Teaching the CCR Standards for ELA Through Contextualized Units

Session Seven

Thursday, June 23, 2016

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Teaching the CCR Standards for ELA through Contextualized Units

Facilitator Amy Trawick (This is an all day session. Participants must register for the session before the conference. Session is limited to 35 participants.)

Roberts 101/103

This in-depth session will be a step-by-step, hands-on workshop to support teachers in teaching the College and Career Readiness Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) through contextualized units. Participants will practice how to develop standards-based units within rich social studies, science, career, and other knowledge-building content that is sensitive to student goals and interests. We will use the “backward design” model for curriculum development to bundle ELA standards, envision a culminating product for assessment, and access texts appropriate for adults. We will also explore the importance of embedding explicit, scaffolded skill instruction within this contextualized approach. Practitioners will leave with a rough outline for a unit plan and a wealth of resources for on-going curriculum development.
Participants will need to bring a copy of the *College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education* (Pimentel, 2013) to the workshop.

Marketing Your Adult Education Program

Facilitator Shelli Pride, Windham Raymond Adult Education

EC 001

This workshop will cover a variety of marketing ideas to help promote your adult education program. We will cover different marketing approaches from print to social media, i.e., press releases, catalogs, brochures, Facebook, community calendars, and much more. There will be a brief overview of InDesign for catalog creation. Attendees will leave with the foundation for a marketing plan template to implement in their own programs.

Hands-On Graphing

Facilitator, Ed Latham, Axiom Education and Training Center (This session will extend into Session 8.)

EC 107

Grappling with linear graphing through manipulatives and play, participants will explore free tools and strategies that can be used to get students learning the key elements of linear graphing, slope, and even what pesky “undefined” looks like and why. There will be technology and non technology activities shared in this session. These activities all build conceptual knowledge before teachers dive inot all those geeky procedures. Armed with confidence that comes with conceptual success, students will have a strong foundation in skills that relate to all types of graphing.

MaineStars and WIOA

Facilitators Tim Turner and Melissa Milam, Benchmark ITS

Roberts 023

BenchmarkITS Development Lead Tim Turner and BenchmarkITS Support Coordinator Melissa Milam will present a review of the new version of MaineStars with a focus on system changes related to the new WIOA guidelines. If time permits, a question and answer session will follow the presentation.

eCASAS getting started /TopsPro reports (This workshop is two-part and will extend into Session 8.)

Facilitator, Megan Dichter, MDOE

Roberts 107

This session will be two parts. The first walk participants through how to get their program up and running on the Tops/Pro eCASAS system. We will cover the required training and technology as well as cover the different roles and the setting up of test sessions. Participants will leave with a clear picture of what they need to do to get up and running on the eCASAS system. The second session will cover how to generate and use the reports available on the TopsPro side of the system.

Cultivating Confidence in Adult Learners

Facilitator Janet Smith, New Ventures Maine

EC 103

Self-confidence is important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet many of our students struggle to find it. The good news is that self-confidence can be learned and built on. In this session, we will explore tools and techniques to help students recognize strengths, acknowledge accomplishments, and take steps to increase self-esteem and confidence on their journey to success.

An Introduction to the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services - A Partner in Improving Outcomes

Facilitator Libby Stone Sterling, MDOL

Roberts 105

Learners with disabilities may face challenges as they strive to reach their educational and employment goals. In this session, representatives of the Maine Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late-Deafened will offer an overview of their services and will share specific resources to improve outcomes and strengthen collaboration.

Contextualized Instruction - An Online Course Experience

Facilitators Abigail Manahan, MDOE, with course participants Duane Doiron and Karen Scrutchfield

EC 110

Co-facilitated by participants in the World Education course Contextualized Instruction online course pilot. Maine was fortunate to secure free seats in this pilot course developed by LaGuardia Community College. These participants will report out on what they learned for best practice, and principles and techniques of contextualized instruction that will help educators achieve long-term instructional goals.

Session Eight

Thursday, June 23, 2016

10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

ETS High School Equivalency Testing (HiSET®) Program Updates and HiSET Data Manager 101

Facilitator, Douglas Garcia, Senior Director, Educational Testing Service, ETS

CR 123

In 2014, Educational Testing Service broke new ground in adult education with the HiSET® exam — an affordable, more accessible high school equivalency test option. Delivered to over 100,000 test takers, the HiSET® is currently adopted in more than 24 states and jurisdictions. This session will provide valuable information about the ETS HiSET® program including the most up to date national test taker data from 2014/2015. Douglas will also provide an overview of the HiSET Data Manager application, a new tool that will allow test centers to run aggregate performance and volume data reports on their HiSET test takers. Participants will walk away with more information about free instructional materials, HiSET® content, the informational website and have an opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with an ETS Director working on HiSET®.

Hands-On Graphing

Facilitator, Ed Latham, Axiom Education and Training Center (Extended from Session 7.)

