. But here is an attempt to get in and answer a few questions about non-literate learners and reading in first language. These were answers posted on the NIFL=ESL discussion list a week or so ago--the same questions came up there. This question was from a director of an ESL program in DC:? ? Is there any research on teaching? Adult LD or illiterate students in their own language for a semester or 100 hours, before? immersion into English???? Basically, if the student learns how to read and write and/or? decode in their language, is that a benefit to them in their process of learning English???? ? Here are my responses to that question: -? There is literature about that advantage. Many recommend that literacy happen in first language, if at all possible. The transferability of phonological skills that accrue through gaining literacy is considered to be very high. Thus becoming literate in one language supports gaining literacy in another--College students who start a foreign language in college are expected in two semesters (roughly 160 hours of instruction) to be able to converse at about SPL 3 ( basic conversations about everyday topicsthat are reasonably grammatically correct), read literature in that language and write brief compositions in that language. Compare that with the progress of someone who has low level literacy--or none at all-- in 160 hours of instruction.......The outcome would be very different.? ? However, if the language of the student is an unwritten language (e.g. Dinka --a language spoken by many Sudanese) literacy would have to develop in a second language anyway.--the Sudanese usually speak Arabic or Kiswahili --some very fluently). It would presumably be better for that person to attempt literacy in his or her strongest language, as literacy requires a vocabulary of, I believe David Rosen said, roughly 3,000--5,000 words --something many ESOL learners might be a long time acquiring.? ? Basic literacy in any language is supported by phonological skills: phonological awareness, underlying literacy skills, and phonological memory, underlying aural/oral skills ( listening and speaking). Thus those skills must be verified to be strong in an adult that is becoming literate. These are pre-literacy skills--not directly related to text--the kind of skills nursery rhymes were intended to support in English. It is a sense of the sound chunks of a given language ( i.e. words, syllables--and sometimes discrete phonemes, though actual phoneme awareness in an alphabetic language takes exposure to print.) and how these chunks can be manipulated. In English, phonological awareness includes an awareness of rhyme. It also includes awareness of tone and pitch and other non-language sounds ( suprasegmentals). These are the skills the huge majority of children come to school with, or had well-developed before they were exposed to print concepts. In the researchi on reading difficulties ( dyslexia ) phonological awareness, has been found to be the basic skill needed for literacy--which is why it is so difficult for dyslexics to master reading--they are known to have difficulties with phonological awareness. Therefore, if it is not well? developed, a learner will have enormous difficulty in becoming literate.? ? *************************************************? Another list question had to do with whether learning "fractured grammar" in one language would result in fractured grammar in another:? ? Since understanding and mastering grammar is dependent on good phonological skills (remember the manipulating of chunks part-- moving or adding words, syllables or sounds to new meanings is what we describe as grammar-) then it is a universal skill and not a language-specific one. The field of second language acquisition does not consider that interference of one's first language with the new language is anything other than a normal language learning stage. If having fractured grammar in one language would lead to the same thing in the new language, then the opposite could also be presumed to be true. But having perfect grammar in one language does not guarantee having perfect grammar in the new language--if phonological awareness is fundamentally weak but that weakness was overcome through repetition and practice in one language, it will raise its ugly head when a new language is encountered. Think how many high school and college students who fail miserably at learning a foreign language even though they are highly literate in their first language. I know I have at least one person like that in every audience I address, large or small. ? In fact, it was that very phenomenon--very bright college students unable to learn foreign languages--which launched research into how dylexia impacts foreign language learning.? ? *******************************************************? Still another question was what to do if learners wanted to learn English and not become literate in their own language:? ? As for learners not wanting to become literate in their first language, it is their choice, not ours. But as always, we want it to be an informed choice. They should be helped to truly understand that it is probably actually a shorter route to English literacy to start with first language literacy. And becoming literate in their language doesn't have to mean they are barred from English classes--where a lot of other kinds of literacy-- signage, labels on groceries, directions on commeon objects--can take place. And of course, their becoming literate in their first language means being taught literacy by someone literate in it....which could be a challenge for many programs--finding someone literate enough and trained to teach it.? ? Robin? ? From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Thu Feb 16 07:39:29 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 07:39:29 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate /non-literate learners In-Reply-To: <8C800BA14585A5E-17D8-76@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C800BA14585A5E-17D8-76@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <8C8010D2A22A0C5-1088-15AB@mblk-d38.sysops.aol.com> -----Original Message----- From: Robinschwarz1 To: focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov Sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:44:45 -0500 Subject: writing and handwriting for low literate /non-literate learners This is in response to Aaron's and others' comments and questions on teaching writing to low or non-literate learners.? ? Though this is an area I am not so well acquainted with, here are some observations and thoughts:? ? AS for phonological skills, the skill of handwriting requires roughly the same preparation that young children get before they are expected to write easily-- lots and lots of fine motor practice-- the muscles for holding a writing instrument must be developed and the movements developed from large to small. When remediating these skills in persons with dysgraphia, it is necessary to start with large arm movements, creating circles and other letter-related movements on the board or on newspaper with markers ( pens , especially most ball point pens, are slippery for those with hand writing challenges--plus the added tactile input of markers is helpful in teaching the fingers to grasp correctly.) Fat pens or pencils would be helpful in the beginning-- or fat markers.? ? Much tracing experience is recommended--plus other kinds of activities that involve fine motor with a writing tool-- mazes, connecting dots, coloring---all the things children do to strengthen their fingers and hands.? There is an amazing choice of "adult" coloring books-- lovely designs, pictures from different cultures, etc--usually available through museums- ( does anyone know the name of that company that produces those in great profusion?? They must be available on the web).? ? There are a VERY few books for non-literate adult ESOL learners that include some basic tracing of letter forms, but to my highly opinionated view, they have far too little practice in them. Like all skills, these must be mastered-- overlearned-- for further writing to develop comfortably. Also bear in mind that for those with dyslexia and dysgraphia, cursive is highly recommended over block printing. Thus it will undoubtedly be easier for those learning to write for the first time to move directly to connected writing and curvy lines rather than straight interrupted lines. A friend of mine in the DC area, Janette Haynes produced a wonderful handwriting book for adult ESOL learners coming from other alphabets-- it was called American Handwriting Slow and Easy and was a simplified cursive system. (Delta Publishing Systems, 1995) My Arabic college students found this very helpful--it has practice with check writing, names of states, different names for streets, cardinal and ordinal numbers, etc--all things ESOL learners need to learn anyway, instead of meaningless sentences.? ? As for those who write already, here is where my culture alarms go off. ? Many other cultures have a very different approach to writing than we do . For example, in the French=based system I taught in in Africa, students were obliged to have "perfect" handwriting at a very early age. They had a much different formation of letters than we do--and they were severely punished if their writing was not neat and beautiful and if they misspelled ANYTHING. Thus learners coming from such cultures may be extremely hesitant to write in English, a) because they do not know how to form the letters the way we do and b) because they fear being reprimanded for making errors. As Dave Barry would say, I am NOT making this up. In my class of adult ESOL learners in Massachusetts I encountered this very situation. These were mostly learners from Cape Verde and Brazil, Haiti and different African countries. When I gave them some task to write and hardly anyone moved their pencil, I asked them whether they were afraid I would be mad if they made spelling mistakes or wrote badly= they ALL nodded vigorously. I had to assure them repeatedly I was not going to look at those things!!!? ? And finally, looking further to actual composition--again culture is a huge obstacle. How text is organized for writing varies enormously from culture to culture--in some it is considered rude to make a point explicitly. It is up to the reader to figure it out. In other cultures it is important to write EVERYTHING you know about a topic-- and these do not understand why we get so exercised about their voluminous compositions that appear to us to ramble all over the place. ?As I have said many times in my trainings, the concept of main idea in writing does not exist much beyond our borders. This was confirmed by my next door neighbor here in Columbus, where I live now== she is Romanian, and a doctoral student. She told me she also had a terrible time figuring out how to write in the highly linear way we do in America, --a thought seconded by my Portugues doctoral advisor at Lesley. She said she had to teach herself how to write " just the important points" when she was a newly arrived college student from Portugal.? ? Robin? ? From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Feb 16 10:01:32 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:01:32 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Use this address: focusonbasics@nifl.gov Message-ID: Hi All, Please note that the correct address to send postings to is: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Cut out the"dev": Those of you who have been with us for a while may still be using the old address focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov. This one no longer works. You can also just reply to a message from the list, but consider if you want the subject line to match what you are replying to, or if you want a new one. Thanks folks! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Feb 16 14:46:12 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 14:46:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? Message-ID: Hi All, Robin gave us a lot to absorb, and a lot of specifics to try to incorporate into teaching and teacher training. It would be helpful to share ideas and resources that can help with the specific suggestions she recommended. (Thanks, Jean, for pulling those other resources from the ESL discussion for us!) Does anyone know of resources to share in the following areas: * phonological awareness: how to assess and how to practice * phonological memory: how to assess and practice * tracing/handwriting or other fine-motor practice for adults * the world's languages and cultures--is there a resource to help us learn about a language (is it written? type of approach to writing?) and culture (communication style?) I'm thinking about the Sudanese men and what would we do if there's no expert available... Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From dbrillan at pdx.edu Thu Feb 16 15:47:56 2006 From: dbrillan at pdx.edu (Dominique Brillanceau) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:47:56 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <43F4E4FC.2080902@pdx.edu> Hello! Here are a couple of resources I have used to look up languages, language structure, history etc... This link covers many languages but the information on each is brief, location, # of speakers and sometimes but not always, whether it is written or not. http://www.ethnologue.com/ This information about each language is a lot more in -depth ( /its history, status, sound system, grammar, vocabulary, writing and much more../.) than in the previous link but it covers fewer languages. It also gives a lot of references for further research. http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/languageList.html I have consulted both links about Mayan ( we have a few Mayans in our program) and learned a lot through the second link Enjoy, Dominique Brillanceau NCSALL ESOL labsite Portland, Oregon Julie McKinney wrote: >Hi All, > >Robin gave us a lot to absorb, and a lot of specifics to try to >incorporate into teaching and teacher training. It would be helpful to >share ideas and resources that can help with the specific suggestions >she recommended. (Thanks, Jean, for pulling those other resources from >the ESL discussion for us!) > >Does anyone know of resources to share in the following areas: > >* phonological awareness: how to assess and how to practice >* phonological memory: how to assess and practice >* tracing/handwriting or other fine-motor practice for adults >* the world's languages and cultures--is there a resource to help us >learn about a language (is it written? type of approach to writing?) and >culture (communication style?) I'm thinking about the Sudanese men and >what would we do if there's no expert available... > >Julie > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Thu Feb 16 21:34:55 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:34:55 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8C80181DF47561B-178C-82FB@mblk-r41.sysops.aol.com> Julie and all -- I think CAELA and especially NCELA have some good resources on culture and languages. The Office of Refugee Concerns has booklets on many cultures---tomorrow I will add some titles of books that have helped me with this topic. Phonological awareness may not be listed per se as a skill to practice, but if one googles "phonemic awareness" there is a LOT there on practicing the kinds of skills that build UP to phonemic awareness and phonological memory. One artilce that really covers the whole topic well and offers great suggestions for activities is " How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities for Collaborative Classrooms" by Patricia J. Edelen-Smith. I found it on the web--iIt was published in Intervention in School and Clinic in 1997Vol 33 #2 Robin -----Original Message----- From: Julie McKinney To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 14:46:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? Hi All, Robin gave us a lot to absorb, and a lot of specifics to try to incorporate into teaching and teacher training. It would be helpful to share ideas and resources that can help with the specific suggestions she recommended. (Thanks, Jean, for pulling those other resources from the ESL discussion for us!) Does anyone know of resources to share in the following areas: * phonological awareness: how to assess and how to practice * phonological memory: how to assess and practice * tracing/handwriting or other fine-motor practice for adults * the world's languages and cultures--is there a resource to help us learn about a language (is it written? type of approach to writing?) and culture (communication style?) I'm thinking about the Sudanese men and what would we do if there's no expert available... Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Thu Feb 16 21:37:36 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 21:37:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? In-Reply-To: <43F4E4FC.2080902@pdx.edu> References: <43F4E4FC.2080902@pdx.edu> Message-ID: <8C801823F0B9AE3-178C-831C@mblk-r41.sysops.aol.com> Dominique--these are GREAT-- these are some of the ones I had seen reference to lately but had not noted. Thank you! robin -----Original Message----- From: Dominique Brillanceau To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 12:47:56 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Resources for phonological awareness, etc.?? Hello! Here are a couple of resources I have used to look up languages, language structure, history etc... This link covers many languages but the information on each is brief, location, # of speakers and sometimes but not always, whether it is written or not. http://www.ethnologue.com/ This information about each language is a lot more in -depth ( /its history, status, sound system, grammar, vocabulary, writing and much more../.) than in the previous link but it covers fewer languages. It also gives a lot of references for further research. http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/languageList.html I have consulted both links about Mayan ( we have a few Mayans in our program) and learned a lot through the second link Enjoy, Dominique Brillanceau NCSALL ESOL labsite Portland, Oregon Julie McKinney wrote: >Hi All, > >Robin gave us a lot to absorb, and a lot of specifics to try to >incorporate into teaching and teacher training. It would be helpful to >share ideas and resources that can help with the specific suggestions >she recommended. (Thanks, Jean, for pulling those other resources from >the ESL discussion for us!) > >Does anyone know of resources to share in the following areas: > >* phonological awareness: how to assess and how to practice >* phonological memory: how to assess and practice >* tracing/handwriting or other fine-motor practice for adults >* the world's languages and cultures--is there a resource to help us >learn about a language (is it written? type of approach to writing?) and >culture (communication style?) I'm thinking about the Sudanese men and >what would we do if there's no expert available... > >Julie > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Fri Feb 17 06:46:38 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:46:38 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing References: <8C800BB460518EE-17D8-FD@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> <8C800C37420B72E-17D8-40D@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <017001c633b7$d089a070$5503fea9@Tomschoice> Hi Robin, Interesting point about prevalence of vision problems. What proportion of your students have this would you say? I found this with Google, suggesting 3-5% might have a certain type of binocularity problem called "convergence insufficiency" which would affect their reading. http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic553.htm However it is rare in children, so would hardly ever be a cause for a person not to have been able to learn to read as a child. Is this "convergence insufficiency" the kind of problem you are finding, or are other problems more common? Cheers from Chiswick. John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:51 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing I don't want to forget to mention the amazing Emily Griffiths Opportunity School in Denver. This is a century-old ESL school for adults that has a large program for non-literate refugees. They do a wonderful job--and when I visited in November, the director described a program for non-literate Somali women that was highly successful in getting the women to speak, read and write English--very gradually and gently. Perhaps someone can contact the school and find out more about how they do it. Thinking about the writing question also made me think of the Sudanese I have worked with and another cultural issue--I think I mentioned that in the article-this was the situation where the learners were not interested in answering what they considered to be obvious -ridiculous??--questions. When given a different set of prompts about topics they were interested in, they did very well. And finally, I cannot emphasize often enough how important it is to be sure your adult learners can SEE. Adult ESOL learners typically do not give vision care very high priority-- yet many have vision challenges. It is very hard to write clearly and form letters accurately if you cannot see. Wherever possible I urge that you facilitate eye exams--and urge the optometrist to check for binocularity problems as well as acuity problems. Binocularity is the ability to focus both eyes on one object and keep them there--then move them smoothly together. A suprising number of adults who struggle to read and write have this problem. To help your learners in the meantime, provide colored paper to write on, and larger than usual figures to copy or trace. The reduced glare and larger figures make it easier to see to write. Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us Fri Feb 17 09:29:57 2006 From: iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us (iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:29:57 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> Thanks to Robin for hosting this discussion. I have no answers to specific questions posed this week, but I feel a need to use this forum to express my frustration and sense of helplessness. I hope you will indulge me. I have 12 years of ESOL experience, in a great variety of settings, and a master's in ESOL. In July 2002, I took a position in correctional education, teaching beginning ESOL to male inmates in a large county facility in Massachusetts that is well-known for its education program. When I came here, I had no training or experience in working with special-needs students. Yet, as you all probably know, a great percentage of incarcerated adult students have learning issues. Many of the ESOL students here are nonliterate in their first language, which in this case is Spanish. It is difficult to know, when a nonliterate inmate comes through orientation, why he can't read because we have no screening protocols. He simply gets placed in the beginners class. (This is if his oral SPL is 0 to 2; if he can communicate at an intermediate level but can't read, that's another challenge that we cannot meet.) In rare cases, such as that of Rodolfo, a 21-year-old from Guatemala, the student simply had not been to school. I initially thought Rodolfo had LDs. In addition to being nonliterate, he seemed unable to produce oral language. But over time I discovered that Rodolfo lacked confidence and self-esteem. Eventually, he began speaking (with excellent pronunciation). As for reading, early on I had little success using a phonics approach. Then I discovered that he was very good at word recognition in context. In most cases, however, there are issues of LDs, head injuries, substance abuse, childhood trauma, low intelligence, etc. Take Anibal (age 30) or Jos? and Hector (both in their late 50s): After months of school, despite individual work with a peer tutor (inmate) and one-on-one tutoring from me when I could manage it, they still could not read a simple word. Since I've been here, I have attended several workshops on learning disabilities, including an excellent one presented a year ago by Robin herself at this facility. But I am far from a trained reading specialist. And I cannot even apply what I have learned so long as the special-needs students are integrated with beginning learners who are literate in L1 and may even have high school diplomas. Yes, I can provide things like Irlen overlays. But we do not have the resources to creat special-needs ESOL classes. So most of these men sit and do busywork or, when possible, work on computer software. With intensive tutoring, they might be able to learn. But under these circumstances, they make little or no progress, and because they are mandated to be in school, they take spaces in class that could go to students with greater learning potential. So this is my frustration. I'm not trained to teach a large number of our ESOL students, and even if I were, limited resources prevent delivering what they need. I feel that I'm burning out and question the value of what I'm doing. Perhaps teachers in other kinds of adult programs face the same issues. Iris L. Broudy ESOL Instructor/Programs Dept. Hampden County Sheriff's Department 627 Randall Road Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 547-8000 ext. 2468 Fax: (413) 583-3099 iris.broudy at sdh.state.ma.us -----Original Message----- From: Julie McKinney [mailto:julie_mcKinney at worlded.org] Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 10:02 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Use this address: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Hi All, Please note that the correct address to send postings to is: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Cut out the"dev": Those of you who have been with us for a while may still be using the old address focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov. This one no longer works. You can also just reply to a message from the list, but consider if you want the subject line to match what you are replying to, or if you want a new one. Thanks folks! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From SandyF61 at aol.com Fri Feb 17 21:45:29 2006 From: SandyF61 at aol.com (SandyF61 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:45:29 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Adult Learners Message-ID: I also work with beginning learners, most of whom are refugees. Like most programs, even if one of my students were diagnosed with some learning disabilites, we don't have the resources to make much difference. I have a student from Cambodia. She has good speaking skills but can not read or write. She has never been to school either in Cambodia or the US. I have a retired special ed. teacher who works with her twice a week. She really isn't making much progress and is losing confidence. Her work has told her that she must learn to read so she really feels the pressure. My biggest puzzle is a woman from Guadalupe. She has been in the US for over 10 years and is married to an American. She speaks French with the occasional English word thrown in. After 20 plus years of marriage to an American, three English speaking kids and many ESL classes, she still doesn't speak English. However, she can read and write in English. I think she comes to class for the relationships and I'm happy to have her there. Sandy Fox Columbia, MO -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060217/4ae48246/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Fri Feb 17 21:59:13 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:59:13 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> Message-ID: <8C8024E6EA978CD-180-A71@MBLK-M17.sysops.aol.com> HI All--and HI to Iris, who is facing a truly frustrating situation, which I exerienced first hand. I will give some thoughts on her message tomorrow-- I have been training all week and am really tired tonight. There have been some good, thought-provoking questions and discussions here--thank you all for your interest and messages. I will answer more of them this weekend. Robin -----Original Message----- From: iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:29:57 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Thanks to Robin for hosting this discussion. I have no answers to specific questions posed this week, but I feel a need to use this forum to express my frustration and sense of helplessness. I hope you will indulge me. I have 12 years of ESOL experience, in a great variety of settings, and a master's in ESOL. In July 2002, I took a position in correctional education, teaching beginning ESOL to male inmates in a large county facility in Massachusetts that is well-known for its education program. When I came here, I had no training or experience in working with special-needs students. Yet, as you all probably know, a great percentage of incarcerated adult students have learning issues. Many of the ESOL students here are nonliterate in their first language, which in this case is Spanish. It is difficult to know, when a nonliterate inmate comes through orientation, why he can't read because we have no screening protocols. He simply gets placed in the beginners class. (This is if his oral SPL is 0 to 2; if he can communicate at an intermediate level but can't read, that's another challenge that we cannot meet.) In rare cases, such as that of Rodolfo, a 21-year-old from Guatemala, the student simply had not been to school. I initially thought Rodolfo had LDs. In addition to being nonliterate, he seemed unable to produce oral language. But over time I discovered that Rodolfo lacked confidence and self-esteem. Eventually, he began speaking (with excellent pronunciation). As for reading, early on I had little success using a phonics approach. Then I discovered that he was very good at word recognition in context. In most cases, however, there are issues of LDs, head injuries, substance abuse, childhood trauma, low intelligence, etc. Take Anibal (age 30) or Jos? and Hector (both in their late 50s): After months of school, despite individual work with a peer tutor (inmate) and one-on-one tutoring from me when I could manage it, they still could not read a simple word. Since I've been here, I have attended several workshops on learning disabilities, including an excellent one presented a year ago by Robin herself at this facility. But I am far from a trained reading specialist. And I cannot even apply what I have learned so long as the special-needs students are integrated with beginning learners who are literate in L1 and may even have high school diplomas. Yes, I can provide things like Irlen overlays. But we do not have the resources to creat special-needs ESOL classes. So most of these men sit and do busywork or, when possible, work on computer software. With intensive tutoring, they might be able to learn. But under these circumstances, they make little or no progress, and because they are mandated to be in school, they take spaces in class that could go to students with greater learning potential. So this is my frustration. I'm not trained to teach a large number of our ESOL students, and even if I were, limited resources prevent delivering what they need. I feel that I'm burning out and question the value of what I'm doing. Perhaps teachers in other kinds of adult programs face the same issues. Iris L. Broudy ESOL Instructor/Programs Dept. Hampden County Sheriff's Department 627 Randall Road Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 547-8000 ext. 2468 Fax: (413) 583-3099 iris.broudy at sdh.state.ma.us -----Original Message----- From: Julie McKinney [mailto:julie_mcKinney at worlded.org] Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 10:02 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Use this address: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Hi All, Please note that the correct address to send postings to is: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Cut out the"dev": Those of you who have been with us for a while may still be using the old address focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov. This one no longer works. You can also just reply to a message from the list, but consider if you want the subject line to match what you are replying to, or if you want a new one. Thanks folks! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Sat Feb 18 00:16:43 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:16:43 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> Message-ID: <43F6ADBB.2000908@isp.com> Iris, You are not alone.I too am a corrections educator. You described a similar situation to what I see in my job in VT, a simply huge variety of abilities and levels. Your situation sounds a bit more complicated than mine because the vast majority of my students are able to speak English. I think that the hardest cases for me are when traumatic brain injuries co-mingle with chronic drug and alcohol abuse. It is so unpredictable what kinds of learning problems these individuals may experience. It sounds like you are extremely frustrated with your work with the offenders. If you are given freedom to develop the education program where you work, you might look at it as a wonderful opportunity to create a system that works for your guys where nothing has ever worked before. Ten things I've learned as I helped build our high school, the Community High School of Vermont, are: 1. You can't help everybody. 2. Everyone comes to you at his own level and works at his own pace. 3. Some problems of individuals are bigger than education. 4. It is best to have no expectations for your students, not low expectations. No expectations. 5. Appreciate whatever gains might be made, no matter what they may be. 6. Every student is good at something. 7. Students have to direct the course of their education. Teachers assist them. 8. Don't try doing it the other way around or you will fail miserably and drive all your students away. 9. You may not know when you will gain a new student or lose an old student so your classes have to be self-standing, not dependent on a sequence of classes the student may have missed. 10. These things motivate learners. and a motivated learner cannot be stopped. He will learn more than you ever thought possible, learning and emotional disabilities become irrelevant. Best wishes, Tom Woods From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 17:11:58 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 17:11:58 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Adult Learners In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8C802EF78282837-134C-92BB@FWM-R08.sysops.aol.com> Sandy, Iris and others who work with such learners: This is what I meant by the necessity of checking and addressing core phonological skills. These are NOT phonics or other text-related skills, but those that are the foundation of language and language acquisition. In the case of these learners who cannot seem to learn to read and write, go back and look at my comments about checking their phonological awareness. If they cannot HEAR that words rhyme --and feel free to ask someone who speaks the language to explain the concept to them if you feel they do not get it-- and if they cannot count the words in sentences they can say, you will know that there is some very fundamental work to be done. There appears to be no way to short cut these needs nor hurry up the acquisition of them. These folks will need extended work in those two skills before literacy skills will begin to emerge. All the research tells us that if they do not have these very fundamental understandings of how the chunks of language work, they will not be able to make much progress with the notion of assigning symbols to the chunks ( in the case of English--letters representing sounds). 10-15 minutes per day doing a wide variety of activities around rhyming and around word counting should begin to make a chink in this wall. Be careful to keep ALL activities non-text related--use only pictures, objects for rhyming and abstract forms to count words --if you know anything about or can get information about the LIPS program of the Lindamood-Bell approach, that is what it is designed to do--build pre-text phonological skills, though I don't think it specifically stresses rhyme. Activities for rhyme can be first just matching a set of pictures-- have available about 12 sets , but vary the sets worked with each day to preclude the memory factor. Use about 4 sets per day. Then this activity can be expanded to determine which 2 of 3 rhyme; then if the sense appears to be emerging, have several pictures that have one rhyme (cat, mat, hat, bat) and have the learner sort two of these sets. Make a sort of wheel--with one key word in the middle, and places to place the rhyming pictures around it for one manipulative activity. Use wall pockets to sort rhyming pictures by pairs, then by groups as the skill grows. Using pictures or ojects have the learner move around the room to find them, or to place the pairs together. Complete body involvement will be helpful. Do not tackle two-syllable rhymes until the rhyme concept has happened. You have to believe me that using print will only confuse the issue until it has emerged as an oral/aural skill. It may take many sessions for this skill to begin to emerge. Word games or very short poems that can be learned can be used to begin to help the learner pay attention to rhyme. Use nursery rhymes--two line ones-- for the learner to complete-- give tokens for each one completed correctly ( ORALLY ONLY!!) Eg. Hickory, Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the ____? The learner says CLOCK-- and gets a token. Aim for one or two tokens per session--then three, then four, etc. Use Shel Silverstein and other highly rhymed poetry also--have the learner begin to predict what kind of word will complete the couplet or rhyme. For word counting, first have the learner literally WALK the words in a sentence by laying out colored squares of carpet or paper fastened to the floor and having him/her repeat the sentence as they walk on the squares. YOu might be really surprised to see how hard this will be for them at first. Continue with similar full-body activities until they can say and count four-word sentences well. Keep a graph or record of progress so they can see this--it will be unlike anything else they have gotten credit for. Don't mix in syllables at this point. As for the rhyme, spend only a few minutes a session on this-- it will not be effective if the learner's brain is tired--and that fatigue happens quickly in a foreign language. If there is someone who can do these kinds of activities with the learners in their first language--especially the word counting-- the idea will transfer a bit more readily, I would predict. The Spanish speakers, Iris, should be able to understand the concept of rhyme in Spanish with some help from a classmate or teacher who speaks Spanish, If there is such a person available, by all means let the learner do these activities in Spanish, and then see if the awareness can be transferred to English--all without print, as I keep saying. Once the rhyming gets stronger, you can move to identification of initial sounds of words--again assuring total mastery and again, reviewing rhyme every other session. I know with the learners I have done rhyme with, it grew in strength very gradually, and review was helpful to maintain it. At the point where first letter sound becomes a strong skill, you can begin to introduce letters that produce that sound. Then you can begin to use children's type very early phonics books to give you ideas of how to proceed. As word counting becomes literally easy, then you can move to syllable counting-- I find that leap is not very hard- again using the first language if the concept can be explained in it. Again, Google phonemic awareness, and you will get a whole panoply of sources with activities for pre-phoneme phonological awareness that can be readily adapted to your situations. Let me give thoughts on the lady from Guadalupe in a second response so this doesn't go on too long. The Cambodian lady has what amounts to dyslexia--though how you would get that diagnosed as such is another problem. In any case, it is time for some pretty strong advocacy on your part to her employer telling the company or manager or whoever that it is unrealistic to put any time limit on her learning English as that is not a time-able activitiy. If anyone is willing to vouch, besides me, that this IS in fact, a LD, then unless her job truly requires reading and she was hired without reading, there may be solid grounds for a discrimination compl aint if the insistence on reading in a certain time persists despite your advocacy... This kind of demand usually comes from ignorance about the language acqusition process and obstacles to it. Obviously the lady WANTS to learn English or she wouldn't be in your program. I hope this is helpful. Robin -----Original Message----- From: SandyF61 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:45:29 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Adult Learners I also work with beginning learners, most of whom are refugees. Like most programs, even if one of my students were diagnosed with some learning disabilites, we don't have the resources to make much difference. I have a student from Cambodia. She has good speaking skills but can not read or write.? She has never been to school either in Cambodia or the US.? I have a retired special ed. teacher who works with her twice a week.? She really isn't making much progress and is losing confidence.? Her work has told her that she must learn to read so she really feels the pressure. My biggest puzzle is a woman from Guadalupe.? She has been in the US for over 10 years and is married to an American.? She speaks French with the occasional English word thrown in.? After 20 plus years of marriage to an American, three English speaking kids and many ESL classes, she still doesn't speak English. However, she can read and write in English. I think she comes to class for the relationships and I'm happy to have her there. ? ? Sandy Fox Columbia, MO ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 17:52:59 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 17:52:59 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> Message-ID: <8C802F5330F6CAA-728-B254@FWM-D43.sysops.aol.com> This is for Sandy and Iris --and the mothers on the NIFL LD list of those students having such a hard time learning a foreign language in school-- Sandy- the lady from Guadalupe is a glowing example of how phonological skills can be separate completely-- a phenomenon noted early on in the LD/ Foreign/second language literature I referred to in my very first communication to this discussion. If any of you is interested in research on this, look up the works of Leonore Ganschow and Richard Sparks ( the latter of Mount St. Joseph's college of Ohio). They have written about 100 articles related to foreign language learning and learning disabilities. Many of the recent ones address the topics Glenn wrote about--how colleges decide on a waiver etc. and the need for really good foreign language instruction. It is fascinating to me that the world of foreign language difficulties and LD have agreed for a long time that some students will do better if they can do only one aspect of language-- either listening as speaking or reading and writing. The University of Colorado at Boulder, for example, used to--and may still- offer Spanish conversation for those whose phonological memory skills were strong but whose phonological awarenness was weak ( i.e. speaking and listening skills were strong, but reading and writing were weak) The opposite set of skills, what Sandy's lady from Guadalupe exhibits-- strong phonological awareness --reading and writing skills, but weak phonological memory- difficulty in acquiring oral/aural skills- was addressed by offering these students Latin class, where they didn't have to listen to and pronounce the language much at all. There is, in fact, a fairly robust body of literature about offering Latin to students with LD for that very purpose. Funny, isn't it, that TESOL and ESOL teachers' training never seems to address that split........? I worked with a doctor from Colombia with this latter problem-- he could--can-- read literally better than I can-- he reads medical texts in English at lightning speed and reads the New York Times for enjoyment--but he was unable to understand the simplest conversation in English or produce grammatically correct or comprehensible sentences orally. He tested as having somewhat weak phonological memory skills--but these were impacted by the strong interference of Spanish and by his inability as an adult learner of English to discriminate English sounds and words accurately. Intensive work on minimal pairs to help him hear the fine differences more accurately, work on hearing and reproducing words in sentences extremely accurately plus a lot of expliciti instruction in how English phonology works--that is, how stress works, how we run together words in sentences (as in connecting the regular past tense to following words: She dropped it--becomes "she drop tit " in speech ) helped him immensely. He now speaks rather deliberately but can apply the rules of English grammar very accurately and speaks in slow but completely comprehensible and correct sentences. A phenomenon noted in research also affected this man-- though he was highly literate in English and Spanish, he still applied Spanish phonics--sound-symbol correspondences-- to English and so was forever puzzled by the resulting mangled words. This is apparently not an uncommon tendency in persons coming from highly regular writing systems--they do not consciously notice that English is NOT regular and continue to try to apply a regular system to it. A system I learned from a great friend who is an ESOL teacher for having learners sort words in readings by vowel sounds helped the doctor enormously in that problem, as well. My friend uses a grid with the 10 basic vowel sounds--long and short, plus the vowel plus diphthongs (in English phonics, but they don't need that term) ( oy, ow as in cow) /aw/, and r controlled vowels, --then the students take a list of words -- use one-syllable to start with-- and sorts them into these boxes. This helps them see the many spellings of long o, for example, or that the other big variety of spellings all have one sound-- /aw/ as in paw, call, wasp, etc. ( this is the phenomenon that the program called, I think, Phonographics addresses----that one thing can be represented in many ways--as the word flower represents a huge variety of things we call flowers; or chair refers to a huge variety of seating---in the same way, long o can be represented in writing in many different ways-- a concept children and adults alike readily understand once it is explicitly taught to them as such. ) For your student, Sandy, I would recommend some intensive work of the sort I just suggested-- work on minimal pairs to hear English sounds accurately ( contact me off list for my drill procedure for this) and previously I recommended a book called Pronunciation Contrasts in English by Nilsen and Nilsen. I have been told it has been recently reprinted. For helping student hear words in sentences accurately, I think a book called "Listening Dictation"-which used to be on every ESL program's shelves-- may still be available through e-bay or google-- it is by Joan Morley, a person who truly understood the listening needs of English language learners. It has lessons designed to help learners hear specific words and structures in sentences and to pay attention to prepositions and other small words that learners of English tend to miss. It addresses all four skills, too, listening, speaking, writing and reading. It is a marvel of effectiveness, I have always found. Also for students like yours, and for the others working on pre-literacy phonological and listening discrimination skills, books and CD's designed for pre-reading listening would be great. These are ESL materials designed to help learners learn the names of things, listen for differences such as plurals, the difference between these and those and other critical oral information. They have only pictures and then a script or a CD with spoken lessons for doing the activities related to the pictures. Caution: I used to recommend books on tape to these learners--but found out from my Colombian doctor, who had a work ethic that was breathtaking and a drive to learn English that was staggering, that all the listening in the world didn't help him understand them easily. The speed of the langauge on the tapes was WAY beyond him--no matter how simple the content. ESL materials, on the other hand, will be designed to avoid that problem. Robin -----Original Message----- From: iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 09:29:57 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Thanks to Robin for hosting this discussion. I have no answers to specific questions posed this week, but I feel a need to use this forum to express my frustration and sense of helplessness. I hope you will indulge me. I have 12 years of ESOL experience, in a great variety of settings, and a master's in ESOL. In July 2002, I took a position in correctional education, teaching beginning ESOL to male inmates in a large county facility in Massachusetts that is well-known for its education program. When I came here, I had no training or experience in working with special-needs students. Yet, as you all probably know, a great percentage of incarcerated adult students have learning issues. Many of the ESOL students here are nonliterate in their first language, which in this case is Spanish. It is difficult to know, when a nonliterate inmate comes through orientation, why he can't read because we have no screening protocols. He simply gets placed in the beginners class. (This is if his oral SPL is 0 to 2; if he can communicate at an intermediate level but can't read, that's another challenge that we cannot meet.) In rare cases, such as that of Rodolfo, a 21-year-old from Guatemala, the student simply had not been to school. I initially thought Rodolfo had LDs. In addition to being nonliterate, he seemed unable to produce oral language. But over time I discovered that Rodolfo lacked confidence and self-esteem. Eventually, he began speaking (with excellent pronunciation). As for reading, early on I had little success using a phonics approach. Then I discovered that he was very good at word recognition in context. In most cases, however, there are issues of LDs, head injuries, substance abuse, childhood trauma, low intelligence, etc. Take Anibal (age 30) or Jos? and Hector (both in their late 50s): After months of school, despite individual work with a peer tutor (inmate) and one-on-one tutoring from me when I could manage it, they still could not read a simple word. Since I've been here, I have attended several workshops on learning disabilities, including an excellent one presented a year ago by Robin herself at this facility. But I am far from a trained reading specialist. And I cannot even apply what I have learned so long as the special-needs students are integrated with beginning learners who are literate in L1 and may even have high school diplomas. Yes, I can provide things like Irlen overlays. But we do not have the resources to creat special-needs ESOL classes. So most of these men sit and do busywork or, when possible, work on computer software. With intensive tutoring, they might be able to learn. But under these circumstances, they make little or no progress, and because they are mandated to be in school, they take spaces in class that could go to students with greater learning potential. So this is my frustration. I'm not trained to teach a large number of our ESOL students, and even if I were, limited resources prevent delivering what they need. I feel that I'm burning out and question the value of what I'm doing. Perhaps teachers in other kinds of adult programs face the same issues. Iris L. Broudy ESOL Instructor/Programs Dept. Hampden County Sheriff's Department 627 Randall Road Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 547-8000 ext. 2468 Fax: (413) 583-3099 iris.broudy at sdh.state.ma.us -----Original Message----- From: Julie McKinney [mailto:julie_mcKinney at worlded.org] Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 10:02 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Use this address: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Hi All, Please note that the correct address to send postings to is: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Cut out the"dev": Those of you who have been with us for a while may still be using the old address focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov. This one no longer works. You can also just reply to a message from the list, but consider if you want the subject line to match what you are replying to, or if you want a new one. Thanks folks! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 18:13:28 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:13:28 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <43F6ADBB.2000908@isp.com> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> <43F6ADBB.2000908@isp.com> Message-ID: <8C802F80FD8890B-171C-BE38@FWM-D07.sysops.aol.com> Wow-- I really have to object to some of the things in this message--particularly number 1 and number 4!! Yes you CAN help everybody-- it depends on what you mean by "help"-- in fact, some of the other points contradict this one, because if you hand over learning decisions--paired with really good information on what is holding the learner up, the learner will ipso facto be "helped" to see that they can indeed learn. And as for having "no expectations"--that sounds like the results of having one's own expectations of learners disappointed. Again, it depends on how the expectations are framed. If they are framed in terms of teachers' expectations, of course they will not be met as we want. If they are framed in terms of doing whatever it takes to help a learner learn to learn, then the learner's expectations of being able to learn can be readily addressed. I expect that every learner who has made it to my setting WANTS to learn--and I will do whatever I can to help learning happen-- I do NOT have expectations of how much or how soon-- I ALWAYS have expectations that learning will happen--EVERYONE can learn SOMETHING--it is NOT our job to decide what that will be or how it will be learned--but ours to help the learner make what they want happen or understand more about how it realistically has to happen. As I have tried to point out to the NIFL lists before, it is incredible how much about adult learners' learning barriers can be discovered by careful screening and by helping learners learn how to learn, one tiny step at a time. There is a LOT of literature about how the metacognitive skills of learners of the type Tom has described in earlier messages have never been developed because of the stress, physical violence and other dilfficult situations they come out of. Therefore, one thing we CAN do as teachers is help these learners learn about themselves and about how learning happens in tiny increments by guiding them through a consistent process designed to build these metacognitive skills. The teaching processes described in the previous two lessons have worked for me and other teachers because they addressed real needs of learners and because they presumed no learning until it was demonstrated. I find in my work that extremely often learners are presumed to be unable to learn but in fact, teachers are starting too high and not taking into account very basic learning needs of these learners. Too many assumptions are made about foundation skills--both linguistic and basic skills needed for learning-- and about learners' having the necessary "school" skills-- being able to see, process visual information in the way we expect, process auditory information adequately, copy information, pay attention etc. . When these skills are not firm and then combined with underdeveloped learning in the neo cortex and frontal lobes, of course learning will seem impossible both to learner and teacher. There are extremely effective ways available to evaluate and address these needs and skills and then help even the most challenged learner begin to find ways to learn. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Woods To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 00:16:43 -0500 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Iris, You are not alone.I too am a corrections educator. You described a similar situation to what I see in my job in VT, a simply huge variety of abilities and levels. Your situation sounds a bit more complicated than mine because the vast majority of my students are able to speak English. I think that the hardest cases for me are when traumatic brain injuries co-mingle with chronic drug and alcohol abuse. It is so unpredictable what kinds of learning problems these individuals may experience. It sounds like you are extremely frustrated with your work with the offenders. If you are given freedom to develop the education program where you work, you might look at it as a wonderful opportunity to create a system that works for your guys where nothing has ever worked before. Ten things I've learned as I helped build our high school, the Community High School of Vermont, are: 1. You can't help everybody. 2. Everyone comes to you at his own level and works at his own pace. 3. Some problems of individuals are bigger than education. 4. It is best to have no expectations for your students, not low expectations. No expectations. 5. Appreciate whatever gains might be made, no matter what they may be. 6. Every student is good at something. 7. Students have to direct the course of their education. Teachers assist them. 8. Don't try doing it the other way around or you will fail miserably and drive all your students away. 9. You may not know when you will gain a new student or lose an old student so your classes have to be self-standing, not dependent on a sequence of classes the student may have missed. 10. These things motivate learners. and a motivated learner cannot be stopped. He will learn more than you ever thought possible, learning and emotional disabilities become irrelevant. Best wishes, Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 18:18:09 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:18:09 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing In-Reply-To: <017001c633b7$d089a070$5503fea9@Tomschoice> References: <8C800BB460518EE-17D8-FD@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> <8C800C37420B72E-17D8-40D@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> <017001c633b7$d089a070$5503fea9@Tomschoice> Message-ID: <8C802F8B7849797-171C-BE57@FWM-D07.sysops.aol.com> -----Original Message----- From: John Nissen To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Cc: Debbie Hepplewhite Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:46:38 -0000 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing Hi Robin, Interesting point about prevalence of vision problems. What proportion of your students have this would you say? I found this with Google, suggesting 3-5% might have a certain type of binocularity problem called "convergence insufficiency" which would affect their reading. http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic553.htm However it is rare in children, so would hardly ever be a cause for a person not to have been able to learn to read as a child. Is this "convergence insufficiency" the kind of problem you are finding, or are other problems more common? Cheers from Chiswick. John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:51 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing I don't want to forget to mention the amazing Emily Griffiths Opportunity School in Denver. This is a century-old ESL school for adults that has a large program for non-literate refugees. They do a wonderful job--and when I visited in November, the director described a program for non-literate Somali women that was highly successful in getting the women to speak, read and write English--very gradually and gently. Perhaps someone can contact the school and find out more about how they do it. Thinking about the writing question also made me think of the Sudanese I have worked with and another cultural issue--I think I mentioned that in the article-this was the situation where the learners were not interested in answering what they considered to be obvious -ridiculous??--questions. When given a different set of prompts about topics they were interested in, they did very well. And finally, I cannot emphasize often enough how important it is to be sure your adult learners can SEE. Adult ESOL learners typically do not give vision care very high priority-- yet many have vision challenges. It is very hard to write clearly and form letters accurately if you cannot see. Wherever possible I urge that you facilitate eye exams--and urge the optometrist to check for binocularity problems as well as acuity problems. Binocularity is the ability to focus both eyes on one object and keep them there--then move them smoothly together. A suprising number of adults who struggle to read and write have this problem. To help your learners in the meantime, provide colored paper to write on, and larger than usual figures to copy or trace. The reduced glare and larger figures make it easier to see to write. Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 18:45:00 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:45:00 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing In-Reply-To: <017001c633b7$d089a070$5503fea9@Tomschoice> References: <8C800BB460518EE-17D8-FD@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> <8C800C37420B72E-17D8-40D@MBLK-M21.sysops.aol.com> <017001c633b7$d089a070$5503fea9@Tomschoice> Message-ID: <8C802FC774FAD8C-171C-BEF2@FWM-D07.sysops.aol.com> John-- as I have pointed out on other lists, the company I work for has data showing that in the population of adult learners identified as having a high risk of some serious learning barrier (using a widely known and used tool which is a list of 13 questions that were deemed sensitive to indicating the presences of some learning barrier or other) 50% had vision problems that were uncorrected --including the convergence insufficiency--which we call binocularity difficulties, I believe (a partly scientific term, I acknowledge). We have a tool to screen for binocularity problems as well as for distance and near point acuity. More prominent however, is a problem your British colleagues call visual linked stress syndrome (known here as scotopic sensitivity or the Irlen syndrome.) My business partner just spent a week in January consulting with four different researchers in Britain about their findings and methods of identifying this and about its relationship to what you call convergence insufficiency. In our data, 85% of the learners, who were all dentified as struggling to learn (according to that screening tool mentioned above), had this problem. It is helped by use of colored overlays or colored lenses. The British researchers have variously developed a diagnostic process on a computer or with lights or another device to identify it and to measure the outcomes that change with use of lenses and overlays. Two of them have developed a rather efficient way for having adults choose lenses to help those who are significantly affected -- more than just reading. One of these researchers is one of the world's leading voices on binocularity problems and contends that visual linked stress syndrome may be the real reasons many of our learners appear to have binocularity problems. In any case, there is mounting evidence that this syndrome has very profound effects on the brain and all it processes. We continue to accrue more data on these learners and this problem-- it is undeniable and profound for many. It does not affect only poor readers. We continue to encounter persons who would be considered unimpaired because they have graduated from college but who, in fact, confess to being highly reading-aversive--they do not read unless they absolutely have to because reading is so uncomfortable. Given overlays, these persons, too, become avid and fluent readers. One person we screened in NM reported two months later that though he had literally gone from 2nd grade through college without ever reading a book because his compensatory skills were so highly developed, he now reads 3-5 books PER WEEK and adores reading. The stories of their struggles in school are heart rending because no one believed them when they said things moved on the page and reading gave them headaches and other physical symptoms. The easiest way to know that reading problems likely stem from visual-related difficulties is if the person can actually decode single words effectively --proivded font is large and not on white paper. If they can do that, but cannot read text well or for longer than a few minutes without beginning to make a lot of errors such as dropping words or lines, losing their place easily, using a finger or pointer to read, guessing words or leaving off parts of words , substituting letters and words, and read very haltingly, then visual problems must be very strongly suspected. Clearly they have mastered the sound-symbol association process but cannot attain fluent reading. As noted earlier, these people will almost always tell you that things move if shown that in fact, they do NOT move. We recently screened a 36 year-old lady-- an 8th grade dropout who was diagnosed as having LD in 2nd grade. She did NOT report that things moved--but when given an overlay, looked up in surprise and said that the lines stopped swirling-- she said she had never known that they were NOT supposed to move. Her 9-year old daughter had identical symptoms and also reported that words and lines stopped "sliding off the page" and disappearing--she was already in remedial reading for her halting and inaccurate reading, and like many others, when asked, reported that her eyes watered and burned and that she got headaches from reading. With her overlays (she chose two--one color over the other), she read adult-level material fluently. This puts an awful lot of conclusions about reading fluency outcomes and other reading problems in question....... Cheers back from Ohio-- Robin Schwarz ( -----Original Message----- From: John Nissen To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Cc: Debbie Hepplewhite Sent: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:46:38 -0000 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing Hi Robin, Interesting point about prevalence of vision problems. What proportion of your students have this would you say? I found this with Google, suggesting 3-5% might have a certain type of binocularity problem called "convergence insufficiency" which would affect their reading. http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic553.htm However it is rare in children, so would hardly ever be a cause for a person not to have been able to learn to read as a child. Is this "convergence insufficiency" the kind of problem you are finding, or are other problems more common? Cheers from Chiswick. John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:51 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: Three more thoughts on writing I don't want to forget to mention the amazing Emily Griffiths Opportunity School in Denver. This is a century-old ESL school for adults that has a large program for non-literate refugees. They do a wonderful job--and when I visited in November, the director described a program for non-literate Somali women that was highly successful in getting the women to speak, read and write English--very gradually and gently. Perhaps someone can contact the school and find out more about how they do it. Thinking about the writing question also made me think of the Sudanese I have worked with and another cultural issue--I think I mentioned that in the article-this was the situation where the learners were not interested in answering what they considered to be obvious -ridiculous??--questions. When given a different set of prompts about topics they were interested in, they did very well. And finally, I cannot emphasize often enough how important it is to be sure your adult learners can SEE. Adult ESOL learners typically do not give vision care very high priority-- yet many have vision challenges. It is very hard to write clearly and form letters accurately if you cannot see. Wherever possible I urge that you facilitate eye exams--and urge the optometrist to check for binocularity problems as well as acuity problems. Binocularity is the ability to focus both eyes on one object and keep them there--then move them smoothly together. A suprising number of adults who struggle to read and write have this problem. To help your learners in the meantime, provide colored paper to write on, and larger than usual figures to copy or trace. The reduced glare and larger figures make it easier to see to write. Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sat Feb 18 19:28:22 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 19:28:22 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Message-ID: <8C80302864BF8C9-171C-C004@FWM-D07.sysops.aol.com> Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... Robin From mslaathaug at midco.net Mon Feb 20 11:40:54 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <8C80302864BF8C9-171C-C004@FWM-D07.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <005b01c6363c$6ad46580$070ac90a@explorit3> Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week. But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060220/5766f98a/attachment.html From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Mon Feb 20 17:48:45 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:48:45 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Assessment - Re: More information on Reading References: <5.1.0.14.2.20051129124326.03af4ad0@pop.utk.edu> Message-ID: <00f301c6366f$cec4edc0$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> Hello Aaron, We are wondering about assessment over here in UK, in anticipation of the government adopting synthetic phonics for teaching in schools. You mention http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm as a source of a standard for assessment. But the mention of "selecting a reading strategy" and "using various strategies" (for decoding and word recognition), makes it inappropriate for us. The reason why our National Literacy Strategy has failed is that a mixture of strategies has been recommended - in particular a process of "multi-cueing" where the learning reader is expected to guess a word from various cues or clues, including pictures, context, comparison with known sight words, and, lastly, the sound of the first letter. Synthetic phonics sweeps all that away, and lets the reader concentrate on the decoding process - a single strategy if you like. Thus assessment has now to be geared to determining how well that process has been learnt, reflecting inevitably on how well that process has been taught. I believe that the assessment should be applied to the learning and teaching of literacy, regardless of the age of the learner, where comprehension is not an issue, i.e. where English is the mother tongue. (Obviously, when comprehension is an issue, there need to be additional tests for comprehension.) Are any States adopting this kind of assessment, for children and/or adult learners? Here in UK, we'd like to learn from others' experience. Cheers from Chiswick, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aaron Kohring" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 5:46 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics] More information on Reading > Hi all, > > Barb, you are correct that there are no "National Standards". Most states > have adopted, adapted, or developed their own set of standards. > > Bryan- > In beginning reading, you can see what EFF learned from research and data > from the field: http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm > > I'd also recommend looking at some of the information available on Reading > from other states at OVAE's Standards Warehouse: > http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp > > You may also want to post your question to the Adult Education Content > Standards Discussion List (contentstandards at dev.nifl.gov). Members of > that list may be able to give you further information. > > Aaron > > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Barbara Garner > Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 6:08 PM > To: Halcomb, Becky (Southeast); The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: Re: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > > Thanks, Becky. > Does anyone else have suggestions for Bryan? There are not national > standards as far as I know; do any states have standards for beginning > reading? > What do the EFF standards say? > Barb Garner > From: "Halcomb, Becky (Southeast)" > Date: Tue Nov 22 16:27:42 CST 2005 > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > Bryan, > I hope this will help you in your search. I found this website to be > very informative and hope you will too. > http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/adult_reading/adult_reading.ht > ml > Rebecca > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Bryan A. Wilson > Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 6:09 PM > To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' > Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > Barbara (and anyone else), > Do you have any national standards for beginning reading? You know, > things > that speak of phonetic awareness, decoding strategies, fluency levels, > etc? > Bryan > > > > Aaron Kohring > Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection > Moderator, NIFL Content Standards Discussion List > > Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee > EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance > Phone:(865) 974-4109 main > (865) 974-4258 direct > Fax: (865) 974-3857 > e-mail: akohring at utk.edu > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Feb 20 21:15:42 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:15:42 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <005b01c6363c$6ad46580$070ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <8C804A3DA04664C-8A4-2D9C@mblk-r40.sysops.aol.com> Thanks for the clarification, Missy-- yes it CAN get overwhelming, but maybe teachers, like our learners, need a longer entry into the work--if it were framed as a privilege to be earned to be able to work with learners and not something with automatic access, the notion of having to be more informed and prepared might fly better......Some adult programs are now doing this for extended orientations--- requiring that learners complete some sort of orientation or preparation in order to get a tutor or assigned to a class. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Missy Slaathaug To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Sent: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! ? And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this.? My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. ?Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. ?They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week.? ? But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. ? ? Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development ? Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. ? This topic is near and dear to my heart.? As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. ? In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. ? Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do.?? Then learners suffer.?? My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. ? Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic.? I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs.? In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners.? I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners.? I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. ? I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them.??? Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning,? about the very most basic principles of language instruction,? about the culture of their learners. etc.??? Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers.? In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes.? The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. ? Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are.? This can only be a good thing for our learners. ? And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. ? Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. ? As a start for ESOL and learning challengs,? programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities"? produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it).? This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. ? There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults? called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) ? Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out.?? --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... ? ? ?Robin ? ? ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From sandyc at bigbend.edu Mon Feb 20 12:59:03 2006 From: sandyc at bigbend.edu (Cheek, Sandy) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:59:03 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Message-ID: <7905AF1D688C9F47B9C9E338C4FE315F011EA5B8@MAIL.bigbend.edu> HI all, Some thoughts to add to Robin's: It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point. However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply not the reality. Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them. Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this profession. I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their community. So the question really is: Should we aspire to fewer, but better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time beyond those commitments. I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future directions. Sandy Cheek Sandy Cheek Director of Basic Skills Big Bend Community College 7662 Chanute Street NE Moses Lake, WA 98837 509.793.2305 toll-free 877.745.1212 fax 509.762.2696 ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy Slaathaug Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week. But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060220/e868227a/attachment.html From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Mon Feb 20 13:16:38 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 18:16:38 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <005b01c6363c$6ad46580$070ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: I am in UK and training to be a Literacy Tutor but so far except one excercise everything else we are being trained in does not make any sense. Well, not to me because I have studied linguistics before but most of my colleagues are facing difficulties trying to grasp the whole training aspects. I believe the training should be more practical. We can write tonnes of assignments but that will only show our skills of writing and not teaching or pdegogy. >From: "Missy Slaathaug" >Reply-To: mslaathaug at midco.net,The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >To: "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 > >Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! > >And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be >trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much >information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even >counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour >training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a >conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are >hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what >to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next >week. > >But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed >teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you >more. > >Missy Slaathaug >Pierre, South Dakota > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of >robinschwarz1 at aol.com >Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > >Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to >Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher >professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with >information. > >This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another >posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not >seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning >problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. > >In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal >development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was >mentioned. > >Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in >adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do >what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated >that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask >the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL >learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress >in their settings. > >Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this >topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al >Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the >tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the >needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive >decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs >of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be >minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult >ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of >stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed >for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to >address the learner's real needs. > >I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of >learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning >challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for >them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors >because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more >stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ >inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about >the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the >culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have >everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better >experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be >more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL >research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) >indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners >happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because >they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant >learning needs. > >Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that >adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 >teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. > >And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a >tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and >language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than >just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. > >Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors >is critical to having an effective program. > >As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to >look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of >Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and >distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit >www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the >topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be >at the root of learning difficulties. > >There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to >English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) > >Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little >prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and >beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial >interest in them...... > > > Robin > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN Search Toolbar now includes Desktop search! http://toolbar.msn.co.uk/ From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 21 01:07:28 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 01:07:28 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] One More Day Message-ID: Hi All, A quick reminder that Robin's informative and enlightening guest week for this discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners ends tomorrow (Wed). We can all keep discussing these issues further, but if you have more questions or comments for Robin, please post them within the next day. Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Tue Feb 21 04:35:57 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:35:57 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development References: Message-ID: <019a01c636ca$38494f20$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> Hi Aliya, It is very good to have a person who understands linguistics teaching literacy, because many teachers flounder through lack of understanding of the elements of language. My particular concern is that, with the UK going over to synthetic phonics, teachers will not understand the basis of that change, and will continue in their old ways whilst trying to bolt on the phonics. This will not work, and when they get poor results they will blame the method. So we really need to have good guidance to teachers, with practical advice on how to teach in various settings and how to teach learners with particular problems, including vision or hearing impairment, attention deficit, language understanding, conceptual misunderstandings, memory of sounds, etc. At the moment such guidance is lacking, and we intend to do something about this. We know that there are already some good programmes to follow, such as Jolly Phonics, but without the teacher understanding the basis for synthetic phonics, and without practical advice, the teacher is liable to fail to implement the method properly and obtain the 100% success which was shown to be possible in Clackmannanshire. So good guidance will be crucial in teacher training. Best wishes, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aliya AbdulLatif" To: Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 6:16 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > > I am in UK and training to be a Literacy Tutor but so far except one > excercise everything else we are being trained in does not make any sense. > Well, not to me because I have studied linguistics before but most of my > colleagues are facing difficulties trying to grasp the whole training > aspects. I believe the training should be more practical. We can write > tonnes of assignments but that will only show our skills of writing and > not > teaching or pdegogy. > >>From: "Missy Slaathaug" >>Reply-To: mslaathaug at midco.net,The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >>To: "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 >> >>Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! >> >>And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be >>trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much >>information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even >>counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour >>training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a >>conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are >>hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what >>to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next >>week. >> >>But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed >>teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you >>more. >> >>Missy Slaathaug >>Pierre, South Dakota >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >>[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of >>robinschwarz1 at aol.com >>Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM >>To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >>Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >> >>Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to >>Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher >>professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with >>information. >> >>This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another >>posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not >>seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning >>problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. >> >>In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal >>development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was >>mentioned. >> >>Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in >>adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do >>what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated >>that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask >>the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL >>learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress >>in their settings. >> >>Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this >>topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al >>Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the >>tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the >>needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive >>decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs >>of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be >>minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult >>ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of >>stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed >>for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to >>address the learner's real needs. >> >>I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of >>learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning >>challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for >>them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors >>because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more >>stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ >>inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about >>the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the >>culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have >>everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better >>experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be >>more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL >>research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) >>indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners >>happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because >>they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant >>learning needs. >> >>Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that >>adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 >>teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. >> >>And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a >>tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and >>language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than >>just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. >> >>Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors >>is critical to having an effective program. >> >>As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to >>look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of >>Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and >>distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit >>www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the >>topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be >>at the root of learning difficulties. >> >>There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to >>English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) >> >>Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little >>prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and >>beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial >>interest in them...... >> >> >> Robin >> >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > _________________________________________________________________ > The new MSN Search Toolbar now includes Desktop search! > http://toolbar.msn.co.uk/ > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From mjjerdems at yahoo.com Tue Feb 21 06:35:41 2006 From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 03:35:41 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <7905AF1D688C9F47B9C9E338C4FE315F011EA5B8@MAIL.bigbend.edu> Message-ID: <20060221113541.94268.qmail@web54002.mail.yahoo.com> Hi, As one of those who fits between the certified teacher category and the educationally inexperienced category, I have to say that what has helped me the most dealing with any class or student issue. (I taught overseas at colleges for two years, did other things--an RN-- for about 20 years, taught in Prince George's County's Refugee Program in Maryland, and earned a masters in curriuculum and instruction.) 1. Clear, excellent models of skills to be learned and techniques of instruction 2. A cadre of experienced and successful professionals to talk to 3. Good references to learn from 4. A good library of class materials on-site The LD thing is really frustrating because it is so ameboid. I've asked my current program to buy some of the materials that have been referred to in this listing, because, while I really enjoy the global aspects of discussion, I have to be able to walk into class and do something that will benefit the student. I don't have "world enough and time." I hope that in the materials I am able to find some straightforward frameworks I can use to organize assessment and interventions. One question may help, how do you organize initial assessment and class plans with specific students in mind? Can you give us a walk through? South Dakota, a land of black dirt and straight roads and distant horizons. Thanks, Mary Jane Jerde "Cheek, Sandy" wrote: Normal Clean Clean DocumentEmail MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} HI all, Some thoughts to add to Robin's: It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point. However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply not the reality. Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them. Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this profession. I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their community. So the question really is: Should we aspire to fewer, but better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time beyond those commitments. I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future directions. Sandy Cheek Sandy Cheek Director of Basic Skills Big Bend Community College 7662 Chanute Street NE Moses Lake, WA 98837 509.793.2305 toll-free 877.745.1212 fax 509.762.2696 --------------------------------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy Slaathaug Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week. But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- Yahoo! Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, & more on new and used cars. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060221/fa06e660/attachment.html From DonMcCabe at aol.com Tue Feb 21 09:33:53 2006 From: DonMcCabe at aol.com (DonMcCabe at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:33:53 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Assessment - Re: More information on Reading Message-ID: <29f.5bfcaee.312c7ed1@aol.com> In a message dated 2/20/2006 11:02:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, jn at cloudworld.co.uk writes: "We are wondering about assessment over here in UK, in anticipation of the government adopting synthetic phonics for teaching in schools." You might consider developing a "correct" nonsense word testing system. If you want to see a highly incorrect (87% misspelled nonsense words) you might want to visit dibels.com and check out their level one. I didn't bother going past that after finding so many egregious errors. I did inform them. I even showed each incorrect misspelling of a nonsense word, why they were misspelled, and made suggestions for having a correctly spelled nonsense word to test the child's knowledge of the phonic principle involved. I got a polite thank you and that was that. If you would like assistance in a project such as that, I would be glad to help. And when I offer help, I am not asking for money. We are very nonprofit here at AVKO. Don McCabe, Research Director AVKO Educational Research Foundation spelling.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 21 09:38:23 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:38:23 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles Message-ID: Hi Robin and others, One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to learning. Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From mbloom at maine.rr.com Wed Feb 22 10:18:36 2006 From: mbloom at maine.rr.com (Mary Bloom) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:18:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Minimal Pairs Message-ID: <7.0.0.16.0.20060222100844.01eef570@maine.rr.com> Hello all, I've very much enjoyed Robin's suggestions, especially about phonological awareness. I'd appreciate knowing about any materials, particularly pictures, which concentrate on rhyming. Googling "phonological awareness", I've found some, but I'd be interested in materials already assembled. Assuming my pre-literate Somali, Sudanese, and Vietnamese elderly refugees proceed well, I'd also like Robin's minimal pairs list. Robin, how can I contact you off list? Mary Bloom Portland Adult Education mbloom at maine.rr.com From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Tue Feb 21 15:18:43 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 20:18:43 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <019a01c636ca$38494f20$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> Message-ID: Hi John I believe that we are receiving inadequate training in Literacy Level 4 as well. The teacher is not explaining the terms properly. Like I said I am not finding that too difficult since I am already familiar with most of the concepts but most of the students think the course is too difficult for them and they cannot even apply most of what they study in the class. We are studying Sythetic and Analytic Phonics in Phonology but even these topics were not taught properly. I know at level 4 we are expected to do alot of learning on our own but still for my colleagues the course is not being delivered properly. The delivery methods are not adequate either hence teachers are blaming the syllabus and not the trainers. I hope they will provide trainers with adequate training before initiating the course. Thank you for your comments. Aliya >From: "John Nissen" >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >CC: Jennifer Chew ,Debbie Hepplewhite >,John Rack >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:35:57 -0000 > > >Hi Aliya, > >It is very good to have a person who understands linguistics teaching >literacy, because many teachers flounder through lack of understanding of >the elements of language. My particular concern is that, with the UK going >over to synthetic phonics, teachers will not understand the basis of that >change, and will continue in their old ways whilst trying to bolt on the >phonics. This will not work, and when they get poor results they will >blame >the method. So we really need to have good guidance to teachers, with >practical advice on how to teach in various settings and how to teach >learners with particular problems, including vision or hearing impairment, >attention deficit, language understanding, conceptual misunderstandings, >memory of sounds, etc. At the moment such guidance is lacking, and we >intend to do something about this. We know that there are already some >good >programmes to follow, such as Jolly Phonics, but without the teacher >understanding the basis for synthetic phonics, and without practical >advice, >the teacher is liable to fail to implement the method properly and obtain >the 100% success which was shown to be possible in Clackmannanshire. So >good guidance will be crucial in teacher training. > >Best wishes, > >John > >John Nissen >Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk >maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. >Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: >http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm >Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 >Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Aliya AbdulLatif" >To: >Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 6:16 PM >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > > > > > > I am in UK and training to be a Literacy Tutor but so far except one > > excercise everything else we are being trained in does not make any >sense. > > Well, not to me because I have studied linguistics before but most of my > > colleagues are facing difficulties trying to grasp the whole training > > aspects. I believe the training should be more practical. We can write > > tonnes of assignments but that will only show our skills of writing and > > not > > teaching or pdegogy. > > > >>From: "Missy Slaathaug" > >>Reply-To: mslaathaug at midco.net,The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >> > >>To: "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" > >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > >>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 > >> > >>Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! > >> > >>And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be > >>trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much > >>information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even > >>counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour > >>training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a > >>conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are > >>hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what > >>to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next > >>week. > >> > >>But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed > >>teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you > >>more. > >> > >>Missy Slaathaug > >>Pierre, South Dakota > >> > >>-----Original Message----- > >>From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > >>[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of > >>robinschwarz1 at aol.com > >>Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM > >>To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov > >>Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > >> > >>Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to > >>Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher > >>professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with > >>information. > >> > >>This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another > >>posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not > >>seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning > >>problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. > >> > >>In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal > >>development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was > >>mentioned. > >> > >>Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in > >>adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do > >>what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated > >>that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask > >>the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL > >>learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress > >>in their settings. > >> > >>Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this > >>topic. I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al > >>Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the > >>tutors and teachers in our programs. In other words, it is not the > >>needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive > >>decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs > >>of our learners. I have advocated for years that there need to be > >>minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult > >>ESOL learners. I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of > >>stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed > >>for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to > >>address the learner's real needs. > >> > >>I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of > >>learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning > >>challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for > >>them. Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors > >>because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more > >>stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ > >>inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning, about > >>the very most basic principles of language instruction, about the > >>culture of their learners. etc. Also, program administrators have > >>everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better > >>experience and qualifications for teachers. In the end, they will be > >>more effective and programs with have better outcomes. The NCSALL > >>research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) > >>indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners > >>happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because > >>they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant > >>learning needs. > >> > >>Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that > >>adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 > >>teachers are. This can only be a good thing for our learners. > >> > >>And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a > >>tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and > >>language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than > >>just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. > >> > >>Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors > >>is critical to having an effective program. > >> > >>As a start for ESOL and learning challengs, programs might want to > >>look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of > >>Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and > >>distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit > >>www.ldaminnesota.org to find it). This walks teachers through the > >>topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be > >>at the root of learning difficulties. > >> > >>There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to > >>English-speaking adults called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) > >> > >>Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little > >>prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and > >>beautifully thought out. --And no, I don't have any financial > >>interest in them...... > >> > >> > >> Robin > >> > >> > >> > >>---------------------------------------------------- > >>National Institute for Literacy > >>Focus on Basics mailing list > >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >> > > > > > >>---------------------------------------------------- > >>National Institute for Literacy > >>Focus on Basics mailing list > >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > The new MSN Search Toolbar now includes Desktop search! > > http://toolbar.msn.co.uk/ > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN Messenger 7.5 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk From khinson at future-gate.com Tue Feb 21 15:21:53 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:21:53 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles Message-ID: <43FB8472020000A000002095@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> I think it's just these kind of issues that no amount of statistical data ever covers - especially when it comes down to NRS reporting etc, but these are very real issues faced by many of our older and younger adult students alike. These issues affect every thing from individual attendance to long term retention numbers. I have a student in my class as well whose mother has alzheimers. It takes a great deal of her emotional strength just to deal with it on a day to day basis let alone have anything left over to think and comprehend with. Add to that, the student also has a child under a year old with asthma. A person's health, and the health of those around them, I feel, directly impacts his or her ability to learn. If you're concentrating so much on a pain or discomfort you have, there is no way you can fully concentrate on the material you're trying to learn. If you're worried about your loved ones, you can't focus on the learning. I think looking at these barriers and trying to find ways to overcome them is a very important and real issue for all of us. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org >>> Hi Robin and others, One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to learning. Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu Tue Feb 21 17:17:22 2006 From: cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu (Carolyn Grimaldi) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:17:22 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate/non-literate learners Message-ID: Hello all, I'm not sure if my questions fall under the writing or the visual problems categories or both, but here it is: In my years of teaching to low-level ESOL adults, I have had many students who I would call "weak writers" for lack of a better term, often, these students have dropped out of school early, like 5th-8th grades, but these are not non-literate students. They usually require much more time to write and copy from the board, and many students have the problem of copying incorrectly. We don't have any way of screening for disabilities right now in our programs. My assumption was that many students just were "out of practice", having spent many years out of school both in their own countries and in the US, and essentially their writing muscles are out of shape. Is this possible or should I always suspect LD? In addition, I am quite surprised at the large number of students, even the ones who write faster, who copy things incorrectly off the board. It's hard to know if this just comes from L1 interference. If indeed it was possible to test students for the visual and learning problems, how and where to refer our students? Unfortunately we don't have nor do we know of "Special Education" for adult ESOL learners. Coincidentally, I have begun to find out just how many students have visual problems and trying to find them affordable care. Does anyone have resources for this? So far we don't know of any. Thanks for an interesting...and important discussion. Carolyn Grimaldi Center for Immigrant Education and Training LaGuardia Community College 29-10 Thomson Ave. C250 Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 482-5067 www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet/ cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu >>> robinschwarz1 at aol.com 2/16/2006 7:39:29 AM >>> -----Original Message----- From: Robinschwarz1 To: focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov Sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:44:45 -0500 Subject: writing and handwriting for low literate /non-literate learners This is in response to Aaron's and others' comments and questions on teaching writing to low or non-literate learners. Though this is an area I am not so well acquainted with, here are some observations and thoughts: AS for phonological skills, the skill of handwriting requires roughly the same preparation that young children get before they are expected to write easily-- lots and lots of fine motor practice-- the muscles for holding a writing instrument must be developed and the movements developed from large to small. When remediating these skills in persons with dysgraphia, it is necessary to start with large arm movements, creating circles and other letter-related movements on the board or on newspaper with markers ( pens , especially most ball point pens, are slippery for those with hand writing challenges--plus the added tactile input of markers is helpful in teaching the fingers to grasp correctly.) Fat pens or pencils would be helpful in the beginning-- or fat markers. Much tracing experience is recommended--plus other kinds of activities that involve fine motor with a writing tool-- mazes, connecting dots, coloring---all the things children do to strengthen their fingers and hands. There is an amazing choice of "adult" coloring books-- lovely designs, pictures from different cultures, etc--usually available through museums- ( does anyone know the name of that company that produces those in great profusion?? They must be available on the web). There are a VERY few books for non-literate adult ESOL learners that include some basic tracing of letter forms, but to my highly opinionated view, they have far too little practice in them. Like all skills, these must be mastered-- overlearned-- for further writing to develop comfortably. Also bear in mind that for those with dyslexia and dysgraphia, cursive is highly recommended over block printing. Thus it will undoubtedly be easier for those learning to write for the first time to move directly to connected writing and curvy lines rather than straight interrupted lines. A friend of mine in the DC area, Janette Haynes produced a wonderful handwriting book for adult ESOL learners coming from other alphabets-- it was called American Handwriting Slow and Easy and was a simplified cursive system. (Delta Publishing Systems, 1995) My Arabic college students found this very helpful--it has practice with check writing, names of states, different names for streets, cardinal and ordinal numbers, etc--all things ESOL learners need to learn anyway, instead of meaningless sentences. As for those who write already, here is where my culture alarms go off. Many other cultures have a very different approach to writing than we do . For example, in the French=based system I taught in in Africa, students were obliged to have "perfect" handwriting at a very early age. They had a much different formation of letters than we do--and they were severely punished if their writing was not neat and beautiful and if they misspelled ANYTHING. Thus learners coming from such cultures may be extremely hesitant to write in English, a) because they do not know how to form the letters the way we do and b) because they fear being reprimanded for making errors. As Dave Barry would say, I am NOT making this up. In my class of adult ESOL learners in Massachusetts I encountered this very situation. These were mostly learners from Cape Verde and Brazil, Haiti and different African countries. When I gave them some task to write and hardly anyone moved their pencil, I asked them whether they were afraid I would be mad if they made spelling mistakes or wrote badly= they ALL nodded vigorously. I had to assure them repeatedly I was not going to look at those things!!! And finally, looking further to actual composition--again culture is a huge obstacle. How text is organized for writing varies enormously from culture to culture--in some it is considered rude to make a point explicitly. It is up to the reader to figure it out. In other cultures it is important to write EVERYTHING you know about a topic-- and these do not understand why we get so exercised about their voluminous compositions that appear to us to ramble all over the place. As I have said many times in my trainings, the concept of main idea in writing does not exist much beyond our borders. This was confirmed by my next door neighbor here in Columbus, where I live now== she is Romanian, and a doctoral student. She told me she also had a terrible time figuring out how to write in the highly linear way we do in America, --a thought seconded by my Portugues doctoral advisor at Lesley. She said she had to teach herself how to write " just the important points" when she was a newly arrived college student from Portugal. Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu Tue Feb 21 17:29:12 2006 From: cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu (Carolyn Grimaldi) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:29:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles Message-ID: I agree with all stated on this topic. I have been saying for some time that the support our students really need is in stress management and development of confidence. I believe that just coming to class, being with and making friends, and improving English contributes very much to that. However, more development for teachers, and more resources need to be devoted to these areas. Luckily the program I work for does have a case manager. But that is one person for hundreds of students. I'm not sure what it would look like to support our students in these ways, if related to class or in addition to class. One thing our program likes to use is Problem-posing lessons, focusing the students on the solutions to everyday problems. Best, Carolyn Grimaldi Center for Immigrant Education and Training LaGuardia Community College 29-10 Thomson Ave. C250 Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 482-5067 www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet/ cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu >>> khinson at future-gate.com 2/21/2006 3:21:53 PM >>> I think it's just these kind of issues that no amount of statistical data ever covers - especially when it comes down to NRS reporting etc, but these are very real issues faced by many of our older and younger adult students alike. These issues affect every thing from individual attendance to long term retention numbers. I have a student in my class as well whose mother has alzheimers. It takes a great deal of her emotional strength just to deal with it on a day to day basis let alone have anything left over to think and comprehend with. Add to that, the student also has a child under a year old with asthma. A person's health, and the health of those around them, I feel, directly impacts his or her ability to learn. If you're concentrating so much on a pain or discomfort you have, there is no way you can fully concentrate on the material you're trying to learn. If you're worried about your loved ones, you can't focus on the learning. I think looking at these barriers and trying to find ways to overcome them is a very important and real issue for all of us. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org >>> Hi Robin and others, One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to learning. Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From SandyF61 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 18:35:19 2006 From: SandyF61 at aol.com (SandyF61 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 18:35:19 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] More questions Message-ID: I am struggling a little in this discussion with the practicality of some of the suggestions. I teach total beginners. Most are refugees with little to no experience in school. I have always done needs based curriculum and found it effective. We keep our students for a pretty short time as they need to get jobs. I see the point of more work on phonemic recognition. We certainly do some but our main focus is on practical vocabulary and related issues (how to find a job, see a doctor, talk to your child's teacher). I've also had great success with things like Jazz Chants. But when I use more *rule based* curriculum, their eyes glaze over. I use Clear Speech for pronunciation but minimize the rule content. Even books like Pronuncation Pairs don't work as well for them. So the question is how to integrate these phonemic skills in such a way that is effective and not a turn off? Sandy Fox Columbia, MO -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060221/d62ec214/attachment.html From dezreen at excite.com Tue Feb 21 21:27:33 2006 From: dezreen at excite.com (dezreen at excite.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 21:27:33 -0500 (EST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting forlowliterate/non-literate learners Message-ID: <20060222022733.DF156BB45C@xprdmailfe27.nwk.excite.com> Call your local Wal-mart and ask their VisionCenter what they have available. I recently was sent to them for coupons for kids that covers full exam, lenses and frames. They also suggested I call my local Lions Club, as they also offer child and adult vision assistance. Kathleen Morgan Telluride CO --- On Tue 02/21, Carolyn Grimaldi < cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu > wrote: From: Carolyn Grimaldi [mailto: cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu] To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:17:22 -0500 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate/non-literate learners Hello all,
I'm not sure if my questions fall under the writing or the visual
problems categories or both, but here it is:

In my years of teaching to low-level ESOL adults, I have had many
students who I would call "weak writers" for lack of a better term,
often, these students have dropped out of school early, like 5th-8th
grades, but these are not non-literate students. They usually require
much more time to write and copy from the board, and many students have
the problem of copying incorrectly. We don't have any way of screening
for disabilities right now in our programs. My assumption was that
many students just were "out of practice", having spent many years out
of school both in their own countries and in the US, and essentially
their writing muscles are out of shape. Is this possible or should I
always suspect LD?

In addition, I am quite surprised at the large number of students, even
the ones who write faster, who copy things incorrectly off the board.
It's hard to know if this just comes from L1 interference.

If indeed it was possible to test students for the visual and learning
problems, how and where to refer our students? Unfortunately we don't
have nor do we know of "Special Education" for adult ESOL learners.

Coincidentally, I have begun to find out just how many students have
visual problems and trying to find them affordable care. Does anyone
have resources for this? So far we don't know of any.

Thanks for an interesting...and important discussion.


Carolyn Grimaldi
Center for Immigrant Education and Training
LaGuardia Community College
29-10 Thomson Ave. C250
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 482-5067
www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet/
cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu

>>> robinschwarz1 at aol.com 2/16/2006 7:39:29 AM >>>


-----Original Message-----
From: Robinschwarz1
To: focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov
Sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:44:45 -0500
Subject: writing and handwriting for low literate /non-literate
learners

This is in response to Aaron's and others' comments and questions on
teaching writing to low or non-literate learners.

Though this is an area I am not so well acquainted with, here are some

observations and thoughts:

AS for phonological skills, the skill of handwriting requires roughly
the same preparation that young children get before they are expected
to write easily-- lots and lots of fine motor practice-- the muscles
for holding a writing instrument must be developed and the movements
developed from large to small. When remediating these skills in persons

with dysgraphia, it is necessary to start with large arm movements,
creating circles and other letter-related movements on the board or on

newspaper with markers ( pens , especially most ball point pens, are
slippery for those with hand writing challenges--plus the added tactile

input of markers is helpful in teaching the fingers to grasp
correctly.) Fat pens or pencils would be helpful in the beginning-- or

fat markers.

Much tracing experience is recommended--plus other kinds of activities

that involve fine motor with a writing tool-- mazes, connecting dots,
coloring---all the things children do to strengthen their fingers and
hands.
There is an amazing choice of "adult" coloring books-- lovely designs,

pictures from different cultures, etc--usually available through
museums- ( does anyone know the name of that company that produces
those in great profusion?? They must be available on the web).

There are a VERY few books for non-literate adult ESOL learners that
include some basic tracing of letter forms, but to my highly
opinionated view, they have far too little practice in them. Like all
skills, these must be mastered-- overlearned-- for further writing to
develop comfortably. Also bear in mind that for those with dyslexia and

dysgraphia, cursive is highly recommended over block printing. Thus it

will undoubtedly be easier for those learning to write for the first
time to move directly to connected writing and curvy lines rather than

straight interrupted lines. A friend of mine in the DC area, Janette
Haynes produced a wonderful handwriting book for adult ESOL learners
coming from other alphabets-- it was called American Handwriting Slow
and Easy and was a simplified cursive system. (Delta Publishing
Systems, 1995) My Arabic college students found this very helpful--it
has practice with check writing, names of states, different names for
streets, cardinal and ordinal numbers, etc--all things ESOL learners
need to learn anyway, instead of meaningless sentences.

As for those who write already, here is where my culture alarms go off.

Many other cultures have a very different approach to writing than we

do . For example, in the French=based system I taught in in Africa,
students were obliged to have "perfect" handwriting at a very early
age. They had a much different formation of letters than we do--and
they were severely punished if their writing was not neat and beautiful

and if they misspelled ANYTHING. Thus learners coming from such
cultures may be extremely hesitant to write in English, a) because they

do not know how to form the letters the way we do and b) because they
fear being reprimanded for making errors. As Dave Barry would say, I am

NOT making this up. In my class of adult ESOL learners in Massachusetts

I encountered this very situation. These were mostly learners from Cape

Verde and Brazil, Haiti and different African countries. When I gave
them some task to write and hardly anyone moved their pencil, I asked
them whether they were afraid I would be mad if they made spelling
mistakes or wrote badly= they ALL nodded vigorously. I had to assure
them repeatedly I was not going to look at those things!!!

And finally, looking further to actual composition--again culture is a

huge obstacle. How text is organized for writing varies enormously from

culture to culture--in some it is considered rude to make a point
explicitly. It is up to the reader to figure it out. In other cultures

it is important to write EVERYTHING you know about a topic-- and these

do not understand why we get so exercised about their voluminous
compositions that appear to us to ramble all over the place. As I have

said many times in my trainings, the concept of main idea in writing
does not exist much beyond our borders. This was confirmed by my next
door neighbor here in Columbus, where I live now== she is Romanian, and

a doctoral student. She told me she also had a terrible time figuring
out how to write in the highly linear way we do in America, --a thought

seconded by my Portugues doctoral advisor at Lesley. She said she had
to teach herself how to write " just the important points" when she was

a newly arrived college student from Portugal.

