HIGHLIGHTS OF CALPRO ACTIVITIES FOR FALL 2005This column lists the many and varied activities that CALPRO has recently accomplished as wellas those that are in progress.

Professional Development Specialists’ Learning CommunityTo support the request of many administrators for site-based professionaldevelopment, CALPRO is hosting a Professional Development Specialists’Learning Community. Scheduled for January 13 and 14, the Learning Communitywill provide guidance to participants in working with site administrators to draftstaff development plans for their agencies/schools and to identify options forimplementing the plans. Up to 12 teachers will be selected, based on anapplication process, to participate in the Learning Community. Participants willreceive a stipend for their work. For additional information and to download anapplication, visit the CALPRO Web site at www.calpro-online.org. Applicationsare due in the CALPRO office on or before December 2.

Field-based Research InitiativeCALPRO has scheduled a three-day training on practitioner inquiry, orclassroom-based research, for 12-15 adult education teachers. Alisa Belzer,Associate Professor at Rutgers University, will lead the training, scheduled forDecember 8-10. The focus of the institute is to help participants (1) forma research question on interventions aimed at improving learner persistence, and(2) plan their studies. Dr. Belzer will provide support to participating teachersthroughout the spring semester as they conduct their studies. A follow-up meetingwill be held in April to report results. CALPRO will publish a booklet of lessonslearned from these research projects. Participating teachers, who will be selectedbased on applications in which they explain their reasons for wanting toparticipate, will receive stipends for their time and effort. For additionalinformation and to download an application, visit the CALPRO Web site atwww.calpro-online.org. Applications are due on or before November 4.

New Workshops 2005-2006CALPRO is offering six new workshops this year: (1) Learner Goal Setting;(2) Effective Lesson Planning; (3) Enhancing Learner Persistence; (4) AlgebraInstructional Strategies for Adult Educators; (5) Advising the Adult Learner: TheTeacher’s Role; and (6) Mentoring for Adult Education Teachers. In addition,CALPRO has developed a revised version of the workshop Becoming a Programof Excellence. Look for the dates and locations of the workshops on the statewidecalendar on the CALPRO Web site at www.calpro-online.org.

Online Courses This year, CALPRO is offering three online courses: (1) Designing Programs forAdults with Learning Disabilities, Session One, Understanding LearningDisabilities: Awareness for Adult Educators; (2) Managing the ESL Multi-levelClass; and (3) Effective Lesson Planning. Each course will be conducted over afour-week period and facilitated by a skilled instructor. The first week of eachcourse is an orientation period to help participants transition to the online format.Interested persons will need to plan on four to six hours of participation per weekto complete the course and must have an active email address as well as Internetservices to access the course. Watch News and Events on the CALPRO Web sitefor registration information.

As we begin a newschool year, I ampleased to tell youabout the manyCALPRO professionaldevelopment initia-tives available to you.

These range from several brand newworkshop modules, to a field-basedresearch initiative, to the establishmento f a p ro fess iona l deve lopmentspecialists’ learning community, to onlinecourses, to study circles facilitatortraining (see Highlights column, p.1).Some of the CALPRO ProfessionalDevelopment Centers (PDCs) are addinga new networking group to the wide arrayof networking groups they currently host:this one is on learner persistence, and itsupports the statewide learnerpersistence initiative that CDE islaunching this fall.

The CALPRO Web site has newpublications available for downloadingand printing; these include Success forSmall Adult Schools, authored by PaulaRoosevelt Smith and Kathy Santos;Shaking the Funding Tree, authored byMegan Hunter and Erik Jacobson; andthe Adult Education Administrators’Online Guide, with 11 chapters written byseveral seasoned administrators. I alsowant to take a moment to remind youabout the online guides that CALPROposted to its Web site over the past twoyears: The ESL New Teacher ResourceGuide, written by Trish Kerns and MarilynKnight-Mendelson, and the ABE NewTeacher Resource Guide, written byJanice Roselius. Check them out —all five guides are filled with helpful tipsand suggestions for teachers andadministrators.

