Weblog: August 2006
Upcoming Numeracy Workshops
As of August 31, Numeracy workshops have been successfully held at VAACE, in South Hill, Manassas, Middle Peninsula, Lebanon and Roanoke. Upcoming workshops are listed below. However, they fill up fast, so please watch the VALRC calendar to stay updated.
- Chesterfield County: Number Sense and Algebra on September 30 (CLOSED)
- Winchester: Number Sense & Data & Statistics on October 14 (OPEN)
- Fairfax: Data & Statistics on October 28 (CLOSED)
- Roanoke: Measurement & Geometry on November 2 (registration will open soon)
- Workshops in the works: Eastern Shore, Abingdon, Hampton area, Cumberland County and Central Virginia
Coming Soon - Reading Tips
Monthly Reading Instruction Tips selected from expert publications are Coming Soon!
Learning Disabilities Training Available
If your program is interested in scheduling a training on learning disabilities and difficulties in adults, please contact me, Lauren Ellington, at leellington@vcu.edu or 800-237-0178. I will be happy to customize a training for your program needs.
Upcoming Events
Atlanta Georgia, October 7-10, 2006
For more information, click on the title.
International Literacy Day, observed September 8, focuses attention on worldwide literacy issues and needs. It is estimated that 860 million of the world's adults (nearly two-thirds of whom are women) do not know how to read or write and that more than 100 million children lack access to education.
Click on the title for information from the International Reading Association.
The theme of the 2006 celebration is Literacy, the Path Out of Poverty
Breakthroughs, a new JFF newsletter
Jobs for the Future has just begun publication of a newsletter, Breakthroughs, to support the Breaking Through initiative. This initiative is a national effort, funded by a variety of foundations, to help low-skilled adults to acquire the skills they need to succeed in college and the jobs their courses prepare them for. The newsletter provides information about the participating community colleges and their partners' efforts in creating more effective way for low-skilled adults to gain the necessary occupational and technical skills. It provides some interesting insights into the challenges of the work, as well as resources that can be helpful. Piedmont VA Community College is participating in the Breaking Through initiative.
View the first issue of Breakthroughs »
Vendor Contact Information
When you need assessment product information for GED and ABE, the Virginia vendors listed here can assist you. They look forward to your phone calls and emails.
Steck Vaughn - Paula Crawford, Ed. D.
Harcourt Achieve, Steck-Vaughn
NC & South/Central VA - Adult & Secondary Representative
800-782-2512 ext. 333-6023 voice mail
434-572-3292 office
434-572-3608 fax
paula.crawford@harcourt.com
Contemporary - Mary McDowell
McGraw Hill/Contemporary
Sales Representative - DC, DE, MD, VA, WV
800-621-1918 ext. 3631 voice mail
202-397-8963 office
mary_mcdowell@mcgraw-hill.com
202-397-8963
TABE - Lynn Hunley
CTB McGraw-Hill
Senior Evaluation Consultant
704-896-1778 Office
704-896-1779 Fax
lhunley@ctb.com
Current ESOL Projects
Adult ESOL Content Standards
Presently in draft form, these content standards are in the process of review, revision, editing and compilation for initial implementation in early 2007.
ESL Toolkit for Construction and Landscape Workers
Available in the fall of 2006, this curriculum provides lesson plans, instructional materials, storyboards and hundreds of drawings for construction and landscape workers at lower proficiency levels of ESL.
Financial Literacy
An online multi-level curriculum for teaching financial literacy to ESL students will be the final product of an EL/Civics three year project. The curriculum includes a model for conducting student needs assessment, lesson plans with handouts, storyboards, and links to other resources. It will be piloted in two local programs beginning in the winter of 2007.
LESLLA
An international forum, Research, Practice, and Policy for Low-educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition - for Adults (LESLLA), will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, November 2-3, 2006.
Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition (LESLLA) for Adults is an international forum of researchers who share an interest in research into the development of second language skills by adult immigrants with little or no schooling prior to emigrating to their new country of residence.
CAELA
We have begun a second year in a collaborative project with the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition to launch and implement Virginia's Adult ESOL Content Standards in local programs.
Spring 2006 ESOL-Focused Progress
The spring 2006 issue of Progress is devoted in a large part to the teaching of ESOL in our adult education programs. We have included articles to help teachers, tutors, and program managers as they seek to improve existing ESOL programs or to develop new ones. With the increased number of low-literacy students in ESOL programs, Larry Condelli's article "What Works: A Preview of AIR's Two-Year Study of ESL Literacy Students",is of great interest to practitioners and very relevant to their instructional practices. Other articles focus on instructing low-level learners, changes made in the educational functioning levels of the NRS, web and print resources for teachers and students including REEPWorld.org, an interactive online program for learning English developed here in Virginia. There is a lot to read and learn about, so check it out!
Note: at the same time take a look at our other publications related to teaching ESOL.
GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills DVD Sets Available
We are reproducing DVD sets of the PBS series GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills for all Virginia adult educators; if you are interested, please use our request form to place an order. Several local programs have already ordered and received their sets and instructors are finding that the digital format is much more portable and user-friendly than VHS tapes. At $80/$65 respectively, we hope that many adult education classrooms will be able to afford these teaching supplements. The orders are held until we can make a substantial number of duplications at one time. Once you have submitted payment (in the form of a purchase order, check, or credit card payment), please expect a month or so for reproduction and delivery. If you have any questions, please call Jason at (800) 237-0178 or email him.
GED Connection Training - Sept 30
Where: Northern Neck Technical Center, Warsaw, VA
Date: Saturday, September 30
Time: 8:30am-4:30pm
Learn how to use GED Connection to prepare your students to pass the GED! Register now to guarantee your spot; registration deadline is September 22.
With GED Connection, your GED program will:
- Incorporate a multimedia approach using video programs, workbooks, and online activities
- Make GED preparation learner friendly for every learning style
- Address all five subject areas and integrate skills across disciplines
- Help students see ways they can use the skills they are learning in the family, community, and workplace.
As a result of this workshop you will be able to:
- Use GED Connection to prepare your students for success with the GED
- Customize the delivery system and content to meet your individual program and learner needs
- Design an innovative delivery system that can serve adult learners you may not otherwise be reaching using more traditional approaches