CAEPA.org

2006 Mile High Rendezvous Sessions and Descriptions by Topic

Family Literacy and Intergenerational Literacy

Family Literacy is Not a Conspiracy
Has anyone suggested that your program provide family literacy services? And you wondered if they were plotting against you because you have enough challenges simply teaching adults! Adding services for children and addressing adult learners’ role as parents can seem overwhelming. But before ruling it out, take time to learn about the benefits of family literacy. Participate in an active review of research about family literacy, examine nine years of outcomes from family literacy programs in Colorado (Even Start), and discuss implications of these findings as they apply to your program.
Parent Education: Planning to support literacy development
Effective Family Literacy programs find ways to link instruction in all program components to the development of literacy skills for both parents and children. This session will explore the research on parenting behaviors that best support children’s literacy development and strategies for building those skills through parent education classes. Ideas for using the framework of the Parent Education Profile (PEP) and observational data to plan Parent Time sessions will be discussed. Participants will have opportunities to share ideas and successful strategies as well as evaluate their own program practices against indicators of quality.
Integrating Parent Involvement into ESL
The content will reflect the information in the objectives. Re: the specific content of the lesson plans, we will intend to present information related to ESL lessons that incorporate some or all of the following parent involvement skills: reading at home with children; helping with homework; participating in parent-teacher conferences; parent support of Home-School Links; understanding the report card and CSAP reporting; and parent-teacher-principal meetings.

Higher Education

Gathering Together-College Developmental…
Developmental instructors often feel they are isolated in their colleges in response to the realities of their positions. For example, developmental instructors are frequently adjunct with limited opportunities to interact with their peers. Additionally, full-time professors often have other classes, which may take precedence over their developmental classes. Given these circumstances, more opportunities for networking and encouragement would positively affect developmental instructors’ effectiveness and impact their college’s retention efforts.
The objective of this presentation is to provide a new opportunity for members in MPAEA and WY/CO College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) to participate in a forum with the goal that participants will expand their networking within the region. Through combining our efforts, we will more effectively meet our professional goals while conserving our travel funds rather than attending separate conferences.
Asynchronous Delivery of an Open-entry Course
Coming soon...
Best Practices in the Developmental Math Class
We will describe and present some of the best practices we have found at the community college level in the developmental math area. We will have handouts for participants, give short descriptions of a variety of practices that we use and invite questions from the participants. Our focus will be on working with the under-prepared and returning college students typical of the urban community college.

