Professional Development: New Directions for Texas

Welcome to our Library

Books and other resources described in the Library section may be requested for a 30-day loan. We will mail each borrower up to five loan items at a time (just two for first-time borrowers), and even include a postage-paid return address sticker for mailing them back to us! Borrowers must be affiliated with a non-profit program providing adult or family literacy services. Annotated bibliographies of our entire library of resources are available in hard copy by request, or can be viewed on our website Click Here to view. Call 800-441-7323 or e-mail tcall@tamu.edu to check out materials described here or to request hard copy listings of even more resources.

50 Creative Training Closers: Innovative Ways to End Your Training With Impact. Solem, Lynn and Pike, Bob (1998). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. One year after a training event, participants retain and use only 15% of what they learned. According to training specialist Bob Pike, two of the most important learning concepts are primacy and recency. People don't remember middles - only beginnings (primacy) and ends (recency). This resource offers trainers 50 ways to close their presentations to better advantage for participants. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

50 Ways to Teach Your Learner. Rose, Ed and Buckley, Steve (1999). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. The authors provide activities and interventions for team building and a framework for learning by doing in order to evaluate team development needs, build an environment of trust and recognition, encourage adaptability and readiness for change, use simple and inexpensive props to maximize effect, and conduct post-exercise debriefs. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

101 Ways to Make Training Active. Silberman, Melvin L. and Lawson, Karen (1995). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Experienced trainers offer over 100 suggestions on how to organize and conduct lively, active training sessions. Each of the 101 techniques is described and illustrated by a goal, a statement of purpose, a procedure, step-by-step instructions, and variations, suggestions for alternative ways to use the technique. Techniques include team building, immediate involvement, affective learning, application planning, and more. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips. Silberman, Mel (1998). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Book is a resource for the person who does active training but needs concrete advice to get started, providing step-by-step guidance through all phases of a well-organized training session. Part one focuses on the design of programs, workshops, or seminars, and part two focuses on program delivery. The book tells how to: assess training needs and participants; develop actual training objectives; create practical opening exercises; prepare effective lectures; design active training exercises; and provide for back-on-the-job application. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Coaching for Performance, Second Edition. Whitmore, John (1996). London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. According to the author, the essence of coaching is "unlocking a person's potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them" (page 8). In this book, Whitmore describes and illustrates the use of coaching as a form of staff development and management. Some chapter titles include: The Manager as Coach; The Nature of Coaching; Motivation; Feedback and Assessment; The Development of a Team; and Overcoming Barriers to Coaching.

Conducting Training Workshops: A Crash Course for Beginners. Van Kavelaar, Eileen K. (1998). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Written for "accidental" as well as experienced trainers, this book offers tips on conducting a workshop that takes the background of the audience into account, identifies the learning objectives of the audience, and uses methods and materials that will best convey the desired message. Advice is also given on how to communicate clearly, ask and answer the right questions, open and close the workshop, establish a connection with the audience, and evaluate the effectiveness of training. Each chapter begins with a "fable" illustrating a key component of training workshop success. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Designing Powerful Training: The Sequential-Iterative Model. Milano, Michael and Ullius, Diane (1998). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Book is a tool to help trainers design events that are effective, efficient, and engaging to participants. Overview of training basics includes: identifying the central characteristics of adult learners; recognizing the essential skills for instructional design; conducting a simple and quick needs assessment; and more. Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

Developing Adult Learners: Strategies for Teachers and Trainers. Taylor, Kathleen, Marineau, Catherine, and Fiddler, Morris (2000). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Rosemary Caffarella, professor in educational leadership at University of Northern Colorado, says: "This book gives us educators and trainers of adults a solid framework for intentionally incorporating into our practice what we believe to be a central tenet of what we do - help learners develop and change. The wealth of practical strategies provided within this framework affords us a rich and well developed bank of materials from which to draw, no matter the content we teach or the setting in which we work." Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Energize Your Audience! 75 Quick Activities That Get Them Started and Keep Them Going. Ukens, Lorraine J. (2000). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. For use in training sessions to keep participants alert and actively engaged, the reproducible exercises in this book are designed to be facilitated in fifteen minutes or less. Sections include Icebreakers, Energizers, and Group Challenges. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Games That Teach: Experiential Activities for Reinforcing Learning. Sugar, Steve (1998). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. The author has collected games used to energize lessons, excite learners, and accelerate learning. Book includes a selection matrix to assist with choosing the game to suit a specific training need, and a seven-step game implementation model that shows how to customize the games for different uses. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

