Change Agent - New and Improved

FYI if this is your thing, the Change Agent is an awesome publication for adult ed teachers and students. Find their new website here: The Change Agent

Identity and Learning Across the Pond

Hi Literacy Friends:  I lied. I'm not going anywhere.  I can't seem to let go of our blog-o-sphere just yet!

So, if you can see past my maternal pride, I wanted to share some language-learning and identity stuff about my son,  as well as get some feedback and ideas from you.  Hey, if we can't use our offspring as study subjects, what's the point in being a parent?

As you may recall, my 'Andrew' (age 17)  is spending the summer in a foreign country.  As part of his language learning experience, he is attending high school with his host student.  Andrew is one of two Americans in a high school of about 1000 students.

Much to my delight, Andrew and I are communicating by texting through an app, something he discovered and set up.  Our conversations have turned into a literacy, diversity, and identity lesson for both of us.

As a 17-year-old in his home culture, I see Andrew's identity as malleable and susceptible to influences good and bad; as a 17-year-old immersed in a new culture and language, I see his identity in a state of ambivalence.  Here's my data:

facebook updates include new hometown (he spent the first 6 years of his life in this host country)
using the second language (L2) on facebook
rush of new facebook friends from the host country

buying new clothes to "not look like an American tourist"
eating new food "because that's what they eat here"

Based on these observations, I think Andrew is investing himself in the L2 identity.  He's embodying the culture through clothing and food, and using the L2 to connect with people.  In doing these things, I believe  he's opened himself up to experiencing some culture clashes.  Here's what he wrote in his texts to me:

"They (people in host country) correct me when I _____________."

"But, they don't care when I ________________."

 "We can _____________ in school."

"But, we can't _____________ in school."

"I was asked if I hated Belgium now(World Cup stuff)."

"I was asked about the trade agreement between _________ and the U.S. and I was clue-less."

In my humble and truly biased opinion, I believe he is more aware of these cultural 'tests' and acts of 'discipline'  because he truly wants to belong.  Does that mean if he didn't care as much about belonging he wouldn't care as much about the ways he is being molded to fit in?  He is discovering that there is more to being in a culture than dressing and eating the part.  He also wrote the following:

"I help the English teacher."

"I answered questions in geography class (in L2)."

I hope these are signs that he is persevering.  Of course, if he is invested in belonging, and the host student/school/culture is determined to make him fit in, are these two complementary goals making learning happen more easily and quickly?    In other words, what would be the case if he hated it and didn't want to fit in?

How much do we set aside our first culture/language identity in order to fit-in?   How does age fit into this process?  How much more difficult would it be to belong in a new culture and language if one is not in such a privileged position and the new cultural 'discipline' stings a lot more?  Do you think it makes a difference to the host culture when the outsider is an 'American,' with a 'backpack of privileges?'

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I would love to hear your thoughts on L2 learning, identity, and culture.

Being barbie in a post-barbie world: a voice from the borderland

Thank you, dear literacy friends, for your willingness to participate in my cloud-barbie-rock weirdness last week in class. Just for fun,  I’m resurrecting the barbie metaphor for this post.   

So, on with the weirdness…

I’m deep into the readings for my seminar project and have also begun a linguistics class “second language acquisition” (SLA).  I’m finding a curious parallel between the field of SLA and my home field of adult ESOL/ literacy (ESOL).  So, how does this relate to my seminar project?  Well, I’ve morphed my project—a literature review—into a lit review of trends in SLA and ESOL research.  For the purposes of my paper, I’m defining SLA as a branch of linguistics that studies the acquisition of a second or subsequent language, not necessarily English.  ESOL is the education side of teaching English as a second language and putting English into practice.  Anyway, it’s not about definitions, it’s about the curious parallel. Being in the borderland between LING and ESOL is weird and affords me an outsider’s view of both scholarly fields. 

