Montana LINCS Update
Problems with the links in the email?
Go to the Email Archives in the upper left-hand corner on the home page at http://www.nwlincs.org/mtlincs/index.htm
1. Distance Learning Research #14: Teacher Preparation and Distance Learning - Support for Students
DL Research #13 discussed the value of teacher preparation. Why is it so important? Have you looked at Project IDEAL's website at http://www.projectideal.org/index.html? There is a lot of information there that may help you as you continue to implement distance learning. One such item is the “Measuring the Motivation and Strategy Use of GED Students in Distance Education Programs” report at http://www.projectideal.org/pdf/Reports/IDEALMotivationStudy2005.pdf.
One notation was the importance of instructors in the distance learning process.
… findings indicate that participants in the study were highly motivated students. They consider the program valuable in terms of its utility and importance to them as persons, and consider themselves efficacious, while indicating that being in the program required a moderate level of sacrifice. Quite important for program evaluation is the fact that virtually all the students reported being strongly supported by their instructors …
Wolters, Christopher; Karabenick, Stuart; Johnston, Jerome; Young, Shannon. Measuring the Motivation and Strategy Use of GED Students in Distance Education Programs, Project IDEAL Support Center, September 2005, http://www.projectideal.org/pdf/Reports/IDEALMotivationStudy2005.pdf
So as was stated in DL Research #13, the implication is that teacher quality improves with teacher preparation. If that is so, then would not that mean that better prepared teachers will be able to provide better support to distance learning students, thus enhancing the delivery method?
Questions:
Do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Why or why not?
Any thoughts?
· Email: Click here to email MTLINCS. OR
· Blog: Click here to post on the DL Blog.
2. Economic News: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Click here http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm to access the Economic News Release.
Click here http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/05/unemployment-and-educational.html to read Hale Stewart's perception of the information regarding unemployment and educational achievement.
there were several points which raise concern, the most obvious being the increase in U-6 from 16.9% to 17.1. The measure includes the unemployed along with other classifications of people such as those "marginally attached" to the labor force and those employed part-time for economic reasons. However, as the data below demonstrates, long-term unemployment is largely a function of educational achievement and industry.
3. ESL: MTLINCS Stats
Click here http://www.nwlincs.org/mtlincs/stats/ESL_9-1-09_3-1-10.pdf to access stats for MTLINCS ESL website.
4. ESL: CAELA Brief
Click here http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/resources/experienced.html to access the new brief from the CAELA Network: Professional Development for Experienced Teachers Working With Adult English Language Learners by Amber Gallup Rodríguez and Sharon McKay.
This brief looks at the characteristics of experienced and expert teachers and describes the ways these teachers differ from novice teachers. It discusses considerations involved in providing high-quality professional development for experienced teachers and suggests professional development models to meet the needs of these teachers.
5. NIFL Update
I'm happy to be able to clear up some concerns among the members of the NIFL listservs. The NIFL/LINCS website will continue to be available after the close of NIFL, but will be accessed by a new url. We are in the process of securing a new domain name. The new url will be announced prior to the NIFL closing. All of the current listservs will continue next year. The archives will continue to be available on the website as well.
Publications currently on the website will continue to be available in pdf. format only. Anyone wishing hard copies of the many wonderful NIFL publications should order them now. Shortly we will begin recycling all publications remaining in the warehouse. Since all publications must be emptied out of the warehouse prior to the Institute closing, August will be too late to order.
Patricia Bennett
Associate Director
National Institute for Literacy
Norene Peterson
Adult Education Center
415 N. 30th
Billings, MT 59101
norenehp@bresnan.net