Robin


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_______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:28:29 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:28:29 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8C8057F90EB8E53-5E0-4F08@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Julie and all-- there isn't any one way to do this-- but I generally do a pretty lengthy interview at some point early in the season with the learners. In the description I just gave of how I get a class started, I would include questions about health etc in the interview. I would also have had class conversations about such topics, keeping them very general, so students know that these things can interfere with their learning. The basic topic is "everyone learns differently for different reasons"-- I think in the FOB issue, there were some guiding questions about the health issues. It is important NOT to think you are prying or being a social worker, as many teachers have told me when I urged them to do this. As my article was intended to point out, without this information some pretty severe problems can go unnoticed and as a result learners will not profit from instruction/learning efforts as they should. At the same time it is important to be sensitive to the culture(s) of your learners and what the norms are for discussing problems or for persons with challenges. If they think they will be punished for having a problem ( something even my most aware college ESL students feared greatly ) they are unlikely to self identify or confess to having a problem. That is where the one-on-one times with members of a class are very helpful. You establish a warm, personal relationship so they will feel more comfortable about talking about these things. --though in the cases I cite in my article, except for one, I did not know these students well and they still spilled all to me in a private conversation. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Julie McKinney To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:38:23 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles Hi Robin and others, One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to learning. Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:35:37 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:35:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles In-Reply-To: <43FB8472020000A000002095@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> References: <43FB8472020000A000002095@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: <8C80580900D1258-5E0-4F5D@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Yes, that is one of the challenges of working with adults with such stressful lives-- but while these issues are difficult, I believe it is important that we continue to have expectations that learners WILL accomplish something and not just use the class for group therapy. It may just be a page or an activity or participating in a conversation, but the expectation is that they will do something. and I want to note that in my messages I stress persistence as opposed to retention-- retention smacks of us hanging on to them, while persistence, the term used by NCSALL, indicates that the learner has chosen to persist. Rlobin -----Original Message----- From: Katrina Hinson To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov; julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:21:53 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles I think it's just these kind of issues that no amount of statistical data ever covers - especially when it comes down to NRS reporting etc, but these are very real issues faced by many of our older and younger adult students alike. These issues affect every thing from individual attendance to long term retention numbers. I have a student in my class as well whose mother has alzheimers. It takes a great deal of her emotional strength just to deal with it on a day to day basis let alone have anything left over to think and comprehend with. Add to that, the student also has a child under a year old with asthma. A person's health, and the health of those around them, I feel, directly impacts his or her ability to learn. If you're concentrating so much on a pain or discomfort you have, there is no way you can fully concentrate on the material you're trying to learn. If you're worried about your loved ones, you can't focus on the learning. I think looking at these barriers and trying to find ways to overcome them is a very important and real issue for all of us. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org >>> Hi Robin and others, One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to learning. Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:38:02 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:38:02 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <20060221113541.94268.qmail@web54002.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <8C80580E63D1EDF-1350-7221@mblk-d26.sysops.aol.com> Mary Jane-- now THAT is a good, practical question! Here is what I generally do with a group of adult ESL learners. Make of this what you will: First I prepare folders for each student with a few generic activities at different levels-- a reading/questions sort of activity, vocabulary matching, some phonics=related activity, some easy grammar, maybe a handwriting activity that includes spelling ( like the ones in the handwriting book I mentioned a few days ago). Then I get a few things ready from whatever books are around and design them for what is known as differentiated teaching--one topic and one starter reading and then activities at a wide range of levels. When the students first come, we do a rather long session on getting to know each other, and then I have them do one of the activities I have ready for everyone and I observe like crazy-- who has trouble with what, who is whizzing through the materials. Then we go back to a group-based activity--usually a brief reading at "mid" level--whatever that is for the class-- and then back to individual work on that --the activities I have already prepared at different levels. I go around to each student and work with them and observe like crazy. The next class, as students arrive I will start them on the folders-- which I may already have adjusted in response to what I observed-- more advanced stuff for some, easier stuff for others. Again, I observe and coach and take notes, both mentally and otherwise. Then , when everyone is present and has had a minimum of 15 minutes in folders, we do group conversation, or vocabulary or a simple grammar lesson. Then back and forth to individual and group work, oral and reading, etc. Next time I will use the folder time to begin to take students to a private place for a few minutes of interview to get a better idea of oral skills and to ask what they especially want to work on. I can usually see about 5-8 students an evening doing that-- I may put some of the class in small groups to work on some activity or other, depending on their skills. If it is a very low-skill class, I make sure to have activites such as matching pictures to words--vocabulary/picture concentration, for example--, sentences on cards to put in order with a partner, puzzles ( I collect puzzles of states, or other sort of "educational" puzzles), handwriting activities, copying sentences etc. ( Someone once asked me in disbelief if I evaluated EVERY one of my students this way---of course I do!! How esle will I know what each needs???) I never do formal assessment of my class simply because I LOATHE formal assessments--I always find that they are unfair to someone and give me a false idea of some students. I was trained in the Peace Corps school of language teaching-- highly interactive, lots of focus on praise and reward, focus on mastery, keeping the class as interesting and motivating to use English as possible. I combine that with some excellent special ed training that taught me how to do individualized work. The folders keep evolving to be highly individual and fitted to each particular learner. I find that they are useful for several things, but especially for 1) having something useful for learners to do if they arrive early 2) giving them time off from listening --which is exhausting if you are a language learner-- 3) giving me time to work with individual students while others work on their own or in pairs or triplets. 4) letting me know just what each student's strengths and challenges are. I give LOTS of feedback on work in folders and reward perfect papers with great big holographic stars from Staples-- I work with all learners to make sure everyone has perfect papers often. (and papers are suited to learners' levels s othey can get rewards readily). I put a lot of emphasis, as you can imagine, on phonological skills and phonics-- with a very wide range of activities for that. I always do minimal pairs for every class I teach and lots of work on rhyme and other patterns. Even in Adult Ed/ESL I always gave a lot of homework-- chosen with and by the student where possible. Of course not everyone did the homework, but I made it pretty clear in many conversations about homework that without doing SOMETHING outside of class, they will not progress much at all--and that was OK as long as they understood that. The vast majority of them did some most of the time-- . I made sure to have a wide range of things for them to choose from. While I was teaching at a university ESL program, I did not like to give grades. To me, attending and working hard , and doing homework was automatically a good grade-- since I was in a university setting I had to give grades ultimately, but provided portfolio-like activities for students to continue to revise to get better and better grades. I NEVER graded things in adult education-- except to mark a perfect paper perfect. Currently, with the program I train people to use, learners are screened for a variety of learning barriers that I have frequently mentioned--then they get reports that detail strategies they can use to accommodate their learning needs. These strategies are combined with the learner's very tightly framed learning goals to assure they have full control over time decisions and material and goals--but with full information about what they need to do to reach those goals. Each learner learns to create his or her own plan with a lot of guidance. It is not so different from how I ran, and would continue to run, an ESL class-- I love working with adults because we are equals and we share humor and life problems and family worries and successes as adults. My classes are more like seminars in that respect--people moving around and helping each other and asking me for help with questions etc. As the year goes by, I work at responding to what each learner has done and wants to do-- some make special requests--and usually will land on a theme that will take us many weeks to do. I also take care to rework, review, reteach, restructure because adult language learners and those with challenges need many passes. do not assume anyone has learned anything until I have multiple evidences of that ( my special ed training.....). I like to have "learning stations"--activities learners can do on their own--around the classroom--they can go to those instead of or after their folder work. I hope that gives you some ideas to go on-- it may seem unstructured, but in fact is highly structured. I generally have a rough schedule-- 30 minutes on this, an hour on that, etc-- gthe same for every evening so students know what to expect, and I always know where we are going and so do the students-- but I also always respond to teachable moments-- someone attended a funeral or wedding, current events, something happened in someone's country, etc. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Mary Jane Jerde To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 03:35:41 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi, As one of those who fits between the certified teacher category and the educationally inexperienced category, I have to say that what has helped me the most dealing with any class or student issue. (I taught overseas at colleges for two years, did other things--an RN-- for about 20 years, taught in Prince George's County's Refugee Program in Maryland, and earned a masters in curriuculum and instruction.) 1. Clear, excellent models of skills to be learned and techniques of instruction 2. A cadre of experienced and successful professionals to talk to 3. Good references to learn from 4. A good library of class materials on-site The LD thing is really frustrating because it is so ameboid. I've asked my current program to buy some of the materials that have been referred to in this listing, because, while I really enjoy the global aspects of discussion, I have to be able to walk into class and do something that will benefit the student. I don't have "world enough and time." I hope that in the materials I am able to find some straightforward frameworks I can use to organize assessment and interventions. One question may help, how do you organize initial assessment and class plans with specific students in mind? Can you give us a walk through? South Dakota, a land of black dirt and straight roads and distant horizons. Thanks, Mary Jane Jerde "Cheek, Sandy" wrote:HI all, Some thoughts to add to Robin's: It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point. However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply? not the reality. Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them. Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this profession.? I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their community.? So the question really is:? Should we aspire to fewer, but better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time beyond those commitments.? I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future directions. Sandy Cheek Sandy Cheek Director of Basic Skills Big Bend Community College 7662 Chanute Street NE Moses Lake, WA? 98837 509.793.2305 toll-free 877.745.1212 fax 509.762.2696 ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy Slaathaug Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! ? And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this.? My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. ?Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. ?They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week.? ? But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. ? ? Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development ? Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. ? This topic is near and dear to my heart.? As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. ? In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. ? Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do.?? Then learners suffer.?? My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. ? Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic.? I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs.? In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners.? I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners.? I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. ? I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them.??? Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning,? about the very most basic principles of language instruction,? about the culture of their learners. etc.??? Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers.? In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes.? The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. ? Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are.? This can only be a good thing for our learners. ? And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. ? Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. ? As a start for ESOL and learning challengs,? programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities"? produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it).? This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. ? There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults? called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) ? Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out.?? --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... ? ? ?Robin ? ? ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------- Yahoo! Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, & more on new and used cars. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:41:44 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:41:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Minimal Pairs In-Reply-To: <7.0.0.16.0.20060222100844.01eef570@maine.rr.com> References: <7.0.0.16.0.20060222100844.01eef570@maine.rr.com> Message-ID: <8C805816AD08546-5E0-4F94@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Mary-- there is very little that addresses these pre-literacy level skills thorougly enough to rely on them alone. It will require much expansion on your part to provide enough variety in working on the low level skills to assure mastery. I like a book called English Sounds and Spelling by McClelland, Hale and Beaudikofer, which is no longer in print, but available, I am told, on the internet-- it is a very straightforward English (ESL) phonics books, but it has many great line drawings of words ESL learners need to know that can be cut up and used for many kinds of practice. The actual phonics lessons are good, but presume a certain level of other-language literacy, as most ESL phonics books do. Robin my address at AOL is robinschwarz1 at aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Mary Bloom To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:18:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Minimal Pairs Hello all, I've very much enjoyed Robin's suggestions, especially about phonological awareness. I'd appreciate knowing about any materials, particularly pictures, which concentrate on rhyming. Googling "phonological awareness", I've found some, but I'd be interested in materials already assembled. Assuming my pre-literate Somali, Sudanese, and Vietnamese elderly refugees proceed well, I'd also like Robin's minimal pairs list. Robin, how can I contact you off list? Mary Bloom Portland Adult Education mbloom at maine.rr.com ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:49:01 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:49:01 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate/non-literate learners In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8C805826F77D4D2-5E0-4FDC@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Carolyn-- these kind of problems are actually rather prevalent in adult learners who struggle to learn-- copying from any place. In the product I train with, we screen this skill with an adaptation of an old standard in special ed-- a program called the Beery Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI) --it involves copying geometric figures and is remarkably diagnostic for the kinds of problems you cite. You can probably get a version of it by googling. There was a wonderful adult screening tool called the Hull SCreening that was available in MA --this has a version of the VMI, too. But it is hard to get hold of. But also, the visual linked stress syndrome I have described will contbribute heavily to copying problems. It is hard, after all, to copy things that are moving around or blurry. A self test and forms for ordering colored overlays can be found at irlen.com -- a beware-- when you open that site, it starts with an example of what many people see!!! Binocularity issues will also impact copying-- so be sure your students have had a good vision screening that includes a screening for binocularity. Though more are including it, many optometrists will not check this unless asked--and will need to be told why you are asking. ( and note this is optometrists who do this, not ophthamologists, who operate on eyes, or opticians, who prepare lenses. ) Robin -----Original Message----- From: Carolyn Grimaldi To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 17:17:22 -0500 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate/non-literate learners Hello all, I'm not sure if my questions fall under the writing or the visual problems categories or both, but here it is: In my years of teaching to low-level ESOL adults, I have had many students who I would call "weak writers" for lack of a better term, often, these students have dropped out of school early, like 5th-8th grades, but these are not non-literate students. They usually require much more time to write and copy from the board, and many students have the problem of copying incorrectly. We don't have any way of screening for disabilities right now in our programs. My assumption was that many students just were "out of practice", having spent many years out of school both in their own countries and in the US, and essentially their writing muscles are out of shape. Is this possible or should I always suspect LD? In addition, I am quite surprised at the large number of students, even the ones who write faster, who copy things incorrectly off the board. It's hard to know if this just comes from L1 interference. If indeed it was possible to test students for the visual and learning problems, how and where to refer our students? Unfortunately we don't have nor do we know of "Special Education" for adult ESOL learners. Coincidentally, I have begun to find out just how many students have visual problems and trying to find them affordable care. Does anyone have resources for this? So far we don't know of any. Thanks for an interesting...and important discussion. Carolyn Grimaldi Center for Immigrant Education and Training LaGuardia Community College 29-10 Thomson Ave. C250 Long Island City, NY 11101 (718) 482-5067 www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ciet/ cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu >>> robinschwarz1 at aol.com 2/16/2006 7:39:29 AM >>> -----Original Message----- From: Robinschwarz1 To: focusonbasics at dev.nifl.gov Sent: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:44:45 -0500 Subject: writing and handwriting for low literate /non-literate learners This is in response to Aaron's and others' comments and questions on teaching writing to low or non-literate learners. Though this is an area I am not so well acquainted with, here are some observations and thoughts: AS for phonological skills, the skill of handwriting requires roughly the same preparation that young children get before they are expected to write easily-- lots and lots of fine motor practice-- the muscles for holding a writing instrument must be developed and the movements developed from large to small. When remediating these skills in persons with dysgraphia, it is necessary to start with large arm movements, creating circles and other letter-related movements on the board or on newspaper with markers ( pens , especially most ball point pens, are slippery for those with hand writing challenges--plus the added tactile input of markers is helpful in teaching the fingers to grasp correctly.) Fat pens or pencils would be helpful in the beginning-- or fat markers. Much tracing experience is recommended--plus other kinds of activities that involve fine motor with a writing tool-- mazes, connecting dots, coloring---all the things children do to strengthen their fingers and hands. There is an amazing choice of "adult" coloring books-- lovely designs, pictures from different cultures, etc--usually available through museums- ( does anyone know the name of that company that produces those in great profusion?? They must be available on the web). There are a VERY few books for non-literate adult ESOL learners that include some basic tracing of letter forms, but to my highly opinionated view, they have far too little practice in them. Like all skills, these must be mastered-- overlearned-- for further writing to develop comfortably. Also bear in mind that for those with dyslexia and dysgraphia, cursive is highly recommended over block printing. Thus it will undoubtedly be easier for those learning to write for the first time to move directly to connected writing and curvy lines rather than straight interrupted lines. A friend of mine in the DC area, Janette Haynes produced a wonderful handwriting book for adult ESOL learners coming from other alphabets-- it was called American Handwriting Slow and Easy and was a simplified cursive system. (Delta Publishing Systems, 1995) My Arabic college students found this very helpful--it has practice with check writing, names of states, different names for streets, cardinal and ordinal numbers, etc--all things ESOL learners need to learn anyway, instead of meaningless sentences. As for those who write already, here is where my culture alarms go off. Many other cultures have a very different approach to writing than we do . For example, in the French=based system I taught in in Africa, students were obliged to have "perfect" handwriting at a very early age. They had a much different formation of letters than we do--and they were severely punished if their writing was not neat and beautiful and if they misspelled ANYTHING. Thus learners coming from such cultures may be extremely hesitant to write in English, a) because they do not know how to form the letters the way we do and b) because they fear being reprimanded for making errors. As Dave Barry would say, I am NOT making this up. In my class of adult ESOL learners in Massachusetts I encountered this very situation. These were mostly learners from Cape Verde and Brazil, Haiti and different African countries. When I gave them some task to write and hardly anyone moved their pencil, I asked them whether they were afraid I would be mad if they made spelling mistakes or wrote badly= they ALL nodded vigorously. I had to assure them repeatedly I was not going to look at those things!!! And finally, looking further to actual composition--again culture is a huge obstacle. How text is organized for writing varies enormously from culture to culture--in some it is considered rude to make a point explicitly. It is up to the reader to figure it out. In other cultures it is important to write EVERYTHING you know about a topic-- and these do not understand why we get so exercised about their voluminous compositions that appear to us to ramble all over the place. As I have said many times in my trainings, the concept of main idea in writing does not exist much beyond our borders. This was confirmed by my next door neighbor here in Columbus, where I live now== she is Romanian, and a doctoral student. She told me she also had a terrible time figuring out how to write in the highly linear way we do in America, --a thought seconded by my Portugues doctoral advisor at Lesley. She said she had to teach herself how to write " just the important points" when she was a newly arrived college student from Portugal. Robin ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Tue Feb 21 23:44:50 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:44:50 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F358@yosemitesam> Message-ID: <43FBEC42.6090203@isp.com> iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us wrote: >I feel that I'm burning >out and question the value of what I'm doing. Perhaps teachers in other kinds of adult programs face the same issues. > > Sometimes we get an adjunct teacher who has a background in ESOL and I always appreciate what they bring to the classroom because they don't make assumptions about what students may understand or not understand. For instance, one teacher who taught a current events class was always so good to talk about what a political "party" was, or the terms left wing and right wing. Even the simplest everyday expression can go right over the heads of many in the class. As far as the value of what one does goes, I remind myself of the story about the starfish on the beach. You can't help everyone, but you will certainly help one. And that matters. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Feb 21 23:56:36 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 23:56:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] More questions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8C805837EA073B6-5E0-501D@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Yes, that is right that Cleer Speech is too hard and Pron. Pairs is beyond them-- which is why it is important to begin with PRELITERACY skills--no rules-- just sounds. If these students cannot hear discrete words in sentences and do not hear sound patterns, their vocabulary acquisition will stop quickly--that is the whole skill supported by the phonological memory I described last week. It is NOT phonemic awareness, let me say that again. Phonemes are individual sounds in words. Phonological skills for preliteracy is awareness of larger chunks of sounds---words, syllables and the sounds that add to meaning--stress and intonation. - I am so glad you mentioned Carolyn Graham's Jazz Chant s--the very beginning levels of those should be great as they put a lot of emphasis on individual words in sentences and on the rhythm of language. But if the learners cannot hear where words begin and end then the vocabulary building will not progress. Minimal pairs like all else i recommend, can be done without reference to text or rules. Remember again that the phonological skills I am referring to are the "eyes closed, lights out work of language"---what you can know about language from just listening to it. NO RULES for the preliterate! The things I was referring to about the sound of past tense etc. can all be taught orally without reference to rules but rather by modeling. I would recommend not using any books at all, as these learners get little from them. It is all, pardon the expression, GREEK to them...... Robin -----Original Message----- From: SandyF61 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 18:35:19 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] More questions I am struggling a little in this discussion with the practicality of some of the suggestions. I teach total beginners. Most are refugees with little to no experience in school.? I have always done needs based curriculum and found it effective.? We keep our students for a pretty short time as they need to get jobs. I see the point of more work on phonemic recognition.? We certainly do some but our main focus is on practical vocabulary and related issues (how to find a job, see a doctor, talk to your child's teacher).? I've also had great success with things like Jazz Chants. But when I use more *rule based* curriculum, their eyes glaze over.? I use Clear Speech for pronunciation but minimize the rule content.? Even books like Pronuncation Pairs don't work as well for them. So the question is?how to integrate these phonemic skills in such a way that is effective and not a turn off? ? Sandy Fox Columbia, MO ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From akohring at utk.edu Wed Feb 22 08:15:47 2006 From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 08:15:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Assessment - Re: More information on Reading In-Reply-To: <00f301c6366f$cec4edc0$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> References: <5.1.0.14.2.20051129124326.03af4ad0@pop.utk.edu> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060222081450.03ce23c8@pop.utk.edu> John, You may want to consider also posting your question to the Assessment Discussion List for feedback from colleagues there: assessment at nifl.gov. Aaron At 10:48 PM 2/20/2006 +0000, you wrote: >Hello Aaron, > >We are wondering about assessment over here in UK, in anticipation of the >government adopting synthetic phonics for teaching in schools. You mention >http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm as a source of a standard for >assessment. But the mention of "selecting a reading strategy" and "using >various strategies" (for decoding and word recognition), makes it >inappropriate for us. The reason why our National Literacy Strategy has >failed is that a mixture of strategies has been recommended - in particular >a process of "multi-cueing" where the learning reader is expected to guess a >word from various cues or clues, including pictures, context, comparison >with known sight words, and, lastly, the sound of the first letter. >Synthetic phonics sweeps all that away, and lets the reader concentrate on >the decoding process - a single strategy if you like. Thus assessment has >now to be geared to determining how well that process has been learnt, >reflecting inevitably on how well that process has been taught. I believe >that the assessment should be applied to the learning and teaching of >literacy, regardless of the age of the learner, where comprehension is not >an issue, i.e. where English is the mother tongue. (Obviously, when >comprehension is an issue, there need to be additional tests for >comprehension.) Are any States adopting this kind of assessment, for >children and/or adult learners? Here in UK, we'd like to learn from others' >experience. > >Cheers from Chiswick, > >John > >John Nissen >Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk >maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. >Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: >http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm >Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 >Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Aaron Kohring" >To: >Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 5:46 PM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics] More information on Reading > > > > Hi all, > > > > Barb, you are correct that there are no "National Standards". Most states > > have adopted, adapted, or developed their own set of standards. > > > > Bryan- > > In beginning reading, you can see what EFF learned from research and data > > from the field: http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm > > > > I'd also recommend looking at some of the information available on Reading > > from other states at OVAE's Standards Warehouse: > > http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org/Source/GetStandard.asp > > > > You may also want to post your question to the Adult Education Content > > Standards Discussion List (contentstandards at dev.nifl.gov). Members of > > that list may be able to give you further information. > > > > Aaron > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Barbara Garner > > Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 6:08 PM > > To: Halcomb, Becky (Southeast); The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > Subject: Re: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > > > > Thanks, Becky. > > Does anyone else have suggestions for Bryan? There are not national > > standards as far as I know; do any states have standards for beginning > > reading? > > What do the EFF standards say? > > Barb Garner > > From: "Halcomb, Becky (Southeast)" > > Date: Tue Nov 22 16:27:42 CST 2005 > > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > > Bryan, > > I hope this will help you in your search. I found this website to be > > very informative and hope you will too. > > http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/adult_reading/adult_reading.ht > > ml > > Rebecca > > -----Original Message----- > > From: focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Bryan A. Wilson > > Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 6:09 PM > > To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' > > Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics] One-Stop/EFF Conference > > Barbara (and anyone else), > > Do you have any national standards for beginning reading? You know, > > things > > that speak of phonetic awareness, decoding strategies, fluency levels, > > etc? > > Bryan > > > > > > > > Aaron Kohring > > Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection > > Moderator, NIFL Content Standards Discussion List > > > > Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee > > EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance > > Phone:(865) 974-4109 main > > (865) 974-4258 direct > > Fax: (865) 974-3857 > > e-mail: akohring at utk.edu > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Insitute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at dev.nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Aaron Kohring Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/) Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Phone:(865) 974-4109 main (865) 974-4258 direct Fax: (865) 974-3857 e-mail: akohring at utk.edu From DonMcCabe at aol.com Wed Feb 22 08:59:43 2006 From: DonMcCabe at aol.com (DonMcCabe at aol.com) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 08:59:43 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: writing and handwriting for low literate/non-literat... Message-ID: In a message dated 2/21/2006 9:27:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, cgrimaldi at lagcc.cuny.edu writes: Hello all, I'm not sure if my questions fall under the writing or the visual problems categories or both, but here it is: In my years of teaching to low-level ESOL adults, I have had many students who I would call "weak writers" for lack of a better term, often, these students have dropped out of school early, like 5th-8th grades, but these are not non-literate students. They usually require much more time to write and copy from the board, and many students have the problem of copying incorrectly. We don't have any way of screening for disabilities right now in our programs. My assumption was that many students just were "out of practice", having spent many years out of school both in their own countries and in the US, and essentially their writing muscles are out of shape. Is this possible or should I always suspect LD? Don McCabe's answer: Your assumption is probably right. There always is the problem of a slight loss of automaticity in making the connection between the mind and the muscles from lack of activity. I know my automatic handwriting has suffered a decline because 99% of all my writing is done on the computer. Don McCabe, Research Director AVKO Educational Research Foundation _www.spelling.org_ (http://www.spelling.org) From dbrillan at pdx.edu Wed Feb 22 15:06:50 2006 From: dbrillan at pdx.edu (Dominique Brillanceau) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:06:50 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and teaching struggles References: <43FB8472020000A000002095@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> <8C80580900D1258-5E0-4F5D@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <002f01c637eb$85a91210$6501a8c0@D483MV11> To all, Health and family issues may interfere with teaching as much as with learning. While it is important to be aware of what may impede a learner's learning, we would not tell them what might be interfering with our teaching. As adults with complicated lives, teachers and learners come to the classroom to learn and teach each other in an environment which excludes very temporarily our outside lives. With the exception of adult learners that are required to attend as part of a school-to-work program (for example), the ESOL learners I have had the pleasure to teach have attended because they think the learning in the classroom is more important than sleep, free time, learning on their own, etc... It would be a disservice to them as well as misleading to have them think we can do something for them beyond the classroom. I think it is important for learners to know the limits of their teacher's abilities and what the classroom is and what it is not. Stated more simpy: learners will not come if they don't think it is making a difference. Likewise, they know when something is interfering with their learning therefore attend only when they know it is beneficial to them. However, we must teach regardless we can or we can't. Training and ongoing professional development should not only make pre-service and in-service teachers aware of what might affect a learner's learning but a teacher's teaching and train them to understand the limits of the classroom arena. Teachers' persistence and retention are on a par with learners' persistence and retention. Best, Dominique Brillanceau instructor/ research associate NCSALL Esol Labschool http://www.labschool.pdx.edu/index.php From: To: Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:35 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles > Yes, that is one of the challenges of working with adults with such > stressful lives-- but while these issues are difficult, I believe it is > important that we continue to have expectations that learners WILL > accomplish something and not just use the class for group therapy. > It may just be a page or an activity or participating in a > conversation, but the expectation is that they will do something. > > and I want to note that in my messages I stress persistence as opposed > to retention-- retention smacks of us hanging on to them, while > persistence, the term used by NCSALL, indicates that the learner has > chosen to persist. Rlobin > > -----Original Message----- > From: Katrina Hinson > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov; julie_mcKinney at worlded.org > Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:21:53 -0800 > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles > > I think it's just these kind of issues that no amount of statistical > data ever > covers - especially when it comes down to NRS reporting etc, but these > are very > real issues faced by many of our older and younger adult students > alike. These > issues affect every thing from individual attendance to long term > retention > numbers. I have a student in my class as well whose mother has > alzheimers. It > takes a great deal of her emotional strength just to deal with it on a > day to > day basis let alone have anything left over to think and comprehend > with. Add to > that, the student also has a child under a year old with asthma. A > person's > health, and the health of those around them, I feel, directly impacts > his or her > ability to learn. If you're concentrating so much on a pain or > discomfort you > have, there is no way you can fully concentrate on the material you're > trying to > learn. If you're worried about your loved ones, you can't focus on the > learning. I think looking at these barriers and > trying to find ways to overcome them is a very important and real > issue for all > of us. > > > Regards > Katrina Hinson > >>>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org >>> > Hi Robin and others, > > One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress > issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the > hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was > preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for > the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to > learning. > > Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? > > Thanks, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060222/d86a7d36/attachment.html From iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us Wed Feb 22 15:59:58 2006 From: iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us (iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:59:58 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F360@yosemitesam> Thanks to Tom Woods for the encouraging response. I've heard excellent things about your program in Vermont,Tom. And yes, I suppose if I'm going to continue to function successfully in this setting, I need to keep reminding myself about the realities of the student population and to lower my expectations. I appreciate your input. Regards, Iris Iris L. Broudy ESOL Instructor/Programs Dept. Hampden County Sheriff's Department 627 Randall Road Ludlow, MA 01056 (413) 547-8000 ext. 2468 Fax: (413) 583-3099 iris.broudy at sdh.state.ma.us -----Original Message----- From: Woods [mailto:woodsnh at isp.com] Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 12:17 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Iris, You are not alone.I too am a corrections educator. You described a similar situation to what I see in my job in VT, a simply huge variety of abilities and levels. Your situation sounds a bit more complicated than mine because the vast majority of my students are able to speak English. I think that the hardest cases for me are when traumatic brain injuries co-mingle with chronic drug and alcohol abuse. It is so unpredictable what kinds of learning problems these individuals may experience. It sounds like you are extremely frustrated with your work with the offenders. If you are given freedom to develop the education program where you work, you might look at it as a wonderful opportunity to create a system that works for your guys where nothing has ever worked before. Ten things I've learned as I helped build our high school, the Community High School of Vermont, are: 1. You can't help everybody. 2. Everyone comes to you at his own level and works at his own pace. 3. Some problems of individuals are bigger than education. 4. It is best to have no expectations for your students, not low expectations. No expectations. 5. Appreciate whatever gains might be made, no matter what they may be. 6. Every student is good at something. 7. Students have to direct the course of their education. Teachers assist them. 8. Don't try doing it the other way around or you will fail miserably and drive all your students away. 9. You may not know when you will gain a new student or lose an old student so your classes have to be self-standing, not dependent on a sequence of classes the student may have missed. 10. These things motivate learners. and a motivated learner cannot be stopped. He will learn more than you ever thought possible, learning and emotional disabilities become irrelevant. Best wishes, Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Feb 22 17:35:15 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 17:35:15 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Thanks to Robin and all! Message-ID: Hi All, Thank you all so much for your input during this past week's discussion of struggling ESOL learners. And HUGE thanks to Robin for sharing her experience and knowledge with us all. I especially appreciated the specific, practical advice she was able to give that stemmed from years of study and research, and the geniune sense of caring for the learners that so clearly guides her attitude and methods of teaching. We can all still continue this discussion, but we gratefully say goodbye to Robin with thanks for answering our questions and concerns so fully. I will go through the postings and compile all the specific links, book titles, workbooks, etc. that were recommended as resources and have them for you next week. Thanks again, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From GEMIRVING at MSN.COM Wed Feb 22 21:27:55 2006 From: GEMIRVING at MSN.COM (M G IRVING) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:27:55 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Thanks Robin Message-ID: Robin, Thanks for all the great info you've shared with us over the last week. You've answered a great range of questions and even shared some great sources with us. I know you're also involved with PowerPath, a wonderful LD screening tool. I've been using it in the last several weeks and my students have been very receptive! I was worried that approaching the question of asking them about their learning difficulties might be awkward, but I'm finding that they are eager to share and even more eager to get some help as well as thrilled to get the accommodations that PowerPath gives. Many of my students have shown (through the testing) that they are indeed scotopically sensitive and benefit from a colored filter. I'm grateful for all the knowledge you've passed on this week. Again, Thanks Geri Irving -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060222/bb6a2b0e/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Wed Feb 22 21:37:50 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 21:37:50 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and teaching struggles In-Reply-To: <002f01c637eb$85a91210$6501a8c0@D483MV11> References: <43FB8472020000A000002095@smtp.us.future-gate.com smtp.de.future-gate.com> <8C80580900D1258-5E0-4F5D@MBLK-M20.sysops.aol.com> <002f01c637eb$85a91210$6501a8c0@D483MV11> Message-ID: <8C80639463D7EDC-CD8-10346@mblk-d43.sysops.aol.com> Lest there be any misunderstanding about the implications of my message and article, I am not advocating teachers' necessarily doing anything about their students' "exterior" problems, but rather being aware of those that impact learning in the classroom. In some cases, it might be important to make the learner aware of support services he or she could access. In questions of vision, however, I tend to be the one giving referrals to a doctor I trust or to a place ( such as the Lions Club) that can help with this. In the adult ESOL program I worked in in MA there was a counselor present most of the time--he would connect learners with community resources as needed. Acknowledgement of the problem can go far in helping learners keep on trying--as it did for Henri--who attended though it WAS NOT beneficial for him in terms of learning English-- while finding out about the hearing loss meant a far more appropriate learning setting and counseling about employment discrimination rights for Anna. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Dominique Brillanceau To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:06:50 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and teaching struggles To all, Health and family issues may interfere with?teaching as much as with learning. While it is important to be aware of what may impede a learner's learning, we would not tell them what might be interfering with our teaching.? As adults with complicated lives, teachers and learners come to the classroom to learn and teach each other in an environment which excludes very temporarily our outside lives.?? With the exception of adult learners that are required to attend as part of a? school-to-work program (for example), the ESOL learners I have had the pleasure to teach have attended because they think the learning in the classroom is more important than sleep, free time, learning on their own, etc... It? would be a disservice to them as well as misleading to have them think we can do something for them beyond the classroom.? I think it is important for learners to know the limits of their teacher's abilities and what the classroom is and what it is not. Stated more simpy: ?learners will not come if they don't think it is making a? difference.??Likewise, they know when something is interfering with their learning therefore attend only?when they know it is beneficial to them.? However, we must teach regardless we can or we can't. Training and ongoing? professional development should not only make pre-service and in-service teachers aware of what might affect a learner's learning but a teacher's teaching and train them to understand the limits of the classroom arena.? Teachers' ?persistence and retention are on a par with learners' persistence and retention.? ? Best, ? Dominique Brillanceau instructor/ research associate NCSALL Esol Labschool http://www.labschool.pdx.edu/index.php ? ?From: To: Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:35 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles > Yes, that is one of the challenges of working with adults with such > stressful lives-- but while these issues are difficult, I believe it is > important that we continue to have expectations that learners WILL > accomplish something and not just use the class for group therapy.??? > It may just be a page or an activity or participating in a > conversation, but the expectation is that they will do something. > > and I want to note that in my messages I stress persistence as opposed > to retention-- retention smacks of us hanging on to them, while > persistence, the term used by NCSALL, indicates that the learner has > chosen to persist.?? Rlobin > > -----Original Message----- > From: Katrina Hinson > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov; julie_mcKinney at worlded.org > Sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 12:21:53 -0800 > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] health, stress and learning struggles > > I think it's just these kind of issues that no amount of statistical > data ever > covers? - especially when it comes down to NRS reporting etc, but these > are very > real issues faced by many of our older and younger adult students > alike. These > issues affect every thing from individual attendance to long term > retention > numbers. I have a student in my class as well whose mother has > alzheimers. It > takes a great deal of her emotional strength just to deal with it on a > day to > day basis let alone have anything left over to think and comprehend > with. Add to > that, the student also has a child under a year old with asthma.?? A > person's > health, and the health of those around them, I feel, directly impacts > his or her > ability to learn. If you're concentrating so much on a pain or > discomfort you > have, there is no way you can fully concentrate on the material you're > trying to > learn.? If you're worried about your loved ones, you can't focus on the > learning. I think looking at these barriers and >? trying to find ways to overcome them is a very important and real > issue for all > of us. > > > Regards > Katrina Hinson > >>>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org? >>> > Hi Robin and others, > > One thing that struck me in the article was how health and home stress > issues affected people's learning. For example, Anna Maria had the > hearing problem and the mother with alzheimers, and Henri was > preoccupied with his prostate cancer. It seems that health issues for > the learner and the learner's family can be significant barriers to > learning. > > Any more ideas for assessing and addressing these types of problems? > > Thanks, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Wed Feb 22 21:54:24 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 21:54:24 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development In-Reply-To: <7905AF1D688C9F47B9C9E338C4FE315F011EA5B8@MAIL.bigbend.edu> References: <7905AF1D688C9F47B9C9E338C4FE315F011EA5B8@MAIL.bigbend.edu> Message-ID: <8C8063B96BDB14B-14F0-A13E@MBLK-M29.sysops.aol.com> Without addressing specifics of Sandy's message, let me restate my position that a) underprepared teachers and tutors can often do more harm than good (nearly all of the cases in my article came about because of teachers who had little experience or were not trained in ESOL issues at all)-- and b) that I believe the needs of our learners should drive the decisions and policies of the programs. This means that we serve our learners best by requiring that tutors and teachers working with them have the information and training needed to do a reasonably good job--and must be willing to continue to learn on the job. I have way too often --WAY too often--seen people taking the evening teaching job just because it was extra income. There was little interest in whether they were being effective for adult learners or adult ESOL learners. Another issue is the belief that just because one has either lived in another country or speaks another language that that qualifies one to teach ESOL. I think I cited a lot earlier my Columbian doctor students in Boston who spent an awful lot of money and an awful lot of time in a private ESL school with a teacher who was really an engineer. He had no idea how to explain the complexities of English to these hard working learners--and they were frustrated literally to tears at having made no progress in English--literally no progress--in over 6 months. And I did not cite other cases such as Jeanne, the Haitian lady whom I was told was "unteachable" and that her teachers had "tried everything" and she could not learn. I do not accept these reasons. What was clear was that Jeanne's teacher had never encountered a completely non-literate person and had no idea how to teach her. Is it really Jeanne's fault that she was not learning??? That is the message that is almost always conveyed. I think it is only respectful to those learners whom Dominique Brillanceau cites as wanting to come to school for any reason that we serve them the very best we can---that may mean not giviing them an underqualified teacher. I hope that programs are not in business to give tutors some place to volunteer rather than to give learners the best education possible. Better teachers will mean better results for programs as more learners actually progress and complete goals. Perhaps creative directors can figure out how make pay that would cover several untrained teachers or tutors to pay more for a highly qualfied one. ProLiteracy, among other organizations, has gone far towards creating training programs for new tutors because literacy providers know that if tutors are untrained, learners cannot progress and will not persist. Why can't this be the case in ESOL?? Robin -----Original Message----- From: Cheek, Sandy To: mslaathaug at midco.net; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 09:59:03 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development HI all, Some thoughts to add to Robin's: It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point. However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply? not the reality. Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them. Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this profession.? I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their community.? So the question really is:? Should we aspire to fewer, but better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time beyond those commitments.? I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future directions. Sandy Cheek Sandy Cheek Director of Basic Skills Big Bend Community College 7662 Chanute Street NE Moses Lake, WA? 98837 509.793.2305 toll-free 877.745.1212 fax 509.762.2696 ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy Slaathaug Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! ? And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be trained and educated in this.? My comment was only that too much information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even counter-productive. ?Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to help them process much information. ?They are hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next week.? ? But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with you more. ? ? Missy Slaathaug Pierre, South Dakota ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development ? Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with information. ? This topic is near and dear to my heart.? As I indicated in another posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. ? In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was mentioned. ? Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do what they do.?? Then learners suffer.?? My article in FOB indicated that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress in their settings. ? Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty passionate on this topic.? I believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the learners, not for the tutors and teachers in our programs.? In other words, it is not the needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that should drive decisions or policies about how our programs run but rather the needs of our learners.? I have advocated for years that there need to be minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to teach adult ESOL learners.? I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of stories like those in the article where the learner was somehow blamed for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had no idea how to address the learner's real needs. ? I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that the nature of learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language learning challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and required reading for them.??? Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a far more stringent approach to requiring that those already in your employ inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL learning,? about the very most basic principles of language instruction,? about the culture of their learners. etc.??? Also, program administrators have everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors and better experience and qualifications for teachers.? In the end, they will be more effective and programs with have better outcomes.? The NCSALL research project on learner persistence (2005 --at NCSCALL.net) indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only were learners happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also persisted because they did not feel so helpless in helping those with significant learning needs. ? Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or proposal that adult education teachers be subject to qualification much as K-12 teachers are.? This can only be a good thing for our learners. ? And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact that having a tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not "get" LD and language learning challenges is actually worse for the learner than just sitting in a class and trying to absorb something. ? Just as for learners, having high expectations for teachers and tutors is critical to having an effective program. ? As a start for ESOL and learning challengs,? programs might want to look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities"? produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association (visit www.ldaminnesota.org to find it).? This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. ? There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults? called The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART) ? Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who have little prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely user-friendly and beautifully thought out.?? --And no, I don't have any financial interest in them...... ? ? ?Robin ? ? ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Wed Feb 22 23:46:00 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2006 23:46:00 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F360@yosemitesam> References: <0459EA4FEFB2D31195830008C79119310514F360@yosemitesam> Message-ID: <43FD3E08.9060201@isp.com> iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us wrote: >I need to keep reminding >myself about the realities of the student population and to lower my >expectations. > It isn't so much about lowering your expectations. Rather, enter into your relationship with a student with no expectations and appreciate whatever outcomes may rise out of that relationship. The student will begin to form his or her own expectations, which are OK. In public K-12 education, it is a mantra taught to all beginning teachers: you must have high expectations for your students and they will rise to meet them. Research has been designed to show that this is indeed the case. It is the paradigm in public education, and it is a line of thinking that is fundamentally flawed, in my opinion. The problems with expectations are that students usually only work to meet the expectations and not go any further. They are the foundation for the measurement of success and failure in schools. They create a system in which students work (or not) to try to meet the expectations of their teachers and not for the intrinsic benefits of learning for its own sake. One very unfortunate outcome of this is the student's education becomes directed others and not the by the student. It is teacher-centered, not student-centered. When a student fails to meet the teacher's expectations, it is said the student did not learn, which is very clearly not the case. In extreme situations, failure to learn has a name: learning disability. As I'm sure you've noticed in corrections education, these are our guys. They come from a lifetime of failure to meet teachers' expectations. In a no-expectations paradigm, the teacher would not attempt to define a set of learning objectives and decide whether they had been met. Instead, the teacher would try to identify what learning did occur and see how it fits with the school's overall curriculum. Immediately, there is no such thing as failure in this system. There is only learning. It progresses according to the student's expectations of him- or herself. If a teacher can work in this setting, all learning is valued. There would not be disappointment if it doesn't progress the way the teacher would like it to. Oops. That would mean there is a teacher-expectation. What I've found K-12 teachers look at me like I come from another planet if I start talking to them about trying to not have expectations for their students. The mindset of having high expectations is so ingrained, so supported by research, and so much a part of our educational tradition that it is extremely difficult to break out. Still there are hints of it in the traditions of progressive education, of the Summerhill School in England, and of the Sudbury Valley School in MA. I also know from my own experience, it works. Kids who were completely turned off by their past experiences get so pumped they will move mountains to get their diplomas . It begins with doing away with teacher expectations and allowing the student to begin to form them for him- or herself. I apologize for the long winded treatise, but expectations are a hot-button item for me, as I'm sure you have guessed. Tom From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Feb 23 10:41:19 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 10:41:19 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] one lost message Message-ID: Hi All, Did anyone send a message between Wed. night and Thurs. morning? I saw one and it disappeared before I could send it through. Never seen that happen before... If you sent one and don't see it posted, please send it again. Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From annb at lcbc.org Thu Feb 23 10:54:14 2006 From: annb at lcbc.org (Ann Barncard) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:54:14 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Thanks to Robin and all! In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <003f01c63891$68811060$3f00000a@lcbc.ad.lcbc.org> Thanks for your efforts, too, Julie. I look forward to having the compilation of links, etc. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 4:35 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Thanks to Robin and all! Hi All, Thank you all so much for your input during this past week's discussion of struggling ESOL learners. And HUGE thanks to Robin for sharing her experience and knowledge with us all. I especially appreciated the specific, practical advice she was able to give that stemmed from years of study and research, and the geniune sense of caring for the learners that so clearly guides her attitude and methods of teaching. We can all still continue this discussion, but we gratefully say goodbye to Robin with thanks for answering our questions and concerns so fully. I will go through the postings and compile all the specific links, book titles, workbooks, etc. that were recommended as resources and have them for you next week. Thanks again, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From hgalindo at carlosrosario.org Thu Feb 23 11:49:34 2006 From: hgalindo at carlosrosario.org (Hugo Galindo) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:49:34 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Information In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060223164844.761EE11C95@mail.nifl.gov> Julie: Thank you for all your work in organizing this focus group. There is a lot of information to digest. I would like more information on "Power Path screening tool". Do you have the contact person where I can get more information? Thanks again, Hugo Galindo From carole.a.scholl at co.multnomah.or.us Thu Feb 23 17:22:52 2006 From: carole.a.scholl at co.multnomah.or.us (SCHOLL Carole A) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 14:22:52 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Information Message-ID: Hello all, Our center has just started to use the Power Path screening tool, and have had positive feedback. We are an adult education center working with students who are out of jail or involved in drug/alcohol treatment. There is a high incidence of comorbidity: addictions + mental illness + criminal history + learning difficulties. We suspect many have learning "disabilities," but have no funds to get official diagnosis. Power Path has offered us a new approach toward our learners with difficulties. It enables us to screen for auditory, visual and information processing problems. But, most importantly, it goes a step further, stressing "strategy" planning with the student. Power Path reports provide strategies for students to overcome their barriers. A systematic checking-in with the student allows for tracking of progress, goal-setting and planning. In sum, we are able to help students develop metacognitive skills that they need to succeed, instead of just emphasizing students' deficiencies. It's so easy to get hung up on what we can't do as programs (pay for an LD diagnosis, for example!). But there's so much we can do better to help our learners help themselves. Thank you all for this fine discussion on Focus on Basics! Carole Scholl Londer Learning Center Multnomah County Department of Community Justice -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hugo Galindo Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2006 8:50 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Information Julie: Thank you for all your work in organizing this focus group. There is a lot of information to digest. I would like more information on "Power Path screening tool". Do you have the contact person where I can get more information? Thanks again, Hugo Galindo ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Feb 23 18:28:46 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:28:46 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult Ed Message-ID: Hi All, Read on for details of an upcoming discussion of new technology in adult education on the Technology and literacy discussion list. -Julie Hello NIFL discussion list colleagues, Audio and video resources have been used in adult education instruction for many years, but the introduction of CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and other electronic technologies has greatly expanded their availability and raise many questions about implementation, support annd training. I'm pleased to announce that David Collings, Technology Coordinator for the Adult and Community Education Network in Delaware, and Alex Quinn, Executive Director of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), will join the NIFL Technology list as guests to lead a discussion on current and emerging uses of media in adult ed. instruction in the classroom and at a distance. Their discussion will take place next week from Tuesday, February 28th through Friday March 3rd. Some of the areas they will cover on this topic include: teacher training, technical support for teachers and learners, the challenges of their use, media distribution, and emerging uses and tools foor delivery of media. You are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and share you experience and knowledge. To join the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list please subscribe by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions. Regards, Mariann Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Thu Feb 23 19:39:25 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 00:39:25 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult Ed In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi Julie I may not be looking in the right files but I wanted to know if you have links for any online resources we can use in Lietracy and ESOL teaching please? Regards Aliya >From: "Julie McKinney" >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: >CC: healthliteracy at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult Ed >Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:28:46 -0500 > >Hi All, >Read on for details of an upcoming discussion of new technology in adult >education on the Technology and literacy discussion list. >-Julie > >Hello NIFL discussion list colleagues, > >Audio and video resources have been used in adult education instruction >for >many years, but the introduction of CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and other >electronic technologies has greatly expanded their availability and >raise >many questions about implementation, support annd training. > >I'm pleased to announce that David Collings, Technology Coordinator for >the >Adult and Community Education Network in Delaware, and Alex Quinn, >Executive Director of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), will >join >the NIFL Technology list as guests to lead a discussion on >current and emerging uses of media in adult ed. instruction in the >classroom and at a distance. Their discussion will take place next week >from Tuesday, February 28th through Friday March 3rd. Some of the areas >they will cover on this topic include: teacher training, technical >support >for teachers and learners, the challenges of their use, media >distribution, >and emerging uses and tools foor delivery of media. > >You are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and share you >experience >and knowledge. >To join the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list please >subscribe >by going to: >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology > >Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions. > >Regards, >Mariann > > > > > >Mariann Fedele >Coordinator of Professional Development, >Literacy Assistance Center >Moderator, >NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >32 Broadway 10th Floor >New York, New York 10004 >212-803-3325 >mariannf at lacnyc.org >www.lacnyc.org > > > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN Messenger 7.5 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk From Deborah.Skillington at sctworkforce.org Fri Feb 24 08:56:19 2006 From: Deborah.Skillington at sctworkforce.org (Deborah Skillington) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 07:56:19 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Information Message-ID: <3CB81F831AFD584290A6AB1859F783E94C9A8C@adminserver2.sctworkforce.org> Julie The information you were asking for is: Power Path to adult basic learning P.O. Box 21510 Columbus, Ohio 43221 PowerPath at aol.com ph 800-641-3632 fax 614-850-8687 There are several groups that have been trained to pass on the information; Lincoln County is one in District 6 the contact person would be Teresa Smith 1604 Huntsville Hwy Fayetteville, TN 37334 931-438-0555 Hope this helps Deborah Skillington District 8 TN Support Network Contact Maury County Adult Education Families First Teacher 119 Nashville Highway, Suite 106 Columbia, TN 38401 931-490-3818 work phone ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Hugo Galindo Sent: Thu 2/23/2006 10:49 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Information Julie: Thank you for all your work in organizing this focus group. There is a lot of information to digest. I would like more information on "Power Path screening tool". Do you have the contact person where I can get more information? Thanks again, Hugo Galindo ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 5516 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060224/690bd3e0/attachment.bin From djrosen at comcast.net Fri Feb 24 09:58:49 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 09:58:49 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult Ed In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7BE830AB-1017-4223-8A34-290F17C0399E@comcast.net> Hello Aliya, I am not sure if you meant just health literacy online resources or a broader range of online literacy and ESOL resources. For a broad range of adult literacy and ESOL online resources, try: http://www.alri.org/literacylist.html For Health and Science: http://www.alri.org/litlist/websites.html#healthandscience and http://www.alri.org/harness.html Health: http://www.alri.org/harness/harnesshealth.html Science: http://www.alri.org/harness.html#SCIENCE David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Feb 23, 2006, at 7:39 PM, Aliya AbdulLatif wrote: > Hi Julie > I may not be looking in the right files but I wanted to know if you > have > links for any online resources we can use in Lietracy and ESOL > teaching > please? > Regards > Aliya > > >> From: "Julie McKinney" >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >> To: >> CC: healthliteracy at nifl.gov >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in >> Adult Ed >> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:28:46 -0500 >> >> Hi All, >> Read on for details of an upcoming discussion of new technology in >> adult >> education on the Technology and literacy discussion list. >> -Julie >> >> Hello NIFL discussion list colleagues, >> >> Audio and video resources have been used in adult education >> instruction >> for >> many years, but the introduction of CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and >> other >> electronic technologies has greatly expanded their availability and >> raise >> many questions about implementation, support annd training. >> >> I'm pleased to announce that David Collings, Technology >> Coordinator for >> the >> Adult and Community Education Network in Delaware, and Alex Quinn, >> Executive Director of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), will >> join >> the NIFL Technology list as guests to lead a discussion on >> current and emerging uses of media in adult ed. instruction in the >> classroom and at a distance. Their discussion will take place next >> week >> from Tuesday, February 28th through Friday March 3rd. Some of the >> areas >> they will cover on this topic include: teacher training, technical >> support >> for teachers and learners, the challenges of their use, media >> distribution, >> and emerging uses and tools foor delivery of media. >> >> You are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and share you >> experience >> and knowledge. >> To join the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list please >> subscribe >> by going to: >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology >> >> Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions. >> >> Regards, >> Mariann >> >> >> >> >> >> Mariann Fedele >> Coordinator of Professional Development, >> Literacy Assistance Center >> Moderator, >> NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >> 32 Broadway 10th Floor >> New York, New York 10004 >> 212-803-3325 >> mariannf at lacnyc.org >> www.lacnyc.org >> >> >> >> Julie McKinney >> Discussion List Moderator >> World Education/NCSALL >> jmckinney at worlded.org >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > _________________________________________________________________ > Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN > Messenger > 7.5 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Feb 24 11:34:06 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 11:34:06 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Fwd: I learned a lot Message-ID: Hi All, I am passing on this message from Luri Owen to the list. (Maybe this is the one that got lost in that weird glitch!) Sorry Luri! Julie Following this discussion has been both informative and fun! Before it's over, I'd like to invite comments on a proposal for a presentation I will be making in April, which I hope will touch on many issues raised in this discussion and for which I am thankful to NIFL for initiating and to Robin for facilitating. Here's the proposal: "Adult ESOL students are capable of applying higher-order thinking skills in the classroom but may hesitate to do so both because of how they were conditioned to learn as young learners and at what age/educational level they terminated schooling in their own countries. Teachers design activities requiring the use of higher-order thinking skills, but students may not feel that they are ?working? or ?learning? in class and may be unwilling to assume responsibility for their own learning. Teachers may perceive this hesitancy as differences in individual personalities when, in fact, it may be learned ?school? behavior. This presentation encourages teachers to explore and reflect on their students? prior learning experiences, their expectations of ?school? and ?learning,? and the value their cultures place on education and learning. It will also open discussion on how these factors affect the elementary and secondary children of adult ESOL students as they experience American educational values and expectations. Participants are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences for fostering student ownership of the individual learning process, providing class time and space for community-building in the classroom, and shifting student perception of teacher-as-knower to teacher-as-guide. This presentation will incorporate research on teaching higher-order thinking skills as well as the measurable and observable effects of sociocognitive conflict in the classroom." I was inspired to start thinking these issues by a student I had last year who did well as long as she was attending class regularly, but seemed to not be able to pick up and go forward from where we had stopped if she was absent for a class. Reading this discussion has really made me aware that there could have been lots of things going on in her situation that impacted her learning that I didn't consider at the time. Thanks in advance to everybody! :) Luri Owen Bayfield/ESL Coordinator The Adult Learning Center, Inc. Phone 970-884-7765 Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Feb 24 12:21:41 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:21:41 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Online Resources Message-ID: Aliya, You didn't say what kind of resources you are looking for exactly. If you don't find what you are looking for, write back with more specifics, and we can all try to help. Have you used the LINCS database? It has a ton of literacy resources: www.nifl.gov/lincs >From this home page, you can click on "LincSearch" (left side of banner on top) to search for different kinds of resources. You can also click on the "LINCS Special Collections" to find nicely organized collections of hand-picked resources within a specific topic area. I would recommend especially the ESOL Special collection, but there are also collections for Health Literacy, Family Literacy, Science and Numeracy, and many others that have good teaching resources. Good luck! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Feb 24 12:16:20 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:16:20 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Reminder: Change the Subject Line Message-ID: Hi All, Just a reminder here to help us organize the information we share on the list. Most of us find a message to reply to as an easy way of sending a message to the list, instead of writing out the address in a new e-mail. This is fine, but if you are starting a new topic of discussion or asking a new question, please change the subject line to reflect your new topic. This will make it easier to go back and find the information later. (See the example in the previous few messages about online resources.) Of course, you can also start a new e-mail and send it to: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Thanks! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From mslaathaug at midco.net Fri Feb 24 13:36:38 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:36:38 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <43FD3E08.9060201@isp.com> Message-ID: <003f01c63971$3fbe6d90$090ac90a@explorit3> I have also taught in a correctional setting, although I taught low level readers, not ESL learners. I agree with all of your statements, Tom - the correctional setting is so completely different than any other kind of educational setting, and I agree with your ten things you have learned about this kind of teaching. I think it helped me that I was in my forties, and therefore not out to save the world. I had a pretty realistic take on the barriers and obstacles my learners were facing and would face when they left the prison. I felt comfortable being a positive teaching presence in their lives, and was pretty happy with any little sign of accomplishment, no matter what. Iris, we could label students FTP - Failure to Progress - when that was indicated. That way they didn't have to keep coming and thus taking the place of someone who could learn and progress. Sounds like you don't have this option, which does make it tough. Missy Slaathaug -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Woods Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 10:46 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament iris.broudy at SDH.state.ma.us wrote: >I need to keep reminding >myself about the realities of the student population and to lower my >expectations. > It isn't so much about lowering your expectations. Rather, enter into your relationship with a student with no expectations and appreciate whatever outcomes may rise out of that relationship. The student will begin to form his or her own expectations, which are OK. In public K-12 education, it is a mantra taught to all beginning teachers: you must have high expectations for your students and they will rise to meet them. Research has been designed to show that this is indeed the case. It is the paradigm in public education, and it is a line of thinking that is fundamentally flawed, in my opinion. The problems with expectations are that students usually only work to meet the expectations and not go any further. They are the foundation for the measurement of success and failure in schools. They create a system in which students work (or not) to try to meet the expectations of their teachers and not for the intrinsic benefits of learning for its own sake. One very unfortunate outcome of this is the student's education becomes directed others and not the by the student. It is teacher-centered, not student-centered. When a student fails to meet the teacher's expectations, it is said the student did not learn, which is very clearly not the case. In extreme situations, failure to learn has a name: learning disability. As I'm sure you've noticed in corrections education, these are our guys. They come from a lifetime of failure to meet teachers' expectations. In a no-expectations paradigm, the teacher would not attempt to define a set of learning objectives and decide whether they had been met. Instead, the teacher would try to identify what learning did occur and see how it fits with the school's overall curriculum. Immediately, there is no such thing as failure in this system. There is only learning. It progresses according to the student's expectations of him- or herself. If a teacher can work in this setting, all learning is valued. There would not be disappointment if it doesn't progress the way the teacher would like it to. Oops. That would mean there is a teacher-expectation. What I've found K-12 teachers look at me like I come from another planet if I start talking to them about trying to not have expectations for their students. The mindset of having high expectations is so ingrained, so supported by research, and so much a part of our educational tradition that it is extremely difficult to break out. Still there are hints of it in the traditions of progressive education, of the Summerhill School in England, and of the Sudbury Valley School in MA. I also know from my own experience, it works. Kids who were completely turned off by their past experiences get so pumped they will move mountains to get their diplomas . It begins with doing away with teacher expectations and allowing the student to begin to form them for him- or herself. I apologize for the long winded treatise, but expectations are a hot-button item for me, as I'm sure you have guessed. Tom ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From AWilder106 at aol.com Fri Feb 24 17:31:25 2006 From: AWilder106 at aol.com (AWilder106 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <256.6f98e95.3130e33d@aol.com> Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060224/db61cdff/attachment.html From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Fri Feb 24 17:47:40 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 22:47:40 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult Ed In-Reply-To: <7BE830AB-1017-4223-8A34-290F17C0399E@comcast.net> Message-ID: Thank you David, this is exactly what I was looking for. Regards Aliya >From: David Rosen >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in Adult >Ed >Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 09:58:49 -0500 > >Hello Aliya, > >I am not sure if you meant just health literacy online resources or a >broader range of online literacy and ESOL resources. >For a broad range of adult literacy and ESOL online resources, try: > > http://www.alri.org/literacylist.html > > For Health and Science: > > http://www.alri.org/litlist/websites.html#healthandscience > >and > > http://www.alri.org/harness.html > > Health: > > http://www.alri.org/harness/harnesshealth.html > > Science: > > http://www.alri.org/harness.html#SCIENCE > >David J. Rosen >djrosen at comcast.net > > >On Feb 23, 2006, at 7:39 PM, Aliya AbdulLatif wrote: > > > Hi Julie > > I may not be looking in the right files but I wanted to know if you > > have > > links for any online resources we can use in Lietracy and ESOL > > teaching > > please? > > Regards > > Aliya > > > > > >> From: "Julie McKinney" > >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >> > >> To: > >> CC: healthliteracy at nifl.gov > >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Upcoming discussion: New Technology in > >> Adult Ed > >> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 18:28:46 -0500 > >> > >> Hi All, > >> Read on for details of an upcoming discussion of new technology in > >> adult > >> education on the Technology and literacy discussion list. > >> -Julie > >> > >> Hello NIFL discussion list colleagues, > >> > >> Audio and video resources have been used in adult education > >> instruction > >> for > >> many years, but the introduction of CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and > >> other > >> electronic technologies has greatly expanded their availability and > >> raise > >> many questions about implementation, support annd training. > >> > >> I'm pleased to announce that David Collings, Technology > >> Coordinator for > >> the > >> Adult and Community Education Network in Delaware, and Alex Quinn, > >> Executive Director of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), will > >> join > >> the NIFL Technology list as guests to lead a discussion on > >> current and emerging uses of media in adult ed. instruction in the > >> classroom and at a distance. Their discussion will take place next > >> week > >> from Tuesday, February 28th through Friday March 3rd. Some of the > >> areas > >> they will cover on this topic include: teacher training, technical > >> support > >> for teachers and learners, the challenges of their use, media > >> distribution, > >> and emerging uses and tools foor delivery of media. > >> > >> You are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and share you > >> experience > >> and knowledge. > >> To join the NIFL Technology and Literacy discussion list please > >> subscribe > >> by going to: > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology > >> > >> Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions. > >> > >> Regards, > >> Mariann > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Mariann Fedele > >> Coordinator of Professional Development, > >> Literacy Assistance Center > >> Moderator, > >> NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List > >> 32 Broadway 10th Floor > >> New York, New York 10004 > >> 212-803-3325 > >> mariannf at lacnyc.org > >> www.lacnyc.org > >> > >> > >> > >> Julie McKinney > >> Discussion List Moderator > >> World Education/NCSALL > >> jmckinney at worlded.org > >> > >> ---------------------------------------------------- > >> National Institute for Literacy > >> Focus on Basics mailing list > >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN > > Messenger > > 7.5 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Be the first to hear what's new at MSN - sign up to our free newsletters! http://www.msn.co.uk/newsletters From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Fri Feb 24 19:22:31 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 00:22:31 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Online Resources In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Thank you Julie, that really helped alot. I appreciate it. Regards Aliya >From: "Julie McKinney" >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: >Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Online Resources >Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:21:41 -0500 > >Aliya, > >You didn't say what kind of resources you are looking for exactly. If >you don't find what you are looking for, write back with more specifics, >and we can all try to help. > >Have you used the LINCS database? It has a ton of literacy resources: > >www.nifl.gov/lincs > > >From this home page, you can click on "LincSearch" (left side of banner >on top) to search for different kinds of resources. You can also click >on the "LINCS Special Collections" to find nicely organized collections >of hand-picked resources within a specific topic area. I would recommend >especially the ESOL Special collection, but there are also collections >for Health Literacy, Family Literacy, Science and Numeracy, and many >others that have good teaching resources. > >Good luck! > >Julie > > > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Are you using the latest version of MSN Messenger? Download MSN Messenger 7.5 today! http://messenger.msn.co.uk From woodsnh at isp.com Sun Feb 26 00:51:31 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 00:51:31 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <003f01c63971$3fbe6d90$090ac90a@explorit3> References: <003f01c63971$3fbe6d90$090ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <440141E3.4070207@isp.com> Missy Slaathaug wrote: >we could label students FTP - Failure to Progress - when that was >indicated. That way they didn't have to keep coming and thus taking the >place of someone who could learn and progress. > It is very important to have some kind of system to prioritize so you can deliver what resources you have to where they will do the most good. We go by age and graduation status because state law makes school mandatory for those under 22 y.o. without a diploma while they are incarcerated. Older inmates and HS grads may have to go on a waiting list. I really hate to turn anyone away, especially if they want to come voluntarily. We seldom have to, but even for those who do have to wait, transfers to and from our facility are so high that the wait to get in is not a long one. While this is fortunate from the standpoint of those who may have to wait to get in a class, it poses an altogether different set of problems when trying to plan instruction for a group of students who were in your class yesterday, but may not be with you today. Tom Woods From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Feb 27 14:30:08 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:30:08 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Another discussion starts tomorrow with the Lab School Team Message-ID: Hi All, Guess what*we have another guest discussion starting tomorrow! A team of researchers/authors from the Lab School will discuss their articles from the recent FOB issue on ESOL Research (Vol. 8A). This discussion will include information about the Lab School itself, and several research projects that were done there involving student-to-student language and interaction, and a modified reading technique in beginning level adult ESOL classes. Many of the topics overlap, so it will be great to have these researchers lead the discussion as a team. The articles and authors include: The "Lab School" By Steve Reder http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=987 Same Activity, Different Focus [Pair Activities] By Kathryn Harris http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=988 A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading By Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=990 Rewarding Conversations By Betsy Kraft http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=991 Spontaneous Conversations: A Window into Language Learners' Autonomy By Dominique Brillanceau http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=992 Turn Taking and Opening Interactions By John Hellermann http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=993 Please take a look at the articles and join us for this discussion! (If you are not subscribed to the FOB list, you can subscribe at: www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ) Sorry for the short notice, but we had a rare window of availability open! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 28 09:10:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 09:10:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Introduction to the Lab School Team Message-ID: Hi All, Welcome to our guest discussion with the Lab School Team! See each author's introduction below, along with the link to their article. Please note that, in order to keep the threads organized, we are asking you to put the author's name and the topic in the subject line of your question or comment. (See instructions in each introduction.) Of course, you may have questions for the group as a whole, so you can write the subject line accordingly. If you hit "reply" to a message, but your comment is about a different article, please change the subject line to reflect your comment. Thank you, and enjoy the discussion! Julie The "Lab School" By Steve Reder http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=987 Hi * my name is Steve Reder. I wrote the article entitled "The 'Lab School'" that provides an overview of the purpose, design and work of the lab school. I'm a professor and chair of the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University and the Principal Investigator of NCSALL's Adult ESOL Labsite (aka "Lab School") project. My research and teaching interests are in the areas of adult literacy and second language development. When you have a question for me, please put "Steve?overall lab school" in the subject line and I'll try to address your question. I'm looking forward to our discussion. Same Activity, Different Focus [Pair Activities] By Kathryn Harris http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=988 My name is Kathy Harris and I wrote the article called "Same activity, different focus". I am a researcher at the adult ESOL Lab School and a faculty member at the Portland State University Dept of Applied Linguistics. I teach courses to pre-service teachers who want to work with ESL learners in the context of the United States and other countries. In my research at the Lab School I am trying to clarify the relationship between the way that teachers design pair activities and the ways that the students interact in them, as well as the ways that student interaction in pair activities supports language learning. When you have a question for me, please say "Kathy--pair work" in the subject line and I'll do my best to address your question. I look forward to our discussion! A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading By Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=990 My name is Sandra Banke. I and my colleague, Reuel Kurzet, were interviewed by Barbara Garner, editor of FOB, about the experience of implementing Sustained Silent Reading with beginning adult learners in "A Conversation with FOB." I am an English as a Second Language instructor for Portland Community College. I've been teaching adult learners of ESL in the Portland area for over 10 years. I am also a research-associate for the Adult ESOL Lab School at Portland State University. Since 2001, as part of my work with the Lab School, all of my classes have been digitally recorded and transcribed for research purposes. My professional interests include interaction in pair activities (in collaboration with Kathy Harris), reading instruction, and professional development. If you have a question regarding the use of SSR with beginning adult learners of ESL, please write "Reuel or Sandra - SSR" in the subject line. I look forward to a stimulating discussion. Rewarding Conversations By Betsy Kraft http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=991 My name is Betsy Kraft, and I wrote the article called "Rewarding Conversations". I teach a class at Portland State University where university seniors are conversation partners with English Language Learners at Portland Community College. The partnership began in the Lab School, where many sessions were video taped, and has since moved to one of the other community college sites. In their coursework, the university students learn strategies for working with ELL students and issues pertaining to immigration. If you want to talk about conversation partnerships, write "Betsy - conversation partnerships" in the subject line. Betsy Kraft Spontaneous Conversations: A Window into Language Learners' Autonomy By Dominique Brillanceau http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=992 My name is Dominique Brillanceau and I wrote the article called " Spontaneous Conversations". I have been an ESL instructor in the Portland area for the past 20 years and at the labschool for the past 5 years. I'm also a researcher associate at the labschool. The focus of my research in this particular article is to understand learning in the classroom specifically when it occurs outside of a teacher-set activity. Watching hours of authentic classroom video has allowed me to rethink learning and teaching in ways not otherwise possible. Hopefully this article begins to share what I have seen. Dominique Turn Taking and Opening Interactions By John Hellermann http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=993 My name is John Hellermann and I wrote the article called "Turn taking in adult ESOL classroom interaction: Practices for interaction in another language". I am a researcher at the adult ESOL Lab School and a faculty member at the Portland State University Applied Linguistics Dept. My research at the Lab School investigates conversational practices that occur in the language learning classroom which are usually invisible to teachers. My goal is to show how learning can be understood as learners change in participation in these conversational practices. When you have a question for me, please write "John?turn taking" in the subject line. Thanks, John Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From kabeall at comcast.net Tue Feb 28 12:53:59 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 12:53:59 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] New from NCSALL--Practitioner Research, Practitioner Knowledge Message-ID: <003301c63c8f$f5257360$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Visit the new Practitioner Research, Practitioner Knowledge section of NCSALL's Web site at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=967. Find out how practitioners learn about new research and then inquire about how this research might be used in their own practice. Teachers in the Northwest Practitioner Knowledge Institute learned about ESL research, made a change in their own practice, documented what happened when they made the change, and shared this knowledge in final reports. They developed and documented "practitioner knowledge" developed from learning about others' research. Teachers in the Minnesota Practitioner Research in Reading Project and the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network learned about others' research and also conducted research of their own. After learning about new research findings in reading or learner persistence, these teachers developed a research question on one of these topics, planned an intervention or change in their own practice, collected data on what happened as a result, analyzed these data and reported their findings. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060228/32e0dbc0/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Feb 28 19:34:47 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 19:34:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] One more Lab School Team Introduction Message-ID: Hi All, Here is one more introduction from Reuel Kurzet of the Lab School Team. A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=990 My name is Reuel Kurzet. Sandra Banke and I were interviewed by Barbara Garner, editor of Focus on Basics, about the Lab School's experience implementing sustained silent reading with low-level adult ESOL learners. I have been an ESL faculty member at Portland Community College (PCC) for 26 years; I am also the ESL Department Chair for one of the PCC's campuses and the PCC ESL site at the PSU Adult ESOL Lab School. Also, at the Lab School, I am the professional development associate. I do research on professional development and help to create professional development opportunities around the research coming out of the Lab School. My professional interests include student pair and small group activities, reading instruction, and professional development. If you have a question regarding the use of Sustained Silent Reading with beginning adult ESOL learners, please write "Reuel or Sandra--SSR" in the subject line. I look forward to this discussion. Reuel Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Mar 1 14:51:43 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:51:43 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Sandra Banke-SSR Message-ID: <30917387.1141242703846.JavaMail.root@vms070.mailsrvcs.net> Here's a question that isn't about the research per se, as much as the research process. Sandra, I assume your classroom was videotaped as the others were. Is that correct? If so, what impact, if any, did seeing yourself in the videos have on your teaching practice? Barb Garner From sbanke at pdx.edu Wed Mar 1 18:21:06 2006 From: sbanke at pdx.edu (sbanke at pdx.edu) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 15:21:06 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Sandra Banke-SSR In-Reply-To: <30917387.1141242703846.JavaMail.root@vms070.mailsrvcs.net> References: <30917387.1141242703846.JavaMail.root@vms070.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <1141255266.44062c62bf84d@webmail.pdx.edu> Hello Barbara- Sandra and Dominique here. Yes, we were video-taped during the year that we did the experiment with Sustained Silent Reading. However, we, the instructors, did not view the media to monitor the implementation of either condition as we were involved with other data-collection projects. We *did* reflect on our teaching every day in an audio-recorded "debrief session." As with any reflection, we found ourselves refining and altering our practice, keeping in mind the constraints of the condition that we were teaching in a given quarter (experimental/modified-SSR or control/conventional reading instruction). These "audio-logs" have been digitally catalogued and stored with its corresponding class session's video. Dominique and Sandra Quoting Barbara Garner : > Here's a question that isn't about the research per se, as much as the > research process. Sandra, I assume your classroom was videotaped as the > others were. Is that correct? If so, what impact, if any, did seeing yourself > in the videos have on your teaching practice? > > Barb Garner > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > From jswing at RADFORD.EDU Thu Mar 2 12:21:09 2006 From: jswing at RADFORD.EDU (Swing, Jane C) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 12:21:09 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Annual VAACE Conference Message-ID: <94408727380148499415989CDE2958780124E0D5@exchange03> The Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education invites you to Sail into Spring The Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE) invites you to attend its annual conference to be held May 3-5 at the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The conference will provide a wonderful opportunity for you to network and learn about the latest trends and issues facing adult education. Vendors will be on hand to show off their newest publications along with tried and true ones. Awards will be presented to some of Virginia's best adult education practitioners. The conference planning team is in search of presenters to offer interesting and relevant sessions for our participants. They know there are many people doing great work in adult education. Now is the time to share what you are doing with others. Encourage your peers to share their work and knowledge through a workshop presentation. The workshop proposal form is attached to this message. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn, renew, and relax in a wonderful setting with colleagues who are facing the same issues, challenges and rewards. More information about VAACE and this year's conference can be found at www.vaace.org . Jane C. Swing, Director Office of Adult Education and Literacy Projects Radford University PO Box 7015 A 136 Peters Hall Radford, VA 24142 540-831-6207 FAX 540-831-5779 jswing at radford.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060302/17cbc4a8/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Mar 2 14:29:11 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2006 14:29:11 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Steve--overall Lab School Message-ID: Hi Steve and the rest of the team, I have a question about the Lab School itself. It seems that you have an incredibly unique situation in that you can watch (through video) what happens in the ESOL classroom between the students at any given time. So you can observe what the teacher cannot see, for example how students interact when doing pair work or other tasks when the teacher is not interacting with them. So you have this capability, and thousands (?) of hours of recorded data of this type. How do you decide what research to use this data for? How do you pick which specific questions to pose? Thanks, Julie McKinney Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From reders at pdx.edu Fri Mar 3 00:40:46 2006 From: reders at pdx.edu (Steve Reder) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 21:40:46 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Steve--overall Lab School In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <200603030540.k235ekJO006717@njord.oit.pdx.edu> Good question, Julie. We do have a lot of video data that we believe can be very useful for a variety of research topics and for professional development purposes in our field. Our intention in designing the lab school was for this large compilation of data to be a rich resource not only for our work but for others in our field as well. We have developed software tools that enable others -- whether in Portland or elsewhere on the Internet -- to access these data to conduct their own research or create their own teacher training materials. We picked our initial research questions based on our team's collective experience as ESL teachers and researchers. Our decisions were helped along by reviewing previous research in the field, by input from programs and practitioners, and from an expert advisory group. We settled on several strands of research that we thought would be very useful additions to the base of knowledge in our field. Two of our major strands or questions are: (1) How do interactions between students in beginning level classes contribute to learning English (and how can teachers setup activities to facilitate student-student interactions and learning)? (2) How do individual students, when followed over time, progress in their acquisition of English. Examples of studies in each of these strands can be seen in the FOB articles by Kathy Harris and John Hellermann. Other researchers, teachers and professional developers are starting to work with our media and data on their own questions and around their own interests. We're eager to hear from others who may have questions or ideas about how to use this resource in their teaching, research or professional development materials. -Steve Reder -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 11:29 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Steve--overall Lab School Hi Steve and the rest of the team, I have a question about the Lab School itself. It seems that you have an incredibly unique situation in that you can watch (through video) what happens in the ESOL classroom between the students at any given time. So you can observe what the teacher cannot see, for example how students interact when doing pair work or other tasks when the teacher is not interacting with them. So you have this capability, and thousands (?) of hours of recorded data of this type. How do you decide what research to use this data for? How do you pick which specific questions to pose? Thanks, Julie McKinney Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From harriska at pdx.edu Fri Mar 3 15:27:56 2006 From: harriska at pdx.edu (Kathryn Harris) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 12:27:56 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] seeing ESOL classes on videotape Message-ID: <200603032027.k23KRuEj016970@njord.oit.pdx.edu> Hi list members, this is Kathy, one of the authors in the recent FOB issue. I'd like to pose a question to you all. Here at the lab school we have a unique view of ESOL classrooms because we have cameras that record classes-not just a few minutes of classrooms, but every minute of every day. Jokingly, we call our video "reality classrooms" like the reality shows on TV. Using the video we have a perspective that isn't usually available to teachers and researchers. We use the recordings to do our research on learning and teaching. We also use the recordings to do professional development and to illustrate our research, as in this FOB issue. Please pick any clip that is part of the FOB issue. Then answer the question, how does this video clip help me understand the research or help me understand the students in my classroom? Here is the link to the FOB issue. Each of the articles has a link to clips in it. In encourage you to choose clips from the article that is most relevant to your work context. http://www.ncsall.net/?id=986 Your answers will really help me make my work more accessible to others. Thanks! Kathy **************************************** Kathryn A. Harris Portland State University Dept. of Applied Linguistics and the Adult ESOL Lab School P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 USA phone: (503)725-8300 fax: (503)725-4139 email: harriska at pdx.edu www.labschool.pdx.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060303/c5dea3c5/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Mar 3 16:06:50 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 16:06:50 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Discussion goes through 3/7 - Here are the links again Message-ID: Hi All, I just want to let you know that this discussion going on now with the Lab School team from Portland will continue through Tuesday, March 7th. For your convenience, I am including the links again to the articles whose authors are participating this week. Please share your thoughts and questions with them! The "Lab School" By Steve Reder (Please put "Steve?overall lab school" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=987 Same Activity, Different Focus [Pair Activities] By Kathryn Harris (Please put "Kathy--pair work" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=988 A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading By Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet (Please put "Reuel or Sandra - SSR" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=990 Rewarding Conversations By Betsy Kraft (Please put "Betsy - conversation partnerships" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=991 Spontaneous Conversations: A Window into Language Learners' Autonomy By Dominique Brillanceau (Please put "Dominique - Spontaneous Conversations" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=992 Turn Taking and Opening Interactions By John Hellermann (Please put "John?turn taking" in the subject line.) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=993 For questions to the whole group, of course, choose a subject line to fit! Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Sun Mar 5 22:17:01 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 22:17:01 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources/Links from Robin's Discussion Message-ID: Hi All, Here is the compilation of links, book names, etc. from the discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners with Robin Schwarz. (Let me know if you want a formatted version, and I can send it as an attachment.) Julie Resources from Robin's Discussion: Phonemic Awareness Resources "How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities for Collaborative Classrooms" by Patricia J. Edelen-Smith. Published in Intervention in School and Clinic in 1997Vol 33 #2 Try googling "Phonemic Awareness" Books and Workbooks "Pronunciation Contrasts in English" by D L. F. Nilsen and A. P. Nilsen. (recently reprinted) (It is a book of all the minimal pairs in English-- and each page includes a diagram of the mouth for each sound, plus a list of all the languages for which that contrast is a a difficulty.) "Listening Dictation" by Joan Morley It has lessons designed to help learners hear specific words and structures in sentences and to pay attention to prepositions and other small words that learners of English tend to miss. It addresses all four skills, too, listening, speaking, writing and reading. "Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association www.ldaminnesota.org This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. "The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART)" A great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults. "English Sounds and Spelling" by McClelland, Hale and Beaudikofer (no longer in print, but available on the internet.) It is a very straightforward English (ESL) phonics books, but it has many great line drawings of words ESL learners need to know that can be cut up and used for many kinds of practice. The actual phonics lessons are good, but presume a certain level of other-language literacy, as most ESL phonics books do. Programs and Screenings The Beery Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI) It involves copying geometric figures and is remarkably diagnostic for problems of copying things accurately. You can probably get a version of it by googling. The Hull Screening (Was available in MA, but is hard to get hold of.) This has a version of the VMI, too. www.irlen.com A self test for visual linked stress syndrome, and forms for ordering colored overlays. (But beware--when you open that site, it starts with an example of what many people see!!!) . Organization: ProLiteracy Creates training programs for new tutors because literacy providers know that if tutors are untrained, learners cannot progress and will not persist. Resources for information about languages, language structure, history, culture, etc... http://www.ethnologue.com/ http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/languageList.html >from Dominique Brillanceau CAELA: Center for Adult English Language Acquisition http://www.cal.org/caela/ NCELA: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ The Office of Refugee Concerns More resources from people other than Robin: The following four are resources for pre-literate learners compiled (with thanks) by Jean Marrapodi from discussion on ESOL list: "The LaRue Literacy Skills Test" Developed with a grant from the MN Dept of Education. http://www.mcedservices.com/PDFs.html >From Charles LaRue "The Canadian Language Benchmarks: ESL for Literacy Learners" Starts out at the Foundation Level with the assumption that learners have never even held a pencil. http://www.language.ca/display_page.asp?page_id=255 >From Pauline Mcnaughton "Making It Real": a guide to teaching adult pre-literate refugees. From the Tacoma Community House Training Project in Tacoma, Washington http://www.tchtrainingproject.com >From Shash Woods "Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners" >From the National Center for Family Literacy along with the Center for Applied Linguistics. See section II, pages 57 -59 for info on phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic processing, and background knowledge. See pages II- 60 -61 for pre-reading activities to use with pre-literate and nonliterate English language learners. http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html >From Marian Burt http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm A source of a standard for assessment. >from Aaron Kohring: www.dibels.com An example of a "highly incorrect" nonsense word testing system. Contains many incorrectly spelled nonsense words. >from Don McCabe, who adds: If you would like assistance in a project such as that, I would be glad to help. And when I offer help, I am not asking for money. We are very nonprofit here at AVKO. Don McCabe, Research Director AVKO Educational Research Foundation spelling.org Assistance with vision testing: Call your local Wal-mart and ask their VisionCenter what they have available. I recently was sent to them for coupons for kids that cover full exam, lenses and frames. They also suggested I call my local Lions Club, as they also offer child and adult vision assistance. >from Kathleen Morgan: Jazz Chants (book and cassettes) By Carolyn Graham >from Sandy Fox and Robin PowerPath, A wonderful LD screening tool. >from Geri Irving Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Mon Mar 6 06:26:02 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 11:26:02 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development References: Message-ID: <008901c64110$c0980bf0$0302a8c0@Tomschoice> Hello Aliya, I'm sorry that I missed your reply which you sent nearly a fortnight ago. You confirm our suspicions that concepts are not being taught properly, and that a definitive guide to synthetic phonics, and all aspects of teaching it, is needed. We are discussing the production of such a guide. Best wishes, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aliya AbdulLatif" To: Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:18 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development > Hi John > > I believe that we are receiving inadequate training in Literacy Level 4 as > well. The teacher is not explaining the terms properly. Like I said I am > not > finding that too difficult since I am already familiar with most of the > concepts but most of the students think the course is too difficult for > them > and they cannot even apply most of what they study in the class. We are > studying Sythetic and Analytic Phonics in Phonology but even these topics > were not taught properly. I know at level 4 we are expected to do alot of > learning on our own but still for my colleagues the course is not being > delivered properly. The delivery methods are not adequate either hence > teachers are blaming the syllabus and not the trainers. I hope they will > provide trainers with adequate training before initiating the course. > Thank > you for your comments. > Aliya > > >>From: "John Nissen" >>Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >>To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >>CC: Jennifer Chew ,Debbie Hepplewhite >>,John Rack >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >>Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:35:57 -0000 >> >> >>Hi Aliya, >> >>It is very good to have a person who understands linguistics teaching >>literacy, because many teachers flounder through lack of understanding of >>the elements of language. My particular concern is that, with the UK >>going >>over to synthetic phonics, teachers will not understand the basis of that >>change, and will continue in their old ways whilst trying to bolt on the >>phonics. This will not work, and when they get poor results they will >>blame >>the method. So we really need to have good guidance to teachers, with >>practical advice on how to teach in various settings and how to teach >>learners with particular problems, including vision or hearing impairment, >>attention deficit, language understanding, conceptual misunderstandings, >>memory of sounds, etc. At the moment such guidance is lacking, and we >>intend to do something about this. We know that there are already some >>good >>programmes to follow, such as Jolly Phonics, but without the teacher >>understanding the basis for synthetic phonics, and without practical >>advice, >>the teacher is liable to fail to implement the method properly and obtain >>the 100% success which was shown to be possible in Clackmannanshire. So >>good guidance will be crucial in teacher training. >> >>Best wishes, >> >>John >> >>John Nissen >>Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk >>maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. >>Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: >>http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm >>Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 >>Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk >> >> >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: "Aliya AbdulLatif" >>To: >>Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 6:16 PM >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >> >> >> > >> > I am in UK and training to be a Literacy Tutor but so far except one >> > excercise everything else we are being trained in does not make any >>sense. >> > Well, not to me because I have studied linguistics before but most of >> > my >> > colleagues are facing difficulties trying to grasp the whole training >> > aspects. I believe the training should be more practical. We can write >> > tonnes of assignments but that will only show our skills of writing and >> > not >> > teaching or pdegogy. >> > >> >>From: "Missy Slaathaug" >> >>Reply-To: mslaathaug at midco.net,The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >> >> >>To: "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" >> >>Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >> >>Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:40:54 -0600 >> >> >> >>Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless flyover states! >> >> >> >>And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers absolutely need to be >> >>trained and educated in this. My comment was only that too much >> >>information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or even >> >>counter-productive. Teachers can only absorb so much in one six hour >> >>training, and usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a >> >>conceptual framework to help them process much information. They are >> >>hungry for classroom strategies and techniques - they want to know what >> >>to DO in the multi-level classroom that they are facing the very next >> >>week. >> >> >> >>But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for adult ed >> >>teachers, and the entire rest of your posting, I couldn't agree with >> >>you >> >>more. >> >> >> >>Missy Slaathaug >> >>Pierre, South Dakota >> >> >> >>-----Original Message----- >> >>From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >> >>[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of >> >>robinschwarz1 at aol.com >> >>Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM >> >>To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >> >>Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional development >> >> >> >>Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or Washington and to >> >>Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was teacher >> >>professional development and the fear of overloading teachers with >> >>information. >> >> >> >>This topic is near and dear to my heart. As I indicated in another >> >>posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of ESL does not >> >>seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really hard-core learning >> >>problems that several readers and responders have mentioned. >> >> >> >>In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion of profesisonal >> >>development qualification standards for teachers in adult education was >> >>mentioned. >> >> >> >>Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that teachers in >> >>adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully unqualified to do >> >>what they do. Then learners suffer. My article in FOB indicated >> >>that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not prepared to ask >> >>the right questions or to consider the key issues in adult ESOL >> >>learners' situations that significantly impact the learners' progress >> >>in their settings. >> >> [snip] >> >> Robin From mjjerdems at yahoo.com Mon Mar 6 08:19:16 2006 From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 05:19:16 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Resources/Links from Robin's Discussion In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060306131916.99352.qmail@web54004.mail.yahoo.com> Thank you so much, Julie. I'd compiled a part of this list. Mary Jane Jerde Julie McKinney wrote: Hi All, Here is the compilation of links, book names, etc. from the discussion on Struggling ESOL Learners with Robin Schwarz. (Let me know if you want a formatted version, and I can send it as an attachment.) Julie Resources from Robin's Discussion: Phonemic Awareness Resources "How Now Brown Cow: Phoneme Awareness Activities for Collaborative Classrooms" by Patricia J. Edelen-Smith. Published in Intervention in School and Clinic in 1997Vol 33 #2 Try googling "Phonemic Awareness" Books and Workbooks "Pronunciation Contrasts in English" by D L. F. Nilsen and A. P. Nilsen. (recently reprinted) (It is a book of all the minimal pairs in English-- and each page includes a diagram of the mouth for each sound, plus a list of all the languages for which that contrast is a a difficulty.) "Listening Dictation" by Joan Morley It has lessons designed to help learners hear specific words and structures in sentences and to pay attention to prepositions and other small words that learners of English tend to miss. It addresses all four skills, too, listening, speaking, writing and reading. "Taking Action: A Handbook for Instructors of Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities" produced and distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities Association www.ldaminnesota.org This walks teachers through the topic of LD and an approach to determining if other problems might be at the root of learning difficulties. "The Adult Reading Toolkit ( ART)" A great handbook for tutors teaching reading to English-speaking adults. "English Sounds and Spelling" by McClelland, Hale and Beaudikofer (no longer in print, but available on the internet.) It is a very straightforward English (ESL) phonics books, but it has many great line drawings of words ESL learners need to know that can be cut up and used for many kinds of practice. The actual phonics lessons are good, but presume a certain level of other-language literacy, as most ESL phonics books do. Programs and Screenings The Beery Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI) It involves copying geometric figures and is remarkably diagnostic for problems of copying things accurately. You can probably get a version of it by googling. The Hull Screening (Was available in MA, but is hard to get hold of.) This has a version of the VMI, too. www.irlen.com A self test for visual linked stress syndrome, and forms for ordering colored overlays. (But beware--when you open that site, it starts with an example of what many people see!!!) . Organization: ProLiteracy Creates training programs for new tutors because literacy providers know that if tutors are untrained, learners cannot progress and will not persist. Resources for information about languages, language structure, history, culture, etc... http://www.ethnologue.com/ http://www.nvtc.gov/lotw/languageList.html >from Dominique Brillanceau CAELA: Center for Adult English Language Acquisition http://www.cal.org/caela/ NCELA: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ The Office of Refugee Concerns More resources from people other than Robin: The following four are resources for pre-literate learners compiled (with thanks) by Jean Marrapodi from discussion on ESOL list: "The LaRue Literacy Skills Test" Developed with a grant from the MN Dept of Education. http://www.mcedservices.com/PDFs.html >From Charles LaRue "The Canadian Language Benchmarks: ESL for Literacy Learners" Starts out at the Foundation Level with the assumption that learners have never even held a pencil. http://www.language.ca/display_page.asp?page_id=255 >From Pauline Mcnaughton "Making It Real": a guide to teaching adult pre-literate refugees. From the Tacoma Community House Training Project in Tacoma, Washington http://www.tchtrainingproject.com >From Shash Woods "Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners" >From the National Center for Family Literacy along with the Center for Applied Linguistics. See section II, pages 57 -59 for info on phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic processing, and background knowledge. See pages II- 60 -61 for pre-reading activities to use with pre-literate and nonliterate English language learners. http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html >From Marian Burt http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/read5.htm A source of a standard for assessment. >from Aaron Kohring: www.dibels.com An example of a "highly incorrect" nonsense word testing system. Contains many incorrectly spelled nonsense words. >from Don McCabe, who adds: If you would like assistance in a project such as that, I would be glad to help. And when I offer help, I am not asking for money. We are very nonprofit here at AVKO. Don McCabe, Research Director AVKO Educational Research Foundation spelling.org Assistance with vision testing: Call your local Wal-mart and ask their VisionCenter what they have available. I recently was sent to them for coupons for kids that cover full exam, lenses and frames. They also suggested I call my local Lions Club, as they also offer child and adult vision assistance. >from Kathleen Morgan: Jazz Chants (book and cassettes) By Carolyn Graham >from Sandy Fox and Robin PowerPath, A wonderful LD screening tool. >from Geri Irving Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060306/be1ea25a/attachment.html From rkurzet at pdx.edu Mon Mar 6 12:36:35 2006 From: rkurzet at pdx.edu (rkurzet at pdx.edu) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2006 09:36:35 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] seeing ESOL classes on videotape In-Reply-To: <200603032027.k23KRuEj016970@njord.oit.pdx.edu> References: <200603032027.k23KRuEj016970@njord.oit.pdx.edu> Message-ID: <1141666595.440c732396c1d@webmail.pdx.edu> Kathy, What a great challenge to FOB readers. Excellent idea. Kudos! Reuel Quoting Kathryn Harris : > Hi list members, this is Kathy, one of the authors in the recent FOB issue. > I'd like to pose a question to you all. > > > > Here at the lab school we have a unique view of ESOL classrooms because we > have cameras that record classes-not just a few minutes of classrooms, but > every minute of every day. Jokingly, we call our video "reality classrooms" > like the reality shows on TV. Using the video we have a perspective that > isn't usually available to teachers and researchers. > > > > We use the recordings to do our research on learning and teaching. We also > use the recordings to do professional development and to illustrate our > research, as in this FOB issue. > > > > Please pick any clip that is part of the FOB issue. Then answer the > question, how does this video clip help me understand the research or help > me understand the students in my classroom? > > > > Here is the link to the FOB issue. Each of the articles has a link to clips > in it. In encourage you to choose clips from the article that is most > relevant to your work context. http://www.ncsall.net/?id=986 > > > > > > Your answers will really help me make my work more accessible to others. > > > > Thanks! > Kathy > > > > > > > > > > **************************************** > > Kathryn A. Harris > > Portland State University > > Dept. of Applied Linguistics and the Adult ESOL Lab School > > P.O. Box 751 > > Portland, OR 97207 > > USA > > phone: (503)725-8300 > > fax: (503)725-4139 > > email: harriska at pdx.edu > > www.labschool.pdx.edu > > > > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Mar 7 11:16:34 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:16:34 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] seeing ESOL classes on videotape Message-ID: These video clips are really interesting to see! I would encourage everyone to try to view one or two of these clips. It gives a much clearer understanding of what the Lab School can study, and what happens in those precious classroom moments that are unencumbered by teacher presence. The technology (like all technology!) is a bit funky, but it's worth it if you can persevere through it. When you put in a URL for one of the video clips, your computer will prompt you to install the ClassAction software (from Portland State U.) which allows you to view the clips. Then follow the instructions and click on "Agree" and then "Clip". Please try to see one, and answer back with any thoughts on how it allows you to understand your class, or this research any differently! See below for the video clip URLs that go with the FOB research articles. Same Activity, Different Focus (Pair Activities) By Kathryn Harris www.labschool.pdx.edu/Viewer/viewer.php?pair_interaction Rewarding Conversations By Betsy Kraft www.labschool.pdx.edu/Viewer/viewer.php?pl=Betsys%20NCSALL%20Clips&cl=Heidi Spontaneous Conversations By Dominique Brillanceau www.labschool.pdx.edu/Viewer/viewer.php?sponcovfob Turn-taking and Opening Interactions By John Hellermann www.labschool.pdx.edu/Viewer/viewer.php?FOB3jkh Good Luck! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> harriska at pdx.edu 03/03/06 3:27 PM >>> Hi list members, this is Kathy, one of the authors in the recent FOB issue. I'd like to pose a question to you all. Here at the lab school we have a unique view of ESOL classrooms because we have cameras that record classes-not just a few minutes of classrooms, but every minute of every day. Jokingly, we call our video "reality classrooms" like the reality shows on TV. Using the video we have a perspective that isn't usually available to teachers and researchers. We use the recordings to do our research on learning and teaching. We also use the recordings to do professional development and to illustrate our research, as in this FOB issue. Please pick any clip that is part of the FOB issue. Then answer the question, how does this video clip help me understand the research or help me understand the students in my classroom? Here is the link to the FOB issue. Each of the articles has a link to clips in it. In encourage you to choose clips from the article that is most relevant to your work context. http://www.ncsall.net/?id=986 Your answers will really help me make my work more accessible to others. Thanks! Kathy **************************************** Kathryn A. Harris Portland State University Dept. of Applied Linguistics and the Adult ESOL Lab School P.O. Box 751 Portland, OR 97207 USA phone: (503)725-8300 fax: (503)725-4139 email: harriska at pdx.edu www.labschool.pdx.edu From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Mar 8 08:20:37 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 08:20:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] New from NCSALL--Skills for Chronic Disease Management Message-ID: <002601c642b3$16f1ea90$0c0fca0a@your4105e587b6> Skills for Chronic Disease Management by Rima Rudd, Lisa Soricone, Maricel Santos, Charlotte Nath, and Janet Smith is now available from NCSALL. The goal of this 15-hour study circle+ is to prepare participants to help their students develop basic skills needed for chronic disease management. These skills include reading medicine labels, following directions, and measuring dosages correctly; using measurement tools to monitor health; monitoring symptoms and talking to health care professionals the observations; and making critical decisions about health care. To download the Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitator's Guide: Skills for Chronic Disease Management, visit NCSALL's Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1058 To order the Health Literacy Study Circle+ Facilitator's Guide: Skills for Chronic Disease Management at $33.00/copy, go to the NCSALL Order Form: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=674 **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060308/e6fe4fc8/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Mar 9 12:37:57 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 12:37:57 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] note about next message Message-ID: Hi All, After this message is one from Robin Schwarz called "a lament". I just wanted to put it in context because it is in response to some discussion a couple weeks ago. It is in response to Iris and Andrea talking about studies on teacher expectaions. By the way, please feel free to keep discussing any of this! Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Mar 6 21:12:58 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2006 21:12:58 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <256.6f98e95.3130e33d@aol.com> References: <256.6f98e95.3130e33d@aol.com> Message-ID: <8C80FA3C9BA84C0-954-E0D3@MBLK-R08.sysops.aol.com> Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Mar 9 13:42:52 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 13:42:52 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Thank you Lab School Team! Message-ID: Hi All, I want to thank the Lab School Team for being available, for sharing their research through FOB, and for introducing us to the video clips of classroom interactions and the concept of studying these hidden gems. Although the discussion "week" is over, any questions or comments about the team's work and their articles will still be welcome! (After all, they are the bulk of the last FOB issue.) Thank you, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From tarv at chemeketa.edu Thu Mar 9 12:47:42 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:47:42 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B5392@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From bddavis at butlercc.edu Thu Mar 9 14:20:46 2006 From: bddavis at butlercc.edu (Beverly Davis) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 13:20:46 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <1517364.1141932046397.JavaMail.bddavis@butlercc.edu> The movie is "Stand and Deliver" Virginia Tardaewether wrote: >There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. >va > >Virginia Tardaewether >Chemeketa Community College >4000 Lancaster Drive NE >Salem, OR 97305 >503-399-6147 > > >When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. >Voices of the Heart > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of >robinschwarz1 at aol.com >Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament > > >Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher >expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this >study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new >program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to >see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the >researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only >factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher >expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students >could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students >of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did >relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- >fulfilling prophecy. > >Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on >teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the >expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as >special needs in any way. > >Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this >attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. >Robin Schwarz > >-----Original Message----- >From: AWilder106 at aol.com >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament > >Hi Iris, > >I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on >low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do >remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the >teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one >teacher, I can't remember now.) > >When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. > >It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What >can I say;? I was very young. > >Andrea. > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > --------------------------------------- It is not the load that breaks you, it is the way you carry it. Beverly Davis ABE/GEDButler Community College Instructional Coordinator (316) 321-4030, ext. 113 From mslaathaug at midco.net Thu Mar 9 14:25:10 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 13:25:10 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B5392@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> Message-ID: <007b01c643af$2ed497a0$150ac90a@explorit3> The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film. I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs. It's a great film. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060309/84748bb5/attachment.html From jclizer at columbiabasin.edu Thu Mar 9 15:42:12 2006 From: jclizer at columbiabasin.edu (Jason Clizer) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 12:42:12 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: "Stand and Deliver" is the name of the movie. It is a good movie to show in an adult ed. class. Jason Clizer ESL Instructor Columbia Basin College, Pasco WA 99301 Telephone:509/547-0511 #2588 Email:jclizer at columbiabasin.edu >>> tarv at chemeketa.edu 03/09/06 09:47AM >>> There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From tarv at chemeketa.edu Thu Mar 9 16:27:03 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 13:27:03 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B5395@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> thanks I had forgotten the name, but it was real to me Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Beverly Davis Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:21 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament The movie is "Stand and Deliver" Virginia Tardaewether wrote: >There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. >va > >Virginia Tardaewether >Chemeketa Community College >4000 Lancaster Drive NE >Salem, OR 97305 >503-399-6147 > > >When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. >Voices of the Heart > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of >robinschwarz1 at aol.com >Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament > > >Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher >expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this >study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new >program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to >see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the >researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only >factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher >expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students >could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students >of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did >relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- >fulfilling prophecy. > >Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on >teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the >expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as >special needs in any way. > >Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this >attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. >Robin Schwarz > >-----Original Message----- >From: AWilder106 at aol.com >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament > >Hi Iris, > >I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on >low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do >remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the >teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one >teacher, I can't remember now.) > >When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. > >It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What >can I say;? I was very young. > >Andrea. > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > --------------------------------------- It is not the load that breaks you, it is the way you carry it. Beverly Davis ABE/GEDButler Community College Instructional Coordinator (316) 321-4030, ext. 113 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Thu Mar 9 22:49:31 2006 From: eslmax2004 at yahoo.com (Barb L) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 19:49:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations In-Reply-To: <007b01c643af$2ed497a0$150ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <20060310034931.6849.qmail@web53407.mail.yahoo.com> A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas. He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college. What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students. The high achievement of the Vietnamese students was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students. However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Missy Slaathaug wrote: The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film. I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs. It?s a great film. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060309/64b7557f/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Thu Mar 9 23:06:19 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 23:06:19 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B5392@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> References: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A93024B5392@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> Message-ID: <8C8120F1E99196A-BAC-6C3D@mblk-r23.sysops.aol.com> Virginia -- that movie was "Stand and Deliver"-- one of my all-time favorite movies--and a mostly-true story, too-- and yes--this teacher had very high standards for the Spanish speaking students and made sure they got the support and instruction they needed to fill in the gaps they had in trying to meet his expectations. It is such an inspiring movie. It also gives clear pictures of challenges many ELL/CLD learners' face both in school and out-- taking care of siblings while parents work, parents who don't understand American school demands, kids who must themselves work, peer pressure, teachers who do not understand them etc. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Virginia Tardaewether To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:47:42 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Fri Mar 10 08:39:53 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:39:53 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Message-ID: <44118FBA020000A0000021D7@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> The importance of teacher expectations and student ability hit home for me recently at a professional development event I attended. I was fortunate enough to be in an environment with a majority of curriculum instructors. There were only 5 Adult Educational Professionals at the event - and it was eye opening for all of us. One of the things that came up was "differently abled" students. A curriculum instructor commented on how she had a student who was handicapped - if memory serves, the student has Tourettes Syndrome, and how difficult it was for him to meet her expectations. She had already decided he could not perform in her class. Another instructor had taught the same student a previous semester and had a totally different experience with the student. He was well pleased with the student's performance and talked about how with the right structure, the student just thrived. From a third person in the group, the comment came "Sometimes, you just go ahead and accept that differently abled student is going to fail at a certain point". I was appalled. to hear any instructor say that. It still bothers me. I pointed out, when I had the chance to speak, that Basic Skills teachers deal with the learning disabled and physically disbaled daily and sometimes our students don't even know they have a learning disability but that we help our students achieve success by meeting the student needs not by having the student meet our needs. This comment met with some very mixed reactions and alot of "Well, we just can't do that in curriculum or I don't have the time to adjust my teaching style for one student." Teacher expectations go a long way in student performance. If you as a teacher believe in your students, your students will find more and more reason to believe in themselves and you'll see their achievement climb. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> robinschwarz1 at aol.com >>> Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri Mar 10 09:40:06 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 08:40:06 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... Message-ID: <17340862.1142001607027.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> This is a great conversation. I totally agree that teacher expectations are crucial to achievement. It's not simple, however. For example, my child's first grade teacher, a well traine reading teacher with no knowledge of second language learners, has very high expectations for all her students. She had a number of second language speaking kids the year my child was in her class. These kids, children of scientists, were fluent in first grade classroom English and "reading" ahead of their grade. Because they did so well and because she hadn't received any training in second language reading, she failed to realize that they had huge gaps in their vocabulary. I noticed it when volunteering in the reading program. I knew they spoke Chinese at home and so, as a former ESOL teacher, I wondered if their comprehension matched their decoding skills. The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to certain students' learning needs. Barb Garner Focus on Basics From: Katrina Hinson Date: Fri Mar 10 07:39:53 CST 2006 To: robinschwarz1 at aol.com, focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament The importance of teacher expectations and student ability hit home for me recently at a professional development event I attended. I was fortunate enough to be in an environment with a majority of curriculum instructors. There were only 5 Adult Educational Professionals at the event - and it was eye opening for all of us. One of the things that came up was "differently abled" students. A curriculum instructor commented on how she had a student who was handicapped - if memory serves, the student has Tourettes Syndrome, and how difficult it was for him to meet her expectations. She had already decided he could not perform in her class. Another instructor had taught the same student a previous semester and had a totally different experience with the student. He was well pleased with the student's performance and talked about how with the right structure, the student just thrived. From a third person in the group, the comment came "Sometimes, you just go ahead and accept that differently abled student is going to fail at a certain point". I was appalled. to hear any instructor say that. It still bothers me. I pointed out, when I had the chance to speak, that Basic Skills teachers deal with the learning disabled and physically disbaled daily and sometimes our students don't even know they have a learning disability but that we help our students achieve success by meeting the student needs not by having the student meet our needs. This comment met with some very mixed reactions and alot of "Well, we just can't do that in curriculum or I don't have the time to adjust my teaching style for one student." Teacher expectations go a long way in student performance. If you as a teacher believe in your students, your students will find more and more reason to believe in themselves and you'll see their achievement climb. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> robinschwarz1 at aol.com >>> Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From l.cuttler at comcast.net Fri Mar 10 07:43:54 2006 From: l.cuttler at comcast.net (Lucille Cuttler) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:43:54 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: <8C8120F1E99196A-BAC-6C3D@mblk-r23.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: Does everyone out there know the book "PYGMALION IN THE CLASSROOM" - documentation about expectations. This was a required reading when preparing to be a teacher. Lucille Cuttler -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:06 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Virginia -- that movie was "Stand and Deliver"-- one of my all-time favorite movies--and a mostly-true story, too-- and yes--this teacher had very high standards for the Spanish speaking students and made sure they got the support and instruction they needed to fill in the gaps they had in trying to meet his expectations. It is such an inspiring movie. It also gives clear pictures of challenges many ELL/CLD learners' face both in school and out-- taking care of siblings while parents work, parents who don't understand American school demands, kids who must themselves work, peer pressure, teachers who do not understand them etc. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Virginia Tardaewether To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:47:42 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Fri Mar 10 10:48:05 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:48:05 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... In-Reply-To: <17340862.1142001607027.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> References: <17340862.1142001607027.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <44119FB5.2020705@isp.com> Barbara Garner wrote: > The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, > we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to > certain students' learning needs. I believe that having high expectations does, in fact, result in high performance for many students because many students will work extremely hard to please the people around them. It's the students for whom it does not work well that concern me and there are many of them. I get concerned about who forms the expectations. When we say teachers should have high expectations for their students, I take that to mean I should expect my student to perform well at the challenges I provide. He or she performs at the level I expect. Personally I see that as me being rather arrogant because I presume to know more about what my student needs to know than my student does. A traditional American Indian view is that we should not have expectations for others, that "expect" and "respect" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps this helps explain why so many American Indian children do poorly in our modern school systems and they drop out at extremely high rates. A different twist to this topic is students' high expectations of themselves. This is far more important and more healthy in my view. I feel I can encourage students to develop their own high expectations and experience very positive results, but it shifts the emphasis from teacher to student. So often in the field of education we hear about the need to make learning student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I believe deeply that this begins with the question, who holds the expectations? Tom Woods From janeaddeo at comcast.net Fri Mar 10 13:51:18 2006 From: janeaddeo at comcast.net (janeaddeo at comcast.net) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 18:51:18 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations Message-ID: <031020061851.4488.4411CAA5000CB03B000011882200735834010A0B0B0E0A020E06@comcast.net> Barb, The study seems very interesting. Would you please provide the complete reference? Thanks, Jane -------------- Original message -------------- From: Barb L A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas. He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college. What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students. The high achievement of the Vietnamese students was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students. However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Missy Slaathaug wrote: The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film. I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs. It?s a great film. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. Thi s reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kent ucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lyi ng to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher t hat I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060310/f9cd2208/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Barb L Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 14:08:27 +0000 Size: 778 Url: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060310/f9cd2208/attachment.mht From Deborah.Skillington at sctworkforce.org Fri Mar 10 13:58:41 2006 From: Deborah.Skillington at sctworkforce.org (Deborah Skillington) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 12:58:41 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... Message-ID: <3CB81F831AFD584290A6AB1859F783E94C9AAC@adminserver2.sctworkforce.org> I agree with you Barbara. It is very important for the student to believe that they can accomplish the challenges they are given. It is the teachers job to encourage, find levels they can perform successfully; and have positive experiences until they can believe in themselves. Deborah Skillington District 8 TN Support Network Contact Maury County Adult Education Families First Teacher 119 Nashville Highway, Suite 106 Columbia, TN 38401 931-490-3818 work phone Deborah.Skillington at sctworkforce.org -email address ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Woods Sent: Fri 3/10/2006 9:48 AM To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... Barbara Garner wrote: > The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, > we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to > certain students' learning needs. I believe that having high expectations does, in fact, result in high performance for many students because many students will work extremely hard to please the people around them. It's the students for whom it does not work well that concern me and there are many of them. I get concerned about who forms the expectations. When we say teachers should have high expectations for their students, I take that to mean I should expect my student to perform well at the challenges I provide. He or she performs at the level I expect. Personally I see that as me being rather arrogant because I presume to know more about what my student needs to know than my student does. A traditional American Indian view is that we should not have expectations for others, that "expect" and "respect" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps this helps explain why so many American Indian children do poorly in our modern school systems and they drop out at extremely high rates. A different twist to this topic is students' high expectations of themselves. This is far more important and more healthy in my view. I feel I can encourage students to develop their own high expectations and experience very positive results, but it shifts the emphasis from teacher to student. So often in the field of education we hear about the need to make learning student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I believe deeply that this begins with the question, who holds the expectations? Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 6121 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060310/89099801/attachment.bin From khinson at future-gate.com Fri Mar 10 14:25:17 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:25:17 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... Message-ID: <4411E0AD020000A0000021E0@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> I think one of the things to consider is that often adult students have had very little success in school before coming to us and that one of the first things they need to know is that someone believes in them - believes he/she can be successful etc. I agree that our students expectations of themselves is very important - at the same time, some of them don't even know where to begin to create that expectation and they can learn to have their own personal expectations from having teachers that believe in them and help them make connections for themselves to find their own success. For some adult students, their self esteem has been so badly damaged by encountering people who expect nothing or who assume that they are incapable of learning that the student has learned to internalize that as "I'm stupid" or "I can't learn" when in actuality, all they really needed was a teacher that knew how to put a student on the right path. Expectations need to work both ways. The student needs to have expectations for him or herself; the teacher also needs to expect the student to be able to achieve and to find ways to encourage and nurture that success. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> woodsnh at isp.com >>> Barbara Garner wrote: > The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, > we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to > certain students' learning needs. I believe that having high expectations does, in fact, result in high performance for many students because many students will work extremely hard to please the people around them. It's the students for whom it does not work well that concern me and there are many of them. I get concerned about who forms the expectations. When we say teachers should have high expectations for their students, I take that to mean I should expect my student to perform well at the challenges I provide. He or she performs at the level I expect. Personally I see that as me being rather arrogant because I presume to know more about what my student needs to know than my student does. A traditional American Indian view is that we should not have expectations for others, that "expect" and "respect" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps this helps explain why so many American Indian children do poorly in our modern school systems and they drop out at extremely high rates. A different twist to this topic is students' high expectations of themselves. This is far more important and more healthy in my view. I feel I can encourage students to develop their own high expectations and experience very positive results, but it shifts the emphasis from teacher to student. So often in the field of education we hear about the need to make learning student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I believe deeply that this begins with the question, who holds the expectations? Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Fri Mar 10 15:34:02 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:34:02 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations In-Reply-To: <20060310034931.6849.qmail@web53407.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <8C812991A2E5FF1-F28-1E7@mblk-d22.sysops.aol.com> Thanks Barb, for this great reference!! Lucky students at that school-- the minority drop out rate in this country hovers around 60%+-- a shameful figure. Robin S. -----Original Message----- From: Barb L To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 19:49:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas.? He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is?successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college.? What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students.? ? The high achievement of the Vietnamese students?was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students.? However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. ? Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Missy Slaathaug wrote: The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film.? I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs. ?It's a great film.? ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will.? This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results.? I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va ? Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR? 97305 503-399-6147 ? ? When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart ? ? ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? ? Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students.? No lying involved.?? In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science).? The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results.? The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly.? This is not news.? This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. ? Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students.? Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. ? Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers.?? Robin Schwarz ? -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? Hi Iris, ? I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) ? When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. ? It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. ? Andrea. ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------- Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Fri Mar 10 15:45:47 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:45:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... In-Reply-To: <44119FB5.2020705@isp.com> References: <17340862.1142001607027.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> <44119FB5.2020705@isp.com> Message-ID: <8C8129ABE7BFDAB-F28-311@mblk-d22.sysops.aol.com> Once again I must disagree with Tom about the interpretation of expectations. It should not be about OUR expecatations, but rather those of the learners. I think that what is needed is an expectation that the learner can learn, no matter what, and WANTS to learn something or do better at something and is trying hard. Learners quickly sense when there are no expectations for them and may feel either let down or confirmed that they do not have hope of learning. It is perhaps splitting hairs here, but to me the difference in thinking learners must meet OUR expectations and having expectations that learners want to learn is very different. Robin S. -----Original Message----- From: Woods To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 10:48:05 -0500 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... Barbara Garner wrote: > The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, > we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to > certain students' learning needs. I believe that having high expectations does, in fact, result in high performance for many students because many students will work extremely hard to please the people around them. It's the students for whom it does not work well that concern me and there are many of them. I get concerned about who forms the expectations. When we say teachers should have high expectations for their students, I take that to mean I should expect my student to perform well at the challenges I provide. He or she performs at the level I expect. Personally I see that as me being rather arrogant because I presume to know more about what my student needs to know than my student does. A traditional American Indian view is that we should not have expectations for others, that "expect" and "respect" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps this helps explain why so many American Indian children do poorly in our modern school systems and they drop out at extremely high rates. A different twist to this topic is students' high expectations of themselves. This is far more important and more healthy in my view. I feel I can encourage students to develop their own high expectations and experience very positive results, but it shifts the emphasis from teacher to student. So often in the field of education we hear about the need to make learning student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I believe deeply that this begins with the question, who holds the expectations? Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Fri Mar 10 15:46:30 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:46:30 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] a lament In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <8C8129AD7D5B3FD-F28-324@mblk-d22.sysops.aol.com> Lucille-- I had forgotten ALL about that!! Thank you for reminding us! Robin S. -----Original Message----- From: Lucille Cuttler To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:43:54 -0500 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Does everyone out there know the book "PYGMALION IN THE CLASSROOM" - documentation about expectations. This was a required reading when preparing to be a teacher. Lucille Cuttler -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:06 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Virginia -- that movie was "Stand and Deliver"-- one of my all-time favorite movies--and a mostly-true story, too-- and yes--this teacher had very high standards for the Spanish speaking students and made sure they got the support and instruction they needed to fill in the gaps they had in trying to meet his expectations. It is such an inspiring movie. It also gives clear pictures of challenges many ELL/CLD learners' face both in school and out-- taking care of siblings while parents work, parents who don't understand American school demands, kids who must themselves work, peer pressure, teachers who do not understand them etc. Robin -----Original Message----- From: Virginia Tardaewether To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:47:42 -0800 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. This reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kentucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lying to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher that I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Fri Mar 10 15:48:56 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:48:56 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... In-Reply-To: <4411E0AD020000A0000021E0@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> References: <4411E0AD020000A0000021E0@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: <8C8129B2F08B118-F28-354@mblk-d22.sysops.aol.com> Nicely put Katrina!! I couldn't agree more. Robin S. -----Original Message----- From: Katrina Hinson To: woodsnh at isp.com; focusonbasics at nifl.gov; b.garner4 at verizon.net Sent: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:25:17 +0100 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] high expectations, with radar out... I think one of the things to consider is that often adult students have had very little success in school before coming to us and that one of the first things they need to know is that someone believes in them - believes he/she can be successful etc. I agree that our students expectations of themselves is very important - at the same time, some of them don't even know where to begin to create that expectation and they can learn to have their own personal expectations from having teachers that believe in them and help them make connections for themselves to find their own success. For some adult students, their self esteem has been so badly damaged by encountering people who expect nothing or who assume that they are incapable of learning that the student has learned to internalize that as "I'm stupid" or "I can't learn" when in actuality, all they really needed was a teacher that knew how to put a student on the right path. Expectations need to work both ways. The student needs to have expectations for him or herself; the teacher also needs to expect the student to be able to achieve and to find ways to encourage and nurture that success. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> woodsnh at isp.com >>> Barbara Garner wrote: > The point I'm trying to make is that while having high expectations, > we need to be aware of the possible "blind spots" we may have to > certain students' learning needs. I believe that having high expectations does, in fact, result in high performance for many students because many students will work extremely hard to please the people around them. It's the students for whom it does not work well that concern me and there are many of them. I get concerned about who forms the expectations. When we say teachers should have high expectations for their students, I take that to mean I should expect my student to perform well at the challenges I provide. He or she performs at the level I expect. Personally I see that as me being rather arrogant because I presume to know more about what my student needs to know than my student does. A traditional American Indian view is that we should not have expectations for others, that "expect" and "respect" are diametrically opposed. Perhaps this helps explain why so many American Indian children do poorly in our modern school systems and they drop out at extremely high rates. A different twist to this topic is students' high expectations of themselves. This is far more important and more healthy in my view. I feel I can encourage students to develop their own high expectations and experience very positive results, but it shifts the emphasis from teacher to student. So often in the field of education we hear about the need to make learning student-centered instead of teacher-centered. I believe deeply that this begins with the question, who holds the expectations? Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From mslaathaug at midco.net Fri Mar 10 16:00:41 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:00:41 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] expectations In-Reply-To: <031020061851.4488.4411CAA5000CB03B000011882200735834010A0B0B0E0A020E06@comcast.net> Message-ID: <004401c64485$b106f480$150ac90a@explorit3> You can find it for the lowest price of about $17.00 on BestPrices.com. It looks like a great book. Just google it, and you will have lots of choices for where to go to read about it. Missy -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of janeaddeo at comcast.net Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 12:51 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] expectations Barb, The study seems very interesting. Would you please provide the complete reference? Thanks, Jane -------------- Original message -------------- From: Barb L A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas. He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college. What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students. The high achievement of the Vietnamese students was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students. However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Missy Slaathaug wrote: The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film. I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs. It's a great film. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will. Thi s reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results. I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97305 503-399-6147 When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Well why not look at a study from Kent ucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students. No lying involved. In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science). The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results. The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly. This is not news. This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students. Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers. Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament Hi Iris, I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study. The resaercher got his data by lyi ng to the teacher about the ability of her students. (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) When I read that I kind of stopped cold. Toally unethical, of course. It was the idea of lying to the teacher t hat I found so shocking. What can I say; I was very young. Andrea. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _____ Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060310/e0bc6370/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Sat Mar 11 22:10:33 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:10:33 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics] Away for a week Message-ID: Hi All, I just want to let you know that I'll be away for a week. Someone will be checking the postings and sending them through, but if you have any questions for me, please know that I'll be back on March 20th. Enjoy the week, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Mar 13 13:27:54 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 13:27:54 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 194] New from NCSALL--An Evaluation of Focus on Basics Message-ID: <002c01c646cb$d8b761c0$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6> "It's not an expensive journal, but has high quality articles with current research and techniques. . it helps me stay connected with the profession." says one reader of Focus on Basics. The results of a survey on the impact of Focus on Basics on its readers is available on the NCSALL Web site at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27. To order a printed version ($10), go to http://www.ncsall.net/?id=681. (Printed copies will be available by 3/17/06.) SNEAK PREVIEW: The findings were overwhelmingly upbeat. The 292 readers who completed the survey report that Focus on Basics has had a positive impact in the following ways: . It has influenced their beliefs about adult basic education. . It has helped them feel connected to the larger education community as professionals. . It has contributed to the development of communities of practice. . It has enabled them to make a connection between research and practice. . It has provided them with concrete ideas they have used to change their programs and practice. Four in-depth interviews with professional development providers are included as well. Read the report to find out more about how the publication is and can be used as a professional development tool. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060313/d7af37ec/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Mar 13 14:57:36 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 14:57:36 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 195] Re: [FocusOnBasics] The Color of Success In-Reply-To: <004401c64485$b106f480$150ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <8C814EF82C52A19-BDC-1B@MBLK-M34.sysops.aol.com> Wow-- everyone must have rushed to the site Missy recommended-- it is now listed there at $61!! And Amazon's lowest price is $23-- maybe the library......((-: Robin SChwarz -----Original Message----- From: Missy Slaathaug To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Sent: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:00:41 -0600 Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] expectations You can find it for the lowest price of about $17.00 on BestPrices.com. ? ? It looks like a great book.? ? Just google it, and you will have lots of choices for where to go to read about it. ? ? Missy ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of janeaddeo at comcast.net Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 12:51 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] expectations ? Barb, ? The study seems very interesting.? Would you please provide the complete reference? ? Thanks, ? Jane ? -------------- Original message -------------- From: Barb L A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas.? He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is?successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college.? What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students.? ? The high achievement of the Vietnamese students?was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students.? However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. ? Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension eslmax2004 at yahoo.com Missy Slaathaug wrote: The movie was Stand and Deliver, and it is an excellent film.? I used it in one of my ESL speaking and listening classes when I taught grad students already enrolled in degree programs.? It's a great film. ? ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:48 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? There have been studies on parental expectations too: if you expect your child to graduate, he or she will.? Thi s reminds me of that movie about the math teacher in LA, can't remember the name of it, but his students completed higher math course and passed tests, but the administration didn't believe the results.? I think standards, from many angles, are vastly important. va ? Virginia Tardaewether Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR? 97305 503-399-6147 ? ? When new life appears, just as a budding plant rises from the ground, the heart aspires to new growth and is filled with hope. Use life to renew oneself. Voices of the Heart ? ? ? -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:13 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? ? Well why not look at a study from Kent ucky about the effect of teacher expectations on high school students.? No lying involved.?? In this study, two teachers were prepared in exactly the same way to do a new program ( I believe it was in science).? The idea of the study was to see if the program helped the students, but to the surprise of the researchers the two classes achieved quite different results.? The only factor that could be identified that influenced the results was teacher expectation--the students of the teacher who was sure her students could do this new, challenging work did very well, while the students of the other teacher, who was sure the students would not get it, did relatively poorly.? This is not news.? This is what is known as a self- fulfilling prophecy. ? Studies were done in the 70's on the effect of labeling students on teachers' expectations of the students.? Needless to say, the expectations shifted drastically down when students were identified as special needs in any way. ? Recent ( January) visits to several K-12 schools confirmed that this attitude is alive and well among a lot of teachers and sped teachers.? ? Robin Schwarz ? -----Original Message----- From: AWilder106 at aol.com To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:31:25 EST Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] a lament ? Hi Iris, ? I can't remember the name of the first researcher who did? a study on low/high teacher expectations and their self-fulling prophecy, but I do remember the study.? The resaercher got his data by lyi ng to the teacher about the ability of her students.? (Maybe more than one teacher, I can't remember now.) ? When I read that I kind of stopped cold.? Toally unethical, of course. ? It was the idea of lying to the teacher t hat I found so shocking.? What can I say;? I was very young. ? Andrea. ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ? -------- Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses! ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From wandanelson3 at yahoo.com Thu Mar 16 21:25:49 2006 From: wandanelson3 at yahoo.com (Wanda Nelson) Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 18:25:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 196] Beginning reading materials for adults Message-ID: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson plans on-line? --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060316/a0ab01a7/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon Mar 20 12:48:34 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:48:34 -0600 (CST) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDE5Nl0goEJlZ2lubg==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?aW5nIHJlYWRpbmcgbWF0ZXJpYWxzIGZvciBhZHVsdHM=?= Message-ID: <13625568.1140901142876914528.JavaMail.root@vms064.mailsrvcs.net> Wanda, NCSALL has a book, "Understanding What Reading is All About," that offers 13 lessons designed to help learners understand the components of reading that are part of becoming a more fluent reader. The lessons can be used as an independent mini-course or be integrated into an existing curriculum. Go to www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/uwriaa.pdf Two issues of "Focus on Basics" offer guidance on adult reading. Volume 1, Issue B, http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 is on reading in general. Volume 5, Issue A, http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 is on first level readers. I'm sure other list members have favorite materials and places on the Internet to share as well. Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics From: Wanda Nelson Date: Thu Mar 16 20:25:49 CST 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 196] Beginning reading materials for adults Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson plans on-line? ? Yahoo! Mail Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From mariasief at adelphia.net Mon Mar 20 19:43:14 2006 From: mariasief at adelphia.net (Maria Siefert) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:43:14 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 198] Re: Beginning reading materials for adults In-Reply-To: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <000201c64c80$71e3d7c0$6400a8c0@kitchen> I am interested in the same information. Thank you, Maria Siefert -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Wanda Nelson Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 9:26 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 196] Beginning reading materials for adults Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson plans on-line? _____ Yahoo! Mail Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060320/1283cfa9/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Mar 20 22:11:53 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 22:11:53 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 199] Re: Beginning reading materials for adults In-Reply-To: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <8C81AAC56C9A6D6-1878-EE0A@FWM-D12.sysops.aol.com> Check out the ART-- Adult Reading Toolkit -- produced by Minnesota LDA-- I think the website is minnesotalda.org--if not, google it--This is another extremely well designed book from LDA Minnesota that is for tutors who do not know a lot about reading and are teaching low level learners (though the book contains information about higher level learners too) It includes a lot of the teaching materials needed, plus research-based lesson plans etc. A terrific tool--but NOT for beginning ESOL , in case any one is wondering! Robin Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: Wanda Nelson To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 18:25:49 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 196] Beginning reading materials for adults Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson plans on-line? ? -------- Yahoo! Mail Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk Tue Mar 21 09:30:00 2006 From: vanillaicy at hotmail.co.uk (Aliya AbdulLatif) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:30:00 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 200] Re: Beginning reading materials for adults In-Reply-To: <8C81AAC56C9A6D6-1878-EE0A@FWM-D12.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: This is the website http://www.ldaminnesota.org/programs/educational_products.html Has anyone used crazytalk? http://crazytalk.reallusion.com/ Regards >From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 199] Re: Beginning reading materials for adults >Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 22:11:53 -0500 > >Check out the ART-- Adult Reading Toolkit -- produced by Minnesota >LDA-- I think the website is minnesotalda.org--if not, google it--This >is another extremely well designed book from LDA Minnesota that is for >tutors who do not know a lot about reading and are teaching low level >learners (though the book contains information about higher level >learners too) It includes a lot of the teaching materials needed, plus >research-based lesson plans etc. A terrific tool--but NOT for >beginning ESOL , in case any one is wondering! Robin Schwarz > >-----Original Message----- >From: Wanda Nelson >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 18:25:49 -0800 (PST) >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 196] Beginning reading materials for adults > >Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson >plans on-line? > > >? > >-------- >Yahoo! Mail >Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Be the first to hear what's new at MSN - sign up to our free newsletters! http://www.msn.co.uk/newsletters From gprice at famlit.org Thu Mar 23 08:02:30 2006 From: gprice at famlit.org (Gail Price) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 08:02:30 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 201] Re: Beginning reading materials for adults In-Reply-To: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060317022549.19297.qmail@web33601.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Also check out these publications available at the National Institute for Literacy Web site --Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults: First Steps for Teachers, Teaching Adults to Read, and Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction. All are available for download at NIFL's Partnership for Reading Web site http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/adult.htm On Mar 16, 2006, at 9:25 PM, Wanda Nelson wrote: > Is there a resource for adult beginning reading material and lesson > plans on-line? > > > > > Yahoo! Mail > Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments. > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Gail J. Price Multimedia Specialist National Center for Family Literacy 325 West Main Street, Suite 300 Louisville, KY 40205 Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112 Fax: 502 584-0172 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060323/7d84955d/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Apr 3 09:25:31 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2006 09:25:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 202] Upcoming Discussion on FOB Evaluation Message-ID: Hi All, As you know, the FOB Evaluation is complete and highlights the variety of ways that it impacts its readers. Barb Garner, FOB's editor, will lead a discussion on the list the week of April 10-14 to discuss the survey results and how these results can guide our use of FOB as professionals. Please take a look at the evaluation and think about comments or questions you may have. I'll post some questions by Wednesday. Julie ************************************************************************ The evaluation results are available on the NCSALL Web site at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27 To order a printed version ($10), go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=681. SNEAK PREVIEW: The findings were overwhelmingly upbeat. The 292 readers who completed the survey report that Focus on Basics has had a positive impact in the following ways: * It has influenced their beliefs about adult basic education. * It has helped them feel connected to the larger education community as professionals. * It has contributed to the development of communities of practice. * It has enabled them to make a connection between research and practice. * It has provided them with concrete ideas they have used to change their programs and practice. Four in-depth interviews with professional development providers are included as well. Read the report to find out more about how the publication is and can be used as a professional development tool. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Apr 5 14:06:10 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 14:06:10 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 203] Linking Research and Practice: NCSALL's Research Strand at COABE Message-ID: <008201c658db$9f2015c0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> For those of you attending the 2006 COABE Conference in Houston April 26-29, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) invites you to attend its sessions during the conference. Presenters will highlight NCSALL research findings and share professional development activities and instructional strategies for strengthening the quality of adult literacy programs. Attached is a list of the NCSALL sessions. See you at COABE! Stop by and visit our booth (#119) in the exhibit area. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060405/ac19e082/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NCSALL Ad. for COABE 06_Final3.20.06.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 131223 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060405/ac19e082/attachment.pdf From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Apr 5 17:17:58 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:17:58 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 204] April 10-14: Discussion w/ Barb Garner on FOB Evaluation Message-ID: Hi All, Barb Garner will join us next week to discuss the findings of the evaluation of FOB. The results were very encouraging, with a few surprises and a lot to be discussed about how we can use FOB in our work. You can find the Evaluation Report at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27 Below are some questions to think about as we prepare for this discussion. 1. How do you use FOB in your professional life? 2. Have you ever used FOB for professional development? How? 3. Did the findings of this report change or add to your concept of FOB, or your thoughts on how your program can use it? 4. Were any of the findings surprising to you in any way? 5. Reportedly, 72% of respondents interact with colleagues about what they read in FOB. In what ways do you do this, and how does it affect your work? 6. The report indicates that FOB "helps to create professionals; it provides practitioners with the sense that they are not working in isolation." How important is this to you and others in your program? 7. According to written comments from the survey, readers want more online discussions, workshops and study circles to reflect and share what they read in FOB. How can this discussion list help to meet this need better? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From tamill2 at uky.edu Fri Apr 7 14:38:11 2006 From: tamill2 at uky.edu (Toni-Ann Mills) Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:38:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 205] COABE - Research-based practices for teaching reading to adults workshop Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20060407143713.01cf55a8@pop.uky.edu> Invitation to a professional development workshop ? Research-based practices for teaching reading to adults For those attending the 2006 COABE Conference in Houston April 26-29, the NIFL/NCSALL Adult Literacy Research Working Group (ALRWG) would like to invite you to register for the pre-conference session, Implementing Research-Based Practices for Adult Literacy Instruction: Ideas from the NIFL / NCSALL Adult Literacy Research Working Group, Wednesday, April 26th from 9:00 am to 4:00pm. The workshop is an in-depth exploration of research-based practices for teaching reading to adults and includes demonstrations and activities from a variety of professional development materials. As a workshop participant you will learn about teaching practices drawn from reading instruction research and how these practices can be applied in adult education classrooms. You will look closely at professional development materials based on reading instruction research, and participate in demonstrations of reading instruction activities taken from these materials. How to access many of the materials as free downloads from websites or arrange to have copies sent to you and your colleagues will also be explored. We look forward to working with you at COABE so be sure to register at <http://www.coabe06.org>. John Kruidenier On behalf of the presentation team from NIFL/NCSALL ALRWG Toni-Ann Mills CCLD Director - Adult Education Phone (859) 257-6127 Fax (859) 323 3963 email: tamill2 at uky.edu Seize the day -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060407/e05c173c/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Sun Apr 9 23:50:20 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Sun, 09 Apr 2006 23:50:20 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 206] Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results Message-ID: Hi All and Welcome to Barb Garner, Today we start a discussion of the results of the FOB Evaluation. Barb Garner, editor of FOB, will join us to discuss the findings of this survey of 292 FOB readers. You can read the Evauation Report at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27 See below for some discussion questions to think about. Enjoy! Julie ****************************** 1. How do you use FOB in your professional life? 2. Have you ever used FOB for professional development? How? 3. Did the findings of this report change or add to your concept of FOB, or your thoughts on how your program can use it? 4. Were any of the findings surprising to you in any way? 5. Reportedly, 72% of respondents interact with colleagues about what they read in FOB. In what ways do you do this, and how does it affect your work? 6. The report indicates that FOB "helps to create professionals; it provides practitioners with the sense that they are not working in isolation." How important is this to you and others in your program? 7. According to written comments from the survey, readers want more online discussions, workshops and study circles to reflect and share what they read in FOB. How can this discussion list help to meet this need better? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon Apr 10 08:47:48 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 07:47:48 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 207] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results Message-ID: <4009252.2782521144673268350.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> I'll looking forward to the discussion this week for more indepth information than a survey can offer (although we had pages and pages of responses to the open ended question. Thanks again to all who completed the survey). One question we didn't ask in the survey...One of my pleasures in putting together each issue is working with Mary, our illustrator, to conceptualize art to accompany the text. It's not easy coming up with concrete ideas to illustrate often abstract concepts. What reactions do you have to the art work? Barb Garner From: Julie McKinney Date: Sun Apr 09 22:50:20 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 206] Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results Hi All and Welcome to Barb Garner, Today we start a discussion of the results of the FOB Evaluation. Barb Garner, editor of FOB, will join us to discuss the findings of this survey of 292 FOB readers. You can read the Evauation Report at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#27 See below for some discussion questions to think about. Enjoy! Julie ****************************** 1. How do you use FOB in your professional life? 2. Have you ever used FOB for professional development? How? 3. Did the findings of this report change or add to your concept of FOB, or your thoughts on how your program can use it? 4. Were any of the findings surprising to you in any way? 5. Reportedly, 72% of respondents interact with colleagues about what they read in FOB. In what ways do you do this, and how does it affect your work? 6. The report indicates that FOB "helps to create professionals; it provides practitioners with the sense that they are not working in isolation." How important is this to you and others in your program? 7. According to written comments from the survey, readers want more online discussions, workshops and study circles to reflect and share what they read in FOB. How can this discussion list help to meet this need better? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon Apr 10 15:47:03 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:47:03 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 208] Editorial Board Members needed Message-ID: <12275478.1046541144698424063.JavaMail.root@vms171.mailsrvcs.net> I'm recruiting for editorial board members for what might be the last issue of "Focus on Basics." A familiarity with research (quant or qualitative), a critical eye, and some experience as an ABE or ESOL teacher would be great. The issue will feature research reports from a number of NCSALL researchers: one on health and literacy, one on post GED activities, one on reading, to name a few... The work will start sometime in May and continue sporadically through September. We meet by phone to discuss the articles, setting our call schedule to suit participants (it has worked nicely to settle on a weekly meeting time, but that may be impossible in the summer). If a former ed board member could chime in to let list subscribers know what the experience is like, that would be great. I select based on geography (states that have been underrepresented on the board get priority) and otherwise on a first come first serve basis...A small stipend is provided. Email me on the list or off (off: b.garner4 at verizon.net) Looking forward to hearing from you, Thanks, Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 11 12:35:09 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Message-ID: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root@vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) From nancy.mckeand at gmail.com Tue Apr 11 14:14:49 2006 From: nancy.mckeand at gmail.com (Nancy McKeand) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results In-Reply-To: <4009252.2782521144673268350.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> References: <4009252.2782521144673268350.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0@mail.gmail.com> I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da4/attachment.html From mslaathaug at midco.net Tue Apr 11 15:32:47 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB In-Reply-To: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root@vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a@explorit3> I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 11 15:50:47 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB Message-ID: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root@vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Thanks, Missy,,, That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy to forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day basis. Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have become second nature to some. What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? Barb From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Using FOB I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From dharting at proliteracy.org Tue Apr 11 15:47:13 2006 From: dharting at proliteracy.org (dharting) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A@hardy> Hi Barb: I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from September 2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying in the window. Or were they flying out the window?? I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside the publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to the cover story. You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good example. We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our staff who helps us with these kinds of challenges. Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of respect for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program managers. Congratulations! Don Harting ProLiteracy America Syracuse, New York -----Original Message----- From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff351/attachment.html From sbeaman at webster.edu Tue Apr 11 16:51:39 2006 From: sbeaman at webster.edu (Sarah Beaman-Jones) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB In-Reply-To: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root@vms063.mailsrvcs.net> References: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root@vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: This summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adult educators. They have four hours of activities assigned before the workshop. As part of the reading assignment, they can select one of four articles: To find the articles, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general. If you want to read more specifically on first level readers, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: = I agree X I thought differently + New information ! WOW ? I don't get it * I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflection piece. In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the article your read and your reaction to them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT system. -- Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/9e7f082d/attachment.html From CColletti at ILSOS.NET Tue Apr 11 17:17:24 2006 From: CColletti at ILSOS.NET (Colletti, Cyndy) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:17:24 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation Message-ID: <96DF6DA6D4E9A946B7D02E762CED51580393E24E@exc01.ilsos.net> FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 11 21:47:14 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:47:14 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB Message-ID: <24742110.266251144806434989.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Sarah, Thanks for your thorough explanation of one way to use articles from "Focus on Basics." (And thanks for bringing the insert system to my attention: it's new to me and quite intriguing.) Has anyone else used those articles for professional development? How did you use them? Do you have any suggestions for Sarah? Barb Garner From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Date: Tue Apr 11 15:51:39 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB Re: Using FOBThis summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adulteducators.? They have four hours of activities assigned beforethe workshop.? As part of the reading assignment, they can selectone of four articles:To find the articles, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general.? If you want toread more specifically on first level readers, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults ????????????????????or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read allfour or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test inthe following manner: =?? I agree X? I thought differently +?? New information !??? WOW ??? I don't get it *?? I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Readingand Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflectionpiece.? In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of thearticle your read and your reaction to? them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERTsystem. --Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443? 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 11 21:52:39 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:52:39 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIxNV0goEZPQiBFdmFsdWF0aW9u?= Message-ID: <7501858.267731144806759429.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From varshna at grandecom.net Tue Apr 11 22:08:18 2006 From: varshna at grandecom.net (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:08:18 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board In-Reply-To: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root@vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: Dear Barb: The usefulness of FOB is, in my opinion, the result of the variety of the articles and topics offered. Just as there isn't a single recipe for success in the classroom, what one benefits from in order to grow depends on the different perspectives brought to the profession. And I think that you've done a good job of balancing the dynamic between research and practice. It's hard to document the transition from one realm to another, but I think FOB strikes a balanced review to offer to academics and classroom professionals alike. I must confess that I don't have a lot of time to read these days, but I do enjoy being able to access electronic copies. It is definitely a website I will continue to bookmark! Thanks, Varshna. -------------- Varshna Jackson Austin, TX PS. It was really a pleasure to serve on the editorial board -- very stimulating and good company! From Miller_J at cde.state.co.us Wed Apr 12 11:48:09 2006 From: Miller_J at cde.state.co.us (Miller, Jane) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:48:09 -0600 Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?RE=3A_=5BFocusOnBasics_215=5D_=A0FOB_Evaluation?= Message-ID: <1590226EC6C04443A841ED70F8F9303610729C@wopr.cde.state.co.us> I am the professional development coordinator for adult educators in Colorado. I enjoyed taking part in the recent FOB evaluation survey. I read FOB for my own PD and always include FOB articles in PD events - study circles, conference workshops, and extended trainings. I reference the NCSALL website in general, provide direct links to specific articles, and include printed copies of articles in handouts. I also facilitate several work groups - a state-wide PD advisory group, our state's CAELA capacity-building team, and various pilot projects. Whenever our state office receives a box of hard-copy FOBs I always snatch a dozen or more to give to members of these work groups to show my appreciation for the work they do. I think everyone appreciates having their own, personal, hard-bound, nicely illustrated copy. Colorado's coordinator of our State Literacy Resource Centers always puts out an announcement on our state-wide adult ed listserv whenever a new issue of FOB comes out. That spreads the word to adult ed program directors and teachers. When I was in the classroom, our program director always circulated our one copy of FOB to all the teachers using a routing slip. Hopefully FOB can continue to do its excellent work. I would hate to have to choose among teachers, professional developers or program directors to be the focus of FOB's marketing efforts. Based on what others and I have said, program directors and professional developers have the means to introduce FOB to teachers by incorporating FOB into the greater context of PD events. Jane Miller Professional Development Coordinator Colorado Department of Education Adult Education and Family Literacy Miller_j at cde.state.co.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:53 PM To: Colletti, Cyndy; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Apr 12 14:15:35 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:15:35 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFJFOiBbRm9jdXNPbkJhc2lj?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?cyAyMTVdIKBGT0IgRXZhbHVhdGlvbg==?= Message-ID: <29859699.494121144865735659.JavaMail.root@vms068.mailsrvcs.net> I too love the printed version, with the nice thick paper. I keep mine in two binders so I can always find them. But we never had overwhelming success with subscriptions. We priced them low: $8 for 4 issues, which barely covered printing and mailing, thinking that individuals---teachers, we hoped---would want their own copies rather than have to share them. But we never seem to have more than 500 individual subscribers. List readers, what's your story? Why did or didn't you subscribe? Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: "Miller, Jane" Date: Wed Apr 12 10:48:09 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List , "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation I am the professional development coordinator for adult educators in Colorado. I enjoyed taking part in the recent FOB evaluation survey. I read FOB for my own PD and always include FOB articles in PD events - study circles, conference workshops, and extended trainings. I reference the NCSALL website in general, provide direct links to specific articles, and include printed copies of articles in handouts. I also facilitate several work groups - a state-wide PD advisory group, our state's CAELA capacity-building team, and various pilot projects. Whenever our state office receives a box of hard-copy FOBs I always snatch a dozen or more to give to members of these work groups to show my appreciation for the work they do. I think everyone appreciates having their own, personal, hard-bound, nicely illustrated copy. Colorado's coordinator of our State Literacy Resource Centers always puts out an announcement on our state-wide adult ed listserv whenever a new issue of FOB comes out. That spreads the word to adult ed program directors and teachers. When I was in the classroom, our program director always circulated our one copy of FOB to all the teachers using a routing slip. Hopefully FOB can continue to do its excellent work. I would hate to have to choose among teachers, professional developers or program directors to be the focus of FOB's marketing efforts. Based on what others and I have said, program directors and professional developers have the means to introduce FOB to teachers by incorporating FOB into the greater context of PD events. Jane Miller Professional Development Coordinator Colorado Department of Education Adult Education and Family Literacy Miller_j at cde.state.co.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:53 PM To: Colletti, Cyndy; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From kandrew at sbctc.ctc.edu Wed Apr 12 15:27:28 2006 From: kandrew at sbctc.ctc.edu (KC Andrew) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:27:28 -0700 Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?RE=3A_RE=3A_=5BFocusOnBasics_215=5D_=A0FOB_Evaluation?= References: <29859699.494121144865735659.JavaMail.root@vms068.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <0CA6C79FCB4AC642A77B76C17A4316EE0DD990@exch-1.sbctc2.local> The programs I've worked for have always provided copies for faculty and staff, so I never had a need to subscribe personally. Do adult ed programs subscribe or are they just provided by FOB? I also keep my copies - even if a topic is not immediately relevant to my program or my practice, it becomes relevant over time. KC Andrew Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Adult Basic Education - Professional Development Services 360/485-2338 *NEW NUMBER* kandrew at sbctc.ctc.edu ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Barbara Garner Sent: Wed 4/12/2006 11:15 AM To: Miller, Jane; b.garner4 at verizon.net; The Focus on Basics Discussion List; Colletti, Cyndy Subject: Re: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation I too love the printed version, with the nice thick paper. I keep mine in two binders so I can always find them. But we never had overwhelming success with subscriptions. We priced them low: $8 for 4 issues, which barely covered printing and mailing, thinking that individuals---teachers, we hoped---would want their own copies rather than have to share them. But we never seem to have more than 500 individual subscribers. List readers, what's your story? Why did or didn't you subscribe? Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: "Miller, Jane" Date: Wed Apr 12 10:48:09 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List , "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation I am the professional development coordinator for adult educators in Colorado. I enjoyed taking part in the recent FOB evaluation survey. I read FOB for my own PD and always include FOB articles in PD events - study circles, conference workshops, and extended trainings. I reference the NCSALL website in general, provide direct links to specific articles, and include printed copies of articles in handouts. I also facilitate several work groups - a state-wide PD advisory group, our state's CAELA capacity-building team, and various pilot projects. Whenever our state office receives a box of hard-copy FOBs I always snatch a dozen or more to give to members of these work groups to show my appreciation for the work they do. I think everyone appreciates having their own, personal, hard-bound, nicely illustrated copy. Colorado's coordinator of our State Literacy Resource Centers always puts out an announcement on our state-wide adult ed listserv whenever a new issue of FOB comes out. That spreads the word to adult ed program directors and teachers. When I was in the classroom, our program director always circulated our one copy of FOB to all the teachers using a routing slip. Hopefully FOB can continue to do its excellent work. I would hate to have to choose among teachers, professional developers or program directors to be the focus of FOB's marketing efforts. Based on what others and I have said, program directors and professional developers have the means to introduce FOB to teachers by incorporating FOB into the greater context of PD events. Jane Miller Professional Development Coordinator Colorado Department of Education Adult Education and Family Literacy Miller_j at cde.state.co.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:53 PM To: Colletti, Cyndy; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 8312 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060412/2d47fb50/attachment.bin From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Apr 12 15:35:09 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:35:09 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFJFOiBSRTogW0ZvY3VzT25CYXM=?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?aWNzIDIxNV0goEZPQiBFdmFsdWF0aW9u?= Message-ID: <18987056.518791144870509405.JavaMail.root@vms068.mailsrvcs.net> >From its inception, Focus on Basics/NCSALL has worked in partnership with the states to distribute the publication. We send a pre-established number (based on federal allocation and what the states tell us they can absorb) to almost every state and the state distributes them as it sees fit (in total, 8,500 copies go to states and protectorates). Some states prefer to send their constituents to the web rather than pay for mailing. Some states mail their allocations out, some give them out at events, etc. We sell subscriptions and also bulk subscriptions. Some community colleges, for example, buy a bulk number and distribute them to staff. (We had hoped the subscription base would grow but it has remained pretty stable.) We also provide "photocopiable masters" to those who want them and promise to distribute copies. THese aren't really needed now that we put the PDF up on the web. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: KC Andrew Date: Wed Apr 12 14:27:28 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: RE: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation The programs I've worked for have always provided copies for faculty and staff, so I never had a need to subscribe personally. Do adult ed programs subscribe or are they just provided by FOB? I also keep my copies - even if a topic is not immediately relevant to my program or my practice, it becomes relevant over time. KC Andrew Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Adult Basic Education - Professional Development Services 360/485-2338 *NEW NUMBER* kandrew at sbctc.ctc.edu ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Barbara Garner Sent: Wed 4/12/2006 11:15 AM To: Miller, Jane; b.garner4 at verizon.net; The Focus on Basics Discussion List; Colletti, Cyndy Subject: Re: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation I too love the printed version, with the nice thick paper. I keep mine in two binders so I can always find them. But we never had overwhelming success with subscriptions. We priced them low: $8 for 4 issues, which barely covered printing and mailing, thinking that individuals---teachers, we hoped---would want their own copies rather than have to share them. But we never seem to have more than 500 individual subscribers. List readers, what's your story? Why did or didn't you subscribe? Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: "Miller, Jane" Date: Wed Apr 12 10:48:09 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List , "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation I am the professional development coordinator for adult educators in Colorado. I enjoyed taking part in the recent FOB evaluation survey. I read FOB for my own PD and always include FOB articles in PD events - study circles, conference workshops, and extended trainings. I reference the NCSALL website in general, provide direct links to specific articles, and include printed copies of articles in handouts. I also facilitate several work groups - a state-wide PD advisory group, our state's CAELA capacity-building team, and various pilot projects. Whenever our state office receives a box of hard-copy FOBs I always snatch a dozen or more to give to members of these work groups to show my appreciation for the work they do. I think everyone appreciates having their own, personal, hard-bound, nicely illustrated copy. Colorado's coordinator of our State Literacy Resource Centers always puts out an announcement on our state-wide adult ed listserv whenever a new issue of FOB comes out. That spreads the word to adult ed program directors and teachers. When I was in the classroom, our program director always circulated our one copy of FOB to all the teachers using a routing slip. Hopefully FOB can continue to do its excellent work. I would hate to have to choose among teachers, professional developers or program directors to be the focus of FOB's marketing efforts. Based on what others and I have said, program directors and professional developers have the means to introduce FOB to teachers by incorporating FOB into the greater context of PD events. Jane Miller Professional Development Coordinator Colorado Department of Education Adult Education and Family Literacy Miller_j at cde.state.co.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 7:53 PM To: Colletti, Cyndy; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson71 at cox.net Wed Apr 12 16:03:40 2006 From: khinson71 at cox.net (Katrina Hinson) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:03:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 220] Re: April 10-14: Discussion w/ Barb Garner on FOB Evaluation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6.1.2.0.0.20060412155525.0288cba0@pop.east.cox.net> >Below are some questions to think about as we prepare for this >discussion. > >1. How do you use FOB in your professional life? I use it as a point of reference for developing professional development projects at work. I also use it as an invaluable source of information. I like to see what is working in other places and adapt ideas to fit my work environment. I share information with my colleagues both from the FOB issues and from the discussion list. >2. Have you ever used FOB for professional development? How? Yes, I have. I use it most often in this manner as reference/research tool. >3. Did the findings of this report change or add to your concept of FOB, >or your thoughts on how your program can use it? It's given me some insight into some other ways we may can use it but the findings didn't really change my opinion or thoughts about FOB. I still think it's an invaluable resource of information for Adult Education professionals. >4. Were any of the findings surprising to you in any way? > >5. Reportedly, 72% of respondents interact with colleagues about what >they read in FOB. In what ways do you do this, and how does it affect >your work? I share what I read when it fits a conversation. I'll find myself referring to something I've read in FOB or telling someone that I saw something related to what they're interested in a FOB issue. As to my work, it makes me more conscious of the many ways information and ideas can be shared. It reminds me that I'm not alone and that people have faced the same challenges and hurdles that I face, have faced or will face. It also gives me strategies for dealing with the day to day classroom hurdles without losing my sanity. >6. The report indicates that FOB "helps to create professionals; it >provides practitioners with the sense that they are not working in >isolation." How important is this to you and others in your program? I'm not sure how important it is to others but to me, it's very important. Up until recently my department has consisted of a lot of individuals with their own individual tasks/ classroom environments...and there has been little discussion between the "parts" of the whole. FOB keeps me connected to the greater picture of Adult Ed and really does cut down on the feeling of isolation that surrounds the job. I think now that there have been some administrative changes that perhaps FOB can be a bridge to building teamwork both within the dept and within the classrooms. >7. According to written comments from the survey, readers want more >online discussions, workshops and study circles to reflect and share >what they read in FOB. How can this discussion list >help to meet this need better? > I think if the lists becomes an avenue for commenting, sharing ideas etc about related material in FOB, that it would be one way to meet the need. Katrina Hinson -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/309 - Release Date: 4/11/06 From khinson71 at cox.net Wed Apr 12 16:06:06 2006 From: khinson71 at cox.net (Katrina Hinson) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:06:06 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 221] Re: Editorial Board Members needed In-Reply-To: <12275478.1046541144698424063.JavaMail.root@vms171.mailsrvc s.net> References: <12275478.1046541144698424063.JavaMail.root@vms171.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <6.1.2.0.0.20060412160451.0288b170@pop.east.cox.net> I would love to participate if you've not filled all the slots. I'm in North Carolina. I have experience teaching ABE, GED, ESL and AHS. I have an undergrad degree in English with a concentration in writing and have worked as technical writer in the past. I love every issue of FOB and hopefully this won't be the last. Regards Katrina Hinson At 03:47 PM 4/10/06, you wrote: >I'm recruiting for editorial board members for what might be the last >issue of "Focus on Basics." A familiarity with research (quant or >qualitative), a critical eye, and some experience as an ABE or ESOL >teacher would be great. >The issue will feature research reports from a number of NCSALL >researchers: one on health and literacy, one on post GED activities, one >on reading, to name a few... >The work will start sometime in May and continue sporadically through >September. We meet by phone to discuss the articles, setting our call >schedule to suit participants (it has worked nicely to settle on a weekly >meeting time, but that may be impossible in the summer). >If a former ed board member could chime in to let list subscribers know >what the experience is like, that would be great. >I select based on geography (states that have been underrepresented on the >board get priority) and otherwise on a first come first serve basis...A >small stipend is provided. >Email me on the list or off (off: b.garner4 at verizon.net) >Looking forward to hearing from you, >Thanks, >Barb Garner >Editor, Focus on Basics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/307 - Release Date: 4/10/06 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/309 - Release Date: 4/11/06 From sylviap at westman.wave.ca Wed Apr 12 20:55:05 2006 From: sylviap at westman.wave.ca (Sylvia Provenski) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:55:05 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <001701c65e94$e7438350$0500a8c0@D4TWM391> Are you interested in any Canadian editors for your board? Sylvia P. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 12, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board (Barbara Garner) 2. [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results (Nancy McKeand) 3. [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB (Missy Slaathaug) 4. [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 5. [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results (dharting) 6. [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB (Sarah Beaman-Jones) 7. [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation (Colletti, Cyndy) 8. [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 9. Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation (Barbara Garner) 10. [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Message-ID: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root at vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 From: "Nancy McKeand" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0 at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da4/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 From: "Missy Slaathaug" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB To: , "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a at explorit3> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB To: Missy Slaathaug , b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root at vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Thanks, Missy,,, That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy to forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day basis. Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have become second nature to some. What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? Barb From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Using FOB I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 From: dharting Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A at hardy> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Barb: I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from September 2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying in the window. Or were they flying out the window?? I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside the publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to the cover story. You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good example. We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our staff who helps us with these kinds of challenges. Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of respect for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program managers. Congratulations! Don Harting ProLiteracy America Syracuse, New York -----Original Message----- From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff351/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" This summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adult educators. They have four hours of activities assigned before the workshop. As part of the reading assignment, they can select one of four articles: To find the articles, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general. If you want to read more specifically on first level readers, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: = I agree X I thought differently + New information ! WOW ? I don't get it * I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflection piece. In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the article your read and your reaction to them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT system. -- Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/9e7f082d/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:17:24 -0500 From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <96DF6DA6D4E9A946B7D02E762CED51580393E24E at exc01.ilsos.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:47:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB To: Sarah Beaman-Jones , b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <24742110.266251144806434989.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Sarah, Thanks for your thorough explanation of one way to use articles from "Focus on Basics." (And thanks for bringing the insert system to my attention: it's new to me and quite intriguing.) Has anyone else used those articles for professional development? How did you use them? Do you have any suggestions for Sarah? Barb Garner From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Date: Tue Apr 11 15:51:39 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB Re: Using FOBThis summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adulteducators.? They have four hours of activities assigned beforethe workshop.? As part of the reading assignment, they can selectone of four articles:To find the articles, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general.? If you want toread more specifically on first level readers, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults ????????????????????or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read allfour or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test inthe following manner: =?? I agree X? I thought differently +?? New information !??? WOW ??? I don't get it *?? I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Readingand Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflectionpiece.? In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of thearticle your read and your reaction to? them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERTsystem. --Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443? 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:52:39 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation To: "Colletti, Cyndy" , The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <7501858.267731144806759429.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:08:18 -0500 From: Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson Subject: [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board To: "b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Dear Barb: The usefulness of FOB is, in my opinion, the result of the variety of the articles and topics offered. Just as there isn't a single recipe for success in the classroom, what one benefits from in order to grow depends on the different perspectives brought to the profession. And I think that you've done a good job of balancing the dynamic between research and practice. It's hard to document the transition from one realm to another, but I think FOB strikes a balanced review to offer to academics and classroom professionals alike. I must confess that I don't have a lot of time to read these days, but I do enjoy being able to access electronic copies. It is definitely a website I will continue to bookmark! Thanks, Varshna. -------------- Varshna Jackson Austin, TX PS. It was really a pleasure to serve on the editorial board -- very stimulating and good company! ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 ******************************************* From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 08:12:48 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 07:12:48 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIyMl0goEVkaXRvcmlhbCBib2FyZA==?= Message-ID: <26379734.824231144930368787.JavaMail.root@vms064.mailsrvcs.net> Since FOB is funded by the US Gov (Institute of Education Sciences), I should first fill the FOB 8C board with US practitioners. If there are open slots and no other US volunteers, I see no reason not to have Canadians as well. Given that much of the work will be done in the summer, when people's schedules are crazy, we'll have a more board members than usual. That way we'll always have a critical mass available. I'll announce the board the week of April 24, so if you haven't contacted me yet, there's still time. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Sylvia Provenski Date: Wed Apr 12 19:55:05 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board Are you interested in any Canadian editors for your board? Sylvia P. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 12, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board (Barbara Garner) 2. [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results (Nancy McKeand) 3. [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB (Missy Slaathaug) 4. [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 5. [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results (dharting) 6. [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB (Sarah Beaman-Jones) 7. [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation (Colletti, Cyndy) 8. [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 9. Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation (Barbara Garner) 10. [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Message-ID: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root at vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 From: "Nancy McKeand" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0 at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da4/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 From: "Missy Slaathaug" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB To: , "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a at explorit3> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB To: Missy Slaathaug , b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root at vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Thanks, Missy,,, That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy to forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day basis. Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have become second nature to some. What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? Barb From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Using FOB I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 From: dharting Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A at hardy> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Barb: I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from September 2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying in the window. Or were they flying out the window?? I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside the publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to the cover story. You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good example. We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our staff who helps us with these kinds of challenges. Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of respect for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program managers. Congratulations! Don Harting ProLiteracy America Syracuse, New York -----Original Message----- From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff351/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" This summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adult educators. They have four hours of activities assigned before the workshop. As part of the reading assignment, they can select one of four articles: To find the articles, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general. If you want to read more specifically on first level readers, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: = I agree X I thought differently + New information ! WOW ? I don't get it * I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflection piece. In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the article your read and your reaction to them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT system. -- Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/9e7f082d/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:17:24 -0500 From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <96DF6DA6D4E9A946B7D02E762CED51580393E24E at exc01.ilsos.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:47:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB To: Sarah Beaman-Jones , b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <24742110.266251144806434989.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Sarah, Thanks for your thorough explanation of one way to use articles from "Focus on Basics." (And thanks for bringing the insert system to my attention: it's new to me and quite intriguing.) Has anyone else used those articles for professional development? How did you use them? Do you have any suggestions for Sarah? Barb Garner From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Date: Tue Apr 11 15:51:39 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB Re: Using FOBThis summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adulteducators.? They have four hours of activities assigned beforethe workshop.? As part of the reading assignment, they can selectone of four articles:To find the articles, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general.? If you want toread more specifically on first level readers, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults ????????????????????or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read allfour or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test inthe following manner: =?? I agree X? I thought differently +?? New information !??? WOW ??? I don't get it *?? I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Readingand Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflectionpiece.? In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of thearticle your read and your reaction to? them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERTsystem. --Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443? 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:52:39 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation To: "Colletti, Cyndy" , The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <7501858.267731144806759429.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:08:18 -0500 From: Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson Subject: [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board To: "b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Dear Barb: The usefulness of FOB is, in my opinion, the result of the variety of the articles and topics offered. Just as there isn't a single recipe for success in the classroom, what one benefits from in order to grow depends on the different perspectives brought to the profession. And I think that you've done a good job of balancing the dynamic between research and practice. It's hard to document the transition from one realm to another, but I think FOB strikes a balanced review to offer to academics and classroom professionals alike. I must confess that I don't have a lot of time to read these days, but I do enjoy being able to access electronic copies. It is definitely a website I will continue to bookmark! Thanks, Varshna. -------------- Varshna Jackson Austin, TX PS. It was really a pleasure to serve on the editorial board -- very stimulating and good company! ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 ******************************************* ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From bgiven at gmu.edu Thu Apr 13 08:19:02 2006 From: bgiven at gmu.edu (bgiven at gmu.edu) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:19:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 224] editorial board Message-ID: I am responding to the below notification that FoB is in need of new members for its editorial board. If you have remaining need, I would be happy to work with you. barb given Barbara K. Given, Ph.D. Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity and International Learning Style George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 Fax: 703-993-4325 Ph: 703-993-4406 I'm recruiting for editorial board members for what might be the last >issue of "Focus on Basics." A familiarity with research (quant or >qualitative), a critical eye, and some experience as an ABE or ESOL >teacher would be great. >The issue will feature research reports from a number of NCSALL >researchers: one on health and literacy, one on post GED activities, one >on reading, to name a few... >The work will start sometime in May and continue sporadically through >September. We meet by phone to discuss the articles, setting our call >schedule to suit participants (it has worked nicely to settle on a weekly >meeting time, but that may be impossible in the summer). >If a former ed board member could chime in to let list subscribers know >what the experience is like, that would be great. >I select based on geography (states that have been underrepresented on the >board get priority) and otherwise on a first come first serve basis...A >small stipend is provided. >Email me on the list or off (off: b.garner4 at verizon.net) >Looking forward to hearing from you, >Thanks, >Barb Garner >Editor, Focus on Basics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From vicart at earthlink.net Wed Apr 12 15:40:54 2006 From: vicart at earthlink.net (Victor Alejo) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:40:54 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 225] Fwd: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1364] FW: RE: External Diploma Program Message-ID: <419EE35C-CA5C-11DA-8128-000393D9E808@earthlink.net> Begin forwarded message: > From: Victor Alejo > Date: Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:46:04 PM America/New_York > To: nifl-fobasics at nifl.gov > Subject: Re: [NIFL-FOBASICS:1364] FW: RE: External Diploma Program > > I need to find out if you could help me find a place in New York City > that could offer the External Diploma Program. There has to be a > place in the Big Apple that offers this program in order to get your > high school diploma. I been trying to find it on my own but, no luck > at all with results. I hope that you send me information or details > where can l go and start the EDP program. I live in the Bronx, NY > but, l love to see if they would have this program in Manhattan, NY. > I will wait for your reply soon. > > Regards, > > Victor Alejo > From mslaathaug at midco.net Thu Apr 13 09:57:09 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 08:57:09 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 226] might be the last issue? In-Reply-To: <26379734.824231144930368787.JavaMail.root@vms064.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <003c01c65f02$28535100$030ac90a@explorit3> I feel like I missed something - why might this be the last issue of FOB? It is an excellent publication, which many of us use in many different ways. I would hate to see it disappear. Missy Slaathaug -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:13 AM To: Sylvia Provenski; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 222] ?Editorial board Since FOB is funded by the US Gov (Institute of Education Sciences), I should first fill the FOB 8C board with US practitioners. If there are open slots and no other US volunteers, I see no reason not to have Canadians as well. Given that much of the work will be done in the summer, when people's schedules are crazy, we'll have a more board members than usual. That way we'll always have a critical mass available. I'll announce the board the week of April 24, so if you haven't contacted me yet, there's still time. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Sylvia Provenski Date: Wed Apr 12 19:55:05 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board Are you interested in any Canadian editors for your board? Sylvia P. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 12, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board (Barbara Garner) 2. [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results (Nancy McKeand) 3. [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB (Missy Slaathaug) 4. [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 5. [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results (dharting) 6. [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB (Sarah Beaman-Jones) 7. [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation (Colletti, Cyndy) 8. [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 9. Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation (Barbara Garner) 10. [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Message-ID: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root at vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 From: "Nancy McKeand" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0 at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da 4/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 From: "Missy Slaathaug" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB To: , "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a at explorit3> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB To: Missy Slaathaug , b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root at vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Thanks, Missy,,, That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy to forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day basis. Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have become second nature to some. What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? Barb From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Using FOB I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 From: dharting Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A at hardy> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Barb: I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from September 2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying in the window. Or were they flying out the window?? I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside the publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to the cover story. You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good example. We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our staff who helps us with these kinds of challenges. Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of respect for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program managers. Congratulations! Don Harting ProLiteracy America Syracuse, New York -----Original Message----- From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff35 1/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" This summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adult educators. They have four hours of activities assigned before the workshop. As part of the reading assignment, they can select one of four articles: To find the articles, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general. If you want to read more specifically on first level readers, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: = I agree X I thought differently + New information ! WOW ? I don't get it * I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflection piece. In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the article your read and your reaction to them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT system. -- Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/9e7f082 d/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:17:24 -0500 From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <96DF6DA6D4E9A946B7D02E762CED51580393E24E at exc01.ilsos.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:47:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB To: Sarah Beaman-Jones , b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <24742110.266251144806434989.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Sarah, Thanks for your thorough explanation of one way to use articles from "Focus on Basics." (And thanks for bringing the insert system to my attention: it's new to me and quite intriguing.) Has anyone else used those articles for professional development? How did you use them? Do you have any suggestions for Sarah? Barb Garner From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Date: Tue Apr 11 15:51:39 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB Re: Using FOBThis summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adulteducators.? They have four hours of activities assigned beforethe workshop.? As part of the reading assignment, they can selectone of four articles:To find the articles, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general.? If you want toread more specifically on first level readers, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults ????????????????????or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read allfour or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test inthe following manner: =?? I agree X? I thought differently +?? New information !??? WOW ??? I don't get it *?? I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Readingand Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflectionpiece.? In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of thearticle your read and your reaction to? them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERTsystem. --Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443? 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:52:39 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation To: "Colletti, Cyndy" , The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <7501858.267731144806759429.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:08:18 -0500 From: Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson Subject: [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board To: "b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Dear Barb: The usefulness of FOB is, in my opinion, the result of the variety of the articles and topics offered. Just as there isn't a single recipe for success in the classroom, what one benefits from in order to grow depends on the different perspectives brought to the profession. And I think that you've done a good job of balancing the dynamic between research and practice. It's hard to document the transition from one realm to another, but I think FOB strikes a balanced review to offer to academics and classroom professionals alike. I must confess that I don't have a lot of time to read these days, but I do enjoy being able to access electronic copies. It is definitely a website I will continue to bookmark! Thanks, Varshna. -------------- Varshna Jackson Austin, TX PS. It was really a pleasure to serve on the editorial board -- very stimulating and good company! ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 ******************************************* ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Apr 13 10:05:31 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:05:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB Message-ID: I agree that the variety and relevance of the topics covered are one of the strengths of FOB. Almost every article I read gives insight into some specific aspect of working and learning in a classroom that teachers face daily, and the "Implications for Teaching" sections at the end of the articles tie that insight into action. KC Andrew mentioned keeping copies for later because the topic "becomes relevant over time." This reminded me that there is a wealth of past topics that may become relevant and are worth going back to find. When I recently did a presentation on Health Literacy, I found the issue that addressed Health Literacy, used the information from it, and distributed it. (I always feel like Santa when I distribute copies--they are so prized!) I am lucky enough to work at the dissemination center for FOB, so I can easily find the back issues with topics I need, so I am not very familiar with searching for back issues and topics on the NCSALL website. Barb, can you please give us a run-down on how to search for past FOB topics? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 10:30:12 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:30:12 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIyNl0g?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?oG1pZ2h0IGJlIHRoZSBsYXN0IGlzc3VlPw==?= Message-ID: <1550908.654201144938612594.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> The funding for NCSALL ends at the end of the year. After that, the US DOE won't be funding a research center that focuses on adult basic education. We have been trying to raise funds to keep "Focus on Basics" going, but have not secured anything yet. We're still trying, but can not say with any assurance that we will be able to publish past 8C. Barb Garner Editor, "Focus on Basic" From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Thu Apr 13 08:57:09 CDT 2006 To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: [FocusOnBasics 226] might be the last issue? I feel like I missed something - why might this be the last issue of FOB? It is an excellent publication, which many of us use in many different ways. I would hate to see it disappear. Missy Slaathaug -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:13 AM To: Sylvia Provenski; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 222] ?Editorial board Since FOB is funded by the US Gov (Institute of Education Sciences), I should first fill the FOB 8C board with US practitioners. If there are open slots and no other US volunteers, I see no reason not to have Canadians as well. Given that much of the work will be done in the summer, when people's schedules are crazy, we'll have a more board members than usual. That way we'll always have a critical mass available. I'll announce the board the week of April 24, so if you haven't contacted me yet, there's still time. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Sylvia Provenski Date: Wed Apr 12 19:55:05 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board Are you interested in any Canadian editors for your board? Sylvia P. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 12, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board (Barbara Garner) 2. [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results (Nancy McKeand) 3. [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB (Missy Slaathaug) 4. [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 5. [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results (dharting) 6. [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB (Sarah Beaman-Jones) 7. [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation (Colletti, Cyndy) 8. [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) 9. Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation (Barbara Garner) 10. [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Message-ID: <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root at vms073.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 From: "Nancy McKeand" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0 at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da 4/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 From: "Missy Slaathaug" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB To: , "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a at explorit3> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB To: Missy Slaathaug , b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root at vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Thanks, Missy,,, That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy to forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day basis. Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have become second nature to some. What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? Barb From: Missy Slaathaug Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Using FOB I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the good work. Missy Slaathaug ESL Technical Resource South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which issue did you use most recently. How, and why? Barb Garner Editor, FOB (PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial board?) ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 From: dharting Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati on Results To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A at hardy> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Barb: I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from September 2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying in the window. Or were they flying out the window?? I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside the publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to the cover story. You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good example. We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our staff who helps us with these kinds of challenges. Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of respect for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program managers. Congratulations! Don Harting ProLiteracy America Syracuse, New York -----Original Message----- From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation Results I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I like, too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed in the articles in the drawings. I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more accessible, more inviting. Nancy McKeand -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff35 1/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" This summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adult educators. They have four hours of activities assigned before the workshop. As part of the reading assignment, they can select one of four articles: To find the articles, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general. If you want to read more specifically on first level readers, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: = I agree X I thought differently + New information ! WOW ? I don't get it * I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflection piece. In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the article your read and your reaction to them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT system. -- Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/9e7f082 d/at tachment-0001.html ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:17:24 -0500 From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: <96DF6DA6D4E9A946B7D02E762CED51580393E24E at exc01.ilsos.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:47:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB To: Sarah Beaman-Jones , b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <24742110.266251144806434989.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Sarah, Thanks for your thorough explanation of one way to use articles from "Focus on Basics." (And thanks for bringing the insert system to my attention: it's new to me and quite intriguing.) Has anyone else used those articles for professional development? How did you use them? Do you have any suggestions for Sarah? Barb Garner From: Sarah Beaman-Jones Date: Tue Apr 11 15:51:39 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB Re: Using FOBThis summer I will be leading a workshop for experienced adulteducators.? They have four hours of activities assigned beforethe workshop.? As part of the reading assignment, they can selectone of four articles:To find the articles, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select either What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you or There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading These articles are about reading in general.? If you want toread more specifically on first level readers, go tohttp://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select either Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults ????????????????????or Reading for Pleasure BTW, there is no reason you can't read allfour or even the entire issue if you get involved. As you read the article, code the test inthe following manner: =?? I agree X? I thought differently +?? New information !??? WOW ??? I don't get it *?? I know this is important [INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for Effective Readingand Thinking" from Vaughn & Estes, 1986] After completing the reading, please complete a short reflectionpiece.? In one or two paragraphs, describe the main ideas of thearticle your read and your reaction to? them. In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERTsystem. --Sarah Beaman-Jones Literacy Program Developer LIFT-Missouri 815 Olive Street, Suite 22 St. Louis, MO 63101 1-800-729-4443? 1-314-678-4443 ext. 206 1-314-678-2938 [fax] http://lift-missouri.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 20:52:39 -0500 (CDT) From: Barbara Garner Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation To: "Colletti, Cyndy" , The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: <7501858.267731144806759429.JavaMail.root at vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 One of the themes that is emerging in this discussion is how professional development providers serve as a conduit, introducing teachers to the publication and to particular articles. If you're a teacher, how did you find out about "Focus on Basics"? If you're a professional development provider, does your experience bear this out: do you introduce teacher to FOB? And if we are able to find additional funding and continue publishing beyond 8C, where should we put our dissemination energy? Into reaching professional development providers, assuming they will introduce teachers to FOB? Or should we focus marketing efforts on teachers? Thoughts? Barb Garner Editor From: "Colletti, Cyndy" Date: Tue Apr 11 16:17:24 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation FOB has always intrigued me because it's on top of the challenges that teachers and tutors face in classrooms across the country. Once we were discussing the reasons that students go on or do not go on to other educational pursuits. Soon I saw that the next issue of FOB would cover "Transitions." This field is widely diverse and often isolated from each other and from a sense of itself as a field. FOB is a unifying force as it presents the latest research and relates that research right to the instructional setting. In my job as a state level coordinator, I publicize each and every issue so that practitioners can use the information presented in the articles. When I survey practitioners about what they need, I always hear, "Something I can use tomorrow." Well, FOB has always provided just that. Cyndy Colletti ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:08:18 -0500 From: Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson Subject: [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board To: "b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Dear Barb: The usefulness of FOB is, in my opinion, the result of the variety of the articles and topics offered. Just as there isn't a single recipe for success in the classroom, what one benefits from in order to grow depends on the different perspectives brought to the profession. And I think that you've done a good job of balancing the dynamic between research and practice. It's hard to document the transition from one realm to another, but I think FOB strikes a balanced review to offer to academics and classroom professionals alike. I must confess that I don't have a lot of time to read these days, but I do enjoy being able to access electronic copies. It is definitely a website I will continue to bookmark! Thanks, Varshna. -------------- Varshna Jackson Austin, TX PS. It was really a pleasure to serve on the editorial board -- very stimulating and good company! ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 ******************************************* ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jataylor at utk.edu Thu Apr 13 10:36:40 2006 From: jataylor at utk.edu (jataylor) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:36:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and change Message-ID: <445B747D@webmail.utk.edu> Hi Barb, As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported finding that "Respondents with higher levels of education report a higher rate of change in their attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education and a higher rate of putting into action ideas they learn as a result of reading Focus on Basics." The report also notes the contradiction of this to the finding in the 2003 NCSALL Professional Development Study which documents that 'teachers with master's degrees were less likely than those without to act upon information learned in staff development activities.' One hypothesis offered was that teachers who were more educated were possibly more "settled" in their work and less likely to demonstrate change based on what they learned in PD. What are your speculations about this discrepancy as it pertains to the research, and what is the message you'd recommend that professional developers take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to their work? Thanks, Jackie Jackie Taylor, Moderator Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List jataylor at utk.edu From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 11:05:55 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:05:55 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIyN10goFM=?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?ZWFyY2hpbmcgZm9yIHRvcGljcyBvbiBGT0I=?= Message-ID: <718441.665361144940755864.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> The easiest way to find articles from earlier FOBs on topics you're interested in now is to go to the NCSALL web site (http://www.ncsall.net). On the righthand side is "subject link", right under the GOOGLE search thing. Click on subject link. Scroll down that list to find the topic that best describes your interest. Click on that, and it will bring you to a list of all the related NCSALL products. Scroll down to see Focus on Basics articles are grouped under the heading "Focus on Basics". If your topic doesn't appear on the subject topic list, you can try using the GOOGLE search bar. Or, you can post your question to the FOB list serve, and in my role as human search engine, I will send you to the most relevant articles. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Julie McKinney Date: Thu Apr 13 09:05:31 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB I agree that the variety and relevance of the topics covered are one of the strengths of FOB. Almost every article I read gives insight into some specific aspect of working and learning in a classroom that teachers face daily, and the "Implications for Teaching" sections at the end of the articles tie that insight into action. KC Andrew mentioned keeping copies for later because the topic "becomes relevant over time." This reminded me that there is a wealth of past topics that may become relevant and are worth going back to find. When I recently did a presentation on Health Literacy, I found the issue that addressed Health Literacy, used the information from it, and distributed it. (I always feel like Santa when I distribute copies--they are so prized!) I am lucky enough to work at the dissemination center for FOB, so I can easily find the back issues with topics I need, so I am not very familiar with searching for back issues and topics on the NCSALL website. Barb, can you please give us a run-down on how to search for past FOB topics? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 11:19:13 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:19:13 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIyOV0goHQ=?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?ZWFjaGVyIGVkdWNhdGlvbiBhbmQgY2hhbmdl?= Message-ID: <10218925.669071144941554077.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> That's a great question, and one that merits more research. I'll weigh in, but would love to hear from others, too. Keep in mind, the FOB evaluation was not an effort to replicate the findings of NCSALL Staff Development Study. The NCSALL Staff Development study involved practitioners in a variety of different types of professional development. But those types did not include "reading professional journals and perhaps discussing them with colleagues". So what we might be seeing is that different types of practitioners relate differently to difference types of professional development. In terms of what lesson it offers professional developers now: to me it says that if you don't already include reading materials with any professional development activity you conduct, you should consider adding some. Barb Garner From: jataylor Date: Thu Apr 13 09:36:40 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and change Hi Barb, As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported finding that "Respondents with higher levels of education report a higher rate of change in their attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education and a higher rate of putting into action ideas they learn as a result of reading Focus on Basics." The report also notes the contradiction of this to the finding in the 2003 NCSALL Professional Development Study which documents that 'teachers with master's degrees were less likely than those without to act upon information learned in staff development activities.' One hypothesis offered was that teachers who were more educated were possibly more "settled" in their work and less likely to demonstrate change based on what they learned in PD. What are your speculations about this discrepancy as it pertains to the research, and what is the message you'd recommend that professional developers take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to their work? Thanks, Jackie Jackie Taylor, Moderator Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List jataylor at utk.edu ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From annb at lcbc.org Thu Apr 13 11:55:34 2006 From: annb at lcbc.org (Ann Barncard) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:55:34 -0500 Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?RE:_=5BFocusOnBasics_227=5D_=A0Searching_for_topics_on_FOB?= In-Reply-To: <718441.665361144940755864.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <003601c65f12$b6498780$3f00000a@lcbc.ad.lcbc.org> If NCSALL is not refunded, how long will the website be available? Ann Barncard Workforce Development Coordinator Literacy Council of Brown County 424 S. Monroe Ave. Green Bay, WI 54301 annb at lcbc.org -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:06 AM To: Julie McKinney; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB The easiest way to find articles from earlier FOBs on topics you're interested in now is to go to the NCSALL web site (http://www.ncsall.net). On the righthand side is "subject link", right under the GOOGLE search thing. Click on subject link. Scroll down that list to find the topic that best describes your interest. Click on that, and it will bring you to a list of all the related NCSALL products. Scroll down to see Focus on Basics articles are grouped under the heading "Focus on Basics". If your topic doesn't appear on the subject topic list, you can try using the GOOGLE search bar. Or, you can post your question to the FOB list serve, and in my role as human search engine, I will send you to the most relevant articles. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Julie McKinney Date: Thu Apr 13 09:05:31 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB I agree that the variety and relevance of the topics covered are one of the strengths of FOB. Almost every article I read gives insight into some specific aspect of working and learning in a classroom that teachers face daily, and the "Implications for Teaching" sections at the end of the articles tie that insight into action. KC Andrew mentioned keeping copies for later because the topic "becomes relevant over time." This reminded me that there is a wealth of past topics that may become relevant and are worth going back to find. When I recently did a presentation on Health Literacy, I found the issue that addressed Health Literacy, used the information from it, and distributed it. (I always feel like Santa when I distribute copies--they are so prized!) I am lucky enough to work at the dissemination center for FOB, so I can easily find the back issues with topics I need, so I am not very familiar with searching for back issues and topics on the NCSALL website. Barb, can you please give us a run-down on how to search for past FOB topics? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From kolson2 at columbus.rr.com Thu Apr 13 12:12:56 2006 From: kolson2 at columbus.rr.com (K Olson) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:12:56 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 232] Who uses FOB? In-Reply-To: <718441.665361144940755864.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <000601c65f15$27338e80$f3e7d2cc@bessie> I find that one of the differences between program administrators and adult education teachers is that administrators look at the research and, when they come across a good theory or implication for instruction, they pass it along to their teachers. Unfortunately, teachers, on the other hand, are often part time, many with other full time jobs. They do not have enough time to stay up to date on all the research in the field, so FOB in my estimation probably serves more administrators than teachers. What do I see that teachers want? They want material and lessons they can use the next day in their classrooms as they do not have time to create such materials. So, if FOB (and this is only my opinion) wants to reach both teachers and administrators, I feel the articles exposing current research in adult education should also have reproducible materials that can be immediately used in the classroom that support this research. Perhaps in this manner teachers will then be inspired to continue to create other materials once they have had an opportunity to see how the particular piece of research impacts learning in their classroom. Kathy Olson Training Specialist From c.spencerack at morehead-st.edu Thu Apr 13 12:45:14 2006 From: c.spencerack at morehead-st.edu (Connie Spencer-Ackerman) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:45:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 233] Re: might be the last issue? In-Reply-To: <1550908.654201144938612594.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> References: <1550908.654201144938612594.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <443E801A.8020301@moreheadstate.edu> I am so sorry to hear that our profession might lose NCSALL. For years, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education and NCSALL publications have been the places where I start any search for information about adult education and adult learning. ERIC has already been eliminated, and now we learn that NCSALL faces the same. Barb, is it possible that the publications will be archived in a searchable form? Like others, I frequently pass out copies of Focus on Basics at workshops and meetings. FOB is the basis for workshops I deliver on a variety of topics. Hoping to encourage people to explore the NCSALL site and learn something of the many resources there, I have built links to FOB articles into an online course for local program directors. Just last week, while directing people to the site during a workshop on grant-writing, I heard one of the participants say that he remembered the site because of the online course. Hurray! Being a fan of the publication, I was pleased when I was able to serve on the editorial board last year. Being able to work with distant colleagues as we read and learned from submitted articles was professional development itself, and it was a pleasure to work with Barb. I can't imagine professional development in our field in a future without Focus on Basics. Connie Spencer-Ackerman Adult Education Academy Morehead State University Morehead Kentucky Barbara Garner wrote: >The funding for NCSALL ends at the end of the year. After that, the US DOE won't be funding a research center that focuses on adult basic education. >We have been trying to raise funds to keep "Focus on Basics" going, but have not secured anything yet. We're still trying, but can not say with any assurance that we will be able to publish past 8C. >Barb Garner >Editor, "Focus on Basic" > >From: Missy Slaathaug >Date: Thu Apr 13 08:57:09 CDT 2006 >To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 226] might be the last issue? > >I feel like I missed something - why might this be the last issue of >FOB? It is an excellent publication, which many of us use in many >different ways. I would hate to see it disappear. > >Missy Slaathaug > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner >Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 7:13 AM >To: Sylvia Provenski; focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board > >Since FOB is funded by the US Gov (Institute of Education Sciences), I >should first fill the FOB 8C board with US practitioners. If there are >open slots and no other US volunteers, I see no reason not to have >Canadians as well. > >Given that much of the work will be done in the summer, when people's >schedules are crazy, we'll have a more board members than usual. That >way we'll always have a critical mass available. > >I'll announce the board the week of April 24, so if you haven't >contacted me yet, there's still time. >Barb Garner >Editor, FOB > >From: Sylvia Provenski >Date: Wed Apr 12 19:55:05 CDT 2006 >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 222] Editorial board > >Are you interested in any Canadian editors for your board? >Sylvia P. > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] >On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov >Sent: April 12, 2006 11:00 AM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 7 > >Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to > focusonbasics at nifl.gov > >To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov > >You can reach the person managing the list at > focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov > >When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." > > >Today's Topics: > > 1. [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board (Barbara Garner) > 2. [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB > Evaluation Results (Nancy McKeand) > 3. [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB (Missy Slaathaug) > 4. [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) > 5. [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati > on Results (dharting) > 6. [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB (Sarah Beaman-Jones) > 7. [FocusOnBasics 215] FOB Evaluation (Colletti, Cyndy) > 8. [FocusOnBasics 216] Re: Using FOB (Barbara Garner) > 9. Re: [FocusOnBasics 215] ?FOB Evaluation (Barbara Garner) > 10. [FocusOnBasics 218] Re: Using FOB / Editorial Board > (Varshna Narumanchi-Jackson) > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Message: 1 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:35:09 -0500 (CDT) >From: Barbara Garner >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Message-ID: > <33154974.99691144773309098.JavaMail.root at vms073.mailsrvcs.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > >Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the >evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." > >The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which >issue did you use most recently. How, and why? > >Barb Garner >Editor, FOB > >(PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. >I'm >still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the week. >Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is there >anyone >on the list who from those states interested in joining the editorial >board?) > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 2 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:14:49 -0500 >From: "Nancy McKeand" >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB > Evaluation Results >To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >Message-ID: > <2e8319bb0604111114s7836569ax1591dda4cfdeeee0 at mail.gmail.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > >I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked >them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I >like, >too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed >in >the articles in the drawings. > >I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more >accessible, more inviting. > >Nancy McKeand >-------------- next part -------------- >An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >URL: >http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/e1654da >4/at >tachment-0001.html > >------------------------------ > >Message: 3 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:32:47 -0500 >From: "Missy Slaathaug" >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 211] Using FOB >To: , "'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'" > >Message-ID: <000901c65d9e$b6c2e640$060ac90a at explorit3> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them >useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin >Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new >teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great >article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the >level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the >good work. > >Missy Slaathaug >ESL Technical Resource >South Dakota >mslaathaug at midco.net > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner >Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board > >Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the >evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." > >The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which >issue did you use most recently. How, and why? > >Barb Garner >Editor, FOB > >(PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. >I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the >week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is >there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the >editorial board?) >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 4 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:50:47 -0500 (CDT) >From: Barbara Garner >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 212] Re: Using FOB >To: Missy Slaathaug , b.garner4 at verizon.net, > 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' >Message-ID: > <7414113.232101144785047308.JavaMail.root at vms063.mailsrvcs.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > >Thanks, Missy,,, >That struggling ESOL learner article really struck a chord. > >When you've been working in a field---any field---for awhile, it's easy >to >forget how much you actually have learned and apply on a day-to-day >basis. >Robin's article seems to have reminded us that new staff, or experienced >staff working with new types of learners, need information that may have >become second nature to some. > >What other articles to folks use with new teachers, and why? >Barb > >From: Missy Slaathaug >Date: Tue Apr 11 14:32:47 CDT 2006 >To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, > 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' >Subject: Using FOB > >I like this publication very much. I read all the issues and find them >useful and informative. The last article I used actively was Robin >Schwarz' article on the struggling ESL learner. We asked our new >teachers to read it prior to their New Teacher Training. It was a great >article that generated a lot of discussion and hopefully raised the >level of awareness of these potential learner problems. Keep up the >good work. > >Missy Slaathaug >ESL Technical Resource >South Dakota >mslaathaug at midco.net > > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner >Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:35 AM >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 209] Using FOB / Editorial Board > >Not a lot of folks (none...) jumping in to the discussion about the >evaluation of "Focus on Basics..." > >The evaluation documented the many ways folks use the publication. Which >issue did you use most recently. How, and why? > >Barb Garner >Editor, FOB > >(PS, thanks to those who have come forth for the next editorial board. >I'm still taking names and will get back to everyone at the end of the >week. Oklahoma, Michigan, Delaware, you've been underrepresented...Is >there anyone on the list who from those states interested in joining the >editorial board?) >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 5 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:47:13 -0400 >From: dharting >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 213] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluati > on Results >To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' >Message-ID: <24C87A21440F3A4B94ED4594298D45F304B89A at hardy> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > >Hi Barb: > >I like the illustrations, too. I particularly liked the one from >September >2003 that showed authentic materials like invoices and soup cans flying >in >the window. Or were they flying out the window?? > >I also liked the way you used portions of the cover illustration inside >the >publication to send visual cues that the inside article was related to >the >cover story. > >You're right: it's always a creative challenge to illustrate an abstract >concept in a concrete manner. The recently released NAAL is a good >example. >We're blessed to have a talented and creative graphic artist on our >staff >who helps us with these kinds of challenges. > >Our survey research from the summer of 2005 revealed a high level of >respect >for your publication among literacy field workers, esp. program >managers. >Congratulations! > >Don Harting >ProLiteracy America >Syracuse, New York > >-----Original Message----- >From: Nancy McKeand [mailto:nancy.mckeand at gmail.com] >Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 2:15 PM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 210] Re: Discussion Starts Today: FOB Evaluation >Results > > > >I'm glad you asked about the illustrations, Barb, because I really liked >them. The Lab School drawing on the cover of 8A is quite clever! I >like, >too, how Mary included some of the actual vocabulary that was discussed >in >the articles in the drawings. > >I think that the artwork is a real nice touch. It makes FOB seem more >accessible, more inviting. > >Nancy McKeand > > > > >-------------- next part -------------- >An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >URL: >http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060411/c88ff35 >1/at >tachment-0001.html > >------------------------------ > >Message: 6 >Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:51:39 -0500 >From: Sarah Beaman-Jones >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 214] Re: Using FOB >To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >Message-ID: >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > >This summer I will be leading a workshop for >experienced adult educators. They have four >hours of activities assigned before the workshop. >As part of the reading assignment, they can >select one of four articles: >To find the articles, go to >http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=167 and select >either > >What Silent Reading Tests alone Can't Tell you >or >There's Reading?..And Then There's Reading > >These articles are about reading in general. If >you want to read more specifically on first level >readers, go to >http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=147 and select >either > >Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults > or >Reading for Pleasure > >BTW, there is no reason you can't read all four >or even the entire issue if you get involved. > >As you read the article, code the test in the following manner: > >= I agree >X I thought differently >+ New information >! WOW >? I don't get it >* I know this is important > >[INSERT system "Interactive Notational System for >Effective Reading and Thinking" from Vaughn & >Estes, 1986] > > >After completing the reading, please complete a >short reflection piece. In one or two >paragraphs, describe the main ideas of the >article your read and your reaction to them. >In one or two paragraphs, describe your experience using the INSERT >system. > > > -- Connie Spencer-Ackerman Adult Education Academy Morehead State University 150 University Boulevard, Box 968 Morehead, KY 40351 ph: 606-783-9377 fax: 606-783-9111 The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first. Robert J. McKain -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060413/6d230838/attachment.html From kolson2 at columbus.rr.com Thu Apr 13 13:16:42 2006 From: kolson2 at columbus.rr.com (K Olson) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:16:42 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 234] Working on the editorial board In-Reply-To: <000601c65f15$27338e80$f3e7d2cc@bessie> Message-ID: <000601c65f1e$09173010$f3e7d2cc@bessie> I second Connie's comment that it was a pleasure to work with Barb. I found working on the editorial board to be a great learning experience in and of itself. It was amazing to me how much time and effort went into the revision of submitted articles until they were printed in final form. If any of you are planning to publish someday, this gives you good insight into what takes place after the article is submitted. Kathy Olson Training Specialist From tarv at chemeketa.edu Thu Apr 13 13:24:41 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:24:41 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 235] Re: Who uses FOB? Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303B47107@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> I'm an instructor in ABE/GED/Dev Ed and I read FOB most of the time to keep current in the field. It does seem that most of the writers are administrators and I'm glad that they are reading what's going on in the field. Hopefully, it helps them to support their part-time staff in creative ways and to move their programs into the future successfully. Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of K Olson Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 9:13 AM To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: [FocusOnBasics 232] Who uses FOB? I find that one of the differences between program administrators and adult education teachers is that administrators look at the research and, when they come across a good theory or implication for instruction, they pass it along to their teachers. Unfortunately, teachers, on the other hand, are often part time, many with other full time jobs. They do not have enough time to stay up to date on all the research in the field, so FOB in my estimation probably serves more administrators than teachers. What do I see that teachers want? They want material and lessons they can use the next day in their classrooms as they do not have time to create such materials. So, if FOB (and this is only my opinion) wants to reach both teachers and administrators, I feel the articles exposing current research in adult education should also have reproducible materials that can be immediately used in the classroom that support this research. Perhaps in this manner teachers will then be inspired to continue to create other materials once they have had an opportunity to see how the particular piece of research impacts learning in their classroom. Kathy Olson Training Specialist ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 14:53:59 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:53:59 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IKBSRTogW0ZvY3VzT25CYXNpY3MgMjI3XQ==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?IKBTZWFyY2hpbmcgZm9yIHRvcGljcyBvbiBGT0I=?= Message-ID: <9966279.639051144954439603.JavaMail.root@vms073.mailsrvcs.net> How long will the web site stay up? I don't have specifics on that--I'll check with Director John Comings and Deputy Director Cristine Smith to see what the plans are. Barb Garner From: Ann Barncard Date: Thu Apr 13 10:55:34 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 227] ?Searching for topics on FOB If NCSALL is not refunded, how long will the website be available? Ann Barncard Workforce Development Coordinator Literacy Council of Brown County 424 S. Monroe Ave. Green Bay, WI 54301 annb at lcbc.org -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:06 AM To: Julie McKinney; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB The easiest way to find articles from earlier FOBs on topics you're interested in now is to go to the NCSALL web site (http://www.ncsall.net). On the righthand side is "subject link", right under the GOOGLE search thing. Click on subject link. Scroll down that list to find the topic that best describes your interest. Click on that, and it will bring you to a list of all the related NCSALL products. Scroll down to see Focus on Basics articles are grouped under the heading "Focus on Basics". If your topic doesn't appear on the subject topic list, you can try using the GOOGLE search bar. Or, you can post your question to the FOB list serve, and in my role as human search engine, I will send you to the most relevant articles. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Julie McKinney Date: Thu Apr 13 09:05:31 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB I agree that the variety and relevance of the topics covered are one of the strengths of FOB. Almost every article I read gives insight into some specific aspect of working and learning in a classroom that teachers face daily, and the "Implications for Teaching" sections at the end of the articles tie that insight into action. KC Andrew mentioned keeping copies for later because the topic "becomes relevant over time." This reminded me that there is a wealth of past topics that may become relevant and are worth going back to find. When I recently did a presentation on Health Literacy, I found the issue that addressed Health Literacy, used the information from it, and distributed it. (I always feel like Santa when I distribute copies--they are so prized!) I am lucky enough to work at the dissemination center for FOB, so I can easily find the back issues with topics I need, so I am not very familiar with searching for back issues and topics on the NCSALL website. Barb, can you please give us a run-down on how to search for past FOB topics? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 15:09:49 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:09:49 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDIzMl0goFdobyB1c2VzIEZPQj8=?= Message-ID: <30670063.644321144955389520.JavaMail.root@vms073.mailsrvcs.net> That's a good point, Kathy. Our first evaluation indicated that teachers wanted more "ready to use" information and materials. We responded to a certain degree by creating the occasional column "Focus on Teaching", by incorporating more boxes with teaching ideas into articles, and by encouraging authors to include sections on implications for teachers. At the same time, our focus is connecting research and practice, so we don't want to become a "lesson plan for tomorrow" resource. It's a careful balance, although you're right, we could certainly work more on connecting the research to the classroom. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: K Olson Date: Thu Apr 13 11:12:56 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: [FocusOnBasics 232] Who uses FOB? I find that one of the differences between program administrators and adult education teachers is that administrators look at the research and, when they come across a good theory or implication for instruction, they pass it along to their teachers. Unfortunately, teachers, on the other hand, are often part time, many with other full time jobs. They do not have enough time to stay up to date on all the research in the field, so FOB in my estimation probably serves more administrators than teachers. What do I see that teachers want? They want material and lessons they can use the next day in their classrooms as they do not have time to create such materials. So, if FOB (and this is only my opinion) wants to reach both teachers and administrators, I feel the articles exposing current research in adult education should also have reproducible materials that can be immediately used in the classroom that support this research. Perhaps in this manner teachers will then be inspired to continue to create other materials once they have had an opportunity to see how the particular piece of research impacts learning in their classroom. Kathy Olson Training Specialist ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From kelleyterr at yahoo.com Thu Apr 13 16:02:22 2006 From: kelleyterr at yahoo.com (Terrence Kelley) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 13:02:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229]  teacher education and change In-Reply-To: <10218925.669071144941554077.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <20060413200222.77723.qmail@web51605.mail.yahoo.com> Dear Barb, REF (presumed) professional development and the incorporation thereof issue ... and I speak for colleagues here -- "Incorporation thereof" is different for new and seasoned practioners, education levels accounted for. I think there are several aspects to consider -the major one of which is: Does one choose their own PD based on professional interests/an intererst stream/prior education/prior professional development activities, student needs etc., or is PD something that is arranged by one's administration and is supposedly suitable for all simply because it (the PD offering) fits somehwere within the world of adult education? That's the situation I'm in, and I'm sure not alone. What is bona fide professional development, i.e. current and content relevant, for a new teacher may very well not be for a seasoned one - either because it's old hat, it doesn't fit their teaching style, or is not suitable for their students, or ..... So, who incorporates what and why, or why not, has to be carefully considered. The above are just applied meanderings. Have a good weekend. Terry Kelley Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education Missoula MT --- Barbara Garner wrote: > That's a great question, and one that merits more > research. I'll weigh in, but would love to hear from > others, too. > > Keep in mind, the FOB evaluation was not an effort > to replicate the findings of NCSALL Staff > Development Study. The NCSALL Staff Development > study involved practitioners in a variety of > different types of professional development. But > those types did not include "reading professional > journals and perhaps discussing them with > colleagues". So what we might be seeing is that > different types of practitioners relate differently > to difference types of professional development. > > In terms of what lesson it offers professional > developers now: to me it says that if you don't > already include reading materials with any > professional development activity you conduct, you > should consider adding some. > > Barb Garner > > > From: jataylor > Date: Thu Apr 13 09:36:40 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and > change > > Hi Barb, > As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported > finding that "Respondents > with higher levels of education report a higher rate > of change in their > attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education > and a higher rate of > putting into action ideas they learn as a result of > reading Focus on Basics." > > The report also notes the contradiction of this to > the finding in the 2003 > NCSALL Professional Development Study which > documents that 'teachers with > master's degrees were less likely than those without > to act upon information > learned in staff development activities.' One > hypothesis offered was that > teachers who were more educated were possibly more > "settled" in their work and > less likely to demonstrate change based on what they > learned in PD. > > What are your speculations about this discrepancy as > it pertains to the > research, and what is the message you'd recommend > that professional developers > take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to > their work? > > Thanks, Jackie > > Jackie Taylor, Moderator > Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion > List > jataylor at utk.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 16:52:07 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:52:07 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFJlOiBbRm9jdXNPbkJhc2ljcyAyMjldIA==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?oHRlYWNoZXIgZWR1Y2F0aW9uIGFuZCBjaGFuZ2U=?= Message-ID: <22029446.873831144961527250.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> Dear Listers... Terry makes a good point...presumably most folks who completed the Focus on Basics evaluation survey read FOB because they are self motivated to do so (although we didn't ask that question). Whereas some participants in professional development are sent by their administrators because of the presumed suitability of the offering. Motivation makes a difference. I'm not sure how the NCSALL Staff Development study treated motivation in their analysis. I'll ask them to share with us their views, if not this week then next. What do other readers think might be reasons for the difference in findings between the FOB evaluation, in which "Respondents with higher levels of education report a higher rate of change in their attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education and a higher rate of putting into action ideas they learn as a result of reading Focus on Basics" and the NCSALL staff development study, which reported that 'teachers with master's degrees were less likely than those without to act upon information learned in staff development activities.'? Barb Garner From: Terrence Kelley Date: Thu Apr 13 15:02:22 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 229] ?teacher education and change Dear Barb, REF (presumed) professional development and the incorporation thereof issue ... and I speak for colleagues here -- "Incorporation thereof" is different for new and seasoned practioners, education levels accounted for. I think there are several aspects to consider -the major one of which is: Does one choose their own PD based on professional interests/an intererst stream/prior education/prior professional development activities, student needs etc., or is PD something that is arranged by one's administration and is supposedly suitable for all simply because it (the PD offering) fits somehwere within the world of adult education? That's the situation I'm in, and I'm sure not alone. What is bona fide professional development, i.e. current and content relevant, for a new teacher may very well not be for a seasoned one - either because it's old hat, it doesn't fit their teaching style, or is not suitable for their students, or ..... So, who incorporates what and why, or why not, has to be carefully considered. The above are just applied meanderings. Have a good weekend. Terry Kelley Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education Missoula MT --- Barbara Garner wrote: > That's a great question, and one that merits more > research. I'll weigh in, but would love to hear from > others, too. > > Keep in mind, the FOB evaluation was not an effort > to replicate the findings of NCSALL Staff > Development Study. The NCSALL Staff Development > study involved practitioners in a variety of > different types of professional development. But > those types did not include "reading professional > journals and perhaps discussing them with > colleagues". So what we might be seeing is that > different types of practitioners relate differently > to difference types of professional development. > > In terms of what lesson it offers professional > developers now: to me it says that if you don't > already include reading materials with any > professional development activity you conduct, you > should consider adding some. > > Barb Garner > > > From: jataylor > Date: Thu Apr 13 09:36:40 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and > change > > Hi Barb, > As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported > finding that "Respondents > with higher levels of education report a higher rate > of change in their > attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education > and a higher rate of > putting into action ideas they learn as a result of > reading Focus on Basics." > > The report also notes the contradiction of this to > the finding in the 2003 > NCSALL Professional Development Study which > documents that 'teachers with > master's degrees were less likely than those without > to act upon information > learned in staff development activities.' One > hypothesis offered was that > teachers who were more educated were possibly more > "settled" in their work and > less likely to demonstrate change based on what they > learned in PD. > > What are your speculations about this discrepancy as > it pertains to the > research, and what is the message you'd recommend > that professional developers > take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to > their work? > > Thanks, Jackie > > Jackie Taylor, Moderator > Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion > List > jataylor at utk.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Apr 13 18:11:18 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 17:11:18 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IKBSRTogW0ZvY3VzT25CYXNpY3MgMjI3XQ==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?IKBTZWFyY2hpbmcgZm9yIHRvcGljcyBvbiBGT0I=?= Message-ID: <6110529.1488481144966278323.JavaMail.root@vms075.mailsrvcs.net> According to the director of NCSALL, John Comings, the NCSALL web site will be up through 2008. After that, we don't know. Barb From: Ann Barncard Date: Thu Apr 13 10:55:34 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 227] ?Searching for topics on FOB If NCSALL is not refunded, how long will the website be available? Ann Barncard Workforce Development Coordinator Literacy Council of Brown County 424 S. Monroe Ave. Green Bay, WI 54301 annb at lcbc.org -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:06 AM To: Julie McKinney; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB The easiest way to find articles from earlier FOBs on topics you're interested in now is to go to the NCSALL web site (http://www.ncsall.net). On the righthand side is "subject link", right under the GOOGLE search thing. Click on subject link. Scroll down that list to find the topic that best describes your interest. Click on that, and it will bring you to a list of all the related NCSALL products. Scroll down to see Focus on Basics articles are grouped under the heading "Focus on Basics". If your topic doesn't appear on the subject topic list, you can try using the GOOGLE search bar. Or, you can post your question to the FOB list serve, and in my role as human search engine, I will send you to the most relevant articles. Barb Garner Editor, FOB From: Julie McKinney Date: Thu Apr 13 09:05:31 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 227] Searching for topics on FOB I agree that the variety and relevance of the topics covered are one of the strengths of FOB. Almost every article I read gives insight into some specific aspect of working and learning in a classroom that teachers face daily, and the "Implications for Teaching" sections at the end of the articles tie that insight into action. KC Andrew mentioned keeping copies for later because the topic "becomes relevant over time." This reminded me that there is a wealth of past topics that may become relevant and are worth going back to find. When I recently did a presentation on Health Literacy, I found the issue that addressed Health Literacy, used the information from it, and distributed it. (I always feel like Santa when I distribute copies--they are so prized!) I am lucky enough to work at the dissemination center for FOB, so I can easily find the back issues with topics I need, so I am not very familiar with searching for back issues and topics on the NCSALL website. Barb, can you please give us a run-down on how to search for past FOB topics? Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Thu Apr 13 19:21:17 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 01:21:17 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 241] Re: Who uses FOB? In-Reply-To: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303B47107@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> References: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303B47107@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> Message-ID: <443EF90D020000A0000024F1@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> As an instructor I read FOB because I like to see what other programs are doing that works. I can take what they're doing back to my administrators and say "Hey, we might want to see if we can do something similar." or I can use it to back up a need or supprt a stance at times. Additionally, not all the articles are from the admin point of view. There are plenty of success stories by teachers as well...those are great to share with colleagues and students alike. They often motivate and inspitre others when they feel they've reached the end of their rope. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> tarv at chemeketa.edu 04/13/06 1:24 PM >>> I'm an instructor in ABE/GED/Dev Ed and I read FOB most of the time to keep current in the field. It does seem that most of the writers are administrators and I'm glad that they are reading what's going on in the field. Hopefully, it helps them to support their part-time staff in creative ways and to move their programs into the future successfully. Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of K Olson Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 9:13 AM To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: [FocusOnBasics 232] Who uses FOB? I find that one of the differences between program administrators and adult education teachers is that administrators look at the research and, when they come across a good theory or implication for instruction, they pass it along to their teachers. Unfortunately, teachers, on the other hand, are often part time, many with other full time jobs. They do not have enough time to stay up to date on all the research in the field, so FOB in my estimation probably serves more administrators than teachers. What do I see that teachers want? They want material and lessons they can use the next day in their classrooms as they do not have time to create such materials. So, if FOB (and this is only my opinion) wants to reach both teachers and administrators, I feel the articles exposing current research in adult education should also have reproducible materials that can be immediately used in the classroom that support this research. Perhaps in this manner teachers will then be inspired to continue to create other materials once they have had an opportunity to see how the particular piece of research impacts learning in their classroom. Kathy Olson Training Specialist ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Thu Apr 13 19:30:31 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 01:30:31 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 242] Re: teacher education and change In-Reply-To: <22029446.873831144961527250.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> References: <22029446.873831144961527250.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <443EFB37020000A0000024F6@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual has to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is a bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have to change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with change. Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and if all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching in Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling that having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in the workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back to school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via any form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe professional development is essential in ANY workplace. I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to how FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as well as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and desire to grow professionally and personally. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner 04/13/06 4:52 PM >>> Dear Listers... Terry makes a good point...presumably most folks who completed the Focus on Basics evaluation survey read FOB because they are self motivated to do so (although we didn't ask that question). Whereas some participants in professional development are sent by their administrators because of the presumed suitability of the offering. Motivation makes a difference. I'm not sure how the NCSALL Staff Development study treated motivation in their analysis. I'll ask them to share with us their views, if not this week then next. What do other readers think might be reasons for the difference in findings between the FOB evaluation, in which "Respondents with higher levels of education report a higher rate of change in their attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education and a higher rate of putting into action ideas they learn as a result of reading Focus on Basics" and the NCSALL staff development study, which reported that 'teachers with master's degrees were less likely than those without to act upon information learned in staff development activities.'? Barb Garner From: Terrence Kelley Date: Thu Apr 13 15:02:22 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and change Dear Barb, REF (presumed) professional development and the incorporation thereof issue ... and I speak for colleagues here -- "Incorporation thereof" is different for new and seasoned practioners, education levels accounted for. I think there are several aspects to consider -the major one of which is: Does one choose their own PD based on professional interests/an intererst stream/prior education/prior professional development activities, student needs etc., or is PD something that is arranged by one's administration and is supposedly suitable for all simply because it (the PD offering) fits somehwere within the world of adult education? That's the situation I'm in, and I'm sure not alone. What is bona fide professional development, i.e. current and content relevant, for a new teacher may very well not be for a seasoned one - either because it's old hat, it doesn't fit their teaching style, or is not suitable for their students, or ..... So, who incorporates what and why, or why not, has to be carefully considered. The above are just applied meanderings. Have a good weekend. Terry Kelley Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education Missoula MT --- Barbara Garner wrote: > That's a great question, and one that merits more > research. I'll weigh in, but would love to hear from > others, too. > > Keep in mind, the FOB evaluation was not an effort > to replicate the findings of NCSALL Staff > Development Study. The NCSALL Staff Development > study involved practitioners in a variety of > different types of professional development. But > those types did not include "reading professional > journals and perhaps discussing them with > colleagues". So what we might be seeing is that > different types of practitioners relate differently > to difference types of professional development. > > In terms of what lesson it offers professional > developers now: to me it says that if you don't > already include reading materials with any > professional development activity you conduct, you > should consider adding some. > > Barb Garner > > > From: jataylor > Date: Thu Apr 13 09:36:40 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 229] teacher education and > change > > Hi Barb, > As you know, in the FOB evaluation NCSALL reported > finding that "Respondents > with higher levels of education report a higher rate > of change in their > attitudes and behaviors about adult basic education > and a higher rate of > putting into action ideas they learn as a result of > reading Focus on Basics." > > The report also notes the contradiction of this to > the finding in the 2003 > NCSALL Professional Development Study which > documents that 'teachers with > master's degrees were less likely than those without > to act upon information > learned in staff development activities.' One > hypothesis offered was that > teachers who were more educated were possibly more > "settled" in their work and > less likely to demonstrate change based on what they > learned in PD. > > What are your speculations about this discrepancy as > it pertains to the > research, and what is the message you'd recommend > that professional developers > take away from this comparison as it is pertinent to > their work? > > Thanks, Jackie > > Jackie Taylor, Moderator > Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion > List > jataylor at utk.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Fri Apr 14 09:27:22 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 09:27:22 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 243] Re: teacher education and change In-Reply-To: <443EFB37020000A0000024F6@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: Katrina and all I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of professional development? I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across the board. IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of learning and respect for learning throughout the field. Janet Isserlis > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual has > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is a > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have to > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with change. > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and if > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching in > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling that > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in the > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back to > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via any > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to how > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as well > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and desire > to grow professionally and personally. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson From mgsantos at sfsu.edu Fri Apr 14 10:21:13 2006 From: mgsantos at sfsu.edu (mgsantos at sfsu.edu) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:21:13 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 244] Re: teacher education and change In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1145024472.443fafd90082c@webmail.sfsu.edu> Janet and all I have to agree strong with Janet's thoughts on motivation. I train adult ESL teachers in MA TESOL program and many of them (of varying levels of experience) WANT to implement the ideas they read in FOB ... but when they get go back to their programs, they reported feeling frustrated that their programs don't seem to support innovation and creativity in teaching. If a program isn't committed at the program-level to fostering a "culture of change" (lots of stuff out there in K-12 about this), personal motivation can provide a point of entry but is not sufficient for meaningful impact. At the same time I think we need to recognize the many ways that teachers do grow and develop that don't necessarily translate into measurable learner gains. Stephen Reder and his team in Portland have argued for a broader view on learner participation, beyond program attendance. Perhaps we also need to begin systematically accounting for the ways that teachers manage their own professional growth and strive to develop professionally, outside of formal pd organizations and *in spite* of the lack of programmatic support. With FOB online, the series represents a rich library that a teacher could turn to for self-reflection. However there are still a lot of teachers out there (I meet them at TESOL conventions) who don't know about NCSALL or FOB. If FOB is facing the end of its publishing run, it seems strategic to think how NCSALL might use its remaining FOB funds to expand its outreach. Best, Maricel Santos Quoting Janet Isserlis : > Katrina and all > > I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be > mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't > available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are > the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside > from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program > administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of > professional development? > > I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after > I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so > that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two > and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged > to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not > a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to > dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in > my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe > participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in > working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, > continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe > as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong > programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across > the board. > > IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then > we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of > learning and respect for learning throughout the field. > > Janet Isserlis > > > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual > has > > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is > a > > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have > to > > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with > change. > > > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and > if > > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching > in > > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling > that > > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in > the > > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back > to > > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via > any > > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to > how > > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as > well > > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and > desire > > to grow professionally and personally. > > > > Regards > > Katrina Hinson > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri Apr 14 12:32:11 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 11:32:11 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 245] Re: teacher education and change Message-ID: <27865687.501611145032331148.JavaMail.root@vms062.mailsrvcs.net> Wow, lots of ideas and information here. First, regarding the differing findings of the two studies (the FOB survey, and the NCSALL Staff Development Study, a lengthy research projects)in one, those with less education were more likely to incorporate ideas learned in professional development. In the other, those with more education were likely to do the incorporating... But perhaps the good news is that both groups, under certain conditions, put professional development to use. The issue that Janet writes about, of the conditions conducive to engagement in professional development, are much the same issues we think about when pondering how to enroll and engage ABE learners. The need, the motivation, are important, but so are elements such as availability, cost (free), accessibility, child care if needed, etc. And a climate conducive to learning. I can't agree more that all the pieces have to be in place. Has anyone experienced a considerable change in their program, toward a climate more conducive to learning? And when I write "climate" I'm thinking about both atmosphere and also particulars: paid release time, substitutes available, support for trying new things, etc. What caused the change? What can we learn from your experiences? How about change, I hate to say it, in the opposite direction? What stifles professional learning? And continuing outreach, particularly to folks who don't know of FOB and NCSALL as a resource, is a valuable reminder. Any suggestions of concrete things NCSALL should be doing to bring itself and FOB to teachers' attention? Barb From: mgsantos at sfsu.edu Date: Fri Apr 14 09:21:13 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List , Janet Isserlis Subject: [FocusOnBasics 244] Re: teacher education and change Janet and all I have to agree strong with Janet's thoughts on motivation. I train adult ESL teachers in MA TESOL program and many of them (of varying levels of experience) WANT to implement the ideas they read in FOB ... but when they get go back to their programs, they reported feeling frustrated that their programs don't seem to support innovation and creativity in teaching. If a program isn't committed at the program-level to fostering a "culture of change" (lots of stuff out there in K-12 about this), personal motivation can provide a point of entry but is not sufficient for meaningful impact. At the same time I think we need to recognize the many ways that teachers do grow and develop that don't necessarily translate into measurable learner gains. Stephen Reder and his team in Portland have argued for a broader view on learner participation, beyond program attendance. Perhaps we also need to begin systematically accounting for the ways that teachers manage their own professional growth and strive to develop professionally, outside of formal pd organizations and *in spite* of the lack of programmatic support. With FOB online, the series represents a rich library that a teacher could turn to for self-reflection. However there are still a lot of teachers out there (I meet them at TESOL conventions) who don't know about NCSALL or FOB. If FOB is facing the end of its publishing run, it seems strategic to think how NCSALL might use its remaining FOB funds to expand its outreach. Best, Maricel Santos Quoting Janet Isserlis : > Katrina and all > > I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be > mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't > available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are > the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside > from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program > administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of > professional development? > > I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after > I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so > that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two > and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged > to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not > a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to > dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in > my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe > participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in > working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, > continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe > as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong > programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across > the board. > > IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then > we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of > learning and respect for learning throughout the field. > > Janet Isserlis > > > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual > has > > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is > a > > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have > to > > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with > change. > > > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and > if > > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching > in > > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling > that > > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in > the > > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back > to > > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via > any > > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to > how > > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as > well > > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and > desire > > to grow professionally and personally. > > > > Regards > > Katrina Hinson > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jataylor at utk.edu Fri Apr 14 13:38:28 2006 From: jataylor at utk.edu (jataylor) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 13:38:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 246] teacher education and change Message-ID: <4467A8A7@webmail.utk.edu> Hi all, I appreciate this discussion immensely, thanks for the stimulating thoughts. For those who've been out-and-about and you'd like to catch up on the discussion thread, it is now being archived in the wiki: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Teacher_Experience_and_Change Jackie From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Apr 14 15:28:50 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:28:50 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 247] Thanks to Barb and All for great discussion! Message-ID: Hi All, Thanks so much for participating in our discussion of the FOB evaluation, and thanks Barb for facilitating it and answering all the questions! Although the discussion officially ends today, you all know that we can continue discussing these issues afterwards, and that Barb is around and tuned in to the list. Again, thanks to all. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri Apr 14 16:08:33 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:08:33 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDI0N10goFRoYW5rcyB0bw==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?IEJhcmIgYW5kIEFsbCBmb3IgZ3JlYXQgZGlzY3Vzc2lvbiE=?= Message-ID: <28654494.832481145045313726.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> Thanks to everyone...please continue to send us ideas on how to get existing articles into the hands of teachers... Our dissemination team sends copies of all NCSALL publications to ERIC (and now to whatever it is) to archive. So they should be available there as well. I WON'T be able to access email from Sunday - through next Friday, but will be back on by April 22. (And a new Focus on Basics will be out in May!) Regards, Barb Garner Editor, "Focus on Basics" From: Julie McKinney Date: Fri Apr 14 14:28:50 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 247] Thanks to Barb and All for great discussion! Hi All, Thanks so much for participating in our discussion of the FOB evaluation, and thanks Barb for facilitating it and answering all the questions! Although the discussion officially ends today, you all know that we can continue discussing these issues afterwards, and that Barb is around and tuned in to the list. Again, thanks to all. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri Apr 14 16:44:29 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:44:29 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 249] Re: =?iso-8859-1?q?=A0Searching_for_topics_on_FOB?= Message-ID: <30964.839081145047469339.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> I just checked ERIC and you can find them either under "Focus on Basics" (best to put a year in) or with a search word... So that's good to know...posterity! Barb Garner From: Kaye Beall Date: Fri Apr 14 14:57:26 CDT 2006 To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: RE: ?Searching for topics on FOB Focus on Basics and other NCSALL publications can also be found in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ So, the materials would still be available when the NCSALL web site is discontinued. Kaye **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 6:11 PM To: Ann Barncard; b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: ?RE: [FocusOnBasics 227] ?Searching for topics on FOB According to the director of NCSALL, John Comings, the NCSALL web site will be up through 2008. After that, we don't know. Barb From kabeall at comcast.net Fri Apr 14 15:57:26 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:57:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 249] Re: =?iso-8859-1?q?=A0Searching_for_topics_on_FOB?= In-Reply-To: <6110529.1488481144966278323.JavaMail.root@vms075.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <003a01c65ffd$a7a52360$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Focus on Basics and other NCSALL publications can also be found in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education at: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ So, the materials would still be available when the NCSALL web site is discontinued. Kaye **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 6:11 PM To: Ann Barncard; b.garner4 at verizon.net; 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List' Subject: Re: ?RE: [FocusOnBasics 227] ?Searching for topics on FOB According to the director of NCSALL, John Comings, the NCSALL web site will be up through 2008. After that, we don't know. Barb From khinson at future-gate.com Fri Apr 14 17:17:57 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2006 23:17:57 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 250] Re: teacher education and change In-Reply-To: References: <443EFB37020000A0000024F6@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: <44402DA5020000A00000250E@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> I think the biggest support that is missing is adequate funding. I recently attended an event in my state and was fortunate to be an instructor among several other administrators as well as other instructors. In our down time, I had the chance to talk with the two administrators. They were talking about how they'd love to send their teachers to what we ourselves were attending. I asked why they didn't. They said they didn't have the funds and they didn't have the means by and large to provide professional development on any regular basis. I thought that was sad and I counted myself blessed that the school I work for does budget for professional development. I was also disappoited that professional development isn't/wasn't considered something that should be necessary in EVERY budget. Unfortunately the way community college budgets are done sometimes means there is great disparity across the state and therefore great disparity in the opportunities available. I agree that there is probably more that goes into the professional development question and the differences between the NCSALL findings and the FOB findings. I'm just not sure where we'd even begin to get people to appreciate and understand the great need there really is for providing professional development on a larger, consistent scale. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu 04/14/06 9:27 AM >>> Katrina and all I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of professional development? I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across the board. IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of learning and respect for learning throughout the field. Janet Isserlis > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual has > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is a > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have to > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with change. > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and if > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching in > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling that > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in the > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back to > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via any > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to how > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as well > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and desire > to grow professionally and personally. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon Apr 17 18:29:01 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:29:01 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 251] Re: teacher education and change Message-ID: <89DA2100D59D7341BEA4D938F9FB2A9303BA4953@cccmail2.chemeketa.network> Designing workshops that have dual purposes might be a good strategy for effective staff development. My example is WATER on THE WEB. This training worked for both my part time jobs. It gave me worksites for my watershed education needs and live sites that I used weekly with my GED students. VA -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 2:18 PM To: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu; The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 250] Re: teacher education and change I think the biggest support that is missing is adequate funding. I recently attended an event in my state and was fortunate to be an instructor among several other administrators as well as other instructors. In our down time, I had the chance to talk with the two administrators. They were talking about how they'd love to send their teachers to what we ourselves were attending. I asked why they didn't. They said they didn't have the funds and they didn't have the means by and large to provide professional development on any regular basis. I thought that was sad and I counted myself blessed that the school I work for does budget for professional development. I was also disappoited that professional development isn't/wasn't considered something that should be necessary in EVERY budget. Unfortunately the way community college budgets are done sometimes means there is great disparity across the state and therefore great disparity in the opportunities available. I agree that there is probably more that goes into the professional development question and the differences between the NCSALL findings and the FOB findings. I'm just not sure where we'd even begin to get people to appreciate and understand the great need there really is for providing professional development on a larger, consistent scale. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu 04/14/06 9:27 AM >>> Katrina and all I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of professional development? I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across the board. IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of learning and respect for learning throughout the field. Janet Isserlis > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual has > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is a > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have to > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with change. > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and if > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching in > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling that > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in the > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back to > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via any > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to how > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as well > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and desire > to grow professionally and personally. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Apr 18 09:55:01 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 09:55:01 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 252] Meeting of the Minds II Symposium Message-ID: Hi All, I am passing on this announcement from Mary Ann Corley about a national adult education practitioner-researcher symposium, a Meeting of the Minds II, to be held in Sacramento, CA November 30-December 2, 2006. Julie *********** SAVE the DATES: November 30-December 2, 2006! ANNOUNCING: A MEETING OF THE MINDS II SYMPOSIUM! The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), the California Department of Education (CDE) Adult Education Office, and the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) of the American Institutes for Research are pleased to announce a Meeting of the Minds II: A National Adult Education Practitioner-Researcher Symposium. Scheduled for November 30-December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton Grand hotel in Sacramento, California, the symposium is designed to provide opportunities for adult education practitioners and researchers to share and discuss the most current research findings and practitioner wisdom. It will engage practitioners and researchers with questions related to goals, accountability, and efficacy and efficiency in policy, practice, and research. The ultimate goals of the symposium are to highlight systemic changes that can enhance literacy practice and increase student learning gains. The theme of this year's symposium is Systemic Change and Student Success: What Does Research Tell Us? As in the first Meeting of the Minds Symposium that was held in 2004, each session of the 2006 Symposium will be structured so that the research presentation is followed by a panel of practitioners who will discuss implications for practice or policy. In addition, conference attendees will have opportunities for small group interaction and networking with researcher-presenters to discuss not only how research can inform practice and policy, but also how practice and policy can inform and suggest a research agenda. More information about the Meeting of the Minds II symposium will be available soon on the symposium Web site, www.researchtopractice.org. (This Web site currently lists presenters' PowerPoints and abstracts of sessions held at the 2004 Meeting of the Minds symposium as well as thoughts generated by attendees regarding implications of the research findings.) We are in the process of updating this Web site to house information about online registration for the 2006 symposium as well as information about hotel registration. We will send out another notice after the Web site has been updated. In the meantime, please save the dates and plan to join us in November in Sacramento! Thank you. -Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D. Symposium Coordinator and CALPRO Director, American Institutes for Research Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From kabeall at comcast.net Tue Apr 18 14:30:56 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:30:56 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 253] New from NCSALL Message-ID: <007201c66316$3bb6bda0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Two new publications are now available from NCSALL. For more information, please visit the NCSALL Web site at: http://www.ncsall.net An Evidence-based Adult Education Program Model Appropriate for Research by John Comings, Lisa Soricone, and Maricel Santos The document reviews the available empirical evidence and professional wisdom in order to define a program model that meets the requirements for good practice. This program model describes what teachers, adult students, counselors, administrators, volunteers, and program partners should do to provide both effective instruction and the support services adults need to persist in their learning long enough to be successful. This paper describes a program model as having a program quality support component and three chronological program components, which are entrance into a program, participation in a program, and reengagement in learning. Though this model could also be used as a description of good programs for other purposes, here it describes the context in which research on approaches to instruction and support services could be productive. To download the NCSALL Occasional Paper, visit NCSALL's Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=26#ebae Learner's Engagement in Adult Literacy Education by Hal Beder, Jessica Tomkins, Patsy Medina, Regina Riccioni, and Weiling Deng Engagement is mental effort focused on learning and is a precondition to learning progress. It is important to understand how and why adult learners engage in literacy instruction because engagement is a precondition to learning progress. This study focused on how learning context shapes engagement. The practical reason for doing so is that to a great extent adult educators control the educational context. Thus if they understand how the educational context shapes engagement, they can influence engagement in positive ways. To download the NCSALL Report, visit NCSALL's Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=29#28 To order the NCSALL Report at $10.00/copy, go to the Order Form: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=681 **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060418/8b39b247/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Apr 19 23:26:21 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 23:26:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 254] Re: teacher education and change Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I'm passing on this message from Cris Smith. It is a response to last week's discussion about the differing findings of the FOB survey, and the NCSALL Staff Development Study, in terms of teacher education level and chances of incorporating ideas learned in PD. Julie ********************************************** Cris here. I directed the NCSALL professional development study, where we found that teachers with a bachelor's degree or less made fewer changes in thinking and acting after participating in professional development, which is different from the FOB evaluation, which found that those with master's degrees or above who responded to the Focus on Basics survey reported making more change in their classrooms or programs after reading Focus on Basics. I think one reason for the difference, in addition to the ones people have mentioned previously, might be the difference in the samples: in our professional development study, almost 100% of those participating were primarily teachers. In the Focus on Basics survey, only 33% identified themselves primarily as teachers (although in both samples we had administrators who did some teaching, and some teachers who did some administrating). One hypothesis for the differences between these two studies and the amount of change related to level of education might be that, according to what we found in the professional development study, administrators and others have more power to make change than do teachers, even at the classroom level. So it could be that with the higher proportion of administrators and non-teachers in the FOB sample, many of whom have post-graduate degrees, they may be reporting more change because they are in a position to make more change, whereas the PD study sample, which was mostly teachers and where only half had masters' or above, were not in a position to make as much change as a result of what they had learned. Anyway, that's one hypothesis. It could also be a motivational issue. It requires individual initiative to read Focus on Basics, and probably many people read articles on those topics about which they have the strongest motivation or recognize the issue as a problem in their work that needs solving. Whereas, some proportion of teachers who attend professional development (we found) are there for reasons other than an interest in the topic or just a strong motivation to learn: they may have been asked (or told) by their program administrator to attend the PD; it was on a free night or convenient to get to; someone else from their program was also attending so they went along; or they were interested in our PD because it was part of a research project or they liked the idea of trying a different model of PD (practitioner research or mentor teacher group) that they hadn't tried before, but either weren't interested in the topic of the PD (learner persistence) or didn't recognize it as a problem in their program or class. All of these things, regardless of education level, may affect what people learn and do after attending the PD. However, I still believe that the idea that more experienced, more "degreed" practitioners and administrators CAN become "settled" and not feel as if they need to make changes in what they do. If they are already doing a good job, they might be right, but in both the PD study and the FOB evaluation, we didn't look at teaching quality (as evidenced by student achievement) so we don't know if that's the case. They could be "settled" teachers who are either very effective or not very effective at all. But that's another study. Best...Cris Cristine Smith Deputy Director, NCSALL World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210-1211 csmith at worlded.org (617) 482-9485 T,W (413) 256-6258 M, Th, F Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Barbara Garner 04/14/06 12:32 PM >>> Wow, lots of ideas and information here. First, regarding the differing findings of the two studies (the FOB survey, and the NCSALL Staff Development Study, a lengthy research projects)in one, those with less education were more likely to incorporate ideas learned in professional development. In the other, those with more education were likely to do the incorporating... But perhaps the good news is that both groups, under certain conditions, put professional development to use. The issue that Janet writes about, of the conditions conducive to engagement in professional development, are much the same issues we think about when pondering how to enroll and engage ABE learners. The need, the motivation, are important, but so are elements such as availability, cost (free), accessibility, child care if needed, etc. And a climate conducive to learning. I can't agree more that all the pieces have to be in place. Has anyone experienced a considerable change in their program, toward a climate more conducive to learning? And when I write "climate" I'm thinking about both atmosphere and also particulars: paid release time, substitutes available, support for trying new things, etc. What caused the change? What can we learn from your experiences? How about change, I hate to say it, in the opposite direction? What stifles professional learning? And continuing outreach, particularly to folks who don't know of FOB and NCSALL as a resource, is a valuable reminder. Any suggestions of concrete things NCSALL should be doing to bring itself and FOB to teachers' attention? Barb From: mgsantos at sfsu.edu Date: Fri Apr 14 09:21:13 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List , Janet Isserlis Subject: [FocusOnBasics 244] Re: teacher education and change Janet and all I have to agree strong with Janet's thoughts on motivation. I train adult ESL teachers in MA TESOL program and many of them (of varying levels of experience) WANT to implement the ideas they read in FOB ... but when they get go back to their programs, they reported feeling frustrated that their programs don't seem to support innovation and creativity in teaching. If a program isn't committed at the program-level to fostering a "culture of change" (lots of stuff out there in K-12 about this), personal motivation can provide a point of entry but is not sufficient for meaningful impact. At the same time I think we need to recognize the many ways that teachers do grow and develop that don't necessarily translate into measurable learner gains. Stephen Reder and his team in Portland have argued for a broader view on learner participation, beyond program attendance. Perhaps we also need to begin systematically accounting for the ways that teachers manage their own professional growth and strive to develop professionally, outside of formal pd organizations and *in spite* of the lack of programmatic support. With FOB online, the series represents a rich library that a teacher could turn to for self-reflection. However there are still a lot of teachers out there (I meet them at TESOL conventions) who don't know about NCSALL or FOB. If FOB is facing the end of its publishing run, it seems strategic to think how NCSALL might use its remaining FOB funds to expand its outreach. Best, Maricel Santos Quoting Janet Isserlis : > Katrina and all > > I think motivation is likely an important factor, but we also need to be > mindful of systemic support for educators. What supports are/aren't > available to people who are working more than one part-time job? What are > the cultures of professional development in their various workplaces? Aside > from the intrinsic motivation to learn more, what messages to program > administrators, colleagues and funders convey to teachers about the value of > professional development? > > I was really fortunate to have had an opportunity to begin my MA work after > I'd been teaching for 9 years (through a program that funded the courses so > that we only paid for books). It was a part-time masters program, over two > and a half years, designed for full-time teachers. I was already privileged > to be working full time; the degree program required a lot of work, but not > a lot of money. While grateful endlessly for the program - I was ready to > dig in and learn, and had the questions to ask that I might not have had in > my first year of teaching - I still think that we can't only ascribe > participation in PD to personal motivation. We also need to be proactive in > working to build opportunities for practitioners across the board - new, > continuing, veteran practitioners - or we risk what I've heard Barb describe > as "good programs getting gooder." It's great to build capacity in strong > programs - but it's also great to make capacity building available across > the board. > > IF it is the case that personal motivation is the determining factor, then > we've all the more work to do to build a greater collective culture of > learning and respect for learning throughout the field. > > Janet Isserlis > > > > I think motivation is probably the driving force. I think the individual > has > > to be willing to learn or be open to new ideas. I also think complacency is > a > > bad thing and something people slide into sometimes unknowingly...they get > > comfortable with the way they've done something and think they don't have > to > > change it or even fear the change and tensions usually associated with > change. > > > > Personally, I've waited for a while before pursuing an advanced degree and > if > > all goes well I'll be starting my Masters in the fall. I've been teaching > in > > Adult Ed for 10 years though. I think sometimes, that there is a feeling > that > > having an advanced degree means you've "arrived" at some pre determined > > destination...or that you're now an expert able to impart knowledge but > > perhaps not gain it. I'm not really sure. I've encounted that behavior in > the > > workplace and I think that's what's put me off for so long about going back > to > > school. I don't ever want to feel I have nothing else to learn or gain via > any > > form of education. I definitely feel that professional development is > > essential to staying effective in the classroom. I actually believe > > professional development is essential in ANY workplace. > > > > I think I'd wonder how the NCSALL arrived at their conclusion compared to > how > > FOB arrived at theirs. Was the pool of respondants the same in size as > well > > as was the pool of respondants the same in terms of degrees etc. > > > > Ultimately, I think it comes down to the individual person's drive and > desire > > to grow professionally and personally. > > > > Regards > > Katrina Hinson > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us Thu Apr 20 08:48:50 2006 From: Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us (Holly Dilatush-Guthrie) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 08:48:50 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 254] Re: promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB Message-ID: Responding to this post from from Maricel Santos: <> This may sound ridiculous, but I'll suggest it nonetheless * TESOL is a good place for outreach * and I for one would volunteer to wear a very noticeable and memorable hat and some sort of 'sandwich board' plastered with past issues and roam the halls handing out sample articles and/or issues and subscription requests * perhaps 'testimonials' from various professionals who have used these resources, sharing why/how/what has influenced them/their PD/their teaching, etc. * from both administrators and teachers points of view. I'm not sure this is allowed at TESOL unless one pays for a vendor's booth? It may sound far-fetched and 'tacky,' but I do believe that in a TESOL-type environment it could be effective. In 'prior lives' I've been seen cavorting as the Easter bunny, a Santa's elf, a homeless wretch from the streets, a cookie, and more * so this task would be an easy one for someone with my quirky personality! Maybe there are others who would be willing to join me? Or maybe this is just too silly of an image for quality publications? [I believe in sharing ideas, however bizarre, to spur others' thinking] A more 'tried and true' way would be to put together a panel presentation * which means submitting * SOON * proposals. This, too, can be effective, but for a smaller number of people. Personally speaking, connections and awarenesses gained from attending TESOL and other PD conferences have greatly influenced my life. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060420/d204e494/attachment.html From mgsantos at sfsu.edu Thu Apr 20 10:56:42 2006 From: mgsantos at sfsu.edu (mgsantos at sfsu.edu) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 07:56:42 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 255] Re: promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1145545002.4447a12a2fd70@webmail.sfsu.edu> Holly's suggestions are good ones. I'm less of a fan of the placard approach (but thanks, Holly, for being willing to put yourself out there!) but I'm very supportive of any proposals for the 2007 TESOl convention that could spotlight FOB. Could Holly and others work with NCSALL leaders to put together a panel of presentations on how FOB has been used by teachers in their classrooms? I attend TESOL every year so would be willing to support people in this approach. NCSALL hasn't had the kind of outreach funds to attend lots of conferences so its presence at TESOL has been on and off. For the past 3 conventions, Lisa Soricone and I, and most recently with Winston Lawrence and Tilla Elahi from NYC, have presented on the health literacy study circles which gives us a reason to talk about NCSALL to TESOL folks. Take care, maricel santos Quoting Holly Dilatush-Guthrie : > Responding to this post from from Maricel Santos: < series represents a rich library that a teacher could turn to for > self-reflection. However there are still a lot of teachers out there (I meet > them at TESOL conventions) who don't know about NCSALL or FOB. If FOB is > facing the end of its publishing run, it seems strategic to think how NCSALL > might use its remaining FOB funds to expand its outreach. >> > > This may sound ridiculous, but I'll suggest it nonetheless * TESOL is a good > place for outreach * and I for one would volunteer to wear a very noticeable > and memorable hat and some sort of 'sandwich board' plastered with past > issues and roam the halls handing out sample articles and/or issues and > subscription requests * perhaps 'testimonials' from various professionals who > have used these resources, sharing why/how/what has influenced them/their > PD/their teaching, etc. * from both administrators and teachers points of > view. I'm not sure this is allowed at TESOL unless one pays for a > vendor's booth? It may sound far-fetched and 'tacky,' but I do believe > that in a TESOL-type environment it could be effective. In 'prior lives' > I've been seen cavorting as the Easter bunny, a Santa's elf, a homeless > wretch from the streets, a cookie, and more * so this task would be an easy > one for someone with my quirky personality! Maybe there are others who > would be willing to join me? Or maybe this is just too silly of an image for > quality publications? [I believe in sharing ideas, however bizarre, to spur > others' thinking] > > A more 'tried and true' way would be to put together a panel presentation * > which means submitting * SOON * proposals. This, too, can be effective, but > for a smaller number of people. > > Personally speaking, connections and awarenesses gained from attending TESOL > and other PD conferences have greatly influenced my life. > > Holly > > > > "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that > will turn the tides." > Holly Dilatush > ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator > Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center > 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D > Charlottesville VA 22903 > (434) 245.2815 office > (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile > http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management > systems/virtual classrooms)] > http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org > "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and > nurture in nature." > > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Apr 21 10:01:28 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:01:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 256] Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB Message-ID: Holly and all, Thanks so much for thinking about ways to promote NCSALL and FOB. As you can imagine, we are very interested in doing whatever we can to attract funding and keep FOB going. We would love to talk about ways to promote at TESOL, and other places. I will also be at COABE next week--too late for anything formal, but I'd be happy to work on some informal promotion. Barb has been on vacation this week and will be back on Monday. Perhaps next week we can continue this conversation and collectively come up with some ideas. We appreciate all your support so much! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Fri Apr 21 10:04:34 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:04:34 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 257] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB In-Reply-To: Message-ID: one more small, but maybe significant step if many of us can do it: I have links to a number of specific FOB pieces on my website, and almost always include them as resources when I facilitate workshops. Another way to infuse, disseminate and otherwise make people aware of -- and help them towards using - the resource. Janet Isselris > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:01:28 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 256] Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB > > Holly and all, > > Thanks so much for thinking about ways to promote NCSALL and FOB. As you > can imagine, we are very interested in doing whatever we can to attract > funding and keep FOB going. We would love to talk about ways to promote > at TESOL, and other places. I will also be at COABE next week--too late > for anything formal, but I'd be happy to work on some informal > promotion. > > Barb has been on vacation this week and will be back on Monday. Perhaps > next week we can continue this conversation and collectively come up > with some ideas. We appreciate all your support so much! > > All the best, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From sylviap at westman.wave.ca Sun Apr 23 14:47:02 2006 From: sylviap at westman.wave.ca (sylviap) Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 13:47:02 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 258] Re: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <001801c66706$4f768570$0500a8c0@D4TWM391> Has there ever been any discussion about going international? The border between Canada and the USA is the largest factor separating the issues and concerns regarding adult literacy, adult learning, adult education or what ever other terminology we use to describe this area. I have been involved in all of the above and have found your information extremely helpful despite the fact that it is not Canadian based. Sylvia Provenski -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 22, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 257] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB (Janet Isserlis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:04:34 -0400 From: Janet Isserlis Subject: [FocusOnBasics 257] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" one more small, but maybe significant step if many of us can do it: I have links to a number of specific FOB pieces on my website, and almost always include them as resources when I facilitate workshops. Another way to infuse, disseminate and otherwise make people aware of -- and help them towards using - the resource. Janet Isselris > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:01:28 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 256] Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB > > Holly and all, > > Thanks so much for thinking about ways to promote NCSALL and FOB. As you > can imagine, we are very interested in doing whatever we can to attract > funding and keep FOB going. We would love to talk about ways to promote > at TESOL, and other places. I will also be at COABE next week--too late > for anything formal, but I'd be happy to work on some informal > promotion. > > Barb has been on vacation this week and will be back on Monday. Perhaps > next week we can continue this conversation and collectively come up > with some ideas. We appreciate all your support so much! > > All the best, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 ******************************************** From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Apr 24 17:20:59 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:20:59 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 259] Discuss the Discussion Lists at COABE! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, If any of you are going to the COABE conference next week, please consider joining my colleagues, who are presenting a session about this and other discussion lists from the National Institute for Literacy. Find out how you can get more out of them. Read on for more information about the session: ********************************************* Dear Colleagues: Please join us in the following session at this year?s COABE National Conference in Houston, Texas: Professional Development From Your ?Inbox?: Making the Most of National Discussion Lists Saturday, 9:45 ? 11:00 Presented by NIFL Discussion List Moderators: Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Marie Cora, Assessment List Daphne Greenberg, Women & Literacy List National online discussion lists provide an opportunity for ongoing professional development with colleagues, researchers, nationally-recognized experts and leaders in the field. Presenters will provide information regarding the National Institute for Literacy's discussion lists, emerging and key issues for each topic, upcoming discussion activities, and how to get the most from your discussion list subscription. To this end, we encourage you to attend the session to discuss your own experience being a subscriber (writer or lurker!) on any of the Institute's Lists. Please come and share your thoughts on how newcomers can get the most out of their subscription, as well as provide us with feedback so that we can better serve your needs. We look forward to meeting you in person! Jackie Taylor, Moderator Adult Literacy Professional Development List Marie Cora, Moderator Assessment List Daphne Greenberg, Moderator Women & Literacy List The National Institute for Literacy?s Discussion Lists are: Adult Literacy Professional Development, Assessment, Adult Education Content Standards, English Language Learners, Family Literacy, Focus on Basics, Health and Literacy, Learning Disabilities, Poverty, Race, and Literacy, Program Leadership and Improvement, Technology and Literacy, Women and Literacy, and Workplace Literacy. Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From khinson at future-gate.com Mon Apr 24 20:42:29 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 02:42:29 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 260] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <444D8C95020000A000002634@fghamn01.ham.de.future-gate.com> These are all great ideas. I'm working on a resource matrix for instructors where I work. I am definitely going to include information like this for them. I'm trying to encourage other instructors to invest even a small amount of time reading information related to adult education practices. Katrina >>> Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu 04/21/06 10:04 AM >>> one more small, but maybe significant step if many of us can do it: I have links to a number of specific FOB pieces on my website, and almost always include them as resources when I facilitate workshops. Another way to infuse, disseminate and otherwise make people aware of -- and help them towards using - the resource. Janet Isselris > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:01:28 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 256] Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB > > Holly and all, > > Thanks so much for thinking about ways to promote NCSALL and FOB. As you > can imagine, we are very interested in doing whatever we can to attract > funding and keep FOB going. We would love to talk about ways to promote > at TESOL, and other places. I will also be at COABE next week--too late > for anything formal, but I'd be happy to work on some informal > promotion. > > Barb has been on vacation this week and will be back on Monday. Perhaps > next week we can continue this conversation and collectively come up > with some ideas. We appreciate all your support so much! > > All the best, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Apr 25 11:11:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 11:11:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 261] A way to support U.S. literacy education Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I am passing on a message from the Literacy President Group. This group helps those of us who care about adult literacy in this country to participate in the process of encouraging the next administration to support adult literacy education. All the best, Julie ________________________________ Dear Colleague, We need your opinion and your vote. Literacy President 2008 is a non- partisan effort to increase national awareness of adult literacy regardless of whom is elected. Literacy President provides members of the adult education community with ways to be active participants in the 2008 Presidential election. The first activity was generating possible questions to ask the candidates. We now have 20 possible questions, and they need to be narrowed to the top five. This is your chance to vote on these, to help us narrow them to the top five best questions. In the 2004 election, Literacy President had over 1000 people -- practitioners, adult learners and others -- who voted for the top priority questions. This time our goal is 1500 people participating: students, practitioners and other advocates for adult literacy. To vote, please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=85102489618 If the address breaks into two lines, you can try this one instead: http://tinyurl.com/s553p For the Literacy President Group, David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 25 14:39:25 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:39:25 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 262] Editorial Board Message-ID: <26709787.2832461145990365254.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> Thanks to everyone who volunteered to be on the editorial board for "Focus on Basics" 8C. I wish I could give everyone a chance. Here's how I selected: 1) US based (thanks to the Canadians who offered, but since the publication is funded by the US government, I prioritized people working on adult literacy in the US) 2) No prior experience working on Focus on Basics or Focus on Basics related publications--we like to make the opportunity available to the greatest number of people possible 3) From different states and states less represented in FOB or on the FOB board (Sorry, Colorado...I heard from lots of you!) 4) First come first serve Right now I can't say to volunteer next time, because I don't know if there will be a next time. Time will tell. Thanks again for your support and willingness to do a lot of work! Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Apr 25 14:47:36 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:47:36 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 263] Re: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 Message-ID: <32100931.2834681145990856798.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> Glad to hear that Focus on Basics is useful in Canada. To answer your question, we talked many years ago with some large Canadian literacy organizations about the possibility of having them subscribe so their constituents could get the published (vs. online) version of FOB, but nothing came of it. We've published an article in 7B by Tracy Defoe and Sue Folinsbee about their work in workplace education in Canada, and we know we have some Canadian readers. We also have a strong following in New Zealand! Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: sylviap Date: Sun Apr 23 13:47:02 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 258] Re: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 Has there ever been any discussion about going international? The border between Canada and the USA is the largest factor separating the issues and concerns regarding adult literacy, adult learning, adult education or what ever other terminology we use to describe this area. I have been involved in all of the above and have found your information extremely helpful despite the fact that it is not Canadian based. Sylvia Provenski -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: April 22, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 257] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB (Janet Isserlis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:04:34 -0400 From: Janet Isserlis Subject: [FocusOnBasics 257] Re: Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" one more small, but maybe significant step if many of us can do it: I have links to a number of specific FOB pieces on my website, and almost always include them as resources when I facilitate workshops. Another way to infuse, disseminate and otherwise make people aware of -- and help them towards using - the resource. Janet Isselris > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:01:28 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 256] Promoting awareness of NCSALL and FOB > > Holly and all, > > Thanks so much for thinking about ways to promote NCSALL and FOB. As you > can imagine, we are very interested in doing whatever we can to attract > funding and keep FOB going. We would love to talk about ways to promote > at TESOL, and other places. I will also be at COABE next week--too late > for anything formal, but I'd be happy to work on some informal > promotion. > > Barb has been on vacation this week and will be back on Monday. Perhaps > next week we can continue this conversation and collectively come up > with some ideas. We appreciate all your support so much! > > All the best, > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 7, Issue 18 ******************************************** ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Apr 26 10:39:01 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 10:39:01 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 264] Family Health and Literacy - A New Resource Guide! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I would like to announce a new health literacy resource guide that has just been published in print and on the Web! Family Health and Literacy This guide to easy-to-read health materials and websites is for adult literacy practitioners and health educators alike. It lists resources to teach health to families with lower literacy skills, but also discusses how to integrate health and literacy education, how to get started and engage adult learners, and how to build connections between literacy programs and local health services. You can find Family Health and Literacy online at: www.worlded.org/us/health/docs/family This is a PDF, and with Adobe Reader 7 or higher you can click on the live links! Hard copies are also available free of charge for a limited time: please contact Leah_Peterson at worlded.org I hope you find it helpful. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From leellington at vcu.edu Fri Apr 28 12:00:14 2006 From: leellington at vcu.edu (Lauren E Ellington/FS/VCU) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:00:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 265] multiple postings Message-ID: I'm wondering if it is at all possible for multiple postings to be sent to the lists as one message rather than as separate messages. I ask this because I am a member of 12 of the 13 listservs and every time there is a multiple message, I receive it 12 times. As you can imagine this fills up my inbox quite a bit. It is rather easy to do by creating a group listing in your address book (like I've done with this message). I am sure that there are other listserv participants who are members of multiple lists as well who would appreciate this consideration. Thank you. ************************************************************** Lauren Ellington Online Training Specialist, Learning Disabilities Specialist, and Writer/Editor of Update and Update on LD Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center Virginia Commonwealth University 817 W. Franklin Street, Room 221 | P.O. Box 842037 Richmond, VA 23284-2037 Phone: 1-800-237-0178 or 804-828-6158 Fax: 804-828-7539 http://www.valrc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060428/21af5718/attachment.html From info at nifl.gov Wed May 3 09:02:53 2006 From: info at nifl.gov (Sandra Baxter) Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 09:02:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 266] News from the National Institute for Literacy Message-ID: <20060503130253.2F1E846555@dev.nifl.gov> Dear Colleagues, We are happy to announce that the National Institute for Literacy has launched a new web page design to help provide easily accessible, high quality information about literacy. New features clearly highlight the Institute's work in all areas of literacy, including early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. You will continue to find the links to all of the Institute's projects, such as Bridges to Practice, LINCS, Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles under Programs and Services. The Institute's publications, including the recently released Teaching Reading to Adults can be found under the Publications link. Please visit http://www.nifl.gov for more information. This is phase one of the redesign. We will soon be incorporating all the Institute's projects into this new design. As many of you know, websites are always a work in progress and we intend to continue improving the Institute's site in order to provide you with the best available resources. We would love to hear your thoughts regarding the new look. Please send your comments to Jo Maralit at mmaralit at nifl.gov. Thanks, Sandra Baxter, Ed.D. Director National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov From miriam at cal.org Wed May 3 12:20:31 2006 From: miriam at cal.org (Miriam Burt) Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 12:20:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 267] New from CAELA: Multilevel Brief and CAELA Currents Newsletter Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8FF6A123@MAIL.cal.local> Hello everyone: The following new resources from the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition may be of interest to readers focus on basics discussion list members: Multilevel Brief Last fall CAELA met with our advisory board, the Technical Work Group (TWG), to discuss CAELA's work, including topics for our briefs. The topic "multilevel classes" was high on our to-do list, having been suggested to us by many practitioners and others in the states we work with across the country. Our TWG, however, advised us to move beyond saying what teachers can do in the classroom to engage the interest of all learners in their classes while helping them achieve their often diverse educational goals. Our TWG suggested we also talk about what administrators can do to help ensure the success of these classes-- how administrators might support teachers in multilevel classes. The brief, Promoting the Success of Multilevel ESL Classes: What Teachers and Administrators Can Do, is now completed and online at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/multilevel.html. and in pdf at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/multilevel.pdf. CAELA Currents Also online is the new issue of our newsletter CAELA Currents at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/ccapr06.html Articles in this April 2006 publication include information about a new teacher might use the CAELA Web site for professional development at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/ccapr06.html#web Information about the available statistics on the training and education levels of adult ESL teachers http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/ccapr06.html#questions as well as information about recent publications of interest to the field such as the joint publication by Senior Service America, Inc and staff at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) entitled Engaging Immigrant Seniors in Community Service and Employment Programs: A Guide for Providers. The guide provides background information on immigrant seniors in the United States and gives practical advice for employers and co-workers working with seniors from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. More information on this free publication and how to obtain it is available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/ccapr06.html#seniors Thanks. Miriam ******* Miriam Burt Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060503/fd7597cb/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri May 5 10:41:10 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 10:41:10 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 268] Guest on Program Leadership & Improvement List - May 8-12 Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Those of you involved in running literacy programs may be interested in next week's guest speaker on the Program Leadership & Improvement List. Please see the announcement below from that list's moderator, Kim Chaney: - Julie ******************************************************* I am pleased to announce that Esmerelda Doreste, Program Director with the Union City (NJ) Adult Learning Center, will be a guest on the list from Monday, May 8 through Friday, May 12. As a participant in the UPS Foundation-funded "Leadership for Community Literacy" Initiative that was administered by the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Center in the late winter, Ms. Doreste worked with her program to implement a program improvement process based on the EFF program quality model. Along with the four other participants, Ms. Doreste wrote about that experience...her story is now accessible on the "Program Leadership and Improvement" web site. Go to [http://pli.cls.utk.edu] and click the "Stories of Program Improvement" button, then click/open "Union City Adult Learning Center: A Program Improvement Process." Please read the story in preparation for Ms. Doreste's visit next week. She will be ready to answer your questions about the nuts and bolts of implementing the process, as well as any other related issues. To Subscribe to the Program Leadership & Improvement List, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Programleadership Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon May 8 09:15:28 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 08 May 2006 09:15:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 269] New FOB: Learners' Experiences - now available online! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for... The newest Focus On Basics, on learners' Experiences, is now available on NCSALL's web site: www.ncsall.net. Here's a preview from editor Barb Garner: ************************************************* Quick, tell me about your students' self esteem. Low, because of their academic struggles? That's not what a recent NCSALL-Rutgers study showed. And how about reading? Do your learners know that to increase their reading fluency, they need to...read? What kind of and how much reading do they do outside of class? Another NCSALL-Rutgers study follows three learners as they go about their days and finds quite a variety in the amount of reading the learners do on their own. Teachers, have you ever seen yourself teach? Or noticed just what that clump of students was doing while you were engaged with one person on another side of the classroom? Teachers working with NCSALL-Rutgers found that videos taken of their classroom for research purposes provided them with rich information useful to their own professional development. Learn how useful video can be in helping pinpoint issues and suggest new ways of doing things in the classroom. There's lots more, particularly around learner engagement. Go to www.ncsall.net and click on "Newest Issue of Focus on Basics" Printed copies and a text-only web version will not be out for another two weeks. Regards, Barb Garner, Editor Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Mon May 8 16:03:44 2006 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Mon, 8 May 2006 16:03:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 270] Update: New National Institute for Literacy Discussion List Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0E59B7F3@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> Dear subscribers, We invite you to join us on the National Institute for Literacy's new SPECIAL TOPICS List. This list was established to provide opportunities throughout the year for focused discussion topics with invited researchers and other experts in the field of adult education and literacy (including English language learning and numeracy). The Special Topics Discussion List will be moderated by David Rosen, Ed.D., Senior Associate, Newsome Associates. This list is an intermittent discussion list. The topics will open and close throughout the year, so there are periods when there will be no discussion or postings. You can subscribe to the discussion list for a particular topic of interest, and then unsubscribe, or you can stay subscribed throughout the year. Please join us on May 23rd for the launch of the new Special Topics list with guests Dr. Rosalind Davidson and Dr. John Strucker, co-researchers on the Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS). They will be available for one week to answer your questions and to introduce you to the ARCS interactive Web site, designed to help teachers with assessing and teaching reading. To subscribe, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics Before the discussion begins on May 23rd, please look at a 30-minute video panel discussion on the ARCS, streamed on the National Institute for Literacy Web site, or on DVD. 1. Streaming video: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04a.html (Note: Macintosh users will need to have Real Player installed, and for them performance may not be optimal.) 2. DVD: Send a request for the Adult Readiing Components Study (ARCS) Panel (free) DVD to: info at nifl.gov Be sure to include your mailing address. After you subscribe, you can send your questions to the discussion list. Please note, however, that messages will not be posted until May 22nd. For more information, or suggestions of topics, contact David J. Rosen at djrosen1 at comcast.net Regards, Jo Maralit National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu May 11 08:46:14 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 07:46:14 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <2449243.6226761147351574221.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net From khinson at future-gate.com Thu May 11 19:42:04 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 01:42:04 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 272] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: <2449243.6226761147351574221.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> References: <2449243.6226761147351574221.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <4463E7EC020000A0000027CA@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu May 11 22:23:30 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 21:23:30 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFJlOiBbRm9jdXNPbkJhc2ljcyAyNzFdIKA=?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?U3VwcG9ydGluZyBvdXQgb2Ygc2Nob29sIHN0dWR5?= Message-ID: <9626742.2914731147400610115.JavaMail.root@vms061.mailsrvcs.net> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Fri May 12 06:56:31 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 12:56:31 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 274] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <44648601020000A0000027D7@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri May 12 11:38:20 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 10:38:20 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFJlOiBSZTogW0ZvY3VzT25CYXNpY3MgMjcxXQ==?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?IKBTdXBwb3J0aW5nIG91dCBvZiBzY2hvb2wgc3R1ZHk=?= Message-ID: <29374929.40721147448301061.JavaMail.root@vms075.mailsrvcs.net> Katrina, Can you share some specifics? How do you announce its availability to those connected with your program? If someone stops coming, for example, do you call or visit them with the online resource as an option? What strategies are you trying to keep it from being an invitation for active students to decide to, in effect, telecommute? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Fri May 12 05:56:31 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri May 12 12:25:38 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 12:25:38 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 276] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From astotts at gicw.org Fri May 12 12:27:26 2006 From: astotts at gicw.org (Amy Stotts) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 09:27:26 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 277] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <34D02900B99AE949966EAE61AD08FB0816CD8D@exchange2003.gicw.org> As it happens, we are creating a program for ESL learners to engage in self-study. It's not quite "out of school", and yet it offers some supports that might be relevant. A little background: At Goodwill Industries in Portland, Oregon, we offer ESL classes to novice through intermediate level employees at their worksites during their paid working time. When it works it's fantastic, but if a worksite has fewer than three people at a similar level of language ability, we are unable to offer a class to those employees. As we have very motivated employees who want ESL help, we're currently constructing an ESL self-study program to encourage and aid those employees that are not able to participate in our regular programs. Some of the supports we will offer are: Bimonthly 60-90 minute meetings with an ESL practitioner Language exchange partners at the worksite for weekly or biweekly lunch sessions An extensive choice of materials from our program library Information about and encouragement to participate in English language activities offered by our organization and in the community Pre-, mid- and post- study language assessment We will be starting this program within a month--I wish I could tell you how it will work! Amy Stotts Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette, Inc. ESL Department www.meetgoodwill.org Phone: 503/238.6196 Fax: 503/239.1732 -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:46 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri May 12 14:51:11 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 13:51:11 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 278] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <7184050.2607771147459872375.JavaMail.root@vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Amy, please do report back to the list in a few months and let us know how it is going. Perhaps other colleagues on this list can give you suggestions if you hit snags.... Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: Amy Stotts Date: Fri May 12 11:27:26 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 277] Re: Supporting out of school study As it happens, we are creating a program for ESL learners to engage in self-study. It's not quite "out of school", and yet it offers some supports that might be relevant. A little background: At Goodwill Industries in Portland, Oregon, we offer ESL classes to novice through intermediate level employees at their worksites during their paid working time. When it works it's fantastic, but if a worksite has fewer than three people at a similar level of language ability, we are unable to offer a class to those employees. As we have very motivated employees who want ESL help, we're currently constructing an ESL self-study program to encourage and aid those employees that are not able to participate in our regular programs. Some of the supports we will offer are: Bimonthly 60-90 minute meetings with an ESL practitioner Language exchange partners at the worksite for weekly or biweekly lunch sessions An extensive choice of materials from our program library Information about and encouragement to participate in English language activities offered by our organization and in the community Pre-, mid- and post- study language assessment We will be starting this program within a month--I wish I could tell you how it will work! Amy Stotts Goodwill of the Columbia Willamette, Inc. ESL Department www.meetgoodwill.org Phone: 503/238.6196 Fax: 503/239.1732 -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:46 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Fri May 12 23:34:21 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Fri, 12 May 2006 23:34:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 279] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: <2449243.6226761147351574221.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> References: <2449243.6226761147351574221.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <446553BD.3050500@isp.com> Hi Barb, Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the assignments. We have found that our students often do very well in school when they are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the community, they have to work hard to provide these things for themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a good solution for these folks. A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in the dream stage right now. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont Barbara Garner wrote: Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? From khinson at future-gate.com Sat May 13 16:19:02 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Sat, 13 May 2006 22:19:02 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 280] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <44665B56020000A0000027FD@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> We use myskillstutor and A+ anywhere for online instruction. We're looking at building/designing blackboard courses as well but havent' started those yet. The database refers to the database for both myskillstutor and A+. Katrina >>> "Julie McKinney" 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From steve_quann at worlded.org Mon May 15 10:52:57 2006 From: steve_quann at worlded.org (Steve Quann) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 10:52:57 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 281] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: This message is in response to Julie's question and is from Diana Satin who is not presently on the listserve: Hello there -- Our school has just started a program like that. We invite ESL students who are SPL (student performance level) 4-6 from our wait list and SPL 4-6 students who have been in our regular, face-to-face classes but had to stop for a time or drop out because of a change in their work schedule, family illness, etc. We're using the free English for All course, along with writing assignments, and telephone/in-person work on conversation and pronunciation. Students are *quite* appreciative of this opportunity to study when they can fit it into their busy schedules, and we're very glad to be able to offer it. It fills an important void in the educational needs people in our communities have. We consider students enrolled after they've completed the two orientation meetings. We assess them using REEP at the second orientation meeting, and again later on in the year. Neither the BEST nor the REEP is a perfect fit for EFA, but they are the only standardized assessments available for ESL at the moment, and the REEP fits better because of the predominant use of text in the curriculum. Sometimes, when students have to stop classes for a while, our program has also set them up with a tutor to work individually. Hope this helps. I'd love to hear about others' programs as well. Diana Satin Jamaica Plain Community Centers Adult Learning Program 144 McBride Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617.635.5201 dianaalp at goowy.com >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From leellington at vcu.edu Mon May 15 11:04:17 2006 From: leellington at vcu.edu (Lauren E Ellington/FS/VCU) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 11:04:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 282] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Virginia is. Check out http://www.theliteracyinstitute.org/efset/ and http://www.efsetva.org/. This is a new program that is being piloted. ************************************************************** Lauren Ellington Online Training Specialist, Learning Disabilities Specialist, and Writer/Editor of Update and Update on LD Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center Virginia Commonwealth University 817 W. Franklin Street, Room 221 | P.O. Box 842037 Richmond, VA 23284-2037 Phone: 1-800-237-0178 or 804-828-6158 Fax: 804-828-7539 http://www.valrc.org "Julie McKinney" Sent by: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov 05/12/2006 12:25 PM Please respond to The Focus on Basics Discussion List To cc Subject [FocusOnBasics 276] Re: Supporting out of school study Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060515/b78018fc/attachment.html From Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu Mon May 15 11:41:31 2006 From: Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu (Jennifer Rafferty) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 11:41:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 282] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hello, In Massachusetts we are piloting a distance learning initiative with six programs throughout the state. Visit our website at www.anywhereanytimeabe.org . You will see in the section, "Meet the DL Programs", that all of the programs are slightly different in program design, population served, curriculum, and delivery of services. Our initiative serves learners who are not able to attend regular classes. Some of our dl programs have developed a strong relationship with the classroom based program in their agency so that learners who stop out of a regular class are able to transition into the distance learning program immediately. This strong relationship entails not only making appropriate referrals to the distance learning program, but also preparing the learner for independent learning while they are still in the classroom. When time management skills, computer literacy, goal setting,and study skills are a part of both the classroom and dl curricula, the transition for learners will go more smoothly and they are more likely to remain engaged. The key is to develop that relationship between the classroom and the dl program staff so that they can create a referral system and a curriculum that will prepare the learner for self-directed study. Jennifer Rafferty DL Project Manager The Adult Literacy Resource Institute -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Steve Quann Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:53 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 281] Re: Supporting out of school study This message is in response to Julie's question and is from Diana Satin who is not presently on the listserve: Hello there -- Our school has just started a program like that. We invite ESL students who are SPL (student performance level) 4-6 from our wait list and SPL 4-6 students who have been in our regular, face-to-face classes but had to stop for a time or drop out because of a change in their work schedule, family illness, etc. We're using the free English for All course, along with writing assignments, and telephone/in-person work on conversation and pronunciation. Students are *quite* appreciative of this opportunity to study when they can fit it into their busy schedules, and we're very glad to be able to offer it. It fills an important void in the educational needs people in our communities have. We consider students enrolled after they've completed the two orientation meetings. We assess them using REEP at the second orientation meeting, and again later on in the year. Neither the BEST nor the REEP is a perfect fit for EFA, but they are the only standardized assessments available for ESL at the moment, and the REEP fits better because of the predominant use of text in the curriculum. Sometimes, when students have to stop classes for a while, our program has also set them up with a tutor to work individually. Hope this helps. I'd love to hear about others' programs as well. Diana Satin Jamaica Plain Community Centers Adult Learning Program 144 McBride Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 617.635.5201 dianaalp at goowy.com >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program is moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just what you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn on their own. The software we use has an online component to it that makes this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating some components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that address the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and if they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate progress on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them from doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. Students who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor deems necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull students from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the information to that population who really needs this kind of option in order to pursue their goals. We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working on it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work during school breaks. You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: I"m curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can continue to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? Barb Garner ==================== From: Katrina Hinson Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who study in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively seek out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in place for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and say 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time when I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class or in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote to studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. We do try to accomodate students though and our online component allows us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional classroom setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. Katrina >>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates for ABE study on their own. Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports look like? How has it gone? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Sharon, MA b.garner4 at verizon.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us Mon May 15 11:53:59 2006 From: Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us (Holly Dilatush-Guthrie) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 11:53:59 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 283] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Yes * Charlottesville City Schools (Charlottesville VA) has been piloting a very successful ESL at Home program since October 2005, via an EL/Civics grant. Although not yet cost-effective, student success has been great! We've modeled our program similar to one used by North Carolina (LEAD program) and are using Crossroads Cafe video series as our curriculum. We have had our first two 'graduates' this month (finishing all 26 episodes, worktexts, and a review test after each episode)! We've had several learners show reportable gains, many many many anecdotal success stories. We have an optional virtual classroom on the internet, http://theHsmile.org (then ESL at Home with Crossroads Cafe] using MOODLE. http://www.moodle.org) as our Course Management System (CMS). Enrollment for this class is ongoing (the only ongoing open enrollment course in our Adult Learning Center's program); we began with 6 students in October, have had a total of 46 to date, with approx. 30% dropping out before sufficient hours completed to 'officially count' them. 31 of the 46 who have registered into our pilot group so far have registered on our virtual website, over 20 are active on the site. The virtual classroom has many supplemental activities: discussion forums, resources, quizzes, assignments, a chat function, more! I'm happy to share more details (off the discussion list) for anyone interested. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. From archangels at att.net Mon May 15 12:14:55 2006 From: archangels at att.net (Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 16:14:55 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 284] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <051520061614.21540.4468A8FF0006E53A0000542421603760219C040A09020E080C9D0E@att.net> Tom, That was a valuable observation about access to educational programs inside prison (where basic needs are met) and outside. Does anyone know of any literature on some of these programs, like NYC's Fortune Society, which address themselves to ex-offenders? Thanks, Michael -------------- Original message from Woods : -------------- > Hi Barb, > Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not > have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a > student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving > out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to > me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was > not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the > assignments. > > We have found that our students often do very well in school when they > are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling > difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, > meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the > community, they have to work hard to provide these things for > themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and > other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. > substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their > ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a > good solution for these folks. > > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Barbara Garner wrote: > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for > students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively > participating in a program? > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060515/81850e5a/attachment.html From jgordon at fortunesociety.org Mon May 15 12:30:17 2006 From: jgordon at fortunesociety.org (John Gordon) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 12:30:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 285] College correspondence programs Message-ID: Hi everyone, I am corresponding with someone currently incarcerated in a New York State prison. He is interested in enrolling in a Correspondence/Distance Learning program for college. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you know of any decent programs? Any help would be appreciated. You can respond off-line if you like. thanks, John Gordon From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon May 15 12:51:21 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 11:51:21 -0500 (CDT) Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?B?UmU6IFtGb2N1c09uQmFzaWNzIDI4M10goCBSZTogUHI=?= =?ISO-8859-1?B?ZS1FbnJvbGxtZW50IG91dCBvZiBzY2hvb2wgc3R1ZHk=?= Message-ID: <1627054.7853491147711881590.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> It's encouraging to learn about so many different models of out-of-school study in use around the country... Does anyone ask learners on intake whether they have been doing self-study before coming to enroll? If so, do you have any sense of what proportion of your learners did? And why are they choosing to enroll if they have been studying on their own? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: Holly Dilatush-Guthrie Date: Mon May 15 10:53:59 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 283] Re: Supporting out of school study Yes * Charlottesville City Schools (Charlottesville VA) has been piloting a very successful ESL at Home program since October 2005, via an EL/Civics grant. Although not yet cost-effective, student success has been great! We've modeled our program similar to one used by North Carolina (LEAD program) and are using Crossroads Cafe video series as our curriculum. We have had our first two 'graduates' this month (finishing all 26 episodes, worktexts, and a review test after each episode)! We've had several learners show reportable gains, many many many anecdotal success stories. We have an optional virtual classroom on the internet, http://theHsmile.org (then ESL at Home with Crossroads Cafe] using MOODLE. http://www.moodle.org) as our Course Management System (CMS). Enrollment for this class is ongoing (the only ongoing open enrollment course in our Adult Learning Center's program); we began with 6 students in October, have had a total of 46 to date, with approx. 30% dropping out before sufficient hours completed to 'officially count' them. 31 of the 46 who have registered into our pilot group so far have registered on our virtual website, over 20 are active on the site. The virtual classroom has many supplemental activities: discussion forums, resources, quizzes, assignments, a chat function, more! I'm happy to share more details (off the discussion list) for anyone interested. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu Mon May 15 13:00:26 2006 From: Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu (Jennifer Rafferty) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 13:00:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 287] Re: College correspondence programs In-Reply-To: Message-ID: New York is part of the Project IDEAL (Improving Distance Education for Adult Learners) consortium. They might be able to help you. Visit the Project IDEAL www.projectideal.org website for more information. I do not have any contact names to give you. Best of luck, Jennifer Rafferty -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of John Gordon Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:30 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 285] College correspondence programs Hi everyone, I am corresponding with someone currently incarcerated in a New York State prison. He is interested in enrolling in a Correspondence/Distance Learning program for college. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you know of any decent programs? Any help would be appreciated. You can respond off-line if you like. thanks, John Gordon ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon May 15 13:01:14 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 13:01:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 288] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Thanks Katrina, Diana (through Steve), Jennifer, Holly and others for your accounts of out-of-school study options for your students! Please keep these coming. It is great to hear what people are doing, and maybe some of these ideas will be appropriate for the corrections people looking for distance education options. It seems like there is always a component of some human contact (as there should be), and I'm curious how your programs have managed this in terms of staffing and funding. For those without special grants for this purpose, what is the most cost-effective way to build this in? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us 05/15/06 11:53 AM >>> Yes * Charlottesville City Schools (Charlottesville VA) has been piloting a very successful ESL at Home program since October 2005, via an EL/Civics grant. Although not yet cost-effective, student success has been great! We've modeled our program similar to one used by North Carolina (LEAD program) and are using Crossroads Cafe video series as our curriculum. We have had our first two 'graduates' this month (finishing all 26 episodes, worktexts, and a review test after each episode)! We've had several learners show reportable gains, many many many anecdotal success stories. We have an optional virtual classroom on the internet, http://theHsmile.org (then ESL at Home with Crossroads Cafe] using MOODLE. http://www.moodle.org) as our Course Management System (CMS). Enrollment for this class is ongoing (the only ongoing open enrollment course in our Adult Learning Center's program); we began with 6 students in October, have had a total of 46 to date, with approx. 30% dropping out before sufficient hours completed to 'officially count' them. 31 of the 46 who have registered into our pilot group so far have registered on our virtual website, over 20 are active on the site. The virtual classroom has many supplemental activities: discussion forums, resources, quizzes, assignments, a chat function, more! I'm happy to share more details (off the discussion list) for anyone interested. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon May 15 13:15:05 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 10:15:05 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 289] Re: College correspondence programs Message-ID: John Have you checked with your local community college or university for their on-line catalog? Many institutions have these services now. If you connect this prisoner to his/her local institution, he/she might continue there when they are on the outside. It might depend on how long the prisoner has left on the inside to make it realistic and on what their financial capability is. You may need to be a liaison if there are any required on campus meetings or tests that can't be completed on-line. Most prisons do NOT have access for on-line computers for inmates so you're probably looking at hard copy courses. va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of John Gordon Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 9:30 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 285] College correspondence programs Hi everyone, I am corresponding with someone currently incarcerated in a New York State prison. He is interested in enrolling in a Correspondence/Distance Learning program for college. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you know of any decent programs? Any help would be appreciated. You can respond off-line if you like. thanks, John Gordon ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us Mon May 15 13:27:55 2006 From: Holly.Dilatush-Guthrie at ccs.k12.va.us (Holly Dilatush-Guthrie) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 13:27:55 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 290] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: The ESL at Home pilot offers optional f2f study session times, one afternoon, one evening each week, and students who are able to attend are the most successful. We use volunteers (two to four per study session) to work 1:1 or small groups with students studying the same episode of Crossroads Cafe, to answer questions, listening as students practice speaking and pronunciation exercises. These sessions are wild times! Students may be reviewing, reading transcripts, (for any of the 26 episodes... because it's ongoing enrollment and self-paced, students are NOT all in the same place of the curriculum!), waiting for a speaking test, watching a review test tape for listening questions, taking written tests, picking up work, exchanging borrowed DVDs and VHS tapes, more! Some students cannot attend these sessions. Once a month I meet some on a Saturday morning at a local library across town. Others I make appointments for sporadically as they complete work (there is a reveiw test given after each episode). For two students, we're experimenting with telephone and/or recorded speaking tests, and snail-mail or drop-off for their completed work. As a pilot, we're experimenting with various options. Evaluating all aspects and working towad the cost effectiveness will be a strong component of the next phase of our pilot effort. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/15/06 1:01 PM >>> Thanks Katrina, Diana (through Steve), Jennifer, Holly and others for your accounts of out-of-school study options for your students! Please keep these coming. It is great to hear what people are doing, and maybe some of these ideas will be appropriate for the corrections people looking for distance education options. It seems like there is always a component of some human contact (as there should be), and I'm curious how your programs have managed this in terms of staffing and funding. For those without special grants for this purpose, what is the most cost-effective way to build this in? Julie From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon May 15 13:45:35 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 10:45:35 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 291] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Michael There is a program called CRIMINON that addresses basic literacy inmates and criminal thinking. They are international in scope and have programs in the USA and Mexico. Go to criminon.org for more information and an organization closest to you. I've used their curriculum with in the prison system and seen the positive changes it makes in the criminal thinking process. va ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 9:15 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 284] Re: Supporting out of school study Tom, That was a valuable observation about access to educational programs inside prison (where basic needs are met) and outside. Does anyone know of any literature on some of these programs, like NYC's Fortune Society, which address themselves to ex-offenders? Thanks, Michael -------------- Original message from Woods : -------------- > Hi Barb, > Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not > have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a > student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving > out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to > me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was > not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the > assignments. > > We have found that our students often do very well in school when they > are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling > difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, > meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the > community, they have to work hard to provide these things for > themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and > other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. > substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their > ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a > good solution for these folks. > > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Barbara Garner wrote: > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for > students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively > participating in a program? > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060515/d8bc3ec3/attachment.html From kolson2 at columbus.rr.com Mon May 15 14:11:26 2006 From: kolson2 at columbus.rr.com (K Olson) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 14:11:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 292] out of school study In-Reply-To: <1627054.7853491147711881590.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <000001c6784a$fbfef160$0e464847@bessie> I went to a very interesting presentation at TESOL probably three years ago. The presenter talked about a program they had instituted in conjunction with the public libraries. I believe it might have been with Crossroads Caf?. (and it might have been in Virginia or California). Anyway, if someone was interested in checking out a video, they had them take a quick pre-test (ten questions or less). When they returned the tape, they took a short post-test, so there was a way of documenting progress. The thing I was most impressed with, though, was that when they looked at the people who were using the tapes, they found out that they were mainly young Hispanic wives who said they would NOT go to a class. So it was a great way of reaching a population that would otherwise not be served. Kathy Olson -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Barbara Garner Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:51 PM To: Holly Dilatush-Guthrie; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 283] ? Re: Pre-Enrollment out of school study It's encouraging to learn about so many different models of out-of-school study in use around the country... Does anyone ask learners on intake whether they have been doing self-study before coming to enroll? If so, do you have any sense of what proportion of your learners did? And why are they choosing to enroll if they have been studying on their own? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: Holly Dilatush-Guthrie Date: Mon May 15 10:53:59 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 283] Re: Supporting out of school study Yes * Charlottesville City Schools (Charlottesville VA) has been piloting a very successful ESL at Home program since October 2005, via an EL/Civics grant. Although not yet cost-effective, student success has been great! We've modeled our program similar to one used by North Carolina (LEAD program) and are using Crossroads Cafe video series as our curriculum. We have had our first two 'graduates' this month (finishing all 26 episodes, worktexts, and a review test after each episode)! We've had several learners show reportable gains, many many many anecdotal success stories. We have an optional virtual classroom on the internet, http://theHsmile.org (then ESL at Home with Crossroads Cafe] using MOODLE. http://www.moodle.org) as our Course Management System (CMS). Enrollment for this class is ongoing (the only ongoing open enrollment course in our Adult Learning Center's program); we began with 6 students in October, have had a total of 46 to date, with approx. 30% dropping out before sufficient hours completed to 'officially count' them. 31 of the 46 who have registered into our pilot group so far have registered on our virtual website, over 20 are active on the site. The virtual classroom has many supplemental activities: discussion forums, resources, quizzes, assignments, a chat function, more! I'm happy to share more details (off the discussion list) for anyone interested. Holly "No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." Holly Dilatush ESL distance learning, Dialogue Cafe, Volunteer coordinator Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center 1000 Preston Ave., Suite D Charlottesville VA 22903 (434) 245.2815 office (434) 960.7177 cell/mobile http://theHsmile.org ['home' to several Moodle CMS (course management systems/virtual classrooms)] http://www.Charlottesville-ESL.org "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and nurture in nature." >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>> Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most students, over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of class programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs will need to move toward offering support for students to keep learning during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jgordon at fortunesociety.org Mon May 15 18:45:15 2006 From: jgordon at fortunesociety.org (John Gordon) Date: Mon, 15 May 2006 18:45:15 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 293] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Michael, I work for the Fortune Society and would be happy to provide you with any information I can about our work. Fortune works with several thousand ex-prisoners a year. We provide counseling, career development and job readiness, substance abuse treatment, HIV peer education, health and housing services for those former prisoners who are HIV positive. We run four alternative to incarceration programs and have a 59 bed transitional housing center in Harlem. And of course we have an education program which serves over 400 people per year. We offer classes in small groups from basic literacy through pre-GED as well as ESOL. We have a very active computer lab, www.fortunesociety.org/education. Many of the comments Tom made in his email are true for students here. I would mention, as well, that many of them are now back in environments which conspire against success. Many are homeless, and finding a job is very difficult for people coming out of prison, especially a job that will pay the rent here in New York City. Many lack strong family support systems. The lure of the streets and harassment from the police take their toll as well. Some are mandated here by the courts or pushed by their probation officer. Education is not always on the top of people's priority list. Despite all that, this can be a very exciting place to work. Most people at Fortune are in a process of trying to make profound changes in their lives. There is a lot of transformation happening, and it's a privilege to be able to play a small part in that. I'd be happy to discuss working with ex-prisoners further if people are interested. We have a lot of experience, but we certainly have a lot to learn as well. John Gordon The Fortune Society _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 284] Re: Supporting out of school study Tom, That was a valuable observation about access to educational programs inside prison (where basic needs are met) and outside. Does anyone know of any literature on some of these programs, like NYC's Fortune Society, which address themselves to ex-offenders? Thanks, Michael -------------- Original message from Woods : -------------- > Hi Barb, > Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not > have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a > student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving > out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to > me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was > not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the > assignments. > > We have found that our students often do very well in school when they > are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling > difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, > meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the > community, they have to work hard to provide these things for > themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and > other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. > substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their > ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a > good solution for these folks. > > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Barbara Garner wrote: > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for > students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively > participating in a program? > > ; > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060515/240cedc4/attachment.html From archangels at att.net Tue May 16 09:09:05 2006 From: archangels at att.net (Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books) Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 13:09:05 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 294] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <051620061309.2045.4469CEF10005BAA7000007FD21587667559C040A09020E080C9D0E@att.net> Dear John Thanks so much. I do have several questions I'd like to ask you. May I call you and perhaps set up an appointment? Michael archangels at att.net -------------- Original message from "John Gordon" : -------------- Michael, I work for the Fortune Society and would be happy to provide you with any information I can about our work. Fortune works with several thousand ex-prisoners a year. We provide counseling, career development and job readiness, substance abuse treatment, HIV peer education, health and housing services for those former prisoners who are HIV positive. We run four alternative to incarceration programs and have a 59 bed transitional housing center in Harlem. And of course we have an education program which serves over 400 people per year. We offer classes in small groups from basic literacy through pre-GED as well as ESOL. We have a very active computer lab, www.fortunesociety.org/education. Many of the comments Tom made in his email are true for students here. I would mention, as well, that many of them are now back in environments which conspire against success. Many are homeless, and finding a job is very difficult for people coming out of prison, especially a job that will pay the rent here in New York City. Many lack strong family support systems. The lure of the streets and harassment from the police take their toll as well. Some are mandated here by the courts or pushed by their probation officer. Education is not always on the top of people's priority list. Despite all that, this can be a very exciting place to work. Most people at Fortune are in a process of trying to make profound changes in their lives. There is a lot of transformation happening, and it's a privilege to be able to play a small part in that. I'd be happy to discuss working with ex-prisoners further if people are interested. We have a lot of experience, but we certainly have a lot to learn as well. John Gordon The Fortune Society From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 284] Re: Supporting out of school study Tom, That was a valuable observation about access to educational programs inside prison (where basic needs are met) and outside. Does anyone know of any literature on some of these programs, like NYC's Fortune Society, which address themselves to ex-offenders? Thanks, Michael -------------- Original message from Woods : -------------- > Hi Barb, > Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not > have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a > student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving > out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to > me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was > not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the > assignments. > > We have found that our students often do very well in school when they > are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling > difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, > meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the > community, they have to work hard to provide these things for > themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and > other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. > substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their > ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a > good solution for these folks. > > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Barbara Garner wrote: > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for > students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively > participating in a program? > > ; > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060516/1ceb7692/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "John Gordon" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 293] Re: Supporting out of school study Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 12:41:23 +0000 Size: 818 Url: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060516/1ceb7692/attachment.mht From Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us Tue May 16 11:31:04 2006 From: Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us (Lobaccaro Gina (DOC)) Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 11:31:04 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 295] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: My name is Gina Lobaccaro, and I have taught at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown, DE for more than 15 years. I have taught Special Education level students between 18-21 yrs, ABE, GED, adult high school, and college level incarcerated students. Just today, an inmate who I have seen come in and out of prison for a while, told me that he wants to make a commitment to improving his reading (is now 4-5th GE) and academic skills when he gets out. He has three months here, at least six months in a treatment program in a lower level of security, and I think 15 months of "aftercare" probation. I told him about Delaware's James H. Groves High School Diploma at a Distance program and our ABE at a Distance Program. I am co-ordinating with the instructor at the ABE program to confirm that she still uses the same program I have in my computer lab for the ABE students. If so, I will teach him to use the program now and perhaps we can find a way for him to continue with some academic learning support at the Work Release Program until he can access a computer again on the outside. He sounded motivated. And then I opened this message and it is very interesting to me. I help manage the corrections site at the Research and Practice Wiki at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page The corrections page is at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Corrections_Education One of the sections at the corrections page is about ex-offender resources. It might be a good place to begin a "community of practice" for those of us who are interested in this topic. The is the first paragraph on them main page: You can learn about the adult literacy education field here, including English language learning, numeracy, and adult basic and secondary education. You can also add knowledge from your experience teaching adult learners, from your research, or from your experience as an adult learner. The ALE Wiki is an online professional development environment, a community of practice rich in professional wisdom and with links to research, for teachers, other practitioners, researchers, learners and others. Although some people add to the discussion here, it is not like an electronic list (or "listserv") where dialogue may be frequent and lively. For the most part, the discussion has taken place on electronic lists elsewhere and been archived here. Please let me know if it might be worthwhile to start a discussion directly related to this topic (or perhaps this is it?) and I will keep the discussion thread on the Wiki site updated. A ways back on this thread Tom Woods wrote: > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. Perhaps we could use the Wiki to start gathering together resources, research, discussion toward the goal for building this type of distance learning program that would serve as a model for any prison education/community education program that serves ex- offenders. What do you think? Gina "For business reasons, I must preserve the outward sign of sanity." --Mark Twain Gina Lobaccaro Sussex Correctional Institution Prison Education Department PO Box 500 Georgetown, DE 19947 Office (302) 856-5282 x 6204 Fax (302) 856-5642 gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 9:09 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 294] Re: Supporting out of school study Dear John Thanks so much. I do have several questions I'd like to ask you. May I call you and perhaps set up an appointment? Michael archangels at att.net -------------- Original message from "John Gordon" : -------------- Michael, I work for the Fortune Society and would be happy to provide you with any information I can about our work. Fortune works with several thousand ex-prisoners a year. We provide counseling, career development and job readiness, substance abuse treatment, HIV peer education, health and housing services for those former prisoners who are HIV positive. We run four alternative to incarceration programs and have a 59 bed transitional housing center in Harlem. And of course we have an education program which serves over 400 people per year. We offer classes in small groups from basic literacy through pre-GED as well as ESOL. We have a very active computer lab, www.fortunesociety.org/education. Many of the comments Tom made in his email are true for students here. I would mention, as well, that many of them are now back in environments which conspire against success. Many are homeless, and finding a job is very difficult for people coming out of prison, especially a job that will pay the rent here in New York City. Many lack strong family support systems. The lure of the streets and harassment from the police take their toll as well. Some are mandated here by the courts or pushed by their probation officer. Education is not always on the top of people's priority list. Despite all that, this can be a very exciting place to work. Most people at Fortune are in a process of trying to make profound changes in their lives. There is a lot of transformation happening, and it's a privilege to be able to play a small part in that. I'd be happy to discuss working with ex-prisoners further if people are interested. We have a lot of experience, but we certainly have a lot to learn as well. John Gordon The Fortune Society _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Michael Keith Pen Ultimate Rare Books Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 12:15 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 284] Re: Supporting out of school study Tom, That was a valuable observation about access to educational programs inside prison (where basic needs are met) and outside. Does anyone know of any literature on some of these programs, like NYC's Fortune Society, which address themselves to ex-offenders? Thanks, Michael -------------- Original message from Woods : -------------- > Hi Barb, > Our students sometimes return from prison to towns where they do not > have easy access to our community campuses . In one such case, I had a > student who needed just two more credits to graduate, but he was moving > out of state. I provided him with assignments to complete and return to > me by mail, sort of a correspondence course, I guess. The outcome was > not what I hoped for. He called me once, but never did any of the > assignments. > > We have found that our students often do very well in school when they > are incarcerated, but many forces conspire to make continued schooling > difficult after they get out. In prison, their basic needs are met, > meals, health care, warmth, bed, clothing, etc. On their own back in the > community, they have to work hard to provide these things for > themselves. Other issues such as family, social, job, transportation and > other responsibilities required of them by their probation office (e.g. > substance abuse counseling, restitution, etc.) interfere with their > ability to attend classes and progress stops. We have not yet found a > good solution for these folks. > > A few of us have been thinking about putting some sort of online > distance learning program on our school web site, but this is only in > the dream stage right now. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Barbara Garner wrote: > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place supports for > students who want to continue to study on their own when not actively > participating in a program? > > ; ; > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060516/b08a94c2/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue May 16 16:07:40 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 16:07:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 296] Supporting out of school study Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Below is a message I am forwarding to the list from Jane Eguez from CASAS in relation to the discussion of supporting out of school study: Julie ******************************************************* The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) goal is to help expand learner access to adult basic education services in California. For over 10 years they have assisted CA adult education programs and CA Dept of Education to: **Build and Promote a Distance Learning Knowledge Base **Provide Technical Assistance in Implementing Distance Learning **Test New Instructional Delivery Methods / Materials **Help Create a Statewide Distance Learning Infrastructure http://www.cdlponline.org The California Adult Education 2003 - 2005 Innovation and Alternative Instructional Delivery Program - A Review (To read the full report, go to: http://www.cdlponline.org/pdf/innovation_programs_report03-05.pdf) "State legislation permits California adult schools to spend up to 5% of their apportionment on non traditional educational approaches. The resulting "Innovation Programs" continue to grow while overall adult education remains relatively static. Over 50,000 adult learners participated in 81 Innovation Programs, all of which were distance learning in nature. When comparing classroom data with the Innovation Programs, it is clear that the distance learning programs are particularly successful in providing ESL learning opportunities. Local research data on student persistence and retention support these findings. The Innovation Programs meet the three crucial benefit-cost criteria necessary to be accepted by adult education providers and the California Department of Education. These programs are effective, efficient, and equitable. This is the fifth year that these summary conclusions have been supported. They indicate the continued success of the Innovation Program initiative. This data driven report draws information from the annual Innovation Program applications, the statewide student information system - TOPSPro, and from statewide CASAS reading and listening tests. The availability of these standardized data enables researchers to describe and examine distance learning program characteristics, learner characteristics, and learner progress and outcomes using several measures. The result is the most complete look at adult education distance learning programs available. The Innovation Programs provide significant and meaningful alternatives for adults - * needing more practice of skills to achieve mastery, * having work and family obligations that make attending a regular class time difficult, * lacking the full confidence to participate in a large classroom setting in front of other students, * wanting the participation, assistance, and support of their families in their learning, * living in locations without convenient access to traditional classes, * living in areas where desired programs are either full or not available * learning more effectively from video, audio, and web-based media when moving at their own pace, and * other groups who can not access traditional classroom programs. For other research reports on CA distance learning projects, go to: http://www.cdlponline.org/fivepercent.htm If you would like more information, please contact Dennis Porter, Project Director porter_d at pacbell.net Jane Eg?ez, CASAS, Director of Program Planning jeguez at casas.org www.casas.org 800-255-1036 x125 Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From djrosen at comcast.net Sun May 21 17:43:16 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sun, 21 May 2006 17:43:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 297] Re: Supporting out of school study In-Reply-To: <44665B56020000A0000027FD@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> References: <44665B56020000A0000027FD@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: Hello Katrina, Barbara and others, Katrina, is myskillstutor the student log-in page for the online computer-assisted instruction product, "Skills Tutor" ? I am not familiar with "A+ Anywhere". Is this the A+ Anywhere Learning System? [ http://www.amered.com/awl_products.php ] ? Can you tell us how you use these products, and when you would use one rather than the other? Can you also tell us what you have in mind for developing your own online courses? And are you using Blackboard because it is available to you or for some other reason? Recently I have been trying to sort out "distance learning" from "integrated learning". Here's the definition I am working from now. I wonder if this is useful to you, Katrina, as from your description you seem to be doing both? I also wonder if this distinction is useful to you, Barbara? It should be useful to funders who may need to decide what is/isn't distance learning. Distance learning (DL) (whether pure, supported, or blended/hybrid) has as its main characteristic that students do not come to a face-to- face class or tutorial as their primary source of instruction. So this would include correspondence courses, online learning, and TV broadcast learning (often with accompanying print materials). It might include a teacher (not primarily face-to-face in the same physical place.) It might be available for people on waiting lists for classes. And it might be a way to help students who are primarily interested in self-study, with a little assistance from a Web site or online or telephone tutor, counselor and/or mentor. Integrated learning (which uses technology and some elements of DL) is face-to-face classroom learning or tutorials with supplemental or temporary uses of online or digital learning resources. This is a way to supplement, enrich or extend learning for those who come to class or tutorials, or to provide short-term solutions for those who temporarily cannot attend class, so they do not have to drop out. Face-to-face learning activities are integrated with online or digital media learning activities used in the program, at home, or elsewhere. Students might access digital learning activities for either DL or integrated models through the use of computers, dvd players, web- accessed mobile phones or pdas, MP3 players, and whatever is next in the evolving world of portable digital technology. Of course, a DL student could become an Integrated learning student or vice versa. And a self-study or waiting list learner might not (or might) be enrolled as a student. I have been working on a concept I call a Seamless System of Adult Education and Literacy, particularly on the online component. I will be glad to e-mail the current draft to those who may be interested. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On May 13, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Katrina Hinson wrote: > We use myskillstutor and A+ anywhere for online instruction. We're > looking at building/designing blackboard courses as well but havent' > started those yet. The database refers to the database for both > myskillstutor and A+. > > Katrina > >>>> "Julie McKinney" 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>>> > Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have > methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? > Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most > students, > over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of > class > programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs > will need to move toward offering support for students to keep > learning > during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about > Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. > > Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students > "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > >>>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> > I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program > is > moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at > growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just > what > you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't > come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn > on > their own. The software we use has an online component to it that > makes > this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating > some > components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that > address > the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at > least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm > and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and > if > they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their > practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic > skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate > progress > on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time > for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" > environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress > towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them > from > doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. > Students > who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete > the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor > deems > necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired > goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull > students > from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the > > information to that population who really needs this kind of option in > order to pursue their goals. > We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working > on > it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson >>>> Barbara Garner >>> > It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a > program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work > during school breaks. > > You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: > I"m > curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students > know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can > continue > to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to > self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? > Barb Garner > ==================== > From: Katrina Hinson > Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study > > I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it > correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my > students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or > semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who > study > in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work > online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively > seek > out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or > practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in > place > for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and > say > 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work > online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time > when > I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class > or > in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote > to > studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. > We do try to accomodate students though and our online component > allows > us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional > classroom > setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. > > > Katrina > >>>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> > Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that > many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates > for > ABE study on their own. > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place > supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when > not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports > look like? How has it gone? > > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > Sharon, MA > b.garner4 at verizon.net > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon May 22 12:04:05 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 12:04:05 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 298] Discussion on Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) Starts Tomorrow! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, A REMINDER: starting tomorrow, May 23rd, there will be a discussion on the Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) with the researchers. This discussion will be on the NEW Special Topics Discussion List! To sign up, go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics You will find a 30-minute video panel discussion with ARCS researchers, Rosalind Davidson and John Strucker, and practitioners Kay Vaccaro and Jane Meyer at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04.html The video panel introduction is also available on DVD from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy [ http:// www.ncsall.net/?id=24 ] or from the National Institute for Literacy. (Send a request for the Adult Readiing Components Study (ARCS) Panel (free) DVD to: info at nifl.gov Be sure to include your mailing address.) Other ARCS introductory materials include: 1. Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) [PDF document] by John Strucker and Rosalind Davidson http://www.ncsall.net/?id=27 (ninth item down) 2. How the ARCS Was Done http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_arcs.pdf 3. Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) http://www.ncsall.net/?id=27#arcs We do hope you will be able to join us, from May 23rd through May 30th to learn about and explore the uses of the ARCS. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon May 22 12:22:20 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 12:22:20 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 299] FOB article for ARCS discussion Message-ID: Hi Everyone, For those of you planning to participate in the discussion of the ARCS starting tomorrow on the Special Topics Discussion list, you may want to read the following article from Volume 1B of FOB. This article, by John Strucker, is called "What Silent Reading Tests Alone Can't Tell You", and was the precursor to the website that will be discussed. You can find the article at: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=456 Enjoy the discussion! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon May 22 13:03:09 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 10:03:09 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 300] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: David I think our course are moving toward a hybrid model. Some on-line and remote home study and some in-class face to face instruction with integration of technology in both. Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 2:43 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 297] Re: Supporting out of school study Hello Katrina, Barbara and others, Katrina, is myskillstutor the student log-in page for the online computer-assisted instruction product, "Skills Tutor" ? I am not familiar with "A+ Anywhere". Is this the A+ Anywhere Learning System? [ http://www.amered.com/awl_products.php ] ? Can you tell us how you use these products, and when you would use one rather than the other? Can you also tell us what you have in mind for developing your own online courses? And are you using Blackboard because it is available to you or for some other reason? Recently I have been trying to sort out "distance learning" from "integrated learning". Here's the definition I am working from now. I wonder if this is useful to you, Katrina, as from your description you seem to be doing both? I also wonder if this distinction is useful to you, Barbara? It should be useful to funders who may need to decide what is/isn't distance learning. Distance learning (DL) (whether pure, supported, or blended/hybrid) has as its main characteristic that students do not come to a face-to- face class or tutorial as their primary source of instruction. So this would include correspondence courses, online learning, and TV broadcast learning (often with accompanying print materials). It might include a teacher (not primarily face-to-face in the same physical place.) It might be available for people on waiting lists for classes. And it might be a way to help students who are primarily interested in self-study, with a little assistance from a Web site or online or telephone tutor, counselor and/or mentor. Integrated learning (which uses technology and some elements of DL) is face-to-face classroom learning or tutorials with supplemental or temporary uses of online or digital learning resources. This is a way to supplement, enrich or extend learning for those who come to class or tutorials, or to provide short-term solutions for those who temporarily cannot attend class, so they do not have to drop out. Face-to-face learning activities are integrated with online or digital media learning activities used in the program, at home, or elsewhere. Students might access digital learning activities for either DL or integrated models through the use of computers, dvd players, web- accessed mobile phones or pdas, MP3 players, and whatever is next in the evolving world of portable digital technology. Of course, a DL student could become an Integrated learning student or vice versa. And a self-study or waiting list learner might not (or might) be enrolled as a student. I have been working on a concept I call a Seamless System of Adult Education and Literacy, particularly on the online component. I will be glad to e-mail the current draft to those who may be interested. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On May 13, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Katrina Hinson wrote: > We use myskillstutor and A+ anywhere for online instruction. We're > looking at building/designing blackboard courses as well but havent' > started those yet. The database refers to the database for both > myskillstutor and A+. > > Katrina > >>>> "Julie McKinney" 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>>> > Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have > methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? > Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most > students, > over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of > class > programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs > will need to move toward offering support for students to keep > learning > during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about > Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. > > Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students > "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > >>>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> > I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program > is > moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at > growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just > what > you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't > come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn > on > their own. The software we use has an online component to it that > makes > this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating > some > components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that > address > the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at > least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm > and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and > if > they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their > practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic > skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate > progress > on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time > for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" > environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress > towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them > from > doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. > Students > who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete > the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor > deems > necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired > goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull > students > from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the > > information to that population who really needs this kind of option in > order to pursue their goals. > We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working > on > it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson >>>> Barbara Garner >>> > It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a > program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work > during school breaks. > > You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: > I"m > curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students > know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can > continue > to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to > self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? > Barb Garner > ==================== > From: Katrina Hinson > Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study > > I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it > correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my > students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or > semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who > study > in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work > online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively > seek > out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or > practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in > place > for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and > say > 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work > online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time > when > I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class > or > in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote > to > studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. > We do try to accomodate students though and our online component > allows > us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional > classroom > setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. > > > Katrina > >>>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> > Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that > many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates > for > ABE study on their own. > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place > supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when > not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports > look like? How has it gone? > > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > Sharon, MA > b.garner4 at verizon.net > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon May 22 14:03:36 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 13:03:36 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 301] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <27275133.2684661148321016516.JavaMail.root@vms075.mailsrvcs.net> Clarifying terminology is useful. Thanks, David, for doing so. When I asked about "self-study" I was referring to people who decide to pick up a book, a cd study package, a tape, the internet and learn, without any affiliation to a program. In the FOB list context, I was referring to strengthening reading, writing, math skills, or improving English, or preparing for the GED. The discussion focused on learners who had been affiliated with programs and for some reason needed to "stop out" but wanted to keep learning, so they switched to what might be considered "program-affiliated self study", which involves some resources (perhaps books, occasional meetings with teachers, some technology) and some loose connection to a program. Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: David Rosen Date: Sun May 21 16:43:16 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 297] Re: Supporting out of school study Hello Katrina, Barbara and others, Katrina, is myskillstutor the student log-in page for the online computer-assisted instruction product, "Skills Tutor" ? I am not familiar with "A+ Anywhere". Is this the A+ Anywhere Learning System? [ http://www.amered.com/awl_products.php ] ? Can you tell us how you use these products, and when you would use one rather than the other? Can you also tell us what you have in mind for developing your own online courses? And are you using Blackboard because it is available to you or for some other reason? Recently I have been trying to sort out "distance learning" from "integrated learning". Here's the definition I am working from now. I wonder if this is useful to you, Katrina, as from your description you seem to be doing both? I also wonder if this distinction is useful to you, Barbara? It should be useful to funders who may need to decide what is/isn't distance learning. Distance learning (DL) (whether pure, supported, or blended/hybrid) has as its main characteristic that students do not come to a face-to- face class or tutorial as their primary source of instruction. So this would include correspondence courses, online learning, and TV broadcast learning (often with accompanying print materials). It might include a teacher (not primarily face-to-face in the same physical place.) It might be available for people on waiting lists for classes. And it might be a way to help students who are primarily interested in self-study, with a little assistance from a Web site or online or telephone tutor, counselor and/or mentor. Integrated learning (which uses technology and some elements of DL) is face-to-face classroom learning or tutorials with supplemental or temporary uses of online or digital learning resources. This is a way to supplement, enrich or extend learning for those who come to class or tutorials, or to provide short-term solutions for those who temporarily cannot attend class, so they do not have to drop out. Face-to-face learning activities are integrated with online or digital media learning activities used in the program, at home, or elsewhere. Students might access digital learning activities for either DL or integrated models through the use of computers, dvd players, web- accessed mobile phones or pdas, MP3 players, and whatever is next in the evolving world of portable digital technology. Of course, a DL student could become an Integrated learning student or vice versa. And a self-study or waiting list learner might not (or might) be enrolled as a student. I have been working on a concept I call a Seamless System of Adult Education and Literacy, particularly on the online component. I will be glad to e-mail the current draft to those who may be interested. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On May 13, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Katrina Hinson wrote: > We use myskillstutor and A+ anywhere for online instruction. We're > looking at building/designing blackboard courses as well but havent' > started those yet. The database refers to the database for both > myskillstutor and A+. > > Katrina > >>>> "Julie McKinney" 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>>> > Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have > methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? > Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most > students, > over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of > class > programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs > will need to move toward offering support for students to keep > learning > during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about > Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. > > Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students > "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > >>>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> > I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program > is > moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at > growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just > what > you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't > come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn > on > their own. The software we use has an online component to it that > makes > this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating > some > components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that > address > the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at > least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm > and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and > if > they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their > practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic > skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate > progress > on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time > for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" > environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress > towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them > from > doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. > Students > who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete > the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor > deems > necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired > goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull > students > from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the > > information to that population who really needs this kind of option in > order to pursue their goals. > We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working > on > it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson >>>> Barbara Garner >>> > It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a > program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work > during school breaks. > > You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: > I"m > curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students > know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can > continue > to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to > self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? > Barb Garner > ==================== > From: Katrina Hinson > Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study > > I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it > correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my > students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or > semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who > study > in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work > online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively > seek > out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or > practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in > place > for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and > say > 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work > online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time > when > I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class > or > in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote > to > studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. > We do try to accomodate students though and our online component > allows > us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional > classroom > setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. > > > Katrina > >>>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> > Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that > many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates > for > ABE study on their own. > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place > supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when > not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports > look like? How has it gone? > > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > Sharon, MA > b.garner4 at verizon.net > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Tue May 23 13:14:28 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Tue, 23 May 2006 19:14:28 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 302] Re: Supporting out of school study Message-ID: <44735F14020000A00000290A@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> David and others. I'll get you the information requested in David's email below when I get back to my home computer. I'm away at a week long training event and I don't have easy access to a pc or time to write a good reply. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Barbara Garner >>> Clarifying terminology is useful. Thanks, David, for doing so. When I asked about "self-study" I was referring to people who decide to pick up a book, a cd study package, a tape, the internet and learn, without any affiliation to a program. In the FOB list context, I was referring to strengthening reading, writing, math skills, or improving English, or preparing for the GED. The discussion focused on learners who had been affiliated with programs and for some reason needed to "stop out" but wanted to keep learning, so they switched to what might be considered "program-affiliated self study", which involves some resources (perhaps books, occasional meetings with teachers, some technology) and some loose connection to a program. Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: David Rosen Date: Sun May 21 16:43:16 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 297] Re: Supporting out of school study Hello Katrina, Barbara and others, Katrina, is myskillstutor the student log-in page for the online computer-assisted instruction product, "Skills Tutor" ? I am not familiar with "A+ Anywhere". Is this the A+ Anywhere Learning System? [ http://www.amered.com/awl_products.php ] ? Can you tell us how you use these products, and when you would use one rather than the other? Can you also tell us what you have in mind for developing your own online courses? And are you using Blackboard because it is available to you or for some other reason? Recently I have been trying to sort out "distance learning" from "integrated learning". Here's the definition I am working from now. I wonder if this is useful to you, Katrina, as from your description you seem to be doing both? I also wonder if this distinction is useful to you, Barbara? It should be useful to funders who may need to decide what is/isn't distance learning. Distance learning (DL) (whether pure, supported, or blended/hybrid) has as its main characteristic that students do not come to a face-to- face class or tutorial as their primary source of instruction. So this would include correspondence courses, online learning, and TV broadcast learning (often with accompanying print materials). It might include a teacher (not primarily face-to-face in the same physical place.) It might be available for people on waiting lists for classes. And it might be a way to help students who are primarily interested in self-study, with a little assistance from a Web site or online or telephone tutor, counselor and/or mentor. Integrated learning (which uses technology and some elements of DL) is face-to-face classroom learning or tutorials with supplemental or temporary uses of online or digital learning resources. This is a way to supplement, enrich or extend learning for those who come to class or tutorials, or to provide short-term solutions for those who temporarily cannot attend class, so they do not have to drop out. Face-to-face learning activities are integrated with online or digital media learning activities used in the program, at home, or elsewhere. Students might access digital learning activities for either DL or integrated models through the use of computers, dvd players, web- accessed mobile phones or pdas, MP3 players, and whatever is next in the evolving world of portable digital technology. Of course, a DL student could become an Integrated learning student or vice versa. And a self-study or waiting list learner might not (or might) be enrolled as a student. I have been working on a concept I call a Seamless System of Adult Education and Literacy, particularly on the online component. I will be glad to e-mail the current draft to those who may be interested. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On May 13, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Katrina Hinson wrote: > We use myskillstutor and A+ anywhere for online instruction. We're > looking at building/designing blackboard courses as well but havent' > started those yet. The database refers to the database for both > myskillstutor and A+. > > Katrina > >>>> "Julie McKinney" 05/12/06 12:25 PM >>>> > Does anyone else out there do any kind of distance education or have > methods to keep students studying when have to drop class for a while? > Part of the NCSALL research Barb mentioned suggests that most > students, > over the course of several years, are forced to move in and out of > class > programs, due to changing life circumstances. This means that programs > will need to move toward offering support for students to keep > learning > during their out-of-class phases. So it is interesting to hear about > Katrina's program and others that are working towards that. > > Katrina, I'm also curious to know what you mean when you put students > "in the database" and what your "online component" is like? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > >>>> khinson at future-gate.com 05/12/06 6:56 AM >>> > I thought I might have misunderstood. However, I do think my program > is > moving in the direction you're talking about. I know we're looking at > growing our distance education component in basic skills to do just > what > you're talking about. We want to be able to reach students who can't > come to a "normal/regular" class time but who are motivated to learn > on > their own. The software we use has an online component to it that > makes > this a viable option for us - in addition we're looking at creating > some > components similar to blackboard courses that we can offer that > address > the needs of our students as well. What we've talked about doing is at > least having them come out to do a pre/post test, some kind of midterm > and some kind of exit exam if they're adult high school oriented and > if > they're GED oriented, they would have to come on campus to take their > practice test and the offical test. If they're improving they're basic > skills for employment etc, they would just need to demonstrate > progress > on their pre/post test scores. There are ways to capture "seat" time > for such students as well even if they are not part of a "traditona" > environment. The whole idea is to find ways to help students progress > towards their goal even when they feel like life is preventing them > from > doing so. We also have video component with workbook materials. > Students > who can't come/enroll in a class can "check" out the videos, complete > the workbook component and any other materials that the instructor > deems > necessary and still make progress towards whatever the desired > goal/outcome might be. What we run into is trying not to pull > students > from the existing classes for these options but to actually target the > > information to that population who really needs this kind of option in > order to pursue their goals. > We're only in the beginning phases of this - well, we've been working > on > it for almost a year and still trying to get the glitches out. > > Regards > Katrina Hinson >>>> Barbara Garner >>> > It's great, Katrina, that you have students who do homework while a > program is in session and even more wonderful that some do online work > during school breaks. > > You're right, though, my interest right now, is a little different: > I"m > curious about whether anyone is expressly doing things to let students > know that if they have to stop coming for some reason, they can > continue > to study on their own. Does anyone do that, and introduce students to > self-study materials they can purchse or borrow, or online resources? > Barb Garner > ==================== > From: Katrina Hinson > Date: Thu May 11 18:42:04 CDT 2006 > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov, b.garner4 at verizon.net > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 271] Supporting out of school study > > I'm not exactly sure I understand the question or if I read it > correctly. At first glance however, what springs to mind for me is my > students who study outside of class as well as attend on a regular or > semi-regular basis. My most successful students are the ones who > study > in and out of class. They'll ask for additional work or they'll work > online via several computer programs we use. They'll even actively > seek > out information online to use as study aids such as math websites or > practice test websites etc. We don't have any formal supports in > place > for students but I do know that sometimes teachers will come by and > say > 'can you put John/Jane Smith in the database so they can do some work > online during Spring Break or Semester Break etc." Most of the time > when > I've encountered students who are not actively participating in class > or > in a program, it's usually because they don't have the time to devote > to > studying whether it's because of work, family or personal reasons etc. > We do try to accomodate students though and our online component > allows > us to help students who sometimes cannot attend a traditional > classroom > setting. At the moment that's all I can think of. > > > Katrina > >>>> Barbara Garner 05/11/06 8:46 AM >>> > Research coming out the NCSALL Lab School in Portland, OR, finds that > many people who have participated in ABE or would be good candidates > for > ABE study on their own. > > Has anyone's program taken this into account and put into place > supports for students who want to continue to study on their own when > not actively participating in a program? If so, what do these supports > look like? How has it gone? > > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > Sharon, MA > b.garner4 at verizon.net > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed May 24 11:31:16 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 11:31:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 303] Announcing: Leadership Conference for Adult Educators Message-ID: Hello Everyone, I'm passing on this message from Mariann Fedele, Coordinator of Professional Development at the Literacy Assistance Center. Julie ********************************************** Dear Colleagues: The New York Association for Continuing/Community Education (NYACCE) is hosting a three-day leadership conference for adult educators this July 26-28. For more information, please see the description below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The greatest revolution in our generation is that of human beings, who by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." --Marilyn Ferguson Are you an educator, an administrator, or a program manager wishing to be a catalyst of change in your organization? Are you a workforce development practitioner seeking to build your leadership skills? As a leader, do you feel you have fully tapped your ability to reflect on what you do in order to inspire yourself and others to be and do more? Join the New York Association for Continuing/Community Education this July in the Hudson Valley for a three day leadership retreat that will help you find some of the answers to these questions. This leadership retreat will be led by Louis Miceli of Workforce Professionals Training Institute, and will feature Sheila Maguire of Working Ventures for a special keynote presentation, among others. To download a brochure about this event, click here: http://www.workforceprofessionals.org/wpti_content/uploadfiles/NYACCE_brochure.pdf To download the registration form for this event, click here: http://www.workforceprofessionals.org/wpti_content/uploadfiles/NYACCE_registration.doc If you have any questions, you can contact Lou Miceli at lmiceli at workforceprofessionals.org, or Marjorie Parker at Marjorie.parker at verizon.net. To learn more about NYACCE, visit www.nyacce.org. Sent to you from the WPTI team on behalf of the New York Association for Continuing/Community Educators. Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri May 26 13:34:14 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 13:34:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 304] Upcoming Discussions with FOB Authors Message-ID: Hello Everyone, I want to give you a heads-up on next month's rich schedule of weekly discussions with FOB authors. The following authors will discuss their articles from the recent issue of Focus On Basics, Vol. 8B, which is about Learners' Experiences. Find the whole issue at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=1103 June 5-9: Jessica Tomkins Video as a Professional Development Tool http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 June 12-16: Alisa Belzer Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108 and Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 June 25-30: Hal Beder Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 Please pass on the word to colleagues who may be interested in these discussions! Anyone can subscribe to the list at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Have a great Memorial Day weekend! All the Best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 1 14:37:10 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2006 14:37:10 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 305] Discussion starts June 5: Video as a Professional Development Tool Message-ID: Hi Everyone, This is a REMINDER of our discussion starting Monday with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent FOB article: Video as a Professional Development Tool http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 The discussion will go from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Please read the article at the link above, and think about the following questions in preparation for the discussion. Please invite colleagues who you think may be interested to join the Focus on Basics Discussion List for this discussion. ************************************************ Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? > > 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your students on video? > > 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? > > 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in your program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in order to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did teachers receive this? > > 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with you? ***************************************************** To subscribe, please go to: www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics See you on Monday! All the Best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 5 09:13:07 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:13:07 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 306] Discussion starts today: Video as a Professional Development Tool Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent FOB article: Video as a Professional Development Tool http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 Please write in with any impressions, comments or questions you have about the article! See below for some discussion questions. Enjoy! Julie ************************************ Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? > > 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your students on video? > > 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? > > 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in your program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in order to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did teachers receive this? > > 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with you? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Mon Jun 5 09:35:51 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:35:51 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 307] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as a Professional Development Tool In-Reply-To: Message-ID: All - a few impressions about using video: > 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your > impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? The most helpful thing about seeing a tape of my teaching was that the colleague who made the tape was wise enough to focus almost entirely on the students; I learned how I tend to teach to the left (to my physical left) - so hadn't spent the kind of time I'd like to have on teaching around the entire room. My physical focus was limited to a part of the classroom. As well, the sound of my voice alone was, well, more present than one would have hoped for. A lot more teacher talk than I'd have thought... Students liked watching the tapes - especially a month or so after they'd been made, where they could see progress they'd made between the time of the taping and the time of the viewing. >> 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your > students on video? perspective; a look at folks who I may not have been attentive to - what ARE they doing, how do they interact with one another? - as well as a sense of the flow of a class. >> sserlis Janet I From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 5 11:41:14 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:41:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 308] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as aProfessional Development Tool Message-ID: Janet, Thanks for sharing your reactions to your videotaped class! I am curious to know how it came about, and how it was used. Was it a purposeful professional development activity, or just something you decided to try? And it's interesting that you watched it with your students--was there a specific process that helped you get feedback from them? From other colleagues? It's interesting that you say one of the best things was that it focused on the students, which fits with Jessica's experience as she described in the article. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu 06/05/06 9:35 AM >>> All - a few impressions about using video: > 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your > impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? The most helpful thing about seeing a tape of my teaching was that the colleague who made the tape was wise enough to focus almost entirely on the students; I learned how I tend to teach to the left (to my physical left) - so hadn't spent the kind of time I'd like to have on teaching around the entire room. My physical focus was limited to a part of the classroom. As well, the sound of my voice alone was, well, more present than one would have hoped for. A lot more teacher talk than I'd have thought... Students liked watching the tapes - especially a month or so after they'd been made, where they could see progress they'd made between the time of the taping and the time of the viewing. >> 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your > students on video? perspective; a look at folks who I may not have been attentive to - what ARE they doing, how do they interact with one another? - as well as a sense of the flow of a class. >> sserlis Janet I ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon Jun 5 11:47:56 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 10:47:56 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 309] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as a Professional Development Tool Message-ID: <14306912.1638101149522476643.JavaMail.root@vms071.mailsrvcs.net> I had an eye opening experience using video years ago...about 1985! I was working with teachers in a refugee education program: I observed them in classes on a weekly basis. One teacher never ever smiled. She said she was concerned that her youth would undercut her credibility with the older Cambodians she was teaching, so she tried to appear stern. That didn't seem to be working: the atmosphere in her classroom seemed quite tense. She said she'd try smiling, but it wasn't happening (as I write this I know it sounds strange, but it's true.) I tried a number of things, from collecting data on her facial expressions at intervals during the class to trying to catch her eye from the back of the room and smile. Finally, I had her video taped. She watched the tape by herself, burst into tears (she reported), and totally changed her classroom manner, with, it was easy to see, great results. I guess this long story is a reinforcement of Janet's post, and of Jessica's report: a picture can really tell a story... Barb Garner ===================== From: Janet Isserlis Date: Mon Jun 05 08:35:51 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 307] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as a Professional Development Tool All - a few impressions about using video: > 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your > impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? The most helpful thing about seeing a tape of my teaching was that the colleague who made the tape was wise enough to focus almost entirely on the students; I learned how I tend to teach to the left (to my physical left) - so hadn't spent the kind of time I'd like to have on teaching around the entire room. My physical focus was limited to a part of the classroom. As well, the sound of my voice alone was, well, more present than one would have hoped for. A lot more teacher talk than I'd have thought... Students liked watching the tapes - especially a month or so after they'd been made, where they could see progress they'd made between the time of the taping and the time of the viewing. >> 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your > students on video? perspective; a look at folks who I may not have been attentive to - what ARE they doing, how do they interact with one another? - as well as a sense of the flow of a class. >> sserlis Janet I ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From dbrillan at pdx.edu Mon Jun 5 12:59:41 2006 From: dbrillan at pdx.edu (Dominique Brillanceau) Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:59:41 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 310] Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: <448462FD.1050007@pdx.edu> Greetings! I am an extreme case: I was recorded at the NCSALL ESOL Labschool for 4 years, several hours every week. (or about 1360 hours of my stellar performances.) So what I have to say is magnified by the experience. Also the video was not meant to be a tool of professional development for the teachers who were filmed but rather a tool to comprehend learning and teaching, learners and teachers and the ties that bind them. In the process of doing research on SLA, and classroom behaviors, I have seen myself countless times, and of course I am my first critic. My caution to anyone who wants to improve their teaching through numerous recordings is "don't do it" or you will go through the roller coaster of "How could I do that??" and "That was really smooth". With the first one, you begin to wonder whether you destroy students' eagerness to learn English or made them stop coming altogether. The second reflection ends up raising the bar for the next class: can I do this again? What else can I possibly learn from this? The reflection wheels never really stop. The thirst for perfection is never appeased. The most important point of watching classroom video is to see the students and watch them learn, not only English but classroom behaviors and social competencies which are developed in the safe environment of the classroom and replicable in the outside world. They do and say amazing things, pertinent to the task/ activity or outside of the activity but nonetheless important to them. On 3 and 4, the video of the classroom was used on a couple of occasions for study circles, directed by Reuel Kurzet, our professional developer . ( http://www.ncsall.net/?id=232 is the link which will lead you to her article on the matter). Also over the past 4 years, we have had several graduate research assistants (GRAs) who worked on coding and transcribing the classrooms video data . These GRAs were concurrently enrolled in the MA TESOL program at Portland State University. Each one of them ( about 25) has been extremely grateful to have been privy to watching hours of classroom recording before actually becoming teachers themselves. As for myself, in the process of the longitudinal study of a few students, I have watched other teachers teach. The great lesson has been to recognize good teaching, even though the techniques employed might be something that one would never do. (student engagement which is also captured through the video is a good indicator of a successful class) So yes, video is a great tool for prof. development. One must be prepared to watch a classroom in "real time" though, which is different but a lot richer (and a lot slower) than "canned" classroom videos, edited for the perfect lesson. Dominique Brillanceau practitioner/research associate NCSALL ESOL labschool www.labschool.pdx.edu From jessicatomkins at gmail.com Mon Jun 5 22:40:09 2006 From: jessicatomkins at gmail.com (Jessica Tomkins) Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 22:40:09 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 311] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. In-Reply-To: <448462FD.1050007@pdx.edu> References: <448462FD.1050007@pdx.edu> Message-ID: <7de8295a0606051940k76cfb181g3f0f0a9042ea9b77@mail.gmail.com> Hi everyone, I've just read through the experiences everyone shared today and it's interesting to see how much they resonate with those of the teachers we worked with and who I interviewed for the article. First of all, even after years of reviewing classroom video with teachers and chatting with them, I had no idea how compelling the video of their own classrooms was to them. (By the way I've never had the experience of being the one taped while teaching, though now I'm curious to try it.) Hearing these new stories and thinking about this topic again today, it occurs to me how the sort of shock-value of seeing oneself teach (volume of voice, hand gestures, all that kind of stuff one wouldn't be aware of otherwise - never smiling, as in Barb's story) is one specific use video can be put to - something that happened incidentally in our study and for most of us would probably best be had as a one-time experience. Mostly, the teachers I interviewed (as well as teachers posting comments today) benefitted from watching their learners, and analysing their own teaching via their learners' behavior. Our research videos were necessarily focused on learners, so they didn't always even include the teachers directly. I wonder if this wouldn't be a good format for video as a pd activity? It seems like it worked as well as it did because the video and the surrounding discussing revolved almost entirely around students. Could teachers just video their students and use the videos to improve their own teaching? That seems like a very elegant way to do this. Also, I like the idea of showing video to learners. We did this in our study as well, but not over time. Especially in an ESOL class this seems like a great and obvious tool both for teacher reflection and for learners to get a sense of their own progress...Anyway, sorry so long. It's nice to meet you guys and hear your thoughts on this topic- Jessica On 6/5/06, Dominique Brillanceau wrote: > > Greetings! > > I am an extreme case: I was recorded at the NCSALL ESOL Labschool for 4 > years, several hours every week. (or about 1360 hours of my stellar > performances.) So what I have to say is magnified by the experience. Also > the video was not meant to be a tool of professional development for the > teachers who were filmed but rather a tool to comprehend learning and > teaching, learners and teachers and the ties that bind them. In the process > of doing research on SLA, and classroom behaviors, I have seen myself > countless times, and of course I am my first critic. My caution to anyone > who wants to improve their teaching through numerous recordings is "don't do > it" or you will go through the roller coaster of "How could I do that??" and > "That was really smooth". With the first one, you begin to wonder whether > you destroy students' eagerness to learn English or made them stop coming > altogether. The second reflection ends up raising the bar for the next > class: can I do this again? What els > e can I possibly learn from this? The reflection wheels never really > stop. The thirst for perfection is never appeased. > > The most important point of watching classroom video is to see the > students and watch them learn, not only English but classroom behaviors and > social competencies which are developed in the safe environment of the > classroom and replicable in the outside world. They do and say amazing > things, pertinent to the task/ activity or outside of the activity but > nonetheless important to them. > On 3 and 4, the video of the classroom was used on a couple of occasions > for study circles, directed by Reuel Kurzet, our professional developer . ( > http://www.ncsall.net/?id=232 is the link which will lead you to her > article on the matter). > Also over the past 4 years, we have had several graduate research > assistants (GRAs) who worked on coding and transcribing the classrooms video > data . These GRAs were concurrently enrolled in the MA TESOL program at > Portland State University. Each one of them ( about 25) has been extremely > grateful to have been privy to watching hours of classroom recording before > actually becoming teachers themselves. > As for myself, in the process of the longitudinal study of a few students, > I have watched other teachers teach. The great lesson has been to recognize > good teaching, even though the techniques employed might be something that > one would never do. (student engagement which is also captured through the > video is a good indicator of a successful class) > So yes, video is a great tool for prof. development. One must be prepared > to watch a classroom in "real time" though, which is different but a lot > richer (and a lot slower) than "canned" classroom videos, edited for the > perfect lesson. > > Dominique Brillanceau > practitioner/research associate > NCSALL ESOL labschool > www.labschool.pdx.edu > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060605/eb0b6f51/attachment.html From djrosen at comcast.net Tue Jun 6 08:36:28 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2006 08:36:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 312] Re: Reflections on Video as a Professional Development Tool In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1D969205-37D7-45FE-9B39-7A712C22B227@comcast.net> Hello Julie, Jessica, and others As a teacher in training I was videotaped in 1969. VHS was relatively new then, but it was widely used in the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Education. There was a protocol called _Microteaching_, which had been developed by Dwight Allen at Stanford in the mid 1960's, before he was the Dean of Education at UMass Amherst. For some information on Microteaching, see: [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microteaching ] [ http://fdc.fullerton.edu/learning/CASTL/ carnegie_microteaching_materials.htm ] I remember getting three kinds of useful feedback ("feedback" was new jargon in education then): 1) seeing myself teach (not an entirely positive experience); 2) getting comments from other teacher trainees and a master teacher; and 3) getting comments from the students who were videotaped about what they thought I was trying to do, how effective it was, and what was happening from their perspectives. Some of the comments from students were especially helpful. I realized that I was reaching only about half of the class and that, while my (very oral) presentation style of presentation worked well for them, it wasn't working for the others. That caused be to ask some good questions like: What other styles of teaching and learning are there? What do we know about the match of teacher styles of presentation and student styles of learning? Is it possible for a teacher to learn or strengthen other styles? And so on. I also remember that it was important to have a structured process, where the teaching/learning objectives were clear at the outset, and were a main reference point for the comments later. Finally I remember thinking that this "slice of teaching" approach also had its limitations and wasn't representative of the actual ebb and flow of the classroom teaching process over time. David J. Rosen newsomeassociates.com djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 5, 2006, at 9:13 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > Welcome to our discussion with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent > FOB article: > > Video as a Professional Development Tool > http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 > > Please write in with any impressions, comments or questions you have > about the article! See below for some discussion questions. > > Enjoy! > > Julie > > ************************************ > > Discussion Questions > > 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was > your > impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? >> >> 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your > students on video? >> >> 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? >> >> 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in >> your > program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in > order > to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did > teachers receive this? >> >> 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with > you? > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Jun 6 14:54:21 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:54:21 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 313] Re: Reflections on Video as a Professional Development Tool Message-ID: <2204608.995701149620061193.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> When we (the FOB editorial board and me) were working with Jessica to edit this article, I was surprised at how FEW of the editorial board members had used video in any professional development activities. How about you, list members? Let us know if you HAVE or HAVE NOT been videoed, or HAVE or HAVE NOT used video as a professional development tool. Barb Garner ===================== From: David Rosen Date: Tue Jun 06 07:36:28 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 312] Re: Reflections on Video as a Professional Development Tool Hello Julie, Jessica, and others As a teacher in training I was videotaped in 1969. VHS was relatively new then, but it was widely used in the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Education. There was a protocol called _Microteaching_, which had been developed by Dwight Allen at Stanford in the mid 1960's, before he was the Dean of Education at UMass Amherst. For some information on Microteaching, see: [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microteaching ] [ http://fdc.fullerton.edu/learning/CASTL/ carnegie_microteaching_materials.htm ] I remember getting three kinds of useful feedback ("feedback" was new jargon in education then): 1) seeing myself teach (not an entirely positive experience); 2) getting comments from other teacher trainees and a master teacher; and 3) getting comments from the students who were videotaped about what they thought I was trying to do, how effective it was, and what was happening from their perspectives. Some of the comments from students were especially helpful. I realized that I was reaching only about half of the class and that, while my (very oral) presentation style of presentation worked well for them, it wasn't working for the others. That caused be to ask some good questions like: What other styles of teaching and learning are there? What do we know about the match of teacher styles of presentation and student styles of learning? Is it possible for a teacher to learn or strengthen other styles? And so on. I also remember that it was important to have a structured process, where the teaching/learning objectives were clear at the outset, and were a main reference point for the comments later. Finally I remember thinking that this "slice of teaching" approach also had its limitations and wasn't representative of the actual ebb and flow of the classroom teaching process over time. David J. Rosen newsomeassociates.com djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 5, 2006, at 9:13 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > Welcome to our discussion with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent > FOB article: > > Video as a Professional Development Tool > http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 > > Please write in with any impressions, comments or questions you have > about the article! See below for some discussion questions. > > Enjoy! > > Julie > > ************************************ > > Discussion Questions > > 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was > your > impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? >> >> 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your > students on video? >> >> 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? >> >> 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in >> your > program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in > order > to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did > teachers receive this? >> >> 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with > you? > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jun 7 08:38:55 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 07:38:55 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 314] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: <20060607123905.5A59CCA0C0@ws7-4.us4.outblaze.com> Hi Everyone, Unfortunately I've never had the experience of being taped while teaching, but I have watched videos of other teachers in the process and the experience has been enlightening. It directed my attention to my own ideological beliefs about teaching and learning. What were my expectations of learners and how did those expectations connect with larger issues that impact teachers such as time constraints, and program goals(to mention only a few). I think videotaping classes does give teachers an opportunity to have a more critical look at the impact of their teaching on learners, and similarly would give learners an opportunity to speak on behalf of their own learning experience which is further reflection for teachers. As part of the requirements for a english language teaching certificate program at the new school I will be required to videotape three of the classes I will be teaching this coming fall. I'll keep you posted. Esther Shupe -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Jun 7 11:34:00 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 11:34:00 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 315] Next Week: Reading from the Learners' Perspective Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I don't mean to interrupt the present discussion about video, but I do want to give you a quick heads-up on next week's discussion: Next week, June 12-16, Alisa Belzer will discuss two of her articles from FOB. Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108 and Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 The first article examines case studies of three learners and the reading that they do outside of class to learn how this influences their learning, and how teachers can encourage out-of-class reading. The second describes a unique study where students were interviewed to give their own assessment of what factors influenced their success in learning how to read. Please pass this on to anyone you know who may be interested in this discussion. They can subscribe to the list at: www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics We'll post some discussion questions by Friday morning. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jun 7 12:31:26 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 11:31:26 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: <20060607163127.8B450CA0C0@ws7-4.us4.outblaze.com> Everyone, I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online certificate program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe nature of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the program work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in this regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and learning observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to share my experience with the list. On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been around for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult educators. THe issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the most part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from other institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license but in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Wed Jun 7 13:45:27 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:45:27 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 317] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as aProfessional Development Tool In-Reply-To: Message-ID: All Apologies for the delayed response - have been out of town. We decided to tape as part of a three-year demonstration project (of sorts) designed to assist ESOL teachers in integrating literacy into 'regular' ESOL classes - as opposed to a pull-out model, which generally consisted of having volunteers work on literacy with ESOL students one-on-one during class time (and out of the classroom). We were trying to find ways to incorporate strategies addressing literacy for learners with roughly equivalent abilities with aural/oral language. Part of that work including demonstration classes at the site, and part of our documentation, initially, was through both written accounts and video recording. Once we began reviewing the tapes, we also saw their great potential as professional development tools - both for those who are being taped, as well as for others. I've used the tapes (years later) with university students who are working in literacy programs) as a means of asking them to watch the tape, share observations, reflections and respond to some guided questions about the teaching and learning they see. Janet > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:41:14 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 308] Re: Discussion starts today: Video as > aProfessional Development Tool > > Janet, > > Thanks for sharing your reactions to your videotaped class! I am curious > to know how it came about, and how it was used. Was it a purposeful > professional development activity, or just something you decided to try? > And it's interesting that you watched it with your students--was there a > specific process that helped you get feedback from them? From other > colleagues? > > It's interesting that you say one of the best things was that it focused > on the students, which fits with Jessica's experience as she described > in the article. > > Julie From dbrillan at pdx.edu Wed Jun 7 15:56:52 2006 From: dbrillan at pdx.edu (Dominique Brillanceau) Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 12:56:52 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. References: <20060607163127.8B450CA0C0@ws7-4.us4.outblaze.com> Message-ID: <000501c68a6c$86ffcd10$6501a8c0@D483MV11> Greetings, While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of adult educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' through video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on people who have done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or others a long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using it in training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one never forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State University 20 years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still have the tape- no comment) A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her students in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? They could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state directors of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. Dominique Brillanceau ----- Original Message ----- From: "e s" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. > Everyone, > I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently > enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online certificate > program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe nature > of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the program > work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in this > regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and learning > observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own > purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the > discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to share > my experience with the list. > > On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to > know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been around > for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult educators. THe > issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of > connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the most > part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in > determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing > discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from other > institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license but > in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow > Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From tarv at chemeketa.edu Wed Jun 7 16:44:29 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 13:44:29 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 319] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: I've used video on my own evaluation and had students use it for theirs. It is a useful tool and helps one be objective about what really happens in a group. We used to set the video up and leave it on regularly, then review what we noticed as a group (students and instructors). We found it a useful tool for program improvement. Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dominique Brillanceau Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:57 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Greetings, While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of adult educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' through video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on people who have done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or others a long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using it in training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one never forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State University 20 years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still have the tape- no comment) A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her students in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? They could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state directors of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. Dominique Brillanceau ----- Original Message ----- From: "e s" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. > Everyone, > I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently > enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online certificate > program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe nature > of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the program > work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in this > regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and learning > observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own > purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the > discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to share > my experience with the list. > > On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to > know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been around > for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult educators. THe > issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of > connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the most > part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in > determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing > discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from other > institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license but > in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow > Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default .asp?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Jun 7 17:42:20 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:42:20 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 320] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: <22005221.120721149716540639.JavaMail.root@vms172.mailsrvcs.net> The only other Focus on Basics article that features videotaping that I can think of is by Reuel Kurzet, in Volume 5, Issue D (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=232). She writes about the NCSALL Lab School at Portland State's use of audio and video taping, and how looking together at a piece of tape gives folks a shared experience they can talk about. Reuel emphasizes describing rather than judging what appears in a video of a classroom as an important first step. What have other folks' experiences been: if you have seen yourself or your students in a video, what process do you use when viewing it? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics That's a slightly different take on the discussion we've been having here: using classroom video together with a group. ===================== From: Dominique Brillanceau Date: Wed Jun 07 14:56:52 CDT 2006 To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Greetings, While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of adult educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' through video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on people who have done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or others a long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using it in training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one never forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State University 20 years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still have the tape- no comment) A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her students in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? They could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state directors of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. Dominique Brillanceau ----- Original Message ----- From: "e s" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. > Everyone, > I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently > enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online certificate > program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe nature > of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the program > work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in this > regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and learning > observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own > purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the > discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to share > my experience with the list. > > On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to > know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been around > for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult educators. THe > issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of > connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the most > part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in > determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing > discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from other > institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license but > in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow > Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Jun 7 12:55:04 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2006 12:55:04 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 321] New from NIFL & NCSALL-ARCS Video Message-ID: <000e01c68a53$202b8700$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) announce the "Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) Panel," a 30-minute video on NCSALL's ARCS research produced by the Institute. This video is available in streaming format and can be viewed by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20040204/webcast02-04.html ARCS was the first large-scale attempt to use a battery of individually administered reading and language tests to describe the reading of students enrolled in adult basic education (ABE) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) programs. Nearly 1,000 adult learners from 30 learning centers in seven states were assessed in order to develop instructionally relevant cluster profiles of adult readers. The video offers a panel discussion about NCSALL's ARCS research and ways in which programs can use the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles, an on-line assessment tool based on the ARCS research, to assess students and plan instruction tailored to their specific profiles. Panel participants are: Dr. John Strucker - Researcher and ARCS Director, NCSALL Dr. Rosalind Davidson - Researcher and ARCS Assistant Director, NCSALL Kay Vaccaro - Program Assistant, Harris County, TX Department of Education, Adult Education Division Jane Meyer - Coordinator, ABLE-funded adult literacy project, Canton, OH David J. Rosen (moderator) - Senior Associate, Newsome Associates, Boston, MA To visit the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles ARCS Web site, please go to: http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/ To learn more about the ARCS, please see NCSALL's "Seminar Guide - Reading Profiles" http://www.ncsall.net/?id=597 available from the CPPR section of the NCSALL Web site. A NCSALL study circle guide on reading research and teaching materials on reading are available from the Publications section of the NCSALL Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=25 The ARCS video panel introduction is also available free on DVD: Order from NCSALL at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=24 for $5.00/copy (shipping and handling), or send your request to NIFL at info at nifl.gov, and be sure to include your mailing address. The ARCS video is the first in a series of videos based on NCSALL research that are being produced by the National Institute for Literacy. As each video is completed, streaming versions will be posted to the Web, with accompanying announcements on the Institute's listservs and web sites and NCSALL's Web site. Once the entire series is completed, all of the videos will be packaged in a single DVD, which the Institute and NCSALL will make available to the field. The National Institute for Literacy and NCSALL present these videos as introductions to key research topics in adult learning and literacy. We hope the field finds them useful as professional and program development tools. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060607/071fbb32/attachment.html From akohring at utk.edu Thu Jun 8 09:23:21 2006 From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring) Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2006 09:23:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 322] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060608092104.03e0fac0@pop.utk.edu> Virginia, I'm glad you mentioned how students used video as a resource for themselves. I remember observing a classroom that was doing a series of lessons around speaking and listening with a goal of preparing for work interviews. The students really found video useful as an assessment for how well they performed. Aaron At 01:44 PM 6/7/2006 -0700, you wrote: >I've used video on my own evaluation and had students use it for theirs. >It is a useful tool and helps one be objective about what really happens >in a group. We used to set the video up and leave it on regularly, then >review what we noticed as a group (students and instructors). We found >it a useful tool for program improvement. >Va > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dominique >Brillanceau >Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:57 PM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >tool. > >Greetings, >While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of adult >educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' through >video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on people who >have >done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have >participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or >others a >long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using it in > >training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one >never >forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. >It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State University 20 > >years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still have >the >tape- no comment) > A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her >students >in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. >So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? >They >could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state >directors >of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... >Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. > >Dominique Brillanceau > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "e s" >To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >tool. > > > > Everyone, > > I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently > > enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online >certificate > > program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe >nature > > of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the >program > > work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in >this > > regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and >learning > > observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own > > purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the > > > discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to >share > > my experience with the list. > > > > On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to > > > know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been >around > > for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult educators. >THe > > issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of > > connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the >most > > part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in > > > determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing > > discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from >other > > institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license >but > > in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? > > Esther > > > > -- > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos >Yellow > > Pages > > > > >http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default >.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Aaron Kohring Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/) Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Phone:(865) 974-4109 main (865) 974-4258 direct Fax: (865) 974-3857 e-mail: akohring at utk.edu From djrosen at comcast.net Thu Jun 8 10:59:30 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 10:59:30 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 323] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20060608092104.03e0fac0@pop.utk.edu> References: <5.1.0.14.2.20060608092104.03e0fac0@pop.utk.edu> Message-ID: <12A5324E-F269-4552-9B31-4162FB2693C7@comcast.net> Aaron and others, I would like to see our field have a large digital video collection of excellent examples of teaching. These "learning objects," or relatively short classroom digital video clips, could demonstrate for example: a teaching approach, technique, or method; a way of organizing a classroom; a way to integrate technology; or a way to use certain materials. Each clip could be linked to a widely agreed- upon teaching quality standard. It should be online, accessible free to teachers anytime, anywhere, and also to those who could use them in their online or face-to-face professional development courses or workshops. Some examples of this exist in the area of integrating technology in the classroom. In our field this began several years ago with the very well done, and still relevant "Captured Wisdom" project by Lynda Ginsburg, Jennifer Elmore and others [ http://www.ncrtec.org/pd/cw/ adultlit.htm ] . Current good work is being done in California by Marian Thacher and others at OTAN [ http://www.otan.us/Itap/index.cfm? fuseaction=videogallery ]. These are short classroom examples of teachers and students integrating technology well. I have learned a lot about how to integrate technology well from both Captured Wisdom and OTAN instructional Technology Assistance Project videos. There are also examples of digital videos on line from the Portland, Oregon National Labsite for Adult ESOL [http://www.labschool.pdx.edu/ video_demo.html ] , a FOB article on this at [ http://www.ncsall.net/? id=987 ] and an archived discussion which began on this list in February, 2006 [ http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/2006/000157.html ]. Are there other online digital video examples of good adult education teaching? I think we need a major, multiyear national project to build an online digital searchable database of "standards-based" examples of good teaching. Would this be useful to you as a teacher, tutor, administrator, or professional developer? If so, what would you like to see in this database? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 8, 2006, at 9:23 AM, Aaron Kohring wrote: > Virginia, > > I'm glad you mentioned how students used video as a resource for > themselves. I remember observing a classroom that was doing a > series of > lessons around speaking and listening with a goal of preparing for > work > interviews. The students really found video useful as an > assessment for > how well they performed. > Aaron > > At 01:44 PM 6/7/2006 -0700, you wrote: >> I've used video on my own evaluation and had students use it for >> theirs. >> It is a useful tool and helps one be objective about what really >> happens >> in a group. We used to set the video up and leave it on >> regularly, then >> review what we noticed as a group (students and instructors). We >> found >> it a useful tool for program improvement. >> Va >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >> [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dominique >> Brillanceau >> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:57 PM >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >> tool. >> >> Greetings, >> While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of >> adult >> educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' >> through >> video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on >> people who >> have >> done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have >> participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or >> others a >> long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using >> it in >> >> training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one >> never >> forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. >> It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State >> University 20 >> >> years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still >> have >> the >> tape- no comment) >> A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her >> students >> in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. >> So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? >> They >> could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state >> directors >> of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... >> Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. >> >> Dominique Brillanceau >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "e s" >> To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >> tool. >> >> >>> Everyone, >>> I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently >>> enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online >> certificate >>> program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe >> nature >>> of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the >> program >>> work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in >> this >>> regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and >> learning >>> observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my >>> own >>> purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments >>> from the >> >>> discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to >> share >>> my experience with the list. >>> >>> On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post >>> and to >> >>> know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been >> around >>> for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult >>> educators. >> THe >>> issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of >>> connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the >> most >>> part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little >>> power in >> >>> determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing >>> discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from >> other >>> institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative >>> license >> but >>> in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? >>> Esther >>> >>> -- >>> _______________________________________________ >>> >>> Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos >> Yellow >>> Pages >>> >>> >> http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/ >> default >> .asp?SRC=lycos10 >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------- >>> National Institute for Literacy >>> Focus on Basics mailing list >>> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >>> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > Aaron Kohring > Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection > (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) > Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards > Discussion > List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) > Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http:// > eff.cls.utk.edu/) > > Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee > EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance > Phone:(865) 974-4109 main > (865) 974-4258 direct > Fax: (865) 974-3857 > e-mail: akohring at utk.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From jessicatomkins at gmail.com Thu Jun 8 11:07:23 2006 From: jessicatomkins at gmail.com (Jessica Tomkins) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:07:23 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 324] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. In-Reply-To: <000501c68a6c$86ffcd10$6501a8c0@D483MV11> References: <20060607163127.8B450CA0C0@ws7-4.us4.outblaze.com> <000501c68a6c$86ffcd10$6501a8c0@D483MV11> Message-ID: <7de8295a0606080807ib66abfdqa30104ef3519f543@mail.gmail.com> Hi- I'm thinking- in response to Esther & Dominique's comments on the disconnectedness of adult educators- tt this is an issue within schools as well as across the field that can be addressed by using video. One of the teachers I interviewed pointed out that two willing teachers could easily video each other and then sit around and discuss their classes - that this is essentially free and effective for improving one's teaching (in his experience). I think in k-12 schools it is often a mentor & novice teacher who pair up to do this, but is seems like it would work the best with peers. I heard a lot from the teachers I interviewed about the importance to them of not being judged or evaluated - of course they meant by researchers, but I suspect the lack of evaluation left them as open as they were to seeing their classrooms from a new perspective. I guess I'm thinking about two things - first of all video as a way of connecting p/t teachers (perhaps) who wouldn't have a chance to cross paths or really work together. what do you think? also, how important is the type of discussion and the level of judgement? is it better to focus on students, is it better to really analyze one's own teaching directly, or does self-conciousness then get in the way and ruin the process? i know there are probably many different answers to this question, but while we're rolling with this as a pd tool, i'm wondering if there is a generally good way to use it - guidelines, perhaps, based on everyone's experiences... jessica On 6/7/06, Dominique Brillanceau wrote: > > Greetings, > While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of adult > educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' through > video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on people who > have > done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have > participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or others > a > long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using it in > training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one never > forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. > It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State University 20 > years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still have > the > tape- no comment) > A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her > students > in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. > So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? They > could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state > directors > of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... > Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. > > Dominique Brillanceau > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "e s" > To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" > Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt > tool. > > > > Everyone, > > I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently > > enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online certificate > > program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe > nature > > of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the program > > work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in this > > regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and learning > > observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my own > > purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments from the > > discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to > share > > my experience with the list. > > > > On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post and to > > know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been around > > for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult > educators. THe > > issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of > > connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the most > > part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little power in > > determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing > > discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from other > > institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative license > but > > in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? > > Esther > > > > -- > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow > > Pages > > > > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060608/8fd205bf/attachment.html From mslaathaug at midco.net Thu Jun 8 14:18:43 2006 From: mslaathaug at midco.net (Missy Slaathaug) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 13:18:43 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 325] Re: Video as aProfessional Development Tool In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <005601c68b27$f9b2ae20$030ac90a@explorit3> Greetings, We are working here in South Dakota to strengthen our teacher training and ongoing professional development system. One tool that we have looked at is video-taping. Some of us feel this would be an extremely useful tool, especially given the distances between our centers and the travel, time and funding barriers that arise to many other PD options, like peer observation. We do feel, however, that there would be a great deal of resistance to using video taping by many of our teachers. Does anyone have any ideas on how to overcome this negative perception of using video-taping as a PD tool? Thank you. Missy Slaathaug ESL State Specialist South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 8:13 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 306] Discussion starts today: Video as aProfessional Development Tool Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent FOB article: Video as a Professional Development Tool http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 Please write in with any impressions, comments or questions you have about the article! See below for some discussion questions. Enjoy! Julie ************************************ Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? > > 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your students on video? > > 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? > > 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in your program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in order to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did teachers receive this? > > 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with you? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From EJacobson at air.org Thu Jun 8 14:37:32 2006 From: EJacobson at air.org (Jacobson, Erik) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:37:32 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 326] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: I think an archive could be useful and it would be great if it were interactive. Looking at how the videos are uploaded to "You Tube" might be helpful. Once a video is up at that site anybody that watches the video can do three things. 1. Give it a grade (not so useful in this case, maybe, because the videos would probably be vetted to begin with) 2. Post a comment (and the comments are available for other people to read and react to) 3. Tag the video with codes (e.g., Nirvana, grunge, Seattle). This code helps people when they are searching through the 40,000 videos uploaded to You Tube daily. The coding and comments could work together in a really instructive way. For example, I could watch a video clip and tag it with a code - say, teacher participation in pair work (a NCSALL study). I think this would be helpful because any given clip of teaching could be used for many type of examples (look at what the teacher is doing in terms of body language, look at how the students are working together, what are the materials used, etc.) I think having this flexibility would add to the way people would use the resource. Yes, of course, you should be able to search by standards and video clips to be attached to standards (i.e., here is an example of what has been defined as a best practice), but we should also take advantage of the communal productive aspect of the internet and allow for more democratic development of what is called best practice. It would be even better if we could connect the comment section to the code. So I could look at a clip that has gotten multiple codes - pair work, intermediate ESL, present perfect progressive - and then click on a comment section connected to one of those codes. This would help organize the asynchronous conversation around the multiple topics the clip would speak to. Erik From tarv at chemeketa.edu Thu Jun 8 15:38:56 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 12:38:56 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 327] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: We're thinking of using video for our natural resource crew evaluations this summer. Pre test: their answers and manner on video. Post test: same questions-answers and manner on video. Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jacobson, Erik Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 11:38 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 326] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. I think an archive could be useful and it would be great if it were interactive. Looking at how the videos are uploaded to "You Tube" might be helpful. Once a video is up at that site anybody that watches the video can do three things. 1. Give it a grade (not so useful in this case, maybe, because the videos would probably be vetted to begin with) 2. Post a comment (and the comments are available for other people to read and react to) 3. Tag the video with codes (e.g., Nirvana, grunge, Seattle). This code helps people when they are searching through the 40,000 videos uploaded to You Tube daily. The coding and comments could work together in a really instructive way. For example, I could watch a video clip and tag it with a code - say, teacher participation in pair work (a NCSALL study). I think this would be helpful because any given clip of teaching could be used for many type of examples (look at what the teacher is doing in terms of body language, look at how the students are working together, what are the materials used, etc.) I think having this flexibility would add to the way people would use the resource. Yes, of course, you should be able to search by standards and video clips to be attached to standards (i.e., here is an example of what has been defined as a best practice), but we should also take advantage of the communal productive aspect of the internet and allow for more democratic development of what is called best practice. It would be even better if we could connect the comment section to the code. So I could look at a clip that has gotten multiple codes - pair work, intermediate ESL, present perfect progressive - and then click on a comment section connected to one of those codes. This would help organize the asynchronous conversation around the multiple topics the clip would speak to. Erik ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From djrosen at comcast.net Thu Jun 8 15:56:44 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 15:56:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 328] Re: Video as aProfessional Development Tool In-Reply-To: <005601c68b27$f9b2ae20$030ac90a@explorit3> References: <005601c68b27$f9b2ae20$030ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <5DCBF426-F1E3-418B-A06E-EA54FDDD192D@comcast.net> Missy, you wrote: > We are working here in South Dakota to strengthen our teacher training > and ongoing professional development system. One tool that we have > looked at is video-taping. Some of us feel this would be an extremely > useful tool, especially given the distances between our centers and > the > travel, time and funding barriers that arise to many other PD options, > like peer observation. > > We do feel, however, that there would be a great deal of resistance to > using video taping by many of our teachers. > > Does anyone have any ideas on how to overcome this negative perception > of using video-taping as a PD tool? > > Thank you. > > Missy Slaathaug > ESL State Specialist > South Dakota > mslaathaug at midco.net Here are six suggestions: 1. Use videotaping in the context of a peer coaching model where two teachers from the same center (or if there is one, a nearby center) are paired, and use a structured process to help each other to improve their teaching. 2. Provide the equipment -- and training on how to use it -- including the technical aspects, free. 3. Provide teachers with paid professional development time to do a peer-coaching project. 4. Make it clear that this is not part of their performance evaluation. 5. Provide articles (and videotapes?) on the process which they can look at before they decide whether or not to try it. 6. Let teachers know that you will provide a stipend and travel expenses for a (selected) pair of teachers who want to present their peer coaching project at a state, regional or national conference. David J. Rosen newsomeassociates.com djrosen at comcast.net From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 9 12:35:03 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 12:35:03 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 329] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: David mentioned a video collection for the field, and referenced, among others, the Lab School in Portland, where they actually do have huge collection of videos that can be accessed for research use, and probably for PD efforts as well. Dominique, and/or anyone else from the Lab School, can you tell us more about how this works with the video collection? How can programs from around the country access this collection? It seems like a very unique, and possibly underused resource! Read more about the lab school and their use of video in Volume 8A of FOB: The Lab School http://www.ncsall.net/?id=987 This issue also has several articles about how teachers used the videos for research in ESOL learning. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> djrosen at comcast.net 06/08/06 10:59 AM >>> Aaron and others, I would like to see our field have a large digital video collection of excellent examples of teaching. These "learning objects," or relatively short classroom digital video clips, could demonstrate for example: a teaching approach, technique, or method; a way of organizing a classroom; a way to integrate technology; or a way to use certain materials. Each clip could be linked to a widely agreed- upon teaching quality standard. It should be online, accessible free to teachers anytime, anywhere, and also to those who could use them in their online or face-to-face professional development courses or workshops. Some examples of this exist in the area of integrating technology in the classroom. In our field this began several years ago with the very well done, and still relevant "Captured Wisdom" project by Lynda Ginsburg, Jennifer Elmore and others [ http://www.ncrtec.org/pd/cw/ adultlit.htm ] . Current good work is being done in California by Marian Thacher and others at OTAN [ http://www.otan.us/Itap/index.cfm? fuseaction=videogallery ]. These are short classroom examples of teachers and students integrating technology well. I have learned a lot about how to integrate technology well from both Captured Wisdom and OTAN instructional Technology Assistance Project videos. There are also examples of digital videos on line from the Portland, Oregon National Labsite for Adult ESOL [http://www.labschool.pdx.edu/ video_demo.html ] , a FOB article on this at [ http://www.ncsall.net/? id=987 ] and an archived discussion which began on this list in February, 2006 [ http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/2006/000157.html ]. Are there other online digital video examples of good adult education teaching? I think we need a major, multiyear national project to build an online digital searchable database of "standards-based" examples of good teaching. Would this be useful to you as a teacher, tutor, administrator, or professional developer? If so, what would you like to see in this database? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 8, 2006, at 9:23 AM, Aaron Kohring wrote: > Virginia, > > I'm glad you mentioned how students used video as a resource for > themselves. I remember observing a classroom that was doing a > series of > lessons around speaking and listening with a goal of preparing for > work > interviews. The students really found video useful as an > assessment for > how well they performed. > Aaron > > At 01:44 PM 6/7/2006 -0700, you wrote: >> I've used video on my own evaluation and had students use it for >> theirs. >> It is a useful tool and helps one be objective about what really >> happens >> in a group. We used to set the video up and leave it on >> regularly, then >> review what we noticed as a group (students and instructors). We >> found >> it a useful tool for program improvement. >> Va >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >> [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dominique >> Brillanceau >> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 12:57 PM >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 318] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >> tool. >> >> Greetings, >> While I concur with Esther's comments on the disconnectedness of >> adult >> educators and the barriers to sharing one's teaching or others' >> through >> video media, I have been thinking about the impact it has on >> people who >> have >> done it. David did it in the 60's and a couple more people who have >> participated in the discussion mentioned videotaping themselves or >> others a >> long time ago and they still talk about it. Or Janet who is using >> it in >> >> training. To me, that was uplifting. It is an experience that one >> never >> forgets and should be part of all teacher training programs. >> It was a requirement in the TESL program at Portland State >> University 20 >> >> years ago when I got my certificate but it no longer is. ( I still >> have >> the >> tape- no comment) >> A colleague of mine just made it a class requirement/ task for her >> students >> in a MA TESOL program at Oregon State University. >> So... are there any paper FOB issues for this particular issue left? >> They >> could be sent to MA TESOL programs around the country and to state >> directors >> of Adult Basic Skills. Just an idea... >> Great conversation. An eye opener and a way of being connected. >> >> Dominique Brillanceau >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "e s" >> To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 9:31 AM >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 316] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt >> tool. >> >> >>> Everyone, >>> I wanted to say a little more about the program that I am currently >>> enrolled and the videotaping requirement. THis is an online >> certificate >>> program in English Language Teaching at The New School in NYC. THe >> nature >>> of distance learning requires the aid of technology to make the >> program >>> work and the videotaping of classroom instruction is purposeful in >> this >>> regard. The type of feedback I will get about the teaching and >> learning >>> observations is unknown to me at this time, but I hope to have my >>> own >>> purpose in viewing the tapes. Jessica's article and comments >>> from the >> >>> discussion will help me to ask the right questions. I'll be sure to >> share >>> my experience with the list. >>> >>> On another note, it's disheartening to me to read David's post >>> and to >> >>> know that the practice of videotaping classroom dynamics has been >> around >>> for so long and yet is still not common practice for adult >>> educators. >> THe >>> issues are at least in part about funding but also about the lack of >>> connection that is experienced by many adult educators. We for the >> most >>> part are a team of volunteers or part-timers with very little >>> power in >> >>> determining, what if any PD is offered to us. One of the continuing >>> discussions about adult education is the way we are separate from >> other >>> institutions of learning. This in many ways gives us creative >>> license >> but >>> in many significant ways is disempowering. What do others think? >>> Esther >>> >>> -- >>> _______________________________________________ >>> >>> Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos >> Yellow >>> Pages >>> >>> >> http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/ >> default >> .asp?SRC=lycos10 >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------- >>> National Institute for Literacy >>> Focus on Basics mailing list >>> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >>> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > Aaron Kohring > Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection > (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) > Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards > Discussion > List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) > Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http:// > eff.cls.utk.edu/) > > Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee > EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance > Phone:(865) 974-4109 main > (865) 974-4258 direct > Fax: (865) 974-3857 > e-mail: akohring at utk.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics David Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 9 13:57:28 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:57:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 330] Discussion Questions for June 12 Discussion: Reading from the Learner's Perspective Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Here are some discussion questions to think about for next week's discussion with Alisa Belzer: Reading from the Learners Perspective: Note that there are two different articles that we will discuss. Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108 1. Have you ever evaluated how much reading your students do outside of class time? If so, what were the results? What factors in their life do you think affect how much outside reading they do? 2. According to the article, a learner's own belief in the value of reading as a learning tool is important, as is family support, time to read, and access to print materials at home. What can we do as teachers to help those students who lack these factors? What program support could help? Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 1. What do you think of this reseacrch practice of asking the learners themselves for input about effective teaching/learning strategies? 2. According to the learners, the following factors were cited as the most important for successful reading development: "1) their own motivation and determination, 2) program features, including relationships with an instructor, instructional strategies and materials, and structures and formats, 3) reading practice, and 4) supports." How much do you agree or disagree, based on your own sense? Reflect on these factors in your own classes and programs. How could they be improved? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Fri Jun 9 14:15:11 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:15:11 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 331] Re: Discussion: video as a prof. devlpmt tool. Message-ID: <20060609181512.33293CA0BF@ws7-4.us4.outblaze.com> Jessica and all, Yes I agree, I think that videotaping could help teachers to connect, especially those of us who are on the periphery. Just a few thoughts on the uses of videotaping as PD for adult educators: If you look at videotaping as a means of critical reflection, it could help raise the consciousness of teachers, helping them better identify and challenge the assumptions that drive their teaching practices. For example, one goal might be toward a ?critical teaching? approach (I think coined by Shor). One important goal of this approach is to begin to look at how teachers can help students to think more critically about their learning. Videotaping the classroom dynamics could be of both the student and the teacher and the reflection part could take various different forms. One focus might be on the methodological practices that strengthen or weaken learner?s ability to think and act creatively in the classroom. Many types of reflective questions in this area are already out there and available to use. I can say from experience that many learners come to the classroom with preconceived notions about ?learning? developed from their K-12 experience. The same is true of teachers. Because many teachers working with adult learners are unaware of the different aspects of adult learner motivation, many lack the skills to approach teaching in a way from would facilitate greater insight for their adult learners. Visual aids are always a powerful tool in helping to to uncover hidden dynamics at work, As a result, helping teachers to create a more meaningful learning environment for their learners. I know this would be a huge undertaking (money and time commitment on the part of the institution, teacher and student) further it would require that teachers be onboard in terms of being open to changing the way they approach teaching and learning, but I think it would be worth the effort and I know that I would be highly motivated to participate in this type of PD. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Sat Jun 10 09:49:56 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 09:49:56 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 332] Thanks to Jessica and everyone! Message-ID: Jessica, and everyone who contributed to this discussion, Thank you! It was enriching to hear the idea of using video as a professional development tool examined as closely and thoughtfully as you have all done. You have documented a variety of benefits for teachers, both experienced and new, and learners that can come from watching videos. You also shared many suggestions, including: - focus on the students and their behavior, both in filming and reviewing - have students also review the videos and comment - don't be videotaped too many times - use videos for students to evaluate themselves - describe rather than judge when viewing videos - use as a way to connect part-time teachers - use in study circles - use for peer coaching - develop and use a video database for our field There is too much to summarize here, but I encourage you to look back at the discussion to recall the points that resonate with you, and hopefully some of you can further discuss this method of professional development within your programs. You can find the discussion on the Literacy Tent ALE Wiki at the following link: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Video_as_a_Professional_Development_Tool By the way, you can find many other useful resources and discussions on this Wiki! The home page is at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page Again Everyone, thanks for a great discussion! (And rest up--another one starts on Monday!) All the Best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 12 08:54:08 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:54:08 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 333] Welcome to our discussion: Reading from the Learner's Perspective Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with FOB author Alisa Belzer, who will discuss her two articles from the most recent FOB. See the links below with discussion questions, and write in to share some thoughts! Enjoy, Julie ***************************************** Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108 1. Have you ever evaluated how much reading your students do outside of class time? If so, what were the results? What factors in their life do you think affect how much outside reading they do? 2. According to the article, a learner's own belief in the value of reading as a learning tool is important, as is family support, time to read, and access to print materials at home. What can we do as teachers to help those students who lack these factors? What program support could help? Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 1. What do you think of this reseacrch practice of asking the learners themselves for input about effective teaching/learning strategies? 2. According to the learners, the following factors were cited as the most important for successful reading development: "1) their own motivation and determination, 2) program features, including relationships with an instructor, instructional strategies and materials, and structures and formats, 3) reading practice, and 4) supports." How much do you agree or disagree, based on your own sense? Reflect on these factors in your own classes and programs. How could they be improved? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 12 10:30:48 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 10:30:48 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 334] Reading Outside of Class Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Because we are discussing two different articles this week, I am setting up two subject lines so that you can respond to the one that pertains to your comments. That way, it will be easier for all of us to keep track of the discussion. Reply to this message (subject line: "Reading Outside of Class") if you are commenting on the following article: Influences on the Reading Practices of Adults in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1108 If you are commenting on the other article, reply to the message with the subject line: "Learners on Learning to Read." If your comments relate to both articles, then reply to the message with the subject line: "Welcome to our discussion: Reading from the Learner's Perspective."" I hope this makes sense! Julie Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 12 10:35:46 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 10:35:46 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 335] Learners on Learning to Read Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Reply to this message (subject line: "Learners on Learning to Read") if you are commenting on the following article: Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 If you are commenting on the other article, reply to the message with the subject line: "Reading Outside of Class." If your comments relate to both articles, then reply to the message with the subject line: "Welcome to our discussion: Reading from the Learner's Perspective."" Julie P.S. I am setting up these two subject lines so that it will be easier for all of us to keep track of the threads of the discussion. Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 12 11:41:54 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:41:54 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 336] Re: Learners on Learning to Read Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I am passing on this response that I received from someone who asked me to post it for them. It speaks to the question of getting feedback directly from learners on the process of their learning. Julie *************************************** Julie -- I posed your questions to some practitioners here in Ohio--one answered me promptly. Here are her thoughts about asking adults about their thoughts about teaching strategies and practices. I think these would be interesting for the discussion list. Robin Schwarz Dear Robin, I just came across some materials I had when I taught GED classes in 2001. I initially asked students to fill out information about their likes, dislikes, favorite hobbies, what they wanted to learn the first week I started. I was a brand new teacher for this population. ( I taught basic English/ESL previously). I tried hard to learn their names and get to know them as the wonder unique individuals they were/are. I have to admit it was hard for me because I had to teach math ( not my best subject) and reading for levels 2nd to 9th grade in one class. Learning the computer software was a challenge because of starting as a teacher in the 2nd week of classes. It was fortunate that I had a wonderful mentor to help me with the class. I tried with a variety learning approaches: video, discussion, hands-on. We had a set curricula to cover but I gave students learning styles inventories in order to try to individualize my teaching approaches with them. I also worked w/ those who asked/ I asked if they need help on a one/one basis. Midterm I asked students to evaluate what activities they liked the best: working on the computer, class discussions, specific learning modules I'd taught. I also asked what subjects they felt they still needed help with. I found they loved talking about math.. and liked reading/discussion exercises involving music artists like George Benson and Ray Charles. They also liked working on the computer re: Reading. It was not "scientific" to me but maybe in reality it was... In our society we ask "consumers" what they think of "products". In research....WHy don't we ask adult learners what they want, need, feel? I think it's partially because of the barriers to writing and for ESL students spoken language. However, I think this is not that hard to address if our society is finally willing to reach out to people that need education. Re: student motivation.... One other major issue that we are addressing in our GED program is identifying/eliminating barriers to attendance for adults. Poverty, no food, no job, caring for families, childcare-especially for infants,drug/alcohol problems, violence, unsupportive families, friends, transportation,mental illnesses, domestic violence are all major issues. In light of Time magazine's article on "Dropout Nation" and the growing undereducated population it is very important that we ask our students what they need, address their concerns and partner with research/policy makers to help all our members of our society. Cathleen McComas, Columbus State Community College Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 06/12/06 10:35 AM >>> Hi Everyone, Reply to this message (subject line: "Learners on Learning to Read") if you are commenting on the following article: Learners on Learning to Read http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1110 If you are commenting on the other article, reply to the message with the subject line: "Reading Outside of Class." If your comments relate to both articles, then reply to the message with the subject line: "Welcome to our discussion: Reading from the Learner's Perspective."" Julie P.S. I am setting up these two subject lines so that it will be easier for all of us to keep track of the threads of the discussion. Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From belzera at rci.rutgers.edu Tue Jun 13 21:26:24 2006 From: belzera at rci.rutgers.edu (Alisa Belzer) Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 21:26:24 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 337] learners on learning to read Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20060613212057.03a91918@rci.rutgers.edu> Hello Everyone: I'm very curious to know your reactions to this work. As I was doing the research I found the learners words to be very compelling, heartfelt, well articulated, and interesting. However, when I went to analyze the data, I wondered if their perceptions really shed light on the big questions of the day regarding teaching developing adult readers to read better. I asked myself whether they gave me information that was new. I guess two things really emerged for me. One, that it was important to them that they be taught some technical skills and be given lots of opportunities to read interesting materials over extended periods of time (it seems like we have a tendency to emphasize one or the other depending on our own beliefs, but balance seems to be the key), and two, that they focused the discussion differently than teachers or researchers might do Their focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them. It's not clear to me if teachers can create those conditions for learners or if they have to find a way to do it themselves. Anyway, I'll be interested to know how this all strikes you. Alisa From belzera at rci.rutgers.edu Tue Jun 13 21:31:58 2006 From: belzera at rci.rutgers.edu (Alisa Belzer) Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 21:31:58 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 338] reading outside of class Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20060613212650.03a45ed0@rci.rutgers.edu> I found this study very interesting to work on. In some ways it raised more questions than it answered. One thing I wonder about is how this picture might all change for learners who have teachers who have found concrete ways to encourage extensive practice outside of class, and who have exposed their students both to lots of interesting texts and to strategies for reading independently (e.g., how to pick reading materials, what to do when stuck etc.). The learners in this study hadn't gotten those kinds of supports and encouragements, but how does practice outside of class look different when they have? Also, I think this study raises interesting questions regarding how to help adult learners make learning opportunities out of the day to day interactions with text that most adults take part in to some extent, regardless of reading level every day. In other words, even low level readers have found ways to navigate their lives in our text bound culture. Yet, these interactions don't necessarily help them improve their reading, maybe because the have found ways to "manage" without really actually reading very much. How can these day to day, adult interactions with text that almost everyone has to deal with (signs, labels, etc.), actually be turned into explicit opportunities to practice? Does it always have to be book reading? Alisa From lalumineuse at yahoo.com Wed Jun 14 03:02:09 2006 From: lalumineuse at yahoo.com (Ujwala Samant) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 00:02:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 339] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: <5.2.1.1.2.20060613212650.03a45ed0@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: <20060614070209.29786.qmail@web55113.mail.re4.yahoo.com> In my work in India, learners told me that they now could read what they wanted to which included: 1. Road and other signs including bus numbers 2. The newspaper occasionally, especially around election time 3. Notes sent from school. 4. Film magazines 5. Religious texts (all faiths stated that) When I asked them if they would use a mobile library or do extra reading, I was told: 1. They had very little time 2. They preferred to watch the telly or listen to the radio 3. They did not feel the necessity 4. Told me they didn't want to turn into memsahibs of leisure, which is how they saw people who 'sat around and read'.... pretensions of intellectuality A few asked me if reading beyond what they needed to negotiate their lives, was a goal I had for them. And yet, they used reading more than they did writing. The last question threw me.... cheers Ujwala --- Alisa Belzer wrote: > I found this study very interesting to work on. In > some ways it raised > more questions than it answered. One thing I wonder > about is how this > picture might all change for learners who have > teachers who have found > concrete ways to encourage extensive practice > outside of class, and who > have exposed their students both to lots of > interesting texts and to > strategies for reading independently (e.g., how to > pick reading materials, > what to do when stuck etc.). The learners in this > study hadn't gotten > those kinds of supports and encouragements, but how > does practice outside > of class look different when they have? > > Also, I think this study raises interesting > questions regarding how to help > adult learners make learning opportunities out of > the day to day > interactions with text that most adults take part in > to some extent, > regardless of reading level every day. In other > words, even low level > readers have found ways to navigate their lives in > our text bound > culture. Yet, these interactions don't necessarily > help them improve their > reading, maybe because the have found ways to > "manage" without really > actually reading very much. How can these day to > day, adult interactions > with text that almost everyone has to deal with > (signs, labels, etc.), > actually be turned into explicit opportunities to > practice? Does it always > have to be book reading? > > Alisa > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jun 14 08:59:29 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:59:29 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 340] Re: reading outside of class Message-ID: <20060614125930.046F93384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Everyone, I concur with Ujwala that learners are eager and motivated to read if what they are reading is connected to their lives in a meaningful way. (And we as instructors learn quickly that learners get to define what is meaningful). On another note, I have been working with John for the past two years. He graduated from a high school in New Jersey in 1972 through the special education department. When we met, John could not read. Not at any level. He lacked the concept of phoneme awareness, so we needed to start from the beginning. What was striking to me about John was the way he perceived himself as a learner. He felt he couldn't do anything related to reading on his own. As a way to uncover some "hidden" patterns at work for him we decided to write his "learner biography". The story was incredible, very emotional. Year after year in school his experience would be the same. Because of his quiet nature, he would very often be ignored by teachers who were clearly overwhelmed by the needier students in the class. Unfortunately the same pattern persisted at home. He was one of nine children in his family. He rarely came home with his books and almost never was given homework. He said he never got the help he needed at home,, so he never did his homework. The teachers relented and stopped giving him take home work. Two important themes emerged from this writing. THe first was the need for John to create the space and time to ask questions and express concerns regarding his learning. The second was for John to have more independence in his work at home. Sort of an equilibrium if you will, between asking for help and learning strategies to work on your own. These two discoveries have enabled John to be more active in his own learning. We are still a long way from the goals he has set for himself, but reflecting on his past experiences as a learner has allowed him to see more clearly alternative ways to approach learning as an adult. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From lalumineuse at yahoo.com Wed Jun 14 10:08:18 2006 From: lalumineuse at yahoo.com (Ujwala Samant) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:08:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 341] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: <20060614125930.046F93384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Message-ID: <20060614140818.18991.qmail@web55110.mail.re4.yahoo.com> Hi everyone, >>The story > was incredible, very emotional. Year after year in > school his experience would be the same. Because of > his quiet nature, he would very often be ignored by > teachers who were clearly overwhelmed by the needier > students in the class. Unfortunately the same > pattern persisted at home. He was one of nine > children in his family. He rarely came home with > his books and almost never was given homework. Two important themes emerged > from this writing. THe first was the need for John > to create the space and time to ask questions and > express concerns regarding his learning. The second > was for John to have more independence in his work > at home. << Absolutely! the women I worked with had to create a safe space and time to ask questions and for help. This is one of reasons for the failure of an international campaign with a very catchy name "Each one teach one" in India, where children (some as young as 6/7) were to teach illiterate adults. Women did not feel safe, and were afraid of being ridiculed by children and hence the campaign sputtered along until structures and training were added. Working with small groups of women helped them with their self-confidence and they said they did not feel quite so foolish asking for help or making mistakes. >>Sort of an equilibrium if you will, > between asking for help and learning strategies to > work on your own. These two discoveries have enabled > John to be more active in his own learning. << You've put it well. It must be very rewarding for John! >>We are > still a long way from the goals he has set for > himself, but reflecting on his past experiences as a > learner has allowed him to see more clearly > alternative ways to approach learning as an adult.<< That is inspiring... Ujwala __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From l.cuttler at comcast.net Wed Jun 14 10:31:53 2006 From: l.cuttler at comcast.net (Lucille Cuttler) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 10:31:53 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 342] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: <20060614125930.046F93384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Message-ID: Very nice. Now can you share teaching strategies? Stroking, space, solicitude for learning must be supported by a structured systematic method to teach the language. Are the tutors totally prepared? Lucille Cuttler -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of e s Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 8:59 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 340] Re: reading outside of class Everyone, I concur with Ujwala that learners are eager and motivated to read if what they are reading is connected to their lives in a meaningful way. (And we as instructors learn quickly that learners get to define what is meaningful). On another note, I have been working with John for the past two years. He graduated from a high school in New Jersey in 1972 through the special education department. When we met, John could not read. Not at any level. He lacked the concept of phoneme awareness, so we needed to start from the beginning. What was striking to me about John was the way he perceived himself as a learner. He felt he couldn't do anything related to reading on his own. As a way to uncover some "hidden" patterns at work for him we decided to write his "learner biography". The story was incredible, very emotional. Year after year in school his experience would be the same. Because of his quiet nature, he would very often be ignored by teachers who were clearly overwhelmed by the needier students in the class. Unfortunately the same pattern persisted at home. He was one of nine children in his family. He rarely came home with his books and almost never was given homework. He said he never g ot the help he needed at home,, so he never did his homework. The teachers relented and stopped giving him take home work. Two important themes emerged from this writing. THe first was the need for John to create the space and time to ask questions and express concerns regarding his learning. The second was for John to have more independence in his work at home. Sort of an equilibrium if you will, between asking for help and learning strategies to work on your own. These two discoveries have enabled John to be more active in his own learning. We are still a long way from the goals he has set for himself, but reflecting on his past experiences as a learner has allowed him to see more clearly alternative ways to approach learning as an adult. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp ?SRC=lycos10 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jw at weallcanread.com Wed Jun 14 13:07:21 2006 From: jw at weallcanread.com (Jim Williams) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:07:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 342] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Yes, I agree. Emotional support and sensitivity to a learner's specific needs are important. But an overemphasis on this perspective can be detrimental to a student learning to become an independent reader. Many years ago I was a volunteer literacy tutor. Almost all of my training was in the area of making the student feel comfortable and safe, finding out what his interests were, and selecting reading materials that matched his interests, etc. I felt overwhelmed because in essence the volunteer tutor organization put all of the onus of finding suitable material for instruction on me. They expected me to find materials that were meaningful to the student. But instruction on how to teach the nuts and bolts of basic reading skills was lacking. My student and I over time became friends, but I never felt I made much impact on his ability to improve as a reader. Really after two years I felt like I had wasted both his time and mine. Now thirty years later and after working as a remedial reading teacher at an inner-city high school and operating my own reading clinic and developing my own research-based program, I realize that if students are ever to become independent readers, they must be taught the specific skill strands identified by the National Reading Panel in their report Teaching Children to Read: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. There are some good, research-based programs for adults that focus on these skill strands. It is too much to ask tutors to go out and reinvent the wheel. But at least we now have empirical data which informs us as to how best focus our precious time when we are teaching. Jim Williams E-mail Address: jw at weallcanread.com Web Address: www.weallcanread.com On Jun 14, 2006, at 10:31 AM, Lucille Cuttler wrote: > Very nice. Now can you share teaching strategies? Stroking, space, > solicitude for learning must be supported by a structured > systematic method > to teach the language. Are the tutors totally prepared? Lucille > Cuttler > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of e s > Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 8:59 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 340] Re: reading outside of class > > > Everyone, > I concur with Ujwala that learners are eager and motivated to read > if what > they are reading is connected to their lives in a meaningful way. > (And we as > instructors learn quickly that learners get to define what is > meaningful). > > On another note, I have been working with John for the past two > years. He > graduated from a high school in New Jersey in 1972 through the special > education department. When we met, John could not read. Not at any > level. > He lacked the concept of phoneme awareness, so we needed to start > from the > beginning. What was striking to me about John was the way he perceived > himself as a learner. He felt he couldn't do anything related to > reading on > his own. As a way to uncover some "hidden" patterns at work for > him we > decided to write his "learner biography". The story was > incredible, very > emotional. Year after year in school his experience would be the > same. > Because of his quiet nature, he would very often be ignored by > teachers who > were clearly overwhelmed by the needier students in the class. > Unfortunately the same pattern persisted at home. He was one of nine > children in his family. He rarely came home with his books and > almost never > was given homework. He said he never g > ot the help he needed at home,, so he never did his homework. The > teachers > relented and stopped giving him take home work. Two important themes > emerged from this writing. THe first was the need for John to > create the > space and time to ask questions and express concerns regarding his > learning. > The second was for John to have more independence in his work at > home. Sort > of an equilibrium if you will, between asking for help and learning > strategies to work on your own. These two discoveries have enabled > John to > be more active in his own learning. We are still a long way from > the goals > he has set for himself, but reflecting on his past experiences as a > learner > has allowed him to see more clearly alternative ways to approach > learning as > an adult. > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos > Yellow > Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/ > default.asp > ?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060614/2dcd79ff/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Jun 14 13:12:57 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:12:57 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 343] June 19 Discussions on other lists: Math Assessment and Health Literacy Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Please excuse the interruption from the current discussion. I just want to tell you about two discussions next week on other Discussion Lists: June 19-23 on the Health Literacy List: Using the Health Literacy Study Circles+ Please see the following link for more information: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Health_Literacy#Discussions June 10-23 on the Assessment List: Please see below for more information. All the Best, Julie ******************************* June 19 * 23, 2006 Topic: Assessment in Mathematics Guest: Myrna Manly * please see Myrna's bio below. Myrna will respond to your email posts once per day * feel free to send your post to the Assessment Discussion List, or to me so that I can post it for you (marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com). Bio Myrna Manly, a mathematics teacher with experience at many academic levels, retired in 2001 from a position as professor of mathematics at El Camino College. In addition to instruction, she has been involved with the assessment of the mathematics proficiency of adults in various roles: as the Mathematics Specialist for the 1988 version of the GED test; as a member of the numeracy team for the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL); and as the numeracy consultant for a similar international survey to be used in developing countries, the Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP). She is the Past President of the Adult Numeracy Network (ANN), is the author of The GED Math Problem Solver, and also works with states and programs facilitating staff-development workshops aimed at improving mathematics instruction to adults. Myrna is presently writing a paper with Mary Jane Schmidt and Lynda Ginsburg on the components of numeracy for NCSALL (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy). The paper reviews the literature, describes the fundamental elements of adult numeracy, and makes recommendations for further research, particularly with respect to curriculum and assessment. Look for this resource soon from NCSALL. Recommended preparations for this discussion Myrna has provided several questions below to get you thinking about math assessment: It is known that students and teachers come to value what is assessed. What is your opinion of the influence that the standardized mathematics assessments (GED, TABE, CASAS) have in your classrooms? Are they assessing the mathematics that is important for the 21st century? Do you think that they all assess the same mathematics? What do you think is missing from each? Computation skills are easy to assess. How can we assess other important aspects of mathematics like strategic problem solving, conceptual understanding, and reasoning? Describe instances where you have seen a student's "math anxiety" interfere with an accurate assessment of his/her abilities. Do you assess math anxiety in any way? What strategies have you used to reduce it? Any luck with them? Which classroom techniques do you recommend for informal, ongoing assessment of a student's progress in learning mathematics? In addition to the above questions to stimulate discussion, Myrna has provided these sites for math assessment. Please take a look at these sites and post your questions and comments to the Discussion: http://www.literacy.org/products/ncal/pdf/TR9805.pdf Assessing Mathematical Knowledge of Adult Learners: Are We Looking at What Counts? This technical report from NCAL was written by Joy Cumming, Iddo Gal, and Lynda Ginsburg in 1998. It discusses assessment principles and evaluates their implementation in common numeracy assessment tools. http://www.ncsall.net/?id=573 The Inclusion of Numeracy in Adult Basic Education, Dave Tout and Mary Jane Schmitt, 2002. This chapter from NCSALL's annual review contains a section on assessment that includes a description of assessments in adult education from Australia and The Netherlands. http://www.nctm.org/news/assessment/2005_12nb.htm Will This Be on the Test? This article discusses the importance of including significant mathematics on tests. It includes a good example of a test item that goes beyond procedural skills. http://standards.nctm.org/document/chapter2/assess.htm This document in an overview of NCTM's assessment principle for K-12 mathematics. Large-scale surveys of adult skills: Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL) Numeracy Framework (begins on p.137): http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/downpub/listpub.cgi?catno=89-552-MIE2005013 First results: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-603-XIE/2005001/pdf.htm Data Tool: http://litdata.ets.org/ialdata/search.asp National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) First results: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006470 Hard Copy Resource: Adult Numeracy Development: Theory, Policy and Practice, Iddo Gal, ed., 2000. Hampton Press, Inc. This book has a section on numeracy assessment with one article discussing assessment issues and principles using examples from the US and Australia and another article describing the use of "Supermarket Strategy" materials for diagnosing the skills of individual learners in The Netherlands. Thanks everyone, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all next week to chat about math assessment! Marie Cora Moderator NIFL Assessment Discussion List marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jun 14 14:27:19 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:27:19 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 344] Re: reading outside of class Message-ID: <20060614182719.791773384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Everyone, I think in the telling of my experience with John, some concern has been raised in the area of "skills" instruction. Of course, I agree that new adult readers must be taught skills that can help them to achieve success in reading. The significance in this story, at least for me, is how ineffective patterns of learning established in early years can distinguish or severly limit one's ability to learn as an adult. Making those patterns more accessable (through learner biographies) can facilitate greater more meaningful learning experiences. In this case we are talking about "reading" but this is true for all learning experiences. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jun 14 15:38:03 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 14:38:03 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 345] Re: reading outside of class Message-ID: <20060614193803.8576A86B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> In my post I say....The significance in this story, at least for me, is how ineffective patterns of learning established in early years can distinguish or severly limit one's ability to learn as an adult. it should read ... early years can extinguish or severely limit one's ability to learn as an adult. thanks, Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Wed Jun 14 17:32:40 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 22:32:40 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 346] Re: [LearningDisabilities 471] Adults Can't Learn to Read - by Tom Sticht References: <2d4.8dbb7b3.31c0dc6e@aol.com> Message-ID: <1a3801c68ffa$26dcac30$0202a8c0@Tomschoice> Hello Rochelle, Thanks for raising this issue. I'm cross-posting to FocusOnBasics, because of a thread on learners views, and copying to Alan Wells at the UK Basic Skills Agency, mentioned in my postscript. In the text you quote in your email, Tom Sticht discusses why many people believe that adults can't learn to read, and suggests it is because people tend to put nature before nurture. But he does not consider that poor literacy of adults may be due to poor teaching of those adults as children. This is a very strong argument towards nurture! Let me elaborate. There is an underlying assumption that learning to read is difficult, and that many people with LD or dyslexia cannot be taught to read. But the experience of the Clackmannanshire study was that 100% of school children in a deprived area of Scotland could be taught to read, given the right teaching method. Is there any logical argument why adults could not all be taught to read by the same method - synthetic phonics? The idea that you can "mix and match" methods according to the "learning style" of children, putting them in the right "learning environment" and addressing their "psychological needs", has been a failure, and now, after decades of failed teaching, we have one in five adults (in UK, US, Canada..) unable to read satisfactorily, costing the economy around 1% GDP. What is more, when asked about their reading problems, the adults blame themselves! To quote from another NIFL message (see FocusOnBasics 337 learners on learning to read): "Their focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them." So I'd reinforce Tom's message - keep on at the teaching. But I would like to see a study on whether synthetic phonics works as well for adults, as it appears to do for kids. Cheers, John P.S. There has been some doubt on the merit of synthetic phonics (where segmentation and blending is done with individual phonemes) over other phonics methods. In particular a paper by Torgerson et al. threw doubt on the supremecy of synthetic phonics over analytic phonics and other methods. This has raised doubts for others, such as the Basic Skills Agency in the UK, see: http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/site/page.php?cms=2&p=1723. But the Torgerson document has been convincingly rebuffed by Diane McGuinness, see http://www.rrf.org.uk/Torgersonarticle.pdf, to quote: "This is a dense document, with numerous tables and appendices, arcane discussions of statistical minutiae and issues regarding experimental design, etc., all to the end (it appears) of drawing a vague set of conclusions which lead the reader to believe that synthetic phonics programmes have not been proven to be effective beyond other methods by any margin sufficient to be trustworthy. The reality is, that every statement under the heading key findings is incorrect or seriously compromised by the true facts." and later... "When the results for onset-rime/analogy based phonics programmes were compared to those for phoneme-based synthetic phonics instruction, there was another parting of the ways. Rime/analogy programmes were singularly unsuccessful, producing an effect size of .28. The pooled data for the phoneme-based programmes on their own produced an effect-size shot of around 1.0 (one-standard deviation advantage over the comparison groups). This effect is very large, and it is reliable." ----- John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: RKenyon721 at aol.com To: learningdisabilities at nifl.gov Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 4:28 AM Subject: [LearningDisabilities 471] Adults Can't Learn to Read - by TomSticht Hello all, If you have never read or attended a presentation delivered by Tom Sticht, you are in for a treat. Below, please find a message that is being posted for him. Rochelle Kenyon, Moderator National Institute for Literacy Learning Disabilities Discussion List RKenyon721 at aol.com To subscribe: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Learningdisabilities To view all archived messages from the LD Discussion List at: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_archives.html June 12, 2006 Theoretically You Can?t Teach Adults to Read and Write: But Just Keep On Doing It Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education Why is it so hard to get funding for adult literacy education? Innumerable studies, reports, TV shows, and statistical surveys in most of the industrialized nations of the world declare that their nation is being brought to its economic knees because of widespread low basic skills (literacy, numeracy) amongst the adult population. But repeated calls for funding commensurate with the size of the problem go unanswered. Why? Beneath the popular pronouncements of educators, industry leaders, and government officials about the importance of adult basic skills development there flows an undercurrent of disbelief about the abilities of illiterates or the poorly literate to ever improve much above their present learning. This was encountered close to a hundred years ago when Cora Wilson Stewart started the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky in 1911. Her claim that adults could learn to read and write met with skepticism. As she reported, Quote: "Some educators, however, declared preposterous the claims we made that grown people were learning to read and write. It was contrary to the principles of psychology, they said." End Quote Today that undercurrent of disbelief still flows, but today it carries with it the flotsam and jetsam of "scientific facts" from genetics science, brain science, and psychological science. Look here at objects snatched from the undercurrent of disbelief stretching back for just a decade and a half. 2006. Ann Coulter is a major voice in the conservative political arena. In her new book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism (Chapter 7 The Left?s War on Science: Burning Books to Advance "Science" pages 172-174) she clearly defends the ideas given in Murray & Hernstein?s book The Bell Curve regarding the genetic basis of intelligence. By extension, since The Bell Curve uses reading and math tests in the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), Coulter is discussing the genetic basis of literacy and numeracy. In her book she says about The Bell Curve book: Quote: "Contrary to the party line denying that such a thing as IQ existed, the book methodically demonstrated that IQ exists, it is easily measured, it is heritable, and it is extremely important. ?Among many other things, IQ is a better predictor than socioeconomic status of poverty, unemployment, criminality, divorce, single motherhood, workplace injuries, and high school dropout rates. ?Although other factors influence IQ, such as a good environment and nutrition, The Bell Curve authors estimated that IQ was about 40 to 80 percent genetic." (p. 173) End Quote Coulter goes on to discuss the misuse of science in the same chapter in relation to AIDS and homosexuality, feminism, trial-lawyers law suits, DDT and environmentalists, abortion and stem cell research, and other topics that are controversial among large segments of the population but of mainstream concern in the far right conservative base in the United States. Because of her position as a best-selling author and spokesperson for conservative groups, Ann Coulter?s ideas about the genetic basis of intelligence and high school dropouts can have a profound impact upon political thinking about basic skills education among adults who have not achieved well. 2005. The Nobel Prize winning economist James J. Heckman in an interview at the Federal Reserve Bank region in Chicago discussed his ideas about cognitive skills and their malleability in later life with members of a presidential commission consisting of former U.S. senators, heads of federal agencies, tax attorneys and academic economists. Later in his interview he discusses what Adam Smith, in his The Wealth of Nations said and why he, Heckman, disagrees with Smith. According to Heckman, Adam Smith said, Quote: "? people are basically born the same and at age 8 one can't really see much difference among them. But then starting at age 8, 9, 10, they pursue different fields, they specialize and they diverge. In his mind, the butcher and the lawyer and the journalist and the professor and the mechanic, all are basically the same person at age 8." End Quote Heckman disagrees with this and says: Quote: This is wrong. IQ is basically formed by age 8, and there are huge differences in IQ among people. Smith was right that people specialize after 8, but they started specializing before 8. On the early formation of human skill, I think Smith was wrong, although he was right about many other things. ? I think these observations on human skill formation are exactly why the job training programs aren't working in the United States and why many remediation programs directed toward disadvantaged young adults are so ineffective. And that's why the distinction between cognitive and noncognitive skill is so important, because a lot of the problem with children from disadvantaged homes is their values, attitudes and motivations. ?Cognitive skills such as IQ can't really be changed much after ages 8 to 10. But with noncognitive skills there's much more malleability. That's the point I was making earlier when talking about the prefrontal cortex. It remains fluid and adaptable until the early 20s. That's why adolescent mentoring programs are as effective as they are. Take a 13-year-old. You're not going to raise the IQ of a 13-year-old, but you can talk the 13-year-old out of dropping out of school. Up to a point you can provide surrogate parenting. End Quote Here Heckman seems to think of the IQ as something relatively fixed at an early age and not likely to be changed later in life. But if IQ is measured in The Bell Curve, a book in which Heckman found some merit, using the AFQT, which in turn is a literacy and numeracy test, then this would imply that Heckman thinks the latter may not be very malleable in later life. This seems consistent with his belief that remediation programs for adults are ineffective and do not make very wise investments. 2000. It is easy to slip from talking about adults with low literacy ability to talking about adults with low intelligence. On October 2, 2000, Dan Seligman, columnist at Forbes magazine, wrote about the findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and said, Quote: "But note that what?s being measured here is not what you?ve been thinking all your life as "literacy." The cluster of abilities being examined is obviously a proxy for plain old "intelligence." End Quote He then goes on to argue that government programs won?t do much about this problem of low intelligence, and, by extension, of low literacy. These types of popular press articles can stymie funding for adult literacy education. That is one reason why it is critical that when national assessments of cognitive skills, including literacy, are administered, we need to be certain about just what it is we are measuring. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the 1993 NALS or the more recent 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). These assessments leave open the possibility of being called "intelligence" tests leading some, like Seligman, to the general conclusion that the less literate are simply the less intelligent and society might as well cast them off ? their "intelligence genes" will not permit them to ever reach Level 3 or any other levels at the high end of cognitive tests. 1998. Dr. G. Reid L yon of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development provided an Overview of Reading and Literacy Initiatives to the U. S. Congress Committee on Labor and Human Resources on April 28, 1998. In his testimony he stated that in learning to read it is important for children to possess good abilities in phonemic analysis. He stated: Quote: Difficulties in developing phoneme awareness can have genetic and neurobiological origins or can be attributable to a lack of exposure to language patterns and usage during the preschool years?. It is for this reason that the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) considers reading failure to reflect not only an educational problem, but a significant public health problem as well. Within this context, a large research network consisting of 41 research sites in North America, Europe, and Asia are working hard to identify (1) the critical environmental, experiential, cognitive, genetic, neurobiological, and instructional conditions that foster strong reading development; (2) the risk factors that predispose youngsters to reading failure; and (3) the instructional procedures that can be applied to ameliorate reading deficits at the earliest possible time. End Quote Discussing why some children may have difficulties learning to read, Lyon went on to say: Quote: Children raised in poverty, youngsters with limited proficiency in English, children with speech and hearing impairments, and children from homes where the parent's reading levels are low are relatively predisposed to reading failure. Likewise, youngsters with sub-average intellectual capabilities have difficulties learning to read, particularly in the reading comprehension domain. End Quote Taken together, these statements by a senior government scientist advisor to both the President and the Congress of the United States indicates that the NICHD considers that in some cases low literacy may result from genetic, neurological, sub-average intellectual capability or a combination of these and other factors. Again, this may contribute to widespread beliefs that adults with low literacy may possess faulty genes, brains, and/or intellectual abilities and are unlikely to benefit from adult literacy education programs. From a policy perspective, then, policymakers may think that funding such programs may be regarded as a poor use of public funds. 