ABE/GED

Where Are the Problems?
Take a few minutes to test your own skills and to learn about the different question types and content areas on the GED 2002 Language Arts, Writing Test. Remember, you need to know what is assessed in order to plan an effective curriculum. This workshop will provide an update on common error patterns on the GED Test as well as examples for each of the most-missed types of questions and samples of well-written essays at the high school level.
Analyze This!
If students are to improve their writing, teachers must be able to analyze specific parts of essays and provide the constructive feedback that students need. Searching for error patterns is essential for good instruction. During this session, teachers will have an opportunity to analyze two essays and develop a writing improvement plan for each. Teachers will learn how to help their students make “quick fixes” and also work on items such as sentence structure and organization that may require more intensive work. Although searching for error patterns takes time, it is a necessary strategy in order to improve a student’s skill in grammar and ultimately the writing process.
Success in Learning for All Learners: Issues…
Regardless of the age of a person learning to read, there are new methods to impact cognitive development linked to language and reading that brain research has found to be more effective than many current methods. Dr. Burns will focus on recent university research-based studies using the latest brain imaging fMRI’s which offer new insights into how the brain learns and how the interrelated cognitive skills for reading can be positively impacted. The major focus will be on ABE/GED, adult, ESL, and incarcerated learners can make major improvements in 8-12 weeks and impact both short and long-term language and reading abilities which impact their overall academic capabilities and success. The session will be highly interactive and informative. Dr. Burns has published several books and numerous articles on language development, language disorders, auditory processing disorders, and adult neurological disorders in professional journals. Dr. Burns has been invited to present numerous keynote presentations at state and national conferences over the past 15 years.
Building Sentences - A First Step
Students need to know how to construct an effective sentence before they can build an effective paragraph. Learn how to teach students basic patterns for creating effective sentences through using basic sentence templates and cloze activities.
Grammar Crimes
Do you find it difficult to teach dangling participles, gerunds, and infinities to your students? This workshop will provide you with examples of common grammar errors that correlate to Part I of the GED Language Arts, Writing Test. You will also leave with grammar games and activities that will give you tools to make teaching grammar more fun!
Math: How to Teach the Part/Whole Concept?
coming soon...
Nevada's Statewide 18-24 and More Credential…
In response to 2000 Census data reflecting Nevada being 50th in the nation with the most 18-24 year olds without a high school diploma or GED, Nevada's Governor called for an Initiative to address this serious educational dilemma. Adult Basic Education State Leadership funds were quickly allocated to fund the Governor's call for action.
this presentation, by the Initiative's Project Director, Vicki D. Newell, will inform MPAEA members about the marketing strategies and tools, instructional format, and resources utilized over the past three years to successfully reach this target population and encourage them to return to a program of study and get their credentials.
this session's activities will include: Developing marketing strategies and tools, how to survey the capacity of existing programs, finding an instruction alternative, and retention strategies for successful competition.
The Effective Instruction of Explicit, Systematic Phonics
This session will help attendees to see that when correctly taught explicit, systematic phonics can be easy to teach and easy to learn. By keeping phonics simple the students can easily grasp the concepts, which are: 42 sounds of the alphabet and 7 simple rules for decoding. It will be shown that the method has been scientifically validated and tested for over 30 years. This direct instruction, logical approach and unique marking system helps all students to break the code. Those who will benefit most from this short presentation will be those who are teaching and providing support for the education of individuals having difficulties learning to read. They will get some basic keys that can make a profound difference for beginning readers and those who exhibit reading disabilities into teen years and adult life. PowerPoint and other computer tools will be used to demonstrate how the method works.
Integrating Research-based Literacy Techniques…
In this session, the presenters will discuss integrating Lindamood Bell techniques and strategies into existing Adult Ed and ESL programs. Participants will learn the concepts behind the success of these techniques as well as terms such as phonemic awareness symbol imagery, and concept imagery. Participants will get hands-on practice with skill development in these areas, ideas for incorporating these techniques into their existing programs, and feedback on the state's pilot project.
Common Sense Economics for Adults and Adult Educators
This presentation is designed to introduce basic elements of economics and to explain, in simple easy-to-understand language, why economic understanding is essential for living and living well in today’s society. It talks about how economics empowers people and explains why both nations and individuals prosper in a world where free trade, taxes, and government spending are issues everyone needs to understand.
The presentation helps adults bridge the gap between theory and practice in ways in which adults can understand and use to make intelligent choices. The presentation will include information on 10 Key elements of Economics, Seven Major Sources of Economic Progress, and 10 Elements of Clear Thinking About Economic Progress and the Role of Government. It also presents 12 Key Elements of Practical Personal Finance.
The presentation includes something for everyone. It is sound advice following a relatively simple format with practical ideas which most everyone can find a way to integrate into their overall economic thinking and decision-making. We all make dozens of economic choices each day. It is helpful if all of us take time out once-in-awhile to fine tune our thinking about economics and how it impacts our personal lives. This presentation will stimulate a self-evaluation about how we make economic decisions and what we might do to improve in this area.
Writing from the Senses
Writing instruction and practice can be intimidating for many adult learners and instructors. Participants will learn strategies for encouraging writing by engaging each of their senses in fun, hands-on activities. Participants will experience and discuss ways to incorporate sensory writing techniques into individual, small group and classroom instruction. The techniques demonstrated in the workshop can be used with all levels of ESL and native English-speaking students.
Math: Do They Have the Part/Whole Concept?
Coming soon...
Improving Student Persistence by Building Connections
Adult Basic Education is more than just delivering classes in reading, writing, math, and ESOL. We should consider each student holistically, examine barriers, and brainstorm strategies to help them minimize these barriers so education doesn’t fall by the wayside.
Everyone faces different obstacles when entering educational programs: 1) Situational barriers – job, daycare, finances, 2) Dispositional barriers – self-esteem, prior educational experience, level of family support, and 3) Institutional barriers – scheduling, red tape, miscommunication. Addressing barriers shows students that they are not alone in experiencing these situations and are more than just a name on the class roster. In return, they feel more connected to you and the program because you took the time to care about their lives. Effectively establishing connections with students can make the difference between someone “dropping out” or merely “stopping out.”
Encouraging the Reluctant Learner or Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Adults to Improve Achievement
Students who don’t think they can learn often don’t!
Research shows that if a student has no confidence that he can learn a subject, such as math or English, then he won’t. His opinion of his learning ability is a greater indicator of his actual achievement than is his intelligence or prior knowledge. In fact, students’ opinions of their learning, called self-efficacy, will keep them from signing up for certain classes or passing them if they do.
In adult basic skills education, we are more prone to get students with low self-efficacy about their learning. A teacher can work hard to get across the skills, but if the student doesn’t think she can learn the subject, chances are the teacher’s efforts will not pay off.
So, what can a teacher do to help boost the student’s learning confidence? There are many things that you can try. Pick one or two and try them to see if they affect your students. You might be pleasantly surprised!
In this session, we will begin by examining our own learning self-efficacy and how it developed. Then we will look at areas that teachers can affect. Then I will share my research in self-efficacy. The objective is that participants will leave with the conviction that their students need to improve their self-efficacy, not just their content knowledge, and with tools to help their students do so.
A Template for Writing Success
A generic writing template will be introduced to conference attendees who are instructors of GED preparation students. The template demonstrated in this workshop gives the student knowledge of an experience with the writing process. It helps the student to organize his thoughts logically. The template is easy to remember and simple (and legal) to use in a test situation. Using the writing template, the student usually experiences success on his first attempt. The template is also adaptable to many writing projects and educational levels beyond the GED essay. The workshop will demonstrate how the student can prepare to make the best use of the pre-writing and writing time allotted for the essay portion of the GED test.
Fostering Literacy Through Art
Fostering Literacy through Art and Literature (FLTA) is a dynamic approach to teaching developed by Beth Olshansky at the University of New Hampshire for use with at-risk readers. It consists of a series of mini-lessons on art techniques and mini-lessons on literary elements (including plot development and use of descriptive language) and follows the steps in the writing process. FLTA successfully engages even the most reluctant learners and, although developed primarily for children, has proven effective with adult learners as well. BoulderReads! staff has successfully used this approach in a corrections setting and in a library setting; has successfully used it with native English speakers as well as with non-native English speakers, and has used it with adults of all levels of literacy from those who scarcely know the alphabet to those with some post-high school education. This presentation will include an opportunity for participants to experience a mini-version of an FLTA workshop (with both the art component and the writing component), and will include samples of books created by adults enrolled in BoulderReads! FLTA workshops.
Participants should be aware that this workshop will not qualify you to actually implement this process, but will only give you some ideas into how art and children’s literature can be used to engage reluctant readers and writers. While you may get some great ideas that you can use with your own learners, to make full use of this technique you would need to take the 50-hour training offered by Beth Olshanskey.
Start With a Bang! Innovative Orientation Procedures as a Retention Improvement Tool
To demonstrate how effective and innovative orientation practices can increase student retention rates for ESL and ABE classes.
Brief history of student retention at Right to Read before and after our new orientation procedure was implemented, including registration and continuation statistics, followed by demonstration of interactive, bilingual PowerPoint orientation presentation we do for our students and copies of our Student Orientation Guide. Q & A to follow.

