Increasing Engagement and Student Persistence Through Distance - and Blended-Learning Models; What the Research Says and Which Practice Work
Authors: Anthony Burik, Mariann Fedele-McLeod, Debalina Ganguli, Martin D. Griffin, Hilary Iserman, Nicole Jordan, Stephanie Kriebel, Yecsenia Lorenzo, Courtney McMahon, Katie Callahan Neginskiy, Penny Pearson, Theresa Petersen, Kristi Reyes, Thoibi N. Rublaitus, Shannon Swain, Lila Young, Carolyn ZachryThis evidence to action brief presents recent research on distance learning in adult education and provides an important contemporaneous account of how California adult education rose to meet the challenge of continuing to serve adult learners during the pandemic. This brief captures a snapshot of the current state of practice and evidence, including identified challenges and corresponding best practices. Additionally, it looks towards the future as adult education continues to address the identified challenges of distance learning in innovative ways, as well as to harness the ample benefits and potential for students.
Collaboration in Adult Education
Author: John Tibbetts and Anestine Hector-Mason, September 2015Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development ProjectCollaboration has been shown through research to be an effective strategy both in the classroom and in program management. This CALPRO Research Brief examines the research as it applies to both Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at the program level, and to classroom instruction, and finds that in both applications collaboration improves outcomes.
Adult Education: What Makes Teaching Effective?
Author: Anne Mishkind, CALPROThis brief provides an overview of research on effective teaching that can be applied in multiple settings by a broad range of teachers across diverse settings. Adult education in California takes place in environments including school districts, community colleges, community-based organizations, libraries, and correctional facilities, and serves students with skills that range from basic literacy to international professional training. Across contexts, research finds that effective teaching is enriched by:thoughtful attention to student backgrounds,collecting and using student data to inform the implementation of evidence based practices including (1) learner-centered instruction, (2) rich and contextualized content knowledge, (3) use of standards to inform learning objectives, and (4) attention to foundational skills and higher-order thinking, and planning for professional development that targets specific teacher competencies
Evidence-Based Professional Learning
Author: Anne Mishkind, American Institutes for Research, 2014This brief provides instructors, professional development coordinators, and program administrators with research and implementation guidance related to evidenceâbased professional learning and dataâdriven instruction.
Guidelines for Facilitating Discussion Groups Using CALPRO Research Digests, Research Summaries, and Research Bibliographies
Produced by California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, 2006CALPRO offers these suggested guidelines for initiating and conducting discussion groups using the research digests, summaries, and bibliographies.
Partnering with Employers to Promote Job Advancement for Low-Skill Individuals
Author: Karin Martinson, Abt Associates, Inc., September 2010This paper explores the importance of employer-program partnerships for improving economic outcomes for both low-skill workers and businesses. It identifies the facÂŹtors that have hindered the growth of these partnerships as well as promising approaches to building further partnerships.
Integrated Education and Training (IET) Clinic
The California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) and the California Department of Education are pleased to offer a unique professional learning opportunity! Join other agency teams of ESL instructors, CTE instructors, and program administrators for an Integrated Education and Training (IET) Implementation Clinic.
FORMAT
There are five principal features of this unique online professional learning opportunity, which is open to up to 8 agency teams (each team is composed of 3 staff members).
1) Two day-long virtual training sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive planning and curriculum development activities as well as to share best practices.
2) Live, interactive discussion through three 75-minute online webinars with engaging guest speakers, seasoned facilitators, peer mentors, and colleagues from around the state (see below for complete details). In each meeting we will:
- Highlight the relevancy and value of the featured topic for the work that we do
- Explore best and promising practices in the featured topic
- Learn from subject matter experts and peer mentors on effective related strategies
- Share successes and common challenges with fellow teachers and program administrators
- Get help on solving issues we face
Topics will be tailored to the needs of the participating practitioners and identified through the application process and may include:
- Starting Strong: Developing the Team Teaching Partnership
- Co-Teaching & Alternating Teaching: Which Model, Why, And How?
- Developing a Single Set of Learning Objectives & Integrating Lesson Plans
- Building an Integrated Syllabus
- Promising Intake & Onboarding Strategies for lET
- Action Planning: Process considerations, potential challenges, and solutions to address challenges.
- IET and Distance Learning: Considerations & Strategies
3) Ongoing online discussions, sharing, and resource creation through a designated private group within CALPROâs online Community of Practice.
4) Completion of a capstone project and presentation of the project at the second day-long session.
5) Coaching now included! IET clinic participating teams will now have the support of an IET implementation coach to support you for nine months upon completion of the IET clinic.
For more information, contact calpro@air.org.
CALPRO Admin Forum: Integrated Education and Training (IET) and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) Guidance and Support
This 90-minute webinar will provide guidance and support to California adult education administrators and leaders on IET and IELCE policy, planning, and practice. The webinar will feature:Dr. Carolyn Zachry and Dr. Cory Rayala from CDE to provide an overview, guidance and additional information on the IET/IELCE policyLori Howard from CASAS to present on the IELCE planning process and updatesCALPRO IET SMEs Amy Dalsimer and Sudie Whalen discuss high-quality IET program design and CALPRO resources and PD
Research Forum: Media Literacy for Adult Learners: Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills in the Digital Age
In today's world, media literacy is an essential skill for adults to participate in academic, professional, and community activities. This webinar will explore the importance of media literacy in adult education, providing practical tools and strategies to help learners critically evaluate media sources, understand the impact of media on society, and navigate the digital landscape with confidence. Participants will gain insights into fostering critical thinking and media analysis skills among adult learners, empowering them to become informed and engaged community members.
Admin Forum: Integrated Education and Training and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Guidance and Support
This 60-minute webinar will provide guidance and support to California adult education administrators and leaders on IET and IELCE policy, planning and practice. The webinar will feature:Dr. Carolyn Zachry and Dr. Cory Rayala from CDE introduce the session and provide CDE policy updates.CALPRO IET Subject Matter Experts Amy Dalsimer and Sudie Whalen discuss IET Integrated Syllabus, instruction and program based assessment. Lori Howard from CASAS discusses how the new CDE IET Policy is reflected in the IELCE report and Plan.