Learner Resources
Afghan Resource Center
USAHello announced this month the launch of the Afghan Resource Center, a comprehensive online hub professionally translated in Dari and Pashto to help Afghans start their lives here in the USA.
The resource center features content on visa options and benefits available for Afghan newcomers. Additionally, practical information is provided on U.S. laws, finding a job, family reunification and immigration, understanding American culture, setting up finances, healthcare, education, and more. Visitors to the site can access the free FindHello app to connect to 4000+ local resources and service providers across the country.
The Afghan Resource Center was created as part of USAHello's partnership with Welcome.us
LinkedIn Learning Licenses
https://vcwnorthern.com/jobseekers/linkedin-learning/
With LinkedIn Learning, students and jobseekers can learn new business, creative, and technology skills to achieve personal and professional skills. Thanks to a new initiative of Virginia Career Works – Northern, our local workforce area is distributing up to 5,000 Linkedln Learning licenses for FREE to job seekers to register and gain new skills through Linkedln Learning. These licenses are good through March 2022.
Jobseekers can take as many free training courses as they wish – on the app or from a computer. Content is available in multiple languages – English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Portuguese. Additionally, adjustable speech rate, closed captioning and transcripts are available for each video lesson.
Interested jobseekers and students should fill out the online form at https://vcwnorthern.com/jobseekers/linkedin-learning/ to register. Please wait a week or so to hear from Virginia Career Works staff to get access to a LinkedIn Learning license. LinkedIn profile is not required.
Video Series: Digital Literacy for Life and Work
https://switchboardta.org/resource/digital-literacy-for-life-and-work/
This series for newcomer families includes 16 short videos, covering topics such as digital safety and scams, preventing viruses and malware, work readiness and job applications, and financial capabilities and online banking. Created by refugee and immigrant assistance organizations HIAS and HIAS Pennsylvania, the video series is available in 6 languages – Arabic, Dari, English, Spanish, Swahili, and Ukranian. The 16 videos:
- Digital Literacy and Managing Data
- Secure WiFi Networks
- Digital Safety and Scams
- Monitoring Children’s Online Activity
- Managing Your Digital Footprint
- Preventing Malware and Viruses
- Identifying Misinformation
- Staying Informed and Local Media
- Digital English Language Learning
- Online Translation and Interpretation
- Work Readiness and Job Applications
- Using Online Workspace to Apply for Jobs
- Professional Networking
- Financial Capabilities and Online Banking
- Online Learning Opportunities
- Digital Resiliency and Agency
Instructor Resources
Remote Instruction Look-Fors
What should we look for in our teaching practices in the virtual learning environment? Consider this new tool by the EdTech Center at World Education – the Remote Instruction Observation Tool. This tool identifies clear criteria in four domains and uses specific statements to describe what teachers and learners might be doing. Try it out and assess your own teaching or tutoring!
The four domains in the tool are:
- Lesson Planning and Delivery | How does the teacher communicate the lesson goals? How do the instructional strategies encourage rigorous and engaging learning opportunities?
- Assessing Understanding and Adjusting Instruction Accordingly | How does the teacher use multiple measures to assess learning? How do they adjust instruction based on learner understanding?
- Communication | How does the teacher communicate with learners to build a positive learning environment?
- Use of Technology and Support to Learners | How is technology used to support learning? How does the teacher support learners with their technology use?
Classrooms in action: Training videos for in-person instruction
Make an impact in the classroom by (re)learning effective strategies for teaching, assisting, or tutoring in person. Whether you are new to teaching adult learners or are switching back to in person after 18 months of remote instruction, here are two go-to training video collections:
- Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action by New American Horizons - Twelve 30-min videos on a variety of topics, such as building literacy with adult emergent readers, working with a multi-level class, effective grouping strategies, tasks to promote oral skills, and more.
- Classroom Videos by Literacy Minnesota – Twenty-plus videos ranging from 5 to 60 minutes in length. The videos are grouped into one of four categories – CCRS in the ABE Classroom, Pronunciation Classes (e.g., final consonant articulation), Featured Activities (e.g., picture stories), and Low-Literacy Instruction (e.g., Phonics and Rhyme Activities).
Webinar: Who are the Afghan newcomers? Understanding the Background and Socio-Cultural Strengths and Needs of Afghan Evacuees to the United States and Beyond
View the recording and access the presentation slides and transcript - https://bit.ly/3pJdtjs
Presented live on October 26
Presented by Switchboard, a one-stop resource hub for refugee service providers in the United States.
What will the webinar cover?
This webinar will provide an overview of events leading to the displacement of Afghan newcomers to the U.S. (also known as evacuees from Afghanistan). It will also cover the social and cultural aspects that distinguish this population from other refugee groups in the United States. This foundational information will help participants be better positioned to properly support newly arrived Afghans through services that align with their socio-cultural strengths and needs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of a panel composed of qualified experts on the topic.
Why should I attend?
After attending this 90-minute webinar, you will be able to:
- Define “Afghan newcomers” and recognize the events that have led to their displacement;
- Name basic cultural guidelines related to “do’s” and “don’ts” when interacting with Afghan clients;
- Name expectations and misconceptions about resettlement services in the United States that you may encounter among Afghan clients; and
- Communicate with the Afghan newcomers more effectively using provided tips and guidelines.
Speakers
- Farid Saydee- Adjunct Professor, School of Curriculum and Teaching, Kean University
- Durana Saydee- Research Associate, Language Mentors International (LMI)
- Haris Tarin- Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Homeland Security
- Rosalind Ghafar Rogers- Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Consultant U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
- Wais Khairandesh - Mental Health Therapist
Webinar: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices for Adult Learners
December 1 from 7:30-9:30 PM Eastern | Presented by Andrea Echelberger, Literacy Minnesota
Description: Trauma and chronic stress can come in many forms, and impact people’s ability to learn new skills and process information in a variety of different ways. In this webinar, learn how stress and trauma can manifest in the classroom, and learn about trauma-informed teaching practices that can help to support positive learning behaviors and increase retention and learner comfort.
Free to participate. Registration required. Webinar will not be recorded.
For more professional learning opportunities, visit our website - https://englishempowermentcenter.org/instructor-resources/.