"'I think that from very early ages we [in America] see struggle as an indicator that you're just not very smart ... It's a sign of low ability -- people who are smart don't struggle, they just naturally get it.'"
That is how education researcher Jim Stigler describes our American attitude toward struggle. It is a common view in our society that if a person is struggling, they are less capable or less intelligent.
If you were smart, you wouldn't have to work that hard
. But if we can help our adult students embrace the struggling and hard effort that is often involved in worthwhile endeavors, then they can be more likely to succeed and to feel better about themselves.
Math educator Dan Finkel lays out his argument in support of struggle in the article
Why Normalizing Struggle Can Create a Better Math Experience for Kids,
which also contains a link to his TEDx Talk
Five Ways to Share Math With Kids
. His ideas especially ring true in the adult classroom where so many students have already had experience struggling with mathematics concepts which then turns into negative experiences and emotional habits.
The article
Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern and Western Cultures Tackle Learning
identifies the differences in cultural approaches to difficult learning tasks. If you have students from Eastern cultures, then this could directly help you understand their cultural attitude. Even if you do not, it might help you to see struggle from a different angle and to envision a classroom environment where brave and determined students seek out and embrace challenges and know that doing so really is a sign of intelligence.
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Teaching Tips and Resources
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TABE 11/12 vs. CASAS
If you have wondered how the TABE 11/12 compare to the CASAS, TABE has shared
a chart
to help you compare them. These OCTAE-approved adult assessments have a lot in common, and it is important to understand their similarities and differences.
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Retesting: best practices from Edutopia
Edutopia recently shared an article about what might be the best practices for allowing students to retest after doing poorly on a test the first time. If this is an issue that concerns you, read
Allowing Test Retakes - Without Getting Gamed
to see how you can strike the right balance between emphasizing mastery and accountability.
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Career Pathways Resources for Employer Engagement
Identifying sectors or industries and engaging employers is the second key element noted in the
Career Pathways Toolkit
.
The Workforce Development Project staff is available to provide technical assistance around determining
sectors that are the focus of the Local Workforce Development Area Plan
,
getting involved with Next Gen Sector Partnerships, and determining Foundation Skills that are needed for High Priority Occupations. The
Effective Employer Engagement within the Workforce Development System
course is also available to take online through the PD Portal. For more information on sector strategies or employer engagement, contact KayLynn
(
klh267@psu.edu
)
or Chrissie
(
cok5111@psu.edu
).
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Five Research-Backed Studying Techniques
Our adult students do not have time to waste. This includes wasted time with ineffective studying techniques. A recent Edutopia article,
Five Research-Backed Studying Techniques
is a great exploration of what makes some ways of studying bad and others good. Helping our students learn how to learn is one of the most important skills we can teach them. These ideas can show the way.
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Coming soon: PAACE Tutor Blog
P
ennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE) will soon be creating a new tutor blog where tutors can share their experiences, knowledge, and expertise. To get started, PAACE is looking for input and blog ideas. If you have a suggestion, email
coordinator@paacesite.org and
include your name, organization, and contact information along with your topic.
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Professional Development Opportunities
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LINCS discussion on
Pathway to Success
article
The recent
COABE Journal Spring 2019 edition
about prison literacy is full of interesting articles. One is
Pathway to Success: Creating Individualized Career Pathways for Inmates and Reentrants
. This article presents the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' 60-hour "Pathway to Success" course for inmates who enroll in vocational coursework. Staff use the O*Net Interest Profiler to help inmates know the jobs that are available to them in their areas. LINCS has started a
discussion
of this article so that those working in a correctional setting can share their thoughts and experiences in this area.
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Panel discussion about
College Behind Bars
The documentary
College Behind Bars
shows the story of a dozen men and women as they work to earn their college degrees within the American prison system through the Bard Prison Initiative, one of the country's most rigorous prison education systems. On Tuesday, June 4, 5-7 p.m., the Harrisburg radio station WITF will host a free preview screening of this documentary series, followed by a panel discussion of the role of education in Pennsylvania prisons. WITF will hold this event at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, PA. To learn more about this event, see
the WITF website
.
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June Distance Education webinars
The Distance Education Technical Assistance Project will hold short webinars in June highlighting resources on the list of resources approved for supplemental distance learning. One webinar that covers IXL, a fairly unique product, will be on June 5, 2019, at 12:00 noon. A Resource Roundup, a very brief recap of all resources currently approved (aside from Khan Academy, USA Learns, and IXL), will be at 12:00 noon on June 12, 2019. Each webinar will be approximately 20-30 minutes of content, followed by time for questions. No registration is needed and you can join the webinar at
https://paiu.zoom.us/j/6459492181.
The host will open the webinar room at 11:30 a.m. each day. Please join at least 10 minutes early if possible. If you have any questions, please contact
Chuck Klinger.
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Webinar replay: TABE 11/12 and TASC High School Equivalency Updates and Overviews
If you did not attend this recent webinar presented by COABE, you can now
view the recording online.
This video will give you a first look at the new TABE 11/12 and describe the new subtest structure as well as the length, testing time, item types, and alignment to NRS Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) and adult education standards. You will also see the improved Locator and the online testing pladform, INSIGHT.
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State and National Adult Education News
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COABE seeking articles on leadership
The COABE Journal is focusing their October 2019 edition on the theme of "Leadership" and is
accepting articles about leadership at all levels including, but not limited to, student leadership, leadership in the classroom, teacher leadership, administrative leadership, leadership in giving, leadership in advocacy and public policy, or community leadership. If you have questions, contact journal@coabe.org or learn more and
submit a manuscript online
.
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NCTN Conference calling for proposals
The National College Transition Network (NCTN) will hold its annual conference November 11-13, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA. The theme is
Advancing College and Career Readiness: Preparing Adult Learners for the Digital World
. If you have an idea for a presentation that you could share at the conference, consider submitting a proposal. For more information on the NCTC Conference,
visit their website
, or learn more about submitting a
proposal online
.
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Toyota Teacher of the Year nominations now open
Nominations are now open for the 2019 Toyota Family Teacher of the Year award. This award recognizes teachers who make a positive impact in school- and community-based educational programming. The prize for first place is a $20,000 grant and the second place prize is a $5,000 grant. To learn more about requirements and criteria, see
the award's website
.
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Ready for documentation
No matter what grant you apply for, there are some documents that will always be required. Other documents are not quite in that category, but are requested often. A GetEdFunding blog post titled
Are You Grant Ready?
explains those two categories and can help you be sure that you will have all of the necessary documents when they are called for in the grant writing process.
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The job postings below are for adult basic education programs that are funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and, at least in part, by WIOA Title II funds. They can also be found on the
paadultedresources.org
website. To post a job, please email the job advertisement to
lbailey@tiu11.org
.
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PA Adult Education Resources
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Upcoming State and National Conferences
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State and National Newsletters
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State and national organizations' newsletters are listed below and may be of interest to you. To receive the most recent editions by email, please subscribe directly to the newsletter.
OCTAE Connection, US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, & Adult Education.
Features news and resources for adult basic, career, and technical education
GED® In Session, GED Testing Service®.
Features news and information related to the GED® test
World Education/U.S.
Features resources and information from World Education projects including The Change Agent, College for Adults, EdTech Center, National College Transitional network, and many others
Families Learning: News of the Week, National Center for Families Learning
.
Features information and resources for family literacy, early childhood education, and parent education
Workforce GPS, Workforce3 One.
Features career pathways and workforce development information
COABE Journal, Coalition On Adult Basic Education.
Features national information, resources, and initiatives for adult basic education
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