The CALPRO Adult EducationLeadership Institute has just completedanother successful year. Designed for

Volume IV - Fall 2005

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Message fromthe Director

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administrators who are new (threeor fewer years) to adult education,the Institute provides training in effectivemanagement and quality leadership.Participants frequently tell us thatthe opportunity to network with otheradministrators is invaluable to them. Thisyear represents the 20th year for theLeadership Institute, and the 2005graduates’ booklet lists the names of allthe graduates from 1985 through 2005.

CALPRO welcomesa new addition toits staff: Ben Viadojo ined CALPROin August. A recentgraduate of CSU-Sacramento, Benhas a degree in

B u s i n e s s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n w i t ha concentration in ManagementInformation Systems. He will be workingwith Carol Christensen to launch theCALPRO online campus site, and he willprovide support to the maintenance andupdating of the CALPRO Web site.Please join us in welcoming Ben,and look for a new and improvedCALPRO Web site.

We also welcome two new PDCmanagers: Liz Koenig is the newmanager for the LAUSD PDC, and JuliaThompson is the new manager for theNorthern California PDC. Alsosupporting the LAUSD PDC is Kit Bell,Supervisor of Adult ESL/CBET andCitizenship, and Janet Moore, PDCAssistant. Supporting the NorthernCalifornia PDC is Debra Jones, VicePrincipal at Eureka Adult School. Inaddition, Maria Martinez has joined thestaff of the Delta Sierra PDC, managedby Dana Warford with support from CarolHirota, Principal of the Stockton Schoolfor Adults. We are delighted with thestrong, new representation that CALPROhas throughout the state.

In closing, CALPRO and PDC staffmembers join me in urging you to takeadvantage of some of our many professional development offerings. Wewish you a successful and rewardingschool year, and we look forward toseeing you!

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Continued from page 1... Continued from page 1...Programs of ExcellenceThe CDE recognized eight exemplary adult education programs as Programsof Excellence for 2005 at the Association of California School Administrators(ACSA) Adult Education Training in Rancho Mirage on September 29.Identifying quality programs is one of the most important functions of the CDE.CALPRO manages the Programs of Excellence from the application process tothe site visits. The CDE then certifies and recognizes award-winning programsby presenting Programs of Excellence certificates and flags. Programs ofExcellence offer examples of ways in which practitioners provide qualityservice to adult learners. By reviewing proven practices, processes, andstructures, other agencies may find ideas for establishing or refining their ownprograms. These programs are the 2005 awardees:

A. Warren McClaskey Adult Center California Men’s Colony (Sacramento City USD) (San Luis Obispo)Adults with Disabilities Adults with Disabilities

Baldwin Park Adult and Metropolitan Adult Education ProgramCommunity Education (Metropolitan Education District)Adult Basic Education High School Diploma ProgramEnglish as a Second LanguageOlder Adults Sacramento City Unified School DistrictVocational Education English as a Second Language

For more information or to download the Programs of Excellence application,visit the CALPRO Web site or call 1-800-427-1422. A letter of intent to applyfor the 2005-2006 Programs of Excellence is due on or before October 28,2005. Completed applications are due no later than 4 PM on December 1, 2005.

Adult Education Leadership InstituteAt the ACSA Adult Education Training in Rancho Mirage on September 29,Jean Scott, Administrator of CDE’s Adult Education Office, recognized the 11graduates from the CALPRO Adult Education Leadership Institute. TheInstitute offers a two-year program to practicing adult education administratorswho want to enhance their capacity to operate an adult education program.