Adult Learner Leadership

Building Student Leadership in Your Program
Members of the BLAST Team will present how they have built student leadership at their programs. We will give examples of how students have been involved in teacher training, helping students stay in their program (retention), and how students can work with administrators to improve their programs. We will also lead activities to help participants think about how students could be leaders at their programs and how to solve the problems that get in the way of student leadership.
What is Student Leadership?
For 10 years, the BLAST Team has been a statewide team of student leaders for the New Mexico Adult Basic Education system. The BLAST Team are students and graduates from GED, Literacy, and ESL. In this workshop, we will have a discussion with students about student leadership and how they can become student leaders.
Our style is a talking circle where everybody is equal. Students can be leaders because of the knowledge and experiences they have had in their lives. Everyone has leadership inside of them. This talking circle helps adults find the leadership that is already inside of them. We ask questions that bring leadership out of students to share with the group. This discussion circle has been the heart of BLAST’s training for 10 years.
V.A.L.U.E. Student Advocacy Training
Coming soon...

Corrections

Prison Education: From GED to College
This presentation will review the current status of college prison programs in Colorado as well as the possibility of extending college programs to community corrections facilities. Legislation and current proposals for expanding resources for college programs will be discussed. There will also be an emphasis on the significance of college programs in prisons in terms of self-esteem and motivating students to complete their GED while in prison; the success of students in college who receive their GED while in prison; the preparation necessary for both felons and non-felons to succeed in college; and the impact of all educational programs on recidivism.

Leadership

Vision-Action-Results: The Face of Leadership…
In this interactive workshop, presenters will discuss the impact leadership has on adult education programs and describe successful leadership models. Participants will apply these principles to programs and analyze effective leadership. The workshop will include information on leadership styles, best practices of effective leadership, practical application of newly acquired knowledge, and reflective insights from the viewpoints of both administration and faculty.
Day to Day Advocacy
This would be an overview of things adult education programs should do on a daily basis to ensure that there program is advocating for their need and adult literacy. This would focus on the programs work in their own community up to the legislature through publications, student needs, volunteer advocacy and how it can be done. Advocacy is a program component that all programs have but don’t. With the state of funding continually in flux it is of greatest importance that programs work at every level to prove their value and need. The program will be a brief overview and discussion of what programs have done in Arizona in Metropolitan and rural areas to ensure their success in recent years.
Informal Leadership: The Hidden Organizational…
A challenge facing many public and private organizations today is the emergence of the informal organization - the system that is not included in organizational charts or official blueprints. The importance of informal leaders, who build networks of relationships to influence and accomplish tasks, is increasing. For this study, a systems perspective integrating various aspects of both the conventional and post-conventional views of organizations provided the foundation for the study. The systemic approach provides that organizations have planned and unplanned features, rational and irrational characteristics, and formal and informal structures. The informal organization is an unofficial social structure that emerges within the organization that has informal leaders as well as informal norms, values, sentiments, and communication
patterns (Hoy & Miskel, 2005).