For me, the TEDU seminar was set-up and framed by the epistemology stuff.   I (we) looked at much of the research in terms of what kind of knowledge it produced and how different kinds of knowledge are valued and applied to our field of adult literacy.  Bill shared his paper with us, and it presented an argument about an imbalance in the adult literacy research field.  This imbalance is perpetuated in the ways research is being funding, in the ways policies are being made, and in the directions our field is going.  The imbalance results in more of one kind of knowledge being produced and valued, and this one kind of knowledge is not able to address all of the issues and questions in our field.   

We learned that episteme, and an episteme approach to research, is valuable in answering some kinds of questions, while phronesis, and a phronesis approach to research,  is valuable for answering others.  We discussed the imbalance in the ways episteme is valued over phronesis. We asked how we could be a scholarly field if were close-minded to this imbalance, right?    

In SLA, the self-described ‘divide,’ or imbalance, is an ontological one (let’s say I’m citing several names here) between theoretical and methodological approaches to research and the ways one kind of  theoretical framework and line of reasoning is valued and positioned as ‘scientific’ over another.  What I am discovering is that the ‘cognitivists’ who define SLA (and the field of linguistics as a whole) as a purely cognitive science, one which values inductive reasoning and experimental, controlled research as the foundation for and uniting umbrella of the field.  This positivist mindset asserts that truths exist about language and language acquisition, and that socio-historic context is not relevant to language acquisition.  

On the other hand, there are the socioculturalists, the ‘relativists,’ those whose methodologies are grounded in a different approach, and one that is perceived as bringing chaos to the field (and let’s say I’m citing several more scholars here). 

The curious parallel that I see between LING and ESOL is in the way certain kinds of knowledge and research, those that would produce episteme and result from an ontology of positivism, are valued over those that would produce other kinds of knowledge and come from an ontology of relativism.  I know my use of –isms and –ologies is crude at this it at this point; please bear with me.  I’m also making broad, sweeping generalizations just to wrap up my blog post; but, there is a perceived imbalance in both fields, and these imbalances are confronting me as I do my review of literature on trends in both fields and consider my future course of research.

Finally, I called this a curious parallel because I think it raises other questions: Why do we, as a society, seem to value and position certain kinds of knowledge and ‘scientific truths’ over others in the LING and ESOL fields (I’m sure many other social science fields as well)?  Is this just us Anglos / North Americans / whatever being ethno-centric?   Is it the result of economic, technologic, socio-historic forces at work? How do I avoid being pulled into a side once I insert myself into the fray?  These are the questions I'm left with after all of this learning.

This is my sayonara, adult literacy M.Ed. friends.  I’m one lit review away from a diploma!  I will treasure everything I have learned from you in this program—barbie.

Digital Literacy Practice and Engagement:

For my last blog post for TEDU 681 I've decided to write about Digital Literacy. During our F2F meetings in class, we touched on the topic somewhat. But then were given an opportunity to explore it further as individuals through the articles and discussion guide questions provided by our classmates.  I was happy to have Digital Literacy as my topic since I've been able to be an observer and user of this new practice in three separate arenas: professional, academic, and for my personal use.

Although our articles were different, I wasn't that surprised to discover the articles we selected had more than a few similarities and central connecting themes.  My (two) articles, Embracing the Squishiness of Digital Literacy and Digital literacy practices and their layered multiplicity explored how digital platforms, social media being one, can be used to facilitate learning regardless of their original intent – a form of entertainment through social engagement.  With digital platforms, the user determines (to an extent) how they will exercise their knowledge and versatility with that platform.  My classmate’s article, A Closer Look at Adult Digital Literacy Acquisition, also explored how the advent of digital technology has provided the user with an ease of use outside of a closed in arena.  In subtle ways, our articles challenged the concept of how and where we learn. Yet, the articles do not negate or promote digital literacy over adult literacy in print form.  They simply share observations on the shift in how we the users of this technology are redefining our learning spaces.   

