Donna and Colleagues:

 

The adrenalin rush is still on, and I have to share with you the wonderful
experience a number of us in Texas have had over the past three days.  This
year Alamo Community College District's Vice Chancellor for Professional,
Technical, and Workforce Education hosted a three day Workforce Literacy
Summit devoted solely to addressing the needs of the limited English
proficient in our Texas workforce.  The state office of Adult Basic
Education (Texas LEARNS) was one of several co-hosts.  The conference was by
some measures small, but oh-so-powerful!  About 140 adult and post secondary
educators, community stakeholders, employers, and workforce development
network representatives attended from across the state (we did have
visitors/presenters from Chicago, Milwaukee, and Washington state, but this
first year our primary target was Texas). 

 

Our keynote speakers were internationally and nationally recognized; we had
state and local officials attend, and we heard from business and industry.
We also featured six Models in Action - initiatives across the country and
state that are meeting with significant success. Day 3 was devoted to
discussion and action plan development.  Fortunately, ACCD is in a position
to support and sustain the momentum, so this will only get better and
bigger.  I've helped plan many a conference and workshop, but this was
indeed at the top of the list in terms of personal satisfaction and the
excitement generated among participants.  

 

I am convinced that much of the conference's success had to do with our very
focused agenda; distractions and opportunities for political posturing were
minimized, and folks could really immerse themselves in the topic as speaker
after speaker, presenter after presenter, discussion and after discussion
focused on the various needs of this population. 

 

I too remember the workplace conferences of years past.  This was by far one
of the best for folks venturing into workforce literacy for the first time.
The need for systemic change was a popular topic, and the outcomes will
follow up on that need.  We had opportunity to showcase some of our best
models, to familiarize attendees with resources at their disposal, While the
air was definitely "charged", the fact that all left knowing that there will
be follow up and support, quarterly exchanges, etc.  encouraged even the
most skeptical.

 

Additional info about the Summit will be shared on the website for the Texas
Center for Adult Literacy and Learning (http://www-tcall.tamu.edu
<http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/> ), and Alamo Community College will also
establish a practitioner blog.  If you've never been to San Antonio during
Fiesta week, you will want to look for announcements about the 2nd annual
Workforce Literacy Summit.  

 

Those of us who have been around for a while know that there are
conferences, and there are conferences.  I am really proud to have been a
part of this event.  Now, back to the work generated by so many great minds
coming together!  

 

Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani

Texas LEARNS

Workforce Literacy and Transitions

 

  _____  

From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Brian, Dr Donna J G
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:17 PM
To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Workplace 1298] COABE; national workplace conference

 

COABE Attendees,

I've gone through the presentations scheduled for COABE that are up on the
conference website and picked out the ones that I thought might have to do
with workplace from the titles. (You can access the schedule at
http://www.coabeconference.org/schedule.html.) The descriptions of the
sessions are not given, so I just had to go by the titles and presenters
that I knew were in workplace ed.  I'll add more if more are sent to me.
The sessions that were sent in to me have the descriptions with them.  I'll
send another version out if more are sent to me by Friday at noon. There
aren't as many sessions on this list as there usually are at COABE that are
workplace related, so I'm sure there must be others that just aren't obvious
from their titles.  Hopefully there will be a workplace strand that will
identify related sessions in the program.  What I have so far is below. I
listed all the times for the concurrent sessions, whether I knew of a
workplace presentation in that session or not.

 

For those of you who attend a work related presentation at COABE, put a
little summary on the list afterwards, sometime next week, say, so that
those who were unable to attend this year can have the benefit of your
attendance.

 

To respond to Mary Henderson's query, " Does anyone else think that there
should be a National Conference just for workplace literacy and related
issues?" I want to say that until this year we did have a conference where
we shared formally and informally about our work in workplace/force
education.  It was called the "Peer Conference" and started with the
southeastern states who, after several successful years, then opened it up
to the entire nation.  Last year, it was a pre-conference at COABE.  It was
a good time to share and learn from each other and was a combination of more
formal presentations by experts in the field and less formal sharing.  It
takes someone or rather several someones to take the responsibility to plan
it and make it happen.  We used to pass it from one state to another when it
was a southern states thing.  There isn't any reason why we can't make this
happen again as a preconference to COABE next year.  Is there any interest
on this list for trying to make this happen?  Anyone willing to take the
lead, if others are willing to help? Might we be able to get the sponsorship
of OVAE or some other entity?  What do you think?

