eVALBEC
April 2009
This
is the electronic newsletter of VALBEC, the Victorian
Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council, and is
sent to about 850 practitioners on the first of each
month (other than January). It is also available in
the ‘News’ section of our web site http://www.valbec.org.au
Disclaimer: The
activities, goods and services mentioned in eVALBEC
are not endorsed by VALBEC in any way. People should
make their own judgment about the suitability of each
item.
How to submit items: http://www.valbec.org.au/05/news.htm
----------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE OF eVALBEC:
1. Navigating Laneways:
2009 VALBEC Conference
2. Contribute to the special Fine Print Student Writing
edition
3. Reading the Fine Print: A history of the Victorian
Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council (VALBEC)
1978 – 2008
4. Next Fine Print
5. VALBEC Annual General Meeting
6. Investing in Community Education
7. Adult Learners’ Week 2009 Grant Funding
8. Workplace English Language and Literacy Program
(WELL)
9. 2009 ACAL conference: From Strength to Strength
10. Literacy in the street
11. Take a bow
12. Additional Fine Print
13. Book Lovers Wanted!
14. National Curriculum
Board seeks expressions of interest from writers
15. Australian Copyright Council’s 2009 Training
Program
16. Update your course details
17. Subscribe to eVALBEC?
18 Unsubscribe?
19. Contact VALBEC
----------------------------------------------
1. Navigating Laneways:
Finding new ways to work in adult literacy, language
and numeracy
VALBEC 2009 Conference
Friday May 8, at
William Angliss College, 9.00am - 4.30 pm
Pre-conference workshops will be conducted on Thursday
May 7, 3.00 -5.30pm
Early Bird closing date
April 9
Conference speakers
include: Rebecca Lister, David Rose, Wendy Cowey, Kate
Burridge.
Register at http://www.valbec.org.au/conf09/reg.htm
Program at http://www.valbec.org.au/conf09/ProgGlance.htm
Early bird fees only
apply to members so ensure that your membership is
current.
----------------------------------------------
2. Contribute to the
special Fine Print Student Writing edition
Following the success
of the 2008 edition, we want to celebrate the learnings
and insights of ALBE students through publishing
their writing. We also want to celebrate the
work of teachers. This time we ask students to
use the broad theme of “memory’,
as an inspiration. This could include memories
of people, places turning points, precious objects,
holidays, emotions, or anything else that has been
significant. Both poetry and prose are welcome.
We ask teachers to write about how you help your students
with not only the processes and mechanics of writing
but also how you inspire, build confidence, and help
your students find a voice.
Submission Guidelines
Electronic texts only. Word limit for teachers: between
250 and 500 words. Word limit for students 250 words
Please include a title for the piece, your name, learning
institution, and place where you live.
The editorial committee will select pieces that best
fit the guidelines and represent a diversity of learners
and teachers.
Please email all contributions to VALBEC at info@valbec.org.au
Deadline: June 19th
----------------------------------------------
3. Reading the Fine
Print: A history of the Victorian Adult Literacy and
Basic Education Council (VALBEC) 1978 – 2008
Book Launch • Thursday
May 7 at William Angliss Conference Centre 6.00 – 7.30
pm
The long awaited and
much anticipated Reading the Fine Print: A history
of the Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education
Council (VALBEC) 1978 – 2008 will be launched
by Rosie Wickert at this special event prior to the
annual conference. This important book is an engaging
and comprehensive account of thirty years in the life
of VALBEC. It recounts some of the policy and pedagogical
struggles of the adult literacy field that have shaped
VALBEC’s identity. The book will be on sale at
a special conference price. More details will be sent
out soon.
----------------------------------------------
4. Next Fine Print
Fine Print is available
free to members
Here’s a taste of the the next FP ...
• The Accelerated Literacy program and its relevance
to the discourse of adult literacy acquisition by Wendy
Cowey
• Scaffolding Literacy into Community Services
by Julianne Krusche
• Josie Rose describes the AccessACE project.