How to Write Training Materials. Stonewall, Linda (1991). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Book contains tips on designing training materials that: enable people with limited knowledge in the content area to conduct training; promote trainer's consistency and accountability; enhance participation and transfer of learning; and more. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right. Piskurich, George M. (2000). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. This book is designed to provide a basic understanding of instructional design and a hands-on method to ensure that training or performance interventions meet the needs of staff and organizations. Sections include: an overview of ID, Pre-Instructional Design Activities, Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation, and More Rapid Design Shortcuts. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Citizenship Preparation: The Making of New Americans: Professional Development Teleconference. Terdy, Dennis and Dean, Peggy (1995). Lexington, KY: KET-The Kentucky Network. Host and co-producer for this series was Dennis Terdy, nationally recognized expert on ESL and bilingual education for adults. In this teleconference, Terdy and guest Peggy Dean discussed citizenship preparation classes. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

Connecting ESL to GED and Credit Courses: Professional Development Teleconference. Terdy, Dennis and DiGerlando, Rose (1996). Lexington, KY: KET-The Kentucky Network. Terdy and guest Rose DiGerlando discussed preparing ESL learners for GED or credit courses. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

ESL Education: A National Imperative. Orem, Richard, Ph.D. (April 2000). Macomb, IL: CIAEC and American Language Online. This is the videotape of a broadcast by the Central Illinois Adult Education Center (CIAEC), designed as a video magazine or news show bringing a national audience best practices and discussion on "hot topic" issues in adult education. Featured guest was Dr. Richard Orem, Northern Illinois University professor, author, and nationally known ESL leader and lecturer. Dr. Orem discussed the implications of ESL teaching in the United States and future concerns as populations of non-English speaking residents inhabit this country. ESL has come to the forefront of political, social and educational discussions as well as being the focus of legislative activity. Dr. Orem explored the societal impacts as well as speaking on effective teaching techniques in ESL classrooms. Target Audience: Adult Education Instructors. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

ESL in Adult Education: Teaching Multi-Level Classes: Professional Development Teleconference. Terdy, Dennis (1994). Lexington, KY: KET-The Kentucky Network. Terdy discussed the challenges of the multilevel ESL class. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

Family Education: Even Start and Head Start in Collaboration: Professional Development Teleconference. Gibson, Gayle and Musall, Marie (1995). Lexington, KY: KET: The Kentucky Network. In this 90-minute teleconference, experts discussed the benefits of collaboration with Head Start for Even Start family literacy programs. Video is one in a series of three that covered a variety of approaches to family literacy and offered strategies to meet the needs of the community served. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

Family Literacy and Libraries: Professional Development Teleconference. Brown-Lawson, Rhea and Talan, Carol (1994). Lexington, KY: KET: The Kentucky Network. In this 90 minute teleconference, experts discussed the relationship between family literacy and libraries. Video is one in a series of three that covered a variety of approaches to family literacy and offered strategies to meet the needs of the community served. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

Family Literacy/Community Collaborations: Professional Development Teleconference. Harvey, Florence and Nickse, Ruth (1995). Lexington, KY: KET: The Kentucky Network. In this 90-minute teleconference, experts discussed the benefits of community collaboration for family literacy programs. Video is one in a series of three that covered a variety of approaches to family literacy and offered strategies to meet the needs of the community served. 90-minute video is a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

GED 2002: Everything You Need to Know. PBS LiteracyLink (April 2000). Philadelphia, PA: PBS Adult Learning Service. Videotape of a 2-hour satellite teleconference broadcast on April 27, 2000. Joan Auchter, Director of the GED Testing Service, gives an overview of the "new" GED, including rationale for the changes. This is followed by discussion on "What's New on GED 2002" between Ms. Auchter, a GED math specialist, and a professor of English composition. Tips for teachers in transition are offered, followed by a discussion of staff development for the new test and a question and answer session. Video + Participant Packet are a Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

GED 2002 Seminar. Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center (2002). Macomb, IL: CIAESC-Western Illinois University. Manual contains resources to facilitate a two-day teacher training workshop on the GED 2002. Institute outlined in the manual includes an overview of the GED 2002 including special accommodations and suggestions for the preparation of adult learners. Sections include: critical reading and thinking skills, language arts-reading, language arts-writing, social studies, math, and science. Training agenda and a variety of activities are also provided. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Handbook for Literacy Tutors. Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy (2001). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Grass Roots Press. The practical nature of this manual for for tutor training workshops is reflected in the section entitled, "Questions tutors commonly ask." Manual contains sections on teaching reading, writing, and numeracy. The section on accessibility addresses how to work with people who have developmental, physical, emotional and learning disabilities. Handbook can be used with "Literacy Volunteer Resources," a separate loan title. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Hard Work on Soft Skills: Creating a "Culture of Work." Working Ventures (2002). New York, NY: Public/Private Ventures. Videos and accompanying activities are designed for training practitioners involved in workforce development in community colleges or other organizations working with disadvantaged job seekers and the unemployed. Videos show four organizations in action as they help participants develop soft skills needed for success. Some of the strategies demonstrated include: establishing the discipline of the workplace; giving participants opportunities to get to know successful people; creating work-like tasks and establishing teams to complete them; and putting learners in the employer's role from time to time. Some examples of how these materials could be used are: two hour-long staff meetings; a 3- to 4-hour staff development workshop; or a conference session. Two 30-minute Videos with Facilitator Guide are a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

How Teachers Learn Technology Best. McKenzie, Jamie, Ed.D. (1999). Bellingham, WA: FNO Press. Many teachers whose classrooms are equipped with computers and Internet access lack the support, resources, or motivation to bring these technologies into the core of their teaching. This collection of essays and articles outlines an approach to adult learning of new technologies that is intended to reach even the most reluctant teacher.