 

Donna

 

Donna Brian

Moderator, LINCS Workplace Literacy Discussion List

Off-list contact djgbrian at utk.edu

 

To post a message:

 <mailto:workplace at nifl.gov> workplace at nifl.gov

 

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COABE 2008

Workplace Related Sessions

 

Monday, April 28, 2008

 

Full day sessions:  8:30 - 3:30        

Evidence-based Practice: A Workshop for Training Adult Basic Education,
TANF and One-Stop Practitioners and Program Administrators
Sponsored by: LINCS Regional Resource Centers
A one-day workshop to help practitioners and administrators in adult basic
education, TANF (Transitional Assistance for Needy Families) and One Stop
programs to understand evidence-based practice and develop strategies for
continuously accessing, understanding, judging and using research. Through
fun activities, discussions, simulations and action planning, participants
will learn some basic concepts about research design and methodology,
research on reading instruction for adults, and think about how to integrate
evidence-based practices into their instruction.

 

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

 

9:30 - 10:30, Concurrent Sessions A

*	Coordinating Adult Education and One-Stop Services: Lessons Learned
Presenter (s): Judith A. Alamprese 

 

11:00 - 12:00, Concurrent Sessions B

 

 

12:15 - 1:45, Networking Luncheon: Cheryl Keenan/ Q & A

 

 

2:15 - 3:15, Concurrent Sessions C

 

*	From Pilot to Placement: Guiding New Refugees Through the Language
of Work
Presenter (s): Mark Keitges 

 

3:45 - 4:45, Concurrent Sessions D

 

*	Fit for CASAS
Presenter (s): Pauline Geraci
*	The McDonald's Project: Ditching the Deficit Model, VESL Instruction
That Builds on Student Expertise 
Presenter (s): Lynn McGee 
*	From Behind Bars to Behind a Desk: Meeting the 
Psychological and Career Needs of Incarcerated Individuals
Presenter (s): Corie Schoenberg 

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

 

9:30 -10:30, Concurrent Sessions E

*	ATLAS: Adult Transitions Longitudinal Study
Presenter (s): Christine Smith & Peter Kinsley 
*	Beyond the GED: Preparing Students for Entry Level Positions
Presenter (s): John Greenwell & Tonya Crum 
*	Accessing Contextualized Language and Literacy Through American Film

: Aligning EFF, CASAS + Increasing Standardized Test Scores

Presenter (s): Marilyn J Rymniak 

 

11:00 - 12:00, Concurrent Sessions F

*	The Learner Web: A Learning Support System
The Learner Web (LW) is a new learning support technology.  A web and
telephone application, the LW provides guided support to adults to improve
basic skills, prepare for the workforce, GED, college transition or reach
other learning goals.  The LW is not a web portal or distance learning
product. It is a learning support system that matches Learners' goals to
on-line resources and local community resources such as adult education
programs, on-demand telephone help and tutors. (Room: St. Louis G)
Presenters: Steve Reder and David Rosen
*	EASY at Work
Presenter (s): John Dicker 
*	A Riverside Chat with Cheryl Keenan
Presenter (s): Cheryl Keenan & Mod. Sherrie Claiborn 

 

2:15 - 3:15, Concurrent Sessions G

*	The Impact of Limited English Proficiency on Work: 
Data from the Frontlines of Manufacturing Companies
Presenter (s): Nathalie Duval Couetil 
*	Undetected and Undiagnosed vision problems- obstructions 
to literacy and successful transition to the workforce
Presenter (s): Joan Hudson-Miller 

 

3:45 - 4:45, Concurrent Sessions H

*	Preparing for Work
The session will provide an overview and examples of interactive activities
from Equipped for the Future's Preparing for Work instructional modules,
which integrate the EFF Content Standards and SCANS skills, identified as
necessary for entry level workers.  Presenters will share student and
teacher experiences using the curriculum in a model program in Tennessee.
Presenters: Aaron Kohring and Judy Rye
*	Online Resources in the NIFL Workforce Competitiveness Resource
Collection: Success is at your Fingertips
This interactive workshop will facilitate participants' exploration of
online LINCS resources vetted by nationally known researchers in workforce
education, technology, and English language acquisition.
Presenters: Donna Brian and Priscilla Carman
*	Integrated Education I-BEST
Presenter (s): Jan Tegtmeier & Isreal Mendoza 
*	What does it take to change a life? A curriculum design for work
readiness
Presenter (s): Patricia Twaddle, M.Ed. 

 

Thursday, May 1, 2008

 

8:30 - 9:30, Concurrent Sessions I

 

 

9:45 - 10:45, Concurrent Sessions J

*	Work Stations at Work
Presenter (s): Sara Gutting 

 

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