The 2005 Graduates are:Marvin Brown Culver City Adult SchoolJames Chacon South Gate Community Adult School, LAUSDRoberto Garza CBET/Program SpecialistJanine Hardwick Proteus, Inc.Michele Jory Fresno Adult SchoolCharlene Lemons Sweetwater Union High School DistrictJudy Marra Monterey Adult SchoolVeronica Montes Alternative Education and Work Center Programs/LAUSDSharon Neill Pleasant Valley State PrisonFrances Paragon-Arias Milpitas Adult EducationJanice Roselius San Bernardino Adult School

For more information or to download the 2006-2007 Leadership Institute application, visit theCALPRO Web site or call 1-800-427-1422. Completed applications are due in the CALPRO officeon or before January 6, 2006.

Leadership Institute Graduates and Institute Facilitators

The Delta Sierra ProfessionalDevelopment Center (PDC) beganoperating in August of 2004.

The center serves San Joaquin, Stanislaus,Amador, Tuolumne, andCalaveras counties. ThePDC has a commitment tosupport small schools andliteracy centers and toprovide mentors toagencies based on need.

Over the last year, theDelta Sierra PDC hosted avariety of workshops,including Managing theESL Multi level Class,Organizing and MonitoringInstruction to Improve Learning Gains, and DifferentiatingInstruction. The center also hosted networking groups forESL and EL Civics instructors.

In the upcoming year, the center plans to offer continuoussupport to our adult education providers through LearnerPersistence Networking meetings. The meetings will helpproviders evaluate student persistence data, identifyareas of strength and areas for improvement, and

develop and implement an individualized agencyimprovement plan. The Delta Sierra PDC will also offerthe Enhancing Learner Persistence workshop.

In collaboration with theOutreach and TechnicalAssistance Network (OTAN)and Calaveras CountyOffice of Education, we willhost the workshop, InternetResources for AdultEducation Teachers. Thisworkshop will provideexcellent resources forteachers who work in ruralcommunities, as well aslarge urban areas.

The Delta Sierra library continues to expand to include adiverse selection of professional development materialsavailable for dissemination. You may request materialsonline or by telephone.

Please contact us at 209-933-7455 or visit ourWeb site at http://www.calpro-online.org.

Submitted by Dana WarfordDelta Sierra PDC Manager

Last year, the Orange County PDC hosted 30workshops on a variety of topics and held 10 networkingmeetings. The schedule this year should be just asbusy. One priority area for the center is supportingteacher mentoring, and last year the center offered afive-session Beginning Mentor Training for the region.Jean Rose, ABC Adult School ESL Coordinator andformer ESL Institute and Staff Development Institute(SDI) trainer, led the training. According to Jean,“Mentoring builds rapport among the staff, increases theprofessional satisfaction of the mentors, and givesmentors a chance to strengthen and refine their own

instructional techniques and lesson developmentpractice. Mentoring benefits the new mentees becausethey can improve their teaching skills and techniques,which will definitely give them more self-confidence inthe classroom. I am so enthusiastic about the mentoringprocess because it can extend to more than one teacherand more than one year." Because of the clear benefitsprovided by mentoring, this year the Orange CountyPDC will offer the new CALPRO module, Mentoring forAdult Education Teachers. We welcome you to visit ourWeb site at http://www.calpro-online.org or give us a callat 714-241-5742.

Submitted by Karen DennisOrange County PDC Manager

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Orange County PDC

Jean Rose, seated in the center, holds roses given to her for leading a successful training.

Delta Sierra PDCSPOTLIGHT ON CALPRO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

The CALPRO Professional Development CenterMaster Calendar

The master Calendar provides up-to-date details aboutall of the professional development opportunities beingoffered at PDCs. To access the calendar from theCALPRO homepage (www.calpro-online.org), go to theleft menu and click on the “Calendar” tab. To get moreinformation or to register for an event, simply click on theevent listing on the calendar.

Anna Goodnight, Gail Kristaponis, Delores Williams and Toni Richards at a family literacy workshop

Reflective Practice in Professional Development

What is Reflective Practice?