Professional Development

Taking Charge of Your Professional Development
Where do you turn when you have questions about adult learning and teaching? How do you increase your own knowledge about adult education and improve your own classroom skills? Come see how a group of ten adult ed teachers and directors developed a list of 100 essential skills and areas of knowledge and turned the list into the Professional Development Self-Assessment for Colorado Adult Education Teachers. The self-assessment enables ABE/ASE and ESL teachers to assess their own knowledge and skills in eight key areas: 1) The Adult Learner, 2) The Adult Education System, 3) Assessing and Monitoring Learning, 4) Planning and Organizing for Instruction, 5) Delivering Instruction, 6) Facilitating Adult Learning in the Subject/Content Areas, 7) Using Equipment and Technology, and 8) Developing as a Professional. You will receive a copy of this recently-developed professional development tool and have the opportunity to complete the assessment for yourself. You’ll also learn how the web-based version of the self-assessment will print out a personalized report of your results, provide you with a professional development action plan and help you take charge of your own professional development by pointing directly to professional development resources you can easily access on your own
Making Good Teachers Great…And Great Teachers Greater!
Are your teaching practices dynamic and memorable? Are they based on current findings in brain-based research about learning and motivation? This exciting session will teach brain based teaching and learning methods that instantly engage students, motivate them, and make them LOVE to come to class – methods that are rejuvenating teachers all over the country! Find out about recent breakthroughs in neuroscience and cognitive science that we now know directly impact how we learn as well as how we’re motivated. Boost class participation, test scores and overall student success by implementing practical, easy to learn and even fun teaching methods that can be wrapped around ANY subject…and learn the WHY behind them. Begin to look at teaching with a fresh set of eyes and recognize what you are already doing to support this research. This session will provide a framework for initiating change and is designed to increase your leadership strengths, teaching capacity and dramatically boost student success. Receive valuable worksheets and handouts to support immediate implementation!
Extra Eyes and Extra Ears: The Benefits of Teacher…
Coming soon...
Verizon Literacy Campus: Free Online Resources…
Participants will increase their capacity to raise awareness about literacy and deliver enhanced literacy services by learning about the numerous online resources available on VLC to inform and educate the public about literacy, recruit and orient prospective literacy volunteers and provide professional development opportunities for volunteers and staff. The presenter will introduce participants to the VLC website and its contents. Participants will review a list of VLC online courses and discuss how to augment their programs using VLC.
Effective Professional Development: No Choices Left…
Professional development is a broad topic with many definitions. A finding by one research group is “that no common definition of professional development exists.” (1) In this session participants engage in defining professional development as it pertains to professionals working in adult and continuing education. Numerous resources will be provided to participants to promote and expand the definition of professional development. Guidelines for realistic and functional professional development, goal setting, and learning plans propel the session forward as participants begin to recognize the different types and forms of professional development. Finally, the presenters will provide tools for tracking and evaluating an individual’s progress in meeting professional development goals. Handouts and templates will be shared with participants for their personal use and/or adjustment as they shape and plan their professional development goals.
Earning and Learning through Cyberspace…
With funding agencies expecting greater progress due to NCLB, how can organizations help varied and harried teaching staffs deliver quality instruction? Cyberspace, of course! Learn how Colorado’s online program, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, makes professional development a convenient, beneficial, and cost-effective choice for practitioners. Participants will: take a brief survey to discover whether an online course or program fits their learning style and technology skills levels; understand the partnership between Community Colleges of Colorado Online and the CDE’s AEFLA program for a Literacy Instruction Authorization certification as an added Teacher Endorsement; learn about the benefits and challenges of online coursework; and be offered suggestions for navigating their first cybercourse successfully.
Helping Your Staff Earn the LIA
Colorado adult education program directors and teachers are actively working to fulfill the CDE requirements for completion of the Literacy Instruction Authorization. This session brings together a panel of five AEFL program directors who are successfully moving their staff members through the adult education credential process. The panelists will share their experiences and tips for encouraging and facilitating their staff members’ progress toward earning the LIA. Panelists will describe how they have enlisted teachers to work toward the LIA and how they have helped those teachers make a plan for enrolling in EDU courses and/or submitting a portfolio. They will explain strategies they have used to identify gaps in knowledge for teachers wanting to portfolio and ways they have provided professional development targeting those gaps. The panelists will explain methods they have used to evaluate a teacher’s knowledge and skills in order to sign off on the Supervisor Evaluation of Experience forms (portfolio process). They will share ways to assist teachers in tracking their employment and training hours. This is a chance to discuss your concerns and get answers to your questions about getting teachers through the LIA.
LIA Colorado's recognition of the professional status…
The state of Colorado will share its process in certifying the competency of its instructors in Adult Education and Family Literacy programs. The rationale and history of the process will be explained. The presenters will demonstrate how instructors may become certified through a series of courses, a portfolio process , documented experience, or a combination of all of the above. Access to on-line or face-to-face credited classes through the Colorado Community College system will also be explained. Materials will include information on how to apply for the Literacy Instruction Authorization and the minimum compliance standards for Colorado.
This presentation would be of interest to those new to the Colorado field of Adult Education and Family Literacy and those from states that are developing a certification process for adult educators.