For myself, I’d always thought that learning - “real” learning - took place within a box - the classroom. Of course, that is not the case. Yet, I found my biases challenged as an adult learner when I stepped into the world of eLearning a few years ago. New to my graduate studies, I was I was fortunate to catch the rotation of ADLT 640 Theory and Practice of eLearning Integration into Adult Learning Environments. In that hybrid online learning environment, I was able to experience first-hand how empowering, digital technology can be for the learner and the instructor.  I was introduced into a world of many digital or multi-platforms, teaching theories, and practices.  I found myself, in a unique place in that course.  I, along with my classmates, were facilitators/instructors in the class and for each other as adult learners using digital technology, digital literacy, and digital practice to create a dual hybrid learning environment to house our engagement practices.   After that course, I discovered my perspectives had changed.  I found that learning experience in that classroom – both digital and traditional – transformative.  I had gone from a firm skeptic at the beginning of that course to an advocate of digital technology, its platforms, concepts, and practice, both in and out of the classroom of the adult learner.  

Now, I find myself continuingly examining digital literacy and digital practice; the exploration of the two terms and how they fit and shape our digital experience.  Technology like any other tool can be invaluable to the user.  In the world of education, there are uncountable ways that technology can benefit its users.   In the world of adult literacy, digital literacy can be yet another methodology for the user/ the learner to move forward in their learning journey. 

I will end this post with a video clip, titled, Palette (Promoting Art for Life Enrichment Through Transgenerational Engagement) *(This program was made possible through a multi-sponsored partnership with the Geriatric Training and Education initiative of the Virginia General Assembly). I discovered or stumbled upon this clip after I’d submitted my responses to my classmate’s article on digital literacy.  Perhaps, I was unduly influenced by the article, but this clip seemed connected to digital literacy and practice. From, my classmate’s discussion guide question, we are asked if we agree that the adult learners’ reflections found under the heading, “What Do Adult Learners Say About Acquiring Digital Literacy?” promote or support, “increased personal empowerment, civic participation, and lifelong learning.”  (April 2014)

For me, this blog forum and how we've used it to expand our minds and thoughts with each other is active digital literacy and digital practice. 

Thanks for sharing the ride with me this summer.

Parking Lot or Busy Intersection?

I enjoyed the reading from Reder this week. The piece that stood out the most to me dealt with the "Parking Lot Model", from Lender. Lender suggested that the existing program/model only looks at how long students are "parked in the program"... Lender wants to move towards a model that is more similar to a "busy intersection" and looks more at which direction people take when they leave instead of how long they spend parked. 

The "busy intersection" model is something I'd push to move towards as well. I've borrowed a few words here from the internet, but felt it was important to add in the opinions of others. Looking at a busy intersection, you see a very diverse pool of students. Some move faster than others, some need help to get through. For some, this help is in the form of technology, for others, it's from a teacher or peer. From the intersection, there are many exits. Most exits lead to new opportunities, careers, etc. However, one exit is simply the end. I'd like to think of us practitioners as crossing guards or traffic directors. We have the power to help these students in the intersection choose which exit to take. As Reder stated, "When we look further into the actual learning facility behind this metaphor, we see that students come to the program from different directions and depart towards different destinations. The adult education program helps them choose the best path as they leave the program and provides them with the resources and supports to become persistent lifelong learners and reach their destinations." 

What a simple metaphor for such a complex issue.

Digital Literacy: Social and Academic

     I enjoy digital literacy.  I pay bills on-line, I manage my academic blog, I own a Kindle, and I regularly e-mail friends and family.  What I don’t do is tweet or “friend” people.  For years I have weighed the value of joining social media for purely social reasons.  When my youngest child went to college, I figured I would “join” her socially.  She graduated last month without me lurking.  When a dear, true friend moved to Cairo, Egypt to teach, I figured I would finally “join”.  I didn’t.  She came back to visit this past weekend, a year away from each other, and I was still the one she turned to, asking for a little party to see everyone (that she saw on Facebook).  After reading the article JG shared this week, I even pondered experimenting by “joining”.  Yet, I’m still on the fence.  I think I have concluded one thing; I’m not against social digital media.  I’m actually glad people enjoy it.