1997. In a January 7, 1997 article in the Washington Times, a prominent newspaper published in Washington, DC and read by many members of Congress, columnist Ken Adelman wrote: Quotes: The age-old nature vs. nurture debate assumes immediacy as the new Congress and new administration gin up to address such issues as poverty, crime, drugs, etc. ?This, the most intellectually intriguing debate around, is moving far toward nature (and far from nurture) with new evidence presented by an odd pair - gay activist Chandler Burr and conservative scholar Charles Murray. ?In brief, their new findings show that 1) homosexuality and 2) educational-economic achievement are each largely a matter of genes ? not of upbringing. ?If true, as appears so, the scope of effective government programs narrows. Fate, working through chromosomes, bestows both sexual orientation and brainpower, which shape one's life and success. Little can be altered - besides fostering tolerance and helping in any narrow window left open - through even an ideally designed public program. (page B-6) End Quotes The juxtaposition of homosexuals and those of lower educational and economic achievement is an obvious rhetorical device meant to stir negative emotions about both groups, This is a rhetorical device brought back into play by Coulter in her 2006 book cited above. 1991. One of the beliefs in our culture is that the brain and its intellectual capacity is developed in early childhood. There is a widespread belief that if children's early childhood development is not properly stimulated, then there is likely to be intellectual underdevelopment leading to academic failures, low aptitude, and social problems such as criminal activity, teenage pregnancy and welfare. It will be difficult if not impossible to overcome the disadvantages of deficiencies in early childhood stimulation later in adulthood. So why invest much in adult education? We need instead to put billions of dollars into early childhood education. That these beliefs about the consequence of early childhood development are widespread is revealed by articles written by prominent journalists in major newspapers. For instance, on Sunday, October 13, 1991 the San Diego Union newspaper reprinted an article by Joan Beck, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune , that argued for early childhood education because, Quote: "Half of adult intellectual capacity is already present by age 4 and 80 percent by age 8, ... the opportunity to influence [a child's] basic intelligence - considered to be a stable characteristic by age 17 ? is greatest in early life." End Quote A year earlier in the same newspaper on October 14, 1990 an adult family literacy educator was quoted as saying, Quote: "Between the ages of zero to 4 we have learned half of everything we'll ever learn in our lives. Most of that has to do with language, imagination, and inquisitiveness." End Quote This doesn?t hold out much hope for the adults in family literacy programs. Joan Beck was quoting research by Benjamin Bloom in the 1960s. But Bloom did not show that half of one's intellect was achieved by age 4. Rather, he argued that IQ at age 4 was correlated +.70 with IQ at age 17. Since the square of .7 is .49, Bloom stated that half of the variance among a group of adults' IQ scores at age 17 could be predicted from their group of scores at age 4. But half of the variability among a group of people's IQ scores is a long way from the idea that half of a given person's IQ is developed by age 4. This is not even conceptually possible because for one thing there is no universally agreed to understanding of what "intelligence" is. Further, even if we could agree on what "intelligence" is, there is no such thing as "half of one's intellect" because no one knows what 0 or 100 percent intelligence is. Without knowing the beginning and end of something we Can?t know when we have half of it. 1990. A report by the Department of Defense shows how these beliefs about the possibility of doing much for adults can affect government policy. After studying the job performance and post-service lives of "lower aptitude," less literate personnel, the report claimed that they had been failures both in and out of the military. Then, on February 24, 1990, the Director of Accession Policy of the Department of Defense commented in the Washington Post newspaper, Quote: "The lesson is that low-aptitude people, whether in the military or not, are always going to be at a disadvantage. That's a sad conclusion." End Quote A similar report of the Department of Defense study was carried in the New York Times of March 12, 1990. Then on April 8, 1990. Jack Anderson's column in the Washington Post quoted one of the Department of Defense researchers saying, Quote: "...by the age of 18 or 19, it's too late. The school system in early childhood is the only place to really help, and that involves heavy participation by the parents." End Quote Regarding the news articles about the Department of Defense studies of "low aptitude" troops, the conclusions were based on analyses of the job performance of hundreds of thousands of personnel in both the 1960s and 1980s with Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores between the 10th and the 30th percentiles, the range of scores which the Department of Defense studies called "low aptitude." But contrary to what the Department of Defense researchers and accession policy maker stated, the actual data show that in both time periods, while the low aptitude personnel did not perform quite as well as those personnel with aptitudes above the 30th percentile, over 80 percent of the low aptitude personnel did, in fact, perform satisfactorily and many performed in an outstanding manner. As veterans they had employment rates and earnings far exceeding their rates and earnings at the beginning of the study. Further investigation by the media would have revealed these discrepancies between what the Department of Defense's researchers said and what the actual findings were. But as it stands, these popular media types of stories reinforce the stereotypes about adults with who score low on intelligence or aptitude tests and perform poorly on tests of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. We can find these pieces of scientific debris all the way back to the Moonlight Schools of 1911. Following her account of those educators and academics who declared that teaching grown people to read and write was contrary to the principles of psychology, Cora Wilson Stewart said, Quote: While they went around saying it couldn?t be done, we went on doing it. We asked the doubters this question, "When a fact disputes a theory, is it not time to discard the theory? There was no reply. End Quote Today when we ask why the funding for adult literacy education is so little so late, there is still no reply. So we just keep on teaching adults to read and write. And we do it on the cheap, even though it is theoretically impossible. Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht at aznet.net From lalumineuse at yahoo.com Thu Jun 15 02:12:55 2006 From: lalumineuse at yahoo.com (Ujwala Samant) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 23:12:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 347] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060615061255.54364.qmail@web55113.mail.re4.yahoo.com> It is very nice. And does not include the necessity of a solid structured methodology. One of the reasons that popular literacy campaigns fail (internationally) is the lack of proper training, or an overemphasis on one specific methodology: phonics vs whole language, etc. Ujwala --- Lucille Cuttler wrote: > Very nice. Now can you share teaching strategies? > Stroking, space, > solicitude for learning must be supported by a > structured systematic method > to teach the language. Are the tutors totally > prepared? Lucille Cuttler > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of > e s > Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 8:59 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 340] Re: reading outside of > class > > > Everyone, > I concur with Ujwala that learners are eager and > motivated to read if what > they are reading is connected to their lives in a > meaningful way. (And we as > instructors learn quickly that learners get to > define what is meaningful). > > On another note, I have been working with John for > the past two years. He > graduated from a high school in New Jersey in 1972 > through the special > education department. When we met, John could not > read. Not at any level. > He lacked the concept of phoneme awareness, so we > needed to start from the > beginning. What was striking to me about John was > the way he perceived > himself as a learner. He felt he couldn't do > anything related to reading on > his own. As a way to uncover some "hidden" patterns > at work for him we > decided to write his "learner biography". The story > was incredible, very > emotional. Year after year in school his experience > would be the same. > Because of his quiet nature, he would very often be > ignored by teachers who > were clearly overwhelmed by the needier students in > the class. > Unfortunately the same pattern persisted at home. > He was one of nine > children in his family. He rarely came home with > his books and almost never > was given homework. He said he never g > ot the help he needed at home,, so he never did his > homework. The teachers > relented and stopped giving him take home work. > Two important themes > emerged from this writing. THe first was the need > for John to create the > space and time to ask questions and express concerns > regarding his learning. > The second was for John to have more independence in > his work at home. Sort > of an equilibrium if you will, between asking for > help and learning > strategies to work on your own. These two > discoveries have enabled John to > be more active in his own learning. We are still a > long way from the goals > he has set for himself, but reflecting on his past > experiences as a learner > has allowed him to see more clearly alternative ways > to approach learning as > an adult. > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone > number. -Lycos Yellow > Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp > ?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From lalumineuse at yahoo.com Thu Jun 15 02:16:03 2006 From: lalumineuse at yahoo.com (Ujwala Samant) Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 23:16:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 348] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: <20060614182719.791773384B@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Message-ID: <20060615061603.41841.qmail@web55115.mail.re4.yahoo.com> Hello, I did not think you were advocating some "flower child/touchy feely" approach to teaching in your post. There is no substitute for teaching skills to learners. regards, Ujwala --- e s wrote: > Everyone, > I think in the telling of my experience with John, > some concern has been raised in the area of "skills" > instruction. Of course, I agree that new adult > readers must be taught skills that can help them to > achieve success in reading. The significance in > this story, at least for me, is how ineffective > patterns of learning established in early years can > distinguish or severly limit one's ability to learn > as an adult. Making those patterns more accessable > (through learner biographies) can facilitate greater > more meaningful learning experiences. In this case > we are talking about "reading" but this is true for > all learning experiences. > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone > number. -Lycos Yellow Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 15 10:33:35 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:33:35 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 348] Re: learners on learning to read Message-ID: According to the learners in Alisa's article "Learners on Learning to Read", the following factors were cited as the most important for successful reading development: 1) their own motivation and determination, 2) program features, including relationships with an instructor, instructional strategies and materials, and structures and formats 3) reading practice 4) supports We have covered 2) and 3) in the other thread of this discussion, but what about 1) and 2)? 1) Motivation and determination: Alisa said of the students that: "Their focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them. It's not clear to me if teachers can create those conditions for learners or if they have to find a way to do it themselves." What do you all think? 2) Supports: Think about this quote from the article: "Practitioners cannot create family- or faith-based support where there is none, but they can heed the importance of building informal support within the program." How important is this? How much of a supportive community evnironment do you think your classes are? What factors contribute to it? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> belzera at rci.rutgers.edu 06/13/06 9:26 PM >>> Hello Everyone: I'm very curious to know your reactions to this work. As I was doing the research I found the learners words to be very compelling, heartfelt, well articulated, and interesting. However, when I went to analyze the data, I wondered if their perceptions really shed light on the big questions of the day regarding teaching developing adult readers to read better. I asked myself whether they gave me information that was new. I guess two things really emerged for me. One, that it was important to them that they be taught some technical skills and be given lots of opportunities to read interesting materials over extended periods of time (it seems like we have a tendency to emphasize one or the other depending on our own beliefs, but balance seems to be the key), and two, that they focused the discussion differently than teachers or researchers might do Their focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them. It's not clear to me if teachers can create those conditions for learners or if they have to find a way to do it themselves. Anyway, I'll be interested to know how this all strikes you. Alisa ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 15 10:36:17 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 10:36:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 349] reading outside of class Message-ID: There is definitely a balance to strive for as we divide our time between teaching the skills and creating an environment where learners feel safe, comfortable and confident enough in their own skills to seek out opportunitites to use their newly enhanced abilitites, reading and otherwise. To get back to Alisa's article, I would like to hear more about how we can encourage reading outside of class. What can do for students like Juan (the young man in the article who reads almost nothing outside of class, and has no print materials in his home)? What have you done in your classes to encourage outside reading? (Maybe we could augment the list at the end of the article with your ideas!) Think about methods of encouragement as well as ideas for types of print materials to suggest that will be engaging. Has anyone ever offered a class library to your students? If so, how was it received? If not, would this be feasible in your program? What resources would you need? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 15 14:00:11 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 14:00:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 350] reading outside of class Message-ID: I'm passing this on from Carol McDonnell. Julie ****************************************** Putting meaningful books in students' hands seems to be one key to get them reading. Offering interest driven options for Internet projects also motivates students to read more. Our program uses abridged novels in class to encourage outside reading. Some classes use novel "sets", so that all students read and discuss the same material. Low level reading materials are also purchased on audio tape. Other classes form classroom "libraries". Does anyone remember the concept of DEAR? (Drop Everything And Read) It works! We do see an increase in outside reading when students enjoy books in class. Students often ask to take books home. Last year, several students enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities (abridged) so much that they checked out the full length version from the library. One student rented the video. Some teachers ask students to choose a book for participation in a literature circle. The circles read and report out as a group-discussing and answering a set of questions, offering a synopsis to other students, and critiquing the story. I provide teachers with various culminating activities that range from drawing and captioning a scene from the book to charting character profiles. It's exciting to see students animated in discussions, arguing points, sharing ideas, and helping each other along. Some of our year round classes have read full length books such as Think Big by Dr. Ben Carson, and Life is So Good, the story of George Dawson. Mr. Dawson's story is not only heartwarming and encouraging to emerging readers, but offers an historical timeline from which many social studies lessons can evolve. Dr. Carson actually spoke on one of our campuses, and his message literally kept several of my students from giving up. My team teaching partner and I presented those students with a copy of his book. The talk also inspired several students to read another title by this talented role model. When we pilot a new title, the students are given the books to keep. That seems to be another avenue to encourage reading. We also provide books and dictionaries as "awards". Townsend Press has a wonderful offer on their website for low income students. Students write a letter explaining their situation and can request up to three books -free of cost- from a list of sixty. (Writing a business letter is a skill that all students should learn. Receiving a package is like icing on the cake.) Townsend offers many titles for one dollar each! To keep costs down, they will Not honor requests from entire classes or large groups. Carol McDonnell Instructional specialist Center for Adult and Family Literacy The community College of Baltimore County cmcdonne at ccbcmd.edu Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From woodsnh at isp.com Fri Jun 16 00:55:29 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:55:29 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 351] Re: learners on learning to read In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <449239C1.5000904@isp.com> Alisia's words validate my feelings on these matters. >1) Motivation and determination: Alisa said of the students that: "Their >focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them. >It's not clear to me if teachers can create those conditions for >learners or if they have to find a way to do it themselves." What do you >all think? > > Motivation is like a seed that grows. I believe a teacher can plant and nurture the seed. Sometimes the seed doesn't grow. Usually it does. Sometimes it sits for a long time before showing signs of life. Teachers are not the only ones who plant seeds, of course. I feel motivation is created through many little things in the environment. For example, respect the student's goals. Help the student formulate and refine his or her goals, but it always has to belong to the student. It is a very easy trap in which to fall of trying to get the student to accept your goals. It won't work. Other examples: giving frequent feedback on the progress a student is making towards a goal (e.g. certificates, credits, gold seals, etc.); making a big affair over accomplishment of large goals (e.g. commencement ceremonies, awards ceremonies, press releases); create a structure within the edcuation program that makes completion requirements explicit and easy for the student to monitor; the teacher needs to be constantly talking about attaining goals, and helping students get there without wasting their time. A book I find very instructive on motivation and education is Summerhill School, by A.S. Neill. He worked in the UK in the 1920's, with what we would today call severely emotionally disturbed students. In a somewhat counterintuitve way, Neill created conditions for motivation to develop in the most difficult students who had been rejected by all other schools. A hallmark of his approach was to accept if a student wanted to do absolutely nothing. He was prepared to wait until they were ready to do things on their own. He referred to this waiting period as "curing children of the toxic effects of their previous schooling." If I could, I would force all school teachers to read Summerhill. >2) Supports: Think about this quote from the article: "Practitioners >cannot create family- or faith-based support where there is none, but >they can heed the importance of building informal support within the >program." How important is this? How much of a supportive community >evnironment do you think your classes are? What factors contribute to >it? > > > Supports can be extremely beneficial for several reasons. Students helping each other helps both the helpee and the helper. When students work together in a helping community, they are encouraging each other and showing each other how they are working towards educational goals, and this helps build motivation. It is in the supportive community of students and teachers that positive relationships are formed. Everything builds on everything else. Working in corrections education, this is a big challenge for me. There has to be a lot of trust among students for them to be willing to risk exposing their weaknesses and accept help from another. There isn't a lot of trust in prisons. People there also tend not to get along well with others. Many prefer working alone. Our teachers provide a lot of individual support. We intentionally try to separate the prison community from the school community. We refer to them as students, for example, not inmates. When they bring their prison language and behavior to school , we ask them to leave it at the door because now, they are in school. We maintain confidentiality. These things create a higher level of trust and mutual respect. It helps strengthen teacher-student relationships. It makes the school a desirable place to be. There is one more thing I want to share about teacher-student relationships. I was thinking about my own school days and about the teachers I had. I could not remember some of their names. I puzzled over why there were some whose names and faces and voices stuck in my mind, but others vanished. It didn't seem to have anything to do with WHAT I learned in the classes. The most valuable class I ever took was 7th grade typing, but I couldn't remember my teacher's name to save my life. Rather, it was all about the strength of the relationship I had with the teacher. I'm not sure whether it is absolutely essential for learning that there is a strong positive relationship (remember my typing teacher) but I did realize that if I want to be well remembered, I'd better have good relationships with my students. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 16 13:39:40 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:39:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 352] Re: learners on learning to read Message-ID: Tom, I love your analogy of motivation being like a seed, and the several points that connect the seed's situation to a learner's motivation: that it needs to be both planted and nurtured; that it sometimes lies dormant and then grows; and that there are different conditions as well as different ways of nurturing that make it grow. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> woodsnh at isp.com 06/16/06 12:55 AM >>> Alisia's words validate my feelings on these matters. >1) Motivation and determination: Alisa said of the students that: "Their >focus makes clear that the starting place for success is within them. >It's not clear to me if teachers can create those conditions for >learners or if they have to find a way to do it themselves." What do you >all think? > > Motivation is like a seed that grows. I believe a teacher can plant and nurture the seed. Sometimes the seed doesn't grow. Usually it does. Sometimes it sits for a long time before showing signs of life. Teachers are not the only ones who plant seeds, of course. I feel motivation is created through many little things in the environment. For example, respect the student's goals. Help the student formulate and refine his or her goals, but it always has to belong to the student. It is a very easy trap in which to fall of trying to get the student to accept your goals. It won't work. Other examples: giving frequent feedback on the progress a student is making towards a goal (e.g. certificates, credits, gold seals, etc.); making a big affair over accomplishment of large goals (e.g. commencement ceremonies, awards ceremonies, press releases); create a structure within the edcuation program that makes completion requirements explicit and easy for the student to monitor; the teacher needs to be constantly talking about attaining goals, and helping students get there without wasting their time. A book I find very instructive on motivation and education is Summerhill School, by A.S. Neill. He worked in the UK in the 1920's, with what we would today call severely emotionally disturbed students. In a somewhat counterintuitve way, Neill created conditions for motivation to develop in the most difficult students who had been rejected by all other schools. A hallmark of his approach was to accept if a student wanted to do absolutely nothing. He was prepared to wait until they were ready to do things on their own. He referred to this waiting period as "curing children of the toxic effects of their previous schooling." If I could, I would force all school teachers to read Summerhill. >2) Supports: Think about this quote from the article: "Practitioners >cannot create family- or faith-based support where there is none, but >they can heed the importance of building informal support within the >program." How important is this? How much of a supportive community >evnironment do you think your classes are? What factors contribute to >it? > > > Supports can be extremely beneficial for several reasons. Students helping each other helps both the helpee and the helper. When students work together in a helping community, they are encouraging each other and showing each other how they are working towards educational goals, and this helps build motivation. It is in the supportive community of students and teachers that positive relationships are formed. Everything builds on everything else. Working in corrections education, this is a big challenge for me. There has to be a lot of trust among students for them to be willing to risk exposing their weaknesses and accept help from another. There isn't a lot of trust in prisons. People there also tend not to get along well with others. Many prefer working alone. Our teachers provide a lot of individual support. We intentionally try to separate the prison community from the school community. We refer to them as students, for example, not inmates. When they bring their prison language and behavior to school , we ask them to leave it at the door because now, they are in school. We maintain confidentiality. These things create a higher level of trust and mutual respect. It helps strengthen teacher-student relationships. It makes the school a desirable place to be. There is one more thing I want to share about teacher-student relationships. I was thinking about my own school days and about the teachers I had. I could not remember some of their names. I puzzled over why there were some whose names and faces and voices stuck in my mind, but others vanished. It didn't seem to have anything to do with WHAT I learned in the classes. The most valuable class I ever took was 7th grade typing, but I couldn't remember my teacher's name to save my life. Rather, it was all about the strength of the relationship I had with the teacher. I'm not sure whether it is absolutely essential for learning that there is a strong positive relationship (remember my typing teacher) but I did realize that if I want to be well remembered, I'd better have good relationships with my students. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 16 15:35:04 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:35:04 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 353] Thanks to Alisa and Everyone Message-ID: Hi Everyone, The day is not over, and as always, we can continue the discussion as long as we want. But I want to say thank you to Alisa for sharing your articles and thoughts with us, and thanks, also, to those of you who shared your insight and stories with us about supporting learners as they learn to read. Have a great weekend, and keep on commenting on this subject! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Sun Jun 18 19:15:00 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 19:15:00 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 354] Re: reading outside of class In-Reply-To: Message-ID: another publisher to check out for a range of high interest books written for adult new readers is Peppercorn Books and Press http://www.peppercornbooks.com/catalog/ Janet Isserlis From djrosen at comcast.net Mon Jun 19 09:30:36 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (djrosen at comcast.net) Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:30:36 +0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 355] Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki Message-ID: <061920061330.14293.4496A6FB000D4DBB000037D52206998499020A9C019D060B@comcast.net> Colleagues, The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki now has 30 topics, a newly designed front page, over 730 pages of content, and more than 600 subscribers. Every week adult literacy educators add new content. The ALE Wiki is a community of practice and a professional development treasurehouse. Check it out -- or visit again -- at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page For some of the topic areas we still nead Topic Area Leaders. If you are interested in learning more about this, please email me. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 19 10:08:19 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:08:19 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 355] Bridges to Opportunity Conference Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I'm passing this on from Suma Kurien: Julie ************************** Greetings, Please save the dates of October 27th and 28th 2006 for the upcoming Bridges to Opportunity conference at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York. Sponsored by the Center for Immigrant Education and Training and the Center for Teaching and Learning of LaGuardia Community College, the conference will offer professionals from around the U.S. an opportunity to come together to: *strategize how to develop effective systems to support workforce development for English Language Learners *share lessons we have learned from our work, and build a knowledge base that can serve as a resource in this field, and *identify what works in workforce development for English Language Learners and make recommendations for next steps. The conference is partly sponsored by USDOL-ETA High Growth Initiataives and the keynote speaker, Heide Spruck Wrigley, Ph.D, renowned in the field. She is president of Literacy Work International, a small social science research firm, specializing in issues affecting language minority adults. She is currently key in two national literacy projects in the United States and in Canada dealing with youth and adults who are struggling readers. Dr. Wrigley is the primary author of "The Language of Opportunity: Expanding the Employment Prospects of Adults with Limited English Skills," a publication of the Center for Law and Social Policy. For more information on the Bridges to Opportunity conference, please visit us online at: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ace/bridges/ Sincerely, Suma Kurien Director, Center for Immigrant Education and Training LaGuardia Community College kuriens at lagcc.cuny.edu Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 19 10:24:14 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:24:14 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 356] Discussion on Health Literacy List on FOB Article Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I know you've had two weeks of discussion, but I want to let you know, in case you are interested, that there is one starting today on the Health Literacy Discussion list about using the Heatlh Literacy Study Circles+. In this discussion, Winston Lawrence and Lisa Soricone will discuss their experience using this skills-based approach that they discussed in their recent article in FOB: A Conversation with FOB: Learning How to Teach Health Literacy http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=995 You are welcome to subscribe to the Health Literacy Discussion list to participate in this discussion. (You can easily unsubscribe after the week.) To subscribe, go to: www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From amuro5 at epcc.edu Tue Jun 20 12:14:42 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on slef esteem Message-ID: I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem article on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe that our students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming tremendous difficulties. However, society portraits them as failures though different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor health, etc. These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate success or failure of individuals. While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream society markers. The mainstream society markers have very detrimental effects in our student self esteem. We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative writing, and success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal markers of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self esteem improve. In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is measured primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual entitlements and looks, the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who don't meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. Fortunately, there are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on other things. However, the competition against the mainstream media is tough. Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and others have previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem among ABE students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, this means that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing instrument are flawed. Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very hard to understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking questions such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self-esteem? May not be accurate ways to assess self-esteem. Opinions, discussion? Andres -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/5f7aeee7/attachment.html From j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net Tue Jun 20 15:06:00 2006 From: j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net (Judith Sinclair) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:06:00 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 358] Response to Andres Muro and FOB article on self-esteem References: Message-ID: <00d801c6949c$91d85240$00154d0c@Dell> Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/c1388af3/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Tue Jun 20 16:09:15 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:09:15 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 359] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem In-Reply-To: <00d801c6949c$91d85240$00154d0c@Dell> Message-ID: Judith: I agree that self esteem is generally a difficult think to research and measure. That is why I find it important to question the research. I am not sure of the way self esteem was measured, but to try to measure it as some sort of variable or report it in terms of manipulation of variables is questionable at best. I think that the best we could do measure self esteem is to define it as a collection of behaviors, and then try to observe those behaviors in different contexts. This is still hard to do since it requires the observer to be familiar with the contexts and the presence of certain behaviors and the immersion of the observer in a culture. In other words, research on self esteem needs to have an ethnographic character. Sometimes, non-action can be a demonstration of low self-esteem and other times it may not be. To me, it is important to understand that human psychology in social and cultural contexts cannot be explained through traditional scientific testing. I am certain that that was not the intention of the researcher. However, the moment an article is published that says that research showed no difference in the self esteem of x vs. y, then people will conclude that the research is valid. Both self esteem and resistance are central to the understanding of behaviors, successes and failures of the poor, minorities, and culturally marginalized groups in our society and in the classroom. If the scientific research invalidates the presence of these, we are in trouble. At best, these studies demonstrate the inability of science to understand the human mind. Andres ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 1:06 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 358] Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/1b622e61/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Tue Jun 20 16:14:39 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 14:14:39 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 360] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem In-Reply-To: <00d801c6949c$91d85240$00154d0c@Dell> Message-ID: Judith: Here is something else that I wrote about self -esteem in the NLA discussion: Actually, self esteem or self worth is, historically an economic measurement. With the advent of modernity, the value of man/woman ceases to be given by inheritance, royalty, etc. It becomes the value of his property. Hence man becomes homo-economicus. The estimation of an individual (self-estimation-self-esteem) or the worth of an individual is measured by the estimation of his/her property. The other estimation of value in Western society has been cultural capital, measured by entitlements. So, the two big estimations of success in our society are essentially economic and cultural capital. To these, you can add others that the media have promoted, such as; beauty, strength, health, etc. These are closely tied to economic success. Essentially, individuals who don't possess these attributes can work towards achieving them, or can resist them by creating alternative models of self worth. This is closely tied to the issue of resistance as articulated by John Ogbu. When minority kids enter school, they are asked to stop using their native languages and adopt the dominant language model. They can either accept this and demonstrate academic success or they can resist saying that it is tantamount to acting "whitie" Resistance to the dominant model is a psychological accommodation to the dominant model of self esteem. Since I am neither rich, nor I possess entitlements of academic success, my self worth is low. However, if I create alternatives to self worth, such as gang membership, toughness, faithfulness, pride, etc., my self esteem will improve. This has been an accommodation that many youth have embraced with the obvious negative impact, dropping out of school and ending up in jail. However, this argument supports the idea that youth have low self esteem measured from the academic model, since they reject it and create an alternative model. Adults, in ABE classes may have not created an alternative model of self worth. They have embraced the dominant model of academic and economic entitlements and this is an important reason for them to be there. When they fail, their self esteem naturally goes down. This is exacerbated by the fact that society promotes the fact that those who work hard can make it here. So, those who are not making it are either lazy or dumb. Andres ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 1:06 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 358] Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/ae313e06/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Jun 20 16:33:33 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:33:33 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 361] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Message-ID: Andres, Judith and others interested in the self esteem research, This area of research and the article itself is certainly worthy of some interesting discussion! In fact, we are planning a discussion with the author of the article, Ana Lipnevich, for sometime in September. I am sure she would like to hear your comments. She is currently out of the country with sporadic internet access, but please coninue, and stay tuned for a formal discussion of this article in September. For others out there interested in self esteem, Andres is referring to the following article: Low Self Esteem: Myth or Reality? http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net 06/20/06 3:06 PM >>> Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net From j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net Tue Jun 20 17:53:00 2006 From: j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net (Judith Sinclair) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:53:00 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 362] Can science understand the human mind? Response to Andres idea. References: Message-ID: <002d01c694b3$e64d72d0$15144d0c@Dell> Andres, I would agree in part with what you write, but it is my idea coming from my own work as a cognitive scientist in research that--with very careful thought and preparation--we can begin to understand some of how the human mind works. In my own research and practice, and along with my colleagues, who with me are building upon years of other scientifically-based and thought-provoking research into the human mind, I am aware of the pitfalls at all times, and am as fastidious as my own humanness allows as I go about investigating various subjects that include, with some flexibility, the questions inherent in the definition(s) of self-esteem. And, it appears that we have come a long way in being able to provide "some" answers to "some" questions along those lines, as any well-done and critical literature review will demonstrate. Again, I refer to my original response to you today wherein I discussed the problems dealing with definitions and assumptions. Each finding must be viewed with regard to the way in which the investigator or research scientist posits the terms. Each assumption must be noted, for all the obvious reasons. This is part of the quintessential nature of scientific research, whether the measurements are qualitative or quantitative or mixed. With these factors in mind, going back to the last few lines of your response below, I would then say that it is not that "we are unable to understand the human mind" as you write; rather, that "we are making great strides in understanding the human mind, but have a good way to go." In sum, and in my humble opinion, and with all due respect to the foibles inherent in scientific research and the science model, I must say that we have not learned everything, surely, but we have learned a lot. And with great appreciation to all who have gone before me, and all who work along side of me in this difficult work, I see the results in my own research and in my own private practice and am grateful. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Muro, Andres To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 3:09 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 359] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB articleonself-esteem Judith: I agree that self esteem is generally a difficult think to research and measure. That is why I find it important to question the research. I am not sure of the way self esteem was measured, but to try to measure it as some sort of variable or report it in terms of manipulation of variables is questionable at best. I think that the best we could do measure self esteem is to define it as a collection of behaviors, and then try to observe those behaviors in different contexts. This is still hard to do since it requires the observer to be familiar with the contexts and the presence of certain behaviors and the immersion of the observer in a culture. In other words, research on self esteem needs to have an ethnographic character. Sometimes, non-action can be a demonstration of low self-esteem and other times it may not be. To me, it is important to understand that human psychology in social and cultural contexts cannot be explained through traditional scientific testing. I am certain that that was not the intention of the researcher. However, the moment an article is published that says that research showed no difference in the self esteem of x vs. y, then people will conclude that the research is valid. Both self esteem and resistance are central to the understanding of behaviors, successes and failures of the poor, minorities, and culturally marginalized groups in our society and in the classroom. If the scientific research invalidates the presence of these, we are in trouble. At best, these studies demonstrate the inability of science to understand the human mind. Andres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 1:06 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 358] Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/cac9da11/attachment.html From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Tue Jun 20 18:05:30 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:05:30 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 363] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB articleonself-esteem References: Message-ID: <01e101c694b5$a51cfe50$0502a8c0@Tomschoice> Hi all, I have just stumbled on this from a Nobel Laureate for Economics, Professor Amartya Sen: "Illiteracy and a lack of numeracy are a greater threat to humanity than terrorism. Widening the coverage and effectiveness of adult education is a powerful tool in reducing insecurity, and enhancing the process of social cohesion." It seems rather appropriate for this list, if not this thread. He has other good quotes, see Wikipedia. Cheers, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: Muro, Andres To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 9:14 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 360] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB articleonself-esteem Judith: Here is something else that I wrote about self -esteem in the NLA discussion: Actually, self esteem or self worth is, historically an economic measurement. With the advent of modernity, the value of man/woman ceases to be given by inheritance, royalty, etc. It becomes the value of his property. Hence man becomes homo-economicus. The estimation of an individual (self-estimation-self-esteem) or the worth of an individual is measured by the estimation of his/her property. The other estimation of value in Western society has been cultural capital, measured by entitlements. So, the two big estimations of success in our society are essentially economic and cultural capital. To these, you can add others that the media have promoted, such as; beauty, strength, health, etc. These are closely tied to economic success. Essentially, individuals who don't possess these attributes can work towards achieving them, or can resist them by creating alternative models of self worth. This is closely tied to the issue of resistance as articulated by John Ogbu. When minority kids enter school, they are asked to stop using their native languages and adopt the dominant language model. They can either accept this and demonstrate academic success or they can resist saying that it is tantamount to acting "whitie" Resistance to the dominant model is a psychological accommodation to the dominant model of self esteem. Since I am neither rich, nor I possess entitlements of academic success, my self worth is low. However, if I create alternatives to self worth, such as gang membership, toughness, faithfulness, pride, etc., my self esteem will improve. This has been an accommodation that many youth have embraced with the obvious negative impact, dropping out of school and ending up in jail. However, this argument supports the idea that youth have low self esteem measured from the academic model, since they reject it and create an alternative model. Adults, in ABE classes may have not created an alternative model of self worth. They have embraced the dominant model of academic and economic entitlements and this is an important reason for them to be there. When they fail, their self esteem naturally goes down. This is exacerbated by the fact that society promotes the fact that those who work hard can make it here. So, those who are not making it are either lazy or dumb. Andres ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 1:06 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 358] Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060620/bcefd582/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Jun 20 21:40:51 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:40:51 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 364] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Message-ID: <9848775.2588701150854052976.JavaMail.root@vms169.mailsrvcs.net> I urge everyone to read this article. I was a bit confused at Andres' posts. The research Ana reports on was prompted by her observations that a number of writers had described adult basic education learners as having low self esteem, but the writers provided no empirical evidence for these judgements. So she sought out empirical evidence. Finding none, she constructed a study to do so. She found that the learners she surveyed had self esteem similar to that of doctoral students: and it wasn't "low" at all. She suggests that those who work with adult basic education students reevaluate any preconceived notions they may have about their students. One can certainly argue about the validity of studies that try to measure self esteem, but I think the point that Ana's work makes, that we all meet our learners with open minds rather than pre-conceived notions, is a good one. Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics Boston b.garner4 at verizon.net ===================== From: Julie McKinney Date: Tue Jun 20 15:33:33 CDT 2006 To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 361] Re: Response to Andres Muro and FOB article onself-esteem Andres, Judith and others interested in the self esteem research, This area of research and the article itself is certainly worthy of some interesting discussion! In fact, we are planning a discussion with the author of the article, Ana Lipnevich, for sometime in September. I am sure she would like to hear your comments. She is currently out of the country with sporadic internet access, but please coninue, and stay tuned for a formal discussion of this article in September. For others out there interested in self esteem, Andres is referring to the following article: Low Self Esteem: Myth or Reality? http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net 06/20/06 3:06 PM >>> Your ideas mirror some of my own, Andres. Yet it seems to me that research in self-esteem is generally a difficult task, although an interesting and important one. And, I would add that I think all of this revolves around one's definitions of self-esteem, and also success, failure, and so on. As you note, these American concepts may not be the same as the concepts of self-esteem, success, failure, and so on, as seen in other societies and cultures. And, there are differences in perspective from each of the social and other sciences investigating levels of self-esteem. All in all, a tricky business. For example, in psychology, we might look at self-esteem as self-worth, how a person's subjective appraisal of him or herself affects their moods, attitudes, and behaviors. As illustration, Maslow looked at self-esteem in two ways, lower and higher, the lower the need for respect of others; the higher the need for respect for oneself. In this lower group he included over the years the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, appreciation, for example, along with other aspects. He is simply one theorist and practitioner who has contributed to the research on this subject, and guided the work of many others. And his is simply one perspective, albeit a good one. In sociology, examining another perspective, we have only to look at the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, a widely used tool in sociologic research. Rosenberg opined that self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself, that is, a self-evaluation of one's worth or value. Yet, he believed that self-esteem was only one component of the self-concept, however. Other components included all of an individual's thoughts and feelings, if I recall correctly. So again we can see differences in concepts and definitions, assumptions and expressions, all coming from the social sciences. And to add to the mix, we could include the legal, philosophic, theologic, and medical perspectives, all differing. I would also add that often studies of self-esteem are troublesome research projects because so much of the data collected is in the form of self-reports. There are inherent issues with self-reports, although they are great tools in the absence of other methods. Finally, Andre, I appreciate your understanding of the role of economics in both defining and measuring self-esteem. We make assumptions, it often seems, about the populations we are studying and/or treating, based on our own experiences and our own place in the general economic, social, and political thoroughfare. Too often we forget the tremendous impact poverty makes on the human psyche from the onset of its travel through time. And conversely, the impact wealth makes. In my research projects as well as my own practice as a life management consultant specializing in education, aging, careers, and life transitions, I see evidence of how all this plays out. For example, in my private practice some of my clients have had significant first and second language problems, and it has been interesting to see the interaction with their "perceived" and self-reported levels of self-esteem. There is tremendous variance. In the end, I too have learned that along with other investigations of human characteristics, inquiries of self-esteem are "slippery slopes." Thanks again for your response, and I, too, look forward to hearing from others on such an interesting topic. If anyone has any specific questions about my research or private practice, please contact me directly and I will be glad to respond. Dr. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist Research and Communications Life Management Consultant: Career Development Education Achievement Transition Management Options in Aging 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From mjjerdems at yahoo.com Thu Jun 22 09:44:50 2006 From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde) Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 06:44:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 365] Re: Video as aProfessional Development Tool In-Reply-To: <005601c68b27$f9b2ae20$030ac90a@explorit3> Message-ID: <20060622134450.86860.qmail@web54003.mail.yahoo.com> I think that the best way to overcome initial resistance is to video yourself and some others in a realistic way. Share the results, "good, bad, and ugly," with some observations and room for others' comments. Professional doesn't mean perfect; it means an openness to learn and to apply what has been learned. When one person can approach it genuinely, with some humor and appreciation for the process, it can really free up others. Mary Jane Jerde ESL Instructor Howard Community College Columbia, MD Missy Slaathaug wrote: Greetings, We are working here in South Dakota to strengthen our teacher training and ongoing professional development system. One tool that we have looked at is video-taping. Some of us feel this would be an extremely useful tool, especially given the distances between our centers and the travel, time and funding barriers that arise to many other PD options, like peer observation. We do feel, however, that there would be a great deal of resistance to using video taping by many of our teachers. Does anyone have any ideas on how to overcome this negative perception of using video-taping as a PD tool? Thank you. Missy Slaathaug ESL State Specialist South Dakota mslaathaug at midco.net -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 8:13 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 306] Discussion starts today: Video as aProfessional Development Tool Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with author Jessica Tomkins about her recent FOB article: Video as a Professional Development Tool http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1107 Please write in with any impressions, comments or questions you have about the article! See below for some discussion questions. Enjoy! Julie ************************************ Discussion Questions 1. Have you ever seen a video of yourself teaching? If so, what was your impression? Did it affect your teaching? How? > > 2. What do you think you might gain from seeing yourself and your students on video? > > 3. How might your students benefit from you reviewing such a video? > > 4. Have you ever used video as a professional development tool in your program? If so, how did your group review and process the video in order to share thoughts, give feedback and get the maximum benefit? How did teachers receive this? > > 5. After reading this article, what unanswered questions stay with you? Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups gets better. Check out the new email design. Plus there?s much more to come. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060622/7831d681/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 22 09:20:17 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 09:20:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 366] Discussion next week: Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Next week we are pleased to have Hal Beder as a guest to discuss his recent FOB article about learner engagement. Hal is a professor at Rutgers University and has studied adult literacy for more than 30 years. He is the project director for NCSALL at Rutgers and for the National Labsite for Adult Literacy Education. Please read the article at the link below, and prepare any comments or questions for Hal and other readers to send in on Monday. Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 See you then, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From joellencoryell at yahoo.com Fri Jun 23 16:01:33 2006 From: joellencoryell at yahoo.com (Joellen Coryell) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 15:01:33 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 367] Computer Assisted Instruction with Adult ELL's survey - Please Participate!! Message-ID: <000c01c696ff$d4469460$6a01a8c0@inspiron700m> Title of Study: Implementing Computer-Aided Instructional Components with Adult English Language Learners For Instructors http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/55d5879.htm For Directors http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/bef6126.htm Do you remember what it was like when you and your program first implemented a computer-mediated instructional component to your adult English language learner curriculum? How did it go? What advice could you offer others who are considering that venture (adventure!)? Hello! We are Dominique Chlup, Assistant Professor and Director of the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning (TCALL), and Joellen Coryell, Research Fellow for TCALL from Texas A&M University. As directors and instructors of online and computer-mediated instruction of adult English language learners, you are invited to participate in a survey study we are conducting. The purpose of the research is to investigate the experiences of adult English language learner (ELL) instructors and directors in providing first-time computer-aided instruction for their students. Hopefully, the findings of this study will help other ELL instructors and directors in their future implementations of such instruction. The survey is comprised of a few open-ended questions that ask you to inform us of your demographic information, the proficiency levels of students you teach online, your experiences implementing or beginning your computer-aided / online ESOL component(s), your general experiences with providing this instruction, and any advice you can give new online ESOL instructional providers. The completion time for the survey is about 30 minutes. The surveys and website are password protected, and your data will be accessed only by the two of us. Your complete confidentiality is secure, and any report of the findings will not reveal specific information that could be linked back to you or your specific program. Therefore, we hope you will be candid in your responses. The research involves completion of online surveys available at: For Instructors http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/55d5879.htm For Directors http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/bef6126.htm If you choose to volunteer to participate, your completion of the survey grants us your consent to use your data as part of our research. We will request your email address and office phone number in the event that response clarification is considered necessary. The analysis of the data collected will be used in manuscripts intended for possible publication and use by interested ESOL providers. We may also include the data and interpretations in conference presentations. We offer our sincere gratitude, in advance, for your time, effort, and consideration in participating in this research. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or specific clarification (see the below information). This research study has been reviewed by the Institutional Review Board - Human Subjects in Research, Texas A&M University. For research-related problems or questions regarding subjects' rights, I can contact the Institutional Review Board through Ms. Angelina M. Raines, Director of Research Compliance, Office of the Vice President for Research at (979) 458-4067, araines at vprmail.tamu.edu. Sincerely, Joellen Coryell Research Fellow, Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning Texas A&M University jcoryell at neo.tamu.edu 210-313-7693 Dominique Chlup, Ph.D. Director, Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning Educational Administration and Human Resource Development Texas A&M University dchlup at tamu.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060623/e295279d/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jun 26 10:08:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 10:08:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 368] Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I want to welcome our guest this week, Hal Beder, who will join us to discuss his recent FOB article: "Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms". You can find the article at this link: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 Hal is a professor at Rutgers University and has studied adult literacy for more than 30 years. He is the project director for NCSALL at Rutgers and for the National Labsite for Adult Literacy Education. We are very pleased to have him with us. I am going to open up the discussion with a few questions for you: How many of you teach individualized group instruction? How do you find that the three factors discussed in the article (instructional system, teachers' roles, and classroom norms) affect your learners? What other factors affect your learners' engagement? I look forward to hearing from you! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Mon Jun 26 12:10:02 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 12:10:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 368] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060626120619.02b80eb0@rci.rutgers.edu> Hello everyone. I think Julie's questions are excellent for beginning the discussion and I am ready to begin. You can learn a bit more about me by clicking here: http://gse.rutgers.edu/faculty/genFacultyProfileBiography~cguid~{F72274D9-ABAB-4190-8D3C-5333B284B4E5}~ciid~fac_1018.asp At 10:08 AM 6/26/2006, you wrote: >Hi Everyone, > >I want to welcome our guest this week, Hal Beder, who will join us to >discuss his >recent FOB article: "Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in >Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms". > >You can find the article at this link: >http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 > >Hal is a professor at Rutgers University and has studied adult literacy >for more than 30 years. He is the project director for NCSALL at Rutgers >and for the National Labsite for Adult Literacy Education. We are very >pleased to have him with us. > >I am going to open up the discussion with a few questions for you: > >How many of you teach individualized group instruction? > >How do you find that the three factors discussed in the article >(instructional system, teachers' roles, and classroom norms) affect your >learners? > >What other factors affect your learners' engagement? > >I look forward to hearing from you! > >Julie > > > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org Mon Jun 26 13:10:31 2006 From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org (Valley Peters) Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:10:31 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 369] Re: Computer Assisted Instruction with Adult ELL's survey - Please Participate!! In-Reply-To: <000c01c696ff$d4469460$6a01a8c0@inspiron700m> References: <000c01c696ff$d4469460$6a01a8c0@inspiron700m> Message-ID: <9AC41B2F-26E5-4D9A-8233-EB31F6D10741@tetonliteracy.org> I will be very interested in the results of this study as I have just ordered a mobile learning lab from Apple that will be used to supplement instruction for our adult ELLs. I'm glad to hear of this study! Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jun 23, 2006, at 2:01 PM, Joellen Coryell wrote: > Title of Study: Implementing Computer-Aided Instructional > Components with Adult English Language Learners > > > > For Instructors > > http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/55d5879.htm > > > > For Directors > > http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/bef6126.htm > > > > > > Do you remember what it was like when you and your program first > implemented a computer-mediated instructional component to your > adult English language learner curriculum? How did it go? What > advice could you offer others who are considering that venture > (adventure!)? > > > > Hello! We are Dominique Chlup, Assistant Professor and Director of > the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning > (TCALL), and Joellen Coryell, Research Fellow for TCALL from Texas > A&M University. As directors and instructors of online and computer- > mediated instruction of adult English language learners, you are > invited to participate in a survey study we are conducting. The > purpose of the research is to investigate the experiences of adult > English language learner (ELL) instructors and directors in > providing first-time computer-aided instruction for their students. > Hopefully, the findings of this study will help other ELL > instructors and directors in their future implementations of such > instruction. > > > > The survey is comprised of a few open-ended questions that ask you > to inform us of your demographic information, the proficiency > levels of students you teach online, your experiences implementing > or beginning your computer-aided / online ESOL component(s), your > general experiences with providing this instruction, and any advice > you can give new online ESOL instructional providers. The > completion time for the survey is about 30 minutes. The surveys and > website are password protected, and your data will be accessed only > by the two of us. Your complete confidentiality is secure, and any > report of the findings will not reveal specific information that > could be linked back to you or your specific program. Therefore, we > hope you will be candid in your responses. > > > > The research involves completion of online surveys available at: > > For Instructors > > http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/55d5879.htm > > > > For Directors > > http://express.perseus.com/perseus/surveys/1734848031/bef6126.htm > > > > > > If you choose to volunteer to participate, your completion of the > survey grants us your consent to use your data as part of our > research. We will request your email address and office phone > number in the event that response clarification is considered > necessary. The analysis of the data collected will be used in > manuscripts intended for possible publication and use by interested > ESOL providers. We may also include the data and interpretations in > conference presentations. > > > > We offer our sincere gratitude, in advance, for your time, effort, > and consideration in participating in this research. Please do not > hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or specific > clarification (see the below information). > > > > This research study has been reviewed by the Institutional Review > Board ? Human Subjects in Research, Texas A&M University. For > research-related problems or questions regarding subjects? rights, > I can contact the Institutional Review Board through Ms. Angelina > M. Raines, Director of Research Compliance, Office of the Vice > President for Research at (979) 458-4067, araines at vprmail.tamu.edu. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Joellen Coryell > > Research Fellow, Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and > Learning > > Texas A&M University > > jcoryell at neo.tamu.edu > > 210-313-7693 > > > > > Dominique Chlup, Ph.D. > > Director, Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning > > Educational Administration and Human Resource Development > > Texas A&M University > > dchlup at tamu.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060626/c9511b4d/attachment.html From khinson71 at cox.net Mon Jun 26 19:50:02 2006 From: khinson71 at cox.net (Katrina Hinson) Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:50:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 370] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.0.20060626193055.01969968@cox.net> At 10:08 AM 6/26/2006, you wrote: >Hi Everyone, > >I want to welcome our guest this week, Hal Beder, who will join us to >discuss his >recent FOB article: "Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in >Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms". > >You can find the article at this link: >http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 > >Hal is a professor at Rutgers University and has studied adult literacy >for more than 30 years. He is the project director for NCSALL at Rutgers >and for the National Labsite for Adult Literacy Education. We are very >pleased to have him with us. > >I am going to open up the discussion with a few questions for you: > >How many of you teach individualized group instruction? Until reading Hal's article, I'd have answered yes to this without hesitation. However, reading his article, I'm going to have to say, that it's probably a combination of group and individual instruction. All students are pre tested and placed based on their scores. My students are predominantly on the higher end of the TABE scale - but not always. Students are all individually assessed to see where they are in terms of actual GED readiness and then together we work on a plan of individual lessons. In addition to that, I incorporate group activities such as oral reading, current events and critical thinking skills into the classroom. >How do you find that the three factors discussed in the article >(instructional system, teachers' roles, and classroom norms) affect your >learners? With regards to the Instructional System: for me, this comes down to understanding my student needs. Some of my students can easily work on their own and at their own pace and only need me when they hit a wall, or need clarification. On the other hand, some of my students can't function this way. They need a dialogue and as they put it, they "want someone to instruct them." For example, I was out the first week of this new summer session which began on May 22. I had a new student who came in during that time. She was very much put off by what she did not deem as helpful. She returned 2 weeks ago, in the middle of the class time when as we were doing an oral reading assignment on the novel Miracle's Boys. She waited patiently and I could read the excitement on her face. She was smiling from ear to ear. She looked at me and said "This is what I'm looking for. I want someone that's going to involve me, and teach me." I explained that the class wasn't like what she walked in all the time...that there was a balance. She's returned every day since. I don't think there is any ONE instructional system that works for all students and I think instructors have to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the student. I think this relates directly to the teacher's role. I think the teacher's role is to facilitate learning - provide access to learning and in some cases be a bridge between the "life" skills a student brings with them and the "academic" skills a student is trying to attain. Some of our students don't need to find the same "school" like environment in our adult classrooms that one would find in the public school system - at the same time, some of our students do. They are looking for structure in what is sometimes a very chaotic life. The instructor is there to give guidance and support and that can many, many forms - whether it's an in depth lesson on how to add fractions with unlike denominators or if it's a discussion on current events in the town they live in. Teachers are there to open the doors and in some cases help students find the right path or at least show them the options they have available. Teachers are sometimes the only helping hand a student might have. Classroom norms is the area I struggle with. I would love it if my students all came in with the "Stick to business" attitude. Some do and some don't. Those that don't are often a distraction for those that do. It's a constant battle and one I'm not sure how to win, if winning is the right word. Those students that don't come in with that attitude are the ones that want to be finished yesterday but who aren't willing to do any of the work. School and the classroom are a social time. We do have rules and a policy of writing them up if the offense is bad enough - such as cursing at the instructor or repeatedly being late to class after break. For the students who don't have the "stick to business" attitude, I can honestly say based on my class this semester, they just don't care about the rules. Personally, I'd like to know how the classes observed in the article got to a point where "engaging and maintaining engagement for the entire class was a commonly accepted behavior of the class. It was so ingrained that it hardly ever needed to be enforced." >What other factors affect your learners' engagement? Distractions from their outside of school life: fear of losing their job, fear of losing their daycare, how they're going to put gas in their car, pay for daycare, pay for the utilities, keep their food from spoiling in the heat, get their car fixed, what they're going to do on Friday night, relationship issues with boyfriend/girlfriend or mom and dad etc. >I look forward to hearing from you! > >Julie > > > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.4/375 - Release Date: 6/25/2006 From marikeane at hotmail.com Tue Jun 27 11:40:38 2006 From: marikeane at hotmail.com (marie keane) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:40:38 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 371] Re: FOB article on self-esteem Message-ID: Andres, I too am skeptical about the findings in the article on Low Self Esteem because the findings go against what I witness in my day to day practice. When students attending our service were asked how they felt about returning to education many reported being nervous and fearful. They cited meeting other students and feeling 'stupid' in class as their biggest fears. The majority of students were ashamed of their literacy difficulty. They had spent most of their lives hiding their literacy problems from their peers, their employers and even their families; especially their children. With time the students 'found their feet' in the class and enjoyed the support of the other students and generally felt comfortable in class. I have found that a student may overcome many of his/her self-esteem issues, especially in relation to learning, after spending time in a positive learning environment. I wonder, therefore, how long the students, in Lipnevich's study, had been attending classes when they completed the study's questionnaire? Marie >From: "Muro, Andres" >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >To: >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on self esteem >Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 > >I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem article >on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe that our >students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some >teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of >incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming tremendous >difficulties. However, society portraits them as failures though >different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with >academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue >collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor health, etc. >These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate success or >failure of individuals. > > > >While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, >dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure >themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream society >markers. The mainstream society markers have very detrimental effects in >our student self esteem. > > > >We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative writing, and >success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see >themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal markers >of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self esteem improve. > > > >In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is measured >primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual entitlements and looks, >the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who don't >meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. Fortunately, there >are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on other >things. However, the competition against the mainstream media is tough. > > > >Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no >resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and others have >previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem among ABE >students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, this means >that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the >understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing instrument >are flawed. > > > >Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very hard to >understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking questions >such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self-esteem? May not be >accurate ways to assess self-esteem. > > > >Opinions, discussion? > > > >Andres > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics _________________________________________________________________ Find accommodation FAST with MSN Search! http://search.msn.ie/ From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Tue Jun 27 13:35:40 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:35:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 372] Re: FOB article on self-esteem In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> The students in Ana's study had been in the program various amounts of time. Some were relatively new, some were old timers. Most people are "nervous" when they undertake something new and difficult. I suspect that everyone who reads this has experienced that kind of anxiety. Indeed, as someone who teaches doctoral students, I know that even the most educated experience anxiety until they become familiar with the situation. Initial anxiety is not the same as low self-esteem, however, as self-esteem is generally considered to be a relatively stable trait, not something that fluctuates. Remember, the students in Ana's study were voluntary learners; they at least had enough self-confidence to participate. Other research has shown that low-self esteem is a barrier to participation in adult literacy, so it may be that low-literate adults who lack self-esteem just don't enroll. I don't think the implication of Ana's work is that teachers should not be warm and supportive. All adult educators, regardless of what and who they teach, should be supportive. To me the implication is that beliefs that adult literacy students have abnormally low self-esteems because they have lived failed lives supports the stigma of adult literacy. In any case, Ana is out of the country now. I hope that we can revisit this discussion when she returns. At 11:40 AM 6/27/2006, you wrote: >Andres, > >I too am skeptical about the findings in the article on Low Self Esteem >because the findings go against what I witness in my day to day practice. > >When students attending our service were asked how they felt about returning >to education many reported being nervous and fearful. They cited meeting >other students and feeling 'stupid' in class as their biggest fears. The >majority of students were ashamed of their literacy difficulty. They had >spent most of their lives hiding their literacy problems from their peers, >their employers and even their families; especially their children. > >With time the students 'found their feet' in the class and enjoyed the >support of the other students and generally felt comfortable in class. I >have found that a student may overcome many of his/her self-esteem issues, >especially in relation to learning, after spending time in a positive >learning environment. I wonder, therefore, how long the students, in >Lipnevich's study, had been attending classes when they completed the >study's questionnaire? > >Marie > > > > >From: "Muro, Andres" > >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >To: > >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on self esteem > >Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 > > > >I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem article > >on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe that our > >students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some > >teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of > >incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming tremendous > >difficulties. However, society portraits them as failures though > >different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with > >academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue > >collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor health, etc. > >These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate success or > >failure of individuals. > > > > > > > >While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, > >dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure > >themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream society > >markers. The mainstream society markers have very detrimental effects in > >our student self esteem. > > > > > > > >We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative writing, and > >success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see > >themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal markers > >of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self esteem improve. > > > > > > > >In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is measured > >primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual entitlements and looks, > >the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who don't > >meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. Fortunately, there > >are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on other > >things. However, the competition against the mainstream media is tough. > > > > > > > >Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no > >resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and others have > >previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem among ABE > >students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, this means > >that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the > >understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing instrument > >are flawed. > > > > > > > >Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very hard to > >understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking questions > >such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self-esteem? May not be > >accurate ways to assess self-esteem. > > > > > > > >Opinions, discussion? > > > > > > > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >_________________________________________________________________ >Find accommodation FAST with MSN Search! http://search.msn.ie/ > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From amuro5 at epcc.edu Tue Jun 27 14:28:16 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 12:28:16 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 373] Re: FOB article on self-esteem In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: Hal Beder wrote: "To me the implication is that beliefs that adult literacy students have abnormally low self-esteems because they have lived failed lives supports the stigma of adult literacy." I agree with his statement. However, I am making a slightly different argument. I believe that adult literacy students have low self esteem even though many lead very successful lives. This is because western society and the media do not portrait their successes as true success. Most media outlets, ie: TV, newspapers, books, magazines, schools, leaders, etc tend to describe success in terms of economic capital, cultural capital, looks and strength. Unless we take great steps to battle these stereotypes and create alternative models of success, students will measure themselves against the advertised models of success. The indirect evidence of this is the investment that people make to hide their poverty and limited literacy skills, the investments that they make in trying to look like models, in diet plans, in schemes to get rich, etc. they do this because they want to increase their self esteem. Targets of schemes to get rich, to loose weight, etc are our students and not doctoral students. You see ridiculous advertisements in tabloid magazines not in research journals. Of course, doctoral students have esteem issues too. Their self esteem is given by the ultimate entitlement, the Ph.D. However, in the esteem scale of economic and cultural capital adult literacy students will score a lot lower. Ultimately, the point that I am trying to make is that the current way society measures a person's value is all screwed up. This has a very detrimental impact on the oppressed, the disenfranchised, the sidelined, the marginalized, the abused, etc. In fact, the current scale is directly responsible for the oppression, disenfranchisement, marginalization, abuse, etc. So, we must work to change the measures of a person's value rather than argue that our students do not have a low self esteem. Andres At 11:40 AM 6/27/2006, you wrote: >Andres, > >I too am skeptical about the findings in the article on Low Self Esteem >because the findings go against what I witness in my day to day practice. > >When students attending our service were asked how they felt about returning >to education many reported being nervous and fearful. They cited meeting >other students and feeling 'stupid' in class as their biggest fears. The >majority of students were ashamed of their literacy difficulty. They had >spent most of their lives hiding their literacy problems from their peers, >their employers and even their families; especially their children. > >With time the students 'found their feet' in the class and enjoyed the >support of the other students and generally felt comfortable in class. I >have found that a student may overcome many of his/her self-esteem issues, >especially in relation to learning, after spending time in a positive >learning environment. I wonder, therefore, how long the students, in >Lipnevich's study, had been attending classes when they completed the >study's questionnaire? > >Marie > > > > >From: "Muro, Andres" > >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >To: > >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on self esteem > >Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 > > > >I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem article > >on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe that our > >students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some > >teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of > >incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming tremendous > >difficulties. However, society portraits them as failures though > >different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with > >academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue > >collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor health, etc. > >These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate success or > >failure of individuals. > > > > > > > >While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, > >dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure > >themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream society > >markers. The mainstream society markers have very detrimental effects in > >our student self esteem. > > > > > > > >We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative writing, and > >success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see > >themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal markers > >of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self esteem improve. > > > > > > > >In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is measured > >primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual entitlements and looks, > >the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who don't > >meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. Fortunately, there > >are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on other > >things. However, the competition against the mainstream media is tough. > > > > > > > >Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no > >resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and others have > >previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem among ABE > >students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, this means > >that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the > >understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing instrument > >are flawed. > > > > > > > >Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very hard to > >understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking questions > >such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self-esteem? May not be > >accurate ways to assess self-esteem. > > > > > > > >Opinions, discussion? > > > > > > > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >_________________________________________________________________ >Find accommodation FAST with MSN Search! http://search.msn.ie/ > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From bgiven at gmu.edu Tue Jun 27 14:57:39 2006 From: bgiven at gmu.edu (Barbara K Given) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 14:57:39 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 374] Re: FOB article on self-esteem In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: There is another consideration, as well. I've worked with adolescents and adults who experience high self-esteem when it comes to working on cars, playing the guitar, or cooking, etc., but when it comes to reading, it's an entirely different story. Self-esteem seems to fluctuate dependent upon how comfortable one is with his/her skills/attributes in that area. Just a thouoght. barb given Barbara K. Given, Ph.D. Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity, an International Learning Styles Center George Mason University Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 Fax: 703-993-4325 Ph: 703-993-4406 ----- Original Message ----- From: Hal Beder Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 1:35 pm Subject: [FocusOnBasics 372] Re: FOB article on self-esteem > The students in Ana's study had been in the program various > amounts > of time. Some were relatively new, some were old timers. Most > people are "nervous" when they undertake something new and > difficult. I suspect that everyone who reads this has experienced > that kind of anxiety. Indeed, as someone who teaches doctoral > students, I know that even the most educated experience anxiety > until > they become familiar with the situation. Initial anxiety is not > the > same as low self-esteem, however, as self-esteem is generally > considered to be a relatively stable trait, not something that > fluctuates. Remember, the students in Ana's study were voluntary > learners; they at least had enough self-confidence to > participate. Other research has shown that low-self esteem is a > barrier to participation in adult literacy, so it may be that > low-literate adults who lack self-esteem just don't enroll. I > don't > think the implication of Ana's work is that teachers should not be > warm and supportive. All adult educators, regardless of what and > who > they teach, should be supportive. To me the implication is that > beliefs that adult literacy students have abnormally low self- > esteems > because they have lived failed lives supports the stigma of adult > literacy. In any case, Ana is out of the country now. I hope that > we > can revisit this discussion when she returns. > > > > > At 11:40 AM 6/27/2006, you wrote: > >Andres, > > > >I too am skeptical about the findings in the article on Low Self > Esteem>because the findings go against what I witness in my day to > day practice. > > > >When students attending our service were asked how they felt > about returning > >to education many reported being nervous and fearful. They cited > meeting>other students and feeling 'stupid' in class as their > biggest fears. The > >majority of students were ashamed of their literacy difficulty. > They had > >spent most of their lives hiding their literacy problems from > their peers, > >their employers and even their families; especially their children. > > > >With time the students 'found their feet' in the class and > enjoyed the > >support of the other students and generally felt comfortable in > class. I > >have found that a student may overcome many of his/her self- > esteem issues, > >especially in relation to learning, after spending time in a positive > >learning environment. I wonder, therefore, how long the > students, in > >Lipnevich's study, had been attending classes when they > completed the > >study's questionnaire? > > > >Marie > > > > > > > > >From: "Muro, Andres" > > >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > >To: > > >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on self esteem > > >Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 > > > > > >I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem > article> >on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe > that our > > >students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some > > >teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of > > >incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming > tremendous> >difficulties. However, society portraits them as > failures though > > >different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with > > >academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue > > >collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor > health, etc. > > >These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate > success or > > >failure of individuals. > > > > > > > > > > > >While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, > > >dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure > > >themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream > society> >markers. The mainstream society markers have very > detrimental effects in > > >our student self esteem. > > > > > > > > > > > >We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative > writing, and > > >success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see > > >themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal > markers> >of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self > esteem improve. > > > > > > > > > > > >In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is > measured> >primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual > entitlements and looks, > > >the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who > don't> >meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. > Fortunately, there > > >are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on > other> >things. However, the competition against the mainstream > media is tough. > > > > > > > > > > > >Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no > > >resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and > others have > > >previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem > among ABE > > >students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, > this means > > >that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the > > >understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing > instrument> >are flawed. > > > > > > > > > > > >Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very > hard to > > >understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking > questions> >such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self- > esteem? May not be > > >accurate ways to assess self-esteem. > > > > > > > > > > > >Opinions, discussion? > > > > > > > > > > > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > > >National Institute for Literacy > > >Focus on Basics mailing list > > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >_________________________________________________________________ > >Find accommodation FAST with MSN Search! http://search.msn.ie/ > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > Rutgers University > Graduate School of Education > 10 seminary Pl. > New Brunswick, NJ 08901 > 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From mnguyen at nifl.gov Wed Jun 28 11:41:56 2006 From: mnguyen at nifl.gov (My Linh Nguyen) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:41:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 375] National Institute for Literacy Appoints New Staff Message-ID: <20060628154156.F293846555@dev.nifl.gov> Hello everyone, My name is My Linh Nguyen, and I am the new Associated Director of Communications for the National Institute for Literacy. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself along with three other new hires at the Institute. The press release below introduces each of the four new hires and identifies our roles and backgrounds. Thank you, and I look forward to working with all of you. National Institute for Literacy Appoints New Staff The National Institute for Literacy has appointed four new staff members to expand its capacity to contribute to improvements in adult, adolescent, childhood and early childhood literacy. Andrea Grimaldi has joined the Institute as Senior Project Officer in Early Childhood Literacy. She will be responsible for planning and managing the Institute's work on early childhood literacy. She will also oversee dissemination of the National Early Literacy Panel Report, expected to be released in late 2006. My Linh Nguyen has joined the Institute as Associate Director of Communications. In this capacity, she will plan and manage communications activities designed raise awareness of literacy issues and the Institute's products and services. The two other new staffers will join the Institute in July. Susan Boorse, who will serve as Executive Officer, will have responsibility for budgetary and financial management activities as well as administrative functions. Heather Wright has been selected to serve as Dissemination Specialist. In this capacity, she will plan and oversee implementation of the Institute's print and electronic products to ensure that they are widely and easily available. "The arrival of these four individuals signals an exciting new era for the National Institute for Literacy," said Dr. Sandra Baxter, the Institute's Director. "Each of them brings fresh ideas and new perspectives along with their diverse backgrounds and expertise. Their presence will reenergize our existing programs and help us carry out new efforts to better serve the adult and childhood literacy communities." All four new appointees have a wide variety of experience in their fields. Ms. Grimaldi has more than a decade of experience as an early childhood education teacher, program manager, and trainer. Most recently, she served as the training manager for professional development with the Public Broadcasting Service's (PBS) five-year Ready To Learn Initiative to prepare young children for success in school through educational television, web-based media and training for parents and teachers. Ms. Nguyen comes to the Institute from the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, where she served as manager of corporate communications and public information officer. She is a former general assignment reporter and copy editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ms. Boorse served in the Peace Corps for eight years as an administrative and budget officer. She also served four years as a VISTA volunteer, working with a literacy program in Philadelphia, a rural school district in Mississippi, and a fledgling Philadelphia Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Ms. Wright comes to the Institute from the Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries in Maryland, where, as Children's Librarian, she was involved in early literacy programs for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and elementary-school children. Her previous professional background is in the field of marketing research, where she conducted many research studies to measure the needs of customers and target markets, both in the library setting and in the private sector. The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Jun 28 13:38:23 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! Message-ID: Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In Hal's study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If this is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we can do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where they are not consistent. How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson71 at cox.net 06/26/06 7:50 PM >>> At 10:08 AM 6/26/2006, you wrote: >Hi Everyone, > >I want to welcome our guest this week, Hal Beder, who will join us to >discuss his >recent FOB article: "Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement in >Individualized Group Instruction Classrooms". > >You can find the article at this link: >http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1106 > >Hal is a professor at Rutgers University and has studied adult literacy >for more than 30 years. He is the project director for NCSALL at Rutgers >and for the National Labsite for Adult Literacy Education. We are very >pleased to have him with us. > >I am going to open up the discussion with a few questions for you: > >How many of you teach individualized group instruction? Until reading Hal's article, I'd have answered yes to this without hesitation. However, reading his article, I'm going to have to say, that it's probably a combination of group and individual instruction. All students are pre tested and placed based on their scores. My students are predominantly on the higher end of the TABE scale - but not always. Students are all individually assessed to see where they are in terms of actual GED readiness and then together we work on a plan of individual lessons. In addition to that, I incorporate group activities such as oral reading, current events and critical thinking skills into the classroom. >How do you find that the three factors discussed in the article >(instructional system, teachers' roles, and classroom norms) affect your >learners? With regards to the Instructional System: for me, this comes down to understanding my student needs. Some of my students can easily work on their own and at their own pace and only need me when they hit a wall, or need clarification. On the other hand, some of my students can't function this way. They need a dialogue and as they put it, they "want someone to instruct them." For example, I was out the first week of this new summer session which began on May 22. I had a new student who came in during that time. She was very much put off by what she did not deem as helpful. She returned 2 weeks ago, in the middle of the class time when as we were doing an oral reading assignment on the novel Miracle's Boys. She waited patiently and I could read the excitement on her face. She was smiling from ear to ear. She looked at me and said "This is what I'm looking for. I want someone that's going to involve me, and teach me." I explained that the class wasn't like what she walked in all the time...that there was a balance. She's returned every day since. I don't think there is any ONE instructional system that works for all students and I think instructors have to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the student. I think this relates directly to the teacher's role. I think the teacher's role is to facilitate learning - provide access to learning and in some cases be a bridge between the "life" skills a student brings with them and the "academic" skills a student is trying to attain. Some of our students don't need to find the same "school" like environment in our adult classrooms that one would find in the public school system - at the same time, some of our students do. They are looking for structure in what is sometimes a very chaotic life. The instructor is there to give guidance and support and that can many, many forms - whether it's an in depth lesson on how to add fractions with unlike denominators or if it's a discussion on current events in the town they live in. Teachers are there to open the doors and in some cases help students find the right path or at least show them the options they have available. Teachers are sometimes the only helping hand a student might have. Classroom norms is the area I struggle with. I would love it if my students all came in with the "Stick to business" attitude. Some do and some don't. Those that don't are often a distraction for those that do. It's a constant battle and one I'm not sure how to win, if winning is the right word. Those students that don't come in with that attitude are the ones that want to be finished yesterday but who aren't willing to do any of the work. School and the classroom are a social time. We do have rules and a policy of writing them up if the offense is bad enough - such as cursing at the instructor or repeatedly being late to class after break. For the students who don't have the "stick to business" attitude, I can honestly say based on my class this semester, they just don't care about the rules. Personally, I'd like to know how the classes observed in the article got to a point where "engaging and maintaining engagement for the entire class was a commonly accepted behavior of the class. It was so ingrained that it hardly ever needed to be enforced." >What other factors affect your learners' engagement? Distractions from their outside of school life: fear of losing their job, fear of losing their daycare, how they're going to put gas in their car, pay for daycare, pay for the utilities, keep their food from spoiling in the heat, get their car fixed, what they're going to do on Friday night, relationship issues with boyfriend/girlfriend or mom and dad etc. >I look forward to hearing from you! > >Julie > > > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.4/375 - Release Date: 6/25/2006 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Wed Jun 28 17:05:52 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:05:52 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 377] norms In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; what about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the work on the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the relationship building undergirding so much of the work we do? Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about balance? I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom contexts and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) Janet Isserlis > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! > > Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In Hal's > study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging > learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" > seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many > classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If this > is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we can > do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where they > are not consistent. > > How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other classroom > norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? > > Julie From mjjerdems at yahoo.com Thu Jun 29 07:35:50 2006 From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 04:35:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 378] Re: norms In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060629113551.19865.qmail@web54006.mail.yahoo.com> Good day, This is certainly an interesting topic. The dynamics aren't discernibly different to me, but as the paid professional I'm responsible to ensure that a spoken and unspoken groundrule is that the vehicle for communication will be English. In some groups it's easier than in others. The best advocates and guides for that norm can be those who learned English in that way. It helps those tempted to make class a social gathering in their own language realize that they really can learn to communicate in English. Mary Jane Jerde Janet Isserlis wrote: I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; what about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the work on the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the relationship building undergirding so much of the work we do? Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about balance? I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom contexts and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) Janet Isserlis > From: Julie McKinney > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 > To: > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner Engagement! > > Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In Hal's > study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging > learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" > seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many > classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If this > is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we can > do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where they > are not consistent. > > How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other classroom > norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? > > Julie ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1?/min. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060629/24ec0c6f/attachment.html From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Thu Jun 29 08:03:00 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 08:03:00 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 379] Re: norms In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1493.68.197.19.12.1151582580.squirrel@webmail.rci.rutgers.edu> For us the interesting thing about the norm sticking to business was that it was established by both teachers and learners through mutual consensus. It was part of the conetext of instruction rather than a set of imposed rules. These were voluntary learners who came pre-disposed to work. So I think sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners. If you have a class where learners are not sticking to business, it may be a sign that something is wrong. > I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; what > about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the work > on > the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the relationship > building undergirding so much of the work we do? > > Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about balance? > I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom > contexts > and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or > another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) > > Janet Isserlis > > >> From: Julie McKinney >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 >> To: >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner >> Engagement! >> >> Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In Hal's >> study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging >> learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" >> seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many >> classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If this >> is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we can >> do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where they >> are not consistent. >> >> How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other classroom >> norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? >> >> Julie > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From tamill2 at uky.edu Thu Jun 29 10:06:21 2006 From: tamill2 at uky.edu (Toni-Ann Mills) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:06:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 380] Re: FOB article on self-esteem In-Reply-To: References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20060629100011.01df4460@pop.uky.edu> Hi This is Toni-Ann from Kentucky. It is interesting that we just had a similar discussion here yesterday with a number of people, including a legislator interested in how we tap the community who most needs literacy services. One of the contributors to the discussion provided anecdotal evidence of people he has worked with who believed that they were the only people in their community who had literacy problems. He was convinced that it was not so much a self-esteem issue but more that people viewed their lack of literacy skills like a taboo disease - something they should cover up, not talk about and not seek help through public areas. Those with low levels of literacy often learn remarkable coping skills which for them are easier to build and maintain than it is to build and grow literacy skills. So - what can be done to assure these people that they are not alone and that there are resources available that will provide more services to them than continuing to "hide" a problem that in their minds exist for them alone. Toni-Ann At 02:57 PM 6/27/2006, you wrote: >There is another consideration, as well. I've worked with adolescents and >adults who experience high self-esteem when it comes to working on cars, >playing the guitar, or cooking, etc., but when it comes to reading, it's >an entirely different story. Self-esteem seems to fluctuate dependent upon >how comfortable one is with his/her skills/attributes in that area. Just a >thouoght. barb given > >Barbara K. Given, Ph.D. >Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center >Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and >Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity, an >International Learning Styles Center >George Mason University >Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 >Fax: 703-993-4325 >Ph: 703-993-4406 > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Hal Beder >Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 1:35 pm >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 372] Re: FOB article on self-esteem > > > The students in Ana's study had been in the program various > > amounts > > of time. Some were relatively new, some were old timers. Most > > people are "nervous" when they undertake something new and > > difficult. I suspect that everyone who reads this has experienced > > that kind of anxiety. Indeed, as someone who teaches doctoral > > students, I know that even the most educated experience anxiety > > until > > they become familiar with the situation. Initial anxiety is not > > the > > same as low self-esteem, however, as self-esteem is generally > > considered to be a relatively stable trait, not something that > > fluctuates. Remember, the students in Ana's study were voluntary > > learners; they at least had enough self-confidence to > > participate. Other research has shown that low-self esteem is a > > barrier to participation in adult literacy, so it may be that > > low-literate adults who lack self-esteem just don't enroll. I > > don't > > think the implication of Ana's work is that teachers should not be > > warm and supportive. All adult educators, regardless of what and > > who > > they teach, should be supportive. To me the implication is that > > beliefs that adult literacy students have abnormally low self- > > esteems > > because they have lived failed lives supports the stigma of adult > > literacy. In any case, Ana is out of the country now. I hope that > > we > > can revisit this discussion when she returns. > > > > > > > > > > At 11:40 AM 6/27/2006, you wrote: > > >Andres, > > > > > >I too am skeptical about the findings in the article on Low Self > > Esteem>because the findings go against what I witness in my day to > > day practice. > > > > > >When students attending our service were asked how they felt > > about returning > > >to education many reported being nervous and fearful. They cited > > meeting>other students and feeling 'stupid' in class as their > > biggest fears. The > > >majority of students were ashamed of their literacy difficulty. > > They had > > >spent most of their lives hiding their literacy problems from > > their peers, > > >their employers and even their families; especially their children. > > > > > >With time the students 'found their feet' in the class and > > enjoyed the > > >support of the other students and generally felt comfortable in > > class. I > > >have found that a student may overcome many of his/her self- > > esteem issues, > > >especially in relation to learning, after spending time in a positive > > >learning environment. I wonder, therefore, how long the > > students, in > > >Lipnevich's study, had been attending classes when they > > completed the > > >study's questionnaire? > > > > > >Marie > > > > > > > > > > > > >From: "Muro, Andres" > > > >Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > > >To: > > > >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 357] FOB article on self esteem > > > >Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 10:14:42 -0600 > > > > > > > >I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self Esteem > > article> >on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe > > that our > > > >students live lives of failure as the article suggests that some > > > >teachers may believe. In fact I believe that they live lives of > > > >incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming > > tremendous> >difficulties. However, society portraits them as > > failures though > > > >different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with > > > >academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue > > > >collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor > > health, etc. > > > >These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate > > success or > > > >failure of individuals. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate, > > > >dedicated, excellent family providers, etc., they do not measure > > > >themselves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream > > society> >markers. The mainstream society markers have very > > detrimental effects in > > > >our student self esteem. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative > > writing, and > > > >success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see > > > >themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal > > markers> >of success. As a result, we see our students,\' self > > esteem improve. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is > > measured> >primarily by wealth, possessions, intellectual > > entitlements and looks, > > > >the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who > > don't> >meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. > > Fortunately, there > > > >are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on > > other> >things. However, the competition against the mainstream > > media is tough. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no > > > >resistance among ABE students contradicting what Quigley and > > others have > > > >previously founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem > > among ABE > > > >students. These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, > > this means > > > >that the testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the > > > >understanding of the theory or other elements of the testing > > instrument> >are flawed. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very > > hard to > > > >understand and assess concepts and often unconscious. Asking > > questions> >such as: Do you resist? Or: Do you have a low self- > > esteem? May not be > > > >accurate ways to assess self-esteem. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Opinions, discussion? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > > > >National Institute for Literacy > > > >Focus on Basics mailing list > > > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ > > >Find accommodation FAST with MSN Search! http://search.msn.ie/ > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > > >National Institute for Literacy > > >Focus on Basics mailing list > > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > Rutgers University > > Graduate School of Education > > 10 seminary Pl. > > New Brunswick, NJ 08901 > > 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Toni-Ann Mills CCLD Director - Adult Education Phone (859) 257-6127 Fax (859) 323 3963 email: tamill2 at uky.edu Seize the day From meyer_j at ccsdistrict.org Thu Jun 29 10:07:52 2006 From: meyer_j at ccsdistrict.org (Jane Meyer) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:07:52 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 381] individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <44A3DEB8.8000401@ccsdistrict.org> Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to business" that are important?" I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. Jane Meyer Canton City schools ABLE From khinson at future-gate.com Thu Jun 29 10:46:18 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:46:18 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 382] Re: norms Message-ID: <44A403DA020000A000002C7E@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> I think it's a huge assumption to state "sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners." That assumes that that everyone that enters an ABE program is an adult both in age, and attitude. The latter being the key. The assumption is that all the adult learners in an ABE program WANT to be there and that's not always the case. There is nothing "natural" for the adult learner who is mandated by court or other local, state or federal guidelines that require an ABE/GED course. The program model you observed is an "ideal" for many of us, I would hazard to say,especially for those of us who deal with younger students just out of high school. The key word you stressed below was "voluntary;" great - what about those that aren't voluntary sitting in a class with those who are? I have taught in Adult Education for 10 years now, and the mixture is always there - those who want to be there vs those who HAVE to be there. This makes "sticking to business" some days next to impossible. I can't throw students who don't stick to business out of my class. I can ask that they be quiet, focus, try to work hard. I can sit with them, etc. I can do many things to address the negative behavior but it doesn't mean I can make the student "stick to business." Instructors are bound by both local and state regulations as to discipline - at least here. We can have local policies in place but at the same time, when everything is driven by FTE's and student progression, EVERY student becomes critical to program success and retaining those students who don't want to be there is as important as retaining those studens who WANT to be there. In light of that, not every class room is going to exemplify "sticking to business" as highlighted in the article. The "ideal" situation isn't what some of us face day to day. The question really is how do you address the problem to benefit all - those who want to be there, and those who HAVE to be there. ( I think this is also what happens in meetings etc, which Janet asked about. Those that want to be there are ready to get to work, get it done and get back to business - those that have to be there, want to talk about their trips to the beach, their families, the weekend etc - anything to avoid what they didn't want to deal with in the first place.) Additionally, there is a time and place for building social skills and teamwork through discourse in the adult classroom setting. Not all instruction occurs via a text, a worksheet or a math problem to be solved. Some skills such as getting along with others, expressing diverse view points, and listening to diverse view points can only be learned when you don't strictly, "stick to business" but go beyond the "business" of getting a GED And into the "business" of building a more successful student in a wholistic manner. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> 06/29/06 5:03 AM >>> For us the interesting thing about the norm sticking to business was that it was established by both teachers and learners through mutual consensus. It was part of the conetext of instruction rather than a set of imposed rules. These were voluntary learners who came pre-disposed to work. So I think sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners. If you have a class where learners are not sticking to business, it may be a sign that something is wrong. > I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; what > about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the work > on > the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the relationship > building undergirding so much of the work we do? > > Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about balance? > I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom > contexts > and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or > another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) > > Janet Isserlis > > >> From: Julie McKinney >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 >> To: >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner >> Engagement! >> >> Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In Hal's >> study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging >> learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" >> seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many >> classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If this >> is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we can >> do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where they >> are not consistent. >> >> How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other classroom >> norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? >> >> Julie > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From khinson at future-gate.com Thu Jun 29 10:52:42 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:52:42 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 383] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <44A4055A020000A000002C82@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> I agree. We're struggling with this "workbook" approach in our own setting - because some of the instructors think just giving a student a workbook is helpful and it sets in place a series of events where a student MIGHT learn enough to pass the GED or Improve a Level but at the same time, may not retain what they have learned for the long term. This becomes very problematic for students who want to puruse academic goals beyond the GED/AHS environment - students who are then relegated to developmental or remedial classes, grow frustrated and ultimately give up. I think it's important to explain HOW a student is engaged in the learning process when you're talking about a workbook approach to things. Administrators in my state would bristle at this concept but they'd argue it flies in the face of "quality" instruction...that somewhere there needs to be dialogue and discussion and interaction - not just workbooks and worksheets. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Jane Meyer 06/29/06 7:07 AM >>> Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to business" that are important?" I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. Jane Meyer Canton City schools ABLE ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jun 29 12:25:32 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:25:32 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 384] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: In the article, Hal does talk about some ways that the individualized group instruction (IGI) model supports and detracts from engagement, and how teachers can improve engagement within this model (assigning appropriate materials, having a good system for engaging those waiting for help, and being effective with the one-on-one moments of giving help.) The value of the IGI model over others is another question that is out of the scope of the article, but may be worth discussing. The IGI model that Hal decribes seems a bit more interactive than "just giving a student a workbook". It may be helpful to look at another article from this issue of FOB: Instructional Practices of ABE and GED Teachers http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1109 I think it would be helpful to hear from Hal about why they chose the IGI model for this study, how this model differed from small group instruction in terms of learner engagement, and more about how this model and the teachers using it can support engagement. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> khinson at future-gate.com 06/29/06 10:52 AM >>> I agree. We're struggling with this "workbook" approach in our own setting - because some of the instructors think just giving a student a workbook is helpful and it sets in place a series of events where a student MIGHT learn enough to pass the GED or Improve a Level but at the same time, may not retain what they have learned for the long term. This becomes very problematic for students who want to puruse academic goals beyond the GED/AHS environment - students who are then relegated to developmental or remedial classes, grow frustrated and ultimately give up. I think it's important to explain HOW a student is engaged in the learning process when you're talking about a workbook approach to things. Administrators in my state would bristle at this concept but they'd argue it flies in the face of "quality" instruction...that somewhere there needs to be dialogue and discussion and interaction - not just workbooks and worksheets. Regards Katrina Hinson >>> Jane Meyer 06/29/06 7:07 AM >>> Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to business" that are important?" I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. Jane Meyer Canton City schools ABLE ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Thu Jun 29 12:40:44 2006 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:40:44 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 385] Re: FOB article on self-esteem References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> <6.0.1.1.2.20060629100011.01df4460@pop.uky.edu> Message-ID: <055701c69b9a$c411af40$0502a8c0@Tomschoice> Perhaps we need an "illiterates anonymous". Cheers from Chiswick, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Toni-Ann Mills" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 3:06 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 380] Re: FOB article on self-esteem > Hi > This is Toni-Ann from Kentucky. It is interesting that we just had a > similar discussion here yesterday with a number of people, including a > legislator interested in how we tap the community who most needs literacy > services. One of the contributors to the discussion provided anecdotal > evidence of people he has worked with who believed that they were the only > people in their community who had literacy problems. He was convinced that > it was not so much a self-esteem issue but more that people viewed their > lack of literacy skills like a taboo disease - something they should cover > up, not talk about and not seek help through public areas. Those with low > levels of literacy often learn remarkable coping skills which for them are > easier to build and maintain than it is to build and grow literacy skills. > So - what can be done to assure these people that they are not alone and > that there are resources available that will provide more services to them > than continuing to "hide" a problem that in their minds exist for them > alone. > Toni-Ann > > At 02:57 PM 6/27/2006, you wrote: >>There is another consideration, as well. I've worked with adolescents and >>adults who experience high self-esteem when it comes to working on cars, >>playing the guitar, or cooking, etc., but when it comes to reading, it's >>an entirely different story. Self-esteem seems to fluctuate dependent upon >>how comfortable one is with his/her skills/attributes in that area. Just a >>thouoght. barb given >> >>Barbara K. Given, Ph.D. >>Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center >>Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and >>Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity, an >>International Learning Styles Center >>George Mason University >>Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 >>Fax: 703-993-4325 >>Ph: 703-993-4406 From tamill2 at uky.edu Thu Jun 29 14:25:45 2006 From: tamill2 at uky.edu (Toni-Ann Mills) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:25:45 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 386] self-esteem and learner engagement In-Reply-To: <055701c69b9a$c411af40$0502a8c0@Tomschoice> References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060627131027.02b33e78@rci.rutgers.edu> <6.0.1.1.2.20060629100011.01df4460@pop.uky.edu> <055701c69b9a$c411af40$0502a8c0@Tomschoice> Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20060629142508.01dcbae8@pop.uky.edu> Well to get back to learner engagement - how does how the learners view themselves interact with all the other factors that Hal refers to? Given that the "context of the adult literacy education classroom shapes learners' engagement in instruction" is the context powerful enough to "overcome" what the learner brings especially if it is not something that the educators expect? Toni-Ann KentuckyAt 12:40 PM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >Perhaps we need an "illiterates anonymous". > >Cheers from Chiswick, > >John > >John Nissen >Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk >maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. >Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: >http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm >Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 >Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Toni-Ann Mills" >To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" >Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 3:06 PM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 380] Re: FOB article on self-esteem > > > > Hi > > This is Toni-Ann from Kentucky. It is interesting that we just had a > > similar discussion here yesterday with a number of people, including a > > legislator interested in how we tap the community who most needs literacy > > services. One of the contributors to the discussion provided anecdotal > > evidence of people he has worked with who believed that they were the only > > people in their community who had literacy problems. He was convinced that > > it was not so much a self-esteem issue but more that people viewed their > > lack of literacy skills like a taboo disease - something they should cover > > up, not talk about and not seek help through public areas. Those with low > > levels of literacy often learn remarkable coping skills which for them are > > easier to build and maintain than it is to build and grow literacy skills. > > So - what can be done to assure these people that they are not alone and > > that there are resources available that will provide more services to them > > than continuing to "hide" a problem that in their minds exist for them > > alone. > > Toni-Ann > > > > At 02:57 PM 6/27/2006, you wrote: > >>There is another consideration, as well. I've worked with adolescents and > >>adults who experience high self-esteem when it comes to working on cars, > >>playing the guitar, or cooking, etc., but when it comes to reading, it's > >>an entirely different story. Self-esteem seems to fluctuate dependent upon > >>how comfortable one is with his/her skills/attributes in that area. Just a > >>thouoght. barb given > >> > >>Barbara K. Given, Ph.D. > >>Director, Adolescent and Adult Learning Research Center > >>Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, and > >>Director, Center for Honoring Individual Learning Diversity, an > >>International Learning Styles Center > >>George Mason University > >>Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 > >>Fax: 703-993-4325 > >>Ph: 703-993-4406 > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Toni-Ann Mills CCLD Director - Adult Education Phone (859) 257-6127 Fax (859) 323 3963 email: tamill2 at uky.edu Seize the day From woodsnh at isp.com Thu Jun 29 23:51:48 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 23:51:48 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 386] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <44A49FD4.8020601@isp.com> When I was doing my teacher preservice, the lesson was drilled into us, workbooks=BAD, experiential/hands-on=GOOD. So it was with great relish that I developed courses for my students (aged 17-60+) that were rich in hands-on experiential learning. And it was with great consternation that I listened to one of my younger students say to me, "don't you just have some workbooks I can do?" I think we have to be mindful that students have preferences and it's wrong to write off one mode of learning such as workbooks just because it doesn't fit with our own preferred mode, or those of 'experts' who know what's best. First of all, we have to take the student wherever he or she may be in terms of abilities, goals, and preferences. Then we try to get him or her to think differently about things. We can't actually change students' thinking, but we can give students things to think ABOUT. This, in turn, creates the conditions in which the students themselves will expand or alter their thinking. I believe it is risky to try to rush this process. If my student is ready for workbooks and I try to get him to do do other things, I risk scaring him off, or I risk trying to make him conform to MY goals, not his own. That's what was done to them when they were children. My students, who are mostly pretty alienated from school and education, are wise to this. Their radar goes up in a flash when they sense it. While workbooks (or textbook chapters) are not my preferred way of learning, we do offer them to students who want them. American Guidance Service (AGS) publishes a wide variety of textbooks in the different subject areas, and they also sell CD roms with workbook pages, chapter tests, etc. They are quite comprehensive and while their scope is at the high school level, they are written at a lower reading level than regular high school texts. Students who choose this path do so because credit requirements are explicit. It is very highly structured; there are no surprises or guessing games. They can work at their own pace and they can work on their own time, often working far more productively than they could if they simply attended a class. It has always amazed me that I could never get my students to do 'homework' but I can give them one of those AGS text books and they will work 20 hours a day on it. Is it the best way to learn? Not for me it isn't. But it's what the student wants, what the student is ready for presently. Maybe I will be able to make it a hook to entice the student to pursue some topic more deeply. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Jun 30 08:18:06 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 08:18:06 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 387] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44A3DEB8.8000401@ccsdistrict.org> References: <44A3DEB8.8000401@ccsdistrict.org> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060630080939.02bdf880@rci.rutgers.edu> Very good question. In one of the classes we studied the teacher emphasized getting the right answers on the worksheets and assumed that if students did get the right answers, they had mastered the material. Understanding that getting the right answer was the name of the game, the learners developed strategies to increase their chances of getting the right answer that sometimes subverted the purpose of the exercise. So in respect to this class, you may have identified a problem. Yet in other classes, teachers orally quizzed learners while correcting their work to diagnose whether they really did understand and then helped them if they did not. I do think it is possible for learners to get correct answers on some workbook exercises without really understanding what the exercise is designed to teach. For that reason, the diagnosis step is quite important. At 10:07 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to >business" that are important?" > >I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most >of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I >have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the >students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting >through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they >understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When >correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they >think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they >just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take >a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe >that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are >much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. >Jane Meyer >Canton City schools ABLE >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Jun 30 08:40:03 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 08:40:03 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 388] Re: [Focusing 382] Re: norms In-Reply-To: <44A403DA020000A000002C7E@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> References: <44A403DA020000A000002C7E@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060630081916.02bee418@rci.rutgers.edu> Of course you are right. Learners who participate in adult literacy against their will have less motivation to "stick to business". I say "less" motivation rather than "no" motivation because we had at least two court-mandated learners in the study who worked very hard and made good progress. In respect to young learners, the Center was ideal in that the district had an alternative high school, and K-12 students who were discipline problems were sent there rather than being dumped into adult classes. Also, the Center did have a mandated welfare class but these learners had their own class and were not mainstreamed into the classes we studied. Your posting raises important policy questions. In many ways the classes we studied at the center were ideal, but as literacy professionals, don't we deserve the ideal? At 10:46 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >I think it's a huge assumption to state "sticking to business comes >naturally for adult learners." That assumes that that everyone that >enters an ABE program is an adult both in age, and attitude. The latter >being the key. The assumption is that all the adult learners in an ABE >program WANT to be there and that's not always the case. There is >nothing "natural" for the adult learner who is mandated by court or >other local, state or federal guidelines that require an ABE/GED course. > > >The program model you observed is an "ideal" for many of us, I would >hazard to say,especially for those of us who deal with younger students >just out of high school. The key word you stressed below was >"voluntary;" great - what about those that aren't voluntary sitting in a >class with those who are? I have taught in Adult Education for 10 years >now, and the mixture is always there - those who want to be there vs >those who HAVE to be there. This makes "sticking to business" some days >next to impossible. I can't throw students who don't stick to business >out of my class. I can ask that they be quiet, focus, try to work hard. >I can sit with them, etc. I can do many things to address the negative >behavior but it doesn't mean I can make the student "stick to business." > Instructors are bound by both local and state regulations as to >discipline - at least here. We can have local policies in place but at >the same time, when everything is driven by FTE's and student >progression, EVERY student becomes critical to program success and >retaining those students who don't want to be there is as important as >retaining those studens who WANT to be there. In light of that, not >every class room is going to exemplify "sticking to business" as >highlighted in the article. The "ideal" situation isn't what some of us >face day to day. The question really is how do you address the problem >to benefit all - those who want to be there, and those who HAVE to be >there. ( I think this is also what happens in meetings etc, which Janet >asked about. Those that want to be there are ready to get to work, get >it done and get back to business - those that have to be there, want to >talk about their trips to the beach, their families, the weekend etc - >anything to avoid what they didn't want to deal with in the first >place.) > >Additionally, there is a time and place for building social skills and >teamwork through discourse in the adult classroom setting. Not all >instruction occurs via a text, a worksheet or a math problem to be >solved. Some skills such as getting along with others, expressing >diverse view points, and listening to diverse view points can only be >learned when you don't strictly, "stick to business" but go beyond the >"business" of getting a GED And into the "business" of building a more >successful student in a wholistic manner. > >Regards >Katrina Hinson > > > >>> 06/29/06 5:03 AM >>> >For us the interesting thing about the norm sticking to business was >that >it was established by both teachers and learners through mutual >consensus. >It was part of the conetext of instruction rather than a set of imposed >rules. These were voluntary learners who came pre-disposed to work. So >I >think sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners. If you >have a class where learners are not sticking to business, it may be a >sign >that something is wrong. > > > > > > I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; >what > > about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the >work > > on > > the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the >relationship > > building undergirding so much of the work we do? > > > > Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about >balance? > > I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom > > contexts > > and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or > > another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) > > > > Janet Isserlis > > > > > >> From: Julie McKinney > >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > >> Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 > >> To: > >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner > >> Engagement! > >> > >> Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In >Hal's > >> study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging > >> learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" > >> seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many > >> classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If >this > >> is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we >can > >> do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where >they > >> are not consistent. > >> > >> How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other >classroom > >> norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? > >> > >> Julie > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From melissa_monti at iu13.org Fri Jun 30 09:01:16 2006 From: melissa_monti at iu13.org (Melissa Monti) Date: 30 Jun 06 09:01:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 389] [Focusing 382] Re: norms Message-ID: <20060630130115.6EB46E808C@relay2.iu13.org> Reply to: [Focusing 382] Re: norms Working with mandated students in GED class as well as previously in drug and alcohol rehab I have been interested in this dilemma for some time. Research on motivation has shown that the issue of voluntary vs. involuntary "particpation" matters less than what happens once a student is IN the placement situation (classroom or therapeutic envrinoment, for example). The turn around is internal but it can be self-motivated or due to external pressure. The critical key is what happens to engage the student once they are a "captive audience". Not that this is easy by any means.... Forgive me for not citing specific research. I will try to do some homework to back this up. MM Melissa Monti, Ed.M. Professional Development Coordinator IU-13/SEPDC Instructional Services Dept. 1110 Enterprise Road East Petersburg, PA 17520 tele. (717)519-1012 fax (717)560-6150 email: melissa_monti at iu13.org visit our website at: https://www.iu13.org/aded_otda_main.shtml "Those who can, do. Those who believe others can also, teach." - John E. King Hal Beder wrote: > >Of course you are right. Learners who participate in adult literacy >against their will have less motivation to "stick to business". I >say "less" motivation rather than "no" motivation because we had at >least two court-mandated learners in the study who worked very hard >and made good progress. In respect to young learners, the Center was >ideal in that the district had an alternative high school, and K-12 >students who were discipline problems were sent there rather than >being dumped into adult classes. Also, the Center did have a >mandated welfare class but these learners had their own class and >were not mainstreamed into the classes we studied. Your posting >raises important policy questions. In many ways the classes we >studied at the center were ideal, but as literacy professionals, >don't we deserve the ideal? > > > >At 10:46 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >>I think it's a huge assumption to state "sticking to business comes >>naturally for adult learners." That assumes that that everyone that >>enters an ABE program is an adult both in age, and attitude. The latter >>being the key. The assumption is that all the adult learners in an ABE >>program WANT to be there and that's not always the case. There is >>nothing "natural" for the adult learner who is mandated by court or >>other local, state or federal guidelines that require an ABE/GED course. >> >> >>The program model you observed is an "ideal" for many of us, I would >>hazard to say,especially for those of us who deal with younger students >>just out of high school. The key word you stressed below was >>"voluntary;" great - what about those that aren't voluntary sitting in a >>class with those who are? I have taught in Adult Education for 10 years >>now, and the mixture is always there - those who want to be there vs >>those who HAVE to be there. This makes "sticking to business" some days >>next to impossible. I can't throw students who don't stick to business >>out of my class. I can ask that they be quiet, focus, try to work hard. >>I can sit with them, etc. I can do many things to address the negative >>behavior but it doesn't mean I can make the student "stick to business." >> Instructors are bound by both local and state regulations as to >>discipline - at least here. We can have local policies in place but at >>the same time, when everything is driven by FTE's and student >>progression, EVERY student becomes critical to program success and >>retaining those students who don't want to be there is as important as >>retaining those studens who WANT to be there. In light of that, not >>every class room is going to exemplify "sticking to business" as >>highlighted in the article. The "ideal" situation isn't what some of us >>face day to day. The question really is how do you address the problem >>to benefit all - those who want to be there, and those who HAVE to be >>there. ( I think this is also what happens in meetings etc, which Janet >>asked about. Those that want to be there are ready to get to work, get >>it done and get back to business - those that have to be there, want to >>talk about their trips to the beach, their families, the weekend etc - >>anything to avoid what they didn't want to deal with in the first >>place.) >> >>Additionally, there is a time and place for building social skills and >>teamwork through discourse in the adult classroom setting. Not all >>instruction occurs via a text, a worksheet or a math problem to be >>solved. Some skills such as getting along with others, expressing >>diverse view points, and listening to diverse view points can only be >>learned when you don't strictly, "stick to business" but go beyond the >>"business" of getting a GED And into the "business" of building a more >>successful student in a wholistic manner. >> >>Regards >>Katrina Hinson >> >> >> >>> 06/29/06 5:03 AM >>> >>For us the interesting thing about the norm sticking to business was >>that >>it was established by both teachers and learners through mutual >>consensus. >>It was part of the conetext of instruction rather than a set of imposed >>rules. These were voluntary learners who came pre-disposed to work. So >>I >>think sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners. If you >>have a class where learners are not sticking to business, it may be a >>sign >>that something is wrong. >> >> >> >> >> > I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; >>what >> > about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the >>work >> > on >> > the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the >>relationship >> > building undergirding so much of the work we do? >> > >> > Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about >>balance? >> > I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom >> > contexts >> > and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or >> > another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) >> > >> > Janet Isserlis >> > >> > >> >> From: Julie McKinney >> >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >> >> Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 >> >> To: >> >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner >> >> Engagement! >> >> >> >> Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In >>Hal's >> >> study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging >> >> learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" >> >> seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many >> >> classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If >>this >> >> is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we >>can >> >> do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where >>they >> >> are not consistent. >> >> >> >> How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other >>classroom >> >> norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? >> >> >> >> Julie >> > >> > ---------------------------------------------------- >> > National Institute for Literacy >> > Focus on Basics mailing list >> > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> From djrosen at comcast.net Fri Jun 30 09:00:41 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:00:41 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 390] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44A49FD4.8020601@isp.com> References: <44A49FD4.8020601@isp.com> Message-ID: <7DE025FE-F3A3-4538-B519-59E1B1DDB902@comcast.net> Tom, Hal, and others Tom has raised an issue which nearly every adult education (including ESOL) teacher who embraces experiential, hands-on, participatory, constructivist/project-based, and transformational learning faces: their view of good teaching/learning practice vs. their students' often more conservative textbook, workbook, lecture, and chalkboard notes model of teaching. The answer, I believe is a negotiated approach, where the teacher agrees to use some textbook and/or workbook materials, and perhaps lectures or presentations, and the students agree to try the teacher's chosen approaches. Hal, I wonder if you have seen examples of this negotiation process and, if so, if you could tell us about them. David David J. Rosen newsomeassociates.com djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 29, 2006, at 11:51 PM, Woods wrote: > When I was doing my teacher preservice, the lesson was drilled into > us, > workbooks=BAD, experiential/hands-on=GOOD. > > So it was with great relish that I developed courses for my students > (aged 17-60+) that were rich in hands-on experiential learning. And it > was with great consternation that I listened to one of my younger > students say to me, "don't you just have some workbooks I can do?" > > I think we have to be mindful that students have preferences and it's > wrong to write off one mode of learning such as workbooks just because > it doesn't fit with our own preferred mode, or those of 'experts' who > know what's best. First of all, we have to take the student > wherever he > or she may be in terms of abilities, goals, and preferences. Then > we try > to get him or her to think differently about things. We can't actually > change students' thinking, but we can give students things to think > ABOUT. This, in turn, creates the conditions in which the students > themselves will expand or alter their thinking. I believe it is > risky to > try to rush this process. If my student is ready for workbooks and > I try > to get him to do do other things, I risk scaring him off, or I risk > trying to make him conform to MY goals, not his own. That's what was > done to them when they were children. My students, who are mostly > pretty > alienated from school and education, are wise to this. Their radar > goes > up in a flash when they sense it. > > While workbooks (or textbook chapters) are not my preferred way of > learning, we do offer them to students who want them. American > Guidance > Service (AGS) publishes a wide variety of textbooks in the different > subject areas, and they also sell CD roms with workbook pages, chapter > tests, etc. They are quite comprehensive and while their scope is > at the > high school level, they are written at a lower reading level than > regular high school texts. Students who choose this path do so because > credit requirements are explicit. It is very highly structured; there > are no surprises or guessing games. They can work at their own pace > and > they can work on their own time, often working far more productively > than they could if they simply attended a class. It has always > amazed me > that I could never get my students to do 'homework' but I can give > them > one of those AGS text books and they will work 20 hours a day on it. > > Is it the best way to learn? Not for me it isn't. But it's what the > student wants, what the student is ready for presently. Maybe I > will be > able to make it a hook to entice the student to pursue some topic more > deeply. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Jun 30 09:05:46 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:05:46 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 391] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44A4055A020000A000002C82@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> References: <44A4055A020000A000002C82@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060630084801.02bb2a10@rci.rutgers.edu> Good point. In another study we did that is reported in the same FOB, we found that IGI is more common in GED than in lower level classes. In GED the goal is clear and concrete--pass the GED tests. IGI materials articulate well with achieving this goal. Learners want to pass the tests as quickly as they possibly can and the teacher in the GED class we studied understood this. Skills and knowledge that were not on the GED tests were seen as a deviation. So the teaching/learning technology in the GED class was extremely efficient in helping learners to achieve the stated goal of the class, that being to achieve a GED. But does GED instruction of this type prepare learners for post-secondary? That's a real concern and I don't know the answer. On one hand the learners in the GED class were truly in dependant learners and it could be that IGI supports the development of independant learning skills. Yet did this GED instruction ignore other important skills that learners need to be successful in post secondary? Perhaps. When you look at the NCSALL research on the economic benefits of obtaining a GED, the conclusion is that a GED alone does not get you much. So transition to, and success in, post secondary education is a huge issue. In my view, adult literacy and achievement of the GED needs to be viewed as a beginning, not as an end point. At 10:52 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >I agree. We're struggling with this "workbook" approach in our own >setting - because some of the instructors think just giving a student a >workbook is helpful and it sets in place a series of events where a >student MIGHT learn enough to pass the GED or Improve a Level but at the >same time, may not retain what they have learned for the long term. This >becomes very problematic for students who want to puruse academic goals >beyond the GED/AHS environment - students who are then relegated to >developmental or remedial classes, grow frustrated and ultimately give >up. > >I think it's important to explain HOW a student is engaged in the >learning process when you're talking about a workbook approach to >things. Administrators in my state would bristle at this concept but >they'd argue it flies in the face of "quality" instruction...that >somewhere there needs to be dialogue and discussion and interaction - >not just workbooks and worksheets. > >Regards >Katrina Hinson > > >>> Jane Meyer 06/29/06 7:07 AM >>> >Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to >business" that are important?" > >I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most >of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I > >have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the >students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting >through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they >understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When >correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they >think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they > >just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take > >a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe >that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are >much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. > >Jane Meyer >Canton City schools ABLE >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From melissa_monti at iu13.org Fri Jun 30 09:25:48 2006 From: melissa_monti at iu13.org (Melissa Monti) Date: 30 Jun 06 09:25:48 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 392] motivational interviewing research Message-ID: <20060630132548.E9F57E808C@relay2.iu13.org> Reply to: motivational interviewing research Here is some good research on Motivation Interviewing - a well-researched technique that does increase internal motivation for court-mandated clients in D&A programs. The first link is to a handbook that describes motivational interviewing, working with resistance, and "norming" changes, etc. I think it would be a good study model for adult educators. 1) http://casacrenewal.com/CourseOutlines.html These links below represent a very basic overview of the first wo pages of links I just did on Google using keywords: motivation, clients, mandated, treatment. Just basic recent research in D&A arena. http://www.ibr.tcu.edu/pubs/newslet/04spring.html http://www.counselormagazine.com/display_article.asp?aid=aug04SuccessfulMandatedClient.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12118626&dopt=Abstract Melissa Monti, Ed.M. Professional Development Coordinator IU-13/SEPDC Instructional Services Dept. 1110 Enterprise Road East Petersburg, PA 17520 tele. (717)519-1012 fax (717)560-6150 email: melissa_monti at iu13.org Hal Beder wrote: > >Of course you are right. Learners who participate in adult literacy >against their will have less motivation to "stick to business". I >say "less" motivation rather than "no" motivation because we had at >least two court-mandated learners in the study who worked very hard >and made good progress. In respect to young learners, the Center was >ideal in that the district had an alternative high school, and K-12 >students who were discipline problems were sent there rather than >being dumped into adult classes. Also, the Center did have a >mandated welfare class but these learners had their own class and >were not mainstreamed into the classes we studied. Your posting >raises important policy questions. In many ways the classes we >studied at the center were ideal, but as literacy professionals, >don't we deserve the ideal? > > > >At 10:46 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote: >>I think it's a huge assumption to state "sticking to business comes >>naturally for adult learners." That assumes that that everyone that >>enters an ABE program is an adult both in age, and attitude. The latter >>being the key. The assumption is that all the adult learners in an ABE >>program WANT to be there and that's not always the case. There is >>nothing "natural" for the adult learner who is mandated by court or >>other local, state or federal guidelines that require an ABE/GED course. >> >> >>The program model you observed is an "ideal" for many of us, I would >>hazard to say,especially for those of us who deal with younger students >>just out of high school. The key word you stressed below was >>"voluntary;" great - what about those that aren't voluntary sitting in a >>class with those who are? I have taught in Adult Education for 10 years >>now, and the mixture is always there - those who want to be there vs >>those who HAVE to be there. This makes "sticking to business" some days >>next to impossible. I can't throw students who don't stick to business >>out of my class. I can ask that they be quiet, focus, try to work hard. >>I can sit with them, etc. I can do many things to address the negative >>behavior but it doesn't mean I can make the student "stick to business." >> Instructors are bound by both local and state regulations as to >>discipline - at least here. We can have local policies in place but at >>the same time, when everything is driven by FTE's and student >>progression, EVERY student becomes critical to program success and >>retaining those students who don't want to be there is as important as >>retaining those studens who WANT to be there. In light of that, not >>every class room is going to exemplify "sticking to business" as >>highlighted in the article. The "ideal" situation isn't what some of us >>face day to day. The question really is how do you address the problem >>to benefit all - those who want to be there, and those who HAVE to be >>there. ( I think this is also what happens in meetings etc, which Janet >>asked about. Those that want to be there are ready to get to work, get >>it done and get back to business - those that have to be there, want to >>talk about their trips to the beach, their families, the weekend etc - >>anything to avoid what they didn't want to deal with in the first >>place.) >> >>Additionally, there is a time and place for building social skills and >>teamwork through discourse in the adult classroom setting. Not all >>instruction occurs via a text, a worksheet or a math problem to be >>solved. Some skills such as getting along with others, expressing >>diverse view points, and listening to diverse view points can only be >>learned when you don't strictly, "stick to business" but go beyond the >>"business" of getting a GED And into the "business" of building a more >>successful student in a wholistic manner. >> >>Regards >>Katrina Hinson >> >> >> >>> 06/29/06 5:03 AM >>> >>For us the interesting thing about the norm sticking to business was >>that >>it was established by both teachers and learners through mutual >>consensus. >>It was part of the conetext of instruction rather than a set of imposed >>rules. These were voluntary learners who came pre-disposed to work. So >>I >>think sticking to business comes naturally for adult learners. If you >>have a class where learners are not sticking to business, it may be a >>sign >>that something is wrong. >> >> >> >> >> > I'm not sure that classroom norms are *only* a concern for learners; >>what >> > about meetings where practitioners sometimes struggle to balance the >>work >> > on >> > the table and the social pieces - not just chatter, but the >>relationship >> > building undergirding so much of the work we do? >> > >> > Is the question more about how work/learning get done and about >>balance? >> > I'm not sure how completely different these issues are in classroom >> > contexts >> > and in other contexts where people meet to accomplish some purpose or >> > another (learning, meeting, workshop, etc...) >> > >> > Janet Isserlis >> > >> > >> >> From: Julie McKinney >> >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >> >> Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:38:23 -0400 >> >> To: >> >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 376] Re: Welcome to discussion of Learner >> >> Engagement! >> >> >> >> Katrina brought up an interesting point about classroom norms. In >>Hal's >> >> study it seemed that classroom norms were a major factor in engaging >> >> learners, yet in his study classes the norm of "sticking to business" >> >> seemed to be very smooth and unproblematic. My guess is that many >> >> classroom situations have more of a mix, as Katrina describes. If >>this >> >> is important in learner engagement, then we should discuss what we >>can >> >> do to improve or enforce the classroom norms in those classes where >>they >> >> are not consistent. >> >> >> >> How do we help everyone "stick to business"? Are there other >>classroom >> >> norms besides "sticking to business" that are important? >> >> >> >> Julie >> > From JSteinbauer at vermonthumanities.org Fri Jun 30 09:45:49 2006 From: JSteinbauer at vermonthumanities.org (Jan Steinbauer) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:45:49 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 393] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <148E0969224AD040923488CEA238BDB74B9E62@vhc-fs01.vermonthumanities.local> HI, Tom, good to hear your voice again. Once again you speak in such a student-centered way. I enjoy reading your input and perspectives. Jan Steinbauer Director of Literacy Programs jsteinbauer at vermonthumanities.org Vermont Humanities Council 11 Loomis Street Montpelier, VT 05602 802-262-2626 ~ FAX 802-262-2620 www.vermonthumanities.org -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Woods Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 11:52 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 386] Re: individualized workbook approach When I was doing my teacher preservice, the lesson was drilled into us, workbooks=BAD, experiential/hands-on=GOOD. So it was with great relish that I developed courses for my students (aged 17-60+) that were rich in hands-on experiential learning. And it was with great consternation that I listened to one of my younger students say to me, "don't you just have some workbooks I can do?" I think we have to be mindful that students have preferences and it's wrong to write off one mode of learning such as workbooks just because it doesn't fit with our own preferred mode, or those of 'experts' who know what's best. First of all, we have to take the student wherever he or she may be in terms of abilities, goals, and preferences. Then we try to get him or her to think differently about things. We can't actually change students' thinking, but we can give students things to think ABOUT. This, in turn, creates the conditions in which the students themselves will expand or alter their thinking. I believe it is risky to try to rush this process. If my student is ready for workbooks and I try to get him to do do other things, I risk scaring him off, or I risk trying to make him conform to MY goals, not his own. That's what was done to them when they were children. My students, who are mostly pretty alienated from school and education, are wise to this. Their radar goes up in a flash when they sense it. While workbooks (or textbook chapters) are not my preferred way of learning, we do offer them to students who want them. American Guidance Service (AGS) publishes a wide variety of textbooks in the different subject areas, and they also sell CD roms with workbook pages, chapter tests, etc. They are quite comprehensive and while their scope is at the high school level, they are written at a lower reading level than regular high school texts. Students who choose this path do so because credit requirements are explicit. It is very highly structured; there are no surprises or guessing games. They can work at their own pace and they can work on their own time, often working far more productively than they could if they simply attended a class. It has always amazed me that I could never get my students to do 'homework' but I can give them one of those AGS text books and they will work 20 hours a day on it. Is it the best way to learn? Not for me it isn't. But it's what the student wants, what the student is ready for presently. Maybe I will be able to make it a hook to entice the student to pursue some topic more deeply. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From melissa_monti at iu13.org Fri Jun 30 09:46:28 2006 From: melissa_monti at iu13.org (Melissa Monti) Date: 30 Jun 06 09:46:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 394] research - final citation Message-ID: <20060630134629.82D31E808C@relay2.iu13.org> Reply to: research - final citation The original theorists/researchers of motivational interviewing are Drs. Rollnick and Miller. A keyword search provides extensive literature, including handbooks on Amazon and their website below - which has a nice biblio section. http://www.motivationalinterview.org/ Melissa Monti, Ed.M. Professional Development Coordinator IU-13/SEPDC Instructional Services Dept. 1110 Enterprise Road East Petersburg, PA 17520 tele. (717)519-1012 fax (717)560-6150 email: melissa_monti at iu13.org visit our website at: https://www.iu13.org/aded_otda_main.shtml "Those who can, do. Those who believe others can also, teach." - John E. King From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Fri Jun 30 10:45:29 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:45:29 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 395] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <7DE025FE-F3A3-4538-B519-59E1B1DDB902@comcast.net> References: <44A49FD4.8020601@isp.com> <7DE025FE-F3A3-4538-B519-59E1B1DDB902@comcast.net> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060630102711.02b9f028@rci.rutgers.edu> The Engagement Study that we are discussing here and the Classroom Dynamics study which we conducted perviously were both based on classroom observation. I would not be surprised if our team has observed more adult literacy education classes than any group in modern history. Yet I can think of only two classes in all of that where the instructional approach was negotiated, and even in those two classes, negotiation was not common. In general, teachers direct and learners acquiesce. In Classroom Dynamics this was true for even the most participatory classes. In participatory classes, participation occurred because teachers elicited it, not because the learners requested it. There are cases where learners expressed a special need and teachers acknowledged it. In one class in the Engagement Study, for example, a learner had to take the drivers exam and asked for help with the manual. The teacher then used the manual as a authentic resource. In Classroom Dynamics, there were a couple of classes that were organized around a theme such as employment. In these classes learners had some say in the choice of theme. All in all, adult literacy education is a very much teacher-directed [and in some cases materials directed] enterprise. At 09:00 AM 6/30/2006, you wrote: >Tom, Hal, and others > >Tom has raised an issue which nearly every adult education (including >ESOL) teacher who embraces experiential, hands-on, participatory, >constructivist/project-based, and transformational learning faces: >their view of good teaching/learning practice vs. their students' >often more conservative textbook, workbook, lecture, and chalkboard >notes model of teaching. The answer, I believe is a negotiated >approach, where the teacher agrees to use some textbook and/or >workbook materials, and perhaps lectures or presentations, and the >students agree to try the teacher's chosen approaches. > >Hal, I wonder if you have seen examples of this negotiation process >and, if so, if you could tell us about them. > >David > >David J. Rosen >newsomeassociates.com >djrosen at comcast.net > > >On Jun 29, 2006, at 11:51 PM, Woods wrote: > > > When I was doing my teacher preservice, the lesson was drilled into > > us, > > workbooks=BAD, experiential/hands-on=GOOD. > > > > So it was with great relish that I developed courses for my students > > (aged 17-60+) that were rich in hands-on experiential learning. And it > > was with great consternation that I listened to one of my younger > > students say to me, "don't you just have some workbooks I can do?" > > > > I think we have to be mindful that students have preferences and it's > > wrong to write off one mode of learning such as workbooks just because > > it doesn't fit with our own preferred mode, or those of 'experts' who > > know what's best. First of all, we have to take the student > > wherever he > > or she may be in terms of abilities, goals, and preferences. Then > > we try > > to get him or her to think differently about things. We can't actually > > change students' thinking, but we can give students things to think > > ABOUT. This, in turn, creates the conditions in which the students > > themselves will expand or alter their thinking. I believe it is > > risky to > > try to rush this process. If my student is ready for workbooks and > > I try > > to get him to do do other things, I risk scaring him off, or I risk > > trying to make him conform to MY goals, not his own. That's what was > > done to them when they were children. My students, who are mostly > > pretty > > alienated from school and education, are wise to this. Their radar > > goes > > up in a flash when they sense it. > > > > While workbooks (or textbook chapters) are not my preferred way of > > learning, we do offer them to students who want them. American > > Guidance > > Service (AGS) publishes a wide variety of textbooks in the different > > subject areas, and they also sell CD roms with workbook pages, chapter > > tests, etc. They are quite comprehensive and while their scope is > > at the > > high school level, they are written at a lower reading level than > > regular high school texts. Students who choose this path do so because > > credit requirements are explicit. It is very highly structured; there > > are no surprises or guessing games. They can work at their own pace > > and > > they can work on their own time, often working far more productively > > than they could if they simply attended a class. It has always > > amazed me > > that I could never get my students to do 'homework' but I can give > > them > > one of those AGS text books and they will work 20 hours a day on it. > > > > Is it the best way to learn? Not for me it isn't. But it's what the > > student wants, what the student is ready for presently. Maybe I > > will be > > able to make it a hook to entice the student to pursue some topic more > > deeply. > > > > Tom Woods > > Community High School of Vermont > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From steve_quann at worlded.org Fri Jun 30 11:39:34 2006 From: steve_quann at worlded.org (Steve Quann) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:39:34 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 396] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: David, Good point. I have found the eclectic approach of integrating what students' are accustomed to works well. And after all it's learner-centered! Steve Quann World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 617.482.9485 >>> djrosen at comcast.net 06/30 9:00 AM >>> Tom, Hal, and others Tom has raised an issue which nearly every adult education (including ESOL) teacher who embraces experiential, hands-on, participatory, constructivist/project-based, and transformational learning faces: their view of good teaching/learning practice vs. their students' often more conservative textbook, workbook, lecture, and chalkboard notes model of teaching. The answer, I believe is a negotiated approach, where the teacher agrees to use some textbook and/or workbook materials, and perhaps lectures or presentations, and the students agree to try the teacher's chosen approaches. Hal, I wonder if you have seen examples of this negotiation process and, if so, if you could tell us about them. David David J. Rosen newsomeassociates.com djrosen at comcast.net On Jun 29, 2006, at 11:51 PM, Woods wrote: > When I was doing my teacher preservice, the lesson was drilled into > us, > workbooks=BAD, experiential/hands-on=GOOD. > > So it was with great relish that I developed courses for my students > (aged 17-60+) that were rich in hands-on experiential learning. And it > was with great consternation that I listened to one of my younger > students say to me, "don't you just have some workbooks I can do?" > > I think we have to be mindful that students have preferences and it's > wrong to write off one mode of learning such as workbooks just because > it doesn't fit with our own preferred mode, or those of 'experts' who > know what's best. First of all, we have to take the student > wherever he > or she may be in terms of abilities, goals, and preferences. Then > we try > to get him or her to think differently about things. We can't actually > change students' thinking, but we can give students things to think > ABOUT. This, in turn, creates the conditions in which the students > themselves will expand or alter their thinking. I believe it is > risky to > try to rush this process. If my student is ready for workbooks and > I try > to get him to do do other things, I risk scaring him off, or I risk > trying to make him conform to MY goals, not his own. That's what was > done to them when they were children. My students, who are mostly > pretty > alienated from school and education, are wise to this. Their radar > goes > up in a flash when they sense it. > > While workbooks (or textbook chapters) are not my preferred way of > learning, we do offer them to students who want them. American > Guidance > Service (AGS) publishes a wide variety of textbooks in the different > subject areas, and they also sell CD roms with workbook pages, chapter > tests, etc. They are quite comprehensive and while their scope is > at the > high school level, they are written at a lower reading level than > regular high school texts. Students who choose this path do so because > credit requirements are explicit. It is very highly structured; there > are no surprises or guessing games. They can work at their own pace > and > they can work on their own time, often working far more productively > than they could if they simply attended a class. It has always > amazed me > that I could never get my students to do 'homework' but I can give > them > one of those AGS text books and they will work 20 hours a day on it. > > Is it the best way to learn? Not for me it isn't. But it's what the > student wants, what the student is ready for presently. Maybe I > will be > able to make it a hook to entice the student to pursue some topic more > deeply. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 30 12:39:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:39:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 396] Any other thoughts on learner engagement? Message-ID: Hi Everyone, As we continue to discuss norms, the IGI approach, and motivational interviewing research, I want to invite people to bring up any other thoughts or questions about Hal's article and the topic of "Shaping and Sustaining Learner Engagement." Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jun 30 13:36:53 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 13:36:53 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 397] Thanks to Hal and Everyone for a great discussion! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, This is the last day of our formal discussion, but as always, I hope you will all continue to dicuss this topic here on the list. The day is not over, and this is NOT a hint to curb further discussion this afternoon, but in the hopes that some of you hardworking souls may be leaving early for a nice long 4th of July weekend, I want to thank people now. Thank you all for participating in this discussion, and special thanks to Hal Beder for sharing his thoughts, expertise, and perspective about learner engagement. Have a great 4th of July weekend everyone! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jul 10 13:03:17 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:03:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 398] Discussion on Learner Persistence this week on Special Topics list! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I'm sorry this is late, but here is a reminder from David Rosen about a discussion on the Special Topics list with John Comings on Learner Persistence STARTING TODAY! Please read on... Julie ********************************** Colleagues, On the Special Topics discussion list from July 10th-18th, Dr. John Comings, Director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), will be a guest to discuss his research on student persistence in adult literacy education. John introduces the discussion this way: "When a group of us at World Education were preparing to write the proposal for the funds that have supported NCSALL, we surveyed practitioners and policy makers around the country to help us design our research agenda. Almost 500 people participated in the survey. We asked the survey participants to send us the questions that they wanted answered to help them improve practice in ABE, ESOL, and GED programs. One question was at the top of the list for teachers and second on everyone else's list. One teacher phrased it this way, "Just when they begin to make progress, many students leave the program. How can I keep those students long enough that they can meet their educational goals?" That question formed the basis of a three-phase study of persistence. The first two phases are complete. The first phase surveyed the literature, interviewed 150 students in the six New England states, and identified ways that programs were trying to support the persistence of their students. The report of that first phase can be found at: In the second phase, 9 library literacy programs were provided with funds to implement interventions that might help improve persistence, and our study team observed the programs and interviewed their staff and students. We also followed a cohort of 180 students for 14 months. The report of that second phase can be found at: We are prepared to implement the third phase, but NCSALL no longer has funding to begin a new research project. This next phase would test three interventions. One would add persistence supports to existing classroom programs, one would use a wide range of modes of learning (in programs and through self study on-line and in other ways) that more closely match the way adults manage their learning, and the third would combine these two approaches. I believe the third approach is a promising way to solve the persistence problem, as well as it can be solved. I'm looking forward to your questions, but I would also be interested in practical ideas of how to build support to persistence and how to expand opportunities for learning." ----- Special Topics is an intermittent discussion list. The topics open and close throughout the year, so there are periods where there will be no discussion or postings. You can subscribe to the e-list for a particular topic of interest, and then unsubscribe, or you can stay subscribed throughout the year. To participate in this topic, you can subscribe by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics David J. Rosen Special Topics Discussion List Moderator djrosen at comcast.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon Jul 10 14:25:06 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:25:06 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 399] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44A3DEB8.8000401@ccsdistrict.org> Message-ID: I have to agree with Jane here. Workbooks seem to give students comfort, but skills gained by their use alone are marginal at best. In my experience, students who most want the workbook are the ones most likely to succeed best with other modalities of study. For some reason the workbook=student work in their minds. Has anyone found a way to shift this paradigm? Va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jane Meyer Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 7:08 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 381] individualized workbook approach Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to business" that are important?" I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. Jane Meyer Canton City schools ABLE ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Jul 10 19:19:08 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 19:19:08 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 400] New from NCSALL--Adult Student Persistence Message-ID: <001501c6a477$3f163000$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Study Circle Guide: Adult Student Persistence Newly revised to include the second phase of the NCSALL research on adult student persistence, this guide provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a 10?-hour study circle. It explores what the research says about adult student persistence and ideas for how to apply what is learned in classrooms and programs. The guide is based on a review of the NCSALL research on adult student persistence conducted by John Comings and others, summarized in an article entitled ?Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students? and other studies on student motivation and retention. It includes articles, resources, and action research reports to help practitioners consider strategies for increasing adult student persistence. This guide provides all the necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a three-session study circle with an option for a fourth. Each session lasts three-and-a-half hours. To download the study circle guide, visit NCSALL?s Web site: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=896 **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060710/ca775bd5/attachment.html From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Tue Jul 11 10:39:53 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 10:39:53 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 401] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: References: <44A3DEB8.8000401@ccsdistrict.org> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060711103815.02b30d40@rci.rutgers.edu> I think that the most effective way to shift is by adopting Equipped for the Future (EFF). Here is the link: http://eff.cls.utk.edu/ At 02:25 PM 7/10/2006, you wrote: >I have to agree with Jane here. Workbooks seem to give students >comfort, but skills gained by their use alone are marginal at best. In >my experience, students who most want the workbook are the ones most >likely to succeed best with other modalities of study. For some reason >the workbook=student work in their minds. Has anyone found a way to >shift this paradigm? >Va > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jane Meyer >Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 7:08 AM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 381] individualized workbook approach > >Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to >business" that are important?" > >I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most >of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I > >have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the >students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting >through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they >understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When >correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they >think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they > >just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take > >a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe >that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are >much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. > >Jane Meyer >Canton City schools ABLE >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Tue Jul 11 10:47:14 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:47:14 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 402] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <20060711144715.AA89C86B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> Virgnia, I think the issue that is being raised is part of parcel of what adult learners bring to learning experiences from their early K-12 experiences. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk about alternative ways of learning in the classroom as adults. This isn't a quick and easy remedy reply but I wanted to raise the question of how we can as adult educators help learners explore alternative ways of learning in the classroom. Pierre Dominice has explored the process of "learner biographies" with much success with graduate students. THis is a process of exploring learner experiences in learning situations both in classroom and out and some critical themes that have been forumulated as a result of these experiences. I think this journey back to "roots of learning" can help learners identify ways in which they have been both successful/unsuccessful in learning. What are some thoughts on this type of process for basic literacy/ESOL students? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From khinson71 at cox.net Tue Jul 11 13:22:16 2006 From: khinson71 at cox.net (khinson71 at cox.net) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 13:22:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 403] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> I asked this question earlier - why are these standards so much better than anything else? Adopting standards won't necessarily change HOW teachers teach/don't teach in their classrooms. I think Esther made a good point. An adult learner brings their past learning experiences to the adult classroom with them and one of the things we as instructors need to do is establish/discuss with the students what worked for them before vs what didn't work. To talk about where they are now as learners outside the class - what works and what doesn't. Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; they may not know anything about learning style differences or how to implement activities that address multiple learning styles. I just don't think the implementation of content standards like EFF is the only answer / way to address the problem of workbook only type instruction and its pitfalls and/or successes. Regards, Katrina Hinson ---- Hal Beder wrote: > I think that the most effective way to shift is by adopting Equipped > for the Future (EFF). Here is the link: > http://eff.cls.utk.edu/ > > > At 02:25 PM 7/10/2006, you wrote: > >I have to agree with Jane here. Workbooks seem to give students > >comfort, but skills gained by their use alone are marginal at best. In > >my experience, students who most want the workbook are the ones most > >likely to succeed best with other modalities of study. For some reason > >the workbook=student work in their minds. Has anyone found a way to > >shift this paradigm? > >Va > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jane Meyer > >Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 7:08 AM > >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 381] individualized workbook approach > > > >Julie asked "Are there other classroom norms besides "sticking to > >business" that are important?" > > > >I was surprised when I read Hal's study on engaging learners that most > >of the classes in the study used an individualized workbook approach. I > > > >have never found this approach to be very engaging. I wonder what the > >students are engaged with. Are they engaged in learning or getting > >through the workbook pages? Do they struggle to make sure they > >understand the concepts or just plow through to get done? When > >correcting their answers using the key in the back of the book do they > >think about where they went wrong and be sure they understand or do they > > > >just change their answer to the correct one? I have seen students take > > > >a workbook home over the weekend and do the whole workbook and believe > >that they now have moved up a grade level in reading. I think there are > >much more engaging approaches than the individualized workbook approach. > > > >Jane Meyer > >Canton City schools ABLE > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > Rutgers University > Graduate School of Education > 10 seminary Pl. > New Brunswick, NJ 08901 > 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Tue Jul 11 14:26:41 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> Message-ID: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? I was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, nor in my practice. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont khinson71 at cox.net wrote: Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; From akohring at utk.edu Tue Jul 11 16:07:49 2006 From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:07:49 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 405] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060711160643.04a03ba8@pop.utk.edu> Tom, Basically, pedagogy refers to teaching of children while andragogy refers to teaching of adults. Aaron At 02:26 PM 7/11/2006 -0400, you wrote: >OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? I >was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, >nor in my practice. >Tom Woods >Community High School of Vermont > >khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > >Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little >knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Aaron Kohring Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/) Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Phone:(865) 974-4109 main (865) 974-4258 direct Fax: (865) 974-3857 e-mail: akohring at utk.edu From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Tue Jul 11 16:27:34 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:27:34 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 406] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <20060711202734.869473384C@ws7-3.us4.outblaze.com> Hal, this is your chance to promote the adult ed degree program at Rutgers. Take it away. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From trmay at hotmail.com Tue Jul 11 16:30:43 2006 From: trmay at hotmail.com (Tracy Rosen) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:30:43 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 407] pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> Message-ID: Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have worked with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new position in a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the special education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in Montreal. Nice to meet you all! Here is a reference for andragogy: "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs to focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. Strategies such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation are most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource rather than lecturer or grader." - taken from http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained to look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. Most learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have become student-led conferences. I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, and I am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses on process and therefore not different from andragogy. Tracy Rosen ----Original Message Follows---- From: Woods Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? I was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, nor in my practice. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont khinson71 at cox.net wrote: Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From djrosen at comcast.net Tue Jul 11 17:51:08 2006 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:51:08 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 408] Andragogy In-Reply-To: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> Message-ID: <7C6B2405-6BBE-41B9-ACC6-BAFB2588674A@comcast.net> Tom, and others, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andragogy David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Jul 11, 2006, at 2:26 PM, Woods wrote: > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and > andragogy? I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and > little knowledge or understanding of the differences between > pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- From valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org Tue Jul 11 19:00:21 2006 From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org (Valley Peters) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:00:21 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 409] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> Message-ID: Hi Tom, My understanding is that andragogy specifically applies to the methods/approaches/theories for teaching adults. Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jul 11, 2006, at 12:26 PM, Woods wrote: > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and > andragogy? I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and > little knowledge or understanding of the differences between > pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > From Khinson at future-gate.com Tue Jul 11 19:12:55 2006 From: Khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 01:12:55 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 410] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> Message-ID: <44B3F835.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com> Below is an excellent website that focuses on the differences between Pedagogy and Andragogy. The first is "teacher" centered the latter is "Student" centered - in short. I recommend you read the article on the website. Knowles is a good reference as well for andragogic learning and the reasoning behind it. If you "google" Knowles, and Andragogy, you'll probably pull up his research models. http://agelesslearner.com/intros/andragogy.html Regards, Katrina Hinson >>> Woods 7/11/2006 2:26 pm >>> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? I was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, nor in my practice. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont khinson71 at cox.net wrote: Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and andragogy when it comes to the adult classroom; ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From woodsnh at isp.com Tue Jul 11 23:26:57 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 23:26:57 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 411] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44B3F835.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com> References: <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> <44B3F835.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com> Message-ID: <44B46C01.7050807@isp.com> Katrina Hinson wrote: http://agelesslearner.com/intros/andragogy.html Thank you Katrina. I can see how the two terms differentiated by age of learner, but I think the world would be a better place if they had not. There are many teaching concepts from K12 that would fit well in andragogy such as constructivism, student-centeredness, authentic materials, authentic assessment and self-assessment, but they often seem to get badly misinterpreted when put into practice. I think these things are imperiled even in adult education. Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how educational traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and when we do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I guess students are prisoners of their experience too. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont From andreawilder at comcast.net Wed Jul 12 08:04:25 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:04:25 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <283a23f248528e950b2c9be7c6d4a288@comcast.net> I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From akohring at utk.edu Wed Jul 12 08:11:11 2006 From: akohring at utk.edu (Aaron Kohring) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 08:11:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 413] Re: individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <44B46C01.7050807@isp.com> References: <44B3F835.