She identifies lessons learned and outlines factors
that may influence a clever use of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the future.
• Iris Ralph writes about her work with ESL students,
researching indigenous history and stories about and
by indigenous Australians, through web-based learning.
• Jane Westworth and Sally Hutchinson ask Have
You Clicked On? They provide a handy list of website
addresses, together with brief descriptors, useful
for teachers and students alike.
• Michele Gierck reflects upon her own experience
as a writer and how this experience shapes and influences
her teaching of writing.
• With Adult Literacy National Project Funding
slashed and in doubt we reprint an article from Literacy
Link demonstrating the value of the Reading and Writing
Hotline, together with a letter outlining VALBEC’s
dismay, following the Federal government’s decision
to cut funding.
• A profile of Sue Paull, joint Winner of the
Victorian Adult Community Education Award for Outstanding
ACE Practitioner.
• Sheila Stewart, based at the University of
Toronto, outlines a reflective practitioner research
project about story and diversity.
• Jill Rodgers reviews Good Better Best 3 an
intermediate grammar teaching resource while Julie
Palmer reviews Family Literacy, a publication
aimed at raising a greater understanding of family
literacy programs.
----------------------------------------------
5. VALBEC Annual General
Meeting
The AGM will be held in
June
Date and Venue to be confirmed
Reports will be presented for 2008 activities and the
election for the executive committee positions will
be conducted.
There will be a Twilight forum preceding the AGM with
guest speaker to be announced.
----------------------------------------------
6. Investing in Community
Education
ACFE has sent the
following information in Memo 2009/12
The Federal government has made available $100m under
the Investing in Community Education program for not-for-profit
Community Education and Training (CET) Providers across
Australia. The funding aims to boost capacity to deliver
training and contribute to individuals’ employability,
literacy, numeracy and job skills. Guidelines and administrative
arrangements (including the application process) are
currently being developed in consultation with States/Territories
and are expected to be finalised in June 2009. Start
planning now!
Further details can be found on the Department of Education,
Employment & Workplace Relations (DEEWR) website
at: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/TLCF/Pages/TLCF.aspx
----------------------------------------------
7. Adult Learners’ Week
2009 Grant Funding
Organisations are
invited to apply for funding of up to $250,000 to support
innovative and strategic approaches to Adult Learners’ Week
(ALW) in 2009.
Proposals which explore creative ways of communicating
the importance of adult learning, and which respond
to the goals and strategies embodied in the 2008 Ministerial
Declaration on Adult Community Education, will be particularly
well regarded.
Proposals might be national in approach, and include
some co-ordination or linking of ALW activities taking
place at state and territory level; or they may be
local or regional in scope.
Guidelines and application
form available online at http://www.deewr.gov.au/adultlearnersweek2009
----------------------------------------------
8. Workplace English
Language and Literacy Program (WELL)
2008- 2009 Funding
for training Projects
Application forms, guidelines, and other relevant information
are available on the WELL website at
www.deewr.gov.au/well <http://www.deewr.gov.au/well>
----------------------------------------------
9. 2009 ACAL conference:
From Strength to Strength
October 2-3 2009 Esplanade
Hotel, Fremantle, Western Australia
The sub-themes are:
- Language diversity, educational outcomes and literacy
- Building on our strengths
- Literacy, equity, justice and human rights
VALBEC members and friends are invited to pass on the
news to potential presenters who can unpack the
theme From Strength to Strength or any of the
sub-themes.
Call for Presentations and fee structure - visit http://www.waalc.org.au/09conf/
----------------------------------------------
10. Literacy in the
street
Mankind Is No Island
uses found signage on the streets of New York and Sydney
to tell a touching story from the very heart of two
cities and was shot entirely on a cell phone. The entire
budget for the film was $57. It won the top $20,000
prize at Tropfest NY, the world’s largest
short film festival.
Sue Shore Uni SA commented "It struck me
as a fascinating way to work on the idea of multi-literacies
with adult learners and at the same time draw on some
of the familiarity adults have with cell-phones."