Adult educators have increasingly been asked toincorporate research into their teaching methods, withmany professional development activities focusing onproviding educators with access to relevant research.Although workshops and trainings that focus on specificresearch-based techniques can be helpful, professionaldevelopment for adult educators should also focus on theunderlying beliefs and attitudes that affect practice(Ferraro, 2000). Building an examination of teachers’beliefs into professional development is importantbecause at times adult educators might simply reject newresearch or theory that runs counter to their ownexperiences. At the same time, it is important thatteachers not become passive consumers and transmittersof research. One way to address this concern is forteachers to engage in reflective practice.

Central to reflective practice is the idea that teachers mustthoughtfully consider their own experience and practice toimprove learning opportunities for their students. As partof reflective practice, practitioners engage in a continuouscycle of self-observation and self-evaluation in order tounderstand their own actions and the reactions theyprompt in themselves and in learners (Brookfield, 1995;Florez, 2001; Thiel, 1999). Reflective practice does notnecessarily focus on a given aspect of teaching practicebut is instead an ongoing attempt by individual teachers tointegrate theory, research, and their own past experiencewith their current practice. In this way, reflective practice is“as much a state of mind as it is a set of activities”(Vaughn, 1990, pg. ix).

Engaging in Reflective Practice

Although adult educators typically assess their ownteaching to address the immediate needs of theirstudents, reflective practice can be understood to be "adeliberate pause to assume an open perspective, to allowfor higher level thinking processes" (York-Barr et al., 2001,pg. 6). This pause happens when teachers are notactively engaged in teaching, and it allows teachers toexamine their "beliefs, goals, and practices, to gain new ordeeper understandings that lead to actions that improvelearning for students" (ibid). As part of reflection, teacherscan ask themselves four questions: (1) What happened?;(2) Why do I think things happened in this way?; (3) Whyis this a significant event to reflect on?; and (4) What arethe implications for action? Professional developmentopportunities for adult educators can build on these fourquestions by asking teachers to reflect on theirexperience in light of presentations of specific theories orresearch.

Suggested ways to organize the reflection process forindividual teachers include developing teaching portfolios(including copies of lesson plans and notes describing

classroom events), journaling, using maps as graphicorganizers, writing teacher narratives, and writingreflections on articles or books.

Engaging in reflective practice is not limited just toindividual teachers: it can be conducted in pairs, smallteams, or at the school or agency level. In each case,different activities are required to create the time andspace for reflection to occur. Pairs can engage in dialoguejournaling, small teams can hold teacher book clubs, andagencies or schools can support school-wide studygroups. Regardless of the structure, participants areasked to bring an open mind and a willingness to changetheir own practice.

The Benefits of Reflective Practice

Research has shown that effective teaching is linked toinquiry, reflection, and continuous professional growth(Ferraro, 2000; Harris, 1998). One of the benefits ofreflective practice is that it is a cyclical process ofreflection, implementation of new ideas, and follow-up. Itcan play an important role in professional developmentbecause it helps practitioners to focus on connectingresearch and theory to what is happening in their ownclassrooms.

Reflective practice, seen as a conscious examination ofteachers’ beliefs, goals, and practices, should be at theheart of any professional development provided for adulteducators. In addition, because it addresses the oftenunstated beliefs that inform institutional policies andstructures, reflective practice is an important part of tryingto implement change at the program level.

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by Erik Jacobson

References

Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ferraro, J. (2000). Reflective practice and professional development.Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and TeacherEducation.

Florez, M. (2001). Reflective teaching practice in adult ESL settings.Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and TeacherEducation.

Harris, A. (1998). Effective teaching: A review of the literature.School Leadership and Management, 18(2), 169-183.

Thiel, T. (1999). Reflections on critical incidents. Prospect, 14(1), 44-52.

Vaughn, J. (1990). Foreword. In R. T. Clift, W.R. Houston, & M.C.Pugach (Eds.), Encouraging reflective practice in education:An analysis of issues and programs (pp. vii-xi). New York:Teachers College Press.