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com> <26496569.1152638536606.JavaMail.root@eastrmwml03.mgt.cox.net> <44B3ED61.9050701@isp.com> <44B3F835.121D.00A0.0@future-gate.com> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20060712080655.03265a28@pop.utk.edu> Tom, You've highlighted a lot of the terms that are so important to the EFF framework (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/fundamentals/default.htm): constructivism, student-centeredness, authentic materials, authentic assessment and self-assessment. And Katrina- this is one of the reasons why I believe that the EFF standards are different (I'm not saying the only standards or the best) from many others because they build from many of these important concepts and are meaningful to the learners. Aaron At 11:26 PM 7/11/2006 -0400, you wrote: >Katrina Hinson wrote: > >http://agelesslearner.com/intros/andragogy.html > >Thank you Katrina. I can see how the two terms differentiated by age of >learner, but I think the world would be a better place if they had not. >There are many teaching concepts from K12 that would fit well in andragogy >such as constructivism, student-centeredness, authentic materials, >authentic assessment and self-assessment, but they often seem to get badly >misinterpreted when put into practice. I think these things are imperiled >even in adult education. > >Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were >taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how educational >traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and when we >do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I guess >students are prisoners of their experience too. > >Tom Woods >Community High School of Vermont > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Aaron Kohring Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection (http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/) Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/) Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance Phone:(865) 974-4109 main (865) 974-4258 direct Fax: (865) 974-3857 e-mail: akohring at utk.edu From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jul 12 08:43:50 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 07:43:50 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 414] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <20060712124350.9534F86B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> Tom, I agree with your commments. I think that is why I feel it is so important for instructors to be critically reflective in their work. We need to explore some of the hidden beliefs that have helped formulate our ideological principles which in turn point us to our methods of teaching. A few weeks past the list discussed videotaping as a form of Professional Development for adult ed instructors. I believe that these types of PD opportunities for educators can help facilitate a better understanding of what impact (positive and negative) we are having with learners in the classroom, as well as help us to explore creative alternatives in learning situations. Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From khinson at future-gate.com Wed Jul 12 11:51:00 2006 From: khinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:51:00 +0200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 415] Re: individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <44B53684020000A000002D79@fgwiel01a.wie.de.future-gate.com> You're welcome. I agree with you and the others on the list that have made reference to the overlap of both terms. I think they do too. I also think that if more "adult" learner practices were utilized in a traditional setting, improvements might occurr in many areas. I can also see the benefit of many skills that cross over from K-12 that fit. I also see daily some that don't. I can go and observe many k-12 classrooms in my own state where teachers still are focused on imparting their knowledge INTO a student as if they were a sponge trying to soak it up. I am very thankful daily for the teachers I had growing that were so out of the box and very much student centered that it's never left me. From them I learned that learning occurs in a million ways and not all of them come from a text book. I was engaged from the moment I entered their doors until I walked out. That's not always the case though and for adult learners especially; we have to make sure we don't make the mistake of giving them just a workbook though...even if that's all they ask for. We need to help them find ways to learn that incorporate what they know, and how they have learned in the past, so that they have some sense of ownership in their own learning. From my experience, ownership in the learning process is something that rarely occurs in a traditional k-12 class. There are exceptions most assuredly,...but I don't think it's the norm. (None of that may have come out as well as it's racing through my head. Busy day - so forgive me if it makes no sense.) I also agree that authentic materials and authentic assesessment are most assuredly central to adult learning in my opinion. I have often thought or wished I could use the model I use in my adult ed classroom in a k-12 classroom just to highlight to policy makers and teachers who do hold on to "traditions" that sometimes, traditions need to evolve and change to meet the changing demands of the learners filling and leaving the seats in public school. >>> Woods 07/11/06 8:26 PM >>> Katrina Hinson wrote: http://agelesslearner.com/intros/andragogy.html Thank you Katrina. I can see how the two terms differentiated by age of learner, but I think the world would be a better place if they had not. There are many teaching concepts from K12 that would fit well in andragogy such as constructivism, student-centeredness, authentic materials, authentic assessment and self-assessment, but they often seem to get badly misinterpreted when put into practice. I think these things are imperiled even in adult education. Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how educational traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and when we do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I guess students are prisoners of their experience too. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Wed Jul 12 10:08:47 2006 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:08:47 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 414] Persistence Among Adult Education Students Video and transcript Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0E59BC2A@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> The National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy present Persistence Among Adult Education Students Panel Discussion This 30 minute video focuses on persistence in ABE, ESOL, and GED programs, and features a NCSALL study entitled, "Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students." Dr. John Cummings presentation examines student persistence in adult education programs. He presents a working definition of persistence, examines existing research, and describes NCSALL's three-phase study of the factors that support and inhibit persistence. Other panelist include two practitioners, Kathy Endaya and Ernest Best. You will find the video streamed and transcript by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/persistence/persistence_cast.html You may need to cut and paste the whole web address in your browser, or you could try this shorter version: http://tinyurl.com/s6tcu Macintosh users will need to select the Quicktime format for viewing the presentation. The DVD of the panel will be available within the next two months, for more information, contact info at nifl.gov. Also, it is not too late to join in on the Special Topics list discussion with Dr. Cummings, for more information, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/000088.html Jo Maralit National Institute for Literacy mmaralit at nifl.gov http://www.nifl.gov/ From WinstonL at lacnyc.org Wed Jul 12 13:23:07 2006 From: WinstonL at lacnyc.org (Winston Lawrence) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:23:07 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 415] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Message-ID: <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB817319D@lac-exch.lacnyc.local> Hi Andrea: This is interesting. You noted that the root of andragogy is 'male'. But pedagogy also has a root--' child' , like pediatrician - (doctor for a child). As an adult educator, how do you reconcile that? Winston -------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Mhrsemh at omh.state.ny.us Wed Jul 12 13:24:51 2006 From: Mhrsemh at omh.state.ny.us (Elizabeth Horvath) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:24:51 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 416] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <283a23f248528e950b2c9be7c6d4a288@comcast.net> References: <283a23f248528e950b2c9be7c6d4a288@comcast.net> Message-ID: <44B4F822.43A9.0076.0@omh.state.ny.us> According to my sources, the root is "From the Greek words "anere", for adult and "agogus", the art and science of helping students learn" - (coined by American educator Malcolm Knowles ) I was surprised by this, as I too have associated the Andr root with "male". I wonder how the "d" got in there? Beti Horvath Beti Horvath, MLS Library Services Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center New Hampton NY 10958 mhrsemh at omh.state.ny.us 845-374-3171x3625 Fax 845-374-3171x4625 >>> andreawilder at comcast.net 7/12/2006 8:04 am >>> I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail is meant only for the use of the intended recipient. It may contain confidential information which is legally privileged or otherwise protected by law. If you received this e-mail in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it to you, you are strictly prohibited from reviewing, using, disseminating, distributing or copying the e-mail. PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY OF THE ERROR BY RETURN E-MAIL AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEM. Thank you for your cooperation. From tnash at windham.k12.me.us Wed Jul 12 14:00:58 2006 From: tnash at windham.k12.me.us (Thomas Nash) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 14:00:58 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 416] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Message-ID: <827AA3FA092C0C4AA3A0221EC9B83D080314EFE0@EX2K.ad.wsd.windham.k12.me.us> Well the traditional methods of teaching or the processes - the lecture, the project, the demonstration, drill and reviews, the Socratic question and answer are still applicable to our world of adult education "classrooms". It is how we as teachers or "facilitators" of learning utilize the needs, goals, desires, capabilities and real life experiences of our learners in the respective learning experience for each individual learner. We can focus on the process and help adults develop transferable "skills" that can be used in various "content" areas... If you haven't already done so, you may also want to check out the Equipped for the Future conceptual framework that speaks to content AND skills. It refers to a purposeful, transparent, contextualized and constructivist learning experience for our adult learners... And my 2c worth on the debate in referring to the adult education realm: I would choose andragogy instead of pedagogy which has as a root, "child". Tom Thomas A. Nash Director of Adult Education Windham Adult Education 406 Gray Road Windham, ME 04062 (207) 892-1819 tnash at windham.k12.me.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From trmay at hotmail.com Wed Jul 12 14:32:51 2006 From: trmay at hotmail.com (Tracy Rosen) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 14:32:51 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 417] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB817319D@lac-exch.lacnyc.local> Message-ID: What if we refer to what we do as educating? It seems less offensive/problematic. Educate comes from ex- out and ducere - lead. To lead out. Or, we can forget all of this wordsmything and focus on teaching and learning because, when it comes down to it, I don't think that focusing on problems that may or may not have arisen due to the misuse of terminology is the issue. Whether it is called pedagogy, androgogy, education, facilitation, teaching, learning...it seems that, from what I have read so far, everyone on this forum is interested in fostering learner success and is in agreement that in order to do so we need to meet the learner where she/he is at and create authentic learning activities that respond to the needs and experiences of that learner. no? ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Winston Lawrence" Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 415] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:23:07 -0400 Hi Andrea: This is interesting. You noted that the root of andragogy is 'male'. But pedagogy also has a root--' child' , like pediatrician - (doctor for a child). As an adult educator, how do you reconcile that? Winston -------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From andreawilder at comcast.net Wed Jul 12 15:57:49 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:57:49 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 418] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB817319D@lac-exch.lacnyc.local> References: <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB817319D@lac-exch.lacnyc.local> Message-ID: <2ac9e676da64c4b7f37dc75aca895554@comcast.net> I reconcile the problem by extending pedagogy to the adult--this is often used, as the meaning has been expanded. Andrea On Jul 12, 2006, at 1:23 PM, Winston Lawrence wrote: > Hi Andrea: This is interesting. You noted that the root of andragogy is > 'male'. But pedagogy also has a root--' child' , like pediatrician - > (doctor for a child). As an adult educator, how do you reconcile that? > Winston > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder > Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > > I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I > avoid this word. > > It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have > temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. > > Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. > I use this word. > > Andrea > > > On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > >> Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have >> worked >> with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems >> intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new >> position in >> a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the >> special >> education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system > in >> Montreal. >> Nice to meet you all! >> >> Here is a reference for andragogy: >> >> "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > >> to >> focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. >> Strategies >> such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation >> are >> most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource >> rather than >> lecturer or grader." - taken from >> http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html >> >> I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be >> synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The >> Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than >> content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained >> to >> look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. >> Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. >> Most >> learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in >> 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component > as >> well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews > have >> become student-led conferences. >> >> I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, >> and I >> am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of > it. >> >> So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > >> on >> process and therefore not different from andragogy. >> >> Tracy Rosen >> >> >> >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: Woods >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach >> Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 >> >> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > >> I >> was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >> students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, >> nor in my practice. >> Tom Woods >> Community High School of Vermont >> >> khinson71 at cox.net wrote: >> >> Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little >> knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >> andragogy >> when it comes to the adult classroom; >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From andreawilder at comcast.net Wed Jul 12 16:00:17 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:00:17 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 419] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <44B4F822.43A9.0076.0@omh.state.ny.us> References: <283a23f248528e950b2c9be7c6d4a288@comcast.net> <44B4F822.43A9.0076.0@omh.state.ny.us> Message-ID: Ahem! the "d" got in there because the root is andrr--check your dictionary. Andrea On Jul 12, 2006, at 1:24 PM, Elizabeth Horvath wrote: > According to my sources, the root is "From the Greek words "anere", for > adult and "agogus", the art and science of helping students learn" - > (coined by American educator Malcolm Knowles ) > > I was surprised by this, as I too have associated the Andr root with > "male". > I wonder how the "d" got in there? > > Beti Horvath > > > Beti Horvath, MLS > Library Services > Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center > New Hampton NY 10958 > mhrsemh at omh.state.ny.us > 845-374-3171x3625 > Fax 845-374-3171x4625 > > >>>> andreawilder at comcast.net 7/12/2006 8:04 am >>> > I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I > avoid this word. > > It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have > temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. > > Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. > > I use this word. > > Andrea > > > On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > >> Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have >> worked >> with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems >> intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new >> position in >> a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the >> special >> education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system > in >> Montreal. >> Nice to meet you all! >> >> Here is a reference for andragogy: >> >> "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults > needs >> to >> focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. >> Strategies >> such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > >> are >> most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource >> rather than >> lecturer or grader." - taken from >> http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html >> >> I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can > be >> synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. > The >> Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather > than >> content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > >> to >> look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of > content. >> Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > >> Most >> learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in >> 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component > as >> well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews > have >> become student-led conferences. >> >> I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > >> and I >> am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of > it. >> >> So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and > focuses >> on >> process and therefore not different from andragogy. >> >> Tracy Rosen >> >> >> >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: Woods >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach >> Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 >> >> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and > andragogy? >> I >> was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >> students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, >> nor in my practice. >> Tom Woods >> Community High School of Vermont >> >> khinson71 at cox.net wrote: >> >> Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and > little >> knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >> andragogy >> when it comes to the adult classroom; >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail is meant only for the use of the > intended > recipient. It may contain confidential information which is legally > privileged or otherwise protected by law. If you received this e-mail > in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it to you, you > are strictly prohibited from reviewing, using, disseminating, > distributing or copying the e-mail. PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY OF > THE > ERROR BY RETURN E-MAIL AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEM. Thank > you for your cooperation. > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From andreawilder at comcast.net Wed Jul 12 16:02:08 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:02:08 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 420] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <827AA3FA092C0C4AA3A0221EC9B83D080314EFE0@EX2K.ad.wsd.windham.k12.me.us> References: <827AA3FA092C0C4AA3A0221EC9B83D080314EFE0@EX2K.ad.wsd.windham.k12.me.us> Message-ID: <50ad3aac56ee264223aef359d8f87c51@comcast.net> Yeah, well, I object to being left out of the disucssion, and so might your students who are female--choose another name, then. Andrea On Jul 12, 2006, at 2:00 PM, Thomas Nash wrote: > Well the traditional methods of teaching or the processes - the > lecture, > the project, the demonstration, drill and reviews, the Socratic > question > and answer are still applicable to our world of adult education > "classrooms". It is how we as teachers or "facilitators" of learning > utilize the needs, goals, desires, capabilities and real life > experiences of our learners in the respective learning experience for > each individual learner. We can focus on the process and help adults > develop transferable "skills" that can be used in various "content" > areas... > If you haven't already done so, you may also want to check out the > Equipped for the Future conceptual framework that speaks to content AND > skills. It refers to a purposeful, transparent, contextualized and > constructivist learning experience for our adult learners... > And my 2c worth on the debate in referring to the adult education > realm: > I would choose andragogy instead of pedagogy which has as a root, > "child". > > > Tom > > Thomas A. Nash > Director of Adult Education > Windham Adult Education > 406 Gray Road > Windham, ME 04062 > (207) 892-1819 > tnash at windham.k12.me.us > > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder > Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > > I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I > avoid this word. > > It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have > temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. > > Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. > I use this word. > > Andrea > > > On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > >> Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have >> worked >> with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems >> intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new >> position in >> a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the >> special >> education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system > in >> Montreal. >> Nice to meet you all! >> >> Here is a reference for andragogy: >> >> "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > >> to >> focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. >> Strategies >> such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation >> are >> most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource >> rather than >> lecturer or grader." - taken from >> http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html >> >> I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be >> synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The >> Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than >> content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained >> to >> look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. >> Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. >> Most >> learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in >> 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component > as >> well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews > have >> become student-led conferences. >> >> I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, >> and I >> am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of > it. >> >> So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > >> on >> process and therefore not different from andragogy. >> >> Tracy Rosen >> >> >> >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: Woods >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach >> Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 >> >> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > >> I >> was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >> students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, >> nor in my practice. >> Tom Woods >> Community High School of Vermont >> >> khinson71 at cox.net wrote: >> >> Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little >> knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >> andragogy >> when it comes to the adult classroom; >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From andreawilder at comcast.net Wed Jul 12 16:06:02 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:06:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 421] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5ef40b0823de255e1a6b3bc363350b53@comcast.net> I go for the simple stuff: teacher, student, works for me. I will continue to speak of adults who are undertaking a course of study as "students." Andrea On Jul 12, 2006, at 2:32 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > What if we refer to what we do as educating? It seems less > offensive/problematic. Educate comes from ex- out and ducere - lead. > To lead > out. > > Or, we can forget all of this wordsmything and focus on teaching and > learning because, when it comes down to it, I don't think that > focusing on > problems that may or may not have arisen due to the misuse of > terminology is > the issue. > > Whether it is called pedagogy, androgogy, education, facilitation, > teaching, > learning...it seems that, from what I have read so far, everyone on > this > forum is interested in fostering learner success and is in agreement > that in > order to do so we need to meet the learner where she/he is at and > create > authentic learning activities that respond to the needs and > experiences of > that learner. > > no? > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: "Winston Lawrence" > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 415] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:23:07 -0400 > > Hi Andrea: This is interesting. You noted that the root of andragogy is > 'male'. But pedagogy also has a root--' child' , like pediatrician - > (doctor for a child). As an adult educator, how do you reconcile that? > Winston > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder > Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:04 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > > I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I > avoid this word. > > It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have > temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. > > Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. > I use this word. > > Andrea > > > On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > >> Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have >> worked >> with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems >> intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new >> position in >> a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the >> special >> education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system > in >> Montreal. >> Nice to meet you all! >> >> Here is a reference for andragogy: >> >> "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > >> to >> focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. >> Strategies >> such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation >> are >> most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource >> rather than >> lecturer or grader." - taken from >> http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html >> >> I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be >> synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The >> Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than >> content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained >> to >> look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. >> Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. >> Most >> learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in >> 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component > as >> well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews > have >> become student-led conferences. >> >> I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, >> and I >> am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of > it. >> >> So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > >> on >> process and therefore not different from andragogy. >> >> Tracy Rosen >> >> >> >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: Woods >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach >> Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 >> >> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > >> I >> was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >> students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, >> nor in my practice. >> Tom Woods >> Community High School of Vermont >> >> khinson71 at cox.net wrote: >> >> Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little >> knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >> andragogy >> when it comes to the adult classroom; >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From amuro5 at epcc.edu Wed Jul 12 16:07:33 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 14:07:33 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 422] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <283a23f248528e950b2c9be7c6d4a288@comcast.net> Message-ID: Andrea: Andragogy's coiner is Malcolm Knowles. Andra, as you know means male. Peda means child. But pedagogy is the colloquially interpreted to mean the science of education throughout many countries in the world. I am for andragynegogy. It applies to men, women and transgendered. Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:04 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From tnash at windham.k12.me.us Wed Jul 12 17:34:28 2006 From: tnash at windham.k12.me.us (Thomas Nash) Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:34:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 423] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Message-ID: <827AA3FA092C0C4AA3A0221EC9B83D080314EFE9@EX2K.ad.wsd.windham.k12.me.us> Yes, I went to the book shelf this am to review a couple of Mr. Knowles' books. I don't mean to leave anyone out of the discussion and meant no disrespect at all. I do agree that teaching is an art and we can help to lead - or assist in learners in finding their own way. I kind of like Andres' "andragynegogy". That made me smile. Thanks for the intellectual stimulation today. Be well everyone! Tom Thomas A. Nash Director of Adult Education Windham Adult Education 406 Gray Road Windham, ME 04062 (207) 892-1819 tnash at windham.k12.me.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Muro, Andres Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 4:08 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 422] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Andrea: Andragogy's coiner is Malcolm Knowles. Andra, as you know means male. Peda means child. But pedagogy is the colloquially interpreted to mean the science of education throughout many countries in the world. I am for andragynegogy. It applies to men, women and transgendered. Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:04 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I avoid this word. It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. I use this word. Andrea On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have > worked > with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems > intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new > position in > a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the > special > education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system in > Montreal. > Nice to meet you all! > > Here is a reference for andragogy: > > "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > to > focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. > Strategies > such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation > are > most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource > rather than > lecturer or grader." - taken from > http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html > > I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be > synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The > Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than > content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained > to > look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. > Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. > Most > learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in > 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component as > well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews have > become student-led conferences. > > I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, > and I > am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of it. > > So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > on > process and therefore not different from andragogy. > > Tracy Rosen > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > From: Woods > Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach > Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 > > OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > I > was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my > students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my training, > nor in my practice. > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > khinson71 at cox.net wrote: > > Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little > knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and > andragogy > when it comes to the adult classroom; > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From andreawilder at comcast.net Thu Jul 13 08:01:06 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:01:06 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 424] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Good thought, Andres. Andrea andrea On Jul 12, 2006, at 4:07 PM, Muro, Andres wrote: > Andrea: > > Andragogy's coiner is Malcolm Knowles. Andra, as you know means male. > Peda means child. But pedagogy is the colloquially interpreted to mean > the science of education throughout many countries in the world. > > I am for andragynegogy. It applies to men, women and transgendered. > > Andres > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder > Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 6:04 AM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 412] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > > I'm being picky--"androgogy"'s root is andr = male. Personally, I > avoid this word. > > It was coined, I believe by an adult educator whose name I have > temporarily forgotten--but someone else will know, I am sure. > > Pedagogy in my pea-sized brain mesns teaching, or the art of teaching. > I use this word. > > Andrea > > > On Jul 11, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Tracy Rosen wrote: > >> Hi everyone - my name is Tracy, I also was trained in k-12 but have >> worked >> with adults as well. I am presently finishing my MA in human systems >> intervention at Concordia University and am going to begin a new >> position in >> a few weeks at BJEC (the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre) as the >> special >> education coordinator for the schools in the Jewish education system > in >> Montreal. >> Nice to meet you all! >> >> Here is a reference for andragogy: >> >> "In practical terms, andragogy means that instruction for adults needs > >> to >> focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. >> Strategies >> such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation >> are >> most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource >> rather than >> lecturer or grader." - taken from >> http://tip.psychology.org/knowles.html >> >> I would argue, though, if you want to wordsmyth, that pedagogy can be >> synonymous with andragogy. At least it is in Quebec, where I work. The >> Quebec education program is now much more based in process rather than >> content and students (and teachers!) are being encouraged and trained >> to >> look at how they learn in order to facilitate the learning of content. >> Students are also being assessed on the 'how' as well as the 'what'. >> Most >> learning is becoming project-based so that learners are working in >> 'real-life' scenarios and there is a large self-evaluation component > as >> well. In fact, in elementary school most parent-teacher interviews > have >> become student-led conferences. >> >> I know that these kinds of reforms are happening in Ontario as well, >> and I >> am sure that this is going on elsewhere too. I am just not aware of > it. >> >> So, from my perspective, good pedagogy is learner-centered and focuses > >> on >> process and therefore not different from andragogy. >> >> Tracy Rosen >> >> >> >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: Woods >> Reply-To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 404] Re: individualized workbook approach >> Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 14:26:41 -0400 >> >> OK. You got me. What is the difference between pedagogy and andragogy? > >> I >> was trained in K-12, but somehow ended up with a adults who are my >> students. I don't think I ever heard the term andragogy in my > training, >> nor in my practice. >> Tom Woods >> Community High School of Vermont >> >> khinson71 at cox.net wrote: >> >> Sometimes, the adult education instructor has no background and little >> knowledge or understanding of the differences between pedagogy and >> andragogy >> when it comes to the adult classroom; >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jul 13 11:17:16 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:17:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 425] Re: pedagogy/andragogy Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> Julie ********************************************************** Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was originally formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it to describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- meaning 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and agogos meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults and the reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls attention to how the present government activities are pushing adult education more and more into the mold of childhood education. The second note illustrates with the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across the age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to education based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life span. As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" in keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new functions are found for old forms). Tom Sticht Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate Pedagogy? In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement in adult basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and methods for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and methods for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions that are being initiated in adult literacy education. For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as a "second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the primary grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that adults should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught them. Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy (www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for teaching adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, decoding, word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that children are taught. The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting System for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to show how adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of proficiency with each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. Such an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic skills education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as children in the primary grades acquire. Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress in adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are based on methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some cases, adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading grade levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 or so days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate pedagogy is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. In particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies to think that adult literacy education is the same as children's literacy education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing much by way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better served by "stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young children to prevent adult literacy problems. However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. National Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show that reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the same, with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at least in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the problem at the source." Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in literacy education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills as abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the "content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should not be the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy practice has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be taught in a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs that adults face. This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers were taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction with important military information. This type of taking account of adult's functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today where materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of spousal abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with themselves or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands for basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so different from that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But when the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy of children. There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for andragogy and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have their education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is evidence to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates of participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from the classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the classroom. Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development With Adults: Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of education has revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the last half century. This research has resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge aspect and the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s and continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various collaborators, and later many independent investigators, made the distinction between "fluid intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural content, whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously been acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, social skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite different. They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid intelligence steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. 23). Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up of a long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time using information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base and a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world that the person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human cognition. The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of literacy as information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create meaning) that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment tools and new approaches to adult education. The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex information processing tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For this reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional implications are. Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system given above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the NALS places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid intelligence") and that is what may account for some of the large declines in performance by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge ("crystallized intelligence") was developed and used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, magazines and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults did better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory processes ("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on the knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid literacy" and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity of using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and Quantitative scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy abilities of adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems wise to keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" aspects of literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon efficiency of processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of reading. It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid and crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible to teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. Fluidity of information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be directly taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, practice. Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding the differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true for older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see Beyond 2000 by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 Email: tsticht at aznet.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Jul 13 12:11:06 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:11:06 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 426] Andragynegogy and the individualized workbook approach Message-ID: Everyone, Now that we have gone back to the roots, explored some merits of child vs. adult-based and teacher vs. student-based approaches, and come up with a fair term, I would like to go back to Esther's original question: "...how we can as adult educators help learners explore alternative ways of learning in the classroom. Pierre Dominice has explored the process of "learner biographies" with much success with graduate students... I think this journey back to "roots of learning" can help learners identify ways in which they have been both successful/unsuccessful in learning. What are some thoughts on this type of process for basic literacy/ESOL students?" Has anyone used this kind of process, and with what kind of results? Julie P.S. See below for other comments from our recent discussion that are relevant to this process: ************************************************************** Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how educational traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and when we do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I guess students are prisoners of their experience too. - Tom Woods it is so important for instructors to be critically reflective in their work. We need to explore some of the hidden beliefs that have helped formulate our ideological principles which in turn point us to our methods of teaching. A few weeks past the list discussed videotaping as a form of Professional Development for adult ed instructors. I believe that these types of PD opportunities for educators can help facilitate a better understanding of what impact (positive and negative) we are having with learners in the classroom, as well as help us to explore creative alternatives in learning situations. - Esther We need to help them find ways to learn that incorporate what they know, and how they have learned in the past, so that they have some sense of ownership in their own learning. - Katrina Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> e.b.shupe at lycos.com 07/11/06 10:47 AM >>> Virgnia, I think the issue that is being raised is part of parcel of what adult learners bring to learning experiences from their early K-12 experiences. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk about alternative ways of learning in the classroom as adults. This isn't a quick and easy remedy reply but I wanted to raise the question of how we can as adult educators help learners explore alternative ways of learning in the classroom. Pierre Dominice has explored the process of "learner biographies" with much success with graduate students. THis is a process of exploring learner experiences in learning situations both in classroom and out and some critical themes that have been forumulated as a result of these experiences. I think this journey back to "roots of learning" can help learners identify ways in which they have been both successful/unsuccessful in learning. What are some thoughts on this type of process for basic literacy/ESOL students? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From andreawilder at comcast.net Thu Jul 13 19:33:01 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:33:01 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 427] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tom, You are a clever person, so I think you could come up with an alternate to andragogy that would satisfy most of us,,"all of us" might be impossible. It is a truly aggravating word. I hear it and I know that I and all like me, are excluded. So, I must say, anyone who reads this email, will know that when they use the a-word,or hear the a-word, they are leaving a lot of people out, namely all who are female. "Way it goes. Andrea > Hi Everyone, > > I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> > > Julie > > ********************************************************** > Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was > originally > formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it to > describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- meaning > 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and > agogos > meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes > distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults and > the > reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally > transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls attention > to > how the present government activities are pushing adult education more > and > more into the mold of childhood education. The second note illustrates > with > the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across > the > age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes > dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to > education > based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life > span. > As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into > andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" > in > keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new > functions > are found for old forms). > Tom Sticht > > Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate > Pedagogy? > > In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement in > adult > basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions that > are > being initiated in adult literacy education. > > For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as a > "second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the > primary > grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that > adults > should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught > them. > Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy > (www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for > teaching > adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade > school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, decoding, > word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that > children > are taught. > > The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting > System > for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to show > how > adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of proficiency > with > each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as > though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. > Such > an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic > skills > education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as > children in > the primary grades acquire. > > Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress in > adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are > based > on > methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some cases, > adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading grade > levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 > or > so > days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. > > One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate > pedagogy > is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. In > particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies > to > think that adult literacy education is the same as children's literacy > education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing much > by > way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better > served > by > "stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young > children to prevent adult literacy problems. > > However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of > trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing > reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. > National > Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show > that > reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the > same, > with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at > least > in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the problem > at > the source." > > Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in > literacy > education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills as > abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the > "content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should not > be > the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy > practice > has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be > taught > in > a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach reading, > writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs that > adults face. > > This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers > were > taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction > with > important military information. This type of taking account of adult's > functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today > where > materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of > spousal > abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with > themselves > or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands > for > basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. > > The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so different > from > that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But > when > the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, > literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy of > children. > > There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for > andragogy > and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have their > education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is > evidence > to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more > desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates > of > participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from > the > classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the classroom. > > > Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development With > Adults: > Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult > Literacy > (NAAL) > > The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of education > has > revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the last > half > century. This research has > resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge aspect > and > the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s > and > continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various collaborators, > and > later many independent investigators, made the distinction between > "fluid > intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid > intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural > content, > whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously > been > acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, > social > skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite > different. > They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly > thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid intelligence > steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. > 23). > > Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" > aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up > of > a > long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized > intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various > processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time > using > information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base > and > a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world that > the > person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the > usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human > cognition. > > The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of literacy > as > information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken > language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create > meaning) > that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment tools > and new approaches to adult education. > > The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult > Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment of > Adult > Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex > information > processing > tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For this > reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional > implications are. > > Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system > given > above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the > NALS > places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid > intelligence") > and that is what may account for some of the large declines in > performance > by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge > ("crystallized intelligence") was developed and > used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, > magazines > and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults did > better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory processes > ("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on > the > knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . > > Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid > literacy" > and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity > of > using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and > Quantitative > scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy abilities > of > adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems > wise > to > keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" aspects > of > literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon efficiency > of > processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of > reading. > > It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid > and > crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible to > teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and > rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. Fluidity > of > information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be directly > taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, > practice. > Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding > the > differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional > practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all > learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized > literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true for > older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a > > Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see Beyond > 2000 > by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at > http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF > > Thomas G. Sticht > International Consultant in Adult Education > 2062 Valley View Blvd. > El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 > Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 > Email: tsticht at aznet.net > > > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From andreawilder at comcast.net Thu Jul 13 20:01:54 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 20:01:54 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 428] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <184ddb72df5989040484e0df681a6977@comcast.net> OK, I want to tuck something in here, it is not quite a response to Tom because I don't yet have one. But I will this fall, I hope. The brain comes "online" at regular intervals up to I believe 25 years. A child's brain is very different from an adult's brain. A lot has been made of the frontal lobe in adolescents--it hasn't matured yet, which "accounts'"f or aspects of adolescent thinking. Beyond this, it seems that the speed of processing may increase up to 60 years of age. Speed is dependent on the fatty coating of myelin around the nerves--fat speeds electro-chemical impulses. We "think" using electrochemical neuron hook-ups. Much conscious learning takes the form of puzzle solving. This is true of how children learn to raad, I don't know if there is yet a description of how adults learn to read. I DON'T mean all that stuff about fluency, comprehension the way it is usually talked about and measured. I DO mean the study by Ferreiro and Teberosky, "Literacy Before Schooling." Andres, you manly fellow, listen up! The research was done in Buenos Aries, from 1974-1976. Fischer et al has done studies of adult learning ( students who are adults) and come up with the same puzzle solving data. Fischer can graph his stuff--computer modeling. Andrea On Jul 13, 2006, at 11:17 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> > > Julie > > ********************************************************** > Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was > originally > formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it to > describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- meaning > 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and > agogos > meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes > distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults and > the > reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally > transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls attention > to > how the present government activities are pushing adult education more > and > more into the mold of childhood education. The second note illustrates > with > the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across > the > age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes > dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to > education > based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life > span. > As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into > andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" > in > keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new > functions > are found for old forms). > Tom Sticht > > Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate > Pedagogy? > > In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement in > adult > basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions that > are > being initiated in adult literacy education. > > For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as a > "second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the > primary > grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that > adults > should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught > them. > Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy > (www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for > teaching > adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade > school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, decoding, > word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that > children > are taught. > > The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting > System > for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to show > how > adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of proficiency > with > each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as > though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. > Such > an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic > skills > education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as > children in > the primary grades acquire. > > Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress in > adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are > based > on > methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some cases, > adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading grade > levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 > or > so > days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. > > One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate > pedagogy > is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. In > particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies > to > think that adult literacy education is the same as children's literacy > education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing much > by > way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better > served > by > "stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young > children to prevent adult literacy problems. > > However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of > trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing > reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. > National > Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show > that > reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the > same, > with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at > least > in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the problem > at > the source." > > Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in > literacy > education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills as > abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the > "content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should not > be > the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy > practice > has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be > taught > in > a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach reading, > writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs that > adults face. > > This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers > were > taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction > with > important military information. This type of taking account of adult's > functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today > where > materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of > spousal > abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with > themselves > or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands > for > basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. > > The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so different > from > that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But > when > the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, > literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy of > children. > > There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for > andragogy > and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have their > education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is > evidence > to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more > desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates > of > participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from > the > classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the classroom. > > > Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development With > Adults: > Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult > Literacy > (NAAL) > > The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of education > has > revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the last > half > century. This research has > resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge aspect > and > the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s > and > continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various collaborators, > and > later many independent investigators, made the distinction between > "fluid > intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid > intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural > content, > whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously > been > acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, > social > skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite > different. > They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly > thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid intelligence > steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. > 23). > > Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" > aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up > of > a > long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized > intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various > processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time > using > information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base > and > a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world that > the > person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the > usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human > cognition. > > The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of literacy > as > information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken > language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create > meaning) > that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment tools > and new approaches to adult education. > > The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult > Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment of > Adult > Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex > information > processing > tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For this > reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional > implications are. > > Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system > given > above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the > NALS > places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid > intelligence") > and that is what may account for some of the large declines in > performance > by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge > ("crystallized intelligence") was developed and > used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, > magazines > and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults did > better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory processes > ("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on > the > knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . > > Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid > literacy" > and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity > of > using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and > Quantitative > scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy abilities > of > adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems > wise > to > keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" aspects > of > literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon efficiency > of > processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of > reading. > > It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid > and > crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible to > teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and > rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. Fluidity > of > information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be directly > taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, > practice. > Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding > the > differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional > practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all > learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized > literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true for > older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a > > Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see Beyond > 2000 > by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at > http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF > > Thomas G. Sticht > International Consultant in Adult Education > 2062 Valley View Blvd. > El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 > Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 > Email: tsticht at aznet.net > > > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From amuro5 at epcc.edu Fri Jul 14 12:08:30 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:08:30 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 429] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <184ddb72df5989040484e0df681a6977@comcast.net> Message-ID: The discussion about calling the difference between children and adult education different things is purely rhetorical. The question is not about how to name the approach, but to determine what the differences are. It really doesn't matter if we call it pedagogy, andragogy or adult education. I prefer pedagogy for many reasons. One is that it is the term most accepted worldwide. The other reason is because it is the term used by Freirians whom I sympathize with. When Freire wrote the Pedagogy of the Oppressed and subsequently many literacy campaigns were launched in poor countries, the focus was on adult education. Regarding the differences between children and adults there are things that remain a mystery. We know that the child's brain and the adult brain are different because one is growing and the other fully formed. We know that there is a critical time when children begin to acquire language that is essential in language acquisition. However, beyond that, we know some things may work with children. It is not clear if the language acquisition processes that work with children apply to adults because there hasn't been much research done with adults. However, we can report from our experience and, scientifically, until our experiences and finding for children are challenged by different findings for adults, I will use some of the findings for children and will try to apply them to adults. For example, the work done by Cummins on native and second language acquisition and Basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language skills (BICS vs CALPS) has been done with children. However, I have used this model with adults with great success and experiences from others who report on this clearly support Cummins. Essentially the argument is that people can acquire academic skills in a language after they have basic interpersonal communication skills in that language. Academic skills from L1 can then transfer to L2. So, after learning about this I switched from doing ESL to doing Spanish GED with our Spanish speaking adults. The result has been that they quickly acquire academic skills in Spanish and then they can transfer them to ESL. I think that the most comprehensive work on reading acquisition comes from Frank Smith and it is based on children. However, w/o going into detail, I've found most of Smiths work on reading acquisition certainly applies to adults. Carol Chomsky's five stages of reading acquisition were formulated with children. In my experience, they certainly apply to adults. Of course, there are sociological, physiological and psychological factors that affect learning. These represent variables that are often not accounted for when studying language acquisition and are variables that are hard to isolate for scientific research. These include poverty, race, gender, culture, disability, health, relationships, self esteem, resistance, etc. When using a language acquisition model with a group of learners and it doesn't work, we need to wonder if it didn't work because it wasn't the appropriate model, or because a variable, not accounted for, interfered with acquisition. Using one of Kozol's examples, if a child has a toothache and doesn't learn with a given approach, is the approach wrong? Or, maybe it is the fact that the pain does not allow him to concentrate. Another example: If a battered woman is not learning, is the approach a bad one, or the external circumstances are the obstacle. Finally, considering these sort of variables, are interventions to address these sort of variables elements that needs to be integrated into the approach or are they separate from the approach. To me, the greatest contribution of Freire and other critical pedagogists is the idea that any approach must address variables in context. In fact the intervention for the specific variable is the essence of any approach. In other words, the intervention for the specific variable may even be more important than the approach itself. However, this is difficult to study scientifically and requires that we step outside the confines of positive science. What do you all think? Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:02 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 428] Re: pedagogy/andragogy OK, I want to tuck something in here, it is not quite a response to Tom because I don't yet have one. But I will this fall, I hope. The brain comes "online" at regular intervals up to I believe 25 years. A child's brain is very different from an adult's brain. A lot has been made of the frontal lobe in adolescents--it hasn't matured yet, which "accounts'"f or aspects of adolescent thinking. Beyond this, it seems that the speed of processing may increase up to 60 years of age. Speed is dependent on the fatty coating of myelin around the nerves--fat speeds electro-chemical impulses. We "think" using electrochemical neuron hook-ups. Much conscious learning takes the form of puzzle solving. This is true of how children learn to raad, I don't know if there is yet a description of how adults learn to read. I DON'T mean all that stuff about fluency, comprehension the way it is usually talked about and measured. I DO mean the study by Ferreiro and Teberosky, "Literacy Before Schooling." Andres, you manly fellow, listen up! The research was done in Buenos Aries, from 1974-1976. Fischer et al has done studies of adult learning ( students who are adults) and come up with the same puzzle solving data. Fischer can graph his stuff--computer modeling. Andrea On Jul 13, 2006, at 11:17 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: > Hi Everyone, > > I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> > > Julie > > ********************************************************** > Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was > originally > formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it to > describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- meaning > 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and > agogos > meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes > distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults and > the > reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally > transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls attention > to > how the present government activities are pushing adult education more > and > more into the mold of childhood education. The second note illustrates > with > the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across > the > age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes > dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to > education > based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life > span. > As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into > andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" > in > keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new > functions > are found for old forms). > Tom Sticht > > Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate > Pedagogy? > > In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement in > adult > basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and > methods > for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions that > are > being initiated in adult literacy education. > > For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as a > "second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the > primary > grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that > adults > should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught > them. > Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy > (www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for > teaching > adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade > school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, decoding, > word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that > children > are taught. > > The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting > System > for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to show > how > adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of proficiency > with > each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as > though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. > Such > an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic > skills > education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as > children in > the primary grades acquire. > > Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress in > adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are > based > on > methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some cases, > adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading grade > levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 > or > so > days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. > > One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate > pedagogy > is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. In > particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies > to > think that adult literacy education is the same as children's literacy > education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing much > by > way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better > served > by > "stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young > children to prevent adult literacy problems. > > However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of > trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing > reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. > National > Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show > that > reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the > same, > with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at > least > in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the problem > at > the source." > > Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in > literacy > education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills as > abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the > "content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should not > be > the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy > practice > has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be > taught > in > a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach reading, > writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs that > adults face. > > This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers > were > taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction > with > important military information. This type of taking account of adult's > functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today > where > materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of > spousal > abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with > themselves > or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands > for > basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. > > The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so different > from > that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But > when > the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, > literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy of > children. > > There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for > andragogy > and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have their > education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is > evidence > to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more > desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates > of > participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from > the > classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the classroom. > > > Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development With > Adults: > Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult > Literacy > (NAAL) > > The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of education > has > revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the last > half > century. This research has > resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge aspect > and > the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s > and > continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various collaborators, > and > later many independent investigators, made the distinction between > "fluid > intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid > intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural > content, > whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously > been > acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, > social > skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite > different. > They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly > thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid intelligence > steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. > 23). > > Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" > aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up > of > a > long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized > intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various > processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time > using > information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base > and > a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world that > the > person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the > usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human > cognition. > > The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of literacy > as > information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken > language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create > meaning) > that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment tools > and new approaches to adult education. > > The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult > Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment of > Adult > Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex > information > processing > tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For this > reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional > implications are. > > Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system > given > above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the > NALS > places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid > intelligence") > and that is what may account for some of the large declines in > performance > by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge > ("crystallized intelligence") was developed and > used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, > magazines > and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults did > better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory processes > ("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on > the > knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . > > Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid > literacy" > and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity > of > using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and > Quantitative > scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy abilities > of > adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems > wise > to > keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" aspects > of > literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon efficiency > of > processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of > reading. > > It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid > and > crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible to > teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and > rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. Fluidity > of > information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be directly > taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, > practice. > Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding > the > differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional > practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all > learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized > literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true for > older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a > > Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see Beyond > 2000 > by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at > http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF > > Thomas G. Sticht > International Consultant in Adult Education > 2062 Valley View Blvd. > El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 > Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 > Email: tsticht at aznet.net > > > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Fri Jul 14 13:52:13 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e s) Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:52:13 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 430] Re: Andragynegogy and the individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <20060714175213.934E086B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> Katrina and all, I was looking over the discussion and noticed your comment about learners coming away from experiences with a sense of "ownership" of the material. This I believe is very significant, but is difficult to create or hold the space for unless instructors are open to the negotiation process that occur in learning situations. We do not all have the same context or frame of reference therefore learners are always negotiating "what's real" or applicable for them. Unfortunately the K-12 system doesn't facilitate this kind of process and many learners shut down because they just can't reconcile all of the inconsistencies. Down the road, many of these learners come into our programs and they continue to feel detached from material. The "learner biography" process gives learners the time and space to look at all of those earlier learning experiences, and to search for significant themes that have emerged from these experiences. It is a very powerful process and having gone through this myself in graduate school, I know that the outcome can be quite significant. I would be willing to be involved in a research project that could look more closely at this process for basic literacy learners if there is an opportunity to support this kind of research. What do others think? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 From leellington at vcu.edu Fri Jul 14 16:13:06 2006 From: leellington at vcu.edu (Lauren E Ellington/FS/VCU) Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:13:06 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 431] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I found an interesting paragraph in an article that I am reading on andragogy and pedagogy. The whole article may be found at: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Summer-Fall-2000/holmes.html but the text of the paragraph I liked is below. "Mohring (1989) took issue with both andragogy and pedagogy. She contended that the terms andragogy (implying the education of adults) and pedagogy (meaning the education of children) are etymologically inaccurate. Although pedagogy is derived from paid, meaning "child," from antiquity it has also stood for education in general-without reference to learners' ages. Andragogy is derived from aner, meaning adult male and not adult of either sex, therefore excluding women. In view of efforts to purge English of sexist words, she proposed the use of a new term, teliagogy. Based on the Greek teleios, meaning "adult," it would include both sexes. " ************************************************************** Lauren Ellington Online Training Specialist, Learning Disabilities Specialist, and Writer of Update and Update on LD Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center Virginia Commonwealth University 817 W. Franklin Street, Room 221 | P.O. Box 842037 Richmond, VA 23284-2037 Phone: 1-800-237-0178 or 804-828-6158 Fax: 804-828-7539 www.valrc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060714/39580d88/attachment.html From woodsnh at isp.com Sat Jul 15 00:53:46 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:53:46 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 432] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <44B874DA.8040102@isp.com> It must be summer vacation time or something. Otherwise we wouldn't have time to contemplate the vagaries of our terminology. Still, this discussion has been enlightening for me because it has exposed the roots of some of our educational traditions and assumptions. For instance, there is the gender issue. There is the idea that children need to be treated differently than adults when it comes to educating them. There is the idea of "leading" towards greater knowledge, implying an active role for a teacher and placing the teacher out in front. I find these assumptions rather troubling, although they help me understand how our present educational system has gotten where it is. What I find troubling is that both pedagogy and andragogy are used to signify the study of teaching rather than the study of learning. My personal philosophy of education defines learning as growth and that learning, not teaching, is the most important thing. I prefer to see my role as being one of helper, not leader. I can help students shape their goals; I can provide resources and experiences that will help them reach their goals. But I feel it is extremely important for me, and my students, to remember they are not MY goals. It is so easy to get on the wrong track and begin to try to get the student to adopt the teacher's or the institution's goals. It could look like enrolling a student in a class that doesn't have enough students in it to make it viable. It could look like "teaching to the test" in order to show measurable progress. It could take any of dozens of other forms. The study of teaching automatically puts the activity of the teacher front and center. I believe the study of learning puts the focus where it belongs, on the learner. It has been my experience that when you can center on learning and on the student, it cures a host of ills. Maybe the term epistemology, is closer to what I'm after. Tom Woods Community High School of Vermont Muro, Andres wrote: >The discussion about calling the difference between children and adult >education different things is purely rhetorical. The question is not >about how to name the approach, but to determine what the differences >are. It really doesn't matter if we call it pedagogy, andragogy or adult >education. I prefer pedagogy for many reasons. One is that it is the >term most accepted worldwide. The other reason is because it is the term >used by Freirians whom I sympathize with. When Freire wrote the Pedagogy >of the Oppressed and subsequently many literacy campaigns were launched >in poor countries, the focus was on adult education. > >Regarding the differences between children and adults there are things >that remain a mystery. We know that the child's brain and the adult >brain are different because one is growing and the other fully formed. >We know that there is a critical time when children begin to acquire >language that is essential in language acquisition. However, beyond >that, we know some things may work with children. It is not clear if the >language acquisition processes that work with children apply to adults >because there hasn't been much research done with adults. However, we >can report from our experience and, scientifically, until our >experiences and finding for children are challenged by different >findings for adults, I will use some of the findings for children and >will try to apply them to adults. > >For example, the work done by Cummins on native and second language >acquisition and Basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive >academic language skills (BICS vs CALPS) has been done with children. >However, I have used this model with adults with great success and >experiences from others who report on this clearly support Cummins. >Essentially the argument is that people can acquire academic skills in a >language after they have basic interpersonal communication skills in >that language. Academic skills from L1 can then transfer to L2. So, >after learning about this I switched from doing ESL to doing Spanish GED >with our Spanish speaking adults. The result has been that they quickly >acquire academic skills in Spanish and then they can transfer them to >ESL. > >I think that the most comprehensive work on reading acquisition comes >from Frank Smith and it is based on children. However, w/o going into >detail, I've found most of Smiths work on reading acquisition certainly >applies to adults. > >Carol Chomsky's five stages of reading acquisition were formulated with >children. In my experience, they certainly apply to adults. > >Of course, there are sociological, physiological and psychological >factors that affect learning. These represent variables that are often >not accounted for when studying language acquisition and are variables >that are hard to isolate for scientific research. These include poverty, >race, gender, culture, disability, health, relationships, self esteem, >resistance, etc. > >When using a language acquisition model with a group of learners and it >doesn't work, we need to wonder if it didn't work because it wasn't the >appropriate model, or because a variable, not accounted for, interfered >with acquisition. Using one of Kozol's examples, if a child has a >toothache and doesn't learn with a given approach, is the approach >wrong? Or, maybe it is the fact that the pain does not allow him to >concentrate. Another example: If a battered woman is not learning, is >the approach a bad one, or the external circumstances are the obstacle. >Finally, considering these sort of variables, are interventions to >address these sort of variables elements that needs to be integrated >into the approach or are they separate from the approach. To me, the >greatest contribution of Freire and other critical pedagogists is the >idea that any approach must address variables in context. In fact the >intervention for the specific variable is the essence of any approach. >In other words, the intervention for the specific variable may even be >more important than the approach itself. However, this is difficult to >study scientifically and requires that we step outside the confines of >positive science. > >What do you all think? > >Andres > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder >Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:02 PM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 428] Re: pedagogy/andragogy > >OK, I want to tuck something in here, it is not quite a response to Tom >because I don't yet have one. But I will this fall, I hope. > >The brain comes "online" at regular intervals up to I believe 25 years. >A child's brain is very different from an adult's brain. A lot has >been made of the frontal lobe in adolescents--it hasn't matured yet, >which "accounts'"f or aspects of adolescent thinking. > >Beyond this, it seems that the speed of processing may increase up to >60 years of age. Speed is dependent on the fatty coating of myelin >around the nerves--fat speeds electro-chemical impulses. We "think" >using electrochemical neuron hook-ups. > >Much conscious learning takes the form of puzzle solving. This is true >of how children learn to raad, I don't know if there is yet a >description of how adults learn to read. I DON'T mean all that stuff >about fluency, comprehension the way it is usually talked about and >measured. > >I DO mean the study by Ferreiro and Teberosky, "Literacy Before >Schooling." Andres, you manly fellow, listen up! The research was >done in Buenos Aries, from 1974-1976. > >Fischer et al has done studies of adult learning ( students who are >adults) and come up with the same puzzle solving data. Fischer can >graph his stuff--computer modeling. > >Andrea > > >On Jul 13, 2006, at 11:17 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: > > > >>Hi Everyone, >> >>I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> >> >>Julie >> >>********************************************************** >>Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was >>originally >>formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it to >>describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- >> >> >meaning > > >>'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and >>agogos >>meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes >>distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults >> >> >and > > >>the >>reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally >>transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls >> >> >attention > > >>to >>how the present government activities are pushing adult education more >>and >>more into the mold of childhood education. The second note illustrates >>with >>the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across >>the >>age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes >>dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to >>education >>based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life >>span. >>As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into >>andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" >>in >>keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new >>functions >>are found for old forms). >>Tom Sticht >> >>Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate >>Pedagogy? >> >>In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement in >>adult >>basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and >>methods >>for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and >>methods >>for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions >> >> >that > > >>are >>being initiated in adult literacy education. >> >>For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as >> >> >a > > >>"second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the >>primary >>grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that >>adults >>should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught >>them. >>Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy >>(www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for >>teaching >>adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade >>school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, >> >> >decoding, > > >>word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that >>children >>are taught. >> >>The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting >>System >>for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to >> >> >show > > >>how >>adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of proficiency >>with >>each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as >>though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. >>Such >>an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic >>skills >>education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as >>children in >>the primary grades acquire. >> >>Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress >> >> >in > > >>adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are >>based >>on >>methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some >> >> >cases, > > >>adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading grade >>levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 >>or >>so >>days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. >> >>One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate >>pedagogy >>is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. >> >> >In > > >>particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies >>to >>think that adult literacy education is the same as children's literacy >>education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing >> >> >much > > >>by >>way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better >>served >>by >>"stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young >>children to prevent adult literacy problems. >> >>However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of >>trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing >>reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. >>National >>Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show >>that >>reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the >>same, >>with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at >>least >>in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the >> >> >problem > > >>at >>the source." >> >>Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in >>literacy >>education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills >> >> >as > > >>abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the >>"content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should not >>be >>the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy >>practice >>has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be >>taught >>in >>a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach >> >> >reading, > > >>writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs that >>adults face. >> >>This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers >>were >>taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction >>with >>important military information. This type of taking account of adult's >>functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today >>where >>materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of >>spousal >>abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with >>themselves >>or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands >>for >>basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. >> >>The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so different >>from >>that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But >>when >>the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, >>literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy of >>children. >> >>There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for >>andragogy >>and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have their >>education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is >>evidence >>to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more >>desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates >>of >>participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from >>the >>classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the classroom. >> >> >>Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development >> >> >With > > >>Adults: >>Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult >>Literacy >>(NAAL) >> >>The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of education >>has >>revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the last >>half >>century. This research has >>resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge aspect >>and >>the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s >>and >>continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various collaborators, >>and >>later many independent investigators, made the distinction between >>"fluid >>intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid >>intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural >>content, >>whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously >>been >>acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, >>social >>skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite >>different. >>They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly >>thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid >> >> >intelligence > > >>steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. >>23). >> >>Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" >>aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up >>of >>a >>long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized >>intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various >>processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time >>using >>information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base >>and >>a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world >> >> >that > > >>the >>person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the >>usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human >>cognition. >> >>The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of >> >> >literacy > > >>as >>information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken >>language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create >>meaning) >>that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment >> >> >tools > > >>and new approaches to adult education. >> >>The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult >>Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment of >>Adult >>Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex >>information >>processing >>tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For >> >> >this > > >>reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional >>implications are. >> >>Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system >>given >>above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the >>NALS >>places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid >>intelligence") >>and that is what may account for some of the large declines in >>performance >>by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge >>("crystallized intelligence") was developed and >>used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, >>magazines >>and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults >> >> >did > > >>better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory processes >>("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on >>the >>knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . >> >>Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid >>literacy" >>and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity >>of >>using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and >>Quantitative >>scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy >> >> >abilities > > >>of >>adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems >>wise >>to >>keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" aspects >>of >>literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon efficiency >>of >>processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of >>reading. >> >>It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid >>and >>crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible >> >> >to > > >>teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and >>rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. Fluidity >>of >>information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be directly >>taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, >>practice. >>Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding >>the >>differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional >>practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all >>learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized >>literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true >> >> >for > > >>older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a >> >>Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see >> >> >Beyond > > >>2000 >>by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at >>http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF >> >>Thomas G. Sticht >>International Consultant in Adult Education >>2062 Valley View Blvd. >>El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 >>Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 >>Email: tsticht at aznet.net >> >> >> >> >>Julie McKinney >>Discussion List Moderator >>World Education/NCSALL >>jmckinney at worlded.org >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > From andreawilder at comcast.net Sat Jul 15 18:44:40 2006 From: andreawilder at comcast.net (Andrea Wilder) Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:44:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 433] Re: pedagogy/andragogy In-Reply-To: <44B874DA.8040102@isp.com> References: <44B874DA.8040102@isp.com> Message-ID: Hello, Tom! Yup, it is definitely summer vacation. I think you are right, too, about putting the focus on learning. Learning is actually growth, up through a series of cognitive steps, down which the student falls when a new problem to be solved comes along. Growth really does mean going from the concrete to the more abstract. Every new problem, it's the same. We're all like that when we try to solve problems. Happy summer. Andrea On Jul 15, 2006, at 12:53 AM, Woods wrote: > It must be summer vacation time or something. Otherwise we wouldn't > have > time to contemplate the vagaries of our terminology. Still, this > discussion has been enlightening for me because it has exposed the > roots > of some of our educational traditions and assumptions. For instance, > there is the gender issue. There is the idea that children need to be > treated differently than adults when it comes to educating them. There > is the idea of "leading" towards greater knowledge, implying an active > role for a teacher and placing the teacher out in front. > > I find these assumptions rather troubling, although they help me > understand how our present educational system has gotten where it is. > What I find troubling is that both pedagogy and andragogy are used to > signify the study of teaching rather than the study of learning. My > personal philosophy of education defines learning as growth and that > learning, not teaching, is the most important thing. I prefer to see my > role as being one of helper, not leader. I can help students shape > their > goals; I can provide resources and experiences that will help them > reach > their goals. But I feel it is extremely important for me, and my > students, to remember they are not MY goals. > > It is so easy to get on the wrong track and begin to try to get the > student to adopt the teacher's or the institution's goals. It could > look > like enrolling a student in a class that doesn't have enough students > in > it to make it viable. It could look like "teaching to the test" in > order > to show measurable progress. It could take any of dozens of other > forms. > > The study of teaching automatically puts the activity of the teacher > front and center. I believe the study of learning puts the focus where > it belongs, on the learner. It has been my experience that when you can > center on learning and on the student, it cures a host of ills. Maybe > the term epistemology, is closer to what I'm after. > > Tom Woods > Community High School of Vermont > > Muro, Andres wrote: > >> The discussion about calling the difference between children and adult >> education different things is purely rhetorical. The question is not >> about how to name the approach, but to determine what the differences >> are. It really doesn't matter if we call it pedagogy, andragogy or >> adult >> education. I prefer pedagogy for many reasons. One is that it is the >> term most accepted worldwide. The other reason is because it is the >> term >> used by Freirians whom I sympathize with. When Freire wrote the >> Pedagogy >> of the Oppressed and subsequently many literacy campaigns were >> launched >> in poor countries, the focus was on adult education. >> >> Regarding the differences between children and adults there are things >> that remain a mystery. We know that the child's brain and the adult >> brain are different because one is growing and the other fully formed. >> We know that there is a critical time when children begin to acquire >> language that is essential in language acquisition. However, beyond >> that, we know some things may work with children. It is not clear if >> the >> language acquisition processes that work with children apply to adults >> because there hasn't been much research done with adults. However, we >> can report from our experience and, scientifically, until our >> experiences and finding for children are challenged by different >> findings for adults, I will use some of the findings for children and >> will try to apply them to adults. >> >> For example, the work done by Cummins on native and second language >> acquisition and Basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive >> academic language skills (BICS vs CALPS) has been done with children. >> However, I have used this model with adults with great success and >> experiences from others who report on this clearly support Cummins. >> Essentially the argument is that people can acquire academic skills >> in a >> language after they have basic interpersonal communication skills in >> that language. Academic skills from L1 can then transfer to L2. So, >> after learning about this I switched from doing ESL to doing Spanish >> GED >> with our Spanish speaking adults. The result has been that they >> quickly >> acquire academic skills in Spanish and then they can transfer them to >> ESL. >> >> I think that the most comprehensive work on reading acquisition comes >> from Frank Smith and it is based on children. However, w/o going into >> detail, I've found most of Smiths work on reading acquisition >> certainly >> applies to adults. >> >> Carol Chomsky's five stages of reading acquisition were formulated >> with >> children. In my experience, they certainly apply to adults. >> >> Of course, there are sociological, physiological and psychological >> factors that affect learning. These represent variables that are often >> not accounted for when studying language acquisition and are variables >> that are hard to isolate for scientific research. These include >> poverty, >> race, gender, culture, disability, health, relationships, self esteem, >> resistance, etc. >> >> When using a language acquisition model with a group of learners and >> it >> doesn't work, we need to wonder if it didn't work because it wasn't >> the >> appropriate model, or because a variable, not accounted for, >> interfered >> with acquisition. Using one of Kozol's examples, if a child has a >> toothache and doesn't learn with a given approach, is the approach >> wrong? Or, maybe it is the fact that the pain does not allow him to >> concentrate. Another example: If a battered woman is not learning, is >> the approach a bad one, or the external circumstances are the >> obstacle. >> Finally, considering these sort of variables, are interventions to >> address these sort of variables elements that needs to be integrated >> into the approach or are they separate from the approach. To me, the >> greatest contribution of Freire and other critical pedagogists is the >> idea that any approach must address variables in context. In fact the >> intervention for the specific variable is the essence of any >> approach. >> In other words, the intervention for the specific variable may even be >> more important than the approach itself. However, this is difficult to >> study scientifically and requires that we step outside the confines of >> positive science. >> >> What do you all think? >> >> Andres >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >> [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andrea Wilder >> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 6:02 PM >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 428] Re: pedagogy/andragogy >> >> OK, I want to tuck something in here, it is not quite a response to >> Tom >> because I don't yet have one. But I will this fall, I hope. >> >> The brain comes "online" at regular intervals up to I believe 25 >> years. >> A child's brain is very different from an adult's brain. A lot has >> been made of the frontal lobe in adolescents--it hasn't matured yet, >> which "accounts'"f or aspects of adolescent thinking. >> >> Beyond this, it seems that the speed of processing may increase up to >> 60 years of age. Speed is dependent on the fatty coating of myelin >> around the nerves--fat speeds electro-chemical impulses. We "think" >> using electrochemical neuron hook-ups. >> >> Much conscious learning takes the form of puzzle solving. This is >> true >> of how children learn to raad, I don't know if there is yet a >> description of how adults learn to read. I DON'T mean all that stuff >> about fluency, comprehension the way it is usually talked about and >> measured. >> >> I DO mean the study by Ferreiro and Teberosky, "Literacy Before >> Schooling." Andres, you manly fellow, listen up! The research was >> done in Buenos Aries, from 1974-1976. >> >> Fischer et al has done studies of adult learning ( students who are >> adults) and come up with the same puzzle solving data. Fischer can >> graph his stuff--computer modeling. >> >> Andrea >> >> >> On Jul 13, 2006, at 11:17 AM, Julie McKinney wrote: >> >> >> >>> Hi Everyone, >>> >>> I am passing on this message from Tom Sticht> >>> >>> Julie >>> >>> ********************************************************** >>> Colleagues: My Google search found that the term andragogy was >>> originally >>> formulated by a German teacher, Alexander Kapp, in 1833. He used it >>> to >>> describe elements of Plato's education theory. Andragogy (andr- >>> >>> >> meaning >> >> >>> 'man') could be contrasted with pedagogy (paid- meaning 'child' and >>> agogos >>> meaning 'leading'). Following is a long two part note that makes >>> distinctions between the cognitive processes of children and adults >>> >>> >> and >> >> >>> the >>> reasons why teaching methods for the former may not be generally >>> transferable to adults across the years. The first note calls >>> >>> >> attention >> >> >>> to >>> how the present government activities are pushing adult education >>> more >>> and >>> more into the mold of childhood education. The second note >>> illustrates >>> with >>> the National Assessment of Adult Literacy that it is not valid across >>> the >>> age range from 16 to 90 years. The human cognitive system changes >>> dramatically with age and this is one reason why approaches to >>> education >>> based on children's approaches are not transferable across the life >>> span. >>> As children grow into adulthood pedagogy should be transformed into >>> andragogy (andra- considered now as meaning "adult" rather than "man" >>> in >>> keeping with the idea that language constantly changes and new >>> functions >>> are found for old forms). >>> Tom Sticht >>> >>> Part 1. In Adult Literacy Education: Must Andragogy Recapitulate >>> Pedagogy? >>> >>> In many industrialized nations today there appears to be a movement >>> in >>> adult >>> basic skills education to have andragogy, defined as theories and >>> methods >>> for teaching adults, recapitulate pedagogy, defined as theories and >>> methods >>> for teaching children. This is suggested by many ideas and actions >>> >>> >> that >> >> >>> are >>> being initiated in adult literacy education. >>> >>> For instance, in many cases adult literacy education is thought of as >>> >>> >> a >> >> >>> "second chance" at learning what should have been learned in the >>> primary >>> grades of school. In this case, then, it seems to be assumed that >>> adults >>> should be taught the "3 Rs" in the same way that children are taught >>> them. >>> Indeed, in the United States the National Institute for Literacy >>> (www.nifl.gov) includes web pages on the "scientific basis" for >>> teaching >>> adults to read that are based primarily on research in the K-12 grade >>> school system. The focus is on teaching alphabetics (phonics, >>> >>> >> decoding, >> >> >>> word recognition) and reading comprehension in the same way that >>> children >>> are taught. >>> >>> The U. S. Department of Education has created a National Reporting >>> System >>> for adult literacy education that has requirements for programs to >>> >>> >> show >> >> >>> how >>> adults learning literacy progress upward through levels of >>> proficiency >>> with >>> each level being about equal to two "grade levels" of proficiency, as >>> though adults in literacy programs are recapitulating grade school. >>> Such >>> an approach is also found in the United Kingdom with adults in basic >>> skills >>> education expected to progress up to the same sorts of skills as >>> children in >>> the primary grades acquire. >>> >>> Further, adult literacy programs are often asked to measure progress >>> >>> >> in >> >> >>> adult learning in their programs using standardized tests that are >>> based >>> on >>> methods used in measuring progress in the grade schools. In some >>> >>> >> cases, >> >> >>> adult literacy development is stated in terms of gain in reading >>> grade >>> levels, as if adults were going to school for six hours a day for 180 >>> or >>> so >>> days a years to make a year's gain in reading or other basic skills. >>> >>> One consequence of this belief that andragogy should recapitulate >>> pedagogy >>> is that a great misunderstanding of adult literacy education occurs. >>> >>> >> In >> >> >>> particular, there is a tendency for policymakers and funding agencies >>> to >>> think that adult literacy education is the same as children's >>> literacy >>> education and that may lead to the idea that, instead of investing >>> >>> >> much >> >> >>> by >>> way of resources into adult literacy education, we will be better >>> served >>> by >>> "stopping the problem at the source" and focussing instead upon young >>> children to prevent adult literacy problems. >>> >>> However, such an approach fails to recognize that, in thirty years of >>> trying, and after spending over a trillion dollars in preventing >>> reading failure in the public schools, recent data from the U. S. >>> National >>> Center for Education Statistics for the years from 1971 to 2004 show >>> that >>> reading scores for 9, 13, and 17 years old have remained about the >>> same, >>> with some up and down fluctuations over the years. So up to now, at >>> least >>> in the U. S., there has not been much success in "stopping the >>> >>> >> problem >> >> >>> at >>> the source." >>> >>> Also, the belief that andragogy ought to recapitulate pedagogy in >>> literacy >>> education fails to recognize that while the teaching of basic skills >>> >>> >> as >> >> >>> abstract "skills" may follow the same practices as for adults, the >>> "content" in which the basic skills instruction is embedded should >>> not >>> be >>> the same as for children. Over one hundred years of adult literacy >>> practice >>> has provided professional wisdom indicating that adults should be >>> taught >>> in >>> a "functional context," meaning that the content used to teach >>> >>> >> reading, >> >> >>> writing, and arithmetic ought to reflect the kinds of daily needs >>> that >>> adults face. >>> >>> This showed itself in World Wars I and II during which time soldiers >>> were >>> taught to read using materials that embedded basic skills instruction >>> with >>> important military information. This type of taking account of >>> adult's >>> functional contexts does occur in many adult literacy programs today >>> where >>> materials of importance to adults, such as what to do in case of >>> spousal >>> abuse, what kinds of health problems adults might be facing with >>> themselves >>> or their children, how to deal with consumer fraud, workplace demands >>> for >>> basic skills, and on and on are used to teach literacy. >>> >>> The fact that the "content" of adult literacy programs is so >>> different >>> from >>> that of primary grade children reflects attention to andragogy. But >>> when >>> the focus is on abstract "skills" devoid of any particular content, >>> literacy instruction for adults begins to recapitulate the pedagogy >>> of >>> children. >>> >>> There is a need today for adult literacy educators to stand up for >>> andragogy >>> and to insist upon the rights of adult literacy students to have >>> their >>> education focussed upon their current life circumstances. There is >>> evidence >>> to suggest that this will not only make adult literacy learning more >>> desirable and palatable for adults, it can also lead to greater rates >>> of >>> participation, retention, better learning, and greater transfer from >>> the >>> classroom to the world in which the adults live outside the >>> classroom. >>> >>> >>> Part 2. Fluid and Crystallized Literacy Assessment and Development >>> >>> >> With >> >> >>> Adults: >>> Challenges to the Validity of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult >>> Literacy >>> (NAAL) >>> >>> The disinction between the "skills' and "content" aspects of >>> education >>> has >>> revealed itself in psychometric research on intelligence over the >>> last >>> half >>> century. This research has >>> resulted in a trend to draw a distinction between the knowledge >>> aspect >>> and >>> the processing skills aspects of intelligence. Beginning in the 1940s >>> and >>> continuing up to the 1990s, Raymond Cattell and various >>> collaborators, >>> and >>> later many independent investigators, made the distinction between >>> "fluid >>> intelligence" and "crystallized intelligence." Cattell stated, "Fluid >>> intelligence is involved in tests that have very little cultural >>> content, >>> whereas crystallized intelligence loads abilities that have obviously >>> been >>> acquired, such as verbal and numerical ability, mechanical aptitude, >>> social >>> skills, and so on. The age curve of these two abilities is quite >>> different. >>> They both increase up to the age of about 15 or 16, and slightly >>> thereafter, to the early 20s perhaps. But thereafter fluid >>> >>> >> intelligence >> >> >>> steadily declines whereas crystallized intelligence stays high" (p. >>> 23). >>> >>> Cognitive psychologists have re-framed the "fluid" and "crystallized" >>> aspects of cognition into a model of a human cognitive system made-up >>> of >>> a >>> long term memory which constitutes a knowledge base ("crystallized >>> intelligence") for the person, a working memory which engages various >>> processes ("fluid intelligence") that are going on at a given time >>> using >>> information picked-up from both the long term memory's knowledge base >>> and >>> a sensory system that picks-up information from the external world >>> >>> >> that >> >> >>> the >>> person is in. Today, over forty years of research has validated the >>> usefulness of this simple three-part model for thinking about human >>> cognition. >>> >>> The model is important because it helps to develop a theory of >>> >>> >> literacy >> >> >>> as >>> information processing skills (reading as decoding printed to spoken >>> language) and comprehension (using the knowledge base to create >>> meaning) >>> that can inform the development of new knowledge-based assessment >>> >>> >> tools >> >> >>> and new approaches to adult education. >>> >>> The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the National Adult >>> Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1993 and the new 2003 National Assessment >>> of >>> Adult >>> Literacy (NAAL) all used "real world" tasks that are complex >>> information >>> processing >>> tasks that engage unknown mixtures of knowledge and processes. For >>> >>> >> this >> >> >>> reason it is not clear what they assess or what their instructional >>> implications are. >>> >>> Colleagues and I used the simple model of the human cognitive system >>> given >>> above to analyze performance on the NALS. It was concluded that the >>> NALS >>> places large demands on working memory processes ("fluid >>> intelligence") >>> and that is what may account for some of the large declines in >>> performance >>> by older adults. To test this hypothesis, an assessment of knowledge >>> ("crystallized intelligence") was developed and >>> used to assess adult's cultural knowledge of vocabulary, authors, >>> magazines >>> and famous people.. The results showed clearly that younger adults >>> >>> >> did >> >> >>> better on the NALS with its heavy emphasis on working memory >>> processes >>> ("fluid literacy") and older adults did better than younger adults on >>> the >>> knowledge base ("crystallized literacy") assessment . >>> >>> Given the differences between younger and older adults on "fluid >>> literacy" >>> and "crystallized literacy" there is reason to question the validity >>> of >>> using "real world" tasks like those on the Prose, Document and >>> Quantitative >>> scales of the IALS, NALS, and NAAL to represent the literacy >>> >>> >> abilities >> >> >>> of >>> adults. In general, when assessing the literacy of adults, it seems >>> wise >>> to >>> keep in mind the differences between working memory or "fluid" >>> aspects >>> of >>> literacy, such as fluency in reading with its emphasis upon >>> efficiency >>> of >>> processing, and the "crystallized" or knowledge base aspects of >>> reading. >>> >>> It is also important to keep in mind these differences between fluid >>> and >>> crystallized literacy in teaching and learning. While it is possible >>> >>> >> to >> >> >>> teach knowledge, such as vocabulary, facts, principles, concepts, and >>> rules, it is not possible to directly teach fluid processing. >>> Fluidity >>> of >>> information processing, such as fluency in reading, cannot be >>> directly >>> taught. Rather, it must be developed through extensive, guided, >>> practice. >>> Though I know of no research on this theoretical framework regarding >>> the >>> differences between fluid and crystallized literacy and instructional >>> practices in adult literacy programs, it can be hypothesized that all >>> learners are likely to make much faster improvements in crystallized >>> literacy than in fluid literacy, and this should be especially true >>> >>> >> for >> >> >>> older learners, especially those over 45 to 50 years of a >>> >>> Note; For references to fluid and crystallized intelligence see >>> >>> >> Beyond >> >> >>> 2000 >>> by Thomas Sticht downloadable online at >>> http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/beyond/Beyond.PDF >>> >>> Thomas G. Sticht >>> International Consultant in Adult Education >>> 2062 Valley View Blvd. >>> El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 >>> Tel/fax: 96190 444-9133 >>> Email: tsticht at aznet.net >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Julie McKinney >>> Discussion List Moderator >>> World Education/NCSALL >>> jmckinney at worlded.org >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------- >>> National Institute for Literacy >>> Focus on Basics mailing list >>> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >>> >>> >>> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Jul 17 11:49:04 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:49:04 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 434] Discussion on Assessment List: ESOL Level Decriptors in NRS Message-ID: Hi Everyone, There is an informal discussion on the Assessment list this week about the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors. To subscribe to the Assessment Discussion List, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Assessment See below for a description from Marie Cora. All the best Julie **************************** Good morning, afternoon, and evening to you all. I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to let everyone know that during this week, Larry Condelli from AIR (American Institutes of Research), who works with the NRS, and Sarah Young, from CAL (Center for Applied Linguistics) who works with BEST Plus will be available to answer any questions you might have regarding the changes in ESOL Level Descriptors, which go into effect this summer (this month I believe). I also encourage anyone who has questions regarding other ESOL tests (CASAS or EFF for example) to join in this Q&A. Because the Level Descriptors have been adjusted, the tests used to track learning gains also have undergone some shifting and it is important that we understand what these changes are. Larry and Sarah will be present on the List during this week, but perhaps intermittently *?? replies may not come immediately. I encourage you to post your question to the List, or to send your question to me for posting, if you prefer that. Larry, Sarah, and others working with any of the ESOL tests *?? feel free to jump in and give us a thumbnail sketch of what the changes are and how they might affect our work in programs and with students. The NRS homepage is located at: http://www.nrsweb.org/ To view information on the NRS Level Descriptors, please go to: http://www.nrsweb.org/reports/NewESLdescriptors.pdf At the bottom of the NRS homepage, see also: NRS Changes for Program Year 2006 Thanks so much *?? I*??m looking forward to understanding this information, and hearing what folks questions are regarding the changes. Marie T. Cora Assessment Discussion List Moderator marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org Mon Jul 17 13:48:54 2006 From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org (Valley Peters) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:48:54 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 435] Re: Andragynegogy and the individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <20060714175213.934E086B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> References: <20060714175213.934E086B15@ws7-1.us4.outblaze.com> Message-ID: Esther, I have a great interest in reflection and use reflective practice with the teachers I train. In the past, I have also asked English Language Learners to do reflective tasks, such as writing their history of learning English. What guiding questions have you used in your "learner biography"? Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jul 14, 2006, at 11:52 AM, e s wrote: > Katrina and all, > I was looking over the discussion and noticed your comment about > learners coming away from experiences with a sense of "ownership" > of the material. This I believe is very significant, but is > difficult to create or hold the space for unless instructors are > open to the negotiation process that occur in learning situations. > We do not all have the same context or frame of reference therefore > learners are always negotiating "what's real" or applicable for > them. Unfortunately the K-12 system doesn't facilitate this kind of > process and many learners shut down because they just can't > reconcile all of the inconsistencies. Down the road, many of these > learners come into our programs and they continue to feel detached > from material. > > The "learner biography" process gives learners the time and space > to look at all of those earlier learning experiences, and to search > for significant themes that have emerged from these experiences. > It is a very powerful process and having gone through this myself > in graduate school, I know that the outcome can be quite > significant. I would be willing to be involved in a research > project that could look more closely at this process for basic > literacy learners if there is an opportunity to support this kind > of research. What do others think? > Esther > > -- > _______________________________________________ > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos > Yellow Pages > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/ > default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060717/a0200862/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Mon Jul 17 17:13:41 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 15:13:41 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 436] Re: Andragynegogy and the individualizedworkbook approach In-Reply-To: Message-ID: We have classes for migrant workers. Last year we started to have them write their own stories which we published. You can see them at http:bordersenses.com/memorias. It was an incredible project. Some students had very limited literacy. One woman only had 2nd grade education from Mexico, and she earned her GED. She became a published author together with many other students. We are about to publish the second issue of memorias. If we get some of the funding that we are expecting, we will continue to do this. Publishing student stories is a powerful motivational tool for the entire family. Andres ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Valley Peters Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 11:49 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 435] Re: Andragynegogy and the individualizedworkbook approach Esther, I have a great interest in reflection and use reflective practice with the teachers I train. In the past, I have also asked English Language Learners to do reflective tasks, such as writing their history of learning English. What guiding questions have you used in your "learner biography"? Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jul 14, 2006, at 11:52 AM, e s wrote: Katrina and all, I was looking over the discussion and noticed your comment about learners coming away from experiences with a sense of "ownership" of the material. This I believe is very significant, but is difficult to create or hold the space for unless instructors are open to the negotiation process that occur in learning situations. We do not all have the same context or frame of reference therefore learners are always negotiating "what's real" or applicable for them. Unfortunately the K-12 system doesn't facilitate this kind of process and many learners shut down because they just can't reconcile all of the inconsistencies. Down the road, many of these learners come into our programs and they continue to feel detached from material. The "learner biography" process gives learners the time and space to look at all of those earlier learning experiences, and to search for significant themes that have emerged from these experiences. It is a very powerful process and having gone through this myself in graduate school, I know that the outcome can be quite significant. I would be willing to be involved in a research project that could look more closely at this process for basic literacy learners if there is an opportunity to support this kind of research. What do others think? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default .asp?SRC=lycos10 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060717/33a92996/attachment.html From david at collings.com Tue Jul 18 10:53:45 2006 From: david at collings.com (David Collings) Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:53:45 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 437] Re: Andragynegogy and theindividualizedworkbook approach In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060718145347.8E58E286CF@nb-207.win.net> Andres, I just can't express how encouraging it is to hear that this project is continuing. For all of us in the adult education community, it is a joy to know that such a collaboration is possible. I know that I am straying from the topic of "individualized approach," but I think it is important to emphasize this success story. The college and the community have joined to support a project where individual learners also have a stake in a public product. In the process each contributor shares cultural specifics, but also illuminates personal struggle, which is common to us all. I want to jump up and scream about how great this is. It would probably work best as a new discussion thread, but I think many people would like to know more about these personal successes and what was needed to make each of them work. David David Collings Technology Coordinator Delaware Adult and Community Education Network david at collings.com _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Muro, Andres Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 5:14 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 436] Re: Andragynegogy and theindividualizedworkbook approach We have classes for migrant workers. Last year we started to have them write their own stories which we published. You can see them at http:bordersenses.com/memorias. It was an incredible project. Some students had very limited literacy. One woman only had 2nd grade education from Mexico, and she earned her GED. She became a published author together with many other students. We are about to publish the second issue of memorias. If we get some of the funding that we are expecting, we will continue to do this. Publishing student stories is a powerful motivational tool for the entire family. Andres _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Valley Peters Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 11:49 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 435] Re: Andragynegogy and the individualizedworkbook approach Esther, I have a great interest in reflection and use reflective practice with the teachers I train. In the past, I have also asked English Language Learners to do reflective tasks, such as writing their history of learning English. What guiding questions have you used in your "learner biography"? Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jul 14, 2006, at 11:52 AM, e s wrote: Katrina and all, I was looking over the discussion and noticed your comment about learners coming away from experiences with a sense of "ownership" of the material. This I believe is very significant, but is difficult to create or hold the space for unless instructors are open to the negotiation process that occur in learning situations. We do not all have the same context or frame of reference therefore learners are always negotiating "what's real" or applicable for them. Unfortunately the K-12 system doesn't facilitate this kind of process and many learners shut down because they just can't reconcile all of the inconsistencies. Down the road, many of these learners come into our programs and they continue to feel detached from material. The "learner biography" process gives learners the time and space to look at all of those earlier learning experiences, and to search for significant themes that have emerged from these experiences. It is a very powerful process and having gone through this myself in graduate school, I know that the outcome can be quite significant. I would be willing to be involved in a research project that could look more closely at this process for basic literacy learners if there is an opportunity to support this kind of research. What do others think? Esther -- _______________________________________________ Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp ?SRC=lycos10 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060718/b715db49/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Jul 18 11:58:33 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:58:33 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 438] Student stories and memorias Message-ID: Good idea, David, I think it would be great to hear from others who have done similar projects, so here's the thread! And you talk about how this was a collaboration between the college and the community. Can you tell us about how this collaboration worked? Andres, you too. Have others of you done similar projects? Please tell us about them. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From steve_quann at worlded.org Tue Jul 18 18:53:34 2006 From: steve_quann at worlded.org (Steve Quann) Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 18:53:34 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 439] Re: Student stories and memorias Message-ID: Well, I agree with Andres. Publishing student wortk is powerful. Not only for the learner but for the teacher as well. Below are few sites teachers and students have worked on under the auspices of World Education with a grant from NIFL. Teachers from Connecticut and Vermont participated in workshops covering best practices for project-based activities using the Web and the basics of designing a Web site. Teachers then returned to their classes to see what interests students had and involved them where possible in the creation of websites. Mind you, these were on free hosting sites so they are not free of banners and so nowhere near as beautiful as Memorias del Silencio, but the content is wonderful and shows a great first effort by teachers. http://nicholsonesl.tripod.com/ http://ttc-student.tripod.com/ http://plainvilleesl.tripod.com/ http://welearntogether.tripod.com/id31.html Regards, Steve Quann World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 617.482.9485 >>> julie_mcKinney at worlded.org 07/18/06 11:58 AM >>> Good idea, David, I think it would be great to hear from others who have done similar projects, so here's the thread! And you talk about how this was a collaboration between the college and the community. Can you tell us about how this collaboration worked? Andres, you too. Have others of you done similar projects? Please tell us about them. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Wed Jul 19 09:24:53 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e.b.shupe) Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:24:53 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 440] [RE] Andragynegogy and the individualized workbook approach Message-ID: <20060719092453.HM.00000000000006B@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060719/e44bab0f/attachment.html From valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org Wed Jul 19 14:57:45 2006 From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org (Valley Peters) Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 12:57:45 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 441] Re: [RE] Andragynegogy and the individualized workbook approach In-Reply-To: <20060719092453.HM.00000000000006B@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> References: <20060719092453.HM.00000000000006B@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> Message-ID: Esther, I appreciate your response and hope to use this process with our intermediate and advanced ESOL students as well as our ABE learners. We have few ABE students and they work one-on-one with tutors, but I want to introduce this idea to tutors. I can see having a workshop with tutors and students where we all explore this together! Thank you, Valley Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. On Jul 19, 2006, at 7:24 AM, e.b.shupe wrote: > I'm sorry for such a delayed reply to Valley's email but my email > set-up changed and there was a delay in the postings to me. In > answer to your question about "reflection questions" used in the > process. THe learner biography process starts in group format > (orally) with discussion about early learning experiences. THe > exchange is quite open ended with freedom to talk about both formal > and informal types of learning experiences. It then moves into a > more formal stage of the process, which is the writing part. Once > the group (inclusive of the learner) has identified one or more > pervasive theme/s the learner can begin to write his/her story as > it relates to theme identified. It is in the writing that the > learner gains both the awareness and distance to see the ways in > which his/her identity as a learner had been shaped by those > experiences. I may or may not have answered your question directly > but you can find more information about this process in "learning > from our live! s" by Pierre Dominice. If you do decide to > facilitate this process, I would love to hear more about your > experiences, and I would be happy to share more with you off-line. > thanks, > Esther > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > Subject : [FocusOnBasics 426] Andragynegogy and the individualized > workbook approach > > Date : Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:11:06 -0400 > > From : "Julie McKinney" > > To : > > > > Everyone, > > > > Now that we have gone back to the roots, explored some merits of child > > vs. adult-based and teacher vs. student-based approaches, and come up > > with a fair term, I would like to go back to Esther's original > question: > > > > "...how we can as adult educators help learners explore alternative > ways > > of learning in the classroom. Pierre Dominice has explored the process > > of "learner biographies" with much success with graduate students... I > > think this journey back to "roots of learning" can help learners > > identify ways in which they have been both successful/unsuccessful in > > learning. What are some thoughts on this type of process for basic > > literacy/ESOL students?" > > > > Has anyone used this kind of process, and with what kind of results? > > > > Julie > > > > P.S. See below for other comments from our recent discussion that are > > relevant to this process: > > ************************************************************** > > Perhaps a reason why is that teachers tend to teach the way they were > > taught. We are prisoners of our own experience. This is how > educational > > traditions perpetuate. It is extremely difficult to break out, and > when > > we do, we encounter students who say, "just give me the workbook." I > > guess students are prisoners of their experience too. > > - Tom Woods > > > > it is so important for instructors to be critically reflective in > their > > work. We need to explore some of the hidden beliefs that have helped > > formulate our ideological principles which in turn point us to our > > methods of teaching. A few weeks past the list discussed > videotaping as > > a form of Professional Development for adult ed instructors. I believe > > that these types of PD opportunities for educators can help > facilitate a > > better understanding of what impact (positive and negative) we are > > having with learners in the classroom, as well as help us to explore > > creative alternatives in learning situations. > > - Esther > > > > We need to help them find ways to learn that incorporate what they > know, > > and how they have learned in the past, so that they have some sense of > > ownership in their own learning. > > - Katrina > > > > > > Julie McKinney > > Discussion List Moderator > > World Education/NCSALL > > jmckinney at worlded.org > > > > >>> e.b.shupe at lycos.com 07/11/06 10:47 AM >>> > > Virgnia, > > I think the issue that is being raised is part of parcel of what adult > > learners bring to learning experiences from their early K-12 > > experiences. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk about alternative > ways > > of learning in the classroom as adults. This isn't a quick and easy > > remedy reply but I wanted to raise the question of how we can as adult > > educators help learners explore alternative ways of learning in the > > classroom. Pierre Dominice has explored the process of "learner > > biographies" with much success with graduate students. THis is a > process > > of exploring learner experiences in learning situations both in > > classroom and out and some critical themes that have been > forumulated as > > a result of these experiences. I think this journey back to "roots of > > learning" can help learners identify ways in which they have been both > > successful/unsuccessful in learning. What are some thoughts on this > > type of process for basic literacy/ESOL students? > > Esther > > > > -- > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Search for businesses by name, location, or phone number. -Lycos > Yellow > > Pages > > > > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/ > default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060719/f6d52b84/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Jul 20 16:21:13 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:21:13 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 442] Literacy Vacancy, Ghana Message-ID: <26992479.302421153426873427.JavaMail.root@vms068.mailsrvcs.net> There's an interesting job available for a k-12 literacy specialist in Ghana. Please share the information below with anyone you think might be suitable. Thanks, Barb Garner b.garner4 at verizon.net The position, with EDC, requires  An advanced degree, or equivalent experience, in education, with a focus on curriculum development;  At least 10 years experience designing and implementing literacy programs, preferably in Africa;  Demonstrated success in participatory management and team building; and  Experience working within the USAID environment. The full description is available at http://notes.edc.org/EDC/jobs.nsf/wzCluster/255B0A50A3CDE23F852571B00054284E From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jul 21 10:28:26 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:28:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 443] Learner biography process Message-ID: Has anyone else out there used the kind of learner biography process that Esther describes as a way to explore past learning experiences? Valley talked of training tutors to use this approach...has anyone done a training in this approach? Esther and all, after the writing, how do you process the past experiences to connect them to the here-and-now? How does the past guide the learner's present and future learning experience? Julie *********************************** I'm sorry for such a delayed reply to Valley's email but my email set-up changed and there was a delay in the postings to me. In answer to your question about "reflection questions" used in the process. THe learner biography process starts in group format (orally) with discussion about early learning experiences. THe exchange is quite open ended with freedom to talk about both formal and informal types of learning experiences. It then moves into a more formal stage of the process, which is the writing part. Once the group (inclusive of the learner) has identified one or more pervasive theme/s the learner can begin to write his/her story as it relates to theme identified. It is in the writing that the learner gains both the awareness and distance to see the ways in which his/her identity as a learner had been shaped by those experiences. I may or may not have answered your question directly but you can find more information about this process in "learning from our live! s" by Pierre Dominice. If you do decide to facilitate this process, I would love to hear more about your experiences, and I would be happy to share more with you off-line. thanks, Esther Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> e.b.shupe at lycos.com 07/19/06 9:24 AM >>> From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Jul 21 10:50:11 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:50:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 444] Guest discussion on Workplace Literacy List next week Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Please see Donna Brian's announcement below if you are interested in Workplace Literacy! All the best, Julie ************************************** Guest Discussion: Workplace Literacy Monday, July 24 - Friday, July 28 Guest: Alison Campbell - please see Alison's bio below To subscribe to the Workplace List, go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/ Colleagues, Next week, Monday July 24 - Friday July 28, we are privileged to have , as a guest on the Workplace Literacy Discussion List , Alison Campbell of the Conference Board of Canada. Many of you already know of her work, but for those of you who don't, she has 3 websites that I consider sister sites of the Workforce Education site. Where our Workforce site is geared more toward adult education instructors with a workforce focus, her sites are geared more toward business and industry employers who want and/or need to upgrade their workers' literacy skills. The Conference Board is also responsible for quite a lot of good research which Alison has been a part of. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bio Alison Campbell Alison Campbell is a Senior Research Associate with the Education and Learning practice at The Conference Board of Canada. She acts as lead researcher, author and web site manager on various research projects in the area of workplace education and learning. This year, Alison is also managing the Conference Board?s International Workplace Education and Learning Conference: Sharing Global Solutions (Toronto, December 5-6, 2006). In 2005, Alison authored Profiting from Literacy: Creating a Sustainable Workplace Literacy Program and co-authored Literacy, Life and Employment: An Analysis of Canadian International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) Microdata. In 2003, Alison authored Strength from Within: Overcoming the Barriers to Workplace Literacy Development as part of a national research study on the challenges employers face in designing and implementing workplace literacy and basic skills programs. In 2002, she co-managed a national study in the U.S. on the impacts of joint labor-management education programs. She co-authored the final report: Success by Design: What Works in Workforce Development. Alison currently manages a pilot project on the benefits of a national credit review service to improve credentialing opportunities for workplace education. Her work on workplace literacy and basic skills development extends beyond Canada to the United States. Alison manages and makes updates to www.work-basedlearning.org, www.scorecardforskills.com and www.workplacebasicskills.com * a suite of web sites funded by the U.S. Department of Education that act as free resources to American employers and their partners who wish to improve employees? skills. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As you can tell from her bio, Alison has expertise in many areas of workplace literacy. Attached to this message is a complete listing of her publications and presentations, which are available for free download on the Conference Board site. You must, however, register with the site to access them. (Sign in at http://www.conferenceboard.ca/boardwiseii/Signin.asp and when you have the option, browse documents by "author" choosing "Campbell, Alison.") Access to the web sites does not require registration, and they are linked in her bio above. Alison is willing to discuss with us any of the areas of workplace literacy on her web sites or in her publications. It should be a wide-ranging discussion! I hope you will be able to participate! Donna Donna Brian, moderator Workplace Literacy Discussion List Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee djgbrian at utk.edu Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Sat Jul 22 11:01:37 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e.b.shupe) Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2006 11:01:37 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 445] [RE] Learner biography process Message-ID: <20060722110137.HM.00000000000007c@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060722/98cc89f6/attachment.html From hsnow at cougar.kean.edu Sun Jul 23 14:28:47 2006 From: hsnow at cougar.kean.edu (Hugh D. Snow) Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 13:28:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 446] Re: [RE] Learner biography process Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060723/668a1277/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060723/668a1277/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Mon Jul 24 09:30:28 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e.b.shupe) Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:30:28 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 447] [RE] Re: [RE] Learner biography process Message-ID: <20060724093028.HM.00000000000008L@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060724/13f098ef/attachment.html From valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org Mon Jul 24 12:19:16 2006 From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org (Valley Peters) Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 10:19:16 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 448] Re: [RE] Learner biography process In-Reply-To: <20060722110137.HM.00000000000007c@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> References: <20060722110137.HM.00000000000007c@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> Message-ID: <0F5A3687-6DC3-44B5-8002-650A2B3A295E@tetonliteracy.org> Hi, As I was thinking about how to train tutors to do this, I thought one of the best ways would be to guide them through the same experience. I used to ask tutors to write about a learning experience and we would identify what helped and what hindered that person's learning. I can see expanding this in the way that Esther talks about below. I think it also would be useful to offer our ELL students, who speak Spanish, a chance to write about this in their native language. Has anyone tried to use this process when working in the student's native language? Valley On Jul 22, 2006, at 9:01 AM, e.b.shupe wrote: > Hi Everyone, > Since we generally identify learning and growth in terms of change, > the learner biography process through discussion, and writing, help > learners to gain more insight into behavior patterns that have kept > them from moving forward as well as the freedom to bring about > change and growth. For example, if in the process you discover that > early experiences in learning spurned exploration or investigation, > the result would be a learner identity that would be reticent to > reach out and ask questions. I might add that not all experiences > that learners recall are from formal learning but informal > experiences as well. Consequently many ABE learners come to classes > with a distorted image of themselves as learners. They carry with > them past experiences and knowledge from those experiences that > keep them from active participation in their own learning as well > as the power to contribute to other ways of knowing. And so the > result for many learners is lack of persistence. Many commun! ity > colleges have in place a "student success seminar" that highlights > ways in which "at risk" students can learn about successful > learning behavior patterns. This is only part of what is needed for > many learners. THe approach needs to be centered around the learner > and his/her experiences and ways in which learners can themselves > "re-story" or reframe those experiences to reflect a more positive > change in future learning. They key is in the restorying of the > experiences. Instead of coming away feeling inadequate or > deficient, we come away with a larger understanding of covert > forces that help shape our identities. > I would be interested to hear what others think. thanks, Esther > > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > Subject : [FocusOnBasics 443] Learner biography process > > Date : Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:28:26 -0400 > > From : "Julie McKinney" > > To : > > > > Has anyone else out there used the kind of learner biography process > > that Esther describes as a way to explore past learning experiences? > > > > Valley talked of training tutors to use this approach...has anyone > done > > a training in this approach? > > > > Esther and all, after the writing, how do you process the past > > experiences to connect them to the here-and-now? How does the past > guide > > the learner's present and future learning experience? > > > > Julie > > > > *********************************** > > I'm sorry for such a delayed reply to Valley's email but my email > set-up > > changed and there was a delay in the postings to me. In answer to your > > question about "reflection questions" used in the process. THe learner > > biography process starts in group format (orally) with discussion > about > > early learning experiences. THe exchange is quite open ended with > > freedom to talk about both formal and informal types of learning > > experiences. It then moves into a more formal stage of the process, > > which is the writing part. Once the group (inclusive of the > learner) has > > identified one or more pervasive theme/s the learner can begin to > write > > his/her story as it relates to theme identified. It is in the writing > > that the learner gains both the awareness and distance to see the ways > > in which his/her identity as a learner had been shaped by those > > experiences. I may or may not have answered your question directly but > > you can find more information about this process in "learning from our > > live! s" by Pierre Dominice. If you do decide to facilitate this > > process, I would love to hear more about your experiences, and I would > > be happy to share more with you off-line. > > thanks, > > Esther > > Julie McKinney > > Discussion List Moderator > > World Education/NCSALL > > jmckinney at worlded.org > > > > >>> e.b.shupe at lycos.com 07/19/06 9:24 AM >>> > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060724/64066bf7/attachment.html From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Jul 24 11:19:43 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:19:43 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 449] New from NCSALL--Training Guides Message-ID: <002701c6af34$9752e430$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Practitioner Research Training Guide: Research-based Adult Reading Instruction This practitioner research training guide provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a 31-hour training that guides practitioners through an investigation of a problem related to reading. The practitioners conduct the research in their own classrooms. This guide provides all the necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a four-session practitioner research training. The sessions vary in length. To download the training guide, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1143 Training Guide: Study Circle Facilitators This training guide provides comprehensive instructions for preparing experienced adult education practitioners to facilitate NCSALL study circles. The training focuses on the NCSALL study circle, Research-based Adult Reading Instruction. However, the training can be adapted to prepare facilitators for NCSALL study circles in general or on another topic. The guide provides all the necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a one-day, study circle facilitators training. The training is six hours in length. To download the training guide, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1137 **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060724/b3c02e3b/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Jul 25 22:20:27 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 22:20:27 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 450] Re: [RE] Learner biography process In-Reply-To: <0F5A3687-6DC3-44B5-8002-650A2B3A295E@tetonliteracy.org> References: <20060722110137.HM.00000000000007c@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> <0F5A3687-6DC3-44B5-8002-650A2B3A295E@tetonliteracy.org> Message-ID: <8C87E7131642560-E74-1635@mblk-r34.sysops.aol.com> Valley, I believe writing in the student's native language was addressed in an issue of TESOL Matters last year sometime. Look through their archives-- I could be having a senior moment and it was FOB, but I don't think so. It is a WONDERFUL idea. I am really entranced with this idea in any form, but for ELL's it would be especially positive. The article, as I remember, actually talked about having ELL's write about something meaningful in their native language to help them feel less helpless as learners. Then the suggestion was to begin to help them acquire the English to be able to speak or write about what they wrote about in their language. I was struck by how respectful that process would be of learners who are often regarded as unable to express themselves about anything. This Learner biography is something I will be anxious to pursue when I get a chance. Robin Lovrien -----Original Message----- From: valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:19 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 448] Re: [RE] Learner biography process Hi,As I was thinking about how to train tutors to do this, I thought one of the best ways would be to guide them through the same experience.? I used to ask tutors to write about a learning experience and we would identify what helped and what hindered that person's learning.? I can see expanding this in the way that Esther talks about below.? I think it also would be useful to offer our ELL students, who speak Spanish, a chance to write about this in their native language. Has anyone tried to use this process when working in the student's native language? Valley On Jul 22, 2006, at 9:01 AM, e.b.shupe wrote: Hi Everyone, Since we generally identify learning and growth in terms of change, the learner biography process through discussion, and writing, help learners to gain more insight into behavior patterns that have kept them from moving forward as well as the freedom to bring about change and growth. For example, if in the process you discover that early experiences in learning spurned exploration or investigation, the result would be a learner identity that would be reticent to reach out and ask questions. I might add that not all experiences that learners recall are from formal learning but informal experiences as well. Consequently many ABE learners come to classes with a distorted image of themselves as learners. They carry with them past experiences and knowledge from those experiences that keep them from active participation in their own learning as well as the power to contribute to other ways of knowing. And so the result for many learners is lack of persistence. Many commun! ity colleges have in place a "student success seminar" that highlights ways in which "at risk" students can learn about successful learning behavior patterns. This is only part of what is needed for many learners. THe approach needs to be centered around the learner and his/her experiences and ways in which learners can themselves "re-story" or reframe those experiences to reflect a more positive change in future learning. They key is in the restorying of the experiences. Instead of coming away feeling inadequate or deficient, we come away with a larger understanding of covert forces that help shape our identities. I would be interested to hear what others think. thanks, Esther ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- Subject : [FocusOnBasics 443] Learner biography process Date : Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:28:26 -0400 >From : "Julie McKinney" To : Has anyone else out there used the kind of learner biography process that Esther describes as a way to explore past learning experiences? Valley talked of training tutors to use this approach...has anyone done a training in this approach? Esther and all, after the writing, how do you process the past experiences to connect them to the here-and-now? How does the past guide the learner's present and future learning experience? Julie *********************************** I'm sorry for such a delayed reply to Valley's email but my email set-up changed and there was a delay in the postings to me. In answer to your question about "reflection questions" used in the process. THe learner biography process starts in group format (orally) with discussion about early learning experiences. THe exchange is quite open ended with freedom to talk about both formal and informal types of learning experiences. It then moves into a more formal stage of the process, which is the writing part. Once the group (inclusive of the learner) has identified one or more pervasive theme/s the learner can begin to write his/her story as it relates to theme identified. It is in the writing that the learner gains both the awareness and distance to see the ways in which his/her identity as a learner had been shaped by those experiences. I may or may not have answered your question directly but you can find more information about this process in "learning from our live! s" by Pierre Dominice. If you do decide to facilitate this process, I would love to hear more about your experiences, and I would be happy to share more with you off-line. thanks, Esther Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> e.b.shupe at lycos.com 07/19/06 9:24 AM >>> ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Valley Peters Director of Adult Services valleypeters at tetonliteracy.org 307.733.9242 Teton Literacy Program provides literacy education and resources to open doors for individuals and families to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals, as contributing members of our community. = ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free. From dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu Thu Jul 27 19:03:40 2006 From: dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu (Dianna Baycich) Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:03:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 451] student stories and memorias Message-ID: <00b701c6b1d0$e9be13e0$f5607b83@Hebe> Sorry - a bit late on my response to this thread. For the past nine years we have published student authors in a book titled _Beginnings_. Students in adult literacy programs send us their writing, a group of teachers and students rate these pieces of writing using a rubric, the pieces that score high enough are published in _Beginnings_. In the spring we have a conference/celebration for the published student authors where they listen to authors (we've had Brandon Marie Miller and Angela Johnson), eat a lavish lunch, receive tons of recognition, and have the chance to read their piece to the other authors and their guests. This is definitely a "wow" project for all involved. The _Beginnigs_ books are also on line at http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/beginnings.html Dianna Baycich Ohio Literacy Resource Center Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street, P.O. Box 5190 Kent State University Kent, OH 44242-0001 330.672.7841 330.672.4841 (fax) "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray/Go throw your TV set away/And in its place you can install/A lovely bookshelf on the wall." - Roald Dahl -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060727/412220b8/attachment.html From beth_hennessey at yahoo.com Fri Jul 28 14:42:30 2006 From: beth_hennessey at yahoo.com (Beth Hennessey) Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:42:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 452] Re: student stories and memorias In-Reply-To: <00b701c6b1d0$e9be13e0$f5607b83@Hebe> Message-ID: <20060728184230.99939.qmail@web52407.mail.yahoo.com> Hi, Dianna, Your response came right on time for me, as I will be working in a new literacy program starting this fall. I am wondering, would it be possible for you to share the rubric that you use to evaluate the pieces submitted by the student authors? I think the staff and students at my center would be very receptive to this kind of endeavor. Thank you. bh --- Dianna Baycich wrote: > Sorry - a bit late on my response to this thread. > For the past nine years we > have published student authors in a book titled > _Beginnings_. Students in > adult literacy programs send us their writing, a > group of teachers and > students rate these pieces of writing using a > rubric, the pieces that score > high enough are published in _Beginnings_. In the > spring we have a > conference/celebration for the published student > authors where they listen > to authors (we've had Brandon Marie Miller and > Angela Johnson), eat a lavish > lunch, receive tons of recognition, and have the > chance to read their piece > to the other authors and their guests. This is > definitely a "wow" project > for all involved. The _Beginnigs_ books are also on > line at > http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/beginnings.html > > Dianna Baycich > Ohio Literacy Resource Center > Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street, > P.O. Box 5190 > Kent State University > Kent, OH 44242-0001 > 330.672.7841 330.672.4841 (fax) > > "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray/Go throw your > TV set away/And in its > place you can install/A lovely bookshelf on the > wall." > - Roald Dahl > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu Sat Jul 29 17:55:47 2006 From: dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu (Dianna Baycich) Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 17:55:47 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 453] Re: student stories and memorias In-Reply-To: <20060728184230.99939.qmail@web52407.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <001a01c6b359$c2b1c7d0$f5607b83@Hebe> Hi Beth, I would be happy to share the rubric we use to evaluate the _Beginnings_ submissions. We use a likert scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. The questions on the rubric are: 1. How clear is the content (message) of the writing? 2. Is the organization/structure of the writing acceptable? 3. How creative or original is the piece of writing? Does it interest the reader? 4. Are mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization) prevalent in the piece of writing? That is, do they get in the way of the writing's meaning? 5. Overall, how would you rate this piece of writing? We also leave room for comments. If you have more questions let me know either on or off list. Dianna B. dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Beth Hennessey Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 2:43 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 452] Re: student stories and memorias Hi, Dianna, Your response came right on time for me, as I will be working in a new literacy program starting this fall. I am wondering, would it be possible for you to share the rubric that you use to evaluate the pieces submitted by the student authors? I think the staff and students at my center would be very receptive to this kind of endeavor. Thank you. bh --- Dianna Baycich wrote: > Sorry - a bit late on my response to this thread. > For the past nine years we > have published student authors in a book titled > _Beginnings_. Students in > adult literacy programs send us their writing, a > group of teachers and > students rate these pieces of writing using a > rubric, the pieces that score > high enough are published in _Beginnings_. In the > spring we have a > conference/celebration for the published student > authors where they listen > to authors (we've had Brandon Marie Miller and > Angela Johnson), eat a lavish > lunch, receive tons of recognition, and have the > chance to read their piece > to the other authors and their guests. This is > definitely a "wow" project > for all involved. The _Beginnigs_ books are also on > line at > http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/beginnings.html > > Dianna Baycich > Ohio Literacy Resource Center > Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street, > P.O. Box 5190 > Kent State University > Kent, OH 44242-0001 > 330.672.7841 330.672.4841 (fax) > > "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray/Go throw your > TV set away/And in its > place you can install/A lovely bookshelf on the > wall." > - Roald Dahl > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From e.b.shupe at lycos.com Sat Jul 29 22:12:43 2006 From: e.b.shupe at lycos.com (e.b.shupe) Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 22:12:43 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 454] [RE] student stories and memorias Message-ID: <20060729221243.HM.0000000000000AW@e.b.shupe.bos-mail-wwl15.bos.lycos.com.lycos.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060729/3ebae791/attachment.html From beth_hennessey at yahoo.com Mon Jul 31 14:54:42 2006 From: beth_hennessey at yahoo.com (Beth Hennessey) Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 11:54:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 455] Re: student stories and memorias In-Reply-To: <001a01c6b359$c2b1c7d0$f5607b83@Hebe> Message-ID: <20060731185442.94480.qmail@web52409.mail.yahoo.com> Thanks, Dianna. This is a wonderful help. b --- Dianna Baycich wrote: > Hi Beth, > I would be happy to share the rubric we use to > evaluate the _Beginnings_ > submissions. We use a likert scale from 1 to 5 with > 5 being the best. The > questions on the rubric are: > 1. How clear is the content (message) of the > writing? > 2. Is the organization/structure of the writing > acceptable? > 3. How creative or original is the piece of writing? > Does it interest the > reader? > 4. Are mechanical errors (spelling, grammar, > punctuation, and > capitalization) prevalent in the piece of writing? > That is, do they get in > the way of the writing's meaning? > 5. Overall, how would you rate this piece of > writing? > We also leave room for comments. > If you have more questions let me know either on or > off list. > Dianna B. > dbaycich at literacy.kent.edu > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] > On Behalf Of Beth Hennessey > Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 2:43 PM > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 452] Re: student stories and > memorias > > > Hi, Dianna, > > Your response came right on time for me, as I will > be > working in a new literacy program starting this > fall. > I am wondering, would it be possible for you to > share > the rubric that you use to evaluate the pieces > submitted by the student authors? I think the staff > and students at my center would be very receptive to > this kind of endeavor. > Thank you. > bh > > --- Dianna Baycich > wrote: > > > Sorry - a bit late on my response to this thread. > > For the past nine years we > > have published student authors in a book titled > > _Beginnings_. Students in > > adult literacy programs send us their writing, a > > group of teachers and > > students rate these pieces of writing using a > > rubric, the pieces that score > > high enough are published in _Beginnings_. In the > > spring we have a > > conference/celebration for the published student > > authors where they listen > > to authors (we've had Brandon Marie Miller and > > Angela Johnson), eat a lavish > > lunch, receive tons of recognition, and have the > > chance to read their piece > > to the other authors and their guests. This is > > definitely a "wow" project > > for all involved. The _Beginnigs_ books are also > on > > line at > > > http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/beginnings.html > > > > Dianna Baycich > > Ohio Literacy Resource Center > > Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street, > > P.O. Box 5190 > > Kent State University > > Kent, OH 44242-0001 > > 330.672.7841 330.672.4841 (fax) > > > > "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray/Go throw > your > > TV set away/And in its > > place you can install/A lovely bookshelf on the > > wall." > > - Roald Dahl > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Focus on Basics mailing list > > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription > settings, > > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam > protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Aug 1 11:52:45 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:52:45 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 456] Student stories and learner biographies Message-ID: Hi Folks, Here are some links to FOB articles that relate to the practice of having students write memorias, as well as the more specific practice of processing their written accounts of learning experiences in order to adopt better learning strategies. Rediscovering Themselves: Learning to Read for Survival http://www.ncsall.net/?id=458 This describes a process of taking learners through life reflection that could be done with a focus on their learning history, as Esther describes. How I Wish I was Taught to Write http://www.ncsall.net/?id=340 One learner-turned-teacher describes what she learned from reviewing her learning history. "I Can't Learn This!" An MI Route Around Resistance http://www.ncsall.net/?id=372 How multiple intelligences theory can help adjust teaching strategies to fit with indidvidual learning styles. Understanding Multiple Intelligences: Understanding the Theory Behind the Practice http://www.ncsall.net/?id=373 Describes the theory of multiple intelligenges. It seems to me that the theory of multiple intelligences could be helpful in the learner bigraphy process, because it offers an explanation of why certain learning experiences have or have not worked for certain individuals. It also shows what kind of teaching styles could be a better fit for certain learners. What do you all think? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Tue Aug 8 17:02:54 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 17:02:54 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 457] NIFL Hosts Live Webcast on NAAL Findings for Below Basic & Basic Adults Message-ID: Join the National Institute for Literacy for a LIVE webcast on: Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and Implications for Practice. Featuring Dr. Sheida White, Dr. John Strucker, & Brian Bosworth, and moderated by Lori Aratani WHEN: August 15, 2006 1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST The webcast can be viewed from your computer. We encourage you to register in advance. To register for this webcast go to: For more information about this webcast, go to: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Institute for Literacy is hosting a live webcast on Tuesday, August 15 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the results of the National Assessement of Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2003, specifically relating to Americans who tested in the Below Basic and Basic literacy levels. The webcast will feature Dr. Sheida White, of the National Center for Education Statistics, who served as project officer for the NAAL, who will present the findings of the NAAL for Below Basic and Basic levels. In addition, there will be a panel of subject-matter experts who will discuss what implications the NAAL findings for Below Basic and Basic adults will have on programs. The panelists include John Strucker, of the National Center for Adult Literacy and Learning, will discuss basic skills; and Brian Bosworth, of the consulting firm FutureWorks, will discuss implications for workforce programs. The live webcast will feature: * Dr. Sheida White directs the National Assessment of Adult Literacy at the National Center for Education Statistics (or NCES). After working as a full-time reading researcher for 6 years, she joined NCES in 1991. During the first 8 years at NCES, she monitored the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Since 1999, she has been directing the NAAL project. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Language in Society and Reading Research Quarterly. * John Strucker, Ed.D., is a Lecturer in Education and Research Associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He teaches a laboratory practicum course at Harvard, "Developing Reading in Adults and Older Adolescents," and he has been the principal investigator on two large-scale assessment projects, NCSALL's Adult Reading Components Study (ARCS) and the joint NCSALL/ETS Level 1 Study. * Brian Bosworth is the founder and President of FutureWorks, a private consulting and public policy research firm in Belmont, Massachusetts, that builds regional institutions and strategies for economic growth, workforce education, and civic improvement. The webcast will be moderated by Lori Aratani, Education Staff Writer at the Washington Post. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Aug 9 13:05:33 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2006 13:05:33 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 458] Ignore the messages with 'dev.nifl.gov' Message-ID: Hello Everyone, Yesterday, you may have received some mailman messages from addresses ending in 'dev.nifl.gov'. These messages were sent out as a result of an error on a National Institute for Literacy server. Please disregard these messages. The error has been fixed, and you should no longer see any messages from addresses ending in 'dev.nifl.gov'. Sorry for any confusion! Thank you. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Mon Aug 14 09:52:26 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:52:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 459] Reminder NIFL Webcast on NAAL findings for Basic & Below Basic Adults Message-ID: Hi All, Just a reminder to join the National Institute for Literacy for a LIVE webcast on: Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and Implications for Practice. Featuring Dr. Sheida White, Dr. John Strucker, & Brian Bosworth, and moderated by Lori Aratani WHEN: August 15, 2006 1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EDT We encourage you to register in advance. To register for this webcast go to: For more information about this webcast, go to: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The National Institute for Literacy is hosting a live webcast on Tuesday, August 15 at 1:30 p.m. EASTERN TIME to discuss the results of the National Assessement of Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2003, specifically relating to Americans who tested in the Below Basic and Basic literacy levels. The webcast will feature Dr. Sheida White, of the National Center for Education Statistics, who served as project officer for the NAAL, who will present the findings of the NAAL for Below Basic and Basic levels. In addition, there will be a panel of subject-matter experts who will discuss what implications the NAAL findings for Below Basic and Basic adults will have on programs. The panelists include John Strucker, of the National Center for Adult Literacy and Learning, will discuss basic skills; and Brian Bosworth, of the consulting firm FutureWorks, will discuss implications for workforce programs. The live webcast will feature: * Dr. Sheida White directs the National Assessment of Adult Literacy at the National Center for Education Statistics (or NCES). After working as a full-time reading researcher for 6 years, she joined NCES in 1991. During the first 8 years at NCES, she monitored the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Since 1999, she has been directing the NAAL project. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Language in Society and Reading Research Quarterly. * Dr. John Strucker is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education whose research for NCSALL has focused on adult reading development. He previously taught and assessed adults with reading difficulties at the Community Learning Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. * Brian Bosworth is the founder and President of FutureWorks, a private consulting and public policy research firm in Belmont, Massachusetts, that builds regional institutions and strategies for economic growth, workforce education, and civic improvement. The webcast will be moderated by Lori Aratani, Education Staff Writer at the Washington Post. Please note: For anyone unable to view the webcast live, the National Institute for Literacy will be archiving this webcast on its website www.nifl.gov approximately one week later. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Wed Aug 16 08:54:57 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:54:57 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 460] NAAL Webcast to be Archived Message-ID: On behalf of the National Institute for Literacy, thank you to everyone who tuned in to yesterday's live webcast on the results of the NAAL findings for adults who scored in the Basic and Below Basic categories. And thank you to our panelists: Dr. Sheida White of the National Center for Education Statistics, Dr. John Strucker of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, and Mr. Brian Bosworth of FutureWorks. For those who missed the live webcast or would like to see it again, we will be archiving the webcast on our website www.nifl.gov in about one week. We'll send an announcement when it is ready. Thank you. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Aug 18 17:50:27 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:50:27 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 461] Vacation Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be away until labor day. I have another moderator checking the postings and passing them through to the list, so the flow of messages will still happen. If there's anything else you need from me, I will be back after labor day and will get on it then. Have a good end of August! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From djgbrian at utk.edu Wed Aug 23 09:10:26 2006 From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G) Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 09:10:26 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 462] Job Posting: Special Projects Coordinator, Adult Learner Program, Queens Library, NY Message-ID: <6A5CE13D731DE249BC61CB8C5C474B0A13CF123F@UTKFSVS1.utk.tennessee.edu> ------------------------------------------------------- Special Projects Coordinator Queens Library Adult Learner Program This is a temporary grant funded position. The Adult Learner Program (ALP) Special Projects Coordinator is responsible for administration and implementation of ALP's special projects. Responsible for development of distance learning instruction via video teleconferencing to increase use of technology throughout the Adult Learner Programs; manages the Wireless Computer Centers; supervises the Basic Computer Literacy and Health Literacy classes; revises and maintains Computer Literacy and Health Literacy curricula; writes all reporting required for grant funded projects; hires and trains staff for special projects; visits classes and evaluates classroom instruction. Performs other duties as required. The schedule for this position will include Saturdays and evenings as required. Requires a Master's Degree in Education or related area, and/or ESOL Certification. Adult Education experience required, at least two years working with literacy and/or ESOL programs. Knowledge of current trends in literacy and ESOL instruction. Must have knowledge of Computer Assisted Instruction such as Internet, educational software, and MS Office Software. Experience in staff /curriculum development and supervision preferred. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work with diversified community. Must be able to complete multiple projects with competing deadlines. About Queens Library: Situated in New York City, the Queens Library has one of the highest circulations of any library in the world and serves more than two million people in one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States. The Library pulses with the multiculturalism and excitement of life in "the greatest city in the world". Queens County is one of the five boroughs of New York City. Situated across the East River from Manhattan, Queens enjoys 7,000 acres of beautiful parks, 196 miles of waterfront and an excellent mass transit system. Queens has diverse and charming neighborhoods, excellent shopping and a wealth of ethnic eateries and shops reflecting the unique multicultural mosaic that defines Queens. To apply, please send your resume with cover letter to: QUEENS LIBRARY Human Resources Department 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11432 Fax: 718-658-2919 E-mail: employment at queenslibrary.org The Queens Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer www.queenslibrary.org From djgbrian at utk.edu Thu Aug 24 17:52:18 2006 From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G) Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:52:18 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 463] Content Standards Guest Discussion Next Week -CASAS basic skills Content Standards Project Message-ID: <6A5CE13D731DE249BC61CB8C5C474B0A13F57C4C@UTKFSVS1.utk.tennessee.edu> The following announcement is posted at the request of Aaron Kohring, moderator of the Content Standards Discussion List. ************************************* Greetings colleagues, Next week, Monday, August 28 thru Friday, September 1, the Content Standards Discussion List will be hosting a guest discussion on the CASAS Basic Skills Content Standards Project. Our guests will be Jane Eguez, Jim Harrison, and Linda Taylor from CASAS. Please read the introductory information below which includes a link to the CASAS website to help prepare you for the discussion. To participate, sign up for the list at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards Aaron Aaron Kohring Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) ************************************ Since its inception, CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) has focused on teaching and assessing basic skills in contexts that are relevant and important to adult learners. CASAS has developed and continues to refine a highly formalized hierarchy of competencies, the application of basic skills that adults need to be fully functional and productive members of society. In the past few years, at the request of the CASAS National Consortium, representing approximately 30 states, CASAS has begun development of basic skills content standards as a formal part of the CASAS system. This enhancement of the CASAS system is intended to assist and encourage teachers to more fully integrate basic skills content standards and functional competencies in instruction. The basic skills content standards for Reading and Listening contain simple, clearly stated, detailed statements that are leveled according to the NRS Educational Functioning Levels, and are also related to CASAS test items in several CASAS test series. The statements are divided into Categories to assist teachers to navigate through the standards. In the past two years, CASAS has worked with Iowa and California to pilot these standards with teachers in a variety of adult education programs. A number of useful teacher worksheets and other tools have emerged from these efforts. We invite you to learn more about the CASAS basic skills Content Standards Project and to ask questions about it during the listserv discussion next week. To prepare for this discussion, we refer you to the CASAS website where you will find more detailed information about the development of the standards, the standards themselves, worksheets for teachers, and information about the pilot project in Iowa. Go to http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=4504&selected_id=1720&wtar get=body We look forward to engaging with you in this discussion next week. Jane Eguez (jeguez at casas.org) , Jim Harrison (jharrison at casas.org ) and Linda Taylor (ltaylor at casas.org ), CASAS From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Aug 30 07:55:34 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 07:55:34 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 464] New from NCSALL--NCSALL by Role Message-ID: <004701c6cc2b$33a502b0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> NCSALL by Role This new section of NCSALL's Web site offers a variety of professional development ideas on: * adult multiple intelligences * adult student persistence * authentic context * General Educational Development (GED) * reading Professional developers and program administrators access guides for facilitating half-day seminars and multi-session study circles. Policymakers read relevant research articles and reflect on policy-related questions. Teachers and tutors access self-studies that invite them to (1) read the related research, (2) reflect on this research and their practice, and (3) focus on an aspect of their practice. Check out NCSALL by Role at http://www.ncsall.net/?id=787. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060830/32b45b31/attachment.html From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Wed Aug 30 13:17:30 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:17:30 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 465] NIFL Webcast Now Available in Archive Message-ID: Hi Everyone, The National Institute for Literacy has now made available an archived version of its latest webcast: "Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and Implications for Practice" from August 15, 2006. We have made the entire webcast available (include transcript and slides for download) on our website at www.nifl.gov. Look under the heading "What's New." Thank you. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From djgbrian at utk.edu Thu Aug 31 11:59:11 2006 From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:59:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 466] FW: [Moderators 957] International Community Virtual Visit Project Message-ID: Colleagues, Here's a great opportunity for your students to expand their horizons by having contact with other adult learners in other countries. Check out the projects from previous years to understand better what it is all about. Donna Brian djgbrian at utk.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The International Classroom and School Virtual Visit (Virtual School) project is beginning its eighth year, linking classrooms across the world to enable students to meet each other virtually, share information about their cultures, their classrooms, and their communities, and to build cultural understanding. Classes can include English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL/ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE, GED), elementary or secondary education, or family literacy. Students can be from age seven to adult. As in past years, we hope classes will engage in lively written discussion, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to discuss. This year we have set up a free wiki, so classes don't have to create their own web pages, and we will help teachers to use free Internet telephony so their classes can talk to each other if they can find a time that works to do that. If you would like to participate in this year's project, 1. Sign up on the I.C.V.V. e-list by going to: http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/icvv Scroll down the page to choose an ID and password. That's it, easy and free. 2. Once you receive confirmation that you are on the I.C.V.V. e-list, send an e-mail to: icvv at lists.literacytent.org indicating your interest in participating this year. Be sure to describe your class, when it will begin, and what age group or nationality you would prefer to partner with. If you would like to look at classroom virtual visit projects from previous years go to: http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school.htm and then choose http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school2003.htm We look forward to your joining the project. Let one of us know if you have questions. And please pass this information on -- by e-mail or electronic list -- to teachers who you think might be interested. All the best, David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net Susan Gaer sgaer at yahoo.com From djgbrian at utk.edu Thu Aug 31 12:01:12 2006 From: djgbrian at utk.edu (Brian, Dr Donna J G) Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:01:12 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 467] Special Topic: Formative Assessment inInternational Education Message-ID: The following announcement of a new special topics discussion is posted at the request of David Rosen, the moderator. Donna Brian djgbrian at utk.edu ------- Colleagues, In preparation for celebrating International Literacy Day, on September 5th-7th the Special Topics Discussion List is pleased to welcome Ms. Janet Looney representing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD). Janet is the leader of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation program known as What Works in Innovation in Education. Its current focus is formative assessment. The discussion will serve to introduce some of OECD's work in international education. The primary focus of the discussion will be on the value of formative assessment for promoting higher levels of learner achievement, greater equity of outcomes, and the development of "learning to learn" skills. Not a term widely known in the U.S., formative assessment refers to what teachers and learners do in the classroom to assess learning progress. An assessment is _formative_ when information gathered in the assessment process is used to modify teaching and learning activities. It's an assessment _for_ learning not just _of_ learning. Between 2002 and 2004, the What Works program explored formative assessment in lower secondary classrooms in eight international systems [see Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms (2005)]. OECD will publish a second study addressing formative assessment for adult basic skill learners in 2007. Together, the two studies are intended to strengthen understanding of effective approaches to lifelong learning. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS While many teachers incorporate aspects of formative assessment into their teaching, it is not often practiced systematically. The What Works study, Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms (2005), features exemplary cases from secondary schools in eight systems and international research reviews, and relates these to the broader policy environment. The study shows how teachers have addressed barriers to systematic practice, and how school and policy leaders may apply the principles of formative assessment to promote constructive cultures of assessment and evaluation throughout education systems. FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN ADULT BASIC SKILL PROGRAMS Formative approaches may be particularly appropriate for adults with basic skill needs, the focus of the current What Works study. Instructors using formative approaches are able to tailor instruction more closely to the needs of diverse adult learners. Formative approaches also place an explicit focus on identifying and building upon learners' prior knowledge and skills - whether gained in formal education settings, or informal work or other settings. The OECD study on "Improving Teaching and Learning for Adults with Basic Skill Needs through Formative Assessment" , now underway, is: 1. Developing studies of exemplary teaching and assessment practice for adults with basic skill needs 2. Bringing together international scholarship on teaching and assessment for adults with basic skill needs 3. Identifying effective policy levers for improving the quality of provision in the adult basic skills sector, and 4. Creating opportunities for policy officials, researchers and practitioners to exchange insights and ideas on promoting effective teaching, assessment and evaluation. We look forward to your subscribing to this three-day discussion. To do so, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics David J. Rosen Special Topics Discussion List Moderator djrosen at comcast.net _______________________________________________ National Institute for Literacy Moderators mailing list: Moderators at nifl.gov http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/moderators Moderator's Resource Page: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs_dlms/contents.html Moderator's List Archive page: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/private/moderators From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Tue Sep 5 09:44:42 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 09:44:42 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 468] National Institute for Literacy Launches International Perspective Webpages Message-ID: Just in time for International Literacy Day on September 8, the National Institute for Literacy has launched a series of webpages on its website (www.nifl.gov) to highlight worldwide efforts to address and combat literacy problems. The International Perspectives webpages allow American adult literacy and English language teachers and students quick access to information about: * adult literacy education in other countries and cultures, including both developing and industrialized countries, and including curriculum and outcomes standards for adult education in other countries * international comparative studies of adult literacy and PreK-12 education, and * international efforts to raise literacy levels (e.g.UNESCO, International Reading Association, and the Venezuelan and Argentinian literacy campaigns) The Institute plans to continue to build on the information on the International Perspective pages () as they develop into a central site for worldwide literacy resources. The National Institute for Literacy provides leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Institute serves as a national resource on current, comprehensive literacy research, practice, and policy. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Wed Sep 6 15:27:05 2006 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:27:05 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 469] Re: The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B93313A@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> The following announcement is posted on behalf of The National Center for Education Statistics: The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (9/6/2006) Results from the Health Literacy component of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) were just released. The health literacy findings are based on the first large-scale national assessment designed specifically to measure the health literacy of adults living in America. This report measures health literacy among American adults including their ability to read, understand, and apply health-related information in English. Findings include: * The majority of American adults (53 percent) had Intermediate health literacy. Fewer than 15 percent of adults had either Below Basic or Proficient health literacy. * Women had higher average health literacy than men. * Adults who were ages 65 and older had lower average health literacy than younger adults. * Hispanic adults had lower average health literacy than adults in any other racial/ethnic group. To download, view and print the publication as a PDF file, please visit: To view other NAAL reports and for more information, visit Jaleh Behroozi Soroui Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI-Stat) American Institutes for Research 1990 K Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202/403-6958 email: jsoroui at air.org From miriam at cal.org Fri Sep 8 14:07:35 2006 From: miriam at cal.org (Miriam Burt) Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 14:07:35 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 470] New from CAELA: brief on transitions Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8FF6AB4E@MAIL.cal.local> Hello, everyone, The latest brief from CAELA, Supporting Adult English Language Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Education, by Julie Mathews-Aydinli, is now availabe on line at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html . Adult immigrants studying English in the United States have diverse educational backgrounds. Some have earned graduate degrees, while others have had little or no access to education. Their goals and expectations for future education and employment are also diverse. This CAELA brief focuses on transitions from adult ESL programs postsecondary education. For a discussion of classroom-level (e.g., how to develop vocabulary needed for academic classes, types of reading to do in class, etc.) and programmatic (e.g., orientation needed, suggestions for how the adult ESL programs can collaborate with the associated postsecondary institutions, etc.) approaches that can further such transitions, read the brief at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html . Coming this fall: briefs on content standards for the adult English language classroom and integrating instruction, content standards, and assessment in the adult ESL classroom. Miriam ********** Miriam Burt Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060908/d2efa452/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Fri Sep 15 15:13:42 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:13:42 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 471] Where oh where is FOB 8C? Message-ID: <25309773.1834691158347622173.JavaMail.root@vms074.mailsrvcs.net> The gestation period of the next issue of Focus on Basics is abnormally long...but it's coming! I hope to get it to you in early December. It will have articles on adapting the literacy classroom to the realities of the learner, home study, health and literacy, and more... In the meantime, curl up with a back issue of "FOB"...the first one, on research, was one of my favorites... at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=166 Barb Garner, Editor of FOB b.garner4 at verizon.net Sharon, MA From jepperly at columbiabasin.edu Fri Sep 15 17:52:20 2006 From: jepperly at columbiabasin.edu (Julia Epperly) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:52:20 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 472] Re: New from CAELA: brief on transitions Message-ID: Thanks >>> miriam at cal.org 09/08/06 10:07AM >>> Hello, everyone, The latest brief from CAELA, Supporting Adult English Language Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Education, by Julie Mathews-Aydinli, is now availabe on line at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html . Adult immigrants studying English in the United States have diverse educational backgrounds. Some have earned graduate degrees, while others have had little or no access to education. Their goals and expectations for future education and employment are also diverse. This CAELA brief focuses on transitions from adult ESL programs postsecondary education. For a discussion of classroom-level (e.g., how to develop vocabulary needed for academic classes, types of reading to do in class, etc.) and programmatic (e.g., orientation needed, suggestions for how the adult ESL programs can collaborate with the associated postsecondary institutions, etc.) approaches that can further such transitions, read the brief at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/transition.html . Coming this fall: briefs on content standards for the adult English language classroom and integrating instruction, content standards, and assessment in the adult ESL classroom. Miriam ********** Miriam Burt Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Sep 18 11:29:32 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:29:32 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 473] Starts today: Discussion on ELL in the workplace Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I'm sorry for the late notice, but there is a joint discussion starting today on the Workplace and ELL Discussion lists. You can join either list to participate. Please read the information below if you are interested. Julie ***************************************************************** Announcing a discussion on ELL in the workplace! One issue that has been of interest on the Workplace Literacy Discussion List has been serving the needs and goals of employers while at the same time serving the needs of adult immigrants on the job and in their lives. On the Adult English Language Discussion List, issues related to workplace and adult English language learners have been discussed for many years. Workplace ESOL classes are not new, but, as more workplaces throughout the country hire immigrants who may not be proficient in English, new teachers come on board and new needs (and funding sources) arise. New questions also arise. We have home-grown expertise on both the Workplace and ELL Discussion Lists. Subscribers on both lists have been involved in managing state and federal workplace grants, developing curricula and materials, teaching or training other teachers in workplace contexts. We could all learn a lot from sharing questions and experiences. Lynda Terrill, moderator of the English Language Learner Discussion List and Donna Brian, moderator of the Workplace Literacy Discussion List, invite you to access this combined expertise in a cross-list discussion: a focused, simultaneous, shared discussion on both lists on issues related to the workplace and adult immigrants. We hope that you will join us in sharing philosophies, approaches, and techniques*lessons learned*with each other in a week long dialogue combining the two lists. We have set next week*September 18-22*as the time scheduled for this shared discussion to take place. Discussion Questions Some important questions we hope may be addressed in the discussion are: What are effective ways of planning, implementing, and evaluating (adult ESL) workplace classes? What types of workplace classes have proven most effective and why? How can teachers and administrators develop curricula and materials that meet the needs and goals of the learners in class as well as the needs and expectations of employers? What are effective and appropriate approaches for teaching issues related to culture, civil rights, and responsibilities on the job? Background Reading and Resources Below is a small sample of the best available materials we know of. We hope subscribers will suggest others that have been useful to them: Issues in Improving Immigrant Workers' English Language Skills (Burt, M., 2003, Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics) http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Workplaceissues.html. ESOL in the Workplace: A Training Manual for ESOL Supervisors and Instructors. (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Office of Adult Education and University of Tennessee Center for Literacy Studies, 2003). http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/esol_workplace/Tenn_ESOL_in_the_Workplace.pdfGetting to Work: A Report on How Workers with Limited English Skills Can Prepare for New Jobs (Working for America Institute) http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf Getting to Work: A Report on How Workers with Limited English Skills Can Prepare for New Jobs (Working for America Institute) http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf Steps to Employment in Ontario. http://209.121.217.200/main.html You may take part in the discussion by subscribing to either list : Adult English Language list http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage Workplace Literacy list: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/ We look forward to hearing your experiences, questions, and advice! Donna Brian and Lynda Terrill, Moderators Workplace Literacy Discussion List and English Language Learners Discussion List Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Sep 18 11:50:02 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:50:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 474] The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki - A Community of Practice for us all Message-ID: Hi Everyone, I am passing on this information about the ALE Wiki for those of you who have not yet checked it out. Please read the message below from David Rosen, organizer of the Wiki, and take a look at the Wiki! All the best, Julie ********************************************************** Colleagues, The Adult Literacy Education Wiki (now with over 750 pages and nearly 700 registered users) is becoming a very useful resource for teachers and other practitioners in adult literacy education. It includes 30 topics linking research, professional wisdom, and practice. It offers easy-to-read archived discussions that were held on this and other discussion lists, links to research and other resources, questions (and sometimes answers) from teachers and other practitioners and researchers, a comprehensive adult literacy glossary, and more. It's free, and it's designed for you. Best of all, it's not only a set of informative web pages. It's a community of practice. You -- and your colleagues -- can easily add to and improve it. It's a wiki! To check out the ALE wiki, go to: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page You will see that some ALE topics need to be nurtured, and to grow. They need a Topic Leader. Perhaps you would be the right person to be a Topic Leader. To see a list of topics and leaders, go to http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Topic_Leaders If you are interested in being a (volunteer) Topic Leader for an existing topic, or if you would like to help develop a new topic, e- mail me and tell me about yourself and your interest. David J. Rosen ALE Wiki Organizer and Wikiteer djrosen at comcast.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Sep 18 11:55:07 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:55:07 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 475] Discussion on Special Topics List about Corrections Education Message-ID: Hi Again, There is a discussion starting today about corrections education on the Special Topics Discussion List. Please read on if you are interested in joining it. Sorry again for the late notice! Julie ************************* Dear Colleagues, Beginning today, on the Special Topics Discussion List, we are pleased to have a panel of expert guests in corrections education. The topic will focus on research and professional wisdom in corrections family literacy, and on the transition from corrections education to community education for inmates who have been released. Our guests are: John Linton, Correctional Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education John is the program officer for two correctional education grant programs ("Lifeskills for State and Local Prisoners" and "Grants to States for Workplace and Community Transition Training for Incarcerated Youth Offenders") in the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools of the U. S. Department of Education. John formerly served the State of Maryland as the director of adult correctional education programs. He has been with the federal agency since 2001, originally with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Stephen J. Steurer, Ph.D., Executive Director, Correctional Education Association. The Correctional Education Association is a professional organization of educators who work in prisons, jails and juvenile settings. William R. Muth, PhD, Assistant Professor, Reading Education and Adult Literacy, Virginia Commonwealth University Bill is an Assistant Professor of Adult and Adolescent Literacy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Until August 2005, he was the Education Administrator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Other positions with the FBOP included: reading teacher, principal, and Chief of the Program Analysis Branch. In 2004 Bill earned his doctorate in adult literacy from George Mason University. His dissertation, "Performance and Perspective: Two Assessments of Federal Prisoners in Literacy Programs" won the College Reading Association's Dissertation of the Year Award. His research interests include Thirdspace and Reading Components theories, especially as these apply to prison-based family literacy programs and children of incarcerated parents. =========================================== To subscribe to the Special Topics Discussion List, go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics , fill in your name, email address and pick a password. After you have subscribed you will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. Please reply immediately. =========================================== The following readings are recommended by the panelists as background for the discussion: 1. "Locked Up and Locked Out, An Educational Perspective on the US Prison Population," Coley, Richard J. and Barton, Paul E., 2006 Available on line at the ETS web site: http://tinyurl.com/qmzfa (short URL) 2. "Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-state analysis of postsecondary correctional education policy," Institute for Higher Education Policy, Erisman, Wendy and Contardo, Jeanne B., 2005. Available on line at the IHEP web site: http://tinyurl.com/pj2sh (short URL) 3. "Understanding California Corrections" from the California Policy Research Center, U of C. (Chapter 4) http://www.ucop.edu/cprc/documents/understand_ca_corrections.pdf John Linton believes that California is a watershed state in corrections issues and policies , and that how things unfold there has great national significance. He says that this is a thoughtful and well-informed report on the "overview" of the corrections situation in California -- including the role of treatment programs. Education is not presented as a central issue, but it has a place -- as a piece of a bigger puzzle. 4. An article by Bill Muth in Exploring Adult Literacy can be found at http://literacy.kent.edu/cra/2006/wmuth/index.html The article contains other on-line links related to prison-based intergenerational programs. He recommends especially the link to the Hudson River Center's excellent publication, Bringing Family Literacy to Incarcerated Settings: An Instructional Guide at: http://www.hudrivctr.org/products_ce.htm David J. Rosen Special Topics Discussion Moderator djrosen at comcast.net Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Sep 19 10:05:29 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:05:29 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 475] Discussion next week: Low Self Esteem: Myth or Reality? Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Next week we are pleased to have Anastasiya Lipnevich as a guest to discuss her recent FOB article about self esteem in adult learners. Anastasiya is a PhD student in educational psychology at Rutgers University. She has a master's degree in counseling psychology from Rutgers University and a master's degree in psychology and education from the University of Minsk. Her research interests include self-esteem, motivation, and self-regulation. There was some discussion on the list about this article during the summer, but Anastasiya was out of the country. I hope we can rekindle the issues and comments that came up at that time. Please read the article at the link below, and prepare any comments or questions for Anastasiya and other readers to send in on Monday. Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 I will send out some discussion questions to think about tomorrow. Julie P.S. Please pass on this announcement to anyone you know who may be interested in this discussion. They can join the FOB discussion list at the following address: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics (Be sure to reply to the confirmation e-mail to complete the process.) Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Sep 19 10:17:23 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:17:23 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 476] Guest Speaker on Content Standards List next week Message-ID: Hi Everyone, It looks like next week will be abuzz with discussions! Read on for information about a discussion on the Content Standards List: Julie **************************************************************** Greetings colleagues, Next week, Monday, September 25 through Friday, September 29, the Content Standards Discussion List will be hosting a discussion on the U.S. Department of Education's efforts to support state-level adoption and institutionalization of content standards for adult learning. Our guest will be Ronna Spacone from the Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL). Please read the introductory information below, which includes a link to the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Website, to help prepare you for the discussion. You may begin posting your questions to Ronna this week. I will collect the questions together and re-post when the discussion starts next week. To participate in the discussion, sign up for the list at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards Aaron Aaron Kohring Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Discussion List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards) ******************************************************************************************** For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Education, OVAE, has used National Leadership Activity funds to provide technical assistance and support to states already committed to standards-based education reform. OVAE's efforts to promote the implementation of state-level content standards began with the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Project, operated by the American Institutes of Research (AIR), 2003-2005. The project included: Technical assistance and networking for state collaborative working groups or consortia in 14 states, The development and publication of "A Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" and The development of the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse (AECSW) Website. The AECSW site provides universal access to existing state standards as well as nationally developed content standards in the areas of reading, mathematics, and English language acquisition. Since it was launched in May 2005, eleven states and CASAS and Equipped for the Future have contributed their standards for posting. The site also serves to disseminate the "Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards" as well as the professional development materials that were developed for the State Standards Consortia project. In preparation for our listserv discussion next week, I invite you to please visit the AECSW Website located at: (http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org), which AIR continues to operate with OVAE. In September 2005, with the conclusion of the State Standards Consortia activities, OVAE funded a new activity to identify how best to continue to support states committed to the implementation of standards. A six-month planning project was then conducted by MPR Associates, Inc., along with partner organizations Design Perspectives and World Education. Planning activities included a literature review of noteworthy practices, an evaluation of the electronic warehouse, and an assessment of the needs of states to support standards-based education. Twenty-four states chose to participate in the project. Based on the results, OVAE has moved ahead and made plans for a new project scheduled to begin next month. As in the past, the new activities will provide opportunities for interested states to work together and learn about standards-based education. The project is expected to focus especially on the implementation of standards, including: how to translate standards into classroom instruction and curriculum and how to assess the implementation of standards to guide instructional improvement and program practice. I invite you to learn more about the Department of Education's efforts to promote state-level adoption of content standards and to ask questions about these activities during the listserv discussion. Please refer to the various sections of the AECSW Website (http://www.adultedcontentstandards.org) including the Guide, Warehouse, and Field Resources as well as the OVAE DAEL Website located at: (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html). I look forward to an interesting, engaging discussion and appreciate the opportunity to take part. Thanks. Ronna Spacone Education Program Specialist Office of Vocational and Adult Education U.S. Department of Education Ronna.spacone at ed.gov Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Sep 20 18:51:16 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 18:51:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 477] Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Our discussion on the FOB article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" will be next week, September 25-29. See below for some questions to think about. Link to the article (in Volume 8B) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your learners? 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education to adult learners? 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the self-esteem of learners in your program? 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? I hope you can join us! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Wed Sep 20 13:19:35 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 13:19:35 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 478] CROSS-POSTED: Tips to handling multiple postings Message-ID: From: My Linh Nguyen National Institute for Literacy CROSSPOSTED: Tips to handling multiple postings As you know, the National Institute for Literacy's Discussion Lists are very active. In addition to messages directly related to the subject of each Discussion List, often we have announcements that are posted to all the lists. If you are subscribed to two, three or all lists, you may receive multiple copies of one post - this is called "cross-posting." We do this to ensure that the maximum number of subscribers receives the messages - usually an announcement that may be of interest to subscribers on more than one list. While this can be cumbersome, this is done to ensure that you, our subscribers, are kept up-to-date on the latest news, guest speakers, etc. Here are a few tips to help you manage the number of repeat emails into your inbox. 1) Change your subscriber settings to receive postings in digest format. 2) Disable mail delivery from the lists while you are away. You still remain subscribed to the list, but will not receive postings while you are away. When you return, you can review the archives for posts that you missed while you were away. 3) You do not have to subscribe to a list to benefit from a discussion. Discussions are archived at the Institute's website and can be sorted by thread, date, and author, and can also be searched by keyword. 4) When sending a message to multiple lists, start with CROSS-POSTED in the subject line, so that other subscribers can recognize that it is a cross-post that they may have already received. For information and instructions on changing your subscriber settings please visit our Discussion List Help page at To access Discussion List archives, visit We hope that these tips will help you reduce the number of emails you receive every day, while still keeping you well-informed. Thank you for your continued support and participation in the National Institute for Literacy's Discussion Lists. My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Sep 25 09:39:49 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:39:49 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 479] Welcome to our discussion of "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with Anastasiya Lipnevich about her article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" To read the article, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 See below for the discussion questions, and we open the floor for comments, questions and thoughts! All the best, Julie ******************************************************** Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your learners? 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education to adult learners? 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the self-esteem of learners in your program? 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? ******************************************************************* Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From ana at optimaltec.com Sun Sep 24 17:15:15 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 17:15:15 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Message-ID: <4516F563.9030509@optimaltec.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060924/a66b8558/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Wed Sep 20 19:39:21 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:39:21 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 481] Re: Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Mythor Reality?" In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi, I read the article and I have problems with it and on how the question about self esteem was explored. The issue of self esteem is hard to measure as an independent variable and compare it to another controlled group. The concept of self esteem is historically rooted in the ideas of the enlightenment and economic ideals of capitalism. Hume has defined us as Homo-Economicus, as men whose worth is measured by wealth. This was a shift from the idea that the worth of a man was inherited as it was previously believed. In modern society there are markers that define the esteem of a person. These are usually wealth, looks, possessions, titles, job status, cultural capital, etc. These are things that we all use to measure our value and based on these, we evaluate ourselves. Usually, our students are in the low end of the scale in terms of these measures. There are other things that societies can consider in terms of valuing a person's esteem. Unfortunately, ours has identified the above markers. We need to recognize and struggle to challenge this. However, if a study tells us that there are no self esteem problems among the poor, the oppressed, or those with limited academic skills then we won't need to challenge our cultural views on self esteem. Problem with measuring self esteem as an empirically independent variable that can be isolated, is that it is not an empirical or observable variable that can be isolated. Self esteem is tied to our habitus and as such, it needs to be understood and researched within the context of our habitus. Moreover, a concept such as self esteem is not an isolatable concept with life of its own. It is a contextual mental construct that defines the mental state of a person within specific social, cultural and historical contexts. Blah, blah, blah, blah..... Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 4:51 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 477] Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Mythor Reality?" Hi Everyone, Our discussion on the FOB article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" will be next week, September 25-29. See below for some questions to think about. Link to the article (in Volume 8B) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your learners? 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education to adult learners? 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the self-esteem of learners in your program? 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? I hope you can join us! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us Mon Sep 25 09:56:12 2006 From: Gina.Lobaccaro at state.de.us (Lobaccaro Gina (DOC)) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:56:12 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 482] Re: Welcome to our discussion of "Low Self-Esteem:Myth or Reality?" In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I read your article, and it is very interesting. I wonder if the numbers might be different if the students were polled in correctional education programs. Perhaps, these students DO have lower levels of self esteem - which also might have impacted their criminal behavior. Just a thought... Might it be another researt project.. and if it is found that a large group of the students DO have low self esteem, how might teachers influence that issue. Gina Lobaccaro "For business reasons, I must preserve the outward sign of sanity." --Mark Twain Gina Lobaccaro Sussex Correctional Institution Prison Education Department PO Box 500 Georgetown, DE 19947 Office (302) 856-5282 x 6204 Fax (302) 856-5642 gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 9:40 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 479] Welcome to our discussion of "Low Self-Esteem:Myth or Reality?" Hi Everyone, Welcome to our discussion with Anastasiya Lipnevich about her article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" To read the article, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 See below for the discussion questions, and we open the floor for comments, questions and thoughts! All the best, Julie ******************************************************** Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your learners? 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education to adult learners? 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the self-esteem of learners in your program? 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? ******************************************************************* Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net Mon Sep 25 11:26:16 2006 From: j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net (Judith Sinclair) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:26:16 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 483] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? References: <4516F563.9030509@optimaltec.com> Message-ID: <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> Hello, All: With great interest I am reading and learning from the postings, including Ms. Lipnevich, regarding the community's perception of the relationship of self-esteem to literacy. I would like to add my own experience. For many years I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and advocate with people of all ages and backgrounds, in groups and in individual consultation, who are struggling in some way with issues of literacy. Sometimes they are new arrivals to the USA, with English language skills ranging from emergent through expert. At other times they are long time residents or citizens of this country, and again with varying degrees of American English language accomplishment. And sometimes they are native-born Americans, who struggle with our language in some way, from the basics to a more advanced understanding. From the onset of this work it was my idea that there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. During my years in graduate school, I remained interested in the relationship between self-esteem and literacy, yet found in my research and that of others that opinions regarding this relationship widely varied. Nevertheless, from my own ongoing work including my final research and dissertation I found again that there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy, and that this relationship existed across all populations, cultures, and ages. Now, as a practicing cognitive psychologist and educator, and as a life and career management services consultant, with more experienced and education gained, I have found no instance where these two variables are not present in some critical relationship, at least to some degree. The evidence of this relationship presents in a variety of forms, and with a variety of forces: economic, social, political, cultural, and so on. The presentation may be explicit, in that my client(s) tell me and demonstrate that they have low self esteem, or implicit, but there is, in my opinion, always evidence for this relationship. The evidence also takes many forms, but most simply can be seen in their change of self-perspective as they improve their communication and English language skills and go on to accomplish their goals. The model that I have established for my practice is also based to some degree on this idea: that there is a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. Low literacy denies to people of all ages and backgrounds many aspects of life and career management. Moderate-to-high literacy allows people to negotiate American society's processes and institutions with at least some quantifiable measure of success. Are there other variables that assist in determining life and career success? Of course, and they are integrated into my own practice, and reviewed in my other professiorial activities. But the relationship does exist, and occurs in my experience with many people over many years. Thanks for providing this forum. I enjoy the discussions and hope to hear from anyone interested. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist & Educator Life & Career Management Services Consultant The Sinclair Center 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net www.sinclairsystem.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:15 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Dear All, First of all, I would like to thank everyone for very insightful comments concerning issues addressed in the article. I was very pleased that my work sparked such a lively discussion. As I noted in the paper, I did expect some skepticism since the findings run counter to what seems to be a commonly accepted belief in the field. I will try to dissolve it to the best of my ability; it is not my main goal, however. Let me quickly describe the premises of the research and what these findings mean to me. Since my very first encounter with the adult literacy literature, I noticed that many writers had described adult basic education learners as having detrimentally low self esteem. Similarly, many researchers showed that teachers saw their role as that of raising students self esteem. Being a student in an educational psychology program with a heavy emphasis on statistics, I always seek empirical evidence for every claim made. In the case of adult literacy students' low self esteem, I found none. Therefore, I suggested conducting a study that would shed some light on the matter. This study was going to be a part of a larger study, so it was decided to administer a self-esteem questionnaire along with other measures. I agree with those of you who pointed at the possible flaws of the self-report. Ideally, I would back up my findings with other methods (e.g. interviews, observations). In case converging results are found, such triangulation would solidify my conclusions. I haven't gotten to it quite yet. However, careful construction of the questionnaire under the supervision of savvy adult education researchers and good psychometric characteristics of the measure suggest that this way of measuring self-esteem is at the very least acceptable. Students seem to have provided meaningful answers to the questions. I do agree that self-esteem is influenced by many variables, e.g. economic status. This is an important factor to consider, but it doesn't change the way we interpret the findings. In psychological research, we measure self-esteem, motivation, self-regulation and what not, keeping in mind that they do not operate in isolation. However, it does give us useful information about the level of certain phenomena and helps us refine ways we interact with our students. Therefore, I do not necessarily see why difficulty with measuring self-esteem should deter us from doing it. For those of you who wondered why PhD students were chosen for comparison, here is my rationale. In the absence of self-esteem norms for the adult students' population, I needed a comparison group. PhD students are similar to adult learners in that they have voluntarily enrolled in their respective educational programs. Even though doctoral students and adult learners are at different educational levels, they had to believe they could succeed when they joined the program and they may have the same doubts about their potential success as they progress in the program. Additionally, societal views on PhD and adult literacy students as being a sea apart on the SE vector served as a good concurrent validity estimate. Having found no differences, Hal Beder and I concluded that those who work with adult basic education students should reevaluate any preconceived notions they may have about their students. Adult learners need no more praise than PhD students, and teachers' focus should be on helping learners acquire skills, strategies and knowledge, rather than working on the elusive goal of raising self-esteem. Again, my findings do not mean that adult students have high SE - it means only that they do not differ from PhD students in the levels they have. Having said this, I am looking forward to your comments. I will try to address your comments every night - my schedule prevents me from doing it more often. Thank you so much! Ana Lipnevich. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060925/d61fc2d6/attachment.html From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Mon Sep 25 13:06:56 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:06:56 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 484] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? In-Reply-To: <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> References: <4516F563.9030509@optimaltec.com> <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060925130333.02b88cf8@rci.rutgers.edu> Although there may be a relationship between adult literacy and self-esteem, it is important to note that the subjects of the study were adult literacy students, a select population. Nationally, only about 8% of those eligible for adult literacy attend programs. It may be that low-literates with the lowest self-esteem simply do not attend. At 11:26 AM 9/25/2006, you wrote: >Hello, All: > >With great interest I am reading and learning >from the postings, including Ms. Lipnevich, >regarding the community's perception of the >relationship of self-esteem to literacy. I >would like to add my own experience. For many >years I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and >advocate with people of all ages and >backgrounds, in groups and in individual >consultation, who are struggling in some way >with issues of literacy. Sometimes they are new >arrivals to the USA, with English language >skills ranging from emergent through expert. At >other times they are long time residents or >citizens of this country, and again with varying >degrees of American English language >accomplishment. And sometimes they are >native-born Americans, who struggle with our >language in some way, from the basics to a more >advanced understanding. From the onset of this >work it was my idea that there was a direct >relationship between self-esteem and literacy. > >During my years in graduate school, I remained >interested in the relationship between >self-esteem and literacy, yet found in my >research and that of others that opinions >regarding this relationship widely varied. >Nevertheless, from my own ongoing work including >my final research and dissertation I found again >that there was a direct relationship between >self-esteem and literacy, and that this >relationship existed across all populations, cultures, and ages. > >Now, as a practicing cognitive psychologist and >educator, and as a life and career management >services consultant, with more experienced and >education gained, I have found no instance where >these two variables are not present in some >critical relationship, at least to some >degree. The evidence of this relationship >presents in a variety of forms, and with a >variety of forces: economic, social, political, >cultural, and so on. The presentation may be >explicit, in that my client(s) tell me and >demonstrate that they have low self esteem, or >implicit, but there is, in my opinion, always >evidence for this relationship. The evidence >also takes many forms, but most simply can be >seen in their change of self-perspective as they >improve their communication and English language >skills and go on to accomplish their goals. The >model that I have established for my practice is >also based to some degree on this idea: that >there is a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. > >Low literacy denies to people of all ages and >backgrounds many aspects of life and career >management. Moderate-to-high literacy allows >people to negotiate American society's processes >and institutions with at least some quantifiable >measure of success. Are there other variables >that assist in determining life and career >success? Of course, and they are integrated >into my own practice, and reviewed in my other >professiorial activities. But the relationship >does exist, and occurs in my experience with many people over many years. > >Thanks for providing this forum. I enjoy the >discussions and hope to hear from anyone interested. > >Judith Sinclair, PhD >Cognitive Psychologist & Educator >Life & Career Management Services Consultant >The Sinclair Center >3003 Van Ness Street NW >Suite 411 West >Washington, DC 20008 >Phone: 202-364-3893 >Mobile: 202-236-9822 >email: j-p-sinclair at att.net >www.sinclairsystem.com > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:15 PM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? > >Dear All, > >First of all, I would like to thank everyone for >very insightful comments concerning issues >addressed in the article. I was very pleased >that my work sparked such a lively discussion. >As I noted in the paper, I did expect some >skepticism since the findings run counter to >what seems to be a commonly accepted belief in >the field. I will try to dissolve it to the best >of my ability; it is not my main goal, >however. Let me quickly describe the premises >of the research and what these findings mean to me. > > Since my very first encounter with the adult > literacy literature, I noticed that many > writers had described adult basic education > learners as having detrimentally low self > esteem. Similarly, many researchers showed that > teachers saw their role as that of raising > students self esteem. Being a student in an > educational psychology program with a heavy > emphasis on statistics, I always seek empirical > evidence for every claim made. In the case of > adult literacy students? low self esteem, I > found none. Therefore, I suggested conducting a > study that would shed some light on the matter. > This study was going to be a part of a larger > study, so it was decided to administer a > self-esteem questionnaire along with other measures. > > I agree with those of you who pointed at the > possible flaws of the self-report. Ideally, I > would back up my findings with other methods > (e.g. interviews, observations). In case > converging results are found, such > triangulation would solidify my conclusions. I > haven?t gotten to it quite yet. However, > careful construction of the questionnaire under > the supervision of savvy adult education > researchers and good psychometric > characteristics of the measure suggest that > this way of measuring self-esteem is at the > very least acceptable. Students seem to have > provided meaningful answers to the questions. > > I do agree that self-esteem is influenced by > many variables, e.g. economic status. This is > an important factor to consider, but it doesn?t > change the way we interpret the findings. In > psychological research, we measure self-esteem, > motivation, self-regulation and what not, > keeping in mind that they do not operate in > isolation. However, it does give us useful > information about the level of certain > phenomena and helps us refine ways we interact > with our students. Therefore, I do not > necessarily see why difficulty with measuring > self-esteem should deter us from doing it. > > For those of you who wondered why PhD students > were chosen for comparison, here is my > rationale. In the absence of self-esteem norms > for the adult students? population, I needed a > comparison group. PhD students are similar to > adult learners in that they have voluntarily > enrolled in their respective educational > programs. Even though doctoral students and > adult learners are at different educational > levels, they had to believe they could succeed > when they joined the program and they may have > the same doubts about their potential success > as they progress in the program. Additionally, > societal views on PhD and adult literacy > students as being a sea apart on the SE vector > served as a good concurrent validity estimate. > > Having found no differences, Hal Beder and I > concluded that those who work with adult basic > education students should reevaluate any > preconceived notions they may have about their > students. Adult learners need no more praise > than PhD students, and teachers? focus should > be on helping learners acquire skills, > strategies and knowledge, rather than working > on the elusive goal of raising self-esteem. > Again, my findings do not mean that adult > students have high SE ? it means only that they > do not differ from PhD students in the levels they have. > > Having said this, I am looking forward to your > comments. I will try to address your comments > every night ? my schedule prevents me from > doing it more often. Thank you so much! > >Ana Lipnevich. > > >---------- >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon Sep 25 14:38:14 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:38:14 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 485] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? In-Reply-To: <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> Message-ID: Some comments of what I've noticed in 30 plus years of teaching adults. 1) Many gang members have noticeable low self esteem 2) Many people who are incarcerated have low self esteem/self worth issues Have you all noticed this? Va ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 8:26 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 483] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Hello, All: With great interest I am reading and learning from the postings, including Ms. Lipnevich, regarding the community's perception of the relationship of self-esteem to literacy. I would like to add my own experience. For many years I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and advocate with people of all ages and backgrounds, in groups and in individual consultation, who are struggling in some way with issues of literacy. Sometimes they are new arrivals to the USA, with English language skills ranging from emergent through expert. At other times they are long time residents or citizens of this country, and again with varying degrees of American English language accomplishment. And sometimes they are native-born Americans, who struggle with our language in some way, from the basics to a more advanced understanding. From the onset of this work it was my idea that there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. During my years in graduate school, I remained interested in the relationship between self-esteem and literacy, yet found in my research and that of others that opinions regarding this relationship widely varied. Nevertheless, from my own ongoing work including my final research and dissertation I found again that there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy, and that this relationship existed across all populations, cultures, and ages. Now, as a practicing cognitive psychologist and educator, and as a life and career management services consultant, with more experienced and education gained, I have found no instance where these two variables are not present in some critical relationship, at least to some degree. The evidence of this relationship presents in a variety of forms, and with a variety of forces: economic, social, political, cultural, and so on. The presentation may be explicit, in that my client(s) tell me and demonstrate that they have low self esteem, or implicit, but there is, in my opinion, always evidence for this relationship. The evidence also takes many forms, but most simply can be seen in their change of self-perspective as they improve their communication and English language skills and go on to accomplish their goals. The model that I have established for my practice is also based to some degree on this idea: that there is a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. Low literacy denies to people of all ages and backgrounds many aspects of life and career management. Moderate-to-high literacy allows people to negotiate American society's processes and institutions with at least some quantifiable measure of success. Are there other variables that assist in determining life and career success? Of course, and they are integrated into my own practice, and reviewed in my other professiorial activities. But the relationship does exist, and occurs in my experience with many people over many years. Thanks for providing this forum. I enjoy the discussions and hope to hear from anyone interested. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist & Educator Life & Career Management Services Consultant The Sinclair Center 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net www.sinclairsystem.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:15 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Dear All, First of all, I would like to thank everyone for very insightful comments concerning issues addressed in the article. I was very pleased that my work sparked such a lively discussion. As I noted in the paper, I did expect some skepticism since the findings run counter to what seems to be a commonly accepted belief in the field. I will try to dissolve it to the best of my ability; it is not my main goal, however. Let me quickly describe the premises of the research and what these findings mean to me. Since my very first encounter with the adult literacy literature, I noticed that many writers had described adult basic education learners as having detrimentally low self esteem. Similarly, many researchers showed that teachers saw their role as that of raising students self esteem. Being a student in an educational psychology program with a heavy emphasis on statistics, I always seek empirical evidence for every claim made. In the case of adult literacy students' low self esteem, I found none. Therefore, I suggested conducting a study that would shed some light on the matter. This study was going to be a part of a larger study, so it was decided to administer a self-esteem questionnaire along with other measures. I agree with those of you who pointed at the possible flaws of the self-report. Ideally, I would back up my findings with other methods (e.g. interviews, observations). In case converging results are found, such triangulation would solidify my conclusions. I haven't gotten to it quite yet. However, careful construction of the questionnaire under the supervision of savvy adult education researchers and good psychometric characteristics of the measure suggest that this way of measuring self-esteem is at the very least acceptable. Students seem to have provided meaningful answers to the questions. I do agree that self-esteem is influenced by many variables, e.g. economic status. This is an important factor to consider, but it doesn't change the way we interpret the findings. In psychological research, we measure self-esteem, motivation, self-regulation and what not, keeping in mind that they do not operate in isolation. However, it does give us useful information about the level of certain phenomena and helps us refine ways we interact with our students. Therefore, I do not necessarily see why difficulty with measuring self-esteem should deter us from doing it. For those of you who wondered why PhD students were chosen for comparison, here is my rationale. In the absence of self-esteem norms for the adult students' population, I needed a comparison group. PhD students are similar to adult learners in that they have voluntarily enrolled in their respective educational programs. Even though doctoral students and adult learners are at different educational levels, they had to believe they could succeed when they joined the program and they may have the same doubts about their potential success as they progress in the program. Additionally, societal views on PhD and adult literacy students as being a sea apart on the SE vector served as a good concurrent validity estimate. Having found no differences, Hal Beder and I concluded that those who work with adult basic education students should reevaluate any preconceived notions they may have about their students. Adult learners need no more praise than PhD students, and teachers' focus should be on helping learners acquire skills, strategies and knowledge, rather than working on the elusive goal of raising self-esteem. Again, my findings do not mean that adult students have high SE - it means only that they do not differ from PhD students in the levels they have. Having said this, I am looking forward to your comments. I will try to address your comments every night - my schedule prevents me from doing it more often. Thank you so much! Ana Lipnevich. ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060925/48c7128c/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Mon Sep 25 16:36:57 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:36:57 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 486] Re: Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem:Mythor Reality?" In-Reply-To: <001101c6e0ac$59468b70$87b2bf42@D3CRV351> Message-ID: Bryan: Of the top of my head I cannot think of too many bibliographical resources. My comments are based on readings on anthropology, sociology and pedagogy and my years of experience with students. Some references that I can think of are that relate to the subject are: Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freire Cultural Diversity and the School Experience (Article by John Ogbu) Teacher's as Intellectuals by Henry Giroux -----Original Message----- From: Bryan [mailto:baw234 at bellsouth.net] Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 8:10 AM To: 'The Focus on Basics Discussion List'; Muro, Andres Subject: RE: [FocusOnBasics 481] Re: Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem:Mythor Reality?" Amuro, Your brief discussion seems to ring very true to my experience in working with a sub-population of the severely emotionally disabled high school students. I am not working in the education profession at this time, but am very interested in this topic. If you would be so kind as to send me a bibliography of primary resources concerning this issue, I would be very grateful. e[n agapevn tou' Cristou', Bryan -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Muro, Andres Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 7:39 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 481] Re: Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem:Mythor Reality?" Hi, I read the article and I have problems with it and on how the question about self esteem was explored. The issue of self esteem is hard to measure as an independent variable and compare it to another controlled group. The concept of self esteem is historically rooted in the ideas of the enlightenment and economic ideals of capitalism. Hume has defined us as Homo-Economicus, as men whose worth is measured by wealth. This was a shift from the idea that the worth of a man was inherited as it was previously believed. In modern society there are markers that define the esteem of a person. These are usually wealth, looks, possessions, titles, job status, cultural capital, etc. These are things that we all use to measure our value and based on these, we evaluate ourselves. Usually, our students are in the low end of the scale in terms of these measures. There are other things that societies can consider in terms of valuing a person's esteem. Unfortunately, ours has identified the above markers. We need to recognize and struggle to challenge this. However, if a study tells us that there are no self esteem problems among the poor, the oppressed, or those with limited academic skills then we won't need to challenge our cultural views on self esteem. Problem with measuring self esteem as an empirically independent variable that can be isolated, is that it is not an empirical or observable variable that can be isolated. Self esteem is tied to our habitus and as such, it needs to be understood and researched within the context of our habitus. Moreover, a concept such as self esteem is not an isolatable concept with life of its own. It is a contextual mental construct that defines the mental state of a person within specific social, cultural and historical contexts. Blah, blah, blah, blah..... Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Julie McKinney Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 4:51 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 477] Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Mythor Reality?" Hi Everyone, Our discussion on the FOB article "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" will be next week, September 25-29. See below for some questions to think about. Link to the article (in Volume 8B) http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your learners? 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education to adult learners? 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the self-esteem of learners in your program? 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? I hope you can join us! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From sreid at workbase.org.nz Mon Sep 25 16:33:39 2006 From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:33:39 +1200 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 487] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E23C5A8@secure.workbase.org.nz> Hello there I work in workplace literacy programmes and in professional development with tutors who often describe that their learners have developed 'more confidence or self-esteem' and my question is always how do you know. Is it because they can do more or different things or use or articulate different strategies or do they have different knowledge forms. In my experience learners are always able to specify what the differences are NIACE in the UK did a small scale research project on adult learners and confidence which makes interesting reading Here is a short summary of the project http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/socialinclusion/adults/confidence.html and here is another summary which includes guidance for tutors on using a grid for discussions with and amongst learners which was a key part of the project http://niace.rcthosting.com/en/newsdetail.asp?Section=4&Ref=894 To download the full report (75pages) see http://www.niace.org.uk/funds/aclf/Catching-Confidence-Final-Report.pdf#search=%22catching%20confidence%20%22 Regards Susan Reid Manager Professional Development Workbase the New Zealand Centre for Workforce Literacy Development www.workbase.org.nz see also NZ Literacy Portal www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Hal Beder Sent: Tue 26/09/2006 5:06 a.m. To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 484] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Although there may be a relationship between adult literacy and self-esteem, it is important to note that the subjects of the study were adult literacy students, a select population. Nationally, only about 8% of those eligible for adult literacy attend programs. It may be that low-literates with the lowest self-esteem simply do not attend. At 11:26 AM 9/25/2006, you wrote: >Hello, All: > >With great interest I am reading and learning >from the postings, including Ms. Lipnevich, >regarding the community's perception of the >relationship of self-esteem to literacy. I >would like to add my own experience. For many >years I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and >advocate with people of all ages and >backgrounds, in groups and in individual >consultation, who are struggling in some way >with issues of literacy. Sometimes they are new >arrivals to the USA, with English language >skills ranging from emergent through expert. At >other times they are long time residents or >citizens of this country, and again with varying >degrees of American English language >accomplishment. And sometimes they are >native-born Americans, who struggle with our >language in some way, from the basics to a more >advanced understanding. From the onset of this >work it was my idea that there was a direct >relationship between self-esteem and literacy. > >During my years in graduate school, I remained >interested in the relationship between >self-esteem and literacy, yet found in my >research and that of others that opinions >regarding this relationship widely varied. >Nevertheless, from my own ongoing work including >my final research and dissertation I found again >that there was a direct relationship between >self-esteem and literacy, and that this >relationship existed across all populations, cultures, and ages. > >Now, as a practicing cognitive psychologist and >educator, and as a life and career management >services consultant, with more experienced and >education gained, I have found no instance where >these two variables are not present in some >critical relationship, at least to some >degree. The evidence of this relationship >presents in a variety of forms, and with a >variety of forces: economic, social, political, >cultural, and so on. The presentation may be >explicit, in that my client(s) tell me and >demonstrate that they have low self esteem, or >implicit, but there is, in my opinion, always >evidence for this relationship. The evidence >also takes many forms, but most simply can be >seen in their change of self-perspective as they >improve their communication and English language >skills and go on to accomplish their goals. The >model that I have established for my practice is >also based to some degree on this idea: that >there is a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. > >Low literacy denies to people of all ages and >backgrounds many aspects of life and career >management. Moderate-to-high literacy allows >people to negotiate American society's processes >and institutions with at least some quantifiable >measure of success. Are there other variables >that assist in determining life and career >success? Of course, and they are integrated >into my own practice, and reviewed in my other >professiorial activities. But the relationship >does exist, and occurs in my experience with many people over many years. > >Thanks for providing this forum. I enjoy the >discussions and hope to hear from anyone interested. > >Judith Sinclair, PhD >Cognitive Psychologist & Educator >Life & Career Management Services Consultant >The Sinclair Center >3003 Van Ness Street NW >Suite 411 West >Washington, DC 20008 >Phone: 202-364-3893 >Mobile: 202-236-9822 >email: j-p-sinclair at att.net >www.sinclairsystem.com > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich >To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:15 PM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? > >Dear All, > >First of all, I would like to thank everyone for >very insightful comments concerning issues >addressed in the article. I was very pleased >that my work sparked such a lively discussion. >As I noted in the paper, I did expect some >skepticism since the findings run counter to >what seems to be a commonly accepted belief in >the field. I will try to dissolve it to the best >of my ability; it is not my main goal, >however. Let me quickly describe the premises >of the research and what these findings mean to me. > > Since my very first encounter with the adult > literacy literature, I noticed that many > writers had described adult basic education > learners as having detrimentally low self > esteem. Similarly, many researchers showed that > teachers saw their role as that of raising > students self esteem. Being a student in an > educational psychology program with a heavy > emphasis on statistics, I always seek empirical > evidence for every claim made. In the case of > adult literacy students' low self esteem, I > found none. Therefore, I suggested conducting a > study that would shed some light on the matter. > This study was going to be a part of a larger > study, so it was decided to administer a > self-esteem questionnaire along with other measures. > > I agree with those of you who pointed at the > possible flaws of the self-report. Ideally, I > would back up my findings with other methods > (e.g. interviews, observations). In case > converging results are found, such > triangulation would solidify my conclusions. I > haven't gotten to it quite yet. However, > careful construction of the questionnaire under > the supervision of savvy adult education > researchers and good psychometric > characteristics of the measure suggest that > this way of measuring self-esteem is at the > very least acceptable. Students seem to have > provided meaningful answers to the questions. > > I do agree that self-esteem is influenced by > many variables, e.g. economic status. This is > an important factor to consider, but it doesn't > change the way we interpret the findings. In > psychological research, we measure self-esteem, > motivation, self-regulation and what not, > keeping in mind that they do not operate in > isolation. However, it does give us useful > information about the level of certain > phenomena and helps us refine ways we interact > with our students. Therefore, I do not > necessarily see why difficulty with measuring > self-esteem should deter us from doing it. > > For those of you who wondered why PhD students > were chosen for comparison, here is my > rationale. In the absence of self-esteem norms > for the adult students' population, I needed a > comparison group. PhD students are similar to > adult learners in that they have voluntarily > enrolled in their respective educational > programs. Even though doctoral students and > adult learners are at different educational > levels, they had to believe they could succeed > when they joined the program and they may have > the same doubts about their potential success > as they progress in the program. Additionally, > societal views on PhD and adult literacy > students as being a sea apart on the SE vector > served as a good concurrent validity estimate. > > Having found no differences, Hal Beder and I > concluded that those who work with adult basic > education students should reevaluate any > preconceived notions they may have about their > students. Adult learners need no more praise > than PhD students, and teachers' focus should > be on helping learners acquire skills, > strategies and knowledge, rather than working > on the elusive goal of raising self-esteem. > Again, my findings do not mean that adult > students have high SE - it means only that they > do not differ from PhD students in the levels they have. > > Having said this, I am looking forward to your > comments. I will try to address your comments > every night - my schedule prevents me from > doing it more often. Thank you so much! > >Ana Lipnevich. > > >---------- >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060926/20b9c2ca/attachment.html From atoops at ohioliteracynetwork.org Mon Sep 25 21:37:05 2006 From: atoops at ohioliteracynetwork.org (alan toops) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:37:05 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 488] Re: Welcome to our discussion of "Low Self-Esteem:Myth or Reality?" In-Reply-To: Message-ID: To support both Virginia's observations, and respond to Gina's question, I have been a classroom instructor, building principal and assistant superintendent in a correctional education system for over 30 years. Low esteem in this population is the norm not the exception. Past failures in education, the impact of poverty, a fractured home life all contribute to this issue. Ruby Payne's work on poverty clearly demonstrates the impact that low self esteem plays in childhood. At risk youth and adults in our prisons and jails simply serve to add a pointed commentary to that sad fact. Alan Toops Executive Director Ohio Literacy Network (614) 505-0717 atoops at ohioliteracynetwork.org http://www.ohioliteracynetwork.org On 9/25/06 9:56 AM, "Lobaccaro Gina (DOC)" wrote: > I read your article, and it is very interesting. I wonder if the numbers > might be different if the students were polled in correctional education > programs. Perhaps, these students DO have lower levels of self esteem - which > also might have impacted their criminal behavior. > Just a thought... > Might it be another researt project.. and if it is found that a large group of > the students DO have low self esteem, how might teachers influence that issue. > Gina Lobaccaro > > "For business reasons, I must preserve the outward sign of sanity." --Mark > Twain > > Gina Lobaccaro > Sussex Correctional Institution > Prison Education Department > PO Box 500 > Georgetown, DE 19947 > Office (302) 856-5282 x 6204 > Fax (302) 856-5642 > gina.lobaccaro at state.de.us > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov > [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Julie McKinney > Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 9:40 AM > To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 479] Welcome to our discussion of "Low > Self-Esteem:Myth or Reality?" > > > Hi Everyone, > > Welcome to our discussion with Anastasiya Lipnevich about her article > "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?" > > To read the article, go to: > http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105 > > See below for the discussion questions, and we open the floor for > comments, questions and thoughts! > > All the best, > Julie > ******************************************************** > > Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? > > 1. How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among > your > learners? > 2. How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of > education > to adult learners? > 3. The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions > of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about > the > self-esteem of learners in your program? > 4. How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your > learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought? > 5. There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the > human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as > self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be > affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life. > How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? > ******************************************************************* > > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From ana at optimaltec.com Mon Sep 25 22:17:44 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:17:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 489] Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Message-ID: <45188DC8.6040803@optimaltec.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060925/dd323bcc/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Tue Sep 26 01:44:21 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 01:44:21 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 490] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? In-Reply-To: <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> References: <4516F563.9030509@optimaltec.com> <004101c6e0b6$f26e6a70$150b4d0c@Dell> Message-ID: <8C8AF45F332475C-D70-36D2@MBLK-M29.sysops.aol.com> Judith-- an interesting take on the literacy and self-esteem issue--and one I do not think was intended in this discussion. Literacy in English as opposed to no literacy at all are rather different situations. Of course it boosts an English learner's self esteem in the language learning and use situation when their English improves, but I do not think it is wise to make this analogous to self esteem issues of those who have never gained literacy in their native language and have remained, perhaps, marginalized as a result. Robin Lovrien Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 10:26 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 483] Re: Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Hello, All: ? With great interest I am reading and learning from the postings, including Ms. Lipnevich,?regarding the community's perception of the relationship of self-esteem to literacy.? I would like to add my own experience.? For many years I have worked as a teacher, tutor, and advocate with people of all ages and backgrounds, in groups and in individual consultation,?who?are struggling in some way with issues of literacy.? Sometimes they?are new arrivals to the USA, with English language skills ranging from emergent through expert.? At other times they?are long time residents or citizens of this country, and again with varying degrees of American English language accomplishment.? And sometimes they?are native-born Americans, who struggle with our language in some way, from the basics to a more advanced understanding.? From the onset of this work it was my idea that there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy. ? During my years in graduate school, I remained interested in the relationship between self-esteem and literacy, yet found in my research and that of others that opinions regarding this relationship widely varied.?Nevertheless, from my own ongoing work including my final research and dissertation I found again that?there was?a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy, and that this relationship existed across all populations, cultures, and ages. ? Now,?as a practicing cognitive psychologist and educator, and as a life and career management services consultant, with more experienced and education gained, I have found no instance where these two variables?are not present in some critical relationship, at least to some degree.? The evidence of this relationship presents in a variety of forms, and with a variety of forces: economic, social, political, cultural, and so on.? The presentation may be explicit, in that my client(s) tell me and demonstrate that they have low self esteem, or implicit, but there is, in my opinion, always evidence for this relationship.?The evidence also takes many forms, but most simply can be seen in their change of self-perspective as they improve their communication and English language skills and go on to accomplish their goals.? The model that I have established for my practice is also based to some degree on this idea: that there is a direct relationship between self-esteem and literacy.? ? Low literacy denies to people of all ages and backgrounds many aspects of life and career management.? Moderate-to-high literacy allows people to negotiate American society's processes and institutions with at least some quantifiable measure of success.? Are there other variables that assist in determining life and career success?? Of course, and they are integrated into my own practice, and reviewed in my other professiorial activities.? But the relationship does exist, and occurs in my experience with many people over many years. ? Thanks for providing this forum.?I enjoy the discussions and hope to hear from anyone interested. Judith Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist & Educator Life & Career Management Services Consultant The Sinclair Center 3003 Van Ness Street NW Suite 411 West Washington, DC? 20008 Phone: 202-364-3893 Mobile: 202-236-9822 email: j-p-sinclair at att.net www.sinclairsystem.com ? ? ? ? ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 4:15 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 480] Low Self-esteem: Myth or Reality? Dear All, First of all, I would like to thank everyone for very insightful comments concerning issues addressed in the article. I was very pleased that my work sparked such a lively discussion. As I noted in the paper, I did expect some skepticism since the findings run counter to what seems to be a commonly accepted belief in the field. I will try to dissolve it to the best of my ability; it is not my main goal, however. ?Let me quickly describe the premises of the research and what these findings mean to me. ?Since my very first encounter with the adult literacy literature, I noticed that many writers had described adult basic education learners as having detrimentally low self esteem. Similarly, many researchers showed that teachers saw their role as that of raising students self esteem. Being a student in an educational psychology program with a heavy emphasis on statistics, I always seek empirical evidence for every claim made. In the case of adult literacy students? low self esteem, I found none. Therefore, I suggested conducting a study that would shed some light on the matter. This study was going to be a part of a larger study, so it was decided to administer a self-esteem questionnaire along with other measures. ?I agree with those of you who pointed at the possible flaws of the self-report. Ideally, I would back up my findings with other methods (e.g. interviews, observations). In case converging results are found, such triangulation would solidify my conclusions. I haven?t gotten to it quite yet. However, careful construction of the questionnaire under the supervision of savvy adult education researchers and good psychometric characteristics of the measure suggest that this way of measuring self-esteem is at the very least acceptable. Students seem to have provided meaningful answers to the questions. ?I do agree that self-esteem is influenced by many variables, e.g. economic status. This is an important factor to consider, but it doesn?t change the way we interpret the findings. In psychological research, we measure self-esteem, motivation, self-regulation and what not, keeping in mind that they do not operate in isolation. However, it does give us useful information about the level of certain phenomena and helps us refine ways we interact with our students. Therefore, I do not necessarily see why difficulty with measuring self-esteem should deter us from doing it. ?For those of you who wondered why PhD students were chosen for comparison, here is my rationale. In the absence of self-esteem norms for the adult students? population, I needed a comparison group. PhD students are similar to adult learners in that they have voluntarily enrolled in their respective educational programs. Even though doctoral students and adult learners are at different educational levels, they had to believe they could succeed when they joined the program and they may have the same doubts about their potential success as they progress in the program. Additionally, societal views on PhD and adult literacy students as being a sea apart on the SE vector served as a good concurrent validity estimate. ?Having found no differences, Hal Beder and I concluded that those who work with adult basic education students should reevaluate any preconceived notions they may have about their students. Adult learners need no more praise than PhD students, and teachers? focus should be on helping learners acquire skills, strategies and knowledge, rather than working on the elusive goal of raising self-esteem. Again, my findings do not mean that adult students have high SE ? it means only that they do not differ from PhD students in the levels they have. ?Having said this, I am looking forward to your comments. I will try to address your comments every night ? my schedule prevents me from doing it more often. Thank you so much! Ana Lipnevich. -------- ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. From b.garner4 at verizon.net Tue Sep 26 08:23:45 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:23:45 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 491] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Message-ID: <28129788.4115001159273425754.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ===================== From: "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" Date: 2006/09/25 Mon PM 09:17:44 CDT To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 489] Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Dear All, ?Thank youfor such a great discussion. Below I will try to address some of yourcomments. __________________ ?Andres, It lookslike we are coming from different research paradigms, and our views onresearchin general and measurement in particular somewhat diverge. Here is mytake onsome of the issues you raised. 1. I haveto disagree with your conceptualization of self-esteem. I believe thatwhat youdescribe is actually socio-economic status (e.g. possessions, wealth,jobstatus), a construct commonly regarded as conceptually different fromself-esteem. There are studies that show a high correlation betweenself-esteemand SES, therefore, the two are, in fact, closely tied. Is itreally possible and/or meaningful to tease them apart? I do think so.Scientific method and characteristics thereof drive us towardsconceptualparsimony when operationalizing and actually measuring constructs ofinterest.It doesn?t mean that self esteem (or motivation, or engagement, etc)stand ontheir own. They are closely related to numerous variables, however, acorpus ofliterature demonstrates that attempts to measure them as separateconstructs doyield meaningful results and help advance our understanding of humannature. Additionally,what immediately comes to mind is that some components ofsocio-economic status(i.e. financial well-being) of PhD students may be worse than that ofworkingadult literacy students. So, the findings of the present study do notnecessarily contradict your take on the matter. ? 2. Inpsychological research, self-esteem is typically defined in terms ofhow weevaluate ourselves and our characteristics, the "personal judgment ofworthiness that is expressed in the attitudes the individual holdstoward himself,"in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering researcher in the field. Itis afuzzy construct but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem toagree thatself esteem can be differentiated into global and specific self esteem.Globalrepresents a general attitude towards oneself, and can be considered atraitself-esteem, whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas ofpeople?slives. ?Self-affirmation theory (Steel,1988) suggests that people cope with negative outcomes in one domain byfocusing on their achievements in other, unrelated domains. This meansthat individualswith high global self-esteem would feel overall quite competent evenwhen theiracademic self-esteem is low. Low-literate adults who have failedacademicallybut succeed in other aspects of their lives may have a high generalself-esteemthat will allow them to lead full, not deficient, lives. Adult literacylearners often look at themselves as competent workers, parents, andcitizens,which may partially compensate for their lack of literacy. Talkingabout adultliteracy students in terms of their deficiencies and abnormally lowself-esteemjust adds to the existing stigma. ?3. This study doesn?t suggest thatself-esteem of adult students is high. Rather, that it doesn?t differsignificantly from the self-esteem of the PhD students. Since we don?tconsiderraising self-esteem of the latter group to be our primary goal,focusing onraising self esteem of the former group represents a logical skew withpotential pernicious corollaries, with the most dangerous one being, asHal and Isuggested in our report, that it may strengthen the existing stigma.Self-esteem is crucial for success in academic settings for bothgroups; but perhapsit is best addressed through strong pedagogy by helping studentssucceed intheir academic pursuits. ?___________________ Gina andVirginia raised a question about self-esteem of learners incorrectionaleducational programs. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with existingliteratureon the matter. However, during my recent presentation at the AERAconference,one of the attendees who teaches in a prison described her students ashavinghigh self-esteem. I cannot judge the validity of her conclusions sincetheywere based solely on her observations; it?s just interesting toconsider. ___________________________ Thanksagain to everyone ? I am really enjoying this discussion. ?Ana. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Tue Sep 26 10:13:09 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:13:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 492] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <28129788.4115001159273425754.JavaMail.root@vms168.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <20060926141309.28346.qmail@web83114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> This posting has jogged my memory about a study that was done in Oakland CA with the teachers of Asian students in Oakland High School. As I recall, students from families that were in the higher socio-economic strata in their country of origin as well as students from families in the lowest socio-economic strata, in this case the grave diggers' families, out performed their fellow students of all racial backgrounds. The study concluded this was largely due to teacher expectation--teachers expected Asian students to do well in school and interacted with them accordingly, another factor to consider when discussing student self esteem. If I can find the study, I will share with the discussion group. I believe it was conducted by the University of California, Berkeley. Bonnita --- Barbara Garner wrote: > This discussion is rich and fascinating. > > I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, > particularly since her findings resonate with much > of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only > one study and certainly needs to be replicated with > similar and different populations to see how robust > the findings are. > > In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as > teachers to the idea that our students have low self > esteem. What role does that idea have in our views > of ourselves as teachers? > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > > > > > > ===================== > From: "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" > Date: 2006/09/25 Mon PM 09:17:44 CDT > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 489] Low Self-Esteem: Myth > or Reality? Some comments > > > Dear All, > ?Thank youfor such a great discussion. Below I will > try to address some of yourcomments. > __________________ > > ?Andres, > It lookslike we are coming from different research > paradigms, and our views onresearchin general and > measurement in particular somewhat diverge. Here is > mytake onsome of the issues you raised. > 1. I haveto disagree with your conceptualization of > self-esteem. I believe thatwhat youdescribe is > actually socio-economic status (e.g. possessions, > wealth,jobstatus), a construct commonly regarded as > conceptually different fromself-esteem. There are > studies that show a high correlation > betweenself-esteemand SES, therefore, the two are, > in fact, closely tied. > Is itreally possible and/or meaningful to tease them > apart? I do think so.Scientific method and > characteristics thereof drive us > towardsconceptualparsimony when operationalizing and > actually measuring constructs ofinterest.It doesn?t > mean that self esteem (or motivation, or engagement, > etc)stand ontheir own. They are closely related to > numerous variables, however, acorpus ofliterature > demonstrates that attempts to measure them as > separateconstructs doyield meaningful results and > help advance our understanding of humannature. > Additionally,what immediately comes to mind is that > some components ofsocio-economic status(i.e. > financial well-being) of PhD students may be worse > than that ofworkingadult literacy students. So, the > findings of the present study do notnecessarily > contradict your take on the matter. > ? > 2. Inpsychological research, self-esteem is > typically defined in terms ofhow weevaluate > ourselves and our characteristics, the "personal > judgment ofworthiness that is expressed in the > attitudes the individual holdstoward himself,"in the > words of Coopersmith, a pioneering researcher in the > field. Itis afuzzy construct but a certain consensus > has developed. Many seem toagree thatself esteem can > be differentiated into global and specific self > esteem.Globalrepresents a general attitude towards > oneself, and can be considered atraitself-esteem, > whereas specific self-esteems concern particular > areas ofpeople?slives. > ?Self-affirmation theory (Steel,1988) suggests that > people cope with negative outcomes in one domain > byfocusing on their achievements in other, unrelated > domains. This meansthat individualswith high global > self-esteem would feel overall quite competent > evenwhen theiracademic self-esteem is low. > Low-literate adults who have failedacademicallybut > succeed in other aspects of their lives may have a > high generalself-esteemthat will allow them to lead > full, not deficient, lives. Adult literacylearners > often look at themselves as competent workers, > parents, andcitizens,which may partially compensate > for their lack of literacy. Talkingabout > adultliteracy students in terms of their > deficiencies and abnormally lowself-esteemjust adds > to the existing stigma. > ?3. This study doesn?t suggest thatself-esteem of > adult students is high. Rather, that it doesn?t > differsignificantly from the self-esteem of the PhD > students. Since we don?tconsiderraising self-esteem > of the latter group to be our primary goal,focusing > onraising self esteem of the former group represents > a logical skew withpotential pernicious corollaries, > with the most dangerous one being, asHal and > Isuggested in our report, that it may strengthen the > existing stigma.Self-esteem is crucial for success > in academic settings for bothgroups; but perhapsit > is best addressed through strong pedagogy by helping > studentssucceed intheir academic pursuits. > ?___________________ > Gina andVirginia raised a question about self-esteem > of learners incorrectionaleducational programs. > Unfortunately, I am not familiar with > existingliteratureon the matter. However, during my > recent presentation at the AERAconference,one of the > attendees who teaches in a prison described her > students ashavinghigh self-esteem. I cannot judge > the validity of her conclusions sincetheywere based > solely on her observations; it?s just interesting > toconsider. > ___________________________ > Thanksagain to everyone ? I am really enjoying this > discussion. > ?Ana. > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Sep 26 13:24:46 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:24:46 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 493] X-post: Next week on PD list: Action Research Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Please excuse the interruption of our discussion about self-esteem, but I want to announce a discussion next week on the Professional Development list. See below for the announcement from Jackie Taylor, and note that one of the suggested readings to prepare ofor this discussion is the first issue of Focus on Basics, which Barb recently reminded us about! Best, Julie *********************************************************** >From Jackie: I am very pleased to announce an exciting discussion lined up for the Adult Literacy Professional Development List, beginning this Monday, October 2nd, on "Action Research as Professional Development." University researchers from the University of the District of Columbia and at least five of the 17 teacher researchers will be joining us to share their rich experiences with the practice of action research as a vehicle for teacher change. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discussion Topic: Action Research as Professional Development Discussion Dates: October 2 - 9, 2006 To Participate: Subscribe by visiting: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment To Prepare: View this short streaming video for background about action research in the District of Columbia http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/webcast_ac tion.html (or try: http://tinyurl.com/krah5 ) General Overview: Join our guests from the University of the District of Columbia and teacher researchers (listed below) on the Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List to discuss a broad range of topics related to action research in adult literacy professional development (PD), including: * Defining action research * Problems/questions from instruction that could become action research * Teachers' experiences with action research * Action Research in Adult Basic Education in the District of Columbia * Using practitioner inquiry as professional development * Ancillary support systems for action research * Tools that give teachers different modes for examining their practice and to build a PD community * Role of action research in "evidence-based practice" * Action research as a transformative professional development ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GUESTS: Teacher Researchers: Patricia DeFerrari works for Academy of Hope which runs several adult education programs including ABE/GED classes. Her research was on the use of authentic materials to improve attendance in ABE reading class. Adrienne Jones works for Catholic Charities GED program. Her research was on how daily interactive, self-paced computer learning and discussion time with peers and the instructor effect written posttest scores in science, reading and social studies. Kris Garvin works for Notre Dame Adult Education Center. Her research was on using authentic material to improve social studies scores in GED. Her research also focused on building, highlighting, and reinforcing personal connections learners have to community, history, and current events. Cheryl Jackson works as an independent consultant teaching workplace education classes for the District Department of Transportation employees. Her research topic focused on how computer technology could be used to improve reading comprehension and word recognition skills for low-level readers participating in a workplace education program. Chenniah Randolph works for Metropolitan Delta GED program. Her research was on the instructional gap between CASAS assessment instrument and GED instructional materials. University of the District of Columbia Researchers: Maigenet Shifferraw, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education, Department of Education, University of the District of Columbia Dr. Shifferraw is the Principal Investigator for the Action Research project in Adult Basic Education at the University of the District of Columbia. The actual researchers are the adult education teachers who are teaching in community based organization, but we (the team) is also responsible for evaluating the benefits of guided action research to enhancing the professional development of adult education teachers. Janet Burton, DSW, Professor and Director, Social Work Program, University of the District of Columbia As a member of the Action research team, Dr. Janet Burton provides consultation on research particularly related to social factors and adult education. She is conducting a study that examines how social factors impact participation in adult basic education. George W. Spicely, Adjunct Professor, Department of Education, University of the District of Columbia; and Education Consultant Professor George Spicely coordinates the work of the Action Research Project Team and provides support to the participating teacher-researchers. Specifically, he coordinates planning, implementation and follow-up of project activities, and leads research related discussion on administrative and research issues using Blackboard software. Supplemental Materials: Streaming Video: Action Research in Adult Basic Education in the District of Columbia http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/webcast_ac tion.html (or try: http://tinyurl.com/krah5 ) (b) About the D.C. Action Research Project: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/action.htm l (c) "What is Research?" Focus on Basics, Volume 1, Issue A: February 1997, National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy: http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=166 Includes articles: "Research with Words: Qualitative Inquiry" http://www.ncsall.net/?id=468 "Knowing, Learning, Doing: Participatory Action Research http://www.ncsall.net/?id=479 (d) "Learning from Practice" http://www.pde.state.pa.us/able/cwp/view.asp?a=215&Q=110064 A Project of the Pennsylvania ABLE Lifelong Learning Shares information on Project's three Learning from Practice Models o Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PAARN) o Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network o Agency Research Projects (e) New! The Action Research Topic Area of the ALE Wiki: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Action_Research ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Subscribe, Visit: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment I hope you will join us! Jackie Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov/ Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers http://www.aalpd.org/ Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From amuro5 at epcc.edu Tue Sep 26 14:37:39 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:37:39 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 494] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <45188DC8.6040803@optimaltec.com> Message-ID: Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but here I go again. You define self -esteem as: "In psychological research, self-esteem is typically defined in terms of how we evaluate ourselves and our characteristics, the personal judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the attitudes the individual holds toward himself," in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem to agree that self esteem can be differentiated into global and specific self esteem. Global represents a general attitude towards oneself, and can be considered a trait self-esteem, whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's lives. " What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth is caused by genetics, or is it caused by certain experiences. It is possible that self esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem reporting, would be similar regardless of group. However, if the environment has something to do with self esteem, the question to me would be what factors influence self-worth. If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and we can identify the gene that determines self esteem, then there is no reason to work on the self esteem of the students. It is possible that self esteem can be associated with dopamine, serotonin activity in the brain and that there is a gene that influences the presence or absence of these substances. If such is the case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, there is probably something to this I assume that most of us believe that there are causes in the environment that can influence self-worth. For example, there was an in your face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image is Everything". I assume that the makers of the commercial believe that people's self worth has to do with their image and that people would do anything to improve their image which would lead to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this is true or not, but a whole field of advertising has been developed on this premise. The purpose of advertising is to make people feel bad about themselves and to feel that they will feel better by acquiring a given product. In fact, the poor seem to be the biggest target of predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. >From this I get that while there is not that much direct evidence that the self worth of the poor is worse than the self worth of the wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The indirect evidence is the extent and success of the predatory advertising to make the poor consumers of things that they do not need, but are marketed as means to improve their self worth. So, if we assume that the environment has something to do with self-esteem, then I would try to identify the elements in the environment that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize that self esteem will increase with the accomplishment of something that I want to achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self actualized, as Maslow articulates. I think that the problem rests in the things that will make us feel self actualized and the difference between what different groups can do to become self actualized. Ideally, we would have control in the things that we chose to do. Unfortunately, institutions in the community and the media shape those choices. In a capitalist community where success is measured in terms of wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success has to be important. So, those who determine that they want to succeed economically will become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, they will become self-actualized and their perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. At the same time, there are limitations to the things that we can do that are mediated by economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I may need to take her to the doctor or buy medication. My ability to do this may very well depend on my economic status. Providing for my child becomes a way to become self actualized, but the possibility of me becoming self actualized is tied to my financial situation. The same has to do with going to school, sending children to school, finding employment, practicing my art, etc. In our society the means to become self actualized, even if they are our choices, may be tied to economic forces. Because I don't believe that economic success is an important marker of self worth, I want to challenge this with my students. But, to do this, we need to find other makers of success and help them explore these. These may lead to self actualization and improved self worth. Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a story, etc, can be means of self actualization. However, these models compete with the powerful advertising and marketing models that plague the lives of most of our students. But I don't believe that my students' self esteem has been lowered by society's established markers of self worth and society's established vehicles for self actualization, then I have no reason to create alternative models. I think that we all do, and we work on this which leads to our students becoming self actualized. However, we are always competing with Walmart. There are other issues tied to consciousness of history that Freire explores that are tied to oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I will not get into them right now. However, I still believe that self-esteem is something very complex that cannot be looked at as some isolated independent variable that can be reported. Andres -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060926/4e7cb85b/attachment.html From ana at optimaltec.com Tue Sep 26 18:51:07 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:51:07 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Message-ID: <4519AEDB.7090103@optimaltec.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060926/ab85ca32/attachment.html From ana at optimaltec.com Tue Sep 26 20:36:16 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 20:36:16 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 496] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <20060926141309.28346.qmail@web83114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060926141309.28346.qmail@web83114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4519C780.7040904@optimaltec.com> Bonnita, This is a really great point. Many of us are familiar with a similar study conducted by Rosenthal in 1968 who found that when teachers expect students to do well and show intellectual growth, they do; when teachers do not have such expectations, performance and growth are not so encouraged and may in fact be discouraged in a variety of ways. This is one of the reasons why we believe that demonstrating that adult learners' self-esteem is not detrimentally low is crucial. Teachers, who believe that learners suffer from an inadequate sense of self-worth may involuntarily contribute to it. Association between poverty and low literacy and low self-esteem is quite strong, so we really need to work towards making this conceptual shift occur -- it is much healthier to really believe that students who enroll into an adult education program do that to solve one of their problems (as opposed to believing that they came with a deficit that needs to be treated). Ana. Bonnita Solberg wrote: > This posting has jogged my memory about a study that > was done in Oakland CA with the teachers of Asian > students in Oakland High School. As I recall, > students from families that were in the higher > socio-economic strata in their country of origin as > well as students from families in the lowest > socio-economic strata, in this case the grave diggers' > families, out performed their fellow students of all > racial backgrounds. The study concluded this was > largely due to teacher expectation--teachers expected > Asian students to do well in school and interacted > with them accordingly, another factor to consider when > discussing student self esteem. If I can find the > study, I will share with the discussion group. I > believe it was conducted by the University of > California, Berkeley. Bonnita > From ana at optimaltec.com Tue Sep 26 21:46:38 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:46:38 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 497] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4519D7FE.5090400@optimaltec.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060926/e152500b/attachment.html From info at gaming-pc.net Wed Sep 27 07:36:31 2006 From: info at gaming-pc.net (Craig Alinder) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 05:36:31 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments References: <4519AEDB.7090103@optimaltec.com> Message-ID: <018901c6e229$2e81c1b0$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060927/412121e0/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Sep 27 08:05:25 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:05:25 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 499] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Message-ID: <3115409.6785261159358726012.JavaMail.root@vms063.mailsrvcs.net> Good points. There are our attitudes as teachers and the impact they have on learners' success, and then there are the techniques we choose. This may be making a wild leap, but your comments make me think of the NCSALL study in which ABE teachers used Multiple Intelligence techniques with their students (see Focus on Basics Vol 3A, http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=161). Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences proposes that there are eight ---spatial, linguistic, interpesonal, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, naturalist, intrapersonal --- and maybe more identifiable intelligences. THe teachers helped learners determine their "intelligence" and created lessons that enabled the learners to use it to build their academic skills. Teachers found this to be a very successful way to engage learners. It certainly would be a way to value learners'strengths genuinely. Barb Garner Barb Garner ===================== From: "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" Date: 2006/09/26 Tue PM 05:51:07 CDT To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increased sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments!Ana.This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers?Barb GarnerEditor, Focus on Basics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Wed Sep 27 08:21:00 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 08:21:00 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: References: <45188DC8.6040803@optimaltec.com> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060927082053.02bed008@rci.rutgers.edu> Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the affect that self-esteem is influenced by genetics. By and large it is a product of life experience. As you point out, some--Freire for example--believe that low self-esteem is a social construction. It is one of those mechanisms that keep the oppressed in a state of oppression. Others would focus more on the family. To me, however, the most important point is that low-self esteem can be treated. The question is how. One school would argue that lots of social support and positive feedback is the way. The problem with this is that it can lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low self-esteem. Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education (Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the characteristic that directors most sought in hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant personality. It mattered less whether they could TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it is to hire teachers who care more than anything about their learners progress and know how to produce it. At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but >here I go again. You define self ?esteem as: >?In psychological research, self-esteem is >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated >into global and specific self esteem. Global >represents a general attitude towards oneself, >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people?s lives. ? >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by >certain experiences. It is possible that self >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. >However, if the environment has something to do >with self esteem, the question to me would be >what factors influence self-worth. >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and >we can identify the gene that determines self >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the >self esteem of the students. It is possible that >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, >serotonin activity in the brain and that there >is a gene that influences the presence or >absence of these substances. If such is the >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, >there is probably something to this >I assume that most of us believe that there are >causes in the environment that can influence >self-worth. For example, there was an in your >face Sprite commercial that used to say ?Image >is Everything?. I assume that the makers of the >commercial believe that people?s self worth has >to do with their image and that people would do >anything to improve their image which would lead >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising >has been developed on this premise. The purpose >of advertising is to make people feel bad about >themselves and to feel that they will feel >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, >the poor seem to be the biggest target of >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > From this I get that while there is not that > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > poor is worse than the self worth of the > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > the predatory advertising to make the poor > consumers of things that they do not need, but > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. >So, if we assume that the environment has >something to do with self-esteem, then I would >try to identify the elements in the environment >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize >that self esteem will increase with the >accomplishment of something that I want to >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self >actualized, as Maslow articulates. >I think that the problem rests in the things >that will make us feel self actualized and the >difference between what different groups can do >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would >have control in the things that we chose to do. >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist >community where success is measured in terms of >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success >has to be important. So, those who determine >that they want to succeed economically will >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, >they will become self-actualized and their >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. >At the same time, there are limitations to the >things that we can do that are mediated by >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I >may need to take her to the doctor or buy >medication. My ability to do this may very well >depend on my economic status. Providing for my >child becomes a way to become self actualized, >but the possibility of me becoming self >actualized is tied to my financial situation. >The same has to do with going to school, sending >children to school, finding employment, >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means >to become self actualized, even if they are our >choices, may be tied to economic forces. >Because I don?t believe that economic success is >an important marker of self worth, I want to >challenge this with my students. But, to do >this, we need to find other makers of success >and help them explore these. These may lead to >self actualization and improved self worth. >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. >However, these models compete with the powerful >advertising and marketing models that plague the >lives of most of our students. But I don?t >believe that my students? self esteem has been >lowered by society?s established markers of self >worth and society?s established vehicles for >self actualization, then I have no reason to >create alternative models. I think that we all >do, and we work on this which leads to our >students becoming self actualized. However, we >are always competing with Walmart. >There are other issues tied to consciousness of >history that Freire explores that are tied to >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I >will not get into them right now. However, I >still believe that self-esteem is something very >complex that cannot be looked at as some >isolated independent variable that can be reported. >Andres > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Wed Sep 27 10:10:12 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:10:12 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 501] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments In-Reply-To: <018901c6e229$2e81c1b0$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> Message-ID: <20060927141012.26834.qmail@web83109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> One way an educator can focus on success without unwarranted external praise is a collaboration between teacher and student to set individual goals for the student's participation in the program. The result is a reasonable, definable and practical measure for success that is backed by a student portfolio which includes test results, samples of class work, ESL Diary, etc. All this feedback, together with anonymous student evaluation of tasks assigned by the teacher. informs the instructional process, thereby insuring that teaching methods and goals are meeting the needs of the students. We also give certificates when stduents are advanced to the next level and generally have a celebration to acknowledge their success. Some students have commented that they have never received any recognition, including a certificate. I for one use "smiley faces reinforcement" only rarely so the impact is greater than if used on a daily basis, although I do "smile" often during class and use humor as often as appropriate. Bonnita --- Craig Alinder wrote: > In my experience with Montessori education > unqualified praise will actually rob a child of > their efforts and lead them to believe they should > not do things for their own worth, but solely for > the external praise. Personally, I believe the same > applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to > falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any > effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any > real attempt at praise when something significant is > accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is > doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those > moments of success through effort, even if the > successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is > probably a statistical bell curve of educators based > on what is considered a "successful moment" > deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience > are the guides at this point. > > What I feel is important to point out, is that the > work that the educator must carefully consider what > level of work to give each individual to ensure > success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is > taken into consideration, as the student must feel > they have a chance of success to even make an > attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my > thoughts on the subject. > > Craig > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Craig Alinder > Escuela del Sol Montessori > 1114 Seventh St. NW > Albuquerque, NM 87110 > http://www.merchant-reviews.com > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: > Myth or Reality? Somecomments > > > Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would > love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. > >From my personal observations, informal > conversations, and formal interviews with adult > literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be > roughly split into two groups: those who believe > that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to > raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, > and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and > those who think that teachers need to teach students > skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will > naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, > he believed that the relationship between > self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) > and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you > learn to do something well and your feeling of > self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what > you do in the future. Years of research showed that > attempts to artificially build up students' > self-esteem by praising every little thing they do > (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and > such, are very unlikely to lead to increas > ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, > starting off from the assumption about learners' low > self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial > to students as simply trying to help them learn. > > The study definitely needs replication -- we can't > really generalize our findings since only one adult > learning center was used as our research setting. I > have been recently contacted by a GED instructor > from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested > in replicating my study. I am really looking forward > to hear about the findings. If they are similar to > mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. > Thank you for your comments! > > Ana. > > > > This discussion is rich and fascinating. > > I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, > particularly since her findings resonate with much > of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only > one study and certainly needs to be replicated with > similar and different populations to see how robust > the findings are. > > In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as > teachers to the idea that our students have low self > esteem. What role does that idea have in our views > of ourselves as teachers? > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription > settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics> ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From info at gaming-pc.net Wed Sep 27 11:13:11 2006 From: info at gaming-pc.net (Craig Alinder) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:13:11 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 502] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments References: <20060927141012.26834.qmail@web83109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <023a01c6e247$735a7020$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> Well Said Bonnita. I agree that involving the student in goal setting and evaluation is an essential part of a successfull, collaborative educational experience. This has the added bonus of teaching goal setting skills at the same time as you teach your specific subject area. I also think it is important to celebrate success when goals are reached. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bonnita Solberg" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 8:10 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 501] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments > One way an educator can focus on success without > unwarranted external praise is a collaboration between > teacher and student to set individual goals for the > student's participation in the program. The result is > a reasonable, definable and practical measure for > success that is backed by a student portfolio which > includes test results, samples of class work, ESL > Diary, etc. All this feedback, together with > anonymous student evaluation of tasks assigned by the > teacher. informs the instructional process, thereby > insuring that teaching methods and goals are meeting > the needs of the students. We also give certificates > when stduents are advanced to the next level and > generally have a celebration to acknowledge their > success. Some students have commented that they have > never received any recognition, including a > certificate. I for one use "smiley faces > reinforcement" only rarely so the impact is greater > than if used on a daily basis, although I do "smile" > often during class and use humor as often as > appropriate. Bonnita > > --- Craig Alinder wrote: > >> In my experience with Montessori education >> unqualified praise will actually rob a child of >> their efforts and lead them to believe they should >> not do things for their own worth, but solely for >> the external praise. Personally, I believe the same >> applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to >> falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any >> effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any >> real attempt at praise when something significant is >> accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is >> doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those >> moments of success through effort, even if the >> successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is >> probably a statistical bell curve of educators based >> on what is considered a "successful moment" >> deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience >> are the guides at this point. >> >> What I feel is important to point out, is that the >> work that the educator must carefully consider what >> level of work to give each individual to ensure >> success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is >> taken into consideration, as the student must feel >> they have a chance of success to even make an >> attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my >> thoughts on the subject. >> >> Craig >> >> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> Craig Alinder >> Escuela del Sol Montessori >> 1114 Seventh St. NW >> Albuquerque, NM 87110 >> http://www.merchant-reviews.com >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich >> To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM >> Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: >> Myth or Reality? Somecomments >> >> >> Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would >> love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >> >From my personal observations, informal >> conversations, and formal interviews with adult >> literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be >> roughly split into two groups: those who believe >> that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to >> raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, >> and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and >> those who think that teachers need to teach students >> skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will >> naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, >> he believed that the relationship between >> self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) >> and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you >> learn to do something well and your feeling of >> self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what >> you do in the future. Years of research showed that >> attempts to artificially build up students' >> self-esteem by praising every little thing they do >> (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and >> such, are very unlikely to lead to increas >> ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, >> starting off from the assumption about learners' low >> self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial >> to students as simply trying to help them learn. >> >> The study definitely needs replication -- we can't >> really generalize our findings since only one adult >> learning center was used as our research setting. I >> have been recently contacted by a GED instructor >> from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested >> in replicating my study. I am really looking forward >> to hear about the findings. If they are similar to >> mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. >> Thank you for your comments! >> >> Ana. >> >> >> >> This discussion is rich and fascinating. >> >> I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, >> particularly since her findings resonate with much >> of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only >> one study and certainly needs to be replicated with >> similar and different populations to see how robust >> the findings are. >> >> In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as >> teachers to the idea that our students have low self >> esteem. What role does that idea have in our views >> of ourselves as teachers? >> Barb Garner >> Editor, Focus on Basics >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription >> settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics> > ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060927/7525f07b/attachment.html From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Wed Sep 27 11:15:31 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:15:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 503] praise In-Reply-To: <018901c6e229$2e81c1b0$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> Message-ID: Another thing about praise is that most people sense and know when it is being given meaninglessly and when it actually has to do with something done well. This can range from positive feedback about asking a question, self-correcting, answering a question (just by saying thank you), getting something right (e.g.. after being confused about ?there? and ?their? using these words correctly) - any specific thing that is done well. The absence of harsh criticism vs. useful correction also figures here in the larger picture of giving learners feedback that helps them do/learn whatever it is they?re working on. Janet Isserlis In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060927/10cf9d41/attachment.html From amuro5 at epcc.edu Wed Sep 27 12:04:13 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:04:13 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 504] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20060927082053.02bed008@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: Hal: Hal: I agree with you 100%. The issue to me is what examples of student successes are and how to create the possibility for true success. This is very Hegelian. IE: The worker recognizes herself in the product of her work. So, the person who makes the chair is proud of making a good quality chair. However, factory work takes away the relationship between the worker and the chair. The worker only nails a nail and never sees the chair. He becomes alienated form his own work and we end up needing a socialist revolution ;-) You can give him a certificate for doing good work, but the certificate is meaningless praise. The same and more is the case with ABE students. Learning needs to result in a meaningful outcome so that students may recognize themselves in their work. At the same time, we must create tasks that allow students to be able to be productive so they can have something that they identify with. Our students just published a collection of short stories. This is the second publication and it is available on line at: http://bordersenses.com/memorias Actually, the second volume is not available yet. However, you can see the first volume and get an idea of the project. In terms of the issue of creating possibilities for success I wrote something specifically about this in the intro to the second volume. Below is an excerpt: "Our pedagogical approach is grounded in the idea that GED instruction requires good reading and writing skills. However, many of our students have had little exposure to reading and writing. So, developing these skills, a challenge in itself, becomes more challenging when the students are uninterested in the subject and have little familiarity with it. However, if students can build their reading and writing skills by documenting and reading their own experiences, they will be familiar with the knowledge and they will relate to it. Moreover, they will feel validated if their knowledge and experiences are documented for posterity. Once they build their reading and writing skills, they will be able to apply these skills to new knowledge and new academic and real life problems." This is both Freirian and Deweyian. Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the affect that self-esteem is influenced by genetics. By and large it is a product of life experience. As you point out, some--Freire for example--believe that low self-esteem is a social construction. It is one of those mechanisms that keep the oppressed in a state of oppression. Others would focus more on the family. To me, however, the most important point is that low-self esteem can be treated. The question is how. One school would argue that lots of social support and positive feedback is the way. The problem with this is that it can lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low self-esteem. Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education (Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the characteristic that directors most sought in hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant personality. It mattered less whether they could TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it is to hire teachers who care more than anything about their learners progress and know how to produce it. At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: >"In psychological research, self-esteem is >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated >into global and specific self esteem. Global >represents a general attitude towards oneself, >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's lives. " >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by >certain experiences. It is possible that self >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. >However, if the environment has something to do >with self esteem, the question to me would be >what factors influence self-worth. >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and >we can identify the gene that determines self >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the >self esteem of the students. It is possible that >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, >serotonin activity in the brain and that there >is a gene that influences the presence or >absence of these substances. If such is the >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, >there is probably something to this >I assume that most of us believe that there are >causes in the environment that can influence >self-worth. For example, there was an in your >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the >commercial believe that people's self worth has >to do with their image and that people would do >anything to improve their image which would lead >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising >has been developed on this premise. The purpose >of advertising is to make people feel bad about >themselves and to feel that they will feel >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, >the poor seem to be the biggest target of >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > From this I get that while there is not that > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > poor is worse than the self worth of the > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > the predatory advertising to make the poor > consumers of things that they do not need, but > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. >So, if we assume that the environment has >something to do with self-esteem, then I would >try to identify the elements in the environment >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize >that self esteem will increase with the >accomplishment of something that I want to >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self >actualized, as Maslow articulates. >I think that the problem rests in the things >that will make us feel self actualized and the >difference between what different groups can do >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would >have control in the things that we chose to do. >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist >community where success is measured in terms of >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success >has to be important. So, those who determine >that they want to succeed economically will >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, >they will become self-actualized and their >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. >At the same time, there are limitations to the >things that we can do that are mediated by >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I >may need to take her to the doctor or buy >medication. My ability to do this may very well >depend on my economic status. Providing for my >child becomes a way to become self actualized, >but the possibility of me becoming self >actualized is tied to my financial situation. >The same has to do with going to school, sending >children to school, finding employment, >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means >to become self actualized, even if they are our >choices, may be tied to economic forces. >Because I don't believe that economic success is >an important marker of self worth, I want to >challenge this with my students. But, to do >this, we need to find other makers of success >and help them explore these. These may lead to >self actualization and improved self worth. >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. >However, these models compete with the powerful >advertising and marketing models that plague the >lives of most of our students. But I don't >believe that my students' self esteem has been >lowered by society's established markers of self >worth and society's established vehicles for >self actualization, then I have no reason to >create alternative models. I think that we all >do, and we work on this which leads to our >students becoming self actualized. However, we >are always competing with Walmart. >There are other issues tied to consciousness of >history that Freire explores that are tied to >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I >will not get into them right now. However, I >still believe that self-esteem is something very >complex that cannot be looked at as some >isolated independent variable that can be reported. >Andres > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From amuro5 at epcc.edu Wed Sep 27 12:22:14 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:22:14 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 505] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20060927082053.02bed008@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: Hal: While there may not be studies relating genes to self esteem, there is evidence that Genes trigger flow of neurotransmitters between neurons. We know that there is some connection between the presence of serotonin and dopamine between neurons and depression. Now, what is depression? It is a state of mind like self esteem. In fact, poor self esteem could be a form of depression. One of the questions that needs to be answered is if the flow of neurotransmitter is triggered by the environment, or if this is inherited. It seems that there may be a bit of both. I suffer from depression and take Effexor. I know that my depression attacks were originally triggered by the environment, but currently they happen w/o me being conscious of environmental triggers. In fact, if I don't take Effexor, I start getting depressed within 4 to 5 months. In my case, my depression is not associated with poor self esteem though. However, I know people that get depressed because of this. The Genome, by Ridley is a great airplane read, short and sweet. It seems that genetics controls a lot more than people think. Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the affect that self-esteem is influenced by genetics. By and large it is a product of life experience. As you point out, some--Freire for example--believe that low self-esteem is a social construction. It is one of those mechanisms that keep the oppressed in a state of oppression. Others would focus more on the family. To me, however, the most important point is that low-self esteem can be treated. The question is how. One school would argue that lots of social support and positive feedback is the way. The problem with this is that it can lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low self-esteem. Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education (Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the characteristic that directors most sought in hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant personality. It mattered less whether they could TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it is to hire teachers who care more than anything about their learners progress and know how to produce it. At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: >"In psychological research, self-esteem is >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated >into global and specific self esteem. Global >represents a general attitude towards oneself, >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's lives. " >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by >certain experiences. It is possible that self >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. >However, if the environment has something to do >with self esteem, the question to me would be >what factors influence self-worth. >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and >we can identify the gene that determines self >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the >self esteem of the students. It is possible that >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, >serotonin activity in the brain and that there >is a gene that influences the presence or >absence of these substances. If such is the >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, >there is probably something to this >I assume that most of us believe that there are >causes in the environment that can influence >self-worth. For example, there was an in your >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the >commercial believe that people's self worth has >to do with their image and that people would do >anything to improve their image which would lead >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising >has been developed on this premise. The purpose >of advertising is to make people feel bad about >themselves and to feel that they will feel >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, >the poor seem to be the biggest target of >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > From this I get that while there is not that > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > poor is worse than the self worth of the > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > the predatory advertising to make the poor > consumers of things that they do not need, but > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. >So, if we assume that the environment has >something to do with self-esteem, then I would >try to identify the elements in the environment >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize >that self esteem will increase with the >accomplishment of something that I want to >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self >actualized, as Maslow articulates. >I think that the problem rests in the things >that will make us feel self actualized and the >difference between what different groups can do >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would >have control in the things that we chose to do. >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist >community where success is measured in terms of >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success >has to be important. So, those who determine >that they want to succeed economically will >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, >they will become self-actualized and their >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. >At the same time, there are limitations to the >things that we can do that are mediated by >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I >may need to take her to the doctor or buy >medication. My ability to do this may very well >depend on my economic status. Providing for my >child becomes a way to become self actualized, >but the possibility of me becoming self >actualized is tied to my financial situation. >The same has to do with going to school, sending >children to school, finding employment, >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means >to become self actualized, even if they are our >choices, may be tied to economic forces. >Because I don't believe that economic success is >an important marker of self worth, I want to >challenge this with my students. But, to do >this, we need to find other makers of success >and help them explore these. These may lead to >self actualization and improved self worth. >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. >However, these models compete with the powerful >advertising and marketing models that plague the >lives of most of our students. But I don't >believe that my students' self esteem has been >lowered by society's established markers of self >worth and society's established vehicles for >self actualization, then I have no reason to >create alternative models. I think that we all >do, and we work on this which leads to our >students becoming self actualized. However, we >are always competing with Walmart. >There are other issues tied to consciousness of >history that Freire explores that are tied to >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I >will not get into them right now. However, I >still believe that self-esteem is something very >complex that cannot be looked at as some >isolated independent variable that can be reported. >Andres > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From amuro5 at epcc.edu Wed Sep 27 12:37:50 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:37:50 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 506] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In-Reply-To: <20060927141012.26834.qmail@web83109.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Bonnita et al: Regarding your question about Asian students and success, there is research done by John Ogbu about this. Ogbu argues that there different kind of minority groups. He refers to voluntary and involuntary minorities. Voluntary minorities are those that came into the US voluntarily in search of a better life. Children from Voluntary minorities tend to do very well in school. Parents tend to push the kids to succeed. Usually, children of immigrants from other countries tend to do very well in school. They will do even better if they were already doing well in school in their native countries. Involuntary minorities are those that were born into a devalued minority status in the US. Ogbu identifies Chicanos and blacks as examples of two involuntary minorities. According to Ogbu, when Chicano and black children go to school, they face a dilemma. If they learn the standard English and they learn the rules of hegemonic America, they have to unlearn the language and culture of their families and community. This puts children in a dilemma. They either begin to act "whitie" and succeed in hegemonic America, or reject the hegemonic values and stick to their own sociocultural group. There are other reasons for certain groups to do better than others in school. I will not get into the details right now, but they are more complex than just praise. Andres From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Sep 27 13:01:40 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:01:40 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 507] Self-Esteem and teacher expectations Message-ID: Hi Everyone, It's interesting that many of our conversations come around to teacher expectations and involving the students in setting their goals. Take a look back at an exchange from the list back in March for some thoughts on this. Go to: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/2006/date.html and scroll down to March 9th and 10th to see the conversation. See excerpt below with a recommended reference: ************************************ Excerpt from earlier conversation about teacher expectations: A new study just came out, The Color of Success, by Gilberto Conchas. He's a sociologist who studied an urban high school which is successful at getting minority students to graduate and go on to college. What he found is that detracking, career academies and high teacher and parent expectations were key to the success of these students. The high achievement of the Vietnamese students was the most surprising, as these students had none of the educational or economic advantages usually associated with Asian students. However, they were still treated as "the model minority" by the school and rose to meet the high expectations placed on them. Barb Linek University of Illinois Extension *************************************** Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Wed Sep 27 13:24:22 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:24:22 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 508] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060927082053.02bed008@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060927132025.02bb8b90@rci.rutgers.edu> Hey, I am tremendously gratified. I can't remember the last time anyone agreed with me 100%. Neither can I remember you agreeing with anyone 100%. Must be chance and will probably never happen again. Cheers. At 12:04 PM 9/27/2006, you wrote: >Hal: > >Hal: > >I agree with you 100%. The issue to me is what examples of student >successes are and how to create the possibility for true success. This >is very Hegelian. IE: The worker recognizes herself in the product of >her work. So, the person who makes the chair is proud of making a good >quality chair. However, factory work takes away the relationship between >the worker and the chair. The worker only nails a nail and never sees >the chair. He becomes alienated form his own work and we end up needing >a socialist revolution ;-) You can give him a certificate for doing >good work, but the certificate is meaningless praise. > >The same and more is the case with ABE students. Learning needs to >result in a meaningful outcome so that students may recognize themselves >in their work. At the same time, we must create tasks that allow >students to be able to be productive so they can have something that >they identify with. > >Our students just published a collection of short stories. This is the >second publication and it is available on line at: >http://bordersenses.com/memorias > >Actually, the second volume is not available yet. However, you can see >the first volume and get an idea of the project. In terms of the issue >of creating possibilities for success I wrote something specifically >about this in the intro to the second volume. Below is an excerpt: > >"Our pedagogical approach is grounded in the idea that GED instruction >requires good reading and writing skills. However, many of our students >have had little exposure to reading and writing. So, developing these >skills, a challenge in itself, becomes more challenging when the >students are uninterested in the subject and have little familiarity >with it. However, if students can build their reading and writing skills >by documenting and reading their own experiences, they will be familiar >with the knowledge and they will relate to it. Moreover, they will feel >validated if their knowledge and experiences are documented for >posterity. Once they build their reading and writing skills, they will >be able to apply these skills to new knowledge and new academic and real >life problems." > >This is both Freirian and Deweyian. > >Andres > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder >Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some >comments > >Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the >affect that self-esteem is influenced by >genetics. By and large it is a product of life >experience. As you point out, some--Freire for >example--believe that low self-esteem is a social >construction. It is one of those mechanisms that >keep the oppressed in a state of >oppression. Others would focus more on the >family. To me, however, the most important point >is that low-self esteem can be treated. The >question is how. One school would argue that >lots of social support and positive feedback is >the way. The problem with this is that it can >lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on >deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the >literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" >low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to >be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low >self-esteem. > >Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education >(Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the >characteristic that directors most sought in >hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant >personality. It mattered less whether they could >TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain >extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If >we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it >is to hire teachers who care more than anything >about their learners progress and know how to produce it. > > > > >At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: > >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message > >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > > > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to > >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but > >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: > >"In psychological research, self-esteem is > >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate > >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal > >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the > >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," > >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering > >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct > >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem > >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated > >into global and specific self esteem. Global > >represents a general attitude towards oneself, > >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, > >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's >lives. " > >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth > >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by > >certain experiences. It is possible that self > >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem > >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. > >However, if the environment has something to do > >with self esteem, the question to me would be > >what factors influence self-worth. > >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and > >we can identify the gene that determines self > >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the > >self esteem of the students. It is possible that > >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, > >serotonin activity in the brain and that there > >is a gene that influences the presence or > >absence of these substances. If such is the > >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac > >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, > >there is probably something to this > >I assume that most of us believe that there are > >causes in the environment that can influence > >self-worth. For example, there was an in your > >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image > >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the > >commercial believe that people's self worth has > >to do with their image and that people would do > >anything to improve their image which would lead > >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this > >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising > >has been developed on this premise. The purpose > >of advertising is to make people feel bad about > >themselves and to feel that they will feel > >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, > >the poor seem to be the biggest target of > >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > > From this I get that while there is not that > > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > > poor is worse than the self worth of the > > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > > the predatory advertising to make the poor > > consumers of things that they do not need, but > > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. > >So, if we assume that the environment has > >something to do with self-esteem, then I would > >try to identify the elements in the environment > >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize > >that self esteem will increase with the > >accomplishment of something that I want to > >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will > >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self > >actualized, as Maslow articulates. > >I think that the problem rests in the things > >that will make us feel self actualized and the > >difference between what different groups can do > >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would > >have control in the things that we chose to do. > >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and > >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist > >community where success is measured in terms of > >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success > >has to be important. So, those who determine > >that they want to succeed economically will > >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, > >they will become self-actualized and their > >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. > >At the same time, there are limitations to the > >things that we can do that are mediated by > >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I > >may need to take her to the doctor or buy > >medication. My ability to do this may very well > >depend on my economic status. Providing for my > >child becomes a way to become self actualized, > >but the possibility of me becoming self > >actualized is tied to my financial situation. > >The same has to do with going to school, sending > >children to school, finding employment, > >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means > >to become self actualized, even if they are our > >choices, may be tied to economic forces. > >Because I don't believe that economic success is > >an important marker of self worth, I want to > >challenge this with my students. But, to do > >this, we need to find other makers of success > >and help them explore these. These may lead to > >self actualization and improved self worth. > >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a > >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. > >However, these models compete with the powerful > >advertising and marketing models that plague the > >lives of most of our students. But I don't > >believe that my students' self esteem has been > >lowered by society's established markers of self > >worth and society's established vehicles for > >self actualization, then I have no reason to > >create alternative models. I think that we all > >do, and we work on this which leads to our > >students becoming self actualized. However, we > >are always competing with Walmart. > >There are other issues tied to consciousness of > >history that Freire explores that are tied to > >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I > >will not get into them right now. However, I > >still believe that self-esteem is something very > >complex that cannot be looked at as some > >isolated independent variable that can be reported. > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription > >settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >Rutgers University >Graduate School of Education >10 seminary Pl. >New Brunswick, NJ 08901 >732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Sep 27 14:12:45 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:12:45 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 509] Self-esteem stigma and Student Success Message-ID: I agree that we should be thinking about how our programs can create success for our students in different ways, and I can see how labeling them as having "low self-esteem" can "strengthen the existing stigma" (Ana) rather than help. So we are now looking at two ideas: 1. How can we minimize the detrimental effects that can come from a presumption of low self-esteem? So far we have talked about low expectations, false praise and devaluing strong teaching in favor of efforts to boost self-esteem. Are there other things we should stop doing? 2. What can our programs do to facilitate student successes? Should we make more effort to "hire teachers who care more than anything about their learners progress and know how to produce it"? (Hal) What other measures of success can we aim for? I'd love to hear others' thoughts on these two points! Any of you who haven't commented yet...? Here's mine: Re: 2.) I like Andres' example of having something like the stories to mark students' successes. Years ago I was involved with a project called HEAL (Health Education and Adult Literacy), which was a curriculum that taught learners about breast and cervical cancer, screenings, and prevention. The program pushed learners to improve their literacy skills enough to seek health information and services and communicate confidently with health providers. But it went beyond that by also pushing for an action. They had to teach others in their community and actually make appointments with health providers. I believe that this action enhanced the power of the literacy skills alone to boost their measures of their own success within their families and communitites. Julie say "you have to be clear with me" to health providersbeyond learningA big part of the curriculum involved taking action in their community there was a lot of empowering going on by learning about taking action for health and . Do we, as literacy teachers, help to make this change happen, and if so, how? of I'd love to hear people's thoughts on these two things: ******************************************** Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> amuro5 at epcc.edu 09/27/06 12:04 PM >>> Hal: Hal: I agree with you 100%. The issue to me is what examples of student successes are and how to create the possibility for true success. This is very Hegelian. IE: The worker recognizes herself in the product of her work. So, the person who makes the chair is proud of making a good quality chair. However, factory work takes away the relationship between the worker and the chair. The worker only nails a nail and never sees the chair. He becomes alienated form his own work and we end up needing a socialist revolution ;-) You can give him a certificate for doing good work, but the certificate is meaningless praise. The same and more is the case with ABE students. Learning needs to result in a meaningful outcome so that students may recognize themselves in their work. At the same time, we must create tasks that allow students to be able to be productive so they can have something that they identify with. Our students just published a collection of short stories. This is the second publication and it is available on line at: http://bordersenses.com/memorias Actually, the second volume is not available yet. However, you can see the first volume and get an idea of the project. In terms of the issue of creating possibilities for success I wrote something specifically about this in the intro to the second volume. Below is an excerpt: "Our pedagogical approach is grounded in the idea that GED instruction requires good reading and writing skills. However, many of our students have had little exposure to reading and writing. So, developing these skills, a challenge in itself, becomes more challenging when the students are uninterested in the subject and have little familiarity with it. However, if students can build their reading and writing skills by documenting and reading their own experiences, they will be familiar with the knowledge and they will relate to it. Moreover, they will feel validated if their knowledge and experiences are documented for posterity. Once they build their reading and writing skills, they will be able to apply these skills to new knowledge and new academic and real life problems." This is both Freirian and Deweyian. Andres -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the affect that self-esteem is influenced by genetics. By and large it is a product of life experience. As you point out, some--Freire for example--believe that low self-esteem is a social construction. It is one of those mechanisms that keep the oppressed in a state of oppression. Others would focus more on the family. To me, however, the most important point is that low-self esteem can be treated. The question is how. One school would argue that lots of social support and positive feedback is the way. The problem with this is that it can lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low self-esteem. Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education (Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the characteristic that directors most sought in hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant personality. It mattered less whether they could TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it is to hire teachers who care more than anything about their learners progress and know how to produce it. At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: >"In psychological research, self-esteem is >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated >into global and specific self esteem. Global >represents a general attitude towards oneself, >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's lives. " >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by >certain experiences. It is possible that self >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. >However, if the environment has something to do >with self esteem, the question to me would be >what factors influence self-worth. >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and >we can identify the gene that determines self >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the >self esteem of the students. It is possible that >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, >serotonin activity in the brain and that there >is a gene that influences the presence or >absence of these substances. If such is the >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, >there is probably something to this >I assume that most of us believe that there are >causes in the environment that can influence >self-worth. For example, there was an in your >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the >commercial believe that people's self worth has >to do with their image and that people would do >anything to improve their image which would lead >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising >has been developed on this premise. The purpose >of advertising is to make people feel bad about >themselves and to feel that they will feel >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, >the poor seem to be the biggest target of >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > From this I get that while there is not that > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > poor is worse than the self worth of the > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > the predatory advertising to make the poor > consumers of things that they do not need, but > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. >So, if we assume that the environment has >something to do with self-esteem, then I would >try to identify the elements in the environment >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize >that self esteem will increase with the >accomplishment of something that I want to >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self >actualized, as Maslow articulates. >I think that the problem rests in the things >that will make us feel self actualized and the >difference between what different groups can do >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would >have control in the things that we chose to do. >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist >community where success is measured in terms of >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success >has to be important. So, those who determine >that they want to succeed economically will >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, >they will become self-actualized and their >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. >At the same time, there are limitations to the >things that we can do that are mediated by >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I >may need to take her to the doctor or buy >medication. My ability to do this may very well >depend on my economic status. Providing for my >child becomes a way to become self actualized, >but the possibility of me becoming self >actualized is tied to my financial situation. >The same has to do with going to school, sending >children to school, finding employment, >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means >to become self actualized, even if they are our >choices, may be tied to economic forces. >Because I don't believe that economic success is >an important marker of self worth, I want to >challenge this with my students. But, to do >this, we need to find other makers of success >and help them explore these. These may lead to >self actualization and improved self worth. >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. >However, these models compete with the powerful >advertising and marketing models that plague the >lives of most of our students. But I don't >believe that my students' self esteem has been >lowered by society's established markers of self >worth and society's established vehicles for >self actualization, then I have no reason to >create alternative models. I think that we all >do, and we work on this which leads to our >students becoming self actualized. However, we >are always competing with Walmart. >There are other issues tied to consciousness of >history that Freire explores that are tied to >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I >will not get into them right now. However, I >still believe that self-esteem is something very >complex that cannot be looked at as some >isolated independent variable that can be reported. >Andres > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription >settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From ana at optimaltec.com Wed Sep 27 22:22:31 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:22:31 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 510] Instructional practices leading to success Message-ID: <451B31E7.4020308@optimaltec.com> This has been a great day of discussion. Many touched upon the issue of assessment and how it affects students' perceptions of their performance. Julie raised a question about instructional practices leading to students' success. I believe assessment may be one of the key areas of pedagogy to consider, and here are some thoughts on it. A significant portion of the teacher?s time is devoted to the evaluation of students? performance. Ideally, such assessment of products or behavior should provide students with the necessary information that would allow them to adjust their learning strategies, get rid of existing misconceptions, correct mistakes, increase (or sustain) motivation, and, ultimately, move them closer to the desired goals. That is, it should facilitate student successes not just provide teachers with information about what is learned. However, research has shown that very often the impact of assessment on students? performance and motivation has the opposite ? adverse ? effect. Possible reasons for such a quandary are hidden in specific attributes of evaluative practices, with the quality and type of feedback being among the most important ones. Our understanding of differential effects of assessment in general and feedback in particular on students? learning is crucial to ensure optimal outcomes of education. I recently conducted a literature review on the effect of feedback on leaning and motivation. What most studies show is that the key role of teachers in every classroom from kindergarten to the most advanced educational setting is to provide information about the gap between students current performance and the desired performance (as identified by teacher, student, and/or curriculum). Some of the main findings are: 1) The more frequent the feedback, the more effective it is. 2) Informative feedback comprised of explanations of mistakes and suggestions for corrective measures, is much more effective than a simple statement of correct or incorrect. 3) Feedback should focus on the task not the learner, or attention to the self depletes cognitive resources and compromises learning. For instance, criticism should be about the task, not the learner. In this case, the students' self-esteem will be able to weather the corrective nature of the feedback and they won't be discouraged. 4) Grades and numerical scores , even if presented along with comments, were found to reduce motivation and short circuit the learning process (when you get the score of a game, you don't want to watch it). To provide good feedback is really time consuming. So what are your thoughts about the best assessment practice in the adult literacy classroom? Looking forward to your comments. Ana. From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Thu Sep 28 02:53:20 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:53:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 511] Re: Instructional practices leading to success In-Reply-To: <451B31E7.4020308@optimaltec.com> Message-ID: <20060928065320.93292.qmail@web83103.mail.mud.yahoo.com> In our Adult Ed department, administration is focusing on excellence in assessment in the formal teacher evaluation process this year. The main thrust of this focus is to establish clear learning goals that begin with needs and skill level assessment. It is expected that the instructor will use a variety of assessments embedded in the instruinal process through backward planning. Assessments are aligned to curriculum and standards and guide lesson planning. Instructors use not only formal testing measures, but also student constructed assessments, when appropriate, and an informal, routine check for understanding during the lesson presentation. Students know how and when they will be assessed; teachers give timely, accurate and constructive feedback to students while providing time for students to reflect. Students track their own progress and look forward to assessments, thereby taking ownership of their progress and goals. This is a huge undertaking for both adminsitration and staff. To my way of thinking, assessment should inform instruction as well as informing the student of his/her progress. Clear learning goals that are communicated to the students and revisited frequently during the course of instruction is key to student and teacher success. --- "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" wrote: > This has been a great day of discussion. > Many touched upon the issue of assessment and how it > affects students' > perceptions of their performance. Julie raised a > question about > instructional practices leading to students' > success. I believe > assessment may be one of the key areas of pedagogy > to consider, and here > are some thoughts on it. > A significant portion of the teacher?s time is > devoted to the evaluation > of students? performance. Ideally, such assessment > of products or > behavior should provide students with the necessary > information that > would allow them to adjust their learning > strategies, get rid of > existing misconceptions, correct mistakes, increase > (or sustain) > motivation, and, ultimately, move them closer to the > desired goals. That > is, it should facilitate student successes not just > provide teachers > with information about what is learned. However, > research has shown that > very often the impact of assessment on students? > performance and > motivation has the opposite ? adverse ? effect. > Possible reasons for > such a quandary are hidden in specific attributes of > evaluative > practices, with the quality and type of feedback > being among the most > important ones. Our understanding of differential > effects of assessment > in general and feedback in particular on students? > learning is crucial > to ensure optimal outcomes of education. > > I recently conducted a literature review on the > effect of feedback on > leaning and motivation. What most studies show is > that the key role of > teachers in every classroom from kindergarten to the > most advanced > educational setting is to provide information about > the gap between > students current performance and the desired > performance (as identified > by teacher, student, and/or curriculum). Some of the > main findings are: > 1) The more frequent the feedback, the more > effective it is. 2) > Informative feedback comprised of explanations of > mistakes and > suggestions for corrective measures, is much more > effective than a > simple statement of correct or incorrect. 3) > Feedback should focus on > the task not the learner, or attention to the self > depletes cognitive > resources and compromises learning. For instance, > criticism should be > about the task, not the learner. In this case, the > students' self-esteem > will be able to weather the corrective nature of the > feedback and they > won't be discouraged. 4) Grades and numerical scores > , even if presented > along with comments, were found to reduce motivation > and short circuit > the learning process (when you get the score of a > game, you don't want > to watch it). > To provide good feedback is really time consuming. > So what are your thoughts about the best assessment > practice in the > adult literacy classroom? > Looking forward to your comments. > Ana. > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From dnord at jflp.org Thu Sep 28 11:57:39 2006 From: dnord at jflp.org (Doris Nord) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:57:39 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments Message-ID: <28834C55D521C745A988265F437DD09B0ABBF9@jflpgp.jflp.org> I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories. I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence. Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth. Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life. I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day. It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity. Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060928/e0e3d0bd/attachment.html From tarv at chemeketa.edu Thu Sep 28 13:28:21 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:28:21 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 513] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments In-Reply-To: <28834C55D521C745A988265F437DD09B0ABBF9@jflpgp.jflp.org> Message-ID: Honestly pointing out a person's strengths can be a daily gift: for you and for them. Va ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Doris Nord Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:58 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories. I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence. Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth. Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life. I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day. It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity. Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060928/19ac974c/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Sep 28 14:04:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:04:44 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 514] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments Message-ID: Dorrie's comment reminded me of another example of the value of praise for small things. See link or excerpt below from Robin Schwarz' Article from FOB 8A: "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners." http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 How can we know to dish out praise appropriately? On one hand it can dilute real accomplishment, and on the other hand some people need to be encouraged for small steps... Julie ***************************** Excerpt from "Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners": "...Henri, an older Haitian man...had sat for nearly a month in his beginning ESOL literacy class without responding or doing anything. Once the door was closed for our interview and I told him his teacher was concerned, Henri poured out a touching story about prostate problems that totally preoccupied him. His daughter wanted him to learn English, he said, and he came to class only to make her happy. Knowing why Henri was making slow progress helped his teacher to feel less frustrated and more positive about him. His teacher started to provide careful encouragement, congratulating him for being in class at all and for any effort he made to participate, rather than focusing on Henri?s comparative lack of progress. Tiny successes * completing an activity in class with another student; participating in an oral activity successfully * helped Henri to be more engaged while he wrestled with his health problem." Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> dnord at jflp.org 09/28/06 11:57 AM >>> I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories. I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence. Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth. Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life. I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day. It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity. Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From rebecca.halcomb at kctcs.edu Thu Sep 28 14:19:51 2006 From: rebecca.halcomb at kctcs.edu (Halcomb, Becky (Southeast)) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:19:51 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 515] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <312A3F3E8BF8ED4E9F99C70433A37D8703D0B4CA@KCTCSMBX1.messaging.ds.kctcs.edu> Every person is different and unique, so dealing with the self-esteem issue is going to be even more diverse. But, generally working with the person on a daily basis the instructor will get to know them and be able to understand what would help them improve on the person a whole. I think this will help raise self-esteem as well as other attributes of the person. ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Virginia Tardaewether Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 1:28 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 513] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments Honestly pointing out a person's strengths can be a daily gift: for you and for them. Va ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Doris Nord Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:58 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories. I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence. Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth. Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life. I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day. It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity. Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics ________________________________ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060928/03b6128c/attachment.html From jgordon at fortunesociety.org Thu Sep 28 14:27:30 2006 From: jgordon at fortunesociety.org (John Gordon) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:27:30 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 516] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments Message-ID: Dorrie raises an issue that has been on my mind as I have followed this discussion (cursorily I'm sorry to say, due to my time constraints). I am somewhat troubled by the term "self-esteem" and never really use it myself. For me, it implies that your feelings about yourself come from within and ignores the dynamic between the individual and society and the way that race, class, and gender combine to shape people's perceptions of themselves. To what extent do we internalize society's definitions of us? To what extent do students in A.B.E. programs internalize the society's labels for them? And how easy is it to disentangle the literacy labels from those that have to do with being poor (for those students who are poor) or with being black or latino (for those who.....) or with being a woman, etc. One place this thinking leads me is to the idea that people's perceptions of themselves, their self-confidence, might benefit more from a critical look at the way class, gender, and race have played out in their lives than from praise (though I am all for praise). Perhaps this is some of what goes on with the stories Andres has written about. john _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Doris Nord Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 11:58 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories. I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence. Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth. Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life. I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day. It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity. Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA _____ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. Craig ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments! Ana. This discussion is rich and fascinating. I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? Barb Garner Editor, Focus on Basics _____ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060928/0408c7f9/attachment.html From hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu Thu Sep 28 15:16:11 2006 From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu (Hal Beder) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:16:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 517] Re: Self-esteem stigma and Student Success In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060928150643.02b95b50@rci.rutgers.edu> One way to promote success would be to develop a series of meaningful benchmarks and recognition markers when the benchmarks have been achieved. I would pattern them on real life tasks so there is also reinforcement from solving a real problem with newly acquired literacy skills. For example. a benchmark for lower-level students might to write a grocery list and use it to do shopping. Other tasks might be developed from the items on the NAAL test. That way we would know their degree of difficulty. For low level readers who want the GED, the final payoff is so far distant,and in many cases the incremental benchmarks are so vague, that the power of feeling successful just is not there. At 02:12 PM 9/27/2006, you wrote: >I agree that we should be thinking about how our programs can create >success for our students in different ways, and I can see how labeling >them as having "low self-esteem" can "strengthen the existing stigma" >(Ana) rather than help. > >So we are now looking at two ideas: > >1. How can we minimize the detrimental effects that can come from a >presumption of low self-esteem? So far we have talked about low >expectations, false praise and devaluing strong teaching in favor of >efforts to boost self-esteem. Are there other things we should stop >doing? > > 2. What can our programs do to facilitate student successes? Should we >make more effort to "hire teachers who care more than anything about >their learners progress and know how to produce it"? (Hal) What other >measures of success can we aim for? > >I'd love to hear others' thoughts on these two points! Any of you who >haven't commented yet...? Here's mine: > >Re: 2.) I like Andres' example of having something like the stories to >mark students' successes. Years ago I was involved with a project called >HEAL (Health Education and Adult Literacy), which was a curriculum that >taught learners about breast and cervical cancer, screenings, and >prevention. The program pushed learners to improve their literacy skills >enough to seek health information and services and communicate >confidently with health providers. But it went beyond that by also >pushing for an action. They had to teach others in their community and >actually make appointments with health providers. I believe that this >action enhanced the power of the literacy skills alone to boost their >measures of their own success within their families and communitites. > >Julie > > > >say "you have to be clear with me" to health providersbeyond learningA >big part of the curriculum involved taking action in their community >there was a lot of empowering going on by learning about taking action >for health and . >Do we, as literacy teachers, help to make this change happen, and if so, >how? > > >of I'd love to hear people's thoughts on these two things: > > >******************************************** > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > > >>> amuro5 at epcc.edu 09/27/06 12:04 PM >>> >Hal: > >Hal: > >I agree with you 100%. The issue to me is what examples of student >successes are and how to create the possibility for true success. This >is very Hegelian. IE: The worker recognizes herself in the product of >her work. So, the person who makes the chair is proud of making a good >quality chair. However, factory work takes away the relationship between >the worker and the chair. The worker only nails a nail and never sees >the chair. He becomes alienated form his own work and we end up needing >a socialist revolution ;-) You can give him a certificate for doing >good work, but the certificate is meaningless praise. > >The same and more is the case with ABE students. Learning needs to >result in a meaningful outcome so that students may recognize themselves >in their work. At the same time, we must create tasks that allow >students to be able to be productive so they can have something that >they identify with. > >Our students just published a collection of short stories. This is the >second publication and it is available on line at: >http://bordersenses.com/memorias > >Actually, the second volume is not available yet. However, you can see >the first volume and get an idea of the project. In terms of the issue >of creating possibilities for success I wrote something specifically >about this in the intro to the second volume. Below is an excerpt: > >"Our pedagogical approach is grounded in the idea that GED instruction >requires good reading and writing skills. However, many of our students >have had little exposure to reading and writing. So, developing these >skills, a challenge in itself, becomes more challenging when the >students are uninterested in the subject and have little familiarity >with it. However, if students can build their reading and writing skills >by documenting and reading their own experiences, they will be familiar >with the knowledge and they will relate to it. Moreover, they will feel >validated if their knowledge and experiences are documented for >posterity. Once they build their reading and writing skills, they will >be able to apply these skills to new knowledge and new academic and real >life problems." > >This is both Freirian and Deweyian. > >Andres > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder >Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some >comments > >Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the >affect that self-esteem is influenced by >genetics. By and large it is a product of life >experience. As you point out, some--Freire for >example--believe that low self-esteem is a social >construction. It is one of those mechanisms that >keep the oppressed in a state of >oppression. Others would focus more on the >family. To me, however, the most important point >is that low-self esteem can be treated. The >question is how. One school would argue that >lots of social support and positive feedback is >the way. The problem with this is that it can >lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on >deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the >literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" >low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to >be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low >self-esteem. > >Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education >(Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the >characteristic that directors most sought in >hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant >personality. It mattered less whether they could >TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain >extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If >we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it >is to hire teachers who care more than anything >about their learners progress and know how to produce it. > > > > >At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: > >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message > >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > > > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to > >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but > >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: > >"In psychological research, self-esteem is > >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate > >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal > >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the > >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," > >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering > >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct > >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem > >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated > >into global and specific self esteem. Global > >represents a general attitude towards oneself, > >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, > >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's >lives. " > >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth > >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by > >certain experiences. It is possible that self > >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem > >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. > >However, if the environment has something to do > >with self esteem, the question to me would be > >what factors influence self-worth. > >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and > >we can identify the gene that determines self > >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the > >self esteem of the students. It is possible that > >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, > >serotonin activity in the brain and that there > >is a gene that influences the presence or > >absence of these substances. If such is the > >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac > >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, > >there is probably something to this > >I assume that most of us believe that there are > >causes in the environment that can influence > >self-worth. For example, there was an in your > >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image > >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the > >commercial believe that people's self worth has > >to do with their image and that people would do > >anything to improve their image which would lead > >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this > >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising > >has been developed on this premise. The purpose > >of advertising is to make people feel bad about > >themselves and to feel that they will feel > >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, > >the poor seem to be the biggest target of > >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > > From this I get that while there is not that > > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > > poor is worse than the self worth of the > > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > > the predatory advertising to make the poor > > consumers of things that they do not need, but > > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. > >So, if we assume that the environment has > >something to do with self-esteem, then I would > >try to identify the elements in the environment > >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize > >that self esteem will increase with the > >accomplishment of something that I want to > >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will > >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self > >actualized, as Maslow articulates. > >I think that the problem rests in the things > >that will make us feel self actualized and the > >difference between what different groups can do > >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would > >have control in the things that we chose to do. > >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and > >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist > >community where success is measured in terms of > >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success > >has to be important. So, those who determine > >that they want to succeed economically will > >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, > >they will become self-actualized and their > >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. > >At the same time, there are limitations to the > >things that we can do that are mediated by > >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I > >may need to take her to the doctor or buy > >medication. My ability to do this may very well > >depend on my economic status. Providing for my > >child becomes a way to become self actualized, > >but the possibility of me becoming self > >actualized is tied to my financial situation. > >The same has to do with going to school, sending > >children to school, finding employment, > >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means > >to become self actualized, even if they are our > >choices, may be tied to economic forces. > >Because I don't believe that economic success is > >an important marker of self worth, I want to > >challenge this with my students. But, to do > >this, we need to find other makers of success > >and help them explore these. These may lead to > >self actualization and improved self worth. > >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a > >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. > >However, these models compete with the powerful > >advertising and marketing models that plague the > >lives of most of our students. But I don't > >believe that my students' self esteem has been > >lowered by society's established markers of self > >worth and society's established vehicles for > >self actualization, then I have no reason to > >create alternative models. I think that we all > >do, and we work on this which leads to our > >students becoming self actualized. However, we > >are always competing with Walmart. > >There are other issues tied to consciousness of > >history that Freire explores that are tied to > >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I > >will not get into them right now. However, I > >still believe that self-esteem is something very > >complex that cannot be looked at as some > >isolated independent variable that can be reported. > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription > >settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >Rutgers University >Graduate School of Education >10 seminary Pl. >New Brunswick, NJ 08901 >732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 From woodsnh at isp.com Thu Sep 28 18:58:45 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:58:45 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 518] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments In-Reply-To: <018901c6e229$2e81c1b0$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> References: <4519AEDB.7090103@optimaltec.com> <018901c6e229$2e81c1b0$6401a8c0@VAIODesktop> Message-ID: <451C53A5.7060106@isp.com> A few observations about this praise/self-esteem question: In my school I have become somewhat infamous among the students because whenever anyone passes by I say, "How's my favorite student doing today?" or "how is my most advanced student today?" Once a student called me on it and said, "how can he be your favorite if I'm your favorite?" I replied to him, "Does a father tell his daughter that he likes her sister better?" I don't know if this meets Craig's definition of unqualified praise. I started doing it because when I was in school myself, a professor told me and a group of other students that we were his "advanced" group. Clearly, we all knew it was false, but it didn't seem to matter. In my own school now, when I say it to someone, another student who may be present will look knowingly at the other and say, "Oh, are you his favorite too?" I hope it sends a message to everyone that I like them and I care about them. Our school has a very attractive document that we call a transcript, which lists all the credits a student earned. It has a nice emblem of our school on it and an embossed gold seal, signed by the principal. Every time a student earns credit he or she gets a new copy with the new credit added to the list. Maybe sometimes there's a smile or a pat on the back that comes with it when we pass them out, but I think the transcripts themselves do more to boost self-esteem than praise does. The transcripts represent accomplishment. When I look introspectively at that thing I call self-esteem in myself, it seems to stem from my sense of accomplishment and of knowing that I'm doing something important. Praise makes me feel good and it encourages me to work more. Any good manager knows about that. It is easy to spot praise that is not genuine and the first thing I do when I receive praise that I sense is not genuine is to look at the motives of the person giving it out. But I don't think praise has much to do with self-esteem. Tom Woods Craig Alinder wrote: > In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will > actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they > should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external > praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating > adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any > effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at > praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its > worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those > moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small > ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical bell curve of > educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving > praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. > > What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the > educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each > individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem > is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a > chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at > hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. > > Craig > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Craig Alinder > Escuela del Sol Montessori > 1114 Seventh St. NW > Albuquerque, NM 87110 > http://www.merchant-reviews.