CALIFORNIA ADULT LITERACY
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

CALPRO provides facilitated and self-directed online courses free of charge to instructors working in programs funded by the California Department of Education, Adult Education Office. Online course participants have the option to log in to an online course at any time to complete coursework.

Facilitated Courses

In facilitated courses, participants interact with a subject-area expert and a group of colleagues over a span of about four weeks, following a the course start date. Discussions occur asynchronously: within a given week, participants may log in at their convenience to read and post written comments on a shared discussion board and to complete course activities and assignments.

The objectives of online courses mirror those of the face-to-face workshops of the same name.

Facilitated Online Courses for Teachers

Teachers may enroll in any of the following facilitated online courses:

1. Designing Programs for Adults with Learning Disabilities, Session 1. Understanding Learning Disabilities: Awareness for Adult Educators
2. Designing Programs For Adults With Learning Disabilities, Session 2: Effective Instructional Strategies
3. Effective Lesson Planning
4. Enhancing Learner Persistence
5. Managing the ESL Multilevel Class
6. Organizing and Monitoring Instruction to Improve Learning Gains
7. Understanding the Adult Learner, Session 1: Adult Learning and Development
8. Using Questioning Strategies to Improve Instruction, Session 1: Questioning Strategies that Improve Cognition

Self-directed Courses

Self-directed online courses are entirely self-paced and foster independent learning. No course facilitator leads the course and individuals work on their own, without other participants. Self-directed courses offer great flexibility in professional development: participants may decide when to work on the course and how much of the course they wish to do; registration and the courses themselves are open continuously.

Self-directed Courses for Teachers

Self-directed courses available for teachers include:

1. Orientation for New ESL Teachers
2. Orientation for New ABE Teachers

CALPRO has posted two sets of nationally validated competencies to help you assess your skills and plan for your professional development. Two competency checklists, one for administrators and one for teachers, are available. You may complete these online and then use them as a guide to help you track your own professional development. Periodically, complete the checklist and print out to save a copy for your records. This will help you document the progress you are making toward your professional development goals. Note that CALPRO ensures you complete confidentiality and does not retain the information you enter.

To view and complete the competency checklists, go to the Professional Competencies Web page.

Go to the Management and Instructor Competencies Web page.

CALPRO is offering a Webinar series for teachers called The Instructors Forum. The purpose of this initiative is to convene teachers from across California and highlight exemplary instructional practices. Sample Webinar topics include Contextualizing Workforce Skills in ABE/ASE Instruction and Contextualizing Workforce Skills in ESL Instruction.

Go to the Instructors Forum Web page.

As part of its Research-Based Practices Initiative, CALPRO is pleased to present the Adult Education Research Webinar Series. The goal is to engage practitioners and researchers on topics relevant to adult educators in California. Sample Webinar topics include Changing the Odds: Innovative Ideas and Delivery Models and ESL Explicit Literacy Impact Study.

Go to the Adult Education Research Webinar Series Web page.

CALPRO offers the following online Resource Guides designed for teachers.

• ABE New Teacher Resource Guide
• ESL New Teacher Resource Guide
• Health Literacy Reference Guide

To access these guides, please visit the Resource Guide Web page.

CALPRO has published research digests, summaries, and annotated bibliographies on various topics of interest to teachers.

Teachers can download these documents from the CALPRO Publications Web page.

CALPRO has compiled a listing of postsecondary programs related to adult education from Web sites of the California State University and University of California systems. Teachers interested in university-based courses in adult learning, ESL, writing, etc., may find this a useful reference.

Go to the Post secondary Options for California Adult Educators

The Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) provides listings of online lesson plans, class activities, and other Web-based tools at http://www.otan.us under Teaching Tools and Resources.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) Web site at http://www.ctc.ca.gov provides information on the licensing and credentialing of professional educators in the state of California.

The Catalog of CALPRO Professional Development Resources represents a comprehensive guide to CALPRO’s many professional development products and services for administrators and teachers in California.

The catalog provides information about workshops, online courses, and publications related to helping adult learners.

Teachers can use the catalog to find information about online courses, workshops, fact sheets, and publications related to teaching English as a second language, adult basic education, and adult secondary education as well as resources addressing learner persistence, learning disabilities, and reading instruction.

Download the Catalog of CALPRO Professional Development Resources [PDF]