York-Barr, J., Sommers, W., Ghere, G, & Montie, J. (2001). Reflectivepractice to improve schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

The Field Speaks

WHAT’STHE WORD?

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This column features articles from our readers who sharetheir experiences, ideas, and success stories related toprofess ional development . CALPROgress inv i tesreaders’ comments and suggestions. You are invited tosend your articles by mail to CALPRO, 2880 GatewayOaks Drive, Suite #220, Sacramento, CA 95833, by faxto 916-286-8840, or by e-mail to ejacobson@air.org.

As a new administrator to the adult school world, I havefound that life in adult school is truly one of the best-keptsecrets in public education. I have spent the past 29 yearsas a K-12 teacher, assistant principal, and principal.Although I enjoyed each of these positions, I have alwaysfelt that a vital element was missing—the sharing of ideas,curriculum, and materials between schools and schooldistricts. Networking opportunities did not exist on anongoing basis. Then I joined the ranks of the adult schoolworld and immediately my professional desires forcollegiality and networking came true. I discovered anabundance of networking groups, not only in the Bay Areabut also across the state. This year I have been fortunateto participate in the following networking groups:

New Administrators Group: Several group members havebeen administrators in the K–12 system. The discussionsand problem solving with other new adult schooladministrators and teachers have been rewarding. Issuessuch as budgeting, staffing, curriculum, and legislativeissues are discussed at these meetings.

AWDBAN Group: Responsibility for the Adults withDisabilities Program at my adult school has provided mewith the incentive and opportunity to attend the AWDBAN(Adults with Disabilities Bay Area Networking) meetings.Typically, there are 10–15 of us in attendance. It has beenwonderful to be able to share curricular ideas, materials,flyers, newsletters, and visitation opportunities with otherAWDBAN members.

ASE Group: As we know this is a transitional time for adultschools as we prepare students not only to earn their highschool diplomas but also prepare for and pass theCAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam).Presentations were given for new CAHSEE-prepcurricular materials, curriculum was shared for a Fine Artsclass, and information was shared regarding each adultschool’s graduation requirements.

Bay Area Administrators: This networking grouprepresents the adult schools in Alameda County. Itconsists of directors, principals, coordinators, and vice-principals. Sharing and expertise are the most impressiveelements of this group. If I ask my colleagues forinformation regarding a program, curriculum, or othermatters, I can get an immediate response.

I believe that networking builds a strong educationalcommunity. Those who participate will see a qualitativedifference in their adult school programs.

Judy GestringCoordinator, Castro Valley Adult School

Networking Groups

Several times I have had the opportunity of presenting theworkshop, Organizing and Monitoring Instruction toImprove Learning Gains, written by Donna Price-Machado and Susan Gaer. In this workshop, over fifteenstrategies for working with ESL learners are presented inthree sections: Management/Organization Strategies,Instructional Strategies, and Reflection Strategies. I wouldlike to present feedback from teachers who have appliedwhat they learned as a result of their participation.

The first section, Management/Organization Strategies,focuses on strategies for teachers to use in helpingstudents organize their time and materials, take an activerole in their learning, and develop team-building and peertraining skills. Two participants reported successes withagendas and classroom rules in motivating students tofollow class time schedules more closely. One Beginning-Low level teacher has his students keep folders andchecklists to organize their work and apply alphabetizingskills in the process of finding and filing their folders.

The second section, Instructional Strategies, providesteachers with strategies that encourage students to practice, demonstrate, and apply a variety of skills. Inan Advanced-Low class, students are practicingstrategies for giving and responding to oral presentations,and the teacher reports that his students arecommunicating in English to one another with increasedfrequency and confidence.

The third section, Reflection Strategies, containsstrategies that teachers can use with students to teachthem how to document and recognize accomplishmentsby maintaining competency checklists, class calendars,learning logs, and diaries. Several teachers are usingstudent calendars to reinforce attendance and learninglogs to demonstrate the importance of practice andconsistency in achieving progress.