    I guess my modified version of social media is a family e-mail that I send once a month to the closest relatives.  They all respond, and their always glad I started it or so they say.  We only see each other once each year, so we can keep in touch this way.  Many of them have “joined”, and sometimes I miss out on pictures I guess.  I guess I’d have more friends if I “joined”, but that might also change my definition of friend.  I enjoy lunch out with my friends, but I also see this is sometimes risky.  In many ways I think we like to avoid risks.  Maybe someone won’t answer when I call them on the phone, caller ID allows me to screen who I want to talk to when.  Chatting with someone on-line might be less risky, but then I don’t really want to chat with my friends – I want to see them, interact and know what they are thinking, as much as what they are saying.  Again, I’m not against social digital media, it’s just not my chosen form of interaction.

     Time might be a factor in my decision too.  I don’t want to be tempted to access something when I’m standing in line waiting – It might make me less angry that I am waiting, but then I am waiting for a human interaction.  Paying my bills anymore, doesn't even require me to stand in line for stamps.  That statement proves I’m not physically writing letters either – so maybe some part of my literacy skills are suffering by not joining socially.   Sometimes when I attend joyful (name changed to protect the innocent) hour after work on Fridays, people walk in knowing what others have done all week because they are connected.  I do at times feel left out, and I sit and think “maybe I should just join”.  When I get home, I’m over that thought because I have just connected socially with a fun group of people.  Now, I’m home with family and I want to connect with them, not with the internet. 

      Still, I’m not against this stuff.  This blog right now allows me to interact socially with my peers, but then am I doing this for academic reasons?  I’m not sure; maybe I’m just weighing things in print, an act of social literacy, because it is an academic expectation.   Perhaps I’m proving another author correct, learners use literacy in two complementary ways, socially and academically.  I’m feeling “squishy” to steal another author’s term.  Maybe social digital media is in my present after all.  Maybe when my kids get married I’ll officially “join”.

The torture of teaching and learning in the ESOL classroom

I decided to blog about the Worthman (2008) article I shared with the class because, as I wrote in the discussion guide, the content is personal to me: I saw myself in both of the ESOL-teacher study participants.   In addition, I can’t resist the opportunity to discuss adult education classrooms as a “site of struggle” and a place where “identity templates” are created.  Have I mentioned that I study identity issues (smile)?

At this point, I’m not sure which way I’m going with my identity research, but I have an intense interest in two broad areas: a) the classroom as a site of literacy practice (a ‘site of struggle’), and b) ESOL curricula that aim to domesticate and/or Other language learners (creating those ‘identity templates’).   For me, something that connects identity in these two areas—classroom and curricula—is the concept of belonging.  At the heart of adult education-ESOL is the learner’s desire to belong to a community of English speakers.  This desire to belong, and the process of creating an English speaking way of being, is what I seek to study.  So, my blog post today about Worthman’s ‘empowerment and emancipation’ article (EE) is written through my identity-belonging lens.

Firstly, EE has us conceptualize power in a Foucault framework of force that “installs itself” through a dominant discourse.  This is different than the notion of ‘power as capital’ that I have been writing about in other discussion guides.  I am humbled by how much I need to learn about the works of these scholars.  Nevertheless, I understand the dominant discourse to be both the discourse in which the learner seeks to belong (a secondary discourse for her) and the discourse that positions her as Other, de-valuing her knowledge and her language, subsuming her into the monological discourse of English-speaking ‘America’.

EE has us look at the adult education-ESOL classroom as a site of struggle, where this Foucaultian power is felt by the learner as she learns how to be in a secondary discourse, the monological—one and only—discourse of her new culture.  Power is delivered through this one discourse in a way that disciplines and

molds her into an ‘identity template’ of a ‘model citizen.’  Wow, I didn’t know all of this heavy stuff was going on.  It sounds like the ESOL classroom is a site of medieval torture!  Where am I, as teacher, in this gruesome scenario?

