Hi,
  
  As one of those who fits between the certified teacher category and the  educationally inexperienced category, I have to say that what has  helped me the most dealing with any class or student issue. (I taught  overseas at colleges for two years, did other things--an RN-- for about  20 years, taught in Prince George's County's Refugee Program in  Maryland, and earned a masters in curriuculum and instruction.)
  
  1. Clear, excellent models of skills to be learned and techniques of instruction
  
  2. A cadre of experienced and successful professionals to talk to
  
  3. Good references to learn from
  
  4. A good library of class materials on-site
  
  The LD thing is really frustrating because it is so ameboid. I've asked  my current program to buy some of the materials that have been referred  to in this listing, because, while I really enjoy the global aspects of  discussion, I have to be able to walk into class and do something that  will benefit the student. I don't have "world enough and time." 
  
  I hope that in the materials I am able to find some straightforward  frameworks I can use to organize assessment and interventions. 
  
  One question may help, how do you organize initial assessment and class  plans with specific students in mind? Can you give us a walk through?
  
  South Dakota, a land of black dirt and straight roads and distant horizons.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Mary Jane Jerde

"Cheek, Sandy" <sandyc at bigbend.edu> wrote:            
             Normal   Clean   Clean   DocumentEmail                                MicrosoftInternetExplorer4     st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }             /* Style Definitions */   table.MsoNormalTable  {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";  mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;  mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;  mso-style-noshow:yes;  mso-style-parent:"";  mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;  mso-para-margin:0in;  mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;  mso-pagination:widow-orphan;  font-size:10.0pt;  font-family:"Times New Roman";}    HI all,
  Some thoughts to add to Robin's:
  It's true that better training for teachers and tutors will result   in more and better student outcomes. That's kind of an inarguable point.   However: that is also assuming that there is a plethora of teachers and   tutors out there, and we have the luxury of being highly selective when it comes   to choosing volunteer tutors and teachers. That's simply  not the reality.   Oftentimes the opposite is true: we have to accept those who are willing to   learn but inexperienced, and do the best we can to inspire and train them.   
  Teaching has never been a field that attracts a huge number of   people. There are realities around pay, job security, and benefits that have had   the effect of reducing the numbers of people interested in this   profession.  I consider myself lucky when I get someone in my office who   expresses an interest in teaching for me on a part-time basis, who may have   limited teaching experience, but has a sincere desire to "give back" to their   community.  
  So the question really is:  Should we aspire to fewer, but   better trained teachers and tutors (which would be the reality if we became more   stringent in our selection criteria)? I know that if I were to require   additional training and certification for tutors and teachers, I would lose a   significant number of my teachers. And know that these are GOOD teachers, but   most of them work full-time during the day, or are stay-at-home moms, and work   for me in the evenings teaching part-time, and they don't have much spare time   beyond those commitments.  
  I don't have the answers, but it's important to balance our   idealism with the realities of the profession when considering future   directions.
  Sandy Cheek
  Sandy   Cheek 
Director of Basic Skills   
Big Bend   Community College 
7662 Chanute Street NE   
Moses Lake,   WA  98837 
509.793.2305 
toll-free   877.745.1212 
fax 509.762.2696 
   

    
---------------------------------
  From: focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov   [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Missy   Slaathaug
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 8:41 AM
To: 'The   Focus on Basics Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] teacher   professional development


  
    Hi Robin - it was South Dakota, one of those nameless   flyover states!
   
  And I couldn't agree with you more that teachers   absolutely need to be trained and educated in this.  My comment was only that too much   information in the very first teacher training may be wasted or   even counter-productive.  Teachers   can only absorb so much in one six hour training, and   usually until they have begun to teach they don't have a conceptual framework to   help them process much information.  They are hungry for classroom strategies   and techniques - they want to know what to DO in the multi-level classroom that   they are facing the very next week.    
   
  But as for ongoing training and higher expectations for   adult ed teachers, and the entire rest of your posting,   I couldn't agree with you more.  
   