Organizing and Monitoring Instruction toImprove Student Learning Gains

The instructional advantage of the above strategies istwofold; they help students monitor their own learningand they help teachers deliver instruction directly relatedto student achievement and learning gains.

Arlene SimmonsESL Teacher Adviser for the Division of Adult and Career Education

Los Angeles Unified School District

Research-to-Practice

Bridging the Gap BetweenResearch and Classroom Practicefor Adult Learners and Educators

Study Circles on Learner PersistenceCALPRO continues to support professional development on the topic oflearner persistence by training facilitators to run site-based study circles.During the study circles, participants discuss readings, engage in interactiveexercises, and identify ways to increase learner persistence. Over the lastyear, more than 30 agencies have run study circles. CALPRO has a collectionof suggested techniques for improving learner persistence is available onlineat http://www.calpro-online.org/announce/LPcircles.asp. On October 27,CALPRO will hold a training for new study circle facilitators. Participants willreceive an overview of research on the topic of learner persistence and will betrained to facilitate study circles at their agencies. For information about thistraining or about study circles in general, contact Erik Jacobson atejacobson@air.org.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Nov. 4 – 7 California Library Association Conference(www.cla-net.org)

April 6 – 9 CATESOL Conference (www.catesol.org)

April 26 – 29 COABE (http://www.coabe.org)

Visit the CALPRO Web sitewww.calpro-online.org

for professional development materials that link research to practice,including publications, information about CALPRO moderated

discussion lists, and links to other online resources.

RESOURCE CORNER

Adult Literacy and Numeracy Interventions and Outcomes:A Review of Controlled TrialsNational Research and Development CentreCarole Torgerson, et al. http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_2850.pdf

“One Day I Will Make It”: A Study of Student Persistence in LibraryLiteracy ProgramsKristen E. Porter, Sondra Cuban, and John Comingshttp://www.mdrc.org/publications/401/full.pdf

The Role of Qualitative and Ethnographic Research in Educational Policy Reading OnlineVictoria Purcell Gateshttp://www.readingonline.org/articles/purcell-gates/

Scientifically-Based Reading Research: A Primer for Adult and FamilyLiteracy EducatorsOhio Literacy Resource Center: Research to PracticeNancy Padak, Tim Rasinski, Maryann Mrazhttp://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0200-25.pdf

Join the CALPRO-hosted Literacy Practice, Research,

and Policy Connections electronic discussion list.

To subscribe, send an emailmessage to

join-lprpconnections@lists.scoe.net.Leave the body of the email message blank.

LPRPCONNECTIONS

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This newsletter is published twice a year by CALPRO.We welcome comments and submissions of noteworthy items related

to professional development in adult education and literacy.Contact Erik Jacobson at ejacobson@air.org, or call 916-286-8805.

The CALPRO Research-to-PracticeIn i t ia t ive is designed to helppractitioners access, analyze, andutilize promising research in adulteducation. In addition to the upcomingField-based Research Initiative (see p.1) and the ongoing Study Circles onLearner Persistence (see page 6),CALPRO is providing technicalassistance to California adult literacypractitioners and administrators as partof the Student Achievement in Reading(STAR) Project, sponsored by theUnited States Department of Education,Office of Vocational and AdultEducation. The goal of the STARProject is to provide teachers ofintermediate-level adult learners withinformation about evidence-basedpractices and innovations. A team ofresearchers and educators from acrossthe country is training teachers to useresearch-based diagnostic tools andhelping project participants to useinstructional practices that areresearch-based.

The STAR Project is being piloted in sixstates across the country. Theparticipating programs in California are:Bakersfield Adult School, Los AngelesUnified School District, Oroville AdultEducation, Pelican Bay State Prison/Tsunami Adult School, San JuanUnified School District, San QuentinState Prison, Sweetwater Union HighSchool District, Vallejo Adult School,and West Contra Costa Adult School.Contact CALPRO if you are interestedin receiving more information about theSTAR Project or other research-to-practice initiatives.