Fall 2020
News from Rural Routes
I hope you have had a good start to your fall programming and that you have been able to connect with your learners and find ways to help them learn. Don’t forget, call your advisor for any help you need, including how to connect with your learners online, how to engage them and how to teach online. We have JUST put together a new webinar on teaching writing online because we had heard from CALPs where some tutors were having difficulty making that work.
We are now able to travel to present at CALPs that prefer in-person training and are able to accommodate participants in accordance with the province’s Covid-19 guidelines. All services continue to be available online.
New Service from Rural Routes
We are very happy to announce that Glen McCalpin has joined the Rural Routes team. You all know Glen from his presentations at Symposium and at regional meetings. Now, Glen will also be able to travel to CALPs or present online as needed to support tutors and teachers in using the Foundational Numeracy modules and assessing learners. Glen is also available to help if you have learners interested in the Foundations for Learning courses.
You can reach Glen at glen.mccalpin@norquest.ca
Here is some more information about Foundations For Learning and the Numeracy Modules
Foundations for Learning Program
This program is designed as a partnership between NorQuest College and Community Adult Learning Programs in Alberta to provide learning opportunities for people who are not able to attend a site or attend online at a regularly scheduled time. These 12 week self-paced courses provide the flexibility for learners to work on their course at times that work best for them. These courses have an instructor attached who can meet online with learners who require additional support. Learners can also access 30 hours or free tutorial support through their local CALP.
For every learner in the program who registers with your CALP, you can invoice the College up to $900 to cover costs related to administrative support and tutor support for the learner. For a list of courses and information see this link Foundations for Learning.
If you have any questions regarding this program please email glen.mccalpin@norquest.ca
Foundational Numeracy and Literacy Tutor Training and Support is Available
Tutors working with learners using the Foundational Numeracy or Literacy materials may feel alone; however, training and support is available to them. Online and in person training sessions can be arranged with your site or in areas where several tutors are working with learners.
If you are not aware of the materials you can find them through the link below
To arrange training sessions or to get support please email Glen McCalpin at glen.mccalpin@norquest.ca
Glen will present a webinar on December 1, 2020 10:00 am - 12:30 pm for tutors on working with the foundational numeracy materials. Sign up on the Rural Routes website.
New Resources
Needs Assessment Guide
Last year, the Research department at NorQuest conducted a needs assessment pilot project with several communities in Alberta. The communities received expert help in conducting a thorough scan and needs assessment of adult learning needs in their community to support program planning. In addition to the pilot assessments, the research team produced a detailed and VERY easy-to-use guide to conducting a community needs assessment, developing the tools, and collecting and analyzing data. This is hands-on, practical information that will help communities reach out to potential learners and stakeholders and collect and interpret the needed information. This guide will be made available on the CALP portal. More to come on this project.
ESL Tutor Handbook
If you have not already received your new ESL Tutor Handbook, it is coming to you as soon as we are able to deliver it. This resource is great for new tutors who may not be quite sure where to start. The guide takes them through the first few weeks step by step with all lesson plans, needs assessments, learner plans and handouts. It will help experienced tutors as well with new ideas, games and activities. If you can’t wait, you can download it from the Rural Routes website at our website.
ESL Resource Guide
This searchable pdf links you instantly to free, reliable ESL resources, carefully selected and assessed to make sure they are high quality, up to date, and appropriate for tutors and teachers.
Armchair Travel with a Purpose
Have you missed travelling this year? We certainly have. We couldn’t go in person, but we are travelling to Newfoundland via Zoom to attend the first Teachers of English as a Second Language virtual conference in Newfoundland. The conference is free. It takes place November 13 and 14. You can register here.
- The keynote speaker is Dr. Jim Cummins, who is very well-known for his work on second language literacy.
- Our very own Jacky and Alana are co-presenting on working with trauma-affected ESL learners.
We are sorry to have to tell you that the AZAR Grammar website has been taken down. It was for years an excellent resource for teaching grammar.
Also note that Learn English with CBC will be changing. We don’t know yet how, but we will keep you posted.