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Anastasiya A. Lipnevich > *To:* The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM > *Subject:* [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or > Reality? Somecomments > >Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >>From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem /because it's very low, /and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increas >ed sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. > >The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. >Thank you for your comments! > >Ana. > > > >This discussion is rich and fascinating. > >I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. > >In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers? >Barb Garner >Editor, Focus on Basics > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Sep 29 09:43:37 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:43:37 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 519] Observations vs. research Message-ID: One thing I found interesting about Ana's work is that she took a common assumption about adult learners, found that there was no real evidence to back it up, and tested it with the best available tools. Her research turned up results that surprised most of us, and may improve our practices. I think this is a bold and necessary step. I hear a lot of opinions based on observation that people seem to take as fact, and this work reminds us that our assumptions may actually prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Of course, some skepticism is healthy, but if we base our teaching practices on unverified assumptions, might that impede the educational process? What do people think about this? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Fri Sep 29 10:22:11 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 07:22:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 520] Re: Observations vs. research In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060929142211.70069.qmail@web83106.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I was honored and pleased to be one of two teachers chosen to represent California at the Northwest Practitioner and Research Knowledge Institute at Portland State University two years ago. Research from the University Lab School was presented; practitioners were encouraged to use research results in their classroom. The research I was most interested in was small group interactions; the results stated that when a teacher enters a small learning group the students make one of two adjustments: either they return to the easiest part of the task or they interrupt the task to ask the teacher a question. My observations in the classroom did not support those findings; they are published in Research Brief No.5/Teacher Research at http://www.calpro-online,org/. The Pair Work Web Log is at http://calpronwpkipairtwork.blogspot.com/ I am convinced that practitioner wisdom has an equal footing with research in guiding strategies, theory and methods, and that published research can and should be informed by Practitioner Knowledge. Teachers in the classroom are obligated to look at research results with a critical eye and to question results that do not match their experience. To do so is also a bold and necessary step that, together with research results, will enrich the field. Bonnita Solberg --- Julie McKinney wrote: > One thing I found interesting about Ana's work is > that she took a > common assumption about adult learners, found that > there was no real > evidence to back it up, and tested it with the best > available tools. > Her research turned up results that surprised most > of us, and may > improve our practices. I think this is a bold and > necessary step. > > I hear a lot of opinions based on observation that > people seem to take > as fact, and this work reminds us that our > assumptions may actually > prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Of course, some > skepticism is > healthy, but if we base our teaching practices on > unverified > assumptions, might that impede the educational > process? > > What do people think about this? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Sep 29 11:32:59 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:32:59 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 521] Re: Observations vs. research Message-ID: Very well said, Bonnita. I did not mean at all to imply that teacher experience and observation were not to be counted and valued, but to discuss how they can work together with research. I hope my comment did not come out that way! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net 09/29/06 10:22 AM >>> I was honored and pleased to be one of two teachers chosen to represent California at the Northwest Practitioner and Research Knowledge Institute at Portland State University two years ago. Research from the University Lab School was presented; practitioners were encouraged to use research results in their classroom. The research I was most interested in was small group interactions; the results stated that when a teacher enters a small learning group the students make one of two adjustments: either they return to the easiest part of the task or they interrupt the task to ask the teacher a question. My observations in the classroom did not support those findings; they are published in Research Brief No.5/Teacher Research at http://www.calpro-online,org/. The Pair Work Web Log is at http://calpronwpkipairtwork.blogspot.com/ I am convinced that practitioner wisdom has an equal footing with research in guiding strategies, theory and methods, and that published research can and should be informed by Practitioner Knowledge. Teachers in the classroom are obligated to look at research results with a critical eye and to question results that do not match their experience. To do so is also a bold and necessary step that, together with research results, will enrich the field. Bonnita Solberg --- Julie McKinney wrote: > One thing I found interesting about Ana's work is > that she took a > common assumption about adult learners, found that > there was no real > evidence to back it up, and tested it with the best > available tools. > Her research turned up results that surprised most > of us, and may > improve our practices. I think this is a bold and > necessary step. > > I hear a lot of opinions based on observation that > people seem to take > as fact, and this work reminds us that our > assumptions may actually > prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Of course, some > skepticism is > healthy, but if we base our teaching practices on > unverified > assumptions, might that impede the educational > process? > > What do people think about this? > > Julie > > Julie McKinney > Discussion List Moderator > World Education/NCSALL > jmckinney at worlded.org > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Sep 29 17:29:03 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:29:03 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 522] Thanks to Ana and Everyone for a lively discussion! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Thank you for participating in this discussion in such a thoughtful way. I know there were a lot of other list discussions going on this week as well, so I'm sure many of you were very busy. Thanks especially to Ana, for responding to everyone's comments and issues with such grace and thoroughness. It was a pleasure to have you as guest speaker! Please everyone feel free to continue this discussion. For those of you busy with other list discussions, we welcome your thoughts into next week and beyond. I will check for postings this weekend as well. Thanks again, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From woodsnh at isp.com Fri Sep 29 21:40:41 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:40:41 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 523] Re: Observations vs. research In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <451DCB19.8090907@isp.com> Julie McKinney wrote: >I hear a lot of opinions based on observation that people seem to take >as fact, and this work reminds us that our assumptions may actually >prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Of course, some skepticism is >healthy, but if we base our teaching practices on unverified >assumptions, might that impede the educational process? >What do people think about this? > If we base our teaching practices on unverified assumptions, we may surely waste a lot of time, or worse. I would argue we need a lot more than just "some" skepticism. Today, with all the emphasis on practices based on research, it is important to know that research, including scientific research, can be flawed. It can yield incorrect conclusions. Much educational research relies on extremely powerful statistical analysis of observable facts to establish correlations or to determine cause and effect. The accuracy of such analyses depends on two huge assumptions at are often overlooked, sometimes conveniently overlooked. First is the assumption that the data is normal, that is it fits a perfect bell curve. Second is the assumption that the types of data we wish to analyze are suitable for the statistical procedure we wish to use. If they are not, the conslusions we draw from them will be incorrect. One of the more useful graduate courses I took was an educational research methods course, in which I learned to look critically at research. Some of the important lessons I learned were: -Research is not about getting closer to the truth. It's about supporting or refuting a point of view. -Designing really good scientific research is extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, in educational settings. -You can never "prove" an assertion with research; you can only add support to it, or disprove it. -A correlation does not suggest cause (however the popular press almost always mistakes the former for the latter). -Every piece of research is susceptible to inherent biases, unreliability, and questionable validity which lead to questions about its conclusions. and; -There is a lot of bad research floating around out there, especially in the area of educational research. I don't mean to suggest that educational research should not be conducted or used. I do think it is vital to know about its weaknesses so that we can interpret it wisely so that our opinions will not be based, as Julie wrote, on incorrect or incomplete assumptions. Tom Woods From miriam at cal.org Fri Sep 29 16:17:35 2006 From: miriam at cal.org (Miriam Burt) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 16:17:35 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 524] New from CAELA: Brief on Adult ESL Content Standards xpost on several lists Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F01B81D77@MAIL.cal.local> Hello, everyone: The latest brief from the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA), "Understanding Adult ESL Content Standards," by CAELA staff member Sarah Young and by Cristine Smith from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), has been released and can be found on the Web site at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/contentstandards.html. It can be downloaded in both html and in pdf formats. This brief defines different types of standards and describes the instructional benefits of using adult ESL content standards. It also describes uses of content standards in the adult ESL field and discusses research about the implementation of content standards. Coming this fall: Another brief on content standards, Aligning Content Standards with Instruction and Assessment for Adult ESL Instruction, by Kirsten Schaetzel and Sarah Young. Thanks. Miriam ******* Miriam Burt CAELA Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700, ext 556 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org From amuro5 at epcc.edu Sat Sep 30 16:56:49 2006 From: amuro5 at epcc.edu (Muro, Andres) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:56:49 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 525] Re: Observations vs. research References: <451DCB19.8090907@isp.com> Message-ID: Tom: I agree with you. In fact, another way to state what you say is that scientific experiments do not prove anything to be true. Rather they falsify or are unable to falsify a claim. So, the research does not prove that there is no difference in the self esteem of the two groups looked at. Rather, the researcher could not find evidence to disprove the claim that there is a difference. Or, the researcher could not falsify the claim that there is no difference between the two groups. Moreover, the claim that science is objective is subjective. the judgements are subjective, the reseach instruments are subjective. In other words, before the scientist makes the experiment, she must develop questions. The questions are not given in nature, rather she develops them using logic. The issues to be researched is also slelected by the means of logic and making a judgement. That means that the mind is making subjective judgements to conceive the experiment and during the performance of the experiment. this is not to say that science is useless. It simply means, as as Bonita, tom and Julie suggest, that research results have to be understood in context and within the limitations of science. while applying practitioner's wisdom to them. By the same time token, practitioner's wisdom does not mean any wild guess that a teacher may want to make or any illogical analisis. It means that teachers' critical and well founded analises have value in understanding research in the context of practice. Andres ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Woods Sent: Fri 9/29/2006 7:40 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 523] Re: Observations vs. research Julie McKinney wrote: >I hear a lot of opinions based on observation that people seem to take >as fact, and this work reminds us that our assumptions may actually >prove to be incorrect or incomplete. Of course, some skepticism is >healthy, but if we base our teaching practices on unverified >assumptions, might that impede the educational process? >What do people think about this? > If we base our teaching practices on unverified assumptions, we may surely waste a lot of time, or worse. I would argue we need a lot more than just "some" skepticism. Today, with all the emphasis on practices based on research, it is important to know that research, including scientific research, can be flawed. It can yield incorrect conclusions. Much educational research relies on extremely powerful statistical analysis of observable facts to establish correlations or to determine cause and effect. The accuracy of such analyses depends on two huge assumptions at are often overlooked, sometimes conveniently overlooked. First is the assumption that the data is normal, that is it fits a perfect bell curve. Second is the assumption that the types of data we wish to analyze are suitable for the statistical procedure we wish to use. If they are not, the conslusions we draw from them will be incorrect. One of the more useful graduate courses I took was an educational research methods course, in which I learned to look critically at research. Some of the important lessons I learned were: -Research is not about getting closer to the truth. It's about supporting or refuting a point of view. -Designing really good scientific research is extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, in educational settings. -You can never "prove" an assertion with research; you can only add support to it, or disprove it. -A correlation does not suggest cause (however the popular press almost always mistakes the former for the latter). -Every piece of research is susceptible to inherent biases, unreliability, and questionable validity which lead to questions about its conclusions. and; -There is a lot of bad research floating around out there, especially in the area of educational research. I don't mean to suggest that educational research should not be conducted or used. I do think it is vital to know about its weaknesses so that we can interpret it wisely so that our opinions will not be based, as Julie wrote, on incorrect or incomplete assumptions. Tom Woods ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20060930/69e48277/attachment.html From ana at optimaltec.com Sun Oct 1 20:57:41 2006 From: ana at optimaltec.com (Anastasiya A. Lipnevich) Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:57:41 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 526] Re: Observations vs. research Message-ID: <45206405.5030405@optimaltec.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061001/41e91dd9/attachment.html From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Oct 2 11:29:12 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 11:29:12 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 527] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <20060926141309.28346.qmail@web83114.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <8C8B44EA5C9482F-BF8-1137@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> This reminds me of a study out of Kentucky not too long ago where a new science teaching program was being tried out on two classes in a high school. THe two teachers were given the same training and for all intents and purposes, the students were of similar background and education--they were not divided for the purposes of the trial of the program. At the end of the year, one class had done extremely well on the program, while the other had done rather poorly. Those studying the situation finally concluded that the only factor that differed signficantly between the two classes was the attitudes/expectations of the teachers-- the teacher of the successful class expected that her students would do well with the new program, while the other teacher had openly expressed her doubt that her students would be able to manage it--and they didn't. This is known in psychology, I believe, as the Pygmalion effect-- you become what your teacher expects you to become. Robin Lovrien Schwarz ( I am in the throes of moving and cannot dig up that reference just now--will do so if anyone is interested-- try me in 2 weeks. Robin ) -----Original Message----- From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 9:13 AM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 492] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments This posting has jogged my memory about a study that was done in Oakland CA with the teachers of Asian students in Oakland High School. As I recall, students from families that were in the higher socio-economic strata in their country of origin as well as students from families in the lowest socio-economic strata, in this case the grave diggers' families, out performed their fellow students of all racial backgrounds. The study concluded this was largely due to teacher expectation--teachers expected Asian students to do well in school and interacted with them accordingly, another factor to consider when discussing student self esteem. If I can find the study, I will share with the discussion group. I believe it was conducted by the University of California, Berkeley. Bonnita --- Barbara Garner wrote: > This discussion is rich and fascinating. > > I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, > particularly since her findings resonate with much > of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only > one study and certainly needs to be replicated with > similar and different populations to see how robust > the findings are. > > In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as > teachers to the idea that our students have low self > esteem. What role does that idea have in our views > of ourselves as teachers? > Barb Garner > Editor, Focus on Basics > > > > > > ===================== > From: "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" > Date: 2006/09/25 Mon PM 09:17:44 CDT > To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 489] Low Self-Esteem: Myth > or Reality? Some comments > > > Dear All, > ?Thank youfor such a great discussion. Below I will > try to address some of yourcomments. > __________________ > > ?Andres, > It lookslike we are coming from different research > paradigms, and our views onresearchin general and > measurement in particular somewhat diverge. Here is > mytake onsome of the issues you raised. > 1. I haveto disagree with your conceptualization of > self-esteem. I believe thatwhat youdescribe is > actually socio-economic status (e.g. possessions, > wealth,jobstatus), a construct commonly regarded as > conceptually different fromself-esteem. There are > studies that show a high correlation > betweenself-esteemand SES, therefore, the two are, > in fact, closely tied. > Is itreally possible and/or meaningful to tease them > apart? I do think so.Scientific method and > characteristics thereof drive us > towardsconceptualparsimony when operationalizing and > actually measuring constructs ofinterest.It doesn?t > mean that self esteem (or motivation, or engagement, > etc)stand ontheir own. They are closely related to > numerous variables, however, acorpus ofliterature > demonstrates that attempts to measure them as > separateconstructs doyield meaningful results and > help advance our understanding of humannature. > Additionally,what immediately comes to mind is that > some components ofsocio-economic status(i.e. > financial well-being) of PhD students may be worse > than that ofworkingadult literacy students. So, the > findings of the present study do notnecessarily > contradict your take on the matter. > ? > 2. Inpsychological research, self-esteem is > typically defined in terms ofhow weevaluate > ourselves and our characteristics, the "personal > judgment ofworthiness that is expressed in the > attitudes the individual holdstoward himself,"in the > words of Coopersmith, a pioneering researcher in the > field. Itis afuzzy construct but a certain consensus > has developed. Many seem toagree thatself esteem can > be differentiated into global and specific self > esteem.Globalrepresents a general attitude towards > oneself, and can be considered atraitself-esteem, > whereas specific self-esteems concern particular > areas ofpeople?slives. > ?Self-affirmation theory (Steel,1988) suggests that > people cope with negative outcomes in one domain > byfocusing on their achievements in other, unrelated > domains. This meansthat individualswith high global > self-esteem would feel overall quite competent > evenwhen theiracademic self-esteem is low. > Low-literate adults who have failedacademicallybut > succeed in other aspects of their lives may have a > high generalself-esteemthat will allow them to lead > full, not deficient, lives. Adult literacylearners > often look at themselves as competent workers, > parents, andcitizens,which may partially compensate > for their lack of literacy. Talkingabout > adultliteracy students in terms of their > deficiencies and abnormally lowself-esteemjust adds > to the existing stigma. > ?3. This study doesn?t suggest thatself-esteem of > adult students is high. Rather, that it doesn?t > differsignificantly from the self-esteem of the PhD > students. Since we don?tconsiderraising self-esteem > of the latter group to be our primary goal,focusing > onraising self esteem of the former group represents > a logical skew withpotential pernicious corollaries, > with the most dangerous one being, asHal and > Isuggested in our report, that it may strengthen the > existing stigma.Self-esteem is crucial for success > in academic settings for bothgroups; but perhapsit > is best addressed through strong pedagogy by helping > studentssucceed intheir academic pursuits. > ?___________________ > Gina andVirginia raised a question about self-esteem > of learners incorrectionaleducational programs. > Unfortunately, I am not familiar with > existingliteratureon the matter. However, during my > recent presentation at the AERAconference,one of the > attendees who teaches in a prison described her > students ashavinghigh self-esteem. I cannot judge > the validity of her conclusions sincetheywere based > solely on her observations; it?s just interesting > toconsider. > ___________________________ > Thanksagain to everyone ? I am really enjoying this > discussion. > ?Ana. > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Oct 2 11:58:05 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 11:58:05 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 528] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <8C8B452AE9B069F-BF8-13C7@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> It's even more of a gift to have that person daily confirm his or her own strengths --my experience in working with a lot of adult learners is that they don't believe they have any--you ask what their strengths are and they say "I don't have any." Everyone has strengths--having someone tell you is nice, but knowing it and being able to name them--no matter what they are--is even more powerful for the learner. Robin Lovrien Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: tarv at chemeketa.edu To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:28 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 513] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments Honestly pointing out a person?s strengths can be a daily gift:? for you and for them. Va ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Doris Nord Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:58 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments ? I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories.? ? I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. ?Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence.? Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth.? Largely, they have ?become? their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life.? I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day.? It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity.? ? Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie?s Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments ? In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical?bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. ? What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. ? Craig ? ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments ? Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increased sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. ?The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments!?Ana.???This discussion is rich and fascinating. ?I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. ?In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers?Barb GarnerEditor, Focus on Basics-------- ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. From robinschwarz1 at aol.com Mon Oct 2 12:06:57 2006 From: robinschwarz1 at aol.com (robinschwarz1 at aol.com) Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2006 12:06:57 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 529] Re: Self-esteem stigma and Student Success In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20060928150643.02b95b50@rci.rutgers.edu> References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060928150643.02b95b50@rci.rutgers.edu> Message-ID: <8C8B453EBCD2F41-BF8-1490@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> I agree, Hal, that large, distant goals do not provide evidence of success that discouraged learners so dearly need. The observation from the NCSALL persistence report that learners need and want clear, obtainable goals underscores that. When learners begin to understand, with structured guidance, that completing short term goals in a short time--two weeks, for example, is the way to gradual progress toward larger, longer term goals, their sense of success builds very quickly. Training in such goal setting and in knowing what one needs to do to compensate for learning challenges in the process has been known to help learners gain the self esteem and confidence they need to continue towards that distant GED or college or whatever other goal the learner has held deep inside for a lifetime. Robin Lovrien Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: hbeder at rci.rutgers.edu To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 2:16 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 517] Re: Self-esteem stigma and Student Success One way to promote success would be to develop a series of meaningful benchmarks and recognition markers when the benchmarks have been achieved. I would pattern them on real life tasks so there is also reinforcement from solving a real problem with newly acquired literacy skills. For example. a benchmark for lower-level students might to write a grocery list and use it to do shopping. Other tasks might be developed from the items on the NAAL test. That way we would know their degree of difficulty. For low level readers who want the GED, the final payoff is so far distant,and in many cases the incremental benchmarks are so vague, that the power of feeling successful just is not there. At 02:12 PM 9/27/2006, you wrote: >I agree that we should be thinking about how our programs can create >success for our students in different ways, and I can see how labeling >them as having "low self-esteem" can "strengthen the existing stigma" >(Ana) rather than help. > >So we are now looking at two ideas: > >1. How can we minimize the detrimental effects that can come from a >presumption of low self-esteem? So far we have talked about low >expectations, false praise and devaluing strong teaching in favor of >efforts to boost self-esteem. Are there other things we should stop >doing? > > 2. What can our programs do to facilitate student successes? Should we >make more effort to "hire teachers who care more than anything about >their learners progress and know how to produce it"? (Hal) What other >measures of success can we aim for? > >I'd love to hear others' thoughts on these two points! Any of you who >haven't commented yet...? Here's mine: > >Re: 2.) I like Andres' example of having something like the stories to >mark students' successes. Years ago I was involved with a project called >HEAL (Health Education and Adult Literacy), which was a curriculum that >taught learners about breast and cervical cancer, screenings, and >prevention. The program pushed learners to improve their literacy skills >enough to seek health information and services and communicate >confidently with health providers. But it went beyond that by also >pushing for an action. They had to teach others in their community and >actually make appointments with health providers. I believe that this >action enhanced the power of the literacy skills alone to boost their >measures of their own success within their families and communitites. > >Julie > > > >say "you have to be clear with me" to health providersbeyond learningA >big part of the curriculum involved taking action in their community >there was a lot of empowering going on by learning about taking action >for health and . >Do we, as literacy teachers, help to make this change happen, and if so, >how? > > >of I'd love to hear people's thoughts on these two things: > > >******************************************** > >Julie McKinney >Discussion List Moderator >World Education/NCSALL >jmckinney at worlded.org > > >>> amuro5 at epcc.edu 09/27/06 12:04 PM >>> >Hal: > >Hal: > >I agree with you 100%. The issue to me is what examples of student >successes are and how to create the possibility for true success. This >is very Hegelian. IE: The worker recognizes herself in the product of >her work. So, the person who makes the chair is proud of making a good >quality chair. However, factory work takes away the relationship between >the worker and the chair. The worker only nails a nail and never sees >the chair. He becomes alienated form his own work and we end up needing >a socialist revolution ;-) You can give him a certificate for doing >good work, but the certificate is meaningless praise. > >The same and more is the case with ABE students. Learning needs to >result in a meaningful outcome so that students may recognize themselves >in their work. At the same time, we must create tasks that allow >students to be able to be productive so they can have something that >they identify with. > >Our students just published a collection of short stories. This is the >second publication and it is available on line at: >http://bordersenses.com/memorias > >Actually, the second volume is not available yet. However, you can see >the first volume and get an idea of the project. In terms of the issue >of creating possibilities for success I wrote something specifically >about this in the intro to the second volume. Below is an excerpt: > >"Our pedagogical approach is grounded in the idea that GED instruction >requires good reading and writing skills. However, many of our students >have had little exposure to reading and writing. So, developing these >skills, a challenge in itself, becomes more challenging when the >students are uninterested in the subject and have little familiarity >with it. However, if students can build their reading and writing skills >by documenting and reading their own experiences, they will be familiar >with the knowledge and they will relate to it. Moreover, they will feel >validated if their knowledge and experiences are documented for >posterity. Once they build their reading and writing skills, they will >be able to apply these skills to new knowledge and new academic and real >life problems." > >This is both Freirian and Deweyian. > >Andres > >-----Original Message----- >From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov >[mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Hal Beder >Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:21 AM >To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 500] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some >comments > >Andres, I am not aware of any evidence to the >affect that self-esteem is influenced by >genetics. By and large it is a product of life >experience. As you point out, some--Freire for >example--believe that low self-esteem is a social >construction. It is one of those mechanisms that >keep the oppressed in a state of >oppression. Others would focus more on the >family. To me, however, the most important point >is that low-self esteem can be treated. The >question is how. One school would argue that >lots of social support and positive feedback is >the way. The problem with this is that it can >lead to a very condescending attitude, a focus on >deficit, and indirect reinforcement of the >literacy stigma. The other way to "treat" >low-self-esteem is simply by helping learners to >be successful. Success is the most powerful antidote to low >self-esteem. > >Over thirty years ago, Last gamble on Education >(Mezirow, Darkenwald & Knox) found that the >characteristic that directors most sought in >hiring teachers was a warm, pleasant >personality. It mattered less whether they could >TEACH. I think this is true today to a certain >extent. In my view, this value is misplaced. If >we want to enhance self-esteem the way to do it >is to hire teachers who care more than anything >about their learners progress and know how to produce it. > > > > >At 02:37 PM 9/26/2006, you wrote: > >Content-class: urn:content-classes:message > >Content-Type: multipart/alternative; > > boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C6E19A.D8C6745C" > > > >Hi Ana: Thinking about this issue is going to > >drive me nuts and keep me out of my work, but > >here I go again. You define self -esteem as: > >"In psychological research, self-esteem is > >typically defined in terms of how we evaluate > >ourselves and our characteristics, the personal > >judgment of worthiness that is expressed in the > >attitudes the individual holds toward himself," > >in the words of Coopersmith, a pioneering > >researcher in the field. It is a fuzzy construct > >but a certain consensus has developed. Many seem > >to agree that self esteem can be differentiated > >into global and specific self esteem. Global > >represents a general attitude towards oneself, > >and can be considered a trait self-esteem, > >whereas specific self-esteems concern particular areas of people's >lives. " > >What I wonder is if this feeling of self-worth > >is caused by genetics, or is it caused by > >certain experiences. It is possible that self > >esteem is inherited. If so, then, self esteem > >reporting, would be similar regardless of group. > >However, if the environment has something to do > >with self esteem, the question to me would be > >what factors influence self-worth. > >If genetics are a predictor of self esteem, and > >we can identify the gene that determines self > >esteem, then there is no reason to work on the > >self esteem of the students. It is possible that > >self esteem can be associated with dopamine, > >serotonin activity in the brain and that there > >is a gene that influences the presence or > >absence of these substances. If such is the > >case, then, we may be able to prescribe prozac > >to those with low self-esteem and, most likely, > >there is probably something to this > >I assume that most of us believe that there are > >causes in the environment that can influence > >self-worth. For example, there was an in your > >face Sprite commercial that used to say "Image > >is Everything". I assume that the makers of the > >commercial believe that people's self worth has > >to do with their image and that people would do > >anything to improve their image which would lead > >to an improve self-worth. I am not sure if this > >is true or not, but a whole field of advertising > >has been developed on this premise. The purpose > >of advertising is to make people feel bad about > >themselves and to feel that they will feel > >better by acquiring a given product. In fact, > >the poor seem to be the biggest target of > >predatory type of advertising that banks on their low self worth. > > From this I get that while there is not that > > much direct evidence that the self worth of the > > poor is worse than the self worth of the > > wealthier, there is indirect evidence. The > > indirect evidence is the extent and success of > > the predatory advertising to make the poor > > consumers of things that they do not need, but > > are marketed as means to improve their self worth. > >So, if we assume that the environment has > >something to do with self-esteem, then I would > >try to identify the elements in the environment > >that influence self esteem. I would hypothesize > >that self esteem will increase with the > >accomplishment of something that I want to > >achieve. So, if I achieve something, then I will > >feel that I fulfill my goals or I became self > >actualized, as Maslow articulates. > >I think that the problem rests in the things > >that will make us feel self actualized and the > >difference between what different groups can do > >to become self actualized. Ideally, we would > >have control in the things that we chose to do. > >Unfortunately, institutions in the community and > >the media shape those choices. In a capitalist > >community where success is measured in terms of > >wealth, the need to show socioeconomic success > >has to be important. So, those who determine > >that they want to succeed economically will > >become fulfilled by economic success. Hence, > >they will become self-actualized and their > >perception of themselves, their self worth will improve. > >At the same time, there are limitations to the > >things that we can do that are mediated by > >economics. If, for example, my kid has a cold, I > >may need to take her to the doctor or buy > >medication. My ability to do this may very well > >depend on my economic status. Providing for my > >child becomes a way to become self actualized, > >but the possibility of me becoming self > >actualized is tied to my financial situation. > >The same has to do with going to school, sending > >children to school, finding employment, > >practicing my art, etc. In our society the means > >to become self actualized, even if they are our > >choices, may be tied to economic forces. > >Because I don't believe that economic success is > >an important marker of self worth, I want to > >challenge this with my students. But, to do > >this, we need to find other makers of success > >and help them explore these. These may lead to > >self actualization and improved self worth. > >Being a good mother, helping a friend, writing a > >story, etc, can be means of self actualization. > >However, these models compete with the powerful > >advertising and marketing models that plague the > >lives of most of our students. But I don't > >believe that my students' self esteem has been > >lowered by society's established markers of self > >worth and society's established vehicles for > >self actualization, then I have no reason to > >create alternative models. I think that we all > >do, and we work on this which leads to our > >students becoming self actualized. However, we > >are always competing with Walmart. > >There are other issues tied to consciousness of > >history that Freire explores that are tied to > >oppressor/oppressed status, hegemony, etc. I > >will not get into them right now. However, I > >still believe that self-esteem is something very > >complex that cannot be looked at as some > >isolated independent variable that can be reported. > >Andres > > > > > > > > > > > > > >---------------------------------------------------- > >National Institute for Literacy > >Focus on Basics mailing list > >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > >To unsubscribe or change your subscription > >settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >Rutgers University >Graduate School of Education >10 seminary Pl. >New Brunswick, NJ 08901 >732-932-7496 ext. 8213 > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Rutgers University Graduate School of Education 10 seminary Pl. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732-932-7496 ext. 8213 ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon Oct 2 16:03:17 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 13:03:17 -0700 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 528] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments In-Reply-To: <8C8B452AE9B069F-BF8-13C7@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: This is what I meant, exactly! The joy of the exchange is fire in your belly. I didn't mean for it to sound one-way. Working on resumes is a great way to uncover the hidden talents...students really don't see their strengths and often we don't see ours either. Discovery and putting it out for view, etc- I find that students enjoy sharing strengths with each other too, just as any other adult would. We have lots of assets within a class and students find ways to use their strengths to help each other. I am not the most important person in the classroom, only the facilitator until students can run the show themselves. va -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 8:58 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 528] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments It's even more of a gift to have that person daily confirm his or her own strengths --my experience in working with a lot of adult learners is that they don't believe they have any--you ask what their strengths are and they say "I don't have any." Everyone has strengths--having someone tell you is nice, but knowing it and being able to name them--no matter what they are--is even more powerful for the learner. Robin Lovrien Schwarz -----Original Message----- From: tarv at chemeketa.edu To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Sent: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:28 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 513] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments Honestly pointing out a person's strengths can be a daily gift:? for you and for them. Va ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Doris Nord Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:58 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 512] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth orReality?Somecomments ? I would argue that there is a difference in working with adults, particularly those with traumatic histories.? ? I work with women trapped in multi-generational poverty. ?Most of them come with a legacy of poor health, addiction, and violence.? Many have been convinced of their inability to succeed through decades of being called stupid and worthless, and existing in a society that confirms their lack of self worth.? Largely, they have "become" their mistakes, instead of being able to move forward in life.? I believe they are in need of constant praise, whether it is for getting 100% on a math test or simply showing up for school on a rainy day.? It takes a lot of positive reinforcement to undo so many years of negativity.? ? Dorrie Nord, GED Coordinator Julie's Family Learning Program 133 Dorchester Street South Boston, MA ? -------- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Craig Alinder Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:37 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 498] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?Somecomments ? In my experience with Montessori education unqualified praise will actually rob a child of their efforts and lead them to believe they should not do things for their own worth, but solely for the external praise. Personally, I believe the same applies to those educating adults. Any attempt to falsely raise someone's self-esteem without any effort or reason for the praise, will undercut any real attempt at praise when something significant is accomplished. Praise loses its worth when it is doled out constantly. It must be reserved for those moments of success through effort, even if the successes are small ones. I have a feeling there is probably a statistical?bell curve of educators based on what is considered a "successful moment" deserving praise. It seems instincts and experience are the guides at this point. ? What I feel is important to point out, is that the work that the educator must carefully consider what level of work to give each individual to ensure success is possible. In this sense, self-esteem is taken into consideration, as the student must feel they have a chance of success to even make an attempt at completing the task at hand. Those are my thoughts on the subject. ? Craig ? ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Craig Alinder Escuela del Sol Montessori 1114 Seventh St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87110 http://www.merchant-reviews.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anastasiya A. Lipnevich To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 4:51 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 495] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Somecomments ? Hi Barb! You raised intriguing questions and I would love to hear educators' thoughts on this matter. >From my personal observations, informal conversations, and formal interviews with adult literacy teachers, I noticed that educators could be roughly split into two groups: those who believe that one of the key concerns of adult literacy is to raise learners' self-esteem because it's very low, and unless they do it, students cannot succeed, and those who think that teachers need to teach students skills and knowledge, and that self-esteem will naturally follow. If we look at Bandura's research, he believed that the relationship between self-efficacy (a concept, similar to self-esteem) and achievement follows the latter pattern -- you learn to do something well and your feeling of self-efficacy goes up, which, in turn, affects what you do in the future. Years of research showed that attempts to artificially build up students' self-esteem by praising every little thing they do (playing a "cheerleaders' role", as Hal puts it) and such, are very unlikely to lead to increased sense of competence and self-worth. Therefore, starting off from the assumption about learners' low self-esteem would seem to be not quite as beneficial to students as simply trying to help them learn. ?The study definitely needs replication -- we can't really generalize our findings since only one adult learning center was used as our research setting. I have been recently contacted by a GED instructor from one of the Illinois colleges, who is interested in replicating my study. I am really looking forward to hear about the findings. If they are similar to mine, it will certainly make the case stronger. Thank you for your comments!?Ana.???This discussion is rich and fascinating. ?I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, particularly since her findings resonate with much of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only one study and certainly needs to be replicated with similar and different populations to see how robust the findings are. ?In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as teachers to the idea that our students have low self esteem. What role does that idea have in our views of ourselves as teachers?Barb GarnerEditor, Focus on Basics-------- ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ________________________________________________________________________ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more. ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From macorley1 at earthlink.net Mon Oct 2 16:15:33 2006 From: macorley1 at earthlink.net (Mary Ann Corley) Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:15:33 -0400 (GMT-04:00) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 529] Full Schedule for Meeting of Minds II Symposium Now Available on Web Site Message-ID: <6239961.1159820133052.JavaMail.root@elwamui-polski.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Dear List Subscribers: I'm writing to let you know that the full conference schedule for the Meeting of the Minds II Symposium is now available at www.researchtopractice.org. This is a national adult education practitioner-researcher conference, the goal of which is to create dialogue between adult education researchers and adult education teachers and administrators, with the aim of enhancing literacy practice. The Symposium is scheduled for November 30 through December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sacramento, California. Participating researchers are from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), from the American Institutes for Research (AIR), as well as from various universities and non-profit organizations. The opening plenary session on Thurday morning will feature Mark Kutner from AIR, who will present results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy and the Health Literacy Survey, and John Comings, who will provide an overview of what NCSALL has learned from 10 years of research in adult literacy. A plenary session on Friday afternoon will feature a discussion on "how research has influenced adult literacy education policy at the national and state levels." Hal Beder from Rutgers University will provide an overview of the topic and moderate this session. Panelists include Cheryl Keenan, Director, Division of Adult Education and Literacy, US Department of Eduation; Sandra Baxter, Director of the National Institute for Literacy; and three state-level administrators: Bob Bickerton from Massachusetts; Jean Scott from California; and Israle Mendoza from Washington state. The three-day schedule is structured to include six strands of six concurrent sessions each, for a total of 36 sessions. Each session consists of a presentation of research, followed by a brief discussion/reaction from two practitioners, followed by an activity that involves session attendees, in small groups, in brainstorming implications of the research for practice, policy, and further research. CALPRO will post the list of implications to the Symposium Web site following the Symposium. Deadline for registering for the Symposium is November 15, 2006. There is no on-site registration. Deadline for registering for a hotel room at the Sheraton Grand (at the CA staterate of $84/night) is November 9, 2006. The Symposium Web site, www.researchtopractice.org, will take you to registration links for both the symposium and the hotel. Plan to attend this Symposium, network with other practitioners and researchers, and consider implications of research for your delivery of adult literacy education! Hope to see you in Sacramento in November!! -Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D. CALPRO Director and Symposium Coordinator American Institutes for Research From woodsnh at isp.com Tue Oct 3 21:15:07 2006 From: woodsnh at isp.com (Woods) Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:15:07 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 529] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some comments In-Reply-To: <8C8B44EA5C9482F-BF8-1137@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> References: <8C8B44EA5C9482F-BF8-1137@webmail-da16.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <45230B1B.2080508@isp.com> I find expectations to be an extremely slippery slope. On one hand I know about this research (and many other studies) that suggest that students will perform to their teachers' high expectations. This has to be tempered with realism though. A severely reading disabled individual may never learn to read very well, and expectations, no matter how high, will change that. I have have found, too, that students will often only perform to the expectation and no higher. It is better to enter into your relationship with your student with no expectations --not high, not low -- and be prepared to accept and honor whatever the student is able to attain. I have also come to realize that my setting of expectations, if I'm not extremely careful in how I do it, can define failure for a student, if he or she does not measure up to the expectation, and that is not something I want to do as a teacher. I find I can't help but enter into a relationship with at least a minimum of expectations (e.g. the student WILL learn, we both will treat each other respectfully, and soforth). But I try not to set an expectation that a student will learn a certain thing or reach a certain level. Rather I encourage students to set their own expectations for themselves, as high as they can make them. It is my job to help them try to reach their expectations. Tom Woods robinschwarz1 at aol.com wrote: >This reminds me of a study out of Kentucky not too long ago where a new >science teaching program was being tried out on two classes in a high >school. THe two teachers were given the same training and for all >intents and purposes, the students were of similar background and >education--they were not divided for the purposes of the trial of the >program. At the end of the year, one class had done extremely well on >the program, while the other had done rather poorly. Those studying >the situation finally concluded that the only factor that differed >signficantly between the two classes was the attitudes/expectations of >the teachers-- the teacher of the successful class expected that her >students would do well with the new program, while the other teacher >had openly expressed her doubt that her students would be able to >manage it--and they didn't. This is known in psychology, I believe, >as the Pygmalion effect-- you become what your teacher expects you to >become. Robin Lovrien Schwarz ( I am in the throes of moving and >cannot dig up that reference just now--will do so if anyone is >interested-- try me in 2 weeks. Robin ) > >-----Original Message----- >From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net >To: b.garner4 at verizon.net; focusonbasics at nifl.gov >Sent: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 9:13 AM >Subject: [FocusOnBasics 492] Re: Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality? Some >comments > >This posting has jogged my memory about a study that >was done in Oakland CA with the teachers of Asian >students in Oakland High School. As I recall, >students from families that were in the higher >socio-economic strata in their country of origin as >well as students from families in the lowest >socio-economic strata, in this case the grave diggers' >families, out performed their fellow students of all >racial backgrounds. The study concluded this was >largely due to teacher expectation--teachers expected >Asian students to do well in school and interacted >with them accordingly, another factor to consider when >discussing student self esteem. If I can find the >study, I will share with the discussion group. I >believe it was conducted by the University of >California, Berkeley. Bonnita > >--- Barbara Garner wrote: > > > >>This discussion is rich and fascinating. >> >>I'm very taken with Anastasiya's research, >>particularly since her findings resonate with much >>of my classroom experience. Of course, it is only >>one study and certainly needs to be replicated with >>similar and different populations to see how robust >>the findings are. >> >>In the meantime, I wonder how tied we are as >>teachers to the idea that our students have low self >>esteem. What role does that idea have in our views >>of ourselves as teachers? >>Barb Garner >>Editor, Focus on Basics >> >> >> >> >> >>===================== >>From: "Anastasiya A. Lipnevich" >>Date: 2006/09/25 Mon PM 09:17:44 CDT >>To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List >> >>Subject: [FocusOnBasics 489] Low Self-Esteem: Myth >>or Reality? Some comments >> >> >>Dear All, >> Thank youfor such a great discussion. Below I will >>try to address some of yourcomments. >>__________________ >> >> Andres, >>It lookslike we are coming from different research >>paradigms, and our views onresearchin general and >>measurement in particular somewhat diverge. Here is >>mytake onsome of the issues you raised. >>1. I haveto disagree with your conceptualization of >>self-esteem. I believe thatwhat youdescribe is >>actually socio-economic status (e.g. possessions, >>wealth,jobstatus), a construct commonly regarded as >>conceptually different fromself-esteem. There are >>studies that show a high correlation >>betweenself-esteemand SES, therefore, the two are, >>in fact, closely tied. >>Is itreally possible and/or meaningful to tease them >>apart? I do think so.Scientific method and >>characteristics thereof drive us >>towardsconceptualparsimony when operationalizing and >>actually measuring constructs ofinterest.It doesn?t >>mean that self esteem (or motivation, or engagement, >>etc)stand ontheir own. They are closely related to >>numerous variables, however, acorpus ofliterature >>demonstrates that attempts to measure them as >>separateconstructs doyield meaningful results and >>help advance our understanding of humannature. >>Additionally,what immediately comes to mind is that >>some components ofsocio-economic status(i.e. >>financial well-being) of PhD students may be worse >>than that ofworkingadult literacy students. So, the >>findings of the present study do notnecessarily >>contradict your take on the matter. >> >>2. Inpsychological research, self-esteem is >>typically defined in terms ofhow weevaluate >>ourselves and our characteristics, the "personal >>judgment ofworthiness that is expressed in the >>attitudes the individual holdstoward himself,"in the >>words of Coopersmith, a pioneering researcher in the >>field. Itis afuzzy construct but a certain consensus >>has developed. Many seem toagree thatself esteem can >>be differentiated into global and specific self >>esteem.Globalrepresents a general attitude towards >>oneself, and can be considered atraitself-esteem, >>whereas specific self-esteems concern particular >>areas ofpeople?slives. >> Self-affirmation theory (Steel,1988) suggests that >>people cope with negative outcomes in one domain >>byfocusing on their achievements in other, unrelated >>domains. This meansthat individualswith high global >>self-esteem would feel overall quite competent >>evenwhen theiracademic self-esteem is low. >>Low-literate adults who have failedacademicallybut >>succeed in other aspects of their lives may have a >>high generalself-esteemthat will allow them to lead >>full, not deficient, lives. Adult literacylearners >>often look at themselves as competent workers, >>parents, andcitizens,which may partially compensate >>for their lack of literacy. Talkingabout >>adultliteracy students in terms of their >>deficiencies and abnormally lowself-esteemjust adds >>to the existing stigma. >> 3. This study doesn?t suggest thatself-esteem of >>adult students is high. Rather, that it doesn?t >>differsignificantly from the self-esteem of the PhD >>students. Since we don?tconsiderraising self-esteem >>of the latter group to be our primary goal,focusing >>onraising self esteem of the former group represents >>a logical skew withpotential pernicious corollaries, >>with the most dangerous one being, asHal and >>Isuggested in our report, that it may strengthen the >>existing stigma.Self-esteem is crucial for success >>in academic settings for bothgroups; but perhapsit >>is best addressed through strong pedagogy by helping >>studentssucceed intheir academic pursuits. >> ___________________ >>Gina andVirginia raised a question about self-esteem >>of learners incorrectionaleducational programs. >>Unfortunately, I am not familiar with >>existingliteratureon the matter. However, during my >>recent presentation at the AERAconference,one of the >>attendees who teaches in a prison described her >>students ashavinghigh self-esteem. I cannot judge >>the validity of her conclusions sincetheywere based >>solely on her observations; it?s just interesting >>toconsider. >>___________________________ >>Thanksagain to everyone ? I am really enjoying this >>discussion. >> Ana. >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >>please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>National Institute for Literacy >>Focus on Basics mailing list >>FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >>please go to >>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> >> >> >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > >________________________________________________________________________ >Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and >security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from >across the web, free AOL Mail and more. >---------------------------------------------------- >National Institute for Literacy >Focus on Basics mailing list >FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From gspangenberg at caalusa.org Mon Oct 9 10:26:25 2006 From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg) Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 10:26:25 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 530] Launch of National Commission on Adult Literacy (cross posted) Message-ID: Friends, I think you will be pleased by the attached news release, issued jointly today by Dollar General Corporation and CAAL. This has been in the making for some months. I hope it will bring a new sense of hope and possibility to those who toil in the adult education and literacy trenches of service, planning, and policy development and who appreciate the findings of the 2003 NAALs. Should you be unable to access the PDF attachment, you can see essentially the same information at the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org). ? Gail Spangenberg President Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy 1221 Avenue of the Americas - 46th Fl New York, NY 10020 212-512-2362, F: 212-512-2610 www.caalusa.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061009/75766c95/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: dg-caal GENERAL News Release 100906.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 135650 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061009/75766c95/attachment.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061009/75766c95/attachment-0001.html From kabeall at comcast.net Tue Oct 10 08:29:09 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:29:09 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 531] Back Issues of Focus on Basics Available Message-ID: <002a01c6ec67$b84b5850$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. NCSALL is happy to offer printed copies of our magazine, Focus on Basics. Attached is a list of the back issues of Focus on Basics that are available either free (for orders of less than 100 copies) or for minimal shipping costs (for orders of more than 100 copies). Order Requirements: Due to staffing, we will only accept orders on a first-come, first-served basis with the following requirements: - Minimum quantity per order: 50 copies - Minimum quantity per issue: 10 copies - Orders of more than 100 copies will be charged a minimal shipping cost; see order form for details. Order Instructions: E-mail Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org with order information: Volume and Issue, Quantity per Issue, Mailing Address (provide street address), and Shipping Payment Method (if applicable). Or Fill out the attached "Comp FOB Order Form", Fax to: 617 482-0617 attn: NCSALL/ Caye Caplan or, Mail to: Caye Caplan, NCSALL/World Education, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210 Shipment will be UPS Ground; please provide street address (physical address, "NO" PO Box please!). Allow 4 - 5 weeks for delivery. Please forward this e-mail to interested programs / parties. Caye Caplan Coordinator of NCSALL Dissemination World Education 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210-1211 Tel: (617) 482-9485 Fax: (617) 482-0617 E-mail: ccaplan at worlded.org Web-site: www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061010/06652ea7/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Focus on Basics back issues II.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 241177 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061010/06652ea7/attachment.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Comp FOB Order Form.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 98020 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061010/06652ea7/attachment-0001.pdf From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Tue Oct 17 10:05:14 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 07:05:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 532] Re: [LearningDisabilities 685] CROSSPOSTING - National Institute for Literacy Launches International Perspective Webpages In-Reply-To: <002e01c6f130$2b72b5e0$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> Message-ID: <20061017140514.78237.qmail@web83107.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hello All: I have a different take on the Director General's remarks. It seems evident that the "commitment of national governments" is vital for a literacy program to move forward. Given that some or all of the governments have established methods and ideas of schooling, it appears essential that any UNESCO program begin with what is in place to "give space for methods and approaches to develop at local level, with full input from learners themselves." Experience in the US with students from a variety of countries, pre-literate through literate students in both an alphabet and non-alphabet based languages--students who have experienced a variety of methods and ideas of schooling--we have come to understand, sometimes painfully, that student expectations of classroom experiences cannot be ignored, or we will lose them in the process. It may takes years of exposure to alternate methods, and most often building a sense in the classroom that students have valid input into their educational process, before students begin to accept and profit from alternate methods. I for one would not want to deny full input from the learners themselves. For example, moving from an authoritative classroom leadership to inclusion of students in decisions that affect their learning process is a major, and hard won, victory for ESL teachers. I view the Director General's statement as a diplomacy guide for UNESCO providers of literacy that will reap rewards by inclusion rather than exclusion of the population to be served. Respect for people and the rich culture they bring to the classroom is a basic if literacy programs are to be successful. Bonnita Solberg, Teacher Oakalnd Unified School District . --- John Nissen wrote: > > Hi all, > > Following up on the NIFL webpages, I looked up the > UNESCO initiative to > reduce illiteracy in the UN Literacy Decade, 2003 - > 2012, and read this in > the message* from the Director General: > > > Literacy is best acquired in ways that are consonant > with the local context; > in our efforts to make literacy universally > available, therefore, we must be > careful not to propose solutions which impose one > way of acquiring literacy. > With the unreserved commitment of national > governments, the Decade must give > space for methods and approaches to develop at local > level, with full input > from learners themselves. The notion of 'literacy as > freedom' points to the > way that the acquisition and practice of literacy > can enhance the capacity > to lead a free and more fulfilled life. > > > It seems that this notion that different methods of > teaching literacy must > be used in different contexts, and depend on input > from learners, is > accepted at the highest levels. Yet it is a l> good methods and bad methods, period. A good method > trains the brain for > effective reading skills. A bad method fails to > train for effective reading > skills. The best method is the method which > produces the most effective > reading skills for the greatest proportion of > learners. And mixing a good > method with a bad method produces a bad method, > because it confuses. > > While the people at the top are not recognising this > common sense, the > United Nations Literacy Decade has little chance of > success. > > Cheers from Chiswick, > > John > > * > http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27158&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html > has link to the Directory General's message, see > bottom of page. > > John Nissen > Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk > maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. > Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: > http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm > Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 > Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nguyen, My Linh" > To: "Aaace-Nla discussion group (E-mail)" > ; "Assessment" > ; > "Content Standards" ; > "English Language Learners" > ; "Family Literacy" > ; > "Focus on Basics" ; "Health > Literacy" > ; "Learning Disabilities" > ; "Poverty & Race" > ; "Professional > Development" > ; "Program > Leadership" > ; "Special Topics" > ; > "Technology" ; "Women Literacy" > > ; "Workplace" > > Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 2:44 PM > Subject: [LearningDisabilities 624] National > Institute for Literacy > LaunchesInternational Perspective Webpages > > > > Just in time for International Literacy Day on > September 8, the National > > Institute for Literacy has launched a series of > webpages on its website > > (www.nifl.gov) to highlight worldwide efforts to > address and combat > > literacy > > problems. The International Perspectives webpages > allow American adult > > literacy and English language teachers and > students quick access to > > information about: > > * adult literacy education in other countries and > cultures, > > including both developing and industrialized > countries, and including > > curriculum and outcomes standards for adult > education in other countries > > * international comparative studies of adult > literacy and > > PreK-12 education, and > > * international efforts to raise literacy levels > (e.g.UNESCO, > > International Reading Association, and the > Venezuelan and Argentinian > > literacy campaigns) > > The Institute plans to continue to build on the > information on the > > International Perspective pages > > > () > as they develop into > > a > > central site for worldwide literacy resources. > > The National Institute for Literacy provides > leadership on literacy > > issues, including the improvement of reading > instruction for children, > > youth, and adults. In consultation with the U.S. > Departments of Education, > > Labor, and Health and Human Services, the > Institute serves as a national > > resource on current, comprehensive literacy > research, practice, and > > policy. > > > > > > My Linh Nguyen > > Associate Director of Communications > > National Institute for Literacy > > (202) 233-2041 > > fax (202) 233-2050 > > mnguyen at nifl.gov > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > National Institute for Literacy > > Learning Disabilities mailing list > > LearningDisabilities at nifl.gov > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription > settings, please go to > > > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Learning Disabilities mailing list > LearningDisabilities at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities > Message sent to bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net. > From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Oct 17 16:20:02 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:20:02 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 533] Welcome to another year on the FOB list! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, This is the beginning of our yearly cycle on the discussion lists, and I want to welcome you all to another year of discussing the wealth of Focus on Basics articles, sharing resources, and being part of this online community! As you know, NCSALL's funding has not been continued, and we are all sad to see that new issues of FOB will not keep coming as they have for the past 9 years. We are still trying to find funding to continue FOB as an online publication, and in the meantime we do have funding for another year of this discussion list! There have been 33 issues of FOB, each with 6-8 articles about rigorous research on adult education strategies, interventions and teaching methods, written specifically to encourage practitioners to use the information to improve teaching practices. I see this as a treasure trove of material that we can share and discuss. While our usual plan for this list is to discuss articles from new issues (and there is another one due in December!), part of our plan for this year is to review the collection of past Focus on Basics issues, and tie together some themes from the entire collection. To help facilitate this review, we will have FOB Article-of-the-week: every Tuesday, I will promote a past article and ask if anyone has any comments or experience using this article that they would like to share. PLEASE E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY WITH SUGGESTIONS OF AN ARTICLE-OF-THE-WEEK, and I will use them in the weeks to come. Tell me your favorite article, one that you have used in trainings, one that has improved your teaching or program strategies, or one that just opened your eyes to a new idea. Thanks for being part of this community. I look forward to this year ahead, and welcome any suggestions you have for improving the list! All the best, Julie P.S. Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested in joining the list and reviewing the treasure trove with us! They can subscribe at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Oct 17 16:33:28 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:33:28 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 534] 1st FOB Article-of-the-week! Message-ID: Hi Everyone, In my last message, I described the new FOB Article-of-the-week, and here is our first one. It is from the very first issue of FOB, Vol. 1A from 1997, which explored the question: "What is Research?" Understanding Quantitative Research on Adult Literacy by Thomas Valentine http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=470 This goes back to the basics and describes common purposes of research, basic underlying concepts, common statistical procedures, and suggests questions to ask yourself when reading educational research. If you can, read this and let us know how it may have helped you, or how you could use this article in your program. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov Wed Oct 18 11:42:20 2006 From: Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov (Nguyen, My Linh) Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 11:42:20 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 535] CROSSPOSTED: Update on Discussion Lists Message-ID: Dear Discussion List subscribers, As the National Institute for Literacy begins a new fiscal year, we have taken steps to streamline the way we deliver professional development to our discussion list members. We would like to let you know about some changes ahead for some of the National Institute for Literacy Discussion Lists. The changes affect the Women and Literacy List; Poverty, Race, and Literacy List; Content Standards List; and Program Leadership and Improvement List. First, effective October 30, 2006, we will be closing the Content Standards and Program Leadership & Improvement lists. We have chosen to close these two lists because we recognize that many of the issues that impact Content Standards and Program Leadership & Improvement carry across all the subject areas of our other Discussion Lists. Second, effective November 6, 2006, we will be merging of the Poverty, Race and Literacy List with the Women and Literacy List. We have chosen to combine the two lists because we recognize that many of the issues that impact one group also affect the other group, and believe that many of the topics discussed on one list can benefit the other list. Race and gender issues often intersect, and it is most both practical and appropriate to have them intersect on one combined list. We will continue to provide access to discussion archives on our website. Thank you for your active participation in the Institute's lists. We invite you to explore all of our lists for to help you further your own professional development. The Institute's lists include: Adult Literacy Professional Development Assessment Adult English Language Learners Family Literacy Focus on Basics Health & Literacy Learning Disabilities Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy Special Topics Technology & Literacy Workplace Literacy Descriptions and instructions on how to register for the Institute's Discussion Lists can be found at http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html My Linh Nguyen Associate Director of Communications National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2041 fax (202) 233-2050 mnguyen at nifl.gov From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Oct 19 12:52:11 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 12:52:11 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 536] FOB and the ALE Wiki Message-ID: Hi Everyone, Part of my hope for this list in the coming year is to connect more with the ALE Wiki. For those of you who haven't seen it, please read David Rosen's update below, and check it out at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page There is a Topic Area on the Wiki called "Research to Practice, Practice to Research", which shares a purpose with Focus on Basics, and I hope to connect with this area to enrich our discussions of FOB's past and present issues. Let me know if you have any ideas for this collaboration, and at least take a look at the current incarnation of this growing resource! All the best, Julie ********************* >From David Rosen: Colleagues, The Adult Literacy Education Wiki (now with over 750 pages and nearly 700 registered users) is becoming a very useful resource for teachers and other practitioners in adult literacy education. It includes 30 topics linking research, professional wisdom, and practice. It offers easy-to-read archived discussions that were held on this and other discussion lists, links to research and other resources, questions (and sometimes answers) from teachers and other practitioners and researchers, a comprehensive adult literacy glossary, and more. It's free, and it's designed for you. Best of all, it's not only a set of informative web pages. It's a community of practice. You -- and your colleagues -- can easily add to and improve it. It's a wiki! To check out the ALE wiki, go to: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page You will see that some ALE topics need to be nurtured, and to grow. They need a Topic Leader. Perhaps you would be the right person to be a Topic Leader. To see a list of topics and leaders, go to http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Topic_Leaders If you are interested in being a (volunteer) Topic Leader for an existing topic, or if you would like to help develop a new topic, e- mail me and tell me about yourself and your interest. David J. Rosen ALE Wiki Organizer and Wikiteer djrosen at comcast.net ****************************************************** Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Oct 20 11:34:58 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 11:34:58 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 537] Methodologies of teaching reading: See EL list Message-ID: Hi Everyone, There is a discussion happening on the English Language Learners discussion list that may interest some of you. People are comparing the value in teaching reading of using a variety of approaches vs. an approach based purely on phonemic awareness and decoding skills. The following FOB Article is cited in this debate: The Neurobiology of Reading and Dyslexia http://www.ncsall.net/?id=278 Even if you are not subscribed to this list, you can read the current discussion at this link: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/2006/date.html It starts with post #766, and then continues under the subject: "one-size-fits-all methodology". All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Oct 24 12:14:34 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:14:34 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 538] FOB Article-of-the-Week Message-ID: Hi Everyone, This week's FOB Article -of-the-Week is from Volume 4D, which is about Research to Practice. Connecting Research and Practice http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=290 The article looks at what is known about research utilization and what NCSALL does in that regard. Use this to help you think about how you personally use research in your own practice. This article is from 5 years ago. In what ways has the conception of research to practice changed since then? Please read this and share some thoughts about it on the list. Thanks, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From baera at floridaliteracy.org Tue Oct 24 16:05:30 2006 From: baera at floridaliteracy.org (Alyssa Baer) Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 16:05:30 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 539] 2007 Florida Literacy Conference Message-ID: <003d01c6f7a7$c24c3090$1e02a8c0@floridaliteracy.org> Please join us for the 2007 Florida Literacy Conference! Dates: May 2-4, 2007, with May 1, 2007 pre-conference Location: Orlando Marriott, Lake Mary, Florida One of Florida's premier literacy events, this three day annual conference offers a wide range of training and networking opportunities to literacy practitioners and volunteers. Full Conference Early Bird: postmarked by March 9: Member $170 /Non-Member $195 Full Conference: postmarked by April 13: Member $195 / Non-Member $220 Full Conference: on-site, after April 13: $235 Full Conference: Adult Learner: $70 (no fee for adult learners attending May 2nd only) Call for Presenters! To help make the 2007 Conference a success, the Florida Literacy Coalition seeks session proposals throughout the state and nation in the following topic ideas: Adult Learner, Corrections, Family Literacy, English Literacy, Learning Disabilities, Library Literacy, Program Management, Reading, Technology, Volunteers in Literacy and Workforce Education (ABE, GED and adult high school). We welcome your participation and encourage you to propose a session by December 13 by downloading the Call for Presenters form from www.floridaliteracy.org. On behalf of the Florida Literacy Coalition, thank you and we hope to see you in May. Alyssa Baer, AmeriCorps*VISTA Member Florida Literacy Coalition baera at floridaliteracy.org Telephone: 407.246.7110 extension 207 Facsimile: 407.246.7104 934 North Magnolia Avenue, Suite 104 Orlando, Florida 32803 www.floridaliteracy.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061024/57c6f060/attachment.html From kabeall at comcast.net Fri Oct 27 11:24:49 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:24:49 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 540] New from NCSALL Message-ID: <007601c6f9dc$0b8402c0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Research on the Economic Impact of the GED Diploma Panel The National Institute for Literacy (Institute) and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) announce the Research on the Economic Impact of the GED Diploma Panel, a 30-minute video produced by the Institute. This panel discussion focuses on the economic benefits that accrue to holders of the General Educational Development (GED) credential. It is based on a review by John Tyler of eight recent (published and working) research papers on the GED. Several of these papers were authored by John Tyler, Richard Murnane, and John Willett, researchers with NCSALL whose work has influenced what we know about the economic benefits of the GED. Presenters include John Tyler, Sara Fass, and Sue Snider; the moderator is David Rosen. To view in streaming format, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/ged/webcast_ged.html To order in DVD for $5.00 from NCSALL, go to: www.ncsall.net/?id=675 To order DVD version from NIFL, send request with mailing address to: info at nifl.gov Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, Silja Kallenbach, and Jessica Spohn This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes five models that the staff at the New England Literacy Resource Center at World Education, Inc., categorized through a survey of adult education centers with transition components from around the United States. This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes the five models-Advising, GED-Plus, ESOL, Career Pathways, and College Preparatory-and themes and recommendations that others contemplating adult transition services might find helpful. It also chronicles the experiences of four states (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, and Oregon) in their efforts to institutionalize transitions for adults. To download the paper, go to http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26 Beyond the GED: Making Conscious Choices About the GED and Your Future Newly revised to include new data and information on the Internet, this guide for GED instructors offers lesson plans and helps teachers develop as professionals. It also gives adult learners an opportunity to practice writing, use graphs, read charts, and analyze research findings on the economic impact of the GED. To download the guide, go to http://www.ncsall.net/?id=35. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061027/275f2161/attachment.html From kabeall at comcast.net Sat Oct 28 19:16:27 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2006 19:16:27 -0400 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Message-ID: <003301c6fae7$194a0ab0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061028/2c3ccadb/attachment.html From dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us Mon Oct 30 12:47:26 2006 From: dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us (Dee George) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:47:26 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 542] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: <003301c6fae7$194a0ab0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Message-ID: In many states, ABE and Literacy Programs are 2 different programs. As far as I know, Literacy Councils don not require or have a counselor on staff. Many are lucky just to be able to afford one or two employees. ABE Programs, on the hand, under the state Dept. or Education, usually have a counselor available through the local post-secondary vocational school. Deidra (Dee) M. George, Director Tri-State Literacy Council 455 9th St. Plaza Cabell County Public Library Huntington, WV 25701 phone (304)528-5700, fax (304)528-5701 dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us www.cabell.lib.wv.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kaye Beall Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:16 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061030/e45966fe/attachment.html From b.garner4 at verizon.net Mon Oct 30 14:48:13 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:48:13 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 543] Re: =?iso-8859-1?q?=A0Counselors/counseling_services?= Message-ID: <27791333.778861162237694430.JavaMail.root@vms061.mailsrvcs.net> I can't answer all those questions, but Volume 6, Issue A, (www.ncsall.net/?id=219) of Focus on Basics is on Counseling. Cathy Coleman did a quick national scan, trying to find out what states were doing to support counselors. While the article dates from 2002, much of the information is valid today. Barb Garner ===================== From: Kaye Beall Date: 2006/10/28 Sat PM 06:16:27 CDT To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions?? As NCSALL?sOutreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of anystates that fund counselors?? Thanks, Kaye ************ ? Hi Kaye, ? I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am aDoctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic isCounselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the mostdifficult time coming up with national information. ? Could you either post my questions on your list serve orcall me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. ? My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within theirliteracy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor definedstate-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role ofcounselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) ? Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi ? ? ? **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN? 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net ? ? ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From tarv at chemeketa.edu Mon Oct 30 15:00:45 2006 From: tarv at chemeketa.edu (Virginia Tardaewether) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:00:45 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 544] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The community college counselors and advising specialists are available to our literacy and ABE/GED/ESL populations with academic advising, career counseling and school planning. In 30+ years in this work, I've never been at a place that had a special counselor available for this population. The students have the same access as any other student within the system. va ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dee George Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 9:47 AM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 542] Re: Counselors/counseling services In many states, ABE and Literacy Programs are 2 different programs. As far as I know, Literacy Councils don not require or have a counselor on staff. Many are lucky just to be able to afford one or two employees. ABE Programs, on the hand, under the state Dept. or Education, usually have a counselor available through the local post-secondary vocational school. Deidra (Dee) M. George, Director Tri-State Literacy Council 455 9th St. Plaza Cabell County Public Library Huntington, WV 25701 phone (304)528-5700, fax (304)528-5701 dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us www.cabell.lib.wv.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kaye Beall Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:16 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061030/54122499/attachment.html From Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us Mon Oct 30 15:22:45 2006 From: Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us (Brown, Charlene) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:22:45 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 545] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <60E2F869F45DE34DBC8609D255E8357A081FB6F0@ED275X1.jefferson.ketsds.net> In Kentucky, we do not have access to actual counselors. Each program may choose to spend funding to hire one, but to may knowledge, and I am fairly active in the state, no program has been able to afford one. In Kentucky, we have what the state calls sole providers of literacy and ABE/GED services. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Dee George Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 12:47 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 542] Re: Counselors/counseling services In many states, ABE and Literacy Programs are 2 different programs. As far as I know, Literacy Councils don not require or have a counselor on staff. Many are lucky just to be able to afford one or two employees. ABE Programs, on the hand, under the state Dept. or Education, usually have a counselor available through the local post-secondary vocational school. Deidra (Dee) M. George, Director Tri-State Literacy Council 455 9th St. Plaza Cabell County Public Library Huntington, WV 25701 phone (304)528-5700, fax (304)528-5701 dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us www.cabell.lib.wv.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kaye Beall Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:16 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061030/892920c6/attachment.html From miriam at cal.org Mon Oct 30 16:57:12 2006 From: miriam at cal.org (Miriam Burt) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:57:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 546] Annotated bibliography on working with Literacy-level English language learners (xpost from ESL list) Message-ID: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F01B81FD6@MAIL.cal.local> Hello, everyone: New on the Web site of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition is an annotated bibliography on working with beginning and literacy level adult English Language learners. It is available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/literacy.html The resources in this collection were selected because they are evidence-based and provide suggestions and materials for practitioners working with adult English language learners. The voices of researchers (e.g., Condelli & Wrigely, Nichols & Sangster); teachers, program managers, curriculum writers, and trainers (e.g., Brod, Holt, and Spiegel); and students (by way of an article by Florez from Focus on Basics) are included in this bibliography. Miriam ************ Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Miriam Burt Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th Street NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 362-0700 (202) 363-7204 (fax) miriam at cal.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061030/ed722898/attachment.html From KHinson at future-gate.com Mon Oct 30 19:42:52 2006 From: KHinson at future-gate.com (Katrina Hinson) Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:42:52 +0100 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 547] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: References: <003301c6fae7$194a0ab0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Message-ID: <454655BE.121C.00A0.0@future-gate.com> I also think you'll find that the states are going to differ from state to state on "counselors". Some community college programs in NC have a counselor for their ABE/AHS/GED program but then some do not and are told to utilize curriculum counselors where the student may or may not get the same kind of understanding and support needed. Katrina >>> "Dee George" 10/30/2006 12:47 pm >>> In many states, ABE and Literacy Programs are 2 different programs. As far as I know, Literacy Councils don not require or have a counselor on staff. Many are lucky just to be able to afford one or two employees. ABE Programs, on the hand, under the state Dept. or Education, usually have a counselor available through the local post-secondary vocational school. Deidra (Dee) M. George, Director Tri-State Literacy Council 455 9th St. Plaza Cabell County Public Library Huntington, WV 25701 phone (304)528-5700, fax (304)528-5701 dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us www.cabell.lib.wv.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kaye Beall Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:16 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net From bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 30 23:34:14 2006 From: bdsunmt at sbcglobal.net (Bonnita Solberg) Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:34:14 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 548] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: <003301c6fae7$194a0ab0$0202a8c0@your4105e587b6> Message-ID: <20061031043414.96128.qmail@web83108.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I am forwarding this requrest to the counselor that works in one of our High School Subjects, ABE programs in Oakland. This adult ed school has a counselor because of the HHS component and ABE students get the benefit. ABE programs at other AE schools do not have counselors. Bonnita --- Kaye Beall wrote: > Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's > Outreach Coordinator, I > recently received this message. Do you know of any > states that fund > counselors? > > Thanks, Kaye > > ************ > > > > Hi Kaye, > > > > I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am > a Doctoral candidate > trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is > Counselor/counseling within > Adult Basic Education. I am having the most > difficult time coming up with > national information. > > > > Could you either post my questions on your list > serve or call me if you know > who I could speak to about this subject. > > > > My questions are: > > What states require a counselor on staff within > their literacy programs? > > Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor > defined state-by-state or > is there a generic counselor role definition? > > Is there a national organization that speaks to the > role of counselor (as > advisor) within literacy programs (not > post-secondary) > > > > Thank you for your support > > Michele Forlizzi > > > > > > > > **************** > > Kaye Beall > > Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project > > World Education > > 4401 S. Madison St. > > Muncie, IN 47302 > > Tel: 765-717-3942 > > Fax: 208-694-8262 > > kaye_beall at worlded.org > > http://www.ncsall.net > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us Tue Oct 31 11:16:42 2006 From: Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us (Brown, Charlene) Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:16:42 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 549] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: <454655BE.121C.00A0.0@future-gate.com> Message-ID: <60E2F869F45DE34DBC8609D255E8357A08365202@ED275X1.jefferson.ketsds.net> Katrina, I think that you have pinpointed a critical aspect of counseling for adult basic education students. There is a difference between adult basic education students (particularly the literacy and pre-GED students), and even community college students. Community College counselors are trained to encourage and facilitate students interested in college. For many of the lower level students, that is a long term and iffy goal. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Katrina Hinson Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 7:43 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 547] Re: Counselors/counseling services I also think you'll find that the states are going to differ from state to state on "counselors". Some community college programs in NC have a counselor for their ABE/AHS/GED program but then some do not and are told to utilize curriculum counselors where the student may or may not get the same kind of understanding and support needed. Katrina >>> "Dee George" 10/30/2006 12:47 pm >>> In many states, ABE and Literacy Programs are 2 different programs. As far as I know, Literacy Councils don not require or have a counselor on staff. Many are lucky just to be able to afford one or two employees. ABE Programs, on the hand, under the state Dept. or Education, usually have a counselor available through the local post-secondary vocational school. Deidra (Dee) M. George, Director Tri-State Literacy Council 455 9th St. Plaza Cabell County Public Library Huntington, WV 25701 phone (304)528-5700, fax (304)528-5701 dgeorge at cabell.lib.wv.us www.cabell.lib.wv.us -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kaye Beall Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:16 PM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 541] Counselors/counseling services Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's Outreach Coordinator, I recently received this message. Do you know of any states that fund counselors? Thanks, Kaye ************ Hi Kaye, I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am a Doctoral candidate trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is Counselor/counseling within Adult Basic Education. I am having the most difficult time coming up with national information. Could you either post my questions on your list serve or call me if you know who I could speak to about this subject. My questions are: What states require a counselor on staff within their literacy programs? Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor defined state-by-state or is there a generic counselor role definition? Is there a national organization that speaks to the role of counselor (as advisor) within literacy programs (not post-secondary) Thank you for your support Michele Forlizzi **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From cynthia_zafft at worlded.org Tue Oct 31 12:49:23 2006 From: cynthia_zafft at worlded.org (Cynthia Zafft) Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:49:23 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 550] Counselor/counseling services Message-ID: Dear FOBers: The National College Transition Network produces practices that are geared toward the counseling role in transition programs. See http://www.collegetransition.org/promising/practice.html Practices 1, 2, 5, & 6 are for counselors. As well as several of the Research-to-Practice Briefs: http://www.collegetransition.org/promising/rp.html The counseling practices were developed as a specialty niche for programs that find funding for a transition component (not always easy but one area that local businesses/employers/foundations seem to be interested in funding). And, the practices have a more general career development application. Also, we have a adult student website that could support counseling work with students. See: http://www.collegeforadults.org Cynthia Zafft, Director National College Transition Network (NCTN) World Education, Inc. 44 Farnsworth Street Boston, MA 02210 (617) 482-9485 www.collegetransition.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Oct 31 15:13:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:13:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 551] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Counseling Message-ID: Hi Everyone, While we're talking about counseling, let's read the following FOB Article-of-the-Week: Who Helps the Helpers? Supporting Counselors in Adult Basic Education by Cathy Coleman http://www.ncsall.net/?id=219 This article discusses role definition and issues that stem from a lack thereof, how to build relationships with learners, what role referrals play, and more. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net Thu Nov 2 13:00:26 2006 From: j-p-sinclair at worldnet.att.net (Judith Sinclair) Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 12:00:26 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 552] Re: Counselors/counseling services References: <20061031043414.96128.qmail@web83108.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <007701c6fea8$c7143930$74134d0c@Dell> Hello, all: As usual, I am very interested in what all of you have to say about the issues of counselors and counseling. As some of you know, as part of my professional activities I am a Life and Career Management Services Consultant. (You can find out more about this work on my website if you are interested: www.sinclairsystem.com.) I would say that the majority of my clients have told me that they did not receive proper counseling or in some cases any counseling at all in their high school, and if applicable college, years. As a result, they are often unclear about what they are about, that is, what they really want to do and how to go about finding and getting what they really want out of their school and work, and life in general. I have done some research in this area, and in fact a few years ago while providing college preparedness advising to a group basic through AP high school seniors ran a few studies that were for my own interest but that have certainly informed what I do now. During these studies I learned that our students, the most needy as well as the best and the brightest included, do not feel as if they are prepared for college or work. The high school students also told me that they rarely went to the counselors as they believed them to be indifferent and/or inept. This dovetails with my research in first and second year community college students, also basic through advanced, who also told me they felt that way. The community college students also told me that they believe the counseling facilities at their highly-touted facility are woefully inadequate. Again, this response underscores my own experience when, a few years ago as I was finishing my doctorate in cognitive psychology and education, I worked as a community college advisor and counselor. It was there I learned that many students, again basic through advanced, go to these counseling and advising centers unwillingly, and often as a last resort. The reason? They told me that they were often given wrong information, or incomplete information, and that in some cases this cost the students considerable loss in terms of tuition money and "wasted semesters." On the other side of the coin I learned from my colleagues (and from my own experience) that the counseling and advising facilities at the community college were not what they might be. As I recall, we advisors/counselors were in a "round-robin" kind of arrangement, where the emphasis was on how many students you saw in one hour, as opposed to how many students were advised/counseled correctly. There were also many discrepancies between what I knew to be "best practice" and what I saw going on. And, it was at this same place that I saw with my own eyes the fallout from poor counseling in the form of student angst, depression, and so on--some of it most serious. It is my idea now (and especially in light of the disappearing traditional American family system) that counseling/advising should begin in the early years of education, and indeed during the 8 years of my pilot studies with several area public elementary schools I provided just that. I was responding in some part to the argument of whether schools should take on the roles of family and parenting. It was my idea that this argument was moot, as the schools were already in that position--for better or worse. Therefore, as part of my program, I incorporated a counseling/advisement module to my model for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, although the emphasis was on the 3rd grade. The result was significant and impressive, for the very young students saw for themselves the road before them, and among other things learned about making wise choices. Now, in my practice, I help my adolescent and adult clients revisit the territory that might have been covered by counselors and advisors at an earlier time. The details or our success rate are fascinating, and again support my earlier theories and findings. Thanks again for sharing your information. Again, I invite you to review my work and website for additional information on what I do and how my background and education now services my community. All best, Judith P. Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist and Educator www.sinclairsytem.com j-p-sinclair at att.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bonnita Solberg" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:34 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 548] Re: Counselors/counseling services >I am forwarding this requrest to the counselor that > works in one of our High School Subjects, ABE programs > in Oakland. This adult ed school has a counselor > because of the HHS component and ABE students get the > benefit. ABE programs at other AE schools do not have > counselors. Bonnita > > --- Kaye Beall wrote: > >> Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's >> Outreach Coordinator, I >> recently received this message. Do you know of any >> states that fund >> counselors? >> >> Thanks, Kaye >> >> ************ >> >> >> >> Hi Kaye, >> >> >> >> I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am >> a Doctoral candidate >> trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is >> Counselor/counseling within >> Adult Basic Education. I am having the most >> difficult time coming up with >> national information. >> >> >> >> Could you either post my questions on your list >> serve or call me if you know >> who I could speak to about this subject. >> >> >> >> My questions are: >> >> What states require a counselor on staff within >> their literacy programs? >> >> Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor >> defined state-by-state or >> is there a generic counselor role definition? >> >> Is there a national organization that speaks to the >> role of counselor (as >> advisor) within literacy programs (not >> post-secondary) >> >> >> >> Thank you for your support >> >> Michele Forlizzi >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> **************** >> >> Kaye Beall >> >> Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project >> >> World Education >> >> 4401 S. Madison St. >> >> Muncie, IN 47302 >> >> Tel: 765-717-3942 >> >> Fax: 208-694-8262 >> >> kaye_beall at worlded.org >> >> http://www.ncsall.net >> >> >> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > From Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us Fri Nov 3 09:02:37 2006 From: Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us (Brown, Charlene) Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 09:02:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 553] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: <007701c6fea8$c7143930$74134d0c@Dell> Message-ID: <60E2F869F45DE34DBC8609D255E8357A087B245E@ED275X1.jefferson.ketsds.net> YES! YES! Thank you for eloquently stating and quantifyinbg what I have observed first as a student, then a teacher, and as a parent of three. The counseling departments are critical at all phases of education, but are never really supported by the powers that be. They are treated as luxuries with bare minimum expenditures. I believe that inadequate counseling is the main reason students do not complete studies. Some colleges seem to have the attitude that a student semester is never wasted--he/she learns something. What they refuse to understand is that their philosophy is short-sighted in that most students do not have a trust fund that allows them the luxury of taking an unlimited number of courses. Therefore, they end up having to drop out without completing a degree to verify what they have learned. I really feel that federal legislation should be passed that requires reimbursement for "wasted" courses that are the result of poor advising on the part of the college, and that a penalty fee be paid to the student that is equal to 1/2 the average first-year salary of what he/she would have earned if employed. This might move the emphasis to properly staffing and supporting counselors. By the way this opinion is my own and does not reflect that of my employer. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 1:00 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 552] Re: Counselors/counseling services Hello, all: As usual, I am very interested in what all of you have to say about the issues of counselors and counseling. As some of you know, as part of my professional activities I am a Life and Career Management Services Consultant. (You can find out more about this work on my website if you are interested: www.sinclairsystem.com.) I would say that the majority of my clients have told me that they did not receive proper counseling or in some cases any counseling at all in their high school, and if applicable college, years. As a result, they are often unclear about what they are about, that is, what they really want to do and how to go about finding and getting what they really want out of their school and work, and life in general. I have done some research in this area, and in fact a few years ago while providing college preparedness advising to a group basic through AP high school seniors ran a few studies that were for my own interest but that have certainly informed what I do now. During these studies I learned that our students, the most needy as well as the best and the brightest included, do not feel as if they are prepared for college or work. The high school students also told me that they rarely went to the counselors as they believed them to be indifferent and/or inept. This dovetails with my research in first and second year community college students, also basic through advanced, who also told me they felt that way. The community college students also told me that they believe the counseling facilities at their highly-touted facility are woefully inadequate. Again, this response underscores my own experience when, a few years ago as I was finishing my doctorate in cognitive psychology and education, I worked as a community college advisor and counselor. It was there I learned that many students, again basic through advanced, go to these counseling and advising centers unwillingly, and often as a last resort. The reason? They told me that they were often given wrong information, or incomplete information, and that in some cases this cost the students considerable loss in terms of tuition money and "wasted semesters." On the other side of the coin I learned from my colleagues (and from my own experience) that the counseling and advising facilities at the community college were not what they might be. As I recall, we advisors/counselors were in a "round-robin" kind of arrangement, where the emphasis was on how many students you saw in one hour, as opposed to how many students were advised/counseled correctly. There were also many discrepancies between what I knew to be "best practice" and what I saw going on. And, it was at this same place that I saw with my own eyes the fallout from poor counseling in the form of student angst, depression, and so on--some of it most serious. It is my idea now (and especially in light of the disappearing traditional American family system) that counseling/advising should begin in the early years of education, and indeed during the 8 years of my pilot studies with several area public elementary schools I provided just that. I was responding in some part to the argument of whether schools should take on the roles of family and parenting. It was my idea that this argument was moot, as the schools were already in that position--for better or worse. Therefore, as part of my program, I incorporated a counseling/advisement module to my model for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, although the emphasis was on the 3rd grade. The result was significant and impressive, for the very young students saw for themselves the road before them, and among other things learned about making wise choices. Now, in my practice, I help my adolescent and adult clients revisit the territory that might have been covered by counselors and advisors at an earlier time. The details or our success rate are fascinating, and again support my earlier theories and findings. Thanks again for sharing your information. Again, I invite you to review my work and website for additional information on what I do and how my background and education now services my community. All best, Judith P. Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist and Educator www.sinclairsytem.com j-p-sinclair at att.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bonnita Solberg" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:34 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 548] Re: Counselors/counseling services >I am forwarding this requrest to the counselor that > works in one of our High School Subjects, ABE programs > in Oakland. This adult ed school has a counselor > because of the HHS component and ABE students get the > benefit. ABE programs at other AE schools do not have > counselors. Bonnita > > --- Kaye Beall wrote: > >> Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's >> Outreach Coordinator, I >> recently received this message. Do you know of any >> states that fund >> counselors? >> >> Thanks, Kaye >> >> ************ >> >> >> >> Hi Kaye, >> >> >> >> I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am >> a Doctoral candidate >> trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is >> Counselor/counseling within >> Adult Basic Education. I am having the most >> difficult time coming up with >> national information. >> >> >> >> Could you either post my questions on your list >> serve or call me if you know >> who I could speak to about this subject. >> >> >> >> My questions are: >> >> What states require a counselor on staff within >> their literacy programs? >> >> Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor >> defined state-by-state or >> is there a generic counselor role definition? >> >> Is there a national organization that speaks to the >> role of counselor (as >> advisor) within literacy programs (not >> post-secondary) >> >> >> >> Thank you for your support >> >> Michele Forlizzi >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> **************** >> >> Kaye Beall >> >> Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project >> >> World Education >> >> 4401 S. Madison St. >> >> Muncie, IN 47302 >> >> Tel: 765-717-3942 >> >> Fax: 208-694-8262 >> >> kaye_beall at worlded.org >> >> http://www.ncsall.net >> >> >> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061103/5596cde0/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Nov 3 13:18:35 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 13:18:35 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 553] Re: Counselors/counseling services Message-ID: Thanks, everyone for sharing your thoughts about counseling in literacy programs. I think that in ABE programs, particlarly for pre-GED and ESOL learners, the role of the counselor is quite different than in community colleges, where it is mostly focused on schooling, course selection and transitioning to work or higher learning. Where I used to work as an ESOL teacher, there were counselors who were responsible for helping the students in any way necessary to help them come to class. This meant referrals for childcare, transportation vouchers, tutoring if needed, further testing for learning issues, housing issues, domestic violence support, or even just a phone call to remind them to come. This kind of suppport is essential for many adult students who have lives that make the logistics of schooling very difficult. This is very different than what we've talked about so far. How do the states and programs support these kinds of counselors? How worthwhile is it to do so? We've talked about the following article before. It shows other examples of how sitting down with a couselor can uncover key issues that affect the student's learning. Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us 11/03/06 9:02 AM >>> YES! YES! Thank you for eloquently stating and quantifyinbg what I have observed first as a student, then a teacher, and as a parent of three. The counseling departments are critical at all phases of education, but are never really supported by the powers that be. They are treated as luxuries with bare minimum expenditures. I believe that inadequate counseling is the main reason students do not complete studies. Some colleges seem to have the attitude that a student semester is never wasted--he/she learns something. What they refuse to understand is that their philosophy is short-sighted in that most students do not have a trust fund that allows them the luxury of taking an unlimited number of courses. Therefore, they end up having to drop out without completing a degree to verify what they have learned. I really feel that federal legislation should be passed that requires reimbursement for "wasted" courses that are the result of poor advising on the part of the college, and that a penalty fee be paid to the student that is equal to 1/2 the average first-year salary of what he/she would have earned if employed. This might move the emphasis to properly staffing and supporting counselors. By the way this opinion is my own and does not reflect that of my employer. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 1:00 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 552] Re: Counselors/counseling services Hello, all: As usual, I am very interested in what all of you have to say about the issues of counselors and counseling. As some of you know, as part of my professional activities I am a Life and Career Management Services Consultant. (You can find out more about this work on my website if you are interested: www.sinclairsystem.com.) I would say that the majority of my clients have told me that they did not receive proper counseling or in some cases any counseling at all in their high school, and if applicable college, years. As a result, they are often unclear about what they are about, that is, what they really want to do and how to go about finding and getting what they really want out of their school and work, and life in general. I have done some research in this area, and in fact a few years ago while providing college preparedness advising to a group basic through AP high school seniors ran a few studies that were for my own interest but that have certainly informed what I do now. During these studies I learned that our students, the most needy as well as the best and the brightest included, do not feel as if they are prepared for college or work. The high school students also told me that they rarely went to the counselors as they believed them to be indifferent and/or inept. This dovetails with my research in first and second year community college students, also basic through advanced, who also told me they felt that way. The community college students also told me that they believe the counseling facilities at their highly-touted facility are woefully inadequate. Again, this response underscores my own experience when, a few years ago as I was finishing my doctorate in cognitive psychology and education, I worked as a community college advisor and counselor. It was there I learned that many students, again basic through advanced, go to these counseling and advising centers unwillingly, and often as a last resort. The reason? They told me that they were often given wrong information, or incomplete information, and that in some cases this cost the students considerable loss in terms of tuition money and "wasted semesters." On the other side of the coin I learned from my colleagues (and from my own experience) that the counseling and advising facilities at the community college were not what they might be. As I recall, we advisors/counselors were in a "round-robin" kind of arrangement, where the emphasis was on how many students you saw in one hour, as opposed to how many students were advised/counseled correctly. There were also many discrepancies between what I knew to be "best practice" and what I saw going on. And, it was at this same place that I saw with my own eyes the fallout from poor counseling in the form of student angst, depression, and so on--some of it most serious. It is my idea now (and especially in light of the disappearing traditional American family system) that counseling/advising should begin in the early years of education, and indeed during the 8 years of my pilot studies with several area public elementary schools I provided just that. I was responding in some part to the argument of whether schools should take on the roles of family and parenting. It was my idea that this argument was moot, as the schools were already in that position--for better or worse. Therefore, as part of my program, I incorporated a counseling/advisement module to my model for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, although the emphasis was on the 3rd grade. The result was significant and impressive, for the very young students saw for themselves the road before them, and among other things learned about making wise choices. Now, in my practice, I help my adolescent and adult clients revisit the territory that might have been covered by counselors and advisors at an earlier time. The details or our success rate are fascinating, and again support my earlier theories and findings. Thanks again for sharing your information. Again, I invite you to review my work and website for additional information on what I do and how my background and education now services my community. All best, Judith P. Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist and Educator www.sinclairsytem.com j-p-sinclair at att.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bonnita Solberg" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:34 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 548] Re: Counselors/counseling services >I am forwarding this requrest to the counselor that > works in one of our High School Subjects, ABE programs > in Oakland. This adult ed school has a counselor > because of the HHS component and ABE students get the > benefit. ABE programs at other AE schools do not have > counselors. Bonnita > > --- Kaye Beall wrote: > >> Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's >> Outreach Coordinator, I >> recently received this message. Do you know of any >> states that fund >> counselors? >> >> Thanks, Kaye >> >> ************ >> >> >> >> Hi Kaye, >> >> >> >> I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am >> a Doctoral candidate >> trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is >> Counselor/counseling within >> Adult Basic Education. I am having the most >> difficult time coming up with >> national information. >> >> >> >> Could you either post my questions on your list >> serve or call me if you know >> who I could speak to about this subject. >> >> >> >> My questions are: >> >> What states require a counselor on staff within >> their literacy programs? >> >> Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor >> defined state-by-state or >> is there a generic counselor role definition? >> >> Is there a national organization that speaks to the >> role of counselor (as >> advisor) within literacy programs (not >> post-secondary) >> >> >> >> Thank you for your support >> >> Michele Forlizzi >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> **************** >> >> Kaye Beall >> >> Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project >> >> World Education >> >> 4401 S. Madison St. >> >> Muncie, IN 47302 >> >> Tel: 765-717-3942 >> >> Fax: 208-694-8262 >> >> kaye_beall at worlded.org >> >> http://www.ncsall.net >> >> >> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From mjjerdems at yahoo.com Fri Nov 3 16:22:29 2006 From: mjjerdems at yahoo.com (Mary Jane Jerde) Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 13:22:29 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 554] Re: Counselors/counseling services In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20061103212229.41952.qmail@web54005.mail.yahoo.com> The only programs I know of in my area where this kind of support occurs is in Even Start Family Literacy Programs and when students are being sponsored by faith based organizations with some dedicated volunteers. Mary Jane Jerde Maryland Julie McKinney wrote: Thanks, everyone for sharing your thoughts about counseling in literacy programs. I think that in ABE programs, particlarly for pre-GED and ESOL learners, the role of the counselor is quite different than in community colleges, where it is mostly focused on schooling, course selection and transitioning to work or higher learning. Where I used to work as an ESOL teacher, there were counselors who were responsible for helping the students in any way necessary to help them come to class. This meant referrals for childcare, transportation vouchers, tutoring if needed, further testing for learning issues, housing issues, domestic violence support, or even just a phone call to remind them to come. This kind of suppport is essential for many adult students who have lives that make the logistics of schooling very difficult. This is very different than what we've talked about so far. How do the states and programs support these kinds of counselors? How worthwhile is it to do so? We've talked about the following article before. It shows other examples of how sitting down with a couselor can uncover key issues that affect the student's learning. Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=994 All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> Charlene.Brown at Jefferson.kyschools.us 11/03/06 9:02 AM >>> YES! YES! Thank you for eloquently stating and quantifyinbg what I have observed first as a student, then a teacher, and as a parent of three. The counseling departments are critical at all phases of education, but are never really supported by the powers that be. They are treated as luxuries with bare minimum expenditures. I believe that inadequate counseling is the main reason students do not complete studies. Some colleges seem to have the attitude that a student semester is never wasted--he/she learns something. What they refuse to understand is that their philosophy is short-sighted in that most students do not have a trust fund that allows them the luxury of taking an unlimited number of courses. Therefore, they end up having to drop out without completing a degree to verify what they have learned. I really feel that federal legislation should be passed that requires reimbursement for "wasted" courses that are the result of poor advising on the part of the college, and that a penalty fee be paid to the student that is equal to 1/2 the average first-year salary of what he/she would have earned if employed. This might move the emphasis to properly staffing and supporting counselors. By the way this opinion is my own and does not reflect that of my employer. -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Judith Sinclair Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 1:00 PM To: The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: [FocusOnBasics 552] Re: Counselors/counseling services Hello, all: As usual, I am very interested in what all of you have to say about the issues of counselors and counseling. As some of you know, as part of my professional activities I am a Life and Career Management Services Consultant. (You can find out more about this work on my website if you are interested: www.sinclairsystem.com.) I would say that the majority of my clients have told me that they did not receive proper counseling or in some cases any counseling at all in their high school, and if applicable college, years. As a result, they are often unclear about what they are about, that is, what they really want to do and how to go about finding and getting what they really want out of their school and work, and life in general. I have done some research in this area, and in fact a few years ago while providing college preparedness advising to a group basic through AP high school seniors ran a few studies that were for my own interest but that have certainly informed what I do now. During these studies I learned that our students, the most needy as well as the best and the brightest included, do not feel as if they are prepared for college or work. The high school students also told me that they rarely went to the counselors as they believed them to be indifferent and/or inept. This dovetails with my research in first and second year community college students, also basic through advanced, who also told me they felt that way. The community college students also told me that they believe the counseling facilities at their highly-touted facility are woefully inadequate. Again, this response underscores my own experience when, a few years ago as I was finishing my doctorate in cognitive psychology and education, I worked as a community college advisor and counselor. It was there I learned that many students, again basic through advanced, go to these counseling and advising centers unwillingly, and often as a last resort. The reason? They told me that they were often given wrong information, or incomplete information, and that in some cases this cost the students considerable loss in terms of tuition money and "wasted semesters." On the other side of the coin I learned from my colleagues (and from my own experience) that the counseling and advising facilities at the community college were not what they might be. As I recall, we advisors/counselors were in a "round-robin" kind of arrangement, where the emphasis was on how many students you saw in one hour, as opposed to how many students were advised/counseled correctly. There were also many discrepancies between what I knew to be "best practice" and what I saw going on. And, it was at this same place that I saw with my own eyes the fallout from poor counseling in the form of student angst, depression, and so on--some of it most serious. It is my idea now (and especially in light of the disappearing traditional American family system) that counseling/advising should begin in the early years of education, and indeed during the 8 years of my pilot studies with several area public elementary schools I provided just that. I was responding in some part to the argument of whether schools should take on the roles of family and parenting. It was my idea that this argument was moot, as the schools were already in that position--for better or worse. Therefore, as part of my program, I incorporated a counseling/advisement module to my model for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders, although the emphasis was on the 3rd grade. The result was significant and impressive, for the very young students saw for themselves the road before them, and among other things learned about making wise choices. Now, in my practice, I help my adolescent and adult clients revisit the territory that might have been covered by counselors and advisors at an earlier time. The details or our success rate are fascinating, and again support my earlier theories and findings. Thanks again for sharing your information. Again, I invite you to review my work and website for additional information on what I do and how my background and education now services my community. All best, Judith P. Sinclair, PhD Cognitive Psychologist and Educator www.sinclairsytem.com j-p-sinclair at att.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bonnita Solberg" To: "The Focus on Basics Discussion List" Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:34 PM Subject: [FocusOnBasics 548] Re: Counselors/counseling services >I am forwarding this requrest to the counselor that > works in one of our High School Subjects, ABE programs > in Oakland. This adult ed school has a counselor > because of the HHS component and ABE students get the > benefit. ABE programs at other AE schools do not have > counselors. Bonnita > > --- Kaye Beall wrote: > >> Can anyone help with these questions? As NCSALL's >> Outreach Coordinator, I >> recently received this message. Do you know of any >> states that fund >> counselors? >> >> Thanks, Kaye >> >> ************ >> >> >> >> Hi Kaye, >> >> >> >> I was hoping you could help me out. Presently, I am >> a Doctoral candidate >> trying to formulate my proposal. My topic is >> Counselor/counseling within >> Adult Basic Education. I am having the most >> difficult time coming up with >> national information. >> >> >> >> Could you either post my questions on your list >> serve or call me if you know >> who I could speak to about this subject. >> >> >> >> My questions are: >> >> What states require a counselor on staff within >> their literacy programs? >> >> Is the role of Adult Basic Educational counselor >> defined state-by-state or >> is there a generic counselor role definition? >> >> Is there a national organization that speaks to the >> role of counselor (as >> advisor) within literacy programs (not >> post-secondary) >> >> >> >> Thank you for your support >> >> Michele Forlizzi >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> **************** >> >> Kaye Beall >> >> Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project >> >> World Education >> >> 4401 S. Madison St. >> >> Muncie, IN 47302 >> >> Tel: 765-717-3942 >> >> Fax: 208-694-8262 >> >> kaye_beall at worlded.org >> >> http://www.ncsall.net >> >> >> >> >> >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics --------------------------------- We have the perfect Group for you. Check out the handy changes to Yahoo! Groups. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061103/55b813bb/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Nov 8 09:09:44 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:09:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 555] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Differentiated and Multilevel Instruction Message-ID: <45519ED80200002D00000019@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, Sorry I'm a day late, but here is this week's FOB Article-of-the-week. It is actually a pair this week, and they are from Volume 7C , which is all about modes of delivery. Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners By Mary Ann Corley http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=736 Differentiating Instruction for a Multilevel Class by Catherine Saldana http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=735 I know that most teachers face classes with a variety of levels, and must figure out ways to teach to all of them effectively. I hope that this pair of articles can invite you to share ideas and strategies for this challenge. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: " Julie McKinney " Subject: FOB Article-of-the Week: Differentiated and Multilevel Instruction Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2006 09:05:42 -0500 Size: 2398 Url: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061108/3ee0c45c/attachment.mht From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Nov 10 09:21:46 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:21:46 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 556] Re: FOB Article-of-the-Week: Differentiated and Multilevel Instruction Message-ID: <455444AE0200002D0000004D@mail.jsi.com> Hey, has anyone read (or re-read) these articles? The first describes differentiated instruction, with examples, references and a list of web resources. The second describes one teacher's successful experience using differentiated instruction with an extremely multilevel class. What forms of differentiated instruction have worked for you? Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> "Julie McKinney" 11/08/06 9:09 AM >>> Hi Everyone, Sorry I'm a day late, but here is this week's FOB Article-of-the-week. It is actually a pair this week, and they are from Volume 7C , which is all about modes of delivery. Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners By Mary Ann Corley http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=736 Differentiating Instruction for a Multilevel Class by Catherine Saldana http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=735 I know that most teachers face classes with a variety of levels, and must figure out ways to teach to all of them effectively. I hope that this pair of articles can invite you to share ideas and strategies for this challenge. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Nov 13 11:27:19 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 11:27:19 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 557] CROSSPOSTED: New List: Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy Message-ID: <4558567B0200002D00000088@bostongwia.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, I am passing on this announcement about a new Discussion List from the National Institute for Literacy: Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy. If you are interested in subscribing, please to do so by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/PovertyRaceWomen All the best, Julie ********************************************************** Here is the announcement from the list's moderator, Daphne Greenberg: The purpose of this list is to provide an on-going professional development forum for providers, advocates, researchers, learners, policy makers, and all other persons who are interested in exploring the linkages between poverty, race, women and literacy. Examples of topics include: the relationships among poverty, race, women and literacy in the United States and in other countries; health as it pertains to women and poverty issues; the hidden rules of persons living with the effects of poverty, the intersection of these effects with gender and race, and the misunderstandings these can cause in the teaching/learning process; the role of women's literacy in family literacy programs, and the assumptions about race and poverty often made in these programs; domestic violence and its intersection with poverty, race, and literacy; women's literacy levels and its ties to economics and welfare of families; access to literacy in different cultures based on gender, racial, and economic status; connection between women's literacy, race, poverty and public policy; identification of supportive communication networks; and discussion of action steps addressing women, race, poverty and literacy. If the above description interests you, please go to the following address to subscribe: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/PovertyRaceWomen . The list opens on November 6th. Thanks, Daphne Daphne Greenberg Assistant Professor Educational Psych. & Special Ed. Georgia State University P.O. Box 3979 Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-4901 dgreenberg at gsu.edu Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Nov 13 13:40:12 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 13:40:12 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 558] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Adult Development Message-ID: <455875A60200002D0000009C@bostongwia.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, This week's FOB Article-of-the-Week is from Volume 5B. Last week we looked at Differential Instruction, and to follow that, this article looks at different theories of adult learning and development, and what this means in terms of instruction. Four Adult Development Theories and Their Implications for Practice by Lisa M. Baumgartner http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=268 I know the list has been very quiet. I'd love to hear if people are looking at these articles, and to get some suggestions for future Articles-of-the-Week! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Nov 21 18:45:24 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:45:24 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 559] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Class, Race and Gender in ABE Message-ID: <456349440200002D00000236@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, Some FOB articles are called "A Conversation With FOB", and are interviews or conversationss with a teacher or researcher who is doing something unique. This week's FOB Article-of-the-Week is an example of this type of article. A Conversation With FOB: Addressing Racism, Classism and Gender in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=206 This brings out teacher Jereann King's efforts to address these issues with ABE students, and what she feels adult basic educators can do to address power differentials that interfere with best teaching practices. The article includes a list of resources that were helpful to her. Has anyone out there addressed these issues with students? Please tell us about your experiences, or your response to this article! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Mon Nov 27 16:48:14 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 16:48:14 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 560] Re: FOB Article-of-the-Week: Class, Race and Gender in ABE Message-ID: <456B16CA0200002D000002BC@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, Last Week's FOB Article-of-the-Week was also posted on the Poverty Race Women and Literacy Discussion List, and I am passing on a response from someone on that list: Any other comments? Julie ********************************************* Concerning the FOB article Daphne posted last week (see below for her original post): I think that understanding group and individual differences and how these differences can affect the learning process is an absolute necessity for all educators at all levels. It's not an easy task, though, to tell people that they have certain beliefs and values that bias their teaching and may even serve as an obstacle to their students' learning. And, I'm sure we all know that it's not easy hearing people tell us that our teaching is biased in any way. In the FOB article, Jereann King mentions a couple of her "ah ha" moments that helped her understand the teachers she was working with; one of them was her learning about identity development. In the article, she says she learned that, "identities really do develop; you're not born with them. Life takes you through stages. When it comes down to race and class, those developments can shift: from not paying attention to race to wanting to recognize how society builds on and exploits race." These comments made me remember a couple of "ah ha" moments I have had. The first one was when I learned about Milton J. Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. What I liked about his model was that it addressed one's ability to understand and deal with cultural differences as a developmental process based on experience. It also says that, depending on one's experience, a person can move forward or backwards through the phases. (For a brief explanation, go to http://www.library.wisc.edu/EDVRC/docs/public/pdfs/SEEDReadings/intCulSens.p df). This was taught in the context of dealing with ESL students, so culture was always the emphasis. My other "ah ha" moment happened a few years later when I was introduced to the concept of "the other." What I liked about this concept was that it looked at more than cultural differences, which I thought was necessary in a classroom setting, especially considering that we all belong to more than one group, which is what makes us individuals. I sort of attached this concept onto Bennett's continuum of cultural development because it seemed to fit. I may have oversimplified this a little, but from these two "ah ha" moments, I have come to believe that our ability to deal with our perceptions of "the other" (regardless of what we consider "the other" to be at any given time) develops in the same way that our identities develop: by the experiences we have in our lives. I think it's important to make sure that people know that this is a transformative process that takes time to develop. Also, I think it is important for people to begin this process by trying to understand how their own perceptions and expectations of others are based on their experiences and that what they think they know about others is clouded by those perceptions and could even become a barrier to their students' learning. I've had several classes that discuss diversity issues, but they were in the context of teaching ESL. I'm just wondering what kind of training, if any, ABE teachers have in this area. Also, which groups are identified in the training- culture, gender, religious, SES, race, etc.? And, how are you told to deal with diversity in the classroom? Ryan Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> "Julie McKinney" 11/21/06 6:45 PM >>> Hi Everyone, Some FOB articles are called "A Conversation With FOB", and are interviews or conversationss with a teacher or researcher who is doing something unique. This week's FOB Article-of-the-Week is an example of this type of article. A Conversation With FOB: Addressing Racism, Classism and Gender in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=206 This brings out teacher Jereann King's efforts to address these issues with ABE students, and what she feels adult basic educators can do to address power differentials that interfere with best teaching practices. The article includes a list of resources that were helpful to her. Has anyone out there addressed these issues with students? Please tell us about your experiences, or your response to this article! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Nov 28 11:36:24 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:36:24 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 561] Racism, classism and gender in ABE Message-ID: <456C1F370200002D000002E1@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, There is a little bit of discussion on the Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy Discussion List about last week's FOB Article-of-the-Week. You can read the messages at the following link: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/povertyracewomen/2006/date.html I have also received a few personal e-mails from people who have appreciated this article and the topic. For those who haven't seen it, here is the link again: A Conversation with FOB: Addressing Racism, Gender, and Classism in ABE http://www.ncsall.net/?id=206 All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Nov 28 12:39:51 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:39:51 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 562] FOB Article-of-the-Week: GED and Prison Message-ID: <456C2E150200002D000002E9@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, It's time again for FOB Article-of-the-Week! In last week's article, Jereann King mentioned the statistic about 1 in 4 African-American men being in prison, and it reminded me of the following study, along with some striking unaswered questions. What are the Economic Effects of Earning a GED in Prison? http://www.ncsall.net/?id=822 This short article from issue 7D describes a study that looked at the economic impact of earning a GED while in prison, and the differences between the impact on white vs. minority ex-offenders. The article ends with a series of questions. Can anyone shed any light on them? I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Wed Nov 29 10:40:32 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:40:32 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 563] Discussion of GED/Prison on PovRaceWomen List Message-ID: <456D63AD0200002D00000327@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, If you are interested, there is some discussion on the Poverty Race Women and Literacy List about this week's article. You can follow it at this link: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/povertyracewomen/2006/date.html All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Nov 29 12:01:03 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:01:03 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 564] Focus on Basics information Message-ID: <19828709.8992951164819664569.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the production of Focus on Basic:  Volume 8, Issue B, ?Learners? Experiences? was the last issue published in print. Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file for a refund.  Volume 8, Issue C, ?Self-Study, Health, GED to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research? is the last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL?s Web site only at http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf.  All issues of "Focus on Basics" will continue to be available on the NCSALL website at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout the years. We hope that you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue to use it as a staff development tool and for program design guidance. If you have any questions about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org. Barb Garner Editor, "Focus on Basics" From b.garner4 at verizon.net Wed Nov 29 12:25:03 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:25:03 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 565] New Focus on Basics Available! Message-ID: <13580769.9001921164821103810.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> It?s with pleasure and sadness that I announce that there?s a new issue of ?Focus on Basics? now available at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1150 The pleasure? It?s a great issue. The sadness, it?s the last issue. It includes articles from a variety of NCSALL researchers on their research: --John Strucker on the need for curriculum structure --Steve Reder and Clare Strawn on the tendency for adults without high school diplomas to study on there own, and what that means for adult basic education. (Molly Robertson and Lauri Schoneck write about programs that capitalize on the motivation to ?self-study?) --John Tyler on whether GED attainers are entering postsecondary education at a rate on par with regular high school completers --Rima Rudd and Jennie Anderson on why it?s so hard to find your way around in healthcare facilities and what we can do about it --Cristine Smith, Mary Beth Bingman, and Kaye Beall on lessons learned from ten years of disseminating research Enjoy! Barb Garner Editor From kelleyterr at yahoo.com Thu Nov 30 00:20:32 2006 From: kelleyterr at yahoo.com (Terrence Kelley) Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 21:20:32 -0800 (PST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 566] Re: Focus on Basics information In-Reply-To: <19828709.8992951164819664569.JavaMail.root@vms069.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: <161920.49021.qm@web90411.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear Barb: The demise of FOB is, indeed, a sad thing. Speaking for myself and for my colleagues at Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy education, I can say that FOB has been a valuable, awaited source of information much of which we have incorporated into our discussions and/or into our respective classrooms. My FOB editorial board experience was also a high point experientially - as much for the work involved as for meeting you and the other members of the then board. I sincerely hope that you lead other such significant, worthwhile endeavors as FOB in the future. You have style. Sincerely, Terrence L Kelley ESOL Coordinator Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education 310 S. Curtis Missoula MT 59801 --- Barbara Garner wrote: > After ten years of research and development, the > National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and > Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. > NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March > 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain > available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. > > Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the > production of Focus on Basic: >  Volume 8, Issue B, ?Learners? Experiences? > was the last issue published in print. > Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on > Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a > refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an > email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file > for a refund. >  Volume 8, Issue C, ?Self-Study, Health, GED > to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research? is the > last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue > to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL?s Web > site only at > http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf. >  All issues of "Focus on Basics" will > continue to be available on the NCSALL website at > http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. > > We would like to take this opportunity to thank you > for your support throughout the years. We hope that > you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue > to use it as a staff development tool and for > program design guidance. If you have any questions > about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan > at ccaplan at worlded.org. > > Barb Garner > Editor, "Focus on Basics" > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. http://new.mail.yahoo.com From b.garner4 at verizon.net Thu Nov 30 08:24:21 2006 From: b.garner4 at verizon.net (Barbara Garner) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:24:21 -0600 (CST) Subject: [FocusOnBasics 567] Re: =?iso-8859-1?q?=A0Focus_on_Basics_information?= Message-ID: <32932554.579491164893061369.JavaMail.root@vms070.mailsrvcs.net> Terrence, Thanks so much. As I wrote in the editor's letter this issue, working with each and every writer and editor has been an honor. To demystify the workings of "Focus on Basics" a bit: the articles were, for the most part, commissioned. Once we at NCSALL chose a theme, I scoured the country for writers who were doing relevant programmatic work or research on that theme. I advertised on this list for editors, and always got many more qualified people eager to participate than we could accommodate. (Note: we could only have six at most, or we couldn't all be on the conference call system at the same time.) I tried hard to make sure every state was represented at least once. Thanks to everyone who participated in the making of "Focus on Basics" over the years. Editors read, commented, read, commented, and read and commented some more, writers drafted, revised and revised again. For six or seven years, Miriam Burt of the Center for Applied Linguistics participated as the only recurring editorial board member, ensuring that issues relevant to ESOL were addressed. And for each issue, artist Mary White came up with provocative illustrations to draw us into the stories. All the issues are still available and largely relevant, so don't stop using them! Barb Garner ===================== From: Terrence Kelley Date: 2006/11/29 Wed PM 11:20:32 CST To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, The Focus on Basics Discussion List Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 564] Focus on Basics information Dear Barb: The demise of FOB is, indeed, a sad thing. Speaking for myself and for my colleagues at Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy education, I can say that FOB has been a valuable, awaited source of information much of which we have incorporated into our discussions and/or into our respective classrooms. My FOB editorial board experience was also a high point experientially - as much for the work involved as for meeting you and the other members of the then board. I sincerely hope that you lead other such significant, worthwhile endeavors as FOB in the future. You have style. Sincerely, Terrence L Kelley ESOL Coordinator Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education 310 S. Curtis Missoula MT 59801 --- Barbara Garner wrote: > After ten years of research and development, the > National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and > Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. > NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March > 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain > available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. > > Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the > production of Focus on Basic: >  Volume 8, Issue B, ?Learners? Experiences? > was the last issue published in print. > Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on > Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a > refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an > email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file > for a refund. >  Volume 8, Issue C, ?Self-Study, Health, GED > to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research? is the > last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue > to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL?s Web > site only at > http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf. >  All issues of "Focus on Basics" will > continue to be available on the NCSALL website at > http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. > > We would like to take this opportunity to thank you > for your support throughout the years. We hope that > you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue > to use it as a staff development tool and for > program design guidance. If you have any questions > about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan > at ccaplan at worlded.org. > > Barb Garner > Editor, "Focus on Basics" > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, > please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. http://new.mail.yahoo.com From Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu Thu Nov 30 11:34:23 2006 From: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu (Janet Isserlis) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:34:23 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 568] Re: =?iso-8859-1?q?=A0_Focus_on_Basics_information?= In-Reply-To: <32932554.579491164893061369.JavaMail.root@vms070.mailsrvcs.net> Message-ID: Thanks, too, to you, Barb and to all the contributors. I know there have been a number of articles I've used in workshops, given to practitioners and otherwise learned from over the years. Thanks to all Janet > From: Barbara Garner > Reply-To: , The Focus on Basics Discussion List > > Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 07:24:21 -0600 (CST) > To: Terrence Kelley , , The Focus > on Basics Discussion List > Subject: [FocusOnBasics 567] Re: ?Focus on Basics information > > Terrence, > Thanks so much. As I wrote in the editor's letter this issue, working with > each and every writer and editor has been an honor. > > To demystify the workings of "Focus on Basics" a bit: the articles were, for > the most part, commissioned. Once we at NCSALL chose a theme, I scoured the > country for writers who were doing relevant programmatic work or research on > that theme. I advertised on this list for editors, and always got many more > qualified people eager to participate than we could accommodate. (Note: we > could only have six at most, or we couldn't all be on the conference call > system at the same time.) I tried hard to make sure every state was > represented at least once. > > Thanks to everyone who participated in the making of "Focus on Basics" over > the years. Editors read, commented, read, commented, and read and commented > some more, writers drafted, revised and revised again. For six or seven years, > Miriam Burt of the Center for Applied Linguistics participated as the only > recurring editorial board member, ensuring that issues relevant to ESOL were > addressed. And for each issue, artist Mary White came up with provocative > illustrations to draw us into the stories. > > All the issues are still available and largely relevant, so don't stop using > them! > Barb Garner > > > ===================== > From: Terrence Kelley > Date: 2006/11/29 Wed PM 11:20:32 CST > To: b.garner4 at verizon.net, > The Focus on Basics Discussion List > Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics 564] Focus on Basics information > > Dear Barb: > > The demise of FOB is, indeed, a sad thing. Speaking > for myself and for my colleagues at Missoula Adult > Basic & Literacy education, I can say that FOB has > been a valuable, awaited source of information much of > which we have incorporated into our discussions and/or > into our respective classrooms. > > My FOB editorial board experience was also a high > point experientially - as much for the work involved > as for meeting you and the other members of the then > board. > > I sincerely hope that you lead other such significant, > worthwhile endeavors as FOB in the future. You have > style. > > Sincerely, > > Terrence L Kelley > ESOL Coordinator > Missoula Adult Basic & Literacy Education > 310 S. Curtis > Missoula MT 59801 > > > > > > --- Barbara Garner wrote: > >> After ten years of research and development, the >> National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and >> Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. >> NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March >> 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain >> available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. >> >> Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the >> production of Focus on Basic: >>  Volume 8, Issue B, ?Learners? Experiences? >> was the last issue published in print. >> Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on >> Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a >> refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an >> email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file >> for a refund. >>  Volume 8, Issue C, ?Self-Study, Health, GED >> to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research? is the >> last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue >> to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL?s Web >> site only at >> > http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf. >>  All issues of "Focus on Basics" will >> continue to be available on the NCSALL website at >> http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. >> >> We would like to take this opportunity to thank you >> for your support throughout the years. We hope that >> you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue >> to use it as a staff development tool and for >> program design guidance. If you have any questions >> about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan >> at ccaplan at worlded.org. >> >> Barb Garner >> Editor, "Focus on Basics" >> >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Institute for Literacy >> Focus on Basics mailing list >> FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, >> please go to >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics >> > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________________ > ______ > Do you Yahoo!? > Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. > http://new.mail.yahoo.com > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Institute for Literacy > Focus on Basics mailing list > FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From LWright at weta.com Thu Nov 30 12:31:10 2006 From: LWright at weta.com (Layla Wright-Contreras) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:31:10 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 569] Disseminating FOB information In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello, In an effort to continue disseminating the great information available on FOB, I'd invite anyone on this list to suggest resources we can point to through ColorinColorado.org -- I am re-vamping our resources area and am compiling links to resources educators find particularly useful. While the scope of the Web site is K-12, I had subscribed to this list looking for information useful, or applicable, to middle and high school students. ?Colorin Colorado! is a free bilingual Web site from PBS station WETA, supported by the American Federation of Teachers. It's aimed at parents and educators of English language learners. You can learn more at: www.ColorinColorado.org/about Thank you for all your interesting posts over time! Sincerely, Layla ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Layla Wright-Contreras Manager, ?Color?n Colorado! WETA Public Broadcasting - Learning Media 2775 S. Quincy St. | Arlington, VA 22206 lwright at weta.com | 703-998-2218 ColorinColorado.org -- Helping English language learners read... and succeed! FREE! Professional development webcasts: www.ColorinColorado.org/webcasts -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061130/40b4f934/attachment.html From sreid at workbase.org.nz Thu Nov 30 13:49:04 2006 From: sreid at workbase.org.nz (Susan Reid) Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 07:49:04 +1300 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 570] Re: Focus on Basics information Message-ID: <14794889A1E3AF419042F64CC5425A1E3EA3CD@secure.workbase.org.nz> Hello Barbara Here in New Zealand I have always looked forward to the new issue of Focus on Basics. Even though the contexts might be slightly different from our own there was much to share and ponder about the stories and voices that populated Focus on Basics. I have always forwarded on Focus on Basics through Workbase's electronic monthly newsletter and through the New Zealand Literacy portal. I have used the articles in both internal and external professional development and for my own reflection Thank you so much for all your hard work and the time that contributors and editors gave to this important endeavour It is indeed a sad time for the sector not just in the US but internationally Kind regards Susan Reid Workbase the New Zealand Centre for Workforce Literacy Development www.workbase.org.nz ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Barbara Garner Sent: Thu 30/11/2006 6:01 a.m. To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 564] Focus on Basics information After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the production of Focus on Basic:  Volume 8, Issue B, "Learners' Experiences" was the last issue published in print. Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file for a refund.  Volume 8, Issue C, "Self-Study, Health, GED to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research" is the last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL's Web site only at http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf.  All issues of "Focus on Basics" will continue to be available on the NCSALL website at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout the years. We hope that you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue to use it as a staff development tool and for program design guidance. If you have any questions about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org. Barb Garner Editor, "Focus on Basics" ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 6069 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061201/4003f4a2/attachment.bin From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Thu Nov 30 16:51:40 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:51:40 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 571] Re: Focus on Basics information Message-ID: <456F0C1E0200002D000003A1@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, It is really nice to hear how useful Focus on Basics has been for you (even in New Zealand!) and to recognize the fantastic work that Barb Garner has done over the years to produce so many high-quality issues. (When I pass out copies of FOB at conferences, they disappear faster than the candy!) And it is also nice to hear about how you use them for training and pass on information about them to other lists. Amid the sad feelings as this last issue comes out, I want to remind you that we do have another year of the Focus on Basics Discussion List, and have plans already for discussions with the authors of at least three of the articles from the new issue. We also plan to re-discover the past 30 issues, through FOB Article-of-theWeek, and other guest events. Please continue to share news of FOB with colleagues, and invite them to join the list if they want to discuss current articles or journey with us through the collection of past articles. Our hope is to keep the usefulness of FOB alive for years to come. Please let me know if you have a suggestion for FOB Article-of-the-Week, so we can share your experiences with others. All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org >>> "Susan Reid" 11/30/06 1:49 PM >>> Hello Barbara Here in New Zealand I have always looked forward to the new issue of Focus on Basics. Even though the contexts might be slightly different from our own there was much to share and ponder about the stories and voices that populated Focus on Basics. I have always forwarded on Focus on Basics through Workbase's electronic monthly newsletter and through the New Zealand Literacy portal. I have used the articles in both internal and external professional development and for my own reflection Thank you so much for all your hard work and the time that contributors and editors gave to this important endeavour It is indeed a sad time for the sector not just in the US but internationally Kind regards Susan Reid Workbase the New Zealand Centre for Workforce Literacy Development www.workbase.org.nz ________________________________ From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Barbara Garner Sent: Thu 30/11/2006 6:01 a.m. To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: [FocusOnBasics 564] Focus on Basics information After ten years of research and development, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) project is coming to an end. NCSALL's dissemination efforts will end in March 2007. The Web site (www.ncsall.net) will remain available for free downloading of NCSALL materials. Due to our limited budget, we have discontinued the production of Focus on Basic: ? Volume 8, Issue B, "Learners' Experiences" was the last issue published in print. Subscribers: Your subscription(s) of "Focus on Basics" ends with this issue and we will issue a refund for undelivered issue(s). You will receive an email from Caye Caplan that will explain how to file for a refund. ? Volume 8, Issue C, "Self-Study, Health, GED to Postsecondary, Disseminating Research" is the last issue of Focus on Basics. It is the only issue to be "internet only". It is posted on NCSALL's Web site only at http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf. ? All issues of "Focus on Basics" will continue to be available on the NCSALL website at http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=31. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout the years. We hope that you find "Focus on Basics" useful and will continue to use it as a staff development tool and for program design guidance. If you have any questions about the refund process, please contact Caye Caplan at ccaplan at worlded.org. Barb Garner Editor, "Focus on Basics" ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubsttp://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Dec 5 14:44:02 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:44:02 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 572] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Structure and Turbulence Message-ID: <457585AE0200002D0000047D@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, Well, we must celebrate FOB's newest and last issue (8C) by proposing its cover article for this week's FOB Article-of-the-Week. More Curriculum Structure: A Response to "Turbulence." by John Strucker http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/fob/2006/fob_8c.pdf This explores the all-to-frequent "attendance turbulence", and the possible solution of offering a more structured syllabus-like curriculum to allow ABE students to know what they miss and keep up when they have to be absent. This issue is newly available and only online. The above link is to the PDF. What do people think of this propsed solution to "attendance turbulence"? Do some of you use this type of structured curriculum already with ABE classes? Do you think it helps when students have to miss classes? Let us know! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Dec 12 17:14:17 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:14:17 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 573] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Navigating Healthcare Message-ID: <457EE3640200002D0000058E@mail.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, This week we will highlight another article from the new issue of Focus on Basics, which looks at how easy it is for adult literacy students to find their way around in hospitals and clinics. Navigating Helathcare by Jennie Anderson and Rima Rudd http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1156 This looks at the findings of teams of adult literacy teachers and students, along with graduate students and others who tried to look for certain places in hospitals and recorded the students responses to the signs and maps leading them. Researchers also looked at the reading level of signs and instructions along the way. Read about this unique approach to studying the navigation of a system with significant literacy-related barriers, and about the implications for adult educators and medical professionals as they work to make healthcare more accessible to all. Enjoy! Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Dec 18 14:21:44 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:21:44 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 574] New from NCSALL Message-ID: <00b601c722d9$c1d57d30$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6> How Do You Teach Content in Adult Education? An Annotated Bibliography (PDF) by Elizabeth M. Zachary and John P. Comings The occasional paper provides sources of research and professional wisdom that are useful to the design of evidence-based instruction. This annotated bibliography is divided into seven subsections that focus on reading, writing, math and numeracy, English as a second language, GED, adult learning theory, and technology. Each section presents adult education sources and then additional resources based on K-12 research, instruction, and professional development resources. To download the paper, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#content Using Going Beyond the GED (PDF) This 4-hour seminar introduces teachers and tutors to Going Beyond the GED: Making Conscious Choices about the GED and Your Future (PDF), a set of classroom materials designed for use in GED classrooms. The materials provide learners with practice in graph and chart reading, calculation, information analysis, and writing, while they examine the labor market, the role of higher education and the economic impact of the GED. To download the seminar, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=597#using_going_beyond_GED **************** Kaye Beall World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.worlded.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061218/180dceeb/attachment.html From gspangenberg at caalusa.org Tue Dec 19 09:23:33 2006 From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg) Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 09:23:33 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 575] Document from National Commission on Adult Literacy Message-ID: <72D5C30B-C91D-418D-A0A3-655DA1CE971B@caalusa.org> Colleagues, From time to time over the next couple of years, the National Commission on Adult Literacy, which CAAL manages, will make background papers developed for the Commission available to the general public. The first set of four papers -- all summary information papers on the role of the federal government in adult literacy -- have been pulled together into an informal publication that can be downloaded from the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org). The papers were written for the Commission by Lennox McLendon, Garrett Murphy, and Jim Parker. They are titled as follows: 1. Adult Education and Literacy Legislation and Its Effects on the Field (McLendon) 2. Adult Education & Literacy in the Unites States: Need for Services, What the Current Delivery System Looks Like (Murphy) 3. Introduction to Main Strands of Federal Adult Literacy Programming (Parker) 4. Federal Role in Adult Literacy, FY05-06 (Murphy) The combined document is quite large (2.2 MB) but it will download quickly for those with high speed connections. For those who prefer, CAAL can make copies available by regular mail at $25 per copy plus postage (contact bheitner at caalusa.org for ordering instructions). Happiest of holidays to you all, and a wonderful new year -- Gail Spangenberg President Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy 1221 Avenue of the Americas - 46th Fl New York, NY 10020 212-512-2362, F: 212-512-2610 www.caalusa.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061219/9869666e/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Dec 19 11:15:40 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:15:40 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 576] FOB Article-of-the-Week: Stopping Out Message-ID: <4587C9DC0200002D0000064F@bostongwia.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, A couple weeks ago, we featured John Strucker's article about "attendance turbulence", looking at the prevalence of students stopping class for a period of time, and a proposed support for this habit. This stop-and-go attendance pattern has been studied for some years now, and we will be discussing this concept in a guest discussion in January with Steve Reder about his article "Concepts of Participation and Program Support". To help prepare for this topic, I thought it might be interesting to look at some research from 1998 and look back at an article from issue 2A, which looks at Learner Motivation from different angles. Stopping Out, Not Dropping Out: Students and teachers may perceive withdrawing from a program differently by Alisa Belzer http://www.ncsall.net/?id=417 This describes a study which followed learners until they dropped out for a while and looked at their and the teachers perceptions of dropping out. Please take a look at this and let us know what your impressions are! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Tue Dec 19 10:44:47 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 10:44:47 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 577] Navigating Healthcare article discussed on Health Literacy List Message-ID: <4587C29F0200002D00000649@bostongwia.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, Last week's FOB Article-of-the-Week has created a bit of discussion on the Health Literacy Discussion List. You can see the recent messages even if you are not subscribed. If you are interested, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/healthliteracy/2006/date.html ...and read the messages with "Navigating Healthcare" in the subject line. Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From gspangenberg at caalusa.org Wed Dec 20 17:00:03 2006 From: gspangenberg at caalusa.org (Gail Spangenberg) Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:00:03 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 578] A Holiday Bon Bon for Everyone Message-ID: Friends, I am pleased to share this wonderful bon bon with you. It is authored by Samuel Halperin, who was in on the founding of our adult education system. Sam is a member of the new National Commission on Adult Literacy and, I am proud to say, a member of CAAL'S board of directors. Enjoy, remember, and dare to hope. Merry Holidays and Happy New Year. Gail Spangenberg REFLECTIONS ON THE FORTIETH BIRTHDAY OF THE ADULT EDUCATION ACT OF 1966 Samuel Halperin December 22, 2006 In November 1966, the United States took a small, but potentially momentous, legislative step to support a federally aided network of adult education providers under the Adult Education Act of 1996. (Technically, the Act is Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended). Who would have guessed then that this relatively unheralded act would spur a national network providing education and literacy services to over 2.5 million adult learners annually, including one million 16-24 year-olds, about half of whom study English as a second language? With hindsight, making sure that adults have a second chance to raise their literacy skills and continue their education beyond high school would seem to be clearly in the public interest. Yet, this obvious no- brainer required no less than a massive realignment of Congressional attitudes, a perceived serious threat to national security, and quite possibly a presidential assassination to turn a simple idea into legislative reality. The legislative paths to enactment of the Adult Education Act merit reflection in this 40th anniversary year because they demonstrate how extremely malleable, porous, and often quirky is the process of making our laws, and also because it illuminates the many opportunities for advocates who perceive opportunities and know how to seize them to make progress in the public interest. Here are brief personal memories of those early days, as viewed from my experience as an executive branch ?lobbyist? for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson:* In the early 1960s, adult educators were barely a presence in the halls of Congress. ?None of its advocates,? notes veteran educator Thomas Sticht, ?was having much success getting adult education or adult literacy education implemented in federal legislation.?** Ever since the demands of World War I had revealed how poorly prepared for military service were so many potential recruits -- intellectually through very low literacy as well as physically, an Adult Basic Education bill (ABE) had been intermittently introduced in Congress beginning in 1918, and then promptly ignored. In a Congress long dominated by southern conservatives, ?adult basic education? became conflated with efforts by liberals and the growing civil rights movement to teach ?Negroes? how to pass the literacy tests that southern states had erected as effective barriers to the exercise of voting rights. (Southerners also noted with suspicion that the U.S. Office of Education?s small adult education branch was headed, and almost exclusively staffed, by a de facto segregated staff of distinguished African American educators in a federal agency where Black senior executives were notable mostly by their absence.) After the defeat of President Kennedy?s education proposals in 1961-62, his Administration devised an omnibus education bill, the National Education Improvement Act of 1963 (NEIA), consisting of 14 parts and incorporating everything from teacher salaries, vocational education, public libraries, student financial aid, higher education construction, and several long-languishing proposals, including adult basic education. Commissioner of Education Francis Keppel, leading the NEIA legislative effort, knew that the entire 14-part package would not survive the church-state hurdles that had doomed earlier Kennedy proposals, but hoped that it might reduce the internecine warfare then prevailing among Washington?s many diverse and fragmented education associations. Through hard work by House and Senate education committees headed, respectively, by Rep. Adam Clayton Powell and Sen. Wayne Morse, major parts of NEIA advanced in early 1963. But progress soon stalled as House and Senate chairs and various education associations quarreled and checkmated each other. It took the shock of President Kennedy?s assassination and Lyndon Johnson?s rise to vigorous leadership to open the legislative floodgates. By year?s end, major bills for vocational and higher education were signed into law. Indeed, by the end of 1964, 12 of the less controversial parts of the NEIA had become law. During that period, too, several developments made it conceivable that adult education, with its anti-poverty focus, could at last get attention on Capitol Hill. In 1963, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor, was struck by the fact that among potential draftees under the Selective Service System at least one-third were found unfit for induction due to poor health or mental limitations, that is very low levels of literacy. (Analysts believed that if all 18 year-olds had been examined, fully one-half would be found unfit.). At the urging of Moynihan, Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and General Lewis Hershey of the Selective Service System, President Kennedy ordered a Task Force on Manpower Conservation to develop appropriate plans for federal action. The Task Force report, One- Third of a Nation, was delivered to President Johnson on January 1, 1964. The report did not call for immediate legislation, nor is there any evidence that it led to Congressional action. Nevertheless, the critical connections between low literacy, national security, and poverty were given new and high-level visibility in the Nation?s Capital. A mood was fast developing that some kind of federal action was long overdue. Then, in May 1964, President Johnson committed his administration to wage War on Poverty. He directed federal agencies to suggest what they could contribute to the development of what soon became the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and its new federal agency, the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). Assigned as the Department of Health, Education and Welfare?s liaison to the OEO legislative task force headed by Adam Yarmolinsky, I argued there that several parts of the still-pending NEIA bill had relevance for any effort to combat poverty, and that such Administration proposals as adult basic education (ABE), libraries and college work study could be appropriately incorporated in the emerging OEO bill. Future OEO director Sargent Shriver and Yarmolinsky, however, rejected any targeted earmarking of anti-poverty funds, preferring to wield the broadest possible blanket authority to wage war on poverty in all its forms. Moreover, OEO people wanted nothing to do with a state grant program like ABE that would, they argued, be administered by unsympathetic, possibly even racist, state and local officials. Knowing that passage of the OEO bill in the Congress depended on gaining the support of southerners, many of whom saw ABE as a wedge to undercut state literacy voting laws, ABE would have no place in the fast-developing OEO bill. But legislative possibilities changed dramatically when Congress passed the historic Voting Rights Act of 1964. The power of state literacy tests to thwart voting by Blacks would sharply decline, if not entirely disappear. The mood and tactics among southern lawmakers shifted accordingly. As one leading southern senator said in closed caucus, ?If we are going to have to let ?them? vote, we had better be sure they can at least read.? In the House of Representatives, responsibility for overseeing the contents of the draft Economic Opportunity bill was assigned to a subcommittee chaired by Carl Perkins, the ranking majority member on the House Education and Labor Committee, who represented an East Kentucky district characterized by high poverty and even higher illiteracy. During a meeting of Committee members and our HEW legislative staff to consider the provisions of the draft OEO bill, I raised with Mr. Perkins the relevance of including HEW?s proposals for ABE and college work-study. Mr. Perkins immediately and enthusiastically embraced incorporating both provisions in the OEO bill when it was reported to the House of Representatives for its approval. Despite opposition from OEO to these inclusions, Perkins argued that the added provisions would strengthen support for the overall bill. Thus, when President Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act on August 20, 1964 (Public Law 88-452), its Title IIB, the Adult Basic Education Act, authorized OEO to make grants to state education agencies to advance adult literacy. OEO promptly assigned administration of the two new programs to the U.S. Office of Education. On March 1, 1966, ABE and the college work-study legislative authorizations were formally transferred from OEO to the Office of Education. These transfers were much less the result of adult educators? lobbying efforts than of OEO?s desire to rid itself of an unwelcome burden and, more especially, of the energetic campaign of Edith Green of Oregon, subcommittee chairman for higher education issues on the House Committee on Education and Labor. Mrs. Green, a formidable education leader, was strongly critical of President Johnson?s war on poverty and, particularly, of the powers and funds it conferred on the new OEO ?super-czar agency? to intervene in the traditional operations of many levels of government, including schools. Amid mounting sharp criticism of OEO?s initial ventures in community action and legal services, Mrs. Green met scant resistance to ?returning? HEW?s original proposals to the U.S. Office of Education. Thus, forty years ago, the Adult Education Act was born, a small but durable foundation stone on which to build a much-needed adult learning system for the American people. Today, however, research shows that 93 million Americans over age 16 lack the literacy and skill levels needed to function effectively in a globally competitive, economically challenging world, one characterized by massive in-immigration of low-literacy workers. We must question whether a 40 year-old, generally under-funded adult education ?system,? staffed 80 percent by part-time instructors and often detached from the needs of cutting-edge economic developments, is even faintly adequate to meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. This is clearly not America?s moment to rest on the anniversary laurels of 1966. Rather, we must forge ahead to help our nation?s children and adults become the most skilled, the most literate, and the most empowered generations in our national history. * As Assistant U.S. Commissioner of Education for Legislation and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare during the years 1961-1969. ** Sticht, T. (2002). The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy System of the United States: 1600-2000, in J. Comings, B. Garner and C. Smith (eds.) Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, vol. 3, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp.10-43. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061220/00371ced/attachment.html From julie_mcKinney at worlded.org Fri Dec 22 12:39:58 2006 From: julie_mcKinney at worlded.org (Julie McKinney) Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:39:58 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 579] Happy Holidays! Message-ID: <458BD21E0200002D000006D0@bostongwia.jsi.com> Hi Everyone, I hope you all have a happy and rejuvenating holiday weekend! As you take a break from your work, please give yourself praise for doing the type of work that really makes a difference in the lives of so many others! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org From PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com Fri Dec 22 13:57:34 2006 From: PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com (PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com) Date: 22 Dec 2006 18:57:34 -0000 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 580] What would you put on an ABE learner's computer? Message-ID: <1166813854.1661689625.14188.sendItem@bloglines.com> Hi all. My program has been blessed with a bunch of used computer donations from the Cristina Foundation. Before you get excited, these are older computers from companies and individuals who have upgraded. For more info, go to cristina.org if you'd like to get some for your program. We initially used them to set up a lab in our center, and have been giving the extras away. Since I still have extras, I would like to give some to my pre-literate Liberian refugee senior citizen ABE students to practice their skills when they are away from class. We typically reformat the computers with Windows and Microsoft Works and an antivirus/spyware program. They will have a standard internet connection, which we'll have to show the learners how to use. What I'm looking for from you are some recommendations of websites or freeware you use in your center with your most basic level adults. If you know of some fabulous program that costs money, let me know about it and I'll see what I can scrounge up in the way of grant money. We are working as an all volunteer, no budget organization so I'm ideally looking for website recommendations or better still, stand alone software so they just need to point and click and won't need to deal with the internet. Thanks for your ideas! Jean Marrapodi Providence Assembly of God Learning Center Providence, RI From PDuffleyRenow at aol.com Fri Dec 22 19:23:48 2006 From: PDuffleyRenow at aol.com (PDuffleyRenow at aol.com) Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 19:23:48 EST Subject: [FocusOnBasics 581] Re: What would you put on an ABE learner's computer? Message-ID: Jean, Read Please is a free program you can download and then cut and paste text into it and it will read it. This company also makes a program called Reading Bar. This software costs about $129.00. It is wonderful. Also, Google has a tool called language tools. It can transcribe any web page or text. It's free. I have more resources email me at _pduffleyrenow at aol.com_ (mailto:pduffleyrenow at aol.com) if you would like more. Patricia Duffley-Renow -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061222/ede46d88/attachment.html From sylviap at westman.wave.ca Sat Dec 23 18:15:20 2006 From: sylviap at westman.wave.ca (Sylvia Provenski) Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:15:20 -0600 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 582] Re: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 15, Issue 7 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <000f01c726e8$37dae8f0$6601a8c0@D4TWM391> Jean Check out the following link to a great Canadian site that has a host of shareware and freeware that has been evaluated by adult literacy learners and practioners. Some of the software is for older computers such as those you have described. There are lots of great programs to choose from. Enjoy! Sylvia Provenski Director Assiniboine Community College Adult Collegiate Brandon, Manitoba, Canada -----Original Message----- From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov Sent: December 23, 2006 11:00 AM To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Subject: FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 15, Issue 7 Send FocusOnBasics mailing list submissions to focusonbasics at nifl.gov To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to focusonbasics-request at nifl.gov You can reach the person managing the list at focusonbasics-owner at nifl.gov When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of FocusOnBasics digest..." Today's Topics: 1. [FocusOnBasics 579] Happy Holidays! (Julie McKinney) 2. [FocusOnBasics 580] What would you put on an ABE learner's computer? (PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:39:58 -0500 From: "Julie McKinney" Subject: [FocusOnBasics 579] Happy Holidays! To: , Message-ID: <458BD21E0200002D000006D0 at bostongwia.jsi.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Hi Everyone, I hope you all have a happy and rejuvenating holiday weekend! As you take a break from your work, please give yourself praise for doing the type of work that really makes a difference in the lives of so many others! All the best, Julie Julie McKinney Discussion List Moderator World Education/NCSALL jmckinney at worlded.org ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: 22 Dec 2006 18:57:34 -0000 From: PHCSJean.34425698 at bloglines.com Subject: [FocusOnBasics 580] What would you put on an ABE learner's computer? To: focusonbasics at nifl.gov Message-ID: <1166813854.1661689625.14188.sendItem at bloglines.com> Content-Type: text/plain;charset="utf-8" Hi all. My program has been blessed with a bunch of used computer donations from the Cristina Foundation. Before you get excited, these are older computers from companies and individuals who have upgraded. For more info, go to cristina.org if you'd like to get some for your program. We initially used them to set up a lab in our center, and have been giving the extras away. Since I still have extras, I would like to give some to my pre-literate Liberian refugee senior citizen ABE students to practice their skills when they are away from class. We typically reformat the computers with Windows and Microsoft Works and an antivirus/spyware program. They will have a standard internet connection, which we'll have to show the learners how to use. What I'm looking for from you are some recommendations of websites or freeware you use in your center with your most basic level adults. If you know of some fabulous program that costs money, let me know about it and I'll see what I can scrounge up in the way of grant money. We are working as an all volunteer, no budget organization so I'm ideally looking for website recommendations or better still, stand alone software so they just need to point and click and won't need to deal with the internet. Thanks for your ideas! Jean Marrapodi Providence Assembly of God Learning Center Providence, RI ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Institute for Literacy Focus on Basics mailing list FocusOnBasics at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics End of FocusOnBasics Digest, Vol 15, Issue 7 ******************************************** From kabeall at comcast.net Wed Dec 27 19:51:37 2006 From: kabeall at comcast.net (Kaye Beall) Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:51:37 -0500 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 583] New from NCSALL Message-ID: <007601c72a1a$561ac620$0302a8c0@your4105e587b6> The Components of Numeracy by Lynda Ginsburg, Myrna Manly, and Mary Jane Schmitt This occasional paper attempts to describe the complex nature of numeracy as it exists today. While there are large-scale assessments, standards documents, and position papers, there has not been a field- and research-based synthesis of the components required for adults to be numerate, to act numerately, and to acquire numeracy skills. This paper attempts to identify and clarify the nature of these components with the hope that such identification and clarification will guide instruction, contribute to the design of assessments, frame research, and inform policy. To download the paper, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=26#numeracy **************** Kaye Beall World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 617-482-0617 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.worlded.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/focusonbasics/attachments/20061227/f657ee43/attachment.html From bcmrose at telus.net Thu Dec 28 02:36:27 2006 From: bcmrose at telus.net (Marg Rose) Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 23:36:27 -0800 Subject: [FocusOnBasics 584] learner reviewed software to use on donated computers In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Sylvia is too modest, but if you go to this page on the Canadian equivalent to NIFL, you will link to learner-reviewed software, and shareware, and freeware in a project she directed at her literacy program a few years ago and then posted it to the National Adult Literacy Database at www.nald.ca HEre is the exact page, but there are many more resources, links to programs, and full text documents on that site as well, as she said: http://www.nald.ca/tools/practitioner/practitioner.htm Many websites also have great programs for learners to use: www.abc-canada.org has a Math Literacy website with lots of ideas and games and tip sheets and trivia facts on numeracy www.healthyroadsmedia.org has a multi-media presentation of common health topics in seven languages! Lots more... - ********************************************