Professional Development: New Directions for Texas

Keeping Us Honest: One Teacher's View of EFF. Duncan, Marty (1999). Seattle, WA: Northwest Regional Literacy Resource Center. This article from the Winter 1999 issue of the "Regional Resource Roundup" is an interview with Marty Duncan about her experiences with and personal understanding of Equipped for the Future, "a customer-driven, standards-based reform process" for adult education. A teacher at Sumner Adult Education in East Sullivan, Maine, Duncan was involved in the development of EFF standards in Maine for and has worked as a pilot classroom instructor. Most of her EFF experience has been with the field development process in a business English class. Working with her students as "co-researchers" enabled Duncan to not only facilitate their learning but also to begin testing the EFF performance indicators.

Keys to Effective LD Teaching Practice. Lindop, Margaret Horne, Editor (February 2002). Knoxville, TN: Center for Literacy Studies. This resource book was developed by Tennessee adult education practitioners, Bridges to Practice learning disabilities trainers, and a University of Tennessee-Knoxville professor/psychologist. It shares the action research experiences of a group of teachers as they used various instructional strategies and approaches reflecting "LD appropriate instruction" as described in Bridges to Practice. Included are tools for LD awareness, screening, planning, and teaching/learning as well as personal stories about the teachers and learners who used them. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but it's also available online at: http://cls.coe.utk.edu/pdf/keys_ld/keys_ld.pdf.

NCSALL Study Circle Guide: Performance Accountability in Adult Basic Education. Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (January 2000). Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to facilitate a multi-session study circle for practitioners on the topic of accountability. Practitioners will read and analyze research and discuss how to apply it in their classrooms and programs. Appendices include: Study Circle Flyer; Pre-meeting Packet; Day 1 Materials; Study Circle Resource Center Materials; and Feedback Form for NCSALL. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but it's also available online in pdf format at: http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/acct_narr.pdf.***

***To view the document in a more readable format, please download the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader (free) or you can convert PDF to HTML via Adobe's conversion form.

NRS Data Quality Guide and Training Materials. Condelli, Larry, et al (June 2002). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. In the summer of 2002, the U.S. Department of Education sponsored a series of regional workshops on improving NRS data quality. State teams from all but two states attended these trainings and developed plans to improve their NRS data quality procedures. In conjunction with that event, a Guide for Improving NRS Data Quality: Procedures for Data Collection and Training was also developed for state and local staff. This hard-copy resource consists of that Guide plus Training Materials for a two-day training event - everything from agenda to transparency masters. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but the documents are also available for downloading at: http://www.nrsweb.org/activities.asp.

Orientation to Integrating Health Education into Adult Basic Education. Povenmire, Alisa and Morrish, Elizabeth (1999). Boston, MA: SABES/World Education. Orientation is designed to encourage adult basic education programs to integrate health into all areas of their curriculum and to connect to other statewide initiatives. In this orientation, participants have the opportunity to explore the connections of health and literacy, reflect on their teaching practices and beliefs, and develop new teaching strategies. Orientation is to be given by trained practitioners who have special interest in health and learner-centered work. Orientation is eight hours and can be given as two half-day sessions or a one-day training. Whenever possible, activities that make up the Orientation have been written in such a way to allow flexibility in timing, sequence, and so that each activity can stand alone. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but it's also available online at: http://www.sabes.org/resources/healor.htm.

Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets. Lewis, Laurie and Farris, Elizabeth (November 2002). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Report provides information about the extent to which public library outlets offer adult literacy programs, the types of literacy programs offered (adult basic literacy skills, pre-GED, GED, family literacy, and English as a second language instruction for adults), groups for which literacy programs are specifically offered, and reasons that library outlets do not offer adult literacy programs. Information is also provided about types of adult lifelong learning programs offered by public library outlets, groups for which adult lifelong learning programs are specifically offered, and barriers to providing lifelong learning programs for adults with learning and/or physical disabilities. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but it's also online in pdf format at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003010.

Study Group Outline for Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach. Odessa College Noel Center ESOL Program (Spring 2002). Odessa, TX: Odessa College. This outline was used by a teacher study circle at Odessa College to guide them in group study of the book, Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults, by Jane Vella (Jossey-Bass, 1994). Also available in full text on TCALL's website. (Click on "Documents" for this and other full-text resources on our site.) Book is available as a separate loan item. The Clearinghouse also has enough copies to of the book to lend a program up to ten copies for a teacher study group - first come, first served.

Using NRS Data for Program Management and Improvement: With Professional Development Manual. Condelli, Larry, and Zaidi, Aashti (April 2003). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. National Reporting System program and performance data can provide valuable information to local programs and others involved in program management and improvement. In March and April 2003, the American Institutes for Research conducted train-the-trainer workshops on Using NRS Data For Program management and Improvement. State teams from 43 states attended these trainings, which offered a model for using NRS data, ideas on data presentation and analysis and how effective use of data can shape program practices and policies. The training was based on an accompanying guidebook. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but the documents are also available for downloading at: http://www.nrsweb.org/activities.asp.

