Basic Skills and Libraries:It’s “Mint” to Be!

Presented by RTC’s Debbie CrumbRevised 08/12/09

Peninsula College LibraryAugust 13, 2009

http://www.quia.com/pages/dcrumb/eslandlibraries

What I’ll Cover Overview of RTC

RTC’s UDL initiative

Reading Apprenticeship and RATs

Basic Studies and Library Partnership

ESL orientation and workshop excerpts

Fabulous, fabulous prizes!

Renton Technical College (RTC)

RTC in 2007-08 15,229 students (head count)

3,826 state-supported FTEs

10,870 students in training programs

4,164 (26.5%) enrolled in ESL/Basic Studies

RTC in 2007-08 50.8% are persons of color or interracial

(Latino 19.5%; Asian/Pacific Islander 17.3%; African American 12.3%; Native American 1.5%, White 49.2%)

Immigrant, Refugee, & Temp. Legal Resident: 2,235 (17.8%)

471 students moved from ESL into career programs

I-Best Classes at RTC

Allied Health Central Service Technician Certified Nursing Assistant Licensed Practical Nurse Pharmacy Technician Phlebotomy Surgery Technician

Early Childhood Careers

Accounting

http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/UDL_Guidelines_v1.0-Organizer.pdf

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

RTC’s UDL Initiative

2002-09 funded by Dept. of Education

Faculty trained to better understand: Learning disabilities, Brain-based learning, Universal Design for Learning, Assistive technology and learning strategies Multi-modal technologies for classrooms.

More Info re:RTC’s UDL Initiative

RTC’s UDL website http://www.rtc.edu/AboutUs/DSDPGrant/

RTC Application of UDL with resources:

http://webs.rtc.edu/ii/dsdp.html

Reading Apprenticeship (RA)

WestEd’s research-based framework for improving reading comprehension in content areas

Routines can be used with ALL students including ABE, GED and ESL

It’s all about the metacognitive conversation & making invisible, visible

http://www.wested.org/cs/sli/print/docs/sli/ra_framework.htm

RA

RA and RATs at RTC

Formed RATs support group

Created RATs website and blog http://rtc-rats.org

Publish monthly RAT Review newsletter

Conduct monthly workshops

Faculty In-Service trainings

RA Makes a Difference!Data from 2 ABE Classes

1.5 hrs. of reading class each day - totally infused with RA

Fall 08 Winter 09 Spring 09

Number of students 89 110 72

Range of CASAS scores -3 to +26 +1 to 24 +3 to 13

Average point gain in morning class

6.3 5.6 5.6

Average point gain in afternoon class

6.9 4.5 4.3

Made WA & Federal ABE gains* 41.5% 49.1% 55.6%

(* Defined as having a 3 – 5 point gain across the quarter.)

Library & Basic Studies Partnership

Collection development

Instructors encouraged to make purchase suggestions for collection

Basic Studies materials on “reserve”

Library liaison to Basic Studies

Orientations and workshops

Collection Developmentand Circulation Stats

New Items in 400’s

Circulation of 400’s

1999 38 124

2000 64 272

2001 147 567

2002 133 680

2003 90 789

2004 193 4,209

2005 156 5,639

2006 370 5,961

2007 187 4,704

2008 169 4,453

Currently there are 1,942 items in the 400’s section.About 25% of the total circulation is from the 400’s.

Books

Media Materials

Problem: Missing Dept. Materials

ep

Solution: Library Reserve

Library Liaison

Attends Basic Studies Department meetings and potlucks

On Basic Studies email list

Informs Basic Studies staff about library materials and websites

Facilitates problem-solving

Teaches most of the workshops.

Library Orientation & Workshops Library orientation and tour

Library Terminology Games

Practicing Library Situations

Using an English Language Dictionary

Library Online Catalog

Online Encyclopedias

Using Google

Online Job Searching

Library Presentation Statistics

In FY2007-2008, the RTC Library gave 268 presentations (120 orientations and 148 workshops) to 4,632 attendees

40-50% were given to ESL classes

All ESL students attend library orientation

Over 80% of the ESL teachers schedule additional library workshops for classes

Strategies List for Teaching Library Sessions to ESL Students

What to Say, How to Say It

Enumerate when possible Keep it simple Speak clearly, slowly and pause often Be specific and explicit Choose words carefully-no slang/idioms Say it another way Give oral, visual, physical clues Relax and maintain sense of humor

Mitchell, Elisabeth. Check It Out Handbook: A Guide for Library Staff. Tacoma, WA: Tacoma Community House Training Project, 1998, pp. 2-3.

RTC Library Orientation for ESL

Short Stretch Break & Prizes!

Everyone stand up and stretch a bit while we conduct drawings for some fabulous, fabulous prizes.

Library Workshop Excerpts

Library Terminology Games

Practicing Library Situations

Using the Library Online Catalog

Using an English Language Dictionary

For More Info

Crumb, Debbie and Eric Palo. “It’s Showtime! Engaging Students in Library Instruction.” pages 30 – 39.

Cook, Douglas, and Ryan Sittler. Practical Pedagogy for Library Instructors: 17 Innovative Strategies to Improve Student Learning. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008.

More Resources

National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov/

Literacy NOW http://literacynow.info/ ESL Annotated Bibliography

Making it Real: Teaching Pre-literate Adult Refugee Students.

Check It Out Handbook: A Guide for Library Staff ($10) & Check It Out Visuals: A Package of Graphics for Libraries ($35).

Picture Dictionaries

Milet Picture Dictionaires & Milet Vilingual Visual Dictionaries: http://www.milet.com/

Oxford Picture Dictionaries: http://www.oup.com/us/

More Collection Development Resources National Institute for Literacy

http://www.nifl.gov/ California Language Laboratories

http://www.esltapes.com/ World Language

http://www.worldlanguage.com/ Pimsleur

http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/learn-english.asp

Pro Lingua Associates http://www.prolinguaassociates.com/

Other Stuff

Study Guides and Strategies http://www.studygs.net

Using English.com http://www.usingenglish.com/

BBC Learning English http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

Palo, Eric. “ESL Students and Technology in the College Library,” in Our New Public, A Changing Clientele: Bewildering Issues or New Challenges for Managing Libraries.  Libraries Unlimited, 2007, pp. 114-120.

Toys & Stuff

Trainers Warehouse http://www.trainerswarehouse.com/

Trainers' Market http://www.trainersmarket.com/

Discount School Supply http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/

SmileMakers http://smilemakers.com

Questions?

Workshop Evaluation Please complete the workshop

evaluation form. Thanks!

More Fabulous, Fabulous Prizes

Thanks for inviting me!