I love your messages, Grace and Jeff.  Doing what most
of us do as adult educators, help in the best of our
knowledge, possibilities, and being aware of our
limitations is already a step ahead.  It does not
exclude suggesting that adult education agendas might
want to consider the needs of some of the most fragile
students and that in order to help them we  need more
than our best intentions. I guess that I am trying to
state that accessible information that pertains to
"how people learn" (as I interpret Jeff's words) might
be relevant to all of us.  We are running out of time
but after all professional development is an ongoing
process in our careers.  I share with you the
commitment, the love for ad. ed., and the goal of
knowing to the best of my possibilities each one of my
students.  So your words are heartening.

Nadia Quiroz-Colby
Instructor in Civics and ESL
New York City College of Technology  

  --- Grace Temple <templege at hotmail.com> wrote:


> 

> 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> > > >

> > > > >

>

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