Special Needs and Learning Disabilities

Working Effectively with Adults with LD
This presentation is a result of a two-week training conducted by the National Institute for Literacy in New Hampshire in summer 2005. Like other states, Colorado has a team required to train ninety adult educators, and Presenter Paulette Church is a trainer for the state. Objectives and content include: acquainting participants with the Bridges to Practice program; explaining learning differences, difficulties, and disabilities; defining learning disabilities (LDs) from a processing and a legal perspective and defining related terms such as ADA, “reasonable accommodations,” and IDEA; giving an overview of the rights and responsibilities of both literacy programs and learners with LDs; describing the traits of adults with an LD, screening procedures, and diagnosis; relating three ways to increase success with these learners via direct instruction, metacognition skills, and the SMARTER model; reviewing “free” (those not requiring prior approval) and inexpensive accommodations as well as those offered by GEDTS and those requiring approval.
The four Bridges to Practice Guidebooks are based on research conducted or supported by NIFL, which estimates that 50—80% of adult literacy students have learning disabilities. These LDs often go without a formal diagnosis but cause adult learners to experience severe difficulties or failure in their studies. By educating practitioners about LDs and encouraging them to use multiple modes of instruction, adult literacy teachers will be more effective with all learners. The recommended materials are all free or very reasonably priced.
Attendees will participate in three interactive activities to experience some of the processing challenges that adults with LDs face as learners.
Reading Instruction for the Dyslexic Adult
Participants will learn some of the genetic and environmental causes of dyslexia and the compensatory strategies useful for the acquisition of reading skills by dyslexic learners.
The session will detail, in layman’s terms, the role of genes in the brain’s construction and how some environmental effects impair the brain development of an individual’s reading systems. Educators will consider the instructional needs of dyslexic learners and strategies for teaching them.
The introduction of this presentation will include a multi-sensory enactment of brain messaging showing how the brain compensates for its dyslexic impairment. The body of the presentation outlines instructional practices regarding the role of alphabetic principles, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension in the acquisition of reading skills and ways to present the instruction to adult learners. In the conclusion, individual success stories will be noted, and participants will be encouraged to carry on the battle of literacy for all.
The Montana LD Initiative: The Drive to Address…
Montana started the journey of developing a plan to implement better service to special learning needs adults in adult basic education programs in late 1999. This session will explore the process, progress, and challenges associated with the undertaking and provide a perspective on the status of the Initiative as it stands in 2005. Activities will include a presentation, small group interaction and discussion.
Memory Tools for forgetful Adults: Ways to Remember…
Many adult learners complain that they are not able to remember what they read or study. The participants will learn why some adult learners complain that they can’t remember what they are taught in our programs. They will also experiment with a number of memory techniques.
The session will begin with a description of why adult students, especially those who have learning problems, may not remember information in the same the way that learners, who have been successful in school, remember information. The presenter will describe techniques that he uses to help the adult learners to remember concepts and details. The techniques that will be demonstrated and detailed include mnemonic clues, memory stacks, memory pegs, environmental triggers, mental rehearsing, concept maps, information frameworks and creative practice. Participants will receive handouts that they can use with their adult learners to improve their memories.
Understanding the Irlen Syndrome: Light Sensitivity
No matter how much money and effort is poured into reading programs and educational support, some adults are still unable to read. The cause may be Irlen Syndrome. This presentation provides insightful information about what the syndrome is, what causes it, who is affected, and how it can be corrected.