EE profiles two ESOL-teacher study participants, either of which could be found in a typical adult education ESOL program in our state. Both seek to teach adult learners the skills necessary to belong; however, one is using a method that 'molds' and 'disciplines', the other is using a method that ignores the mold.   

I realize I have set a tone that molding and discipline are somehow 'torture,' and that we should aim to defy this monological power, but I have also learned that we cannot assume an awareness of or desire to defy it on the part of learners.  On a more theoretical level, I argue that making the assumption that learners have a desire or will to defy the power that is, is acting as an agent of a different discourse, a counter- and critical- discourse, one in which the learner many not have a need to belong.

In the end, this dilemma is a torture.  It is the torture of trying to do what we think is best while respecting the agency of adults who seek to join the English speaking community. 

Thanks for taking the time to read through my ramblings!  

Reading is power.

Reading is power.  Power because of the knowledge it can bring. The doors it can open and a

sense of self and identity it can help to shape or solidify for the reader.

In adult education – literacy – the ability to read and read well also brings freedom.  Freedom to do – to try – to reach for something more; whether you are in ESL, ABE, GED, K-12, or Higher Education.

For those that want to be seen for who they are (on their own terms) and not labeled by their education or lack thereof; the ability to manipulate those letters into sounds that form words, enable language, and with that language the user has a voice. In the world of education, having a voice is what gives you an arena or platform to be seen.

In chapter one of Janks, Literacy and Power, (p.11) English is defined as the “global language” in South Africa. In a country where there are many tribal dialects and languages, representative of the people that comprise its country and culture; the “linguistic diversity” of the country is categorized by level of importance.

Janks argued that by teaching children in only two languages - Afrikaans and English - children’s cultural identities were not being acknowledged and were therefore, “compromised”. Those two languages were seen as the key to learning, the key to power, and the key to freedom:

                “I could not but be aware that language is fundamentally tied to questions of power.”
                “…the fundamental connections between language and learning were clear.”

Clearly identity is tied to language and culture for all of us.  When your native language is not represented and acknowledge as important in your own country, what message does that send to us about our importance?  What does that do to you when you become an adult?  Where is your sense of self? What is your sense of self? Where is your power?

These past week’s readings for TEDU 681 were diverse in their subject matter and focus, to say the least. Yet, I found that there was a universal thread that connected them all. Each assigned reading (Strucker, Alamprese, Janks, and Reder) examined the many different facets that make up or fall under the Adult literacy umbrella. I became more knowledgeable about the lack of funding made available for more research studies, theoretical discourse, critical theory, what comprises reading component assessment in a constructive and beneficial way for the learner; along with literacy practices by learners and their place in formal assessment of literacy skills in and outside of the classroom.  All of this had me thinking about my own reading abilities, and how I learned as a child through to my current status as “Adult learner” in Grad school. My fundamental identity of who I am is comprised of many things.  But my ability to read and practice various literacy skill-sets, at this point in my life, has empowered me beyond what I could have possibly imagined for myself in this dual role I now inhabit as an educator and learner.

As a reader of this week’s assigned material, there were times when I felt overwhelmed by the language and uncertain that I understood or could connect with the material. Yet, I didn't give up. I took my time (as much was possible and still meet the deadlines imposed) and found myself going

“back to the basics” of how I was taught by various teachers in my past.  I went back to learned skills of breaking apart the reading material and allowing myself time to absorb what I was reading so that I could better understand the material.  I didn't lose my dignity or sense of self in the process and nor should any adult learner.  In the world of Adult literacy, educators assist adult learners find their power.

Plurp, fronkett, gan...

        Plurp, fronkett, gan, fosh, nubble, staviousness… I’m pushing spell check today.  Nonsense words follow conventional sound-letter rules.  To start teaching our students we need to know where they are at.  Their current reading level can be determined with various tests, but our reading this week discussed nonsense words and we were asked to ponder the idea of why students who cannot manage the nonsense, can make great gains with phonics instruction. 

