Adult Education Special Interest Group

    A Message from Your SIG Leader, Collin Blair

    Hello Adult Ed Teachers, Advocates, and Enthusiasts!

    Just as 2020 was cooking along and we were gradually coming out of (a milder) winter, we have all suddenly been sent to our homes to continue carrying out our work. Thank you for visiting the Adult Ed SIG page on the new & beautiful MITESOL website.  My biannual updates are there with lots of info and resources, but also we now have an Adult Ed Message Board.  Please post something and let us all know how your work has been going out there in the trenches of your basements, kitchen tables, and guest bedrooms! 

    I for one have been doing my best to keep each and every one of my Adult ESL students engaged and improving their language and ABE skills via online classes, remind texts, emails, and phone calls...but naturally it has taken a little time to get used to the different gravity on Mars.

    As always, let me know if there are any topics, articles, or concerns of interest that you would like for me to address via the website and/or at the annual conference (stay tuned for more info on this).  Take care and be well.

    -Collin Blair, Adult Ed. SIG Leader (adult-ed-sig@mitesol.org)

    Resources for Adult Students (and Their Teachers!)

    VOA News Learning English

    Just in case you and your students aren’t aware of this PHENOMENAL website.  ESL-centered materials in all skills, videos, grammar lessons, idioms, current events and beyond.

    https://learningenglish.voanews.com/

     

    Support Ed

    Free tools to help educators and administrators better serve English learners.

    https://getsupported.net/free-tools/

     

    Public Libraries:  Adult literacy, GED, & citizenship classes

    Detroit Public Library (but many offer these services)--https://detroitpubliclibrary.org/services/adult-literacy-ged

     

    Citizenship Test Practice

    As the printed books + cds are no longer being produced, this website is the place to refer your students for citizenship test prep.

    http://uscitizenshipsupport.com/

     

    Pure Michigan jobs and skills training

    Peruse this website for many options to aid your students with workforce training and jobs:

    https://www.mitalent.org/career-explorer

              *Also, refer students to local Michigan Works! offices for asssistance with resumes, interviewing skills, and locating available jobs:  https://www.michiganworks.org/

     

    Michigan eLibrary

    MEL Databases allow you instant access to full-text articles from tens of thousands of magazines and newspapers. Databases are available for kids, adults, and on specialized topics such as car repair, practice tests and art images.  Also, there are resources for skills practice.

    https://www.mel.org/

              *For example, one learning resource is:  home page → eResources → Adult Core Skills → Improve Your Writing, Speaking, and Grammar → Writing Skills Tutorial

     

    LINCS Learner Center

    Connects adult learners to free online resources to learn how to read, get job skills, become a citizen and more.

    https://learner.lincs.ed.gov/

     

    Articles

    Various articles that touch on topics and themes that affect our students and our teaching:

     

    NY Times:  

    A Census Whodunit: Why Was the Citizenship Question Added?

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/us/census-citizenship-question-hofeller.html

     

    Migration Policy Institute:  Employment and the Economy

    https://www.migrationpolicy.org/topics/employment-economy

              *Temporary visa holders:  https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/temporary-visa-holders-united-states

              *Reducing social isolation for refugee women and other groups:  https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/reducing-social-isolation-refugee-women-newcomers

     

    Pew Research Center:  

    Code-Switching:

    https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/24/younger-college-educated-black-americans-are-most-likely-to-feel-need-to-code-switch/

     

    Home Language Use:  Europe vs. U.S.

    https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/06/speaking-the-national-language-at-home-is-less-common-in-some-european-countries/

     

    Michigan Public Radio:

    Michigan community college students can now more easily transfer to 4-year institutions

    https://www.michiganradio.org/post/michigan-community-college-students-can-now-more-easily-transfer-4-year-institutions

     

    Non-traditional college students (from 2017)

    https://www.michiganradio.org/post/most-who-enroll-college-are-non-traditional-students-why-arent-colleges-designed-them

     

    Detroit Free Press (via Associated Press):

    Whitmer tells Trump Michigan will keep welcoming refugees

    https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/14/michigan-refugees-trump-whitmer/2648670001/

    Advocacy

    We Are All America

    We Are All America is a national campaign that aims to uphold and strengthen our nation's commitment to welcome and protect those seeking freedom, safety and refuge in the United States.

    http://www.weareallusa.org/

     

    National Partnership for New Americans

    This group represent the collective power and resources of the country’s 37 largest regional immigrant and refugee rights organizations in 31 states.

    https://partnershipfornewamericans.org/