August 2017 - Adult Basic Literacy

Program News



  
"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you."
~Oprah Winfrey

I attended an academic conference last month. I relished being in the midst of great thinkers, people out doing research on what works in reading instruction, and opportunities to engage in conversations about ideas and theory. I like that stuff and always come away feeling refre shed and like I got what I needed ... even though I didn't realize I needed the recharge. 
 
This conference was on miscue, and I was invited to participate in a symposium that explored the many ways that this theory has been put into practice across a whole spectrum of experiences. Along with me were eye movement researchers, a team who worked with parents, university professors, and classroom teachers. I represented how we have incorporated  miscue research and theory into our community literacy work.
 
A conference of academics and researchers is an easy place for me to feel completel y intimidated. And yet, what I left with after my presentation was the reaffirmation that we DO have something to offer to this body of knowledge. We are doing really important work in very unique ways. We use miscue as a way of listening to our students and honoring their knowledge and experiences. We use miscue as a tool that informs us and guides us. We teach our volunteers about miscue, and they share it with their learners. Parents and grandparents take this new way of listening home and share it with the kids in their lives and with their partners. It spreads.
 
I ended my part of the presentation with the reasons why using miscue in community literacy work matters ... and heads all around the room were nodding in agreement. I went to the conference knowing I would learn new things but underestimating the value of what I had to offer, too.

As you work with your learners, remember that you have something to offer them. And in return, they have something to offer you. This work is symbiotic ... as we engage with each other, we both grow.

~ Edie

Basic Literacy Program Director
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Save the Dates for our new Professional Development Parties!
These events are scheduled on a Saturday morning each quarter of the upcoming year. We will provide time and space for collaborating with your peers, short workshops or facilitated discussion sessions, special events or speakers ... and LUNCH! Please RSVP for at least one of these sessions! 
  • Saturday, August 19 from 9:00 - 12:00 -- "Reconnect with ABL: Fostering Independence in our Adult Learners"
  • Saturday, November 18 from 9:00 - 1:00 -- Keynote and discussions to reflect on relational power structures between tutors and their students
  • Saturday, February 25 from 9:00 - 1:00 -- Literacy Connects' Super Saturday mini-conference. 45-minute workshops with new techniques you can use with your students in your next session.
  • Saturday, May 19 from 9:00 - 12:30 -- Literacy and Language Learning: Tips and Ideas for Working with Adult Learners. Have you or your student gotten into a rut? Get new ideas and reminders of old ideas.
Summer Professional Development opportunities 
  • Book Discussion--Join Edie on Monday, August 28 from 9-10:30 am to discuss ideas and personal connections to the book Lives on the Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America's Educationally Underprepared by Mike Rose. It's an interesting look into the assumptions made about, and the realities lived by those who are deemed "remedial, illiterate, intellectually deficient." A few copies are available in the Literacy Connects library. Register here.
Additional Professional Development opportunities 

  • Book clubs and discussions--TBD and by request!
  • Refresher training (4 cohorts per year; attend any or all sessions)
  • Observations and coaching of classes or 1:1 sessions (by request of any            ABL staff person) 
  • Workshops through Reading Seed--check their PD page for updates and            offerings monthly

  • actionsCommunity Actions      
    Help us recruit!
    Literacy Connects has 2  AmeriCorps positions  available for 2017-2018! Read all the positions on our website. We are looking for great people to fill the following positions:
    For more information, check out the   Arizona Serves website and scroll down to "AmeriCorps state positions."

    Bookmans Back-to-School Book Drive
    For the entire month of August, Literacy Connects is teaming up with Bookmans for a Back-to-School Book Drive to benefit our Reading seed program. 

    From August 1st - August 31st, you can drop off new or gently-used children's books at any Bookmans location in Tucson!  Look for the white Literacy Connects box at your favorite store. 

    We will celebrate at a special block party at the midtown Bookmans (3330 E. Speedway Blvd.) on August 26 from 4-8pm with a special performance by Stories that Soar!  


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    Literacy Connects | 200 E. Yavapai Rd. Tucson, AZ 85705 | (520) 882-8006 

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