Literacy Lagniappe Tip #20: Self-Reflection on Teaching

Hello Literacy AmeriCorps Members,

As you know, this is my last week working with all of you as your literacy coach. It has been a pleasure learning about your teaching experiences and learners at the various sites and sharing literacy resources with all of you. Although you will be continuing your year of service for a few more months, I thought it would be appropriate to leave you with a short reflection template that may be useful. This short document was created by the Center for Teaching Effectiveness (CTE) at the University of Texas at Austin. A Template for Self-Reflection on Teaching will be a helpful tool as you think about your instructional strategies and your learners' responses to your lessons/activities.

• A Template for Self-reflection on Teaching
  Ask yourself the following questions immediately after teaching a class session that you’re interested in. The process should help you get some ideas about things you do well and things you could do better.
  1. What were my goals for this teaching session?
  2. How was I trying to achieve them? What instructional strategies did I use?
  3. How did I try to assess student understanding of this content? How satisfied am I with their progress?
  4. What did I see my students doing during class? Were they attentive, interacting, taking notes, etc.?
  5. What do other important actors in the class (e.g. other instructors, the teaching assistants) observe about this class session?
  6. What key areas should I target for improvement?
  7. What can I do to improve the teaching of this content/class?
  
  Best wishes to all of you as you complete your last few months of service!
  Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #19: Read Beans and Writes

Hello Everyone,

The Greater New Orleans region has a new literary magazine written by adult education students called Read Beans and Writes. For those of you who are not from New Orleans and find the title puzzling this may help: Red beans and rice is a famous New Orleans dish usually served on Mondays in the city. The title was created by Rachel Nicolosi, Director of the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans to reflect both the spirit of education and New Orleans.

The magazine will serve as a place for adult learners to express themselves through the
power of the written word while improving their literacy skills. The Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans and Literacy AmeriCorps New Orleans will assist with the publication management and eventually the goal is to have the students do all aspects related to the magazine. Please visit RB & W online at the following link and enjoy essays, poems and recipes written by our adult learners.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #18: Classroom Resources about Financial Literacy

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share a resource with you about economic education. The Florida Council on Economic Education (FCEE) has created a website http://www.fcee.org/classroom-resources/ with free material available to teachers who may be teaching financial literacy principles. The website provides classroom resources that include workbooks and DVDS at grade levels ranging from K-12th grade. There are two areas I would encourage you to check out: The Classroom Resources tab that includes career, workforce and vocational material to assist students with resume writing, tax credits, job placement and much more. (This may be especially helpful if you are working with high school students who may be looking to apply for a summer job.)
The other area is the Financial Literacy tab. If you go to http://www.fcee.org/classroom-resources/financial-literacy/ there is a free DVD and curriculum for grade levels 6-12 about financial literacy. This particular resource is relevant to our students in New Orleans because the DVD is entitled, "Katrina in the Classroom." There are four chapters about financial responsibilities that include budgeting, banking, savings and wise use of credit. It is especially important to share this information with your students as we approach another hurricane season.

Thank you Chas Durant for recommending this site to me!

Happy reading!
Hazel

Regional GED Graduation in New Orleans

Hello Everyone,

The Second Annual Regional GED Graduation presented by the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans occurred Saturday, May 16th on the campus of Loyola University. Over one hundred students obtained their GED from local literacy providers this year and had the opportunity to walk across the stage in caps and gowns and celebrate their accomplishment with family and friends. Ten adult basic education and literacy organizations worked together to plan this event with graduates coming from Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. Check out the link below featuring the story about the GED graduation.

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/graduation_ceremony_honors_ged.html

Thanks to the AmeriCorps members for helping with the event!

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #17: More Information about Green Jobs

Hello Everyone,

I thought it would be helpful to post another tip about green jobs considering the current situation with the economy and many searching for jobs. The Finding Earth Works website http://www.findingearthworks.org/green.htm connects adult learners to information about the green economy, what it means and possible job opportunities. Alex Schroeder, an expert in the field of adult basic education and workforce development started Finding Earth Works. For those of you who talk to adult learners looking for jobs, please educate them about the green economy and green jobs that are available with sustainable wages.


Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #16: Green Jobs & Adult Basic Skills

Hi Everyone,

As we celebrate Earth Day today, I thought it would be appropriate to post some information about green jobs and adult learners. A few weeks ago, NIFL's Special Topics Discussion List addressed green jobs and basic skills. In response to a question about green jobs, the following resource was mentioned - Environmental Defense Fund's Green Jobs Guidebook, http://www.edf.org/article.cfm or http://www.greenforall.org/resources/green-jobs-guidebook. This guidebook provides the experience, training and skills needed for specific green jobs. Inform your learners about green jobs and let them know there are many possibilities for green collar jobs.

If you would like to learn more about a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty, check out Green For All - http://www.greenforall.org/. By advocating for local, state and federal commitment to job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging green economy – especially for people from disadvantaged communities – Green For All fights both poverty and pollution at the same time.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #15: Credible Resources about Dyslexia

Hello Everyone,

The website below was mentioned on the Learning Disabilities Discussion List. This site provides credible links to resources to help learners better understand dyslexia. After reading through some of the information on the website, one of the helpful instructional strategies listed was a suggestion from the International Dyslexia Association. IDA recommends using multi-sensory teaching when tutoring learners with dyslexia. http://www.dyslexiafacts.net/

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #14: Helping Your Child with Handwriting

Hello Everyone,

I found a helpful website about child development. This particular link has an article about handwriting and how to develop and strengthen fine motor skills. If you have adult learners who are parents (or may have some difficulty with fine motor skills themselves), please read the article at: www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/handwriting.shtml.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #13: Help with Spelling

Hello Literacy AmeriCorps Members,

I subscribed to NIFL's Learning Disabilities Discussion List (in partnership with the Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee) and there has been great discussion during the past few weeks. The next few tips will be information received from the discussion list. This tip will focus on spelling. Listed below is an online resource that provides guidelines for learning to spell and ways to practice spelling.
The website is: http://www.resourceroom.net/readspell/guidespell.asp.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #12: Learning Disabilities with Adults

Hello Everyone,

Many of you have requested information about learning disabilities (LD) with adults. The University of Tennessee, Center for Literacy Studies has led me to a link with a wonderful website about learning disabilities. Go to http://www.ldonline.org/indepth and then click on the bar on the left, "Adults with LD." On this page, you will see "Top Articles." There is an enormous amount of information at this website but I would ask you to read the second article on this page, "Assessment for Adults with LD and/or ADHD" by Kathleen Ross Kidder (1999). Please provide feedback about any and all information you found useful at this website.

Happy reading,
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #11: Goal Setting

Hello Everyone,

I would like to provide you with some information about goal setting in this post. Goal setting and needs assessment are critical when planning lessons for your learners. The following information was gathered during a session at the NCFL Conference presented by Bevin Taylor and Dee Bart, "By Students, For Students: Practical Ideas for Classroom Curriculum."

There is individual and class goal setting. It is best to set individual goals first. Start with what your learner knows and then move to what the learner needs to know.
When considering goals, they must be SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely

A few ideas about individual goal setting:
1. Use stories to begin the conversation.
(Encourage learners to think about how the story relates to their own life.)
2. Use pre-made goal forms that include opportunities to follow up (formally and informally) at a later date.

A few ideas about class goal setting:
1. Listen to your students. (Get to know your learners.)
2. Generate a list of themes and topics to cover and vote on topics.
3. Use dialog journals to capture ideas and thoughts.

For additional online resources about goal setting and needs assessments, go to:
Adult Learner Goals Toolkit, Colorado Dept. of Education
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeadult/download/pdf/GoalsToolkitR.pdf

Happy reading,
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #10: Online Literacy Games

Hello Everyone,

While at the NCFL Conference earlier this month, I attended a session about parenting resources. The Reading First-Ohio Center has two online courses for parents and families. The courses are free and provide literacy games parents can play with their children at home as well as a course on how the games are played in school. The website is www.readingfirstohio.org. Click on the "Families" link on the left side. Then click "Parenting for Literacy" on the next screen and find 7 literacy games that may be played at home. Playing games is a fun, interactive way to develop and strengthen language skills and allow parents to support their learning and their child's learning at home.