Journey through the Brain Forest: Brain Based Strategies to Enhance Learning and Teaching in the Adult Classroom. St. Romain, Dan (April 2000). San Antonio, TX: Region 20 Education Service Center, ABE Professional Development Center. 2-hour 39-minute videotape was made of a TETN professional development teleconference broadcast April 7, 2000. Education specialist Dan St. Romain presented on "mapping the brain forest": where in the brain various cognitive functions take place; left versus right brain functions; and how to enrich the learning environment and curriculum to best promote cognitive functioning. Participant hand out includes a list of references.

Leading From Within: Developing Personal Direction. Huber, Nancy S. (1998). Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company. The premise of this book is that we are all leaders. When we care enough to want to create a better future in which to live and work, then we are ready to lead. Exploring the context of the passion which calls us to lead brings into focus our personal framework for leadership learning. This book links together the why, the who, and the what of leadership in a personalized, but nonprescriptive format. Reflective questions and journaling suggestions assist the reader in a journey that is unique for each individual and in each context. Suggested resources and activities for learning leadership make this a useful tool in classroom or group settings as well as for an emerging leader. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Learning Together: A Small Group Literacy Tutor Training Handbook. Fretz, Barbara and Paul, Marianne (1994). Kitchener, Ontario, Canada: Core Literacy. Handbook developed for the workshop trainer contains materials and ideas for training tutors who will be facilitating small student groups. Five main units include: "Learning in a Group," "Program Planning," "Methodology," "Communication," and "Cooperative Learning." Workshop trainers can photocopy the specially-designed worksheets to meet the needs of their individual programs. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Literacy Volunteer Resources. Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy (2002). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Grass Roots Press. Four-section set of resources enables trainers of volunteer tutors to plan a training that is interactive and varied, using icebreakers, case studies, group work, and assignments. Hands-on activities provide tutors with the opportunity to consolidate their newly acquired skills. The Trainer's Manual section also has suggestions for organizing, preparing, administering, and evaluating the training. The Information Package for Participants section describes the training for tutors before they register. Section on Managing the Volunteer Process includes practical guidance on intake, training, supervision, motivation, recognition, performance appraisal, and program evaluation. Literacy Volunteer Opportunities section is written for prospective tutors, describing what is involved in volunteering in a literacy program. Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)

LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors, Third Edition. Frey, Patricia (1999). Okemos, MI: Michigan Literacy, Inc. Provides tutors with the framework, guidance, and strategies to teach lessons that focus on the personal goals and learning styles of their students. LITSTART contains 13 strategies for teaching English as a Second Language, 12 strategies for reading, 24 for work study and spelling and two for writing, as well as background information, tutoring tips, checklists of skills, sample lessons and over 60 pages of word lists. Additional resources in this Third Edition include a three-step process for preparing a lesson, more guidance on phonics and writing, and a chapter on checking progress. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

LITSTART Trainer Handbook, Fifth Edition. Michigan Literacy, Inc. (1999). Okemos, MI: Michigan Literacy, Inc. LITSTART provides tutors with the framework, guidance, and strategies to teach lessons that focus on the personal goals and learning styles of their students. The LITSTART system includes strategies for teaching English as a Second Language, reading, work study, spelling, and writing. This Trainer Handbook is designed to be used in conjunction with the Third Edition of "LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors" (a separate loan item). The handbook provides preparation guidelines, astructure, activity descriptions, and masters for handouts and overheads to assist trainers in conducting tutor-training workshops. LITSTART training events are recommended to be conducted by certified LITSTART trainers. A list of these individuals in Texas (as of 05/2002) is included in the handbook binder. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Paired Reading: Positive Reading Practice. Brailsford, Anne, et al (1998). Kelowna, BC, Canada: Northern Alberta Reading Specialists' Council. This training package is intended to provide instruction in a reading practice method that can be used with school-aged children and adults. The videotape and manual assist literacy leaders to train non-professional tutors and students in using the paired reading technique. Suggestions are also provided for helping educators to organize paired reading projects in school or adult literacy settings. Videotape presents information in two 15-minute sections: the first establishes the need for consistent, positive reading practice and demonstrates the paired reading technique; and the second reviews the basic steps involved in paired reading and shows examples of paired readers in action. Manual provides background for educators using the videotape to train tutors and students. Reproducible sample documents at the back of the manual include inservice handouts, letters to initiate projects, and evaluation sheets. 30-minute video and manual are a Loan Item for Preferred Borrowers ONLY due to cost. (Ask us how you can become a Preferred Borrower.)