9:00-12:00

Minding your Ps and Qs: Updates on State Initiatives, Policies, Practices, and Professional Development for Serving Persons with Special Learning Needs

(National Association for Adults with Special Needs)

This session will provide information on state initiatives directed at improving services to persons with special  learning needs.  State representatives will discuss policies and the process they used to create their policies.  Best practices and professional development will be highlighted for helping programs plan for improving services to individuals with special learning needs. 
Come prepared to participate in a dialogue on what your state and program are doing along with questions you'd like to have answered.  Be ready to walk away with concrete information that can move you, your program, and your state further into legal compliance with services that can impact both the persistence and learning gains of adults with special learning needs.

Laura Weisel & Richard Cooper,
National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs

9:00-12:00

New Technologies for Adult Learning (Adult Learning Technology Network)

New technologies offer tremendous opportunities to engage adult learners in new ways, both in the classroom and at a distance. This session is for teachers who want to know more about the array of possibilities, and for administrators who are responsible for planning, budgeting and implementing technology.

John Fleischman & David Collings,
Adult Learning Technology Network

9:00-12:00

Creative Ways to Use PowerPoint in Your Teaching (Adult Learning Technology Network)

(Computer Lab)

PowerPoint is a tool with many uses – present a grammar lesson; teach song lyrics; play a Jeopardy game; develop student oral presentation skills; create a memory book. In this session, see examples of creative ways to use PowerPoint in the classroom and get some hands-on practice creating a PowerPoint project.

Marian Thacher & Scott Dowell,
Outreach and Technical Assistance Network

9:00-12:00

Getting Ready for the National Work Readiness Credential (EFF) (Center for Workforce Preparation)

The National Work Readiness Credential based on Equipped for the Future standards provides a way for adults with low literacy skills (including TANF recipients, ELLs, and young adults without high school diplomas) to signal to employers they have the knowledge and skills to be successful in entry-level jobs. This session will provide an opportunity to learn about the credential and the tools available to help programs prepare adult learners to meet this new Work Readiness standard.

Sondra Stein,
Center for Workforce Preparation
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

9:00-12:00

Guiding Your Organization Toward Quality Results: The Equipped for the Future Approach to Program Improvement

Program Leaders! Looking for support as you ensure the delivery of quality services while advocating for needed changes within your organization? Learn about Equipped for the Future’s approach to quality improvement, hear stories from colleagues using this model, and try out tools to engage program stakeholders in continuous improvement efforts.

9:00-4:00

Keeping Our Learners Connected: Strategies for Planning and Delivering a Statewide Distance Education Program- Project IDEAL and NAEPDC

This all-day workshop will focus on distance education program development at the state level. The morning will cover policy and planning issues such as funding, teacher professional development, technology, and assessment, including counting contact hours. The afternoon will review curriculum packages suitable for distance education and describe a curriculum selection process that can be used to make appropriate choices for your setting.

Jerome Johnston,
Project IDEAL
University of Michigan

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Dr. Lennox McLendon,
National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium

9:00-4:00

Sharing Experiences in Professional Development (Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers)

This sixth annual COABE full-day pre-conference sessions, sponsored by AALPD, provides an opportunity for professional developers to learn from colleagues across the country. This session includes an overview of the latest national projects and initiatives related to professional development, presentations of innovative professional development projects, and discussions of recent AALPD initiatives such as advocacy for professional development policies and the professional development registry.

Renee Sherman,
Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers

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Cristine Smith,
World Education

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Sandra Fugate,
Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers

9:00-4:00

Numeracy: Closing the Achievement Gap (Adult Numeracy Network)

Practitioners, administrators, and directors are invited to attend this activity-based session that will cover four numeracy strands (Number Sense, Geometry, Data, and Algebra) for four levels of adult learners (ABE, pre-GED, GED, and college prep). Equipped for the Future performance continuum is one example of guidelines that will be used to integrate all facets of the presentation. This session will introduce the new Principles for Teaching and Learning and Professional Development for Adult Mathematics Instruction which focuses on curriculum, learning environments and professional development.

Judy Ward,
Adult Numeracy Network

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Additional Presenters:
Myrna Manly
Mary Jane Schmidt
Pam Meader

9:00-4:00

Implementing Research-Based Practices for Adult Literacy Instruction: Ideas from the NIFL/NCSALL Adult Literacy Research Working Group (NIFL/NSCALL)

This Pre Conference session is an in-depth exploration of research-based practices for teaching reading to adults and includes demonstrations and activities from a variety of professional development materials. These practices were compiled by a group of experienced practitioners and researchers co-sponsored by the National Institute for Literacy and NCSALL.

John Kruidenier,
National Institute for Literacy/ National Center for the study of Adult Learning and Literacy - Adult Literacy Research Working Group

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Additional Presenters:
Sandra Baxter
June Crawford
John Comings
Rosalind Davidson
Sharon Darling
Toni-Ann Mills
Lennox McLendon
Susan McShane

9:00-4:00

Peer Workplace Education

This all-day pre-conference session will focus on Workforce Education. National updates will be presented, followed by an overview of Workforce Education in Texas. The workshop will cover what’s new since 2004 and plans for 2006. Integration and collaboration with WIA partners will also be discussed. Other issues covered include: ESL in the Workplace, Reporting Workplace ED Learning Outcomes, Addressing LD in Workplace Ed, Professional Development for Workplace Educators,

Finding the Right Tools, and Return on Investment for Workplace Education

Dr. Michael Bloom, Conference Board of Canada

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Dr. Rebecca Davis, Associate Director, South Region GREAT Center

1:00-4:00

Evaluating The Struggling Adult ESOL Learner: Is it LD or Something Else?

(National Association for Adults with Special Needs)

Do you have struggling ESOL learners?  This session will give you the information you need to know to determine what is really going on! Adult ESOL learners’ failure to make progress could be due to a variety of causes, among them LD.  The presenter will discuss evaluation of phonological skills, literacy and reading readiness skills, cultural differences, vision and hearing, attention problems and other physical and mental health issues, which can all seriously impact learning.

Robin Schwarz,
National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs (Board Member)

1:00-4:00

Digital Video Projects for Adult Education (Adult Learning Technology Network) (Computer Lab)

Discuss the possibilities of moviemaking as an instructional activity, see examples of student and teacher video projects, and get some hands-on experience with MovieMaker, a free video editing program that comes with Windows XP. Participants will receive a handout on video equipment and on editing with MovieMaker.

Marian Thacher,
Outreach and Technical Assistance Network

1:00-4:00

Online Train the Trainer Workshop: An Innovative Approach

This online Train the Trainer workshop can be customized to meet the requirements of both new and experienced trainers, as well as organizations wishing to maintain close supervision over the trainer certification process. Facilitation and training skills are equally emphasized, and the principles of Universal Design are taken into account.

Victoire Gerkens Sanborn,
Literacy Support Center

1:00-4:00

Who needs Adult Education Content Standards? State and National Initiatives

Adult educators will share experiences in moving toward standards-based education and offer “lessons learned”.  Topics include a discussion of the reasons for and advantages of adopting content standards, generating buy-in from the field, developing content standards and indicators, reviewing and piloting drafts, and finally professional development for implementing the standards.

Federico Salas,
Texas LEARNS