        I recall reading “Jabberwocky”, Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem from the novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.  I knew it was a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but I didn't “get it”.  I could read it, but my comprehension lagged horribly.  I knew something was killed, yet I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.  I did learn that the term “chortle” came from this poem, and is no longer a nonsense word.  However, I digress… my point being that when we understand phonics, we can decode, and later (maybe) we can comprehend.  This is what Alamprese discovered from her analysis of results from the WJ-R Word Attack test.  I was trained to administer the Woodcock-Johnson as a learning disability teacher, and administering the word attack is probably my least favorite, because it does seem like nonsense – yet important nonsense. 

        The unevenness of the ABE readers’ profiles is the puzzle the instructor needs to understand and interpret.  It must be a huge challenge, given other students, time, and limited resources.  I understand why statistics consider comprehension when they measure results, and I recognize this must seem frustrating to teachers who witness so many other gains in decoding.  Comprehension is the level that makes a difference in real life.  Decoding “plurp” makes no difference if I cannot comprehend its meaning.  Still, I empathize for the student who takes pride in reading “plurp” and the instructor that devoted such time to hear them read “plurp”.

Strucker

Taking READ 602 this past semester certainly opened my eyes to the difficulties involved in teaching ABE readers. As Strucker stated: “Like other ABE teachers, I have struggled to teach learners with very widely divergent needs in the same class. It can be done if the teacher recognizes who those learners are and what their needs are, but it entails a terrible sacrifice of their limited and precious instructional time. To put it another way, attempting to teach "Richards" and "Vanessas" at the same time involves cutting in half the instructional time available to each type of learner.” During READ 602, I was tasked with finding a learner who struggled with basic literacies and then developing strategies to combat these struggles. After putting my learner through diagnostic testing, it was recommended that I focus my instruction on fluency, word meaning, spelling, phonemic awareness, visual memory and word recognition. These recommendations differ based on testing outcomes. 

As you can see, this reflects what Strucker mentions as far as having difficulty finding time to address the individual concerns of each learner- emphasizing that it would cut the instructional time available to each type of learner in HALF. I completely agree with this, as it took me hours upon hours to develop the most basic of basic strategies to assist my learner (trying to highlight his strengths while developing strategies to assist his needs). This is where I’d say ABE teachers are tasked with an almost impossible goal of addressing individual needs in very diverse classrooms- uneven learning profiles, which calls for a second look at testing and instructional policy.

Episteme/Phronesis

It seems as if the rest of you had SIMILAR problems, trying to distinguish/pronounce/spell/etc. episteme and phronesis. After reading the Flyvbjerg article, I found my way over to what seems to be his personal website which discusses his research of "Phronetic Planning" and "Phronetic Social Science". After reading this over, I slowly began to formulate answers to our discussion.

In my response to Dr. Muth, I attempted to compare the two approaches to our lecture last week with Dr. Susan Clair. Phronesis would be best used to answer the question of “Who gains and who loses from the GED restructuring and by which mechanisms of power? Is it desirable to base federal funding for ABE based on population? Which direction do we, as a nation, want to go with ABE? Of course, I'm not even sure if this makes total sense, but I felt that those were all questions that we could use phronetic science to answer...how many forms of this word can I use?

Episteme seemed a little easier to define. It literally translates to science. It's analytic information gained from controlled experiments. The major difference here is that it does not involve judgement, values, or interest. This is where phronesis goes BEYOND episteme. Phronesis involves social interaction/discussion vs strict observation, which seems to be at the core of episteme.

How Do You Say Episteme and Phronesis? Gesundheit? Thank you!

Synthesized Knowledge: Episteme and Phronesis...are the intertwined faculties...

