California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project

Course Description :

This three-part online course is entirely self-directed and self-paced. Individuals work through the course on their own, or if they wish, team up with colleagues to work together. Participants may complete as many units as they wish (estimated course completion time: up to 15 hours), logging in whenever convenient. This course explores the nature of critical thinking and metacognition as well as the relationships among critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. It considers the process, results, and various levels of critical thinking. It presents the concept of metacognition as a key attribute of critical thinking. It also distinguishes between simple and complex problems. Participants are encouraged to think about how these concepts can be taught in their classrooms. This course features excerpts of recordings from CALPRO’s online workshops on Teaching Critical Thinking Skills.

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Goals :
Upon successful completion of the course, the participant will be able to: - Define critical thinking and metacognition; - Identify levels of critical thinking; - Distinguish between didactic teaching and teaching for critical thinking; - Plan classroom activities that require critical thinking; - Plan activities to assist students in developing metacognitive skills. - Distinguish between simple and complex problems; - Explain the relationship between critical thinking and problem solving; - Plan classroom instruction that reflects the most adequate decision making processes, based on research.

Registration Information :
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information :
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

Course Description :
This self-paced course supports independent professional development; there is no facilitator nor other participants (estimated course completion time: up to 15 hours). This course provides each individual with a blog as a learning journal. Sign up now and access the class for 3 months, there is no official start or end date to worry about. This course is intended to help teachers understand how to present concepts vital for: 1) mastering the California algebra standards, which reflect the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards; 2) passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and/or the General Educational Development (GED) Mathematics Test; and 3) helping students, through practice of the National Research Council’s math literacy attributes, to conceptualize and utilize math concepts in and out of the classroom.

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Goals :
This course is intended to help teachers understand how to present concepts vital for: 1) mastering the California algebra standards, which reflect the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards; 2) passing the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and/or the General Educational Development (GED) Mathematics Test; and 3) helping students, through practice of the National Research Council’s math literacy attributes, to conceptualize and utilize math concepts in and out of the classroom.

Registration Information :
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information :
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

Course Description:

Get an overview of the College and Career Readiness Standards for adult education. Learn about the 3 instructional shifts in math and in English Language Arts, and consider the implications for your classroom (estimated course completion time: up to 15 hours).

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Goals:
1. Explain the significance of the College and Career Readiness Standards 

2. Identify three instructional shifts in English Language Arts and/or Math 

3. Consider the implications of these standards for your teaching.

Registration Information:
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information:
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

Course Description :

This is the first of two online courses from the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) on designing literacy programs to be responsive to the needs of adults with learning disabilities. This first session is an awareness session that will help adult educators understand what learning disabilities are and recognize the characteristics and consequences of those disabilities in the learning environment, whether classroom-based, tutor-led, or technology-based distance learning. This CALPRO online course provides an overview of the assessment process (diagnostic testing versus screening) and outlines the legal rights and responsibilities of the learner and the literacy program (estimated course completion time: up to 15 hours). The second CALPRO course in this series addresses instructional strategies appropriate for teaching adults with learning disabilities. Completion of Session 1 is a pre-requisite for Session 2.

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Goals :
Identify a working definition of learning disabilities; • Recognize common characteristics of adults with LD and their effect on learning; • Distinguish between screening and diagnostic testing and the uses of each; • Identify the importance of self-determination, self-advocacy, and disclosure to successful learners and workers; • Recognize the rights and responsibilities of learners with LD as well as of literacy providers; • Begin the process of identifying and bringing about necessary changes to make programs more responsive to adults with LD.

Registration Information :
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information :
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

Course Description :

Do you wonder how to integrate employability skills into your adult education setting to support workforce preparation for middle skills jobs? Employability skills also referred to as 21st-century workplace skills, soft-skills or non-cognitive skills, are needed by our adult education students for readiness and success regardless of the industry or job position. This course will provide an overview of the middle skills jobs landscape, an employability skills framework and highlight strategies and hands-on resources to connect the needed employability skills for these jobs within the adult education setting (estimated course completion time: up to 15 hours).

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Goals :
By the end of the course, participants will be able to: • Define “middle-skill jobs” and provide several examples. • Define “employability skills” and explain why they are important. • Categorize employability skills using the Employability Skills Framework. • Describe the connections between the Employability Skills Framework and the College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards for Adult Education. • Apply the Employability Skills Framework to their lesson plans to identify ways to improve their instruction.

Registration Information :
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information :
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.

Description :
This self-directed course supports independent professional development; there is no facilitator nor other participants. This course provides each individual the opportunity to learn through a variety of videos, readings, and activities. Sign up now and access the class for 3 months. There is no official start or end date to worry about.

Many adult education classrooms contain students whose ages, native languages, educational backgrounds, and academic skills vary widely, which poses many teaching challenges for instructors. Research shows that differentiated instruction is one of the most effective approaches for helping students learn. This course walks participants through the steps of planning a differentiated lesson, including how to write effective learning objectives, choose among approaches to differentiation (content, process, product), and design assessments. In completing the course, participants produce their own differentiated lesson plans that are suited to their instructional content and environment. The estimated course completion time is 5 hours.

Enrollment verification with Moodle login information will be sent to registrants within one business day of registration.

Registration Information:
This course is free of charge to all California adult education programs.

Contact Information:
Please contact CALPRO at calprohelp@air.org or at 916-286-8803 for more information.