Happy reading,
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip # 9: Tutoring Hotline for LEAP Exam

Hello Everyone,

I was reading an online newsletter, The New Orleans Agenda by Vincent Sylvain and learned about a LEAP hotline the State Department of Louisiana has created for students in preparation for the LEAP next week. Please read the information from the newsletter below about LEAP preparation. This may be extremely helpful to your adult learners with children who will be taking any of the state's standardized tests during the next few weeks.

LEAP Tutoring Hotline
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is opening its LEAP tutoring hotline to help prepare students for statewide testing that begins in April. Tutors will be available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, March 9-31, for students who need assistance preparing for their LEAP test. The toll-free phone number for the LEAP Hotline is 1-877-453- 2721.

LEAP, iLeap and GEE exams will be given April 1-3 and April 6-7 in all Louisiana public schools. In addition to the practice tests and LEAP Hotline, LDOE offer students and families several other resources, including several online programs. LDOE's PASS-Online (Practice Assessment/Strengthen Skills), allows 3rd - 12th grade students to test their knowledge of English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies through online practice tests. The questions on these practice tests are formatted similar to those on the LEAP, iLEAP, GEE and LAA 2 exams. A key feature of this tutoring resource is the instructional feedback and support that students receive when they incorrectly answer a question.

Students must register the first time they access PASS-Online resources by logging on to www.louisianapass.org or LDOE's Web site, www.louisianaschools.net. Students can obtain a password through their school or by calling 1-877-453- 2721. If students do not have access to a computer or the internet after they leave school, parents, teachers or students may choose to log on to LDOE's Web site when they have access to a computer and print a copy of one or more of the PASS on Paper tests. These are short lessons in English language arts, mathematics, science and social students for 4th, 8th, 10th and 11th grade students. This resource also includes test-taking tips.

Students in 1st through 8th grade who want to focus on their math skills may want to take advantage of Newton's Classroom, which is another online resource offered through LDOE. This interactive resource contains mathematics tutorials. Each of the lessons is designed with three levels of basic skills and concepts. This is an excellent and fun resource for parents and students. Newton's Classroom can also be accessed by logging on to www.louisianapass.org or www.louisianaschools.net.

For further assistance or for more information about testing resources, please contact the LDOE Help Center toll- free at 1-877-453-2721, or visit LDOE's Web site at www.louisianaschools.net and click on LEAP & GEE Help Center.

Happy reading,
Hazel

National Center for Family Literacy Conference

Hi Everyone,

A few days after Mardi Gras, one of your Literacy AmeriCorps members (Caroline) and I traveled to Orlando, FL to attend the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) Conference. We gathered wonderful free literacy material published by NCFL and NIFL at the exhibit booth, attended several workshops and heard some wonderful authors and speakers that included Henry Winkler (A Tale of Two Tails), Greg Mortenson (NY Times bestseller, Three Cups of Tea), Peter Reynolds (The North Star), Greg Forbes Siegman (The First Thirty) and Jan Goldstein (All That Matters). During the next few weeks, please check the blog postings for information received during this conference. If you would like to learn more about the conference, go to NCFL's website: www.famlit.org and see some of the highlights.

Happy reading,
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip # 8: Fluency & Words Read Aloud Per Minute

Hi Everyone,

There was a question related to fluency: How many words should a learner read aloud per minute to be considered fluent? I went back and found one of the handouts Susan McShane distributed during the December training and found a fluency scale. If a learner reads more than 175 words aloud per minute, it is considered a "strength." However, if a learner is reading less than 60 words aloud per minute, the learner "needs improvement" with his/her fluency. According to the fluency scale, 115 words read aloud per minute is in the middle, between "needs improvement" and "strength" on the scale. I hope this is helpful in determining your learner's fluency strengths/needs after doing some of the timed leveled reading selections.

Happy Reading!
Hazel

Reminder - Bring Susan McShane's Book to Training Tomorrow

Hello Literacy AmeriCorps Members,

We met Friday, February 13th and shared wonderful lessons with each other. Using poetry to teach reading and language skills were just a few of the many lessons/activities presented. I plan to post some additional lessons related to poetry that you may use with your learners in the next few weeks, now that Mardi Gras is over and planning is complete for our training tomorrow.

