For someone who says that they are not where everyone else is yet, I find that you are way ahead in instinct, Jeff.  If we are to reach adults struggling to learn and get ahead, we have to stop looking for a magic bullet or secret formula that will make it all just fall into place for them.  The most important thing to remember is just what Jeff has said he does -  Find out where there are, as each adult learner is at a different place in their learning, and help them find ways that work for them to get them where they need to go.  There is no "one size fits all" and there's no one program, strategy, or method that will work for everyone.  We need to take the time (which none of us have enough of) to sit with them individually and find out what they need.  The best thing we can do for our students is to arm ourselves with as many methods and ideas as possible as we never know which one we'll need to pull out to assist a particular student.  Research, read, use the web, attend as many inovative trainings and workshops as possible, and network with others just like you who are creatively making their own way in the class rooms.  I've found that some of the best ideas that really work, were from those creative individuals in the classroom who didn't have what was needed so they came up with their own.Grace Temple,Director,
 Sanilac Literacy Counciltemplege at hotmail.com
 

> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:00:47 -0400> From: alphact at eastlink.ca> To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1792] Re: itunes u> > Hi Nadia and everyone,> > Excellent comments and thoughts. Computers will play a role in how we> educate, but for many of the people we help educate, they will have to learn> basic computer skills as well as GED and such. > > As I instruct others, I am becoming aware that teaching is knowing more than> "the how", it is the understanding of how each student learns and their> motives for learning. As an instructor/teacher, I look for knowledge that> will help me teach others where they are at. What nugget can I learn that> will help my next student move onward. I humbly must say that I am not at> where most of you appear to be in knowledge or education wise. For people> like us, having access to this type of material that you are discussing> would be a great asset. > > Yet I fear that time is against us since there is only so much each day. My> Grandfather once said..."Talk is cheap, it takes money to buy rum." I hope> through this discussion that those that can will make a real effort to> provide training for those of us that help others learn. I pray that there> will be money to help us develop those materials that are needed... to help> us help others. I really hope that we will all matter in the lives of those> people we touch.> > Regards to all,> > Jeff Brown> Alpha Computer Training and Consulting> www.alphacomputer.ca> info at alphacomputer.ca> > -----Original Message-----> From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov> [mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Nadia and> Kevin Colby> Sent: December-09-07 1:46 PM> To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1791] Re: itunes u> > Thank you for the resource, David. I really think this> is a wonderful way to access higher education services> that ultimately will help our students. Talking again> about professional development and professional wisdom> and the difficulty both to define and measure the> latter term I would like to add the following. I> wholeheartedly agree with Mev from WE LEARN in terms> of the political and social issues that frame adult> education and that we as adult educators have the> responsibility to be informed about. My comments are> written with the outmost respect for all the people> that read this list. That being said I think that in> order to better help our students and being aware of> all the challenges they face (which at times are> similar to ours since we live in a world where> everything, including knowledge, is a commodity) we> can use serious research in cognition. As Universal> Design has been applied to the standards I have a> question for those who do research regarding this> "method" (is it a method, a philosophy, sorry, I> honestly don't know how to define UD). What is the> relationship between UD and recent research in> cognition in first and second language acquisition? > For example, will UD inform me about the relationship> between the lenght of a sentence, the salience of the> targeted linguistic item of the lesson, the potential> problems connected to form (say inflections for> singular third person) and meaning, short term memory> limitations, and the performance of my students? I am> thinking about a population whose level of English is> oftentimes 0 when I start working with them. And who,> as you all know, may be illiterate, functionally> illiterate, or literate in languages whose symbols I> know nothing about. > We, as adult educators need quality courses in> cognition. We don't need to be experts because then> we would be doing mostly research instead of teaching> our students, but surely understanding some of the> components that pertain to second language acquisition> in a way that allows us to use them in the classroom> will be a great step ahead for ESL teachers.> > Take these comments from someone that is both learning> to love linguistics and adjusting to being humbled by> the difficulty posed by research in language> acquisition> > Nadia Quiroz-Colby> > > --- "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net> wrote:> > > Technology and Professional Development Colleagues,> > > > itunes -- the Apple online music store -- now has a> > new area offering > > free university and college lectures and other> > education > > presentations. It is called itunes university or> > itunes u.> > > > http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu/> > > > If you have a look, consider the following:> > > > 1. Is there anything there that would be useful to> > adult secondary > > education classes (GED, EDP, ADP, or College> > Transiton) for > > introducing their students to college? If so, what?> > > > 2. Would it be useful to have a new category on> > itunes u, under > > "Beyond Universities" for Teacher Training or> > Teacher Improvement . > > (For example we now have links to over 30 free,> > short adult ed > > classroom videos on the MLoTS Web site [ > > www.mlots.org ]. Itunes u > > might include those as well as other kinds of> > professional > > development videos and slide shows. Would it be> > worthwhile for me to > > ask itunes u to set this up? If they did, would you> > use it?> > > > > > David J. Rosen> > djrosen at comcast.net> > > > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------> > National Institute for Literacy> > Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list> > professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > > > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings,> > please go to> >> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment> > > > Email delivered to thecolbys at prodigy.net > > > > Professional Development section of the Adult> > Literacy Education Wiki > >> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Developme> nt> > > > ----------------------------------------------------> National Institute for Literacy> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment> > Email delivered to info at alphacomputer.ca > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Developme> nt> ----------------------------------------------------> National Institute for Literacy> Adult Literacy Professional Development mailing list> professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov> > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/professionaldevelopment> > Email delivered to templege at hotmail.com > > Professional Development section of the Adult Literacy Education Wiki > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Adult_Literacy_Professional_Development

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