Reading and Adult English Language Learners: A Review of the Research. Burt, Miriam, Peyton, Joy Kreeft, and Adams, Rebecca (2003). Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. Learning to read in English is difficult for adult English language learners. Teachers know that their learners come from diverse backgrounds, have different experiences with literacy in their first languages, and have various reasons for learning English. They also know that there is no simple recipe to help their students become proficient readers. What does the research say? How does it inform instructional practice? This book summarizes the research on adult English language learners reading English, offers ESL teachers and administrators suggestions for instruction, and points to areas where further research is needed. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY, but loan copies available for out-of-state requestors.

What's New? Reaching Working Adults with English for Speakers of Other Languages Instruction (ESOL): A Best Practices Report. Wisz, Robert and Raphael, Jody (July 2002). Chicago, IL: Center for Impact Research. Many employed immigrants hold down multiple jobs, work overtime and/or on rotating schedules, making access to ESOL classes difficult due to scheduling and fatigue. This report endeavors to answer the questions, "How then, can ESOL learning be reorganized to enable adult learners who are employed to upgrade their English language skills? Can ESOL services be offered along a continuum, with systems providing various services, geared to immigrants with differing levels of commitment to learning English, as well as changing or rotating schedules and time limitations? How can effective learning opportunities be offered in the home, at the workplace, and in accessible community locations, such as shopping centers and churches?"

English Language Instruction for Incarcerated Youth: ERIC Digest. DelliCarpini, Margo (May 2003). Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. The prison population is disproportionately younger, less educated, and more linguistically and culturally diverse than the rest of U.S. population. Many are parents. Most will return to the correctional system after release. Against the backdrop of this grim reality, what can an ESL teacher working with youth (ages 16-24) in correctional settings do to help them learn English and be less likely to return to the system? This digest discusses the issues and challenges in providing English language instruction to Latino and other linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) incarcerated youth ages 16-24 and suggests best practices and models to provide this intervention in correctional settings. Some recommendations include incorporating family literacy, life skills, and pre-employment skills into instruction.

Reading and Adult English Language Learners: The Role of the First Language: ERIC Q and A. Burt, Miriam and Peyton, Joy Kreeft (February 2003). Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. A number of factors influence the ways that adults' English literacy develops and the progress that different learners will make in learning to read English. They include level of literacy in the first language and in English, oral language proficiency in English, educational background, personal goals for learning English, and the structure and writing system of the first language. These factors must be taken into account in all areas of instructional program planning, learner placement in classes, and instructional approaches. This paper describes how one of these factors - literacy in the first language-can affect the acquisition of reading skills in English and the ways that instruction should be delivered.

Family Literacy programs in Texas ONLY may request one FREE copy of each title for use in Parent Education. Readers outside Texas can order the videos directly from the Reiner Foundation via their website: http://www.iamyourchild.org/shop.asp.

1. Safe From the Start. In this half-hour video, Gloria Estefan shows parents and caregivers how to keep children safe from accidental injuries. Includes information on automobile child safety seats, toy and gun safety, and provides practical advice to keep children safe both inside and outside the home.

2. Seguros Desde el Inicio. Spanish language version of Safe From the Start, hosted by Andy Garcia.

3. Your Healthy Baby. Children's health and nutrition is the focus of this half-hour video hosted by Phylicia Rashad, who discusses children's changing health needs as they grow and provides useful information on prenatal care, breastfeeding, visiting the pediatrician, children's nutritional needs and exercise.

4. Su Bebé Saludable. Spanish language version of Your Healthy Baby, hosted by Cristina Saralegui.

5. Discipline: Teaching Limits With Love. In this 27-minute video, pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton shows parents that setting limits is not punishment, but a loving way to teach a child how to control his or her own behavior. Subjects include: why a child actually looks for limits; why a firm but gentle approach is most effective; and how parents can manage their own emotions and avoid physical punishment.

6. Disciplina: Enseñando Límites con Amor. Spanish language version of Discipline: Teaching Limits With Love, hosted by Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Antonia Novello.

7. The First Years Last Forever. Hosted by Rob Reiner, 29-minute video helps new parents understand the importance of the first three years of life in the healthy development of their children. Summarizes the latest brain research, gives parents specific tips on how to build stronger bonds with their babies, and covers a wide range of parenting topics including: bonding and attachment, communication, discipline, self-esteem, health and nutrition, and child care.

8. Los Primeros Años Marcan Para Siempre. Spanish language version of The First Years Last Forever, hosted by hosted by Gloria Estefan.

9. Ready to Learn: Essential Tips for Early Literacy. 24-minute video hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis and LeVar Burton shows parents and caregivers many things they can do to help build a child's literacy skills from the time he is born.

10. Listos para Aprender. Spanish language version of Ready to Learn, hosted by Edward James Olmos.