ESL

In Their Shoes: Learning from a Student Perspective
In this interactive workshop, ABE and ESL educators will experience what it means to be an adult learner, compare this experience with adult learning theories, and review adult students’ reflections on learning. Participants will explore how to apply what they learned to their practice. Extensive handouts will be available.
ESL Teacher/Learner Interactions, Are You Listening?
The language that teachers use in class or “teacher talk” can have a significant impact on the success of interactions they have with learners. First, using audio-taped sound bites from ESL teachers, participants in this session will identify communication barriers and problems with teacher/learner interactions. The presenter will then review classroom and one-to-one instructional strategies for effective teacher talk surrounding 1) directions for activities, 2) direct instruction, 3) warm-up chats, 4) transitions, 5) feedback, and
6) checking understanding. For each of the above categories, techniques and guidelines from field research on teacher/learner interactions conducive to adult learning will be demonstrated.
The materials used for the presentation are taken from an Independent Study Module created through the Northern Colorado Literacy Resource Center in October 2005. The module components are background information, research overview, instructional strategies and three application tasks. From October to March 2006 several ESL teachers in AEFLA programs across the state will review the contents and complete the tasks in order to offer comments and suggestions for revision. Participants receive the complete, revised module at the session. In addition, it will be added to the NCLRC collection and can be available on-line via the CDE/CARE website.
Manipulatives for Vocabulary and Grammar Practice
“Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.” (William Shakespeare. Hamlet Act III. Scene II.)
Students react to and interact with language in a variety of ways based on learning styles. The presenter will demonstrate successful ways to accommodate and celebrate specific learning styles in the classroom for grammar and vocabulary practice. Ideas on how to adapt the methodology for pronunciation and writing projects will also be discussed.
Most teachers base lessons on linguistic intelligence (words) even though we are aware that there are a variety of learning styles. We need to be reminded of the various ways that students approach learning and language acquisition.
The presenter will give a short background on the distinction between the terms tactile learning and kinesthetic learning as well as the implications for language practice and acquisition. (Kinsella, K. 1995. Gardner, H. 1983. Jaines, J. 2003.) A variety of techniques using easily made materials will be demonstrated with audience participation and input. Finally, the audience will be given time to brainstorm ideas for individual classroom implementation. Handouts with reproducibles, resources, and web site information will be available.
The biggest problem with communication is assuming it’s happened!
This presentation will look at the theory and applications of the strategy called Active Listening. A deceptively easy, but invaluable tool for everyday life and native and non native speakers of English. For Limited Engliish Proficient students Active Listening can be the tool that puts them in charge of the communication interaction. For all of us who listen with our answers running, Active Listening can be the tool that forces us to focus on making sure communication happens. This participatory presentation will give the audiences the ground rules and then ask them to actually practice this strategy. We will also demonstrate practical applications of this research based method. Handouts will deepen the participants understanding of the philosophy and process.
Read It and Weep (or laugh, or…)
A communicative approach to language learning includes comprehensible input, negotiation of meaning, authentic content and language immersion. Sounds good, but what does that look like in reality, especially when the input is reading?
A message that the learner understands is comprehensible input. When the learner understands the message, he or she can acquire language. It is not the same as output, and the learner does not have to understand 100 percent of the content of the message to receive comprehensible input. Authentic language is interesting to the learner, meaning-based and revolves around content. In this session, we will focus on comprehensible input through reading .The participants will have a mini-book club and discuss how it provides comprehensible input and opportunities for negotiation of meaning in an authentic way.
Community Outreach through Service Learning
Several innovative service-learning projects will be shared. In an advanced ESOL class, students created and distributed a directory of community resources. In another project, all levels organized, marketed and presented a cultural fair to the community. A third project was a recycling lesson followed by a neighborhood cleanup.
During this workshop, participants will be challenged to design service-learning projects that meet the needs and interests of their own learners and communities. See how learners grow in a variety of ways when they realize the relevance of real world experience to their academic goals.
Strengthening Learning Capabilities in the Adult ESOL Classroom
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.
Web-based Activities for ESL
Coming soon...
Re-visiting MELT
Program Directors and adult ESL teachers face the dilemma of meeting a variety of needs---those expressed by the students, what the program itself proposes as its curriculum, and what funders require to document accountability for continued funding. The recent reliance on standardized test scores in adult education progress reporting influences curriculum and teacher focus. At the same time, life skills students still seek clear progress markers----“What can I do today that I couldn’t do yesterday in my new language?”

Proponents of CASAS and BEST Plus tests would likely agree that the use of language is of highest importance for those learning English. Yet ensuring that students show progress on a standardized test often competes for the time and creativity necessary to provide a comprehensive, competency-based curriculum.