EC 107

Part 2

How Google Classroom Can Broaden and Enhance Student Experiences in Your Classroom

Jeanne MacDonald- Johnson, Sanford Community Adult Education

EC 110

I will introduce and provide hands-on experience with Google Classroom and its various functions. I will tie each function in to how it might broaden and enhance students' classroom experiences.

eCASAS getting started /TopsPro reports (Carried over from Session 7.)

Facilitator, Megan Dichter, MDOE

Roberts 107

Teaching the CCR Standards for ELA through Contextualized Units

Facilitator Amy Trawick (This is an all day session.)

Roberts 101/103

Continuation from Session 7.

Understanding Transitions

Facilitator Jim Peacock, Peak-Careers Consulting

Roberts 103

Participants will gain an understanding of the transitions that many students go through using Schlossberg’s Transition Theory of Situation, Self, Support, Strategies (4 S’s) and what you can do to assist a “stuck” client. An activity will be introduced as a way of identifying what changes to focus on to assist them in developing action plans.

Bridges to Patient Care--Lessons in Integrated Education and Training

Facilitator Annie Sargent, Ellsworth

EC 103

RSU25 Adult Education and Ellsworth Adult Education are collaborating on a Parient Care Integrated Education and Training pilot project. Bridges to Patient Care Workshops, Patient Care WorkReady, medical related certificate program co-teaching, digital literacy all aspects of the project. We will share are successes and lessons learned.

Strategies for Teaching Math and Science

Facilitators: Christina Parks and Linda Lavertu, Sanford Community Adult Education Instructors

EC 110

Evidence-based strategies, including some STAR strategies and methods we have gleaned ourselves, which are useful for teaching math and science classes to adult education students. The workshop will include handouts, examples, discussion, questions, and input from participants.

Session Nine

Thursday, June 23, 2016

1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Teaching the CCR Standards for ELA through Contextualized Units

Facilitator Amy Trawick (This is an all day session.)

Roberts 101/103

Continuation from Sessions 7 and 8.

Embedding Employability Skills

Facilitator, Megan Dichter, MDOE

EC 103

As students strive to meet the demands of the 21st century, they are increasingly expected to master employability skills in addition to traditional academic skills. This workshop will:
-Introduce participants to the Employability Skills Framework and explain why it is important for all students
-Help participants connect employability skills to other educational initiatives
-Provide tools and strategies to help prioritize employability skills

LinkedIn Lab

Facilitator, Jim Peacock, Peak-Careers Consulting

Roberts 107

This session will introduce LinkedIn as a tool to assist others, or yourself, in finding work, developing a network, identifying like-minded groups, and how to use LinkedIn to research career pathways.
This will be a working lab, participants should bring a laptop in order to create and improve their profile. We will work on Tag Lines, Summary sections, Skills section, learn how to backup profiles, and to use LinkedIn as a tool in each person's career development.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) “State Exam” Changes

Facilitator Robert Carr, Workforce Development Program Manager, Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services

CR 123

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services (DHHS< DLRS) has signed an agreement with Pearson VUE to deliver its nurse aide exam. Pearson VUE has been working with the DLRS over the last few years to assist us in moving to a national exam, the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP). The NNAAP exam offers many advantages over the current exam process. This session will introduce you to this new exam process and provide you a general overview of this exciting new exam process!

Free Online Tools to Help with Reading and Writing

Facilitator, Ed Latham, Axiom Education and Training Center

EC 107

Participants will explore a number of online tools that can be used free to help beginning adult readers and writers find success. Most of these resources are centered around the Chrome Browser, but there are some resources that are included on many of the smartphones and tablets today. Participants will be encouraged to share options specific to their platforms that are similar in purpose to the materials shared in the session. This collaboration of learning options will help all of us have a bigger tool box to help our adult learners beginning to learn to read and write.

I Need Data!

Facilitator Kelley Heath, MDOE

Roberts 023

Are you screaming this to the rafters? Or even worse- are the people in charge screaming it? Whether you are advocating for your classroom, your educational programs, or your very existence, having data to back you up can make all the difference. The only question is how do you get the right data at the right time? This workshop will highlight the data resources already available to all Maine adult education programs. We’ll take a look at the data available, and examine how the same data can often provoke different data questions and answers. What is your data really telling you? Come find out!

Hands-On Division and Fractions

Facilitators Mary Ryan and Nancy Allen, Region 9 Adult Education

Resource Depot EC 006

Want some hands on ideas for teaching division and fractions, but can’t afford to buy expensive manipulatives? Working in groups, we will develop ideas for teaching the difficult math concepts of division and fractions. With materials from Everyone’s Resource Depot we will make those ideas come alive. For over twenty-five years the “Depot” has provided local residents with recycled materials for all sorts of projects. Get your creative juices going so you can help your students learn!