See it at http://www.tropfest.com/ny/
----------------------------------------------
11. Take a bow
If you’ve paid
your membership fees take a bow.
The rest - we’ll be chasing you shortly.
The fees are
Individual membership - Employed Full Time (or on a
time fraction 0.6 or above) - $90
Individual membership - Part time and Sessional - $56
Full time tertiary student or unemployed teacher - $40
Institutional membership - Small Organisation (less
than 3 EFT staff) - $140
Institutional membership - Base rate - $180
Institutional membership - Multi-Campus (includes 5
copies of ‘Fine Print’) - $335
----------------------------------------------
12. Additional Fine
Print
Members are now able
to subscribe for extra copies of Fine Print. Currently
all categories, with the exception of Multi-campus,
receive one copy of Fine Print as part of the membership
fee. Renewal invoices allow members to choose
additional copies of Fine Print posted to the same
address.
----------------------------------------------
13. Book Lovers Wanted!
The MS Readathon will
celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2009 and this year
we are looking for Book Clubs and Adults to join in
the fun! Help us start a new chapter in MS research
and support services by turning the pages of your favourite
books this June.
Register yourself or a group to read and raise funds
for multiple sclerosis (MS) at http://www.msreadathon.org.au/
Have you done the MS Readathon before?
As part of our 30th year celebrations we would like
to hear from past participants. Email us at msreadathon@msaustralia.org.au
----------------------------------------------
14. National Curriculum
Board seeks expressions of interest from writers
The National Curriculum
Board is seeking expressions of interest from suitably
qualified and experienced people for inclusion on a
register of curriculum writers and advisory panel members
for English, mathematics, history and the sciences.
A small team of writers for each subject/learning area
will be appointed. Each writing team will include people
with particular expertise across the stages of schooling
(early years, primary, middle, senior). Depending on
their current employment situation the selected writers
may be contracted or seconded to undertake the writing.
Advisory panels will assist curriculum writing teams
by providing advice on draft materials at key stages
in the development process. Advisory panels will be
of two types:
• subject/learning area panels (one each for
English, mathematics, the sciences, and history)
• stages of schooling, equity and diversity panels.
Further details at http://www.ncb.org.au/get_involved/expressions_of_interest/info.html
----------------------------------------------
15. Australian Copyright
Council’s 2009 Training Program
Everyone uses copyright-protected
material, but not everyone understands their rights
and obligations under copyright law in Australia.
Australian Copyright Council training will help you
work out when you're faced with a copyright issue and
what to do about it. Some sessions deal with certain
activities, and others are targeted at certain organisations,
such as educational institutions and libraries.
The Australian Copyright Council's 2009 Melbourne training
sessions will be held on 12-15 May 2009. The Council
is a non-profit, non-government organisation.
Program overview at http://www.copyright.org.au/training2009
----------------------------------------------
16. Update your course
details
One of the most visited
parts of the VALBEC website lists the courses offered
by organisations in the TAFE and ACE sector.
You can see your listing or update it at http://www.valbec.org.au/05/contacts/contacts.htm
----------------------------------------------
17. Subscribe to eVALBEC?
Click this link <mailto:info@valbec.org.au?subject=eVALBEC_Subscribe> and
we’ll put you on the list to receive this monthly
enewsletter.
----------------------------------------------
18 Unsubscribe?
Just click this link <mailto:info@valbec.org.au?subject=eVALBEC_Unsubscribe> (no
typing required!) and hit Send or, send an e-mail with
the word Unsubscribe in the subject.
----------------------------------------------
19. Contact VALBEC
eVALBEC is the monthly
electronic newsletter of (VALBEC) the Victorian Adult
Literacy and Basic Education Council.
E-mail: info@valbec.org.au
Web: http://www.valbec.org.au
Postal: Box 861 Springvale South VIC 3172
Ph: 03 9546 6892
Fax: 03 9546 0421