This workshop will focus on the hallmarks of competency-based adult education. Participants will review the MELT approach to instruction and assessment as a way to reinforce their attention on key goals, viz. identify and write competency statements, prepare performance objectives that can be taught and assessed in class, and appropriately document results. After analyzing their own program methods and comparing them to the MELT document, participants will discuss their commitment to reinforcing a student-centered, competency-based classroom.
Using Authentic Literature to Build Language Skills
Students can find reading exciting, relevant, and practical in their learning. The goal of this session is to introduce ways that interactive and kinesthetic activities can be used in the classroom using literature as the content source.
The presenters will use the classic book The Pearl, by American Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck, as the basis for classroom activities that are all interactive and/or kinesthetic. Vocabulary, grammar, writing, graphic organizers, acting, read-alouds, and listening activities will be highlighted.
Emphasis will be placed on getting students mentally and physically involved in the activities based on the literature: its plot, its characters, and its relationship to readers.
Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective and new ideas for combining literature and kinesthetic activities in the classroom.
Practical Language Experience
Participants will gain an understanding of the concept, theory and procedures of the language experience approach (LEA). They will be able to return to their classrooms with useable examples of lessons using language experience and be able to design their own lessons using these examples.
Theories, definitions and descriptions of LEA will be presented in a PowerPoint presentation with handouts. Participants will see examples of student-generated stories and activities in real LEA lessons in the presenters’ classes, and share their own experiences using LEA.
The participants will then work in groups to develop an LEA lesson to present to the whole group.
ELAA Activities for Effective Learning
This hands-on presentation will focus on games and activities that have proven to work effectively in an ELAA classroom with students of various levels of proficiency (beginning literacy to Level V). The presentation will start with a short theoretical overview of major approaches to English language teaching such as Grammar Translation, Audio-lingual, Comprehension, and Communicative methods. It will then continue with a demonstration of concrete games and activities which are organized by the target language skill (i.e. speaking, listening, reading, and writing). The participants of the workshop will take part in most of those activities and will receive multiple handouts with the presentation outline as well as sample activities.

Program Administration

Program Evaluation for Continuous Improvement Using Evidence-Based Practices
What contributes to program success? What constrains programs from reaching their goals? As adult education programs strive to incorporate more culturally responsive practices, results-based evaluation models can be used to capture and document local evidence of practices for program management, planning and reporting. Factors such as professional development, pedagogy, program culture, and curriculum can be measured to gauge success or failure. This session will provide strategies for evaluating educational programs that uses multiple measures. Participants will learn how to set up evaluation criteria, map evidence-based practices and present results-based conclusions. Session activities include presentation, discussion and simulation activities.
Goal Teams: A Collaborative Approach to Improving…
Learn how to implement the Goal Team concept with your staff in order to work more efficiently and effectively in driving program improvement goals. The Goal Team infrastructure encourages all voices to be part of the decision making process. Through the use of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria and the Plan, Do, Study, Act Cycle (PDSA), all stakeholders become an integral part of student achievement. Total alignment in you program and classroom systems can be achieved through the implementation of this structure.
Learn It, Know It, Try It: Training Effective ESL Volunteers
Many ESL and literacy program directors want to incorporate community volunteers into their program, but aren’t sure how to recruit, train or coordinate them. By connecting adult learners with community members, the learners, the volunteers, the community, and the program can all benefit—but only if everybody works toward a common goal. Volunteers enhance literacy and language programs in many ways, but only if they have been properly prepared for the task. This presentation will demonstrate ways in which program directors and volunteer coordinators can work successfully with volunteers by providing high-quality training, ongoing technical support, and effective volunteer management.
Mile High Outcomes: Adult Education Program Characteristics and Learner Outcomes
Most educators would agree that quality adult education services should bring about learning outcomes for adults. Still, they may wonder how adult education services relate to learner outcomes. Many of us may wonder, “What is it about my adult education program that helps learners get an outcome?” The Improving Adult Literacy Instruction research project at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning has analyzed multiple years of program-level data from adult education programs across a high-performing state in order to identify characteristics of programs that are associated with learner outcomes. This interactive session will share insights learned from the analyses and how they might benefit the programs that session participants work in.
Participants will discuss important predictors of educational gain and outcomes overall. We will consider trends across years from the data and their implications. We will also identify some perhaps surprising characteristics that are not associated with outcomes. This session will also offer recommendations for program improvement. Finally, we will reflect on what staff can do to increase potential for learner outcomes at the program level.
ProLiteracy Resources for Instructors, Program Staff, and Administrators
Objectives: Learn about ProLiteracy resources including advocacy materials, literacy statistic fact sheets, and Verizon Literacy Campus free online courses for professional development
The presenter will discuss free ProLiteracy resources which are useful for teachers, tutors, program staff, and administrators. Learn about ProLiteracy’s advocacy work and materials available to you (literacy statistic fact sheets, annual State of Adult Literacy reports, Public Policy Updates on our website. Media Toolkits, etc.). You will also have the chance to learn about Verizon Literacy Campus, a whole range of free online courses for professional development. Of the 29 courses, the following are a few examples: Reading Comprehension Techniques, Citizenship, Connecting Families and Computers, Incorporating Volunteers Into Your Program, Reaching Out to Homeless and Migrant Families, Making Evaluation Work for Your Program, and Multi-Intelligent Literacy. New courses are being added all the time and we welcome not only your feedback on current courses, but ideas on what you would like to see in the future.
The presenter will explain materials and resources available, will give out samples, and will use a Powerpoint presentation to demonstrate how to access the Verizon Literacy Campus courses and how these courses work for your instructors, your staff, and your administrators.
The "M" Factor: Mission and Motivation Must Match
This presentation will explore and engage best practices of foundational and contemporary research regarding multi-generational adult motivations in organizations. The presenter and participants will use interactive processes to tie the importance of adult learning theory in the world of business and other organizations as they develop their "missions," and set policy, specifically for employee rewards, motivators, supervisory practices, recruitment, retention, etc.
A model-plan-roadmap for ensuring the matching of mission and motivation will be offered for use and critique.
Getting More Out of TABE: A Graphical Scoring Method Useful for Assessment, Funding and Goal Setting Needs
Objective: To demonstrate how TABE can be used to measure progress visually and to improve student buy-in to post-testing.
Content: A graphical representation of students’ scores scaled to TABE Grade Equivalent (GE) was developed that visually shows both students and teachers their placement and progress.

