Technology is fantastic – when it works (as they say). We’ve hit a few bumps this month, PL sessions that need to be rescheduled due to link problems and a Facebook re-debut that didn’t quite debut the way we hoped (mental note: write that letter to Facebook on how unhappy we are that they changed their buttons and formatting). These setbacks have made me think quite deeply about how we handle failures. I’ll never profess to be good at handling setbacks, if I’m honest, I spend a lot of time complaining before I get on with the job. But this does make me think about how resilient I expect my students to be in the classroom.
My students are expected to take my feedback and criticism with grace and humility. My students are expected to dust themselves off and realise that feedback isn’t about them, but their work. My students are expected to approach each difficult situation with a ‘can-do’ attitude – all luxuries I certainly don’t afford myself. So, in an effort to make digital-lemon-cake out of digital-lemons (soft-drink was so 1990s), I’m trying to learn from this experience in the same way I expect my students to. Thank goodness I have such a dedicated, interested and invested committee members to lean on while I lean port-side of the VALBEC ship.
You’ll see these below, but I am excited for the next FinePrint and our next few PL sessions. Register away and I’ll see you there! Lastly, keep an eye out for a call for presenters for our next conference. We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to develop a theme, secure a keynote and a date. I can’t say more than that at this stage, but suffice to say, this conference is going to be amazing.
Liam Frost-Camilleri
VALBEC President
VALBEC Membership
You can join or renew online.
https://valbec.org.au/membership/
If you join in August, September or October, deduct 50%. Renewal falls due the following February.
Members receive:- Fine Print three times a year – a high quality journal for discussion and debate about good practice, theory and policy issues. Feedback and contributions are actively sought from members about content and issues.
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eVALBEC – our e-mail communication keeping members informed of professional development activities, general committee activities and more up to date policy changes.
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Discounts for the Annual Conference and other VALBEC statewide professional development.
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Issues-based forums.
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Focus on significant policy issues impacting on the field.
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Free numeracy resources.
As part of VALBEC’s next Professional Learning Forum, Lalitha and Vidhya are co-presenting on the topic “Plagiarism: Establish, Educate & Eradicate” to equip teachers to better manage plagiarism in the classrooms.
Lalitha Gurram and Vidhya Govindarajan have been teaching English as an Additional Language to migrant students for a long time. They currently teach in the AMEP Program at Chisholm Institute, predominantly Certificates 2, 3 and 4 EAL. They have been encountering the issue of plagiarism in their classes, frequently. Hence, they researched the topic of plagiarism as a part of the problems in practice in their recent Graduate Certificate in Adult Vocational Education and Training.
Who: Lalitha Gurram and Vidhya Govindarajan
When: Monday, 14th November 2022, 5-6 pm AEDT
Where: Zoom
Cost: VALBEC Members Free; non-Members $25
Registration: Plagiarism: Establish, Educate & Eradicate
ESL Video | Free English Lessons
ESL Video offers free online English listening and grammar activities, free teaching material, the ESL Video quiz maker tool to create video-based listening.
ThoughtCo - ESL Reading Comprehension
This site is perfect for some of those formal or business English classes, this collection of blogs has plenty of ideas for dialogue, conversations and class management.
The final edition of Fine Print for 2022 will be mailed out this month and is jam packed with features, news, practical tips, interviews and reviews!
Don’t forget that current issues of Fine Print can be viewed and downloaded by members and older issues are available free to the public at https://valbec.org.au/Fine-Print-Archive
If you have an idea for an article, we would love to hear from you. Email your ideas to Editor Deryn Mansell
fineprintvalbec@gmail.com
National Novel Writing Month
1-30 November
Organisation: Office of Letters and Light
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel.
Website: nanowrimo.org/
eVALBEC
eVALBEC is the monthly electronic newsletter of (VALBEC) the Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council and is sent to about 1000 practitioners on the first of each month (other than January). It is also available in the ‘News’ section of our web site
Disclaimer:
The activities, goods and services mentioned in eVALBEC are not endorsed by Valbec in any way. People should make their own judgment about the suitability of each item.
How to submit items: https://www.valbec.org.au/evalbec