Empowerment through Conferences!

The WE LEARN Empowerment Experience-

Yes Conferences can be empowering!

In early March, I had the pleasure of participating in the WE LEARN Conference again this year. In a rare synchronicity, it was held in RI again like the 2009 event was. But this year’s conference outstripped even the power of the prior WE LEARN conferences I had attended.

What is it that makes WE LEARN such a life changing event for the women who participate in it?

In this short article, I describe the first of several events which capture the power of empowerment as seen in the lives of a few participants I was close to that week.

My goals in sharing this article are several

1. That I chronicle and remind us all of the power of professional conferences for personal and professional development,
2. That readers’ passion for teaching and learning will be……………

   
   To read the entire article please click the title of the article at the TOP of the page

Dynamic New Book- Power of Learning from Inquiry

The Power of Learning from Inquiry Teacher Research as a Professional Development Tool in Multilingual Schools

A New Book in the Adult Education Special Topics: Theory, Research and Practice in LifeLong Learning
by Aida A Nevárez-La Torre, TESOL Program, Fordham University

I am very pleased to announce that we have a new release in the adult education series at Information Age Publishing: The Power of Learning from Inquiry Teacher Research as a Professional Development Tool in Multilingual Schools by Dr. Aida A Nevárez-La Torre of Fordham University.

Dr. Nevárez-La Torre is director of the TESOL and Bilingual programs at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education and has extraordinary experience as a researcher and practitioner in the field. This book is truly a one of a kind human interest, life transformation and professional development research book rolled up into one compelling volume.

Last week iwas describing to some of my graduate students as a powerful demonstration of how working alongside of educators/faculty and guiding them to explore action resaerch, providing a safe space for questioning assumptions, can lead to radical transforamtion. That this book reveals that storeis- in the particiapting teachers voices- how they came to the awakening, and grew to recognize and resist the oppression which they had been silenced previously. Biligual and TESOL educators are often even MORE overlooked in k-12 systems than adult edcutoars (hard for us to belive it ispossible, but it is true. There are many reaons for this basis and oppression- not only do they serve new immigrants, ELL learners, but they may also be ELL or immigrants. The end result is that may schools do not even attempt ot hide the fact that few resources, recogniztion or concern are exercisesd towards these students, teachers or resources.

• Are you ready to discover how one group of people began changing their corner of the educational world?
• Do you want to see how action redsearch can be used to expose oppression?

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To read the entire article click the title at top of page!

WE LEARN 7th Annual Conference on Women & Literacy

Cranston, RI – February 11, 2010

Empowering women to action is at the heart of the WE LEARN 7^th Annual (Net)Working Gathering & Conference on Women and Literacy, “Community, Leadership, Activism.” On Friday and Saturday, March 5^th and 6^th, 2010, an anticipated 200 students, teachers, community organizers, literacy workers, and professors will gather at the University of Rhode Island – Feinstein Providence Campus (80 Washington St.) to share resources, insights, and research.

Overview

Co-Sponsors

Committed to empowerment for women in all aspects of their lives, this WE LEARN event promotes civic participation as those who come together share their knowledge and experiences to draw connections between literacy, leadership, empowerment, and liberation.

Featured Speakers and Participants

FETC 2010-Web Based Tools to Empower Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Education Professor Dr. King TO SHOW How

Web-Based Tools Engage & Empower Students

Digital Resources BEING DEMONSTRATED

NEW YORK (January 7, 2010) – If you’re attending the Florida Educational Technology Conference

(FETC) in Orlando, Florida and want to know how web-based technology can be used in the classroom to engage today’s digital natives, cultivate high level critical thinking and drive student achievement, then Dr. Kathleen King’s Jan. 14 session is for you.

Dr. King is a professor of education at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education in New York City and president of Transformation Education LLC. Her session, “Leveraging Web 2.0 Tools: Literacy Skills, Oral History and Voice!” provides examples of ways social media such as podcasts and blogs can support project-based learning and help existing curricula to engage students more effectively.

“Perhaps the greatest benefit of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom is how they empower students to be creators, not just spectators,” Dr. King said. “A phrase I often use is ‘out of the stands and onto the field.’ By incorporating more digital resources into the classroom, teachers can help students become active learners.”

Dr. King demonstrates how digital resources from McGraw-Hill Education can support 21^st Century learning, including:

• CINCH Project – a collection of Web 2.0 tools for collaborative learning projects, features a community-based Web site where teachers and students create digital profiles and participate in group inquiry opportunities all in a safe and ………………………

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