During the past few weeks, I have reviewed your comments from the evaluations written during the last LAC meeting about information you would like to receive during our March 6th training. The agenda and training Susan McShane and I created reflects most of your requests. Those that may not be addressed tomorrow may be addressed through postings on the blog. Remember to check the blog for new online resources and lesson ideas!

Tomorrow we will focus on instructional planning and provide some information about financial literacy. Chapter 9 in Susan McShane's book, Applying Research In Reading Instruction For Adults: First Steps For Teachers, is about planning reading instruction for adults. She will review the principles of effective instruction along with other important information about grouping in multi-level classes.

PLEASE remember to bring your copy of Susan McShane's book, Applying Research In Reading Instruction For Adults: First Steps For Teachers to the training tomorrow. To refresh your memory a bit, it was the book given to you during the October training with an orange cover and spiral bound.

See you tomorrow morning,
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #7: Creating A Teaching Toolbox

Hi Everyone,

I was visiting the Thinkfinity website and went to the link, teach on Literacy Network, http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/TLN/content/think-free-fast-first-rate. There was a very useful teaching resource about assembling an ESL Teaching Toolbox. If you click on the link above, it will take you directly to the Literacy Network home page. After you click on the above link, scroll down and click on "Highlights" on the left. Then click on "Assemble an ESL Teaching Toolbox." Although this is about assembling a toolbox for ESL learners, many of the activities may be adapted, modified and used with other adult learners in Adult Basic Education (ABE), pre-GED or GED programs.

According to the last survey completed at the training, some of the AmeriCorps members wanted additional activities, especially those that would motivate and engage their learners. The ideas in this toolbox will provide you with activities to motivate your learners by using things that interest them and are relevant to their lives. These activities may also be used with learners on a variety of levels. The visual aids and activities discussed range from magazines, real objects, maps, money, family photos, surveys and going on field trips for learning.

Please post any of the activities you implement from the teaching toolbox and share with others.

Happy Reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #6: Thinkfinity Online Resource

Hi Everyone,

Some of you may already be familiar with Thinkfinity www.Thinkfinity.org - a free, educational website providing resources for literacy instruction and lifelong learning for everyone, funded by the Verizon Foundation. This website is loaded with resources for the educator, the student, the parent and for after school (helping children learn outside the classroom.)

On December 9, 2008, ProLiteracy, the world's largest organization of adult literacy and basic education programs posted a press release on their website http://www.proliteracy.org/ about the Thinkfinity Literacy Network (TLN). TLN is the adult and family literacy partner of Verizon's Thinkfinity.org website. Individual and organizational members of ProLiteracy who have used TLN say "the network has helped them to become better tutors and teachers and has made it possible for program directors to offer more professional development to staff and volunteers." Check out TLN at http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/TLN/ and read about their great teaching ideas and suggestions used with adult learners.

Take some time to read and learn about all of the valuable, top-quality educational resources at Thinkfinity and let me know how it has influenced your tutoring and teaching.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #5: Opportunity to Attend Virtual Conference

Hi Everyone,

I would like to share an opportunity for you to attend a free, virtual conference February 3 - 5, 2009. Please see the information below if you would like to sign up for a session. Your fellow Literacy AmeriCorps member, Adrian McGrath and I will be doing a session on the creation of the Literacy Lagniappe blog and how we have used it as a communication tool to share literacy resources and activities.

Happy reading!
Hazel


Read. Write. Act Conference
This year, in order to reduce our carbon footprint and reach more participants, SCALE decided to offer our annual Read.Write. Act. Conference as a “virtual” event. The registration for this year’s event will be FREE! We see this year as a pilot event and hope you will join us to explore new ways to learn and come together as a community.

A few things about registration:
Go to the link on our website and register. http://www.readwriteact.org/rwa/registration_2009.htm
Set aside time at work, school, or home to participate in webinars on February 3rd, 4th, or 5th.
Next week, we will send you a survey and ask you to sign up for individual workshops on one or all of the days.
Workshops will be scheduled between 11am and 6pm EST.
After you return the workshop survey, we will send you links to the events you’ve selected and participant “how-to” attend basics.
We look forward to learning with you at SCALE’s first Read.Write. Act. Virtual Conference!

