September has been a very busy month! We have welcomed fall, classes are back in session, and our Reading & Writing Community of Practice has featured many interesting and informative discussions! Nearly twenty colleagues have joined our community and we have hosted fifteen discussions with more than 6115 Views and 130 Comments! While these are all “September” discussions, they are all still open and available for additional comments, so please continue to share your thoughts and ideas.
In summary our discussions included:
- LINCS Monthly Tips provided guidance on creating and commenting on posts. This is great information, especially for new members!
- Cross-Posted Discussions included:
- Exploring Media Literacy for Adult Learners This discussion defined media literacy education as help[ing] individuals of all ages develop habits of inquiry and skills of expression needed to become critical thinkers, effective communications and active citizens in a world where mass media, popular culture and digital technologies play an important role for individuals and society.
- Does your adult literacy program host a community read? Do adult learners participate in improvisation, writing and performance projects? Redlands California Adult Literacy Program's chose Seedfolks by award-winning author Paul Fleischman as its community read this year, and hosted a free performance of the book.
- MakeBelliefsComix.com Launches Comic Starters ESOL/Writing Features According to Bill Zimmerman, creator of the free comic generating website, this new feature is part of his mission to encourage people to discover their writers’ voices and to explore all that is within their hearts and imaginations.
- Symposium: Adult Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, featuring Dexter Manley The Symposium featured a keynote address from Superbowl Champion, Dexter Manley, who did not learn to read until well after his football career.
- International Day of Listening
- AEFLW and WTD Lottery Drawing
- Favorite Tools for GED RLA Extended Response
- New Handbook on Adult Literacy
- Family Literacy In this discussion we were joined by Dr. Betsy Jones, Director of Polytech Adult Education/Family Literacy in Kent County, Delaware; Staci Croom-Raley, Executive Director for Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), based in Arkansas; and Kirsten Wittkowski , Adult Education Coordinator and Instructor for Briya Public Charter School in the Washington, DC area. During this activity we discussed ways to implement a family literacy model in local adult education programs and we explored new ways to engage adult learners, instructing them to teach their children, build their own literacy skills, and train them to confidently develop leadership skills in the process.
- Build Your Own Toolkit with CrowdEd Learning This is an ongoing discussion, so please continue to participate! It includes highly engaging videos, explorations, and discussions, as participants have been introduced to a wide range of open educational resources for use in adult education for reading, writing, and language instruction. So far, we have been introduced to CrowdED Learning’s resources, and resources and strategies for comprehension instruction
- How will you celebrate Adult Education and Family Literacy Week?
October promises to bring more purposeful and engaging discussions! Beginning tomorrow, we are continuing our CrowdED learning discussion with a focus on fluency.
My quote for September is: "I am not a teacher, but an awakener." Robert Frost
As always, please share your thoughts and ideas!
Jeri
As always, please share your thoughts and ideas!