FREE Things to Send For...
“You all ARE wonderful - I really don’t know what Texas adult educators would do without TCALL.”
Alex Baez
Bridges to Practice Training Coordinator
Austin, TX
Mentoring New Teachers
Adult Educators’ Guide to Designing Instructor
Mentoring.
Renee
Sherman, et al. Washington, DC: Pelavin Research Center, American Institutes
for Research, April 2000. Instructor mentoring is the process by which
a more experienced instructor or administrator nurtures the growth
of one less experienced through counseling, coaching, and supporting
reflective problem-solving. This guide includes sections on: the benefits
of mentoring in adult basic education programs; how programs can develop,
implement, and support mentoring; and appendices that include profiles
of mentoring in ABE and ESL programs. The Guide is a publication of
the “Building Professional Development Partnerships for Adult
Educators Project” (Pro-Net) sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy. Clearinghouse
at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Guide is also
available online: http://www.calpro-online.org/pubs/MentoringGuide.pdf
Critical Perspectives on Mentoring: Trends and Issues.
Catherine A. Hansman.
Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education,
2002. The chapters in this collection explore emerging viewpoints, issues,
and trends related to mentoring and adult learning and the potential of
mentoring to enhance as well as hinder learning in adulthood. Clearinghouse
at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Document is
also available online: http://cete.org/acve/pubs.asp — scroll down
page to find Major Clearinghouse Publications.
How Teachers Change: A Study of Professional Development in Adult Education:
Report Summary.
Cristine Smith, et al. Cambridge, MA:
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, November
2003. The NCSALL Professional Development Study investigated how adult education teachers
changed after participating in one of three different models of professional
development (multi-session workshop, mentor teacher group, or practitioner
research group), all on the same topic of learner persistence. The study
also investigated the most important individual, professional development,
program, and system factors that influenced the type and amount of teacher
change. Clearinghouse at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators
only. Report Summary is also available online: http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/report25a.pdf
Multilevel Classes
ESOL Starter Kit.
VALRC Associates and Jane Roy. Richmond, VA: Virginia
Adult Learning Resource Center, October 2002. The “ESL Starter Kit” was
first published in 1998 to help teachers and program administrators begin
or improve an adult ESL program. It offers ideas for testing, registering,
and placing students in the right class, and includes a sample registration
form, a sample placement test, a reference list of available commercial
tests, sample needs assessments, and a brief description of various program
models. Tips for effective teaching include advice on classroom management,
particularly with multi-level classes and special needs students. Clearinghouse
at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Kit is also available
online: http://www.aelweb. vcu.edu/publications/ESLKit/ESLKit_2002.pdf
Focus on Basics, March 2005.
NCSALL/World Education. Boston, MA, March
2005. Focus on Basics is a quarterly published by National Center for
Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. For this issue’s theme of “Modes
of Delivery”, Catherine Saldana contributed an article on “Differentiating
Instruction for a Multilevel Class”. Clearinghouse at TCALL distributes
free copies to Texas educators only. Back issues of Focus on Basics can
also be found on NCSALL’s website: http://www.ncsall.net
Focus on Basics, September 1997.
NCSALL/World Education. Boston, MA,
September 1997. This issue’s theme was multilevel classes, with
several articles focusing on that subject. Clearinghouse at TCALL distributes
free copies to Texas educators only. Back issues of Focus on Basics can
also be found on NCSALL’s website: http://www.ncsall.net
Multilevel Classes: Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy: Summer,
1997, Volume VII.
Adult Literacy Resource Institute, SABES Greater Boston
Regional
Support Center. Boston, MA: Adult Literacy Resource Institute, 1997.
The thirteen articles in this issue were written by teachers of ABE,
ESOL, and GED, who have investigated various aspects of the multilevel
question in their own classrooms. Before any of the writing started,
a core group of teachers gathered to discuss their perceptions, concerns,
and insights about the issue of multilevel classes. The Introduction
summarizes this discussion. Some subjects considered in the articles
include: reading strategies that allow for students with a wide range
of abilities to work on similar material; the potential of a student-generated
project to increase group cohesion in a multilevel class; an examination
of grouping students by ability; why cooperative learning sometimes
works well and sometimes doesn’t; teaching a multilevel math class;
and staff development activities in multilevel arena.
Taking a Closer Look at Teaching and Learning
in Adult Education Classrooms: ILRDC News & Views.
Illinois Literacy Resource Development Center.
Champaign, IL, October 2001. This issue of the ILRDC newsletter describes
a classroom observation study conducted in 2000-2001. In the ILRDC study,
nine multi-level adult education classes across Illinois were observed
and teacher interviews were conducted. This newsletter summarizes challenges
to teaching and learning in these classrooms; multilevel teaching strategies
that were observed; and teaching, learning, practice, and policy implications
of the study’s findings. Clearinghouse at TCALL distributes free
copies to Texas educators only.
Teacher Action Research
Action Research. Richard Donato. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Language and Linguistics, December 2003.Action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers to gather information about the ways that their particular school operates, how they teach, and how well their students learn. Action research can inform teachers about their practice and empower them to take leadership roles in their local teaching contexts. This Digest describes a framework for action research, an example of action research in an elementary school Spanish class, and features of action research.
Adult Literacy Practitioners as Researchers: ERIC Digest EDO-LE-94-03.
Cassie Drennon.
Washington, DC: ERIC/Center for Applied Linguistics, July
1994. This digest examines thinking that underlies practitioner inquiry,
explains the phases of an inquiry process, and gives examples of projects.
It concludes by identifying concerns with the approach and by suggesting
changes that must take place if inquiry is to be viably implemented as
a staff development process.
The Implications of Teacher Action Research for
Inservice Teachers’ Professional
Development.