The mission of SCALE is to mobilize and support college students and campus-based programs to address the literacy needs of this country. Through a dynamic partnership between campus and community, SCALE develops leaders who are agents of social change.

Reminder About Completing Assessments with Learners

Hi Literacy AmeriCorps members!

Just a reminder that we will review and discuss our questionnaire and assessments during Friday's training at Loyola. These are the items we discussed during the last LAC training:

Administer the following to a minimum of two learners at your literacy site:
1. Learner Questionnaire
(This was optional is there was something similar already in the learner's file.)
2. San Diego Quick Assessment
(This determines the independent, instructional and frustration reading level of your learner.)
3. Timed oral reading test (This assesses fluency - accuracy and rate.)

If you have any questions that need to be addressed before the meeting Friday, send me an email. During the meeting, we will review the assessments so please be prepared to share your experience with the group.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Literacy Lagniappe Tip #4: Strengthening Fluency With Your Learners

Hello Everyone,

The oral timed reading assessment you are administering will provide helpful, instructional information about your learners' fluency. Fluency is determined by accuracy, rate and phrasing or expression. One way to develop a lesson that works on improving fluency is to model fluency for your learner. This may be achieved through paired reading and alternating reading.

Before you do a paired reading or an alternating reading, it would be helpful if you read the passage aloud one time by yourself, having the learner follow along on his/her own copy of the text while you read aloud following your copy of the text. The learner will be able to hear your modeled reading, with expression and intonation. It also allows the learner to hear the pronunciation of words in the passage that may be unknown or difficult.

Paired Reading
When you do a paired reading, you are reading the passage aloud together, in unison. You read aloud at the same speed you would read as if reading a book aloud, observing punctuation and reading with expression and clarity. (Your speed may need adjusting if your learner is struggling to keep up with you.) You may scan your finger below the words while reading aloud to help the learner keep his/her place. It is helpful to sit side by side one another. Paired reading is extremely helpful to learners who do not feel comfortable reading aloud. It allows them to read aloud but with someone else reading along with them.

Alternating Reading
When you are alternating reading, you are reading a sentence or paragraph, then the learner reads the next sentence or paragraph. If the learner is struggling to read his/her sentence or paragraph, model reading the sentence/paragraph and then ask the learner to reread that same paragraph/sentence. Then return to taking turns reading a sentence/paragraph. It is helpful to ask a few comprehension questions after reading a paragraph to check for understanding. Alternating reading may be used during instruction with learners who are more at ease and comfortable with reading aloud.

Happy reading!
Hazel

Learner Questionnaire & Reading Assessments

Hello Literacy AmeriCorps Members,

Happy New Year! I just wanted to remind everyone about assessing at least two learners at your site during this month. For those of you who may have forgotten what to do during the holidays or were not present when I talked about the assessments December 19th, this is a recap:

1. Choose at least two learners at your site.
2. Using the materials from the daylong reading training at UNO, administer the Learner Questionnaire, the San Diego Quick Assessment and the timed oral reading test.
3. You may complete the questionnaire and the San Diego Quick Assessment in one sitting and then the timed oral reading test in another sitting.
4. You may do it all at one time if the learner is not tired and you have access to the Internet to retrieve the timed readings from the Marshall Adult Education website.
5. *Remember, you are using the grade equivalent obtained from the San Diego Quick Assessment to choose the appropriate leveled reading (from the Marshall Adult Education website) to administer the timed oral reading.
6. If there is already a learner questionnaire in the learner's file, it is not necessary to do another one. However, it may be helpful to ask some of the questions that do not appear on the questionnaire in the learner's file.
7. Please keep all of these documents in a folder because we will talk about the assessments during the January 30th training and I will collect them.

I would like to thank Noel for already assessing his students and sharing the process with us during the December 19th training. For those of you who were not there, Noel completed both assessments with two learners and he was able to do both assessments at the same time since he had access to the Internet. Noel, please feel free to post any helpful hints or comments to the LAC members about administering the assessments.

If you missed part or all of the Dec. 12th and/or Dec. 19th training and need assistance, please email me and I would be happy to set up a time to meet with you. -Hazel