  Missy Slaathaug
  Pierre,   South Dakota
   
  -----Original Message-----
From:   focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:focusonbasics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf   Of robinschwarz1 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 6:28 PM
To:   focusonbasics at nifl.gov
Subject: [FocusOnBasics] teacher professional   development
   
  Hi --this is in response to the person from Oregon or   Washington and to 
  Janet Isserlis on another list, both of whose topic was   teacher 
  professional development and the fear of overloading   teachers with 
  information.
   
  This topic is near and dear to my heart.  As I indicated in another   
  posting today, it is surprising to me that the field of   ESL does not 
  seem to prepare teachers for the sort of really   hard-core learning 
  problems that several readers and responders have   mentioned.
   
  In another message on one of the NIFL lists the notion   of profesisonal 
  development qualification standards for teachers in   adult education was 
  mentioned.
   
  Frankly, what I often see is that it is too common that   teachers in 
  adult education and adult ESOL education are woefully   unqualified to do 
  what they do.   Then learners suffer.   My article in FOB indicated   
  that in some of those cases, teachers were simply not   prepared to ask 
  the right questions or to consider the key issues in   adult ESOL 
  learners' situations that significantly impact the   learners' progress 
  in their settings.
   
  Those of you who know me, know that I get pretty   passionate on this 
  topic.  I   believe, as do my business partners, Laura Weisel and Al   
  Toops, we are supposed to be in business for the   learners, not for the 
  tutors and teachers in our programs.  In other words, it is not the   
  needs and limitations of the teachers or tutors that   should drive 
  decisions or policies about how our programs run but   rather the needs 
  of our learners.    I have advocated for years that there need to be   
  minimal qualifications for hiring teachers or tutors to   teach adult 
  ESOL learners.    I can write an entire book-- and someday will-- of   
  stories like those in the article where the learner was   somehow blamed 
  for no progress when in truth the learner's teacher had   no idea how to 
  address the learner's real   needs.
   
  I agree strongly with Janet that it is essential that   the nature of 
  learning challenges-- of all kinds, including language   learning 
  challenges-- be constantly put out to teachers and   required reading for 
  them.      Though I am sure no program is going to fire its tutors   
  because I say so, I certainly hope you will consider a   far more 
  stringent approach to requiring that those already in   your employ 
  inform themselves about adult learners and adult ESOL   learning,  about   
  the very most basic principles of language   instruction,  about the   
  culture of their learners. etc.    Also, program administrators   have 
  everything to gain by requiring more training for tutors   and better 
  experience and qualifications for teachers.  In the end, they will be   
  more effective and programs with have better   outcomes.  The NCSALL   
  research project on learner persistence (2005 --at   NCSCALL.net) 
  indicated that when tutors were better trained, not only   were learners 
  happier and tended to persist longer, but tutors also   persisted because 
  they did not feel so helpless in helping those with   significant 
  learning needs.
   
  Somewhere recently I saw reference to the suggestion or   proposal that 
  adult education teachers be subject to qualification   much as K-12 
  teachers are.    This can only be a good thing for our   learners.
   
  And as for LD issues, I know for a well-documented fact   that having a 
  tutor or teacher who is well meant and kind but does not   "get" LD and 
  language learning challenges is actually worse for the   learner than 
  just sitting in a class and trying to absorb   something.
   
  Just as for learners, having high expectations for   teachers and tutors 
  is critical to having an effective   program.
   
  As a start for ESOL and learning challengs,  programs might want to   
  look at the handbook : Taking Action: A Handbook for   Instructors of 
  Adult ESOL Learners with Learning Dissablities"  produced and   
  distrbuted by the Minnesota Learning Disabilities   Association (visit 
  www.ldaminnesota.org to find it).  This walks teachers through the   
  topic of LD and an approach to determining if other   problems might be 
  at the root of learning   difficulties.
   
  There is also a great handbook for tutors teaching   reading to 
  English-speaking adults  called The Adult Reading Toolkit (   ART)
   
  Both of these are designed for tutors and teachers who   have little 
  prior knowledge on the topic--and they are extremely   user-friendly and 
  beautifully thought out.   --And no, I don't have any   financial 
  interest in them......
   
   
   Robin
   
   
   
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