Florence M. Marquardt. Jacksonville, FL: University of North
Florida, 1998. This report was prepared for the Annual Meeting of the
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, held in New Orleans
on February 26, 1998. In collaboration with a group of Duval County Public
School teachers, Marquardt reports on teacher action research implemented
in an urban school professional development project, and the impact on
participants at both the university and elementary school level.
Teacher As Researcher: ERIC Digest ED355205.
Beverly Johnson. College
Park, MD: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment & Evaluation, 1993. This
ERIC Digest discusses the concept of teacher-as-researcher, which encourages
teachers to be collaborators in revising curriculum, improving their work
environment, professionalizing teaching, and developing policy. Subjects
include: roots in action research; purpose of teacher action research;
why it is important; and its effects on teaching and learning.
Family Literacy
The Evaluation Exchange: A Periodical on Emerging Strategies in Evaluating
Child and Family Services, Volume X Number 2.
Harvard Family Research
Project. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education, Summer 2004.
Early childhood programs and evaluation are the focus of this issue, with
articles charting the course of early childhood programming and evaluation
over nearly half a century. Contributing authors offer a range of views
on how best to communicate the importance of investing in a child’s
early years and how to improve early childhood programs and policies. Several
articles consider the explosion of science from longitudinal studies
of child outcomes to a large-scale demonstration program that has
helped forward our understanding of how young children learn and grow.
Finally, a number of articles suggest that better information is needed
to close the persistent gap in achievement between children from low-income
families and those from middle-income homes. Also available online: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue26/
Fool’s Gold: A Critical Look at Children
and Computers.
Colleen
Cordes and Edward Miller. College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood, 2000.
This report focuses on evidence that computers offer few advantages in
early childhood and elementary education, with the aim of promoting healthier
and more considered policies on computer use in childhood. Some of the
questions considered include: Do computers really motivate children to
learn faster and better? Must five-year-olds be trained on computers today
to get the high-paying jobs of tomorrow? Do computers really “connect” children
to the world? The Executive Summary concludes, “The renewal of education
requires ... commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention
to the full range of children’s real low-tech needs — physical,
emotional, and social, as well as cognitive.” Clearinghouse at TCALL
distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Also available on the
Alliance for Childhood website (http://www.allianceforchildhood.net) is
a Spanish language version of this report, as well as a 2004 follow-up
report, “Tech Tonic: Towards a New Literacy of Technology.”
Healthy Minds: Nurturing Your Child’s Development.
Zero to Three
and American Academy of Pediatrics. Washington, DC, 2003. What do we really
know about how a young child develops? What can parents do to best support
their child’s healthy development and growing brain? Some of the
answers are in this series of Healthy Minds handouts. Each handout is based
on findings from a report from the National Academy of Sciences that examined
the research on child and brain development to establish what is known
about the early years. These handouts based on the report were developed
to coincide with well-baby check-ups. Thus, two-page handouts (one in English
and one in Spanish) are provided for: 0 to 2 months; 2 to 6 months; 6 to
9 months; 9 to 12 months; 12 to 18 months; 18 to 24 months; and 24 to 36
months. Each handout summarizes key findings and suggests how parents might
be able to use the research findings to nurture their own child’s
healthy development. Handouts are reproducible for nonprofit, educational
purposes, provided the content and format are not changed. Clearinghouse
at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Also available
online: http://www.zerotothree.org/healthy minds/
Home Visiting: A Promising Early Intervention Strategy for At-Risk Families.
U.S. General Accounting Office. Washington, DC, July 1990. GAO reviewed
home visiting, focusing on: (1) the nature and scope of home-visiting programs
in the United States and Europe; (2) its effectiveness; (3) strategies
critical to the design of programs that use home visiting; and (4) federal
options in using home visiting. Some of the findings were that: (1) some
programs using home visiting improved the health and well being of families
and children; (2) home visiting reduced the need for more costly services,
but minimal research has compared its cost-effectiveness to other early
intervention strategies; (3) some programs using home visiting failed to
meet their objectives, primarily due to fundamental program design and
operation problems; and (4) successful programs usually combined home
visiting with center-based and other community services adapted to their
target group’s needs. Clearinghouse at TCALL distributes free copies
to Texas educators only. Also available online: http://archive.gao.gov/d23t8/141782.pdf
Intergenerational Literacy Notebook.
Karen Carr, Project Coordinator.
Denver, CO: Colorado Department of Education, February 2004. This collection
of thematically based activities for adults and their children to complete
together was designed for adult education, Even Start, and Migrant Even
Start programs in Colorado. A majority of the activities are designed for
English language learners and are life skills based. Science and social
studies activities primarily target the ABE/GED learner. Themes include:
Community Services, Consumer Economics, Employment, Health, Housing, Transportation,
Science, and Social Studies. Each thematic unit includes group activities
as well as some that require minimal teacher support and could be used
as take-home activities. Numerous reproducible elements are included. Clearinghouse
at TCALL distributes free copies to Texas educators only. Also available
online: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeadult/iglindex.htm
Making a Difference: A Framework for Supporting First and Second Language
Development in Preschool Children of Migrant Farm Workers.
Robert A. Stechuk
and M. Susan Burns. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development,
2005. The authors share the research base, important findings, and recommendations
for teaching practices and program policies related to first and second
language development in preschool children. Information is presented as
responses to four key questions: 1) Can we facilitate children’s
acquisition of English without the loss of Spanish (i.e., their first language)?
2) How can we understand the how and when of developmental processes related
to first and second language acquisition? 3) Does it matter how adults
use English and the children’s home language when they talk to children?
4) When we continue development of the first language and facilitate English,
what does it look like day-to-day?
