 About the CAELA Network
 The CAELA Network supports practitioners' efforts to improve the achievement of adults learning English and helps states increase their capacity to provide effective professional development to those who work with this population.
Browse the CAELA Network Web site for more information about available resources.
New CAELA Network Brief Now Online
 Uses of Technology in the Instruction of Adult English Language Learners
This brief discusses three ways of using technology with adults learning English—onsite, blended, and online—and briefly describes examples of specific technologies and programs for adults learning English. The brief concludes by identifying issues to consider when using technology and by offering suggestions for further research.
Online Discussions
 Read these highlights from the National Institute for Literacy’s Adult English Language Learners discussion list:
Managing Programs for Adult English Language Learners
January 12-16, 2009
This online discussion was facilitated by three managers of adult ESL programs: MaryAnn Florez, Director of the Adult Education Professional Development Center at DC LEARNs in Washington, DC; Donna Kinerney, Instructional Dean for Adult ESL and Literacy Programs for Montgomery College in Maryland; and Brigitte Marshall, Director of Oakland Adult Education in California.
A diverse group of participants related their own paths to management and explored an array of challenges inherent in holding these positions.
Read the discussion summary.
Working with English Language Learners with Limited Literacy in their Native Language(s)
January 26-30, 2009
Martha Bigelow of the University of Minnesota led a discussion on working with learners with limited literacy. Practitioners from around the country covered topics such as the differences between students who have and do not have formal schooling, teacher training needs, and useful techniques and classroom activities for students with limited literacy.
Read the discussion summary.
Visit the archives for complete transcripts of these discussions and all discussions on the list.
Spotlight on CAELA Network Member State Activities
 Update from Montana
Montana will hold its first adult education ESL conference April 30-May 1, 2009. With a majority part-time adult ESL teacher workforce, small adult English language learner population, and vast geographic distances, providing and participating in professional development has been a challenge in Montana. This conference is expected to bridge some of the gaps in practitioner knowledge and skills across the state while creating a stronger practitioner community despite the distances between programs.
 Update from South Carolina's Adult ESL Conference
South Carolina’s first annual state adult education teachers ESL conference, Capitalize on ESL, took place on March 6, 2009, in Columbia. A steady increase in adult ESL student enrollment and the state’s strategic focus on improving the instructional skills and knowledge of adult ESL practitioners led to the organization of this conference, attended by state adult education staff working with adult English language learners.
Learn more about other CAELA Network member states.
Join us at our upcoming conference presentations
 CAL staff from adult ESL projects will give a variety of presentations of interest to those working with adult English language learners:
March 2009: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
March 25-28, 2009 Denver, Colorado
Visit our Web site to learn more about the following presentations:
- Examining the Origins of Adult Immigrant Education
- Future Directions for Adult ESL Instruction and Research
- Identifying Challenges and Building Capacity in Emerging ELL Communities
- Looking Ahead: Connecting Culture and Language in the U.S. Classroom
- Supporting Teacher and Learner Cultural Expectations in the Classroom
- Using Data to Plan Professional Development for Adult ESL Programs
Visit the TESOL Conference Web site.
April 2009 Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE)
April 18-22, 2009 Louisville, Kentucky
Learn more about the adult ESL strand at COABE coordinated by CAL.
- A Framework for Quality Professional Development for Practitioners Working with Adult English Language Learners
- Assessments Designed by Teachers – and Students!
- Preparing Adult English Language Learners for the Workforce: Models and Resources
- Qualities of Successful Adult ESL Trainers
- Resources for Working with Adult English Language Learners and Teachers
- Supporting Teacher and Learner Cultural Expectations in the Classroom
- Using Data to Plan Professional Development for Adult ESL Practitioners
- What’s Different about Reading and Writing in ESL?
- What Beginning and Experienced ESL Instructors Need to Know
Visit the COABE Conference Web site.
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