Technology

Best Practices in Distance Education
The session will include a discussion of the challenges of various modes of distance education. My research findings, based on distance education delivered at 2 Pacific Northwest universities during the Spring, 2005 semester, will be presented. The findings include the results of a Delphi technique that identified 36 best practices to be considered when delivering distance education, and themes that emerged through observations of the classrooms and interviews of students and professors. These themes include accountability, lack of focus, creating interaction, continuing technical difficulties, and a general disdain, by students, for the use of PowerPoint.
What You Want, When You Want It, Where You Want It, How You Want It – Adult Education in the 21st Century
Distance education for adults began with pencil-and-paper correspondence courses and later moved to radio and television. Today the Internet, streaming video, blogs, wikis, podcasts, video podcasts, course management systems, and video conferencing are revolutionizing the way we educate and allowing adult students who are time- and place-bound to access the services they need in a way that is convenient to them, In this session, the Utah Education Network explains how it is using these technologies to enhance educational opportunities for adults throughout urban and rural Utah and explains how distance education allows adult educators to share expertise and resources among programs limited by financial and other constraints.
From Those Doing It: Using Computers with Adult Learners
Teachers all over Colorado are using computer technology and the Internet in their programs and with learners. Some are pros and some are beginners (not cons!), but the tips they share will help participants become excited about how easily they can learn and apply applications in creative ways with adult learners. Presenters will show you projects, walk you through how they developed them, and provide you resources to create your own presentations for next year! Bring a CD and be ready to fill it.
Distance Learning for Adult Learners
The program would help program people and instructors to learn about the different types of distance learning and how to implement them. The session would be part demonstration/lecture and part question and answer. It would be an introduction to what distance learning is and why a program would want to start a program. Through the types of learning that can be done in distance. It would include recruiting students, evaluating them, technology necessary and working with students at varied sites. Also addressed would be the program aspects related to costs, development, and benefit to the program. Distance learning is becoming more and more accessible but it isn’t for every program or for every learner. This program would be a step by step overview of planning and developing program into the actual classes and student success.
Distance Learning Using SkillsTutor
Distance learning offers educational opportunities to those who may not be able to seek it otherwise. However, distance learning is not for everyone, nor is it the educational solution that will solve all your problems. There are several assumptions about distance learning. Teachers assume that teaching at a distance is easier than teaching in a classroom since the students are obviously self-motivated or else they wouldn't' be taking the class. In return, learners assume that learning at a distance will be easier because they aren't tied to a classroom and can learn at their own pace. Assumptions on both the teachers' and student's parts can come back to haunt them later. Distance learning needs to be approached in a methodical manner from setting up a distance learning opportunity, the necessary technology and product training, and the suitability of students for distance learning. This presentation will draw from Idaho's experience using SkillsTutor to bring distance learning to rural areas of the state.

Advocacy

Marsha Tait, Art Ellison + Panel
This presentation will cover the basics of advocacy and lobbying in plain English. An update on pending federal legislation important to adult literacy programs will be included. Workshop is interactive in nature.

Pre-conference

Art Ellison on Advocacy
Coming soon...