South Central Region GREAT Center Logo. GREAT is an acronym for Getting Results Educating Adults in Texas. Housed at Education Service Center, Region 20, San Antonio.


South Central GREAT Successes

2006 ALAMO WORKFORCE SYSTEM AWARD

The ESC-20 Adult Education-South Central Region Project GREAT’s Second Annual Adult Education and Workforce: Charting the Course Toward Success Conference was awarded the Alamo WorkSource’s Community Collaboration/Partnership award at the Fourth Annual Banquet held on October 18, 2006.

This award recognizes collaborative efforts between two or more entities that have had a positive impact on the educational and workforce needs of community members within the Alamo WorkSource area. The ESC-20 Project GREAT Center, lead by Olga Escamilla, demonstrated innovative partnerships by providing this conference. The conference offered an avenue for adult education, workforce, higher education, correctional and business partners to come together to learn about each other in order to ultimately enhance services provided to the common client.

The conference hosted over 200 participants. The collaborative included ESC-20, Northside ISD, Northeast ISD, San Antonio ISD, Windham ISD, Wharton Community College, Alamo Community College, City of San Antonio, Alamo WorkSource, Project SER, Alamo Area Council of Governments, Gulf Coast Workforce Development, and numerous businesses from throughout the South Central Project GREAT Region.

Olga Escamilla and Rene Coronado
Left to Right: Dr. Federico Zaragoza, Vice Chancellor, Alamo Community College District and WorkSource Board Member; Rene Coronado, ESC-20 AE Coordinator; Olga Escamilla, ESC-20 Educational Specialist-SCPG; and Guadalupe Ruvalcaba, Alamo WorkSource Board Member and SAISD AE Director

ADULT EDUCATION LITERACY CONVOCATION

The Annual Adult Education Literacy Convocation was held on October 21, 2006. The convocation is an annual conference that allows educators of adults to come together for a full day of professional development. One hundred forty adult education and family literacy staff attended a total of twenty-nine sessions throughout the day. Sessions addressed all levels from ABE to GED and ESL.

ADULT EDUCATION WINTER MINI CONVOCATION

On January 27, 2007 the Second Annual Adult Education Winter Mini Convocation was held. This mini conference provided a total of fifteen sessions throughout the day and was attended by 94 adult education and family literacy staff.

SOUTH CENTRAL PROJECT GREAT, TRAIN-THE TRAINER

A series of four sessions were provided beginning in the fall (September 9, 2006 & November 18, 2006) and ended in the spring (January 13, 2007 & March 24, 2007). The sessions included:

  • Day 1: How the brain learns and presenting so the brain can learn most effectively, brain dynamics, VAK (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), learning styles, multiple intelligences, how the brain learns, how the brain processes information, retention in a learning episode;
  • Day 2: Organizing training with the brain in mind, brain based presenting techniques such as visuals, change-ups and processing activities, mind-mapping, making the environment rich for training, use of PowerPoint’s®, and music;
  • Day 3: Planning training activities with the brain in mind, facilitation of activities, and practicing in class;
  • Day 4: Adapting to the audience, encouraging participants and dealing with difficult audiences, and a cumulative review in the form of 15 minute presentation by participants.

SOUTH CENTRAL PROJECT GREAT, LEARNING DISABILITIES TRAINING

South Central Project GREAT trainers Theresa Sands and Jacklynn Martin developed two trainings that address the needs of students with learning difficulties. They are: Make Math Fun and Painless! Hands on Math Strategies for Adults with Learning Difficulties. Throughout this training instructors experienced a wide range of hands on strategies that help students become successful in math. A variety of examples that included characteristics of adults with learning difficulties and a variety of teaching ideas were presented. Participants engaged in auditory, visual and kinesthetic approaches to math that could be easily used in the classroom. Participants left this session informed with laws, activities, and knowledge about adults with special learning needs. The other training titled Learning Disabilities in the Adult Education Classroom with a Concentration in Reading provided a variety of strategies to help struggling adult learners become successful readers. A multi-sensory approach was used by incorporating auditory, visual tactile and kinesthetic activities. Research based information and teaching styles were addressed to help facilitate lessons that are practical for emerging adult readers.