41st Annual New York City Consortium for ABE/ESOL Educators
Saturday, April 25, 2020
High School of Fashion Industries
New York, NY
2020 Vision: Identifying and Addressing Needs in Adult Education
Proposal Deadline: January 21, 2020
Dear Adult Educators, Volunteers, Adult Learners and Future Adult Educators,
In 2020, the New York City Consortium for Adult Basic Education will hold its 41st Annual ABE/ESOL Conference on Saturday, April 25, 2020 at the High School of Fashion Industries in Manhattan. In recognition of the ever-evolving landscape of adult education and the ongoing need for professional development, this year’s conference theme is: 2020 Vision: Identifying and Addressing Needs in Adult Education. We invite you and the members of your organization to participate in the ABE/ESOL Conference.
Since 1978, the ABE/ESOL Conference has served the diverse professional development needs of current and future adult educators in the areas of BE, CTE (Career & Technical Education), ESOL, ESL Literacy, High School Equivalency (HSE), and US Citizenship. New York City’s adult literacy programs continue to be a motivating force for the city’s vast population of adult learners seeking to achieve language proficiency or to gain literacy and numeracy skills. These programs open pathways to HSE credentials, further education and training, better jobs, and a more active role in learners’ communities. The Consortium, a non-profit organization composed of educators from leading New York City adult education providers, remains at the forefront of efforts to meet the challenges facing the field.
To develop and thrive, adult educators, volunteers and future adult educators need a professional support network. We all benefit from engaging in dialogue, sharing creative teaching practices, and building partnerships with colleagues throughout the city and beyond. The ABE/ESOL Conference provides a forum for showcasing the tremendous creative energy and talent of practitioners while addressing critical issues that deeply impact adult education students and educators alike. In 2020, we plan to offer workshops in the following formats:
Presenter-centered/traditional model
Inquiry-based/participant-centered model
Panel Discussion/Educators’ Roundtable
In addition to requesting your participation in the conference, the NYC Consortium for ABE/ESOL encourages you to submit proposals for presentations that highlight outstanding and innovative practices and illuminate relevant issues affecting our field. Successful workshops have actively involved participants in group activities, used audio-visual aids, and incorporated open discussions into their design. We welcome collaborative submissions. Please note that all accepted proposals are for highly participatory workshops, therefore, it is not possible to accept academic or commercial presentations in the framework of our conference.
Sincerely,
NYC Consortium for ABE/ESOL Conference Committee
===========================================================================
The Planning Committee for the 41st Annual New York City ABE/ESOL Conference seeks educators and learners who are interested in presenting at the 2020 Conference on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at the High School of Fashion Industries in Manhattan.
Suggested Topic Areas for Presenters Include
- Academic Language and ESOL Immersion
- Assisting and Advancing BE Students in Math Learning
- Beginning Literacy for ESOL Students
- Bridging the Gap between ESOL and Basic Education
- Census 2020: Defining Our Role
- Citizenship Preparation and Civic Participation
- Critical Literacy Strategies
- Developing Critical Thinking Skills
- Family and Health Literacy
- Incorporating We Speak NYC into the ESOL Classroom
- Integrating Technology into the Classroom
- Integrating the Arts into Instruction
- Issues Facing Immigrant Learners
- Preparation for the HSE Exam
- Promoting Autonomy and Life-long Learning
- Providing Support for Learning Differences in the Classroom
- Respectful Approach to Cultural Diversity and Controversial Issues in the Classroom
- Recruitment, Retention and Learner Persistence
- Road to College: Strategies for Academic Reading and Writing
- Strategies for the Multi-level ESOL Class
- Supporting Students in Communities in an Election Year
- Teaching Math Using Social Justice Frameworks and Strategies
- WIOA: Developing Student Skills for Job Search/Interviewing/Job Readiness, and Identifying Career Pathways
Tips for the Proposal Blurb & Sample Blurb
The ABE/ESOL Proposal Sub-Committee summarized the following tips for your reference:
· Be sure to prepare for your specific audience
· Be sure that either your title or your thematic statement is attractive
· Be clear and explicit (in terms of what you are going to do and what the participants are going to do and take away from your presentation)
· Please include an outline (in bullet form) of your presentation, which will not be included in the program. See sample blurbs and outlines below:
Title and Blurb Sample 1
Simple Ways to Ease Students’ Basic Math Anxiety
Our ABE students usually feel eager, yet anxious about learning basic math concepts. In this workshop some simple and useful ways to solve these problems will be demonstrated. Participants will be arranged in small groups of 4. After a quick overview of basic math content areas, such as average, median, range, ratio, probability, proportion, and set-up expressions, participants will use items in the room they are in, i.e. books, chairs, windows, tables, and themselves to create ratios, probability and proportion-type scenarios. For example, one ratio and proportion-type activity will involve recording the number of eye blinks in a minute and then creating ratio and proportion questions. An additional activity will involve participants using the coins in their pockets or purses as manipulatives to establish ratio and probability-type questions from the data that is derived. Copies summarizing the skills to be covered will be provided, along with representative math problems.
Outline
· Present simple and useful ways to teach basic math concepts
· Group participants in 4 to review basic math concepts, such as median, average and ratio
· Use realia in the presentation room to create ratio, probability and proportion-type scenarios
· Provide participants with summary of skills and representative math problems
Title and Blurb Sample 2
Reinforcing second language skills through games and manipulatives
Current brain research reveals the important role of emotion, motivation, movement, and engagement in learning. One of the best ways to incorporate all these elements is to use games and manipulatives to facilitate and reinforce second language learning. In this workshop, participants will have fun using a variety games and manipulatives that develop critical thinking, creativity, leadership, camaraderie, collaboration, and cooperation.
Outline
· Present information about the important role of emotion, motivation, movement and engagement in learning, according to brain research
· Incorporate above elements through use of games and manipulatives
· Develop critical thinking, creativity and collaboration among students through a variety of games and manipulatives with which participants will engage
· Present ways that participants will be able to use these materials in their particular teaching situations