I’ve been thinking for a few days (subconsciously) about what to write about for my first blog post for our TEDU 681 class. Mostly, I’ve been thinking about our first assignment, the DG on episteme and phronetic ways of learning. Wondering if I got it right in my answers and then wondering:  Why am I wondering? I believe I understand the terms and I believe that how we learn as students (adult learners) and the steps in how we teach, as educators have been illustrated in the article provided by Dr. M (a.k.a “Bill”).

If I understood what I read, then episteme describes the study of learning (research methods) for better understanding and phronetic is the application of that gained insight, understanding, or knowledge to facilitate the lesson or learning.

(I agree with Lisa – my spell- checker, does not like these terms – “phronetic” especially -  and causes me to wonder, if I am using it correctly. If I am not, then does that mean I don’t understand the term and what it represents?  It’s a vicious circle of doubt every time that red line appears. It’s almost as though Word knows, that I am not 100% in my argument, before I even begin.)

In our class, I feel that we are about to begin a journey of learning, guided with a slight hand by Dr. M on the best way to create a study of understanding (episteme) so that we can implement a plan of phronetic study to arrive at a finished body of work with our projects.  *See I’ve used the terms

and I think I got it right, yet they are so unfamiliar that I am uncomfortable and immediately begin to use mental examples of what I mean to reassure myself. I do feel that these two practices of achieving increased proficiency in adult literacy with language learners are interconnected.  Can one exist without the other? I feel that an argument can be made for yes they can. But why is it necessary to have one system of belief or practice that takes precedence over the other? Why not embrace the duality of the two when used together to achieve higher reading/literacy proficiency with your learner?

An example of this can be found in John Strucker’s article, What Silent Reading Tests Alone Can’t Tell You. In Strucker’s article, the utilization of diagnostic assessments to improve how instructors taught and how students learned was a composite of episteme study and phronetic practice to facilitate the end result.

For the adult learner that wants to improve their literacy, how they get there is as important as achieving their goals. For the instructor the methodology used to bring their student(s) along, should showcase the same commitment and care to facilitate their learner(s) needs.   How they get there with their learner(s), should be, by any means necessary.

Diary of a struggle

WEDNESDAY:  Erased my entire 500-word post and started over.

THURSDAY: This week’s topic on "Two Perspectives in Adult Literacy Research" (2Ps) has sparked my interest. I was all over the place with ideas until I read Lisa's post about resisting the spell checker on the word phronesis. That statement made me smile and gave me a completely different way to think about the essence of our discussion--knowledge.

One of the things I love about our collaborative blog is the way it challenges my ideas.  I relish the opportunity to dialogue with you in this shared space.  I find this public, social-learning to be very appealing.  In a way, it's a phronetic practice.  Right before our eyes, we can see the learning.  Physics envy?  I don't think so.  Social science rules!  Or, maybe not...

FRIDAY: Stuck at a dead end.

SATURDAY:  Just read Bill's comment on Lisa's post.  I'm on the wrong track, again.  This is the second time I've erased a long post and sit, staring at the blank screen.  I' struggling with these concepts and I don't know why.  I was going to write about knowing when to stand your ground, trust what you know, and  resist doing exactly what I'm doing now.  Apparently, there is a disconnect between what I wrote and what I'm doing.  Lisa - I'm caving-in to the 'spell-checker' and changing my answer.  Ugh.

The clock is ticking.

I had it all arranged in my head that episteme and phronesis were different parts of a 'whole' epistemology.  I thought of them as being complementary.  Different epistemologies and different ways of knowing?  I'm stuck.

'Ways of knowing' takes me back to the beginning of this program. There,  I was focused on learning about these ideas, but not yet able to look so critically in the mirror at myself.  Now we're discussing ways of studying ways of knowing.  If I were to look in the mirror now, I would describe myself as being more comfortable with episteme.  I seek discrete facts and ways to connect them.  I'm trying to do that right now!

I want to be a person who take a phronetic approach to studying literacy.  I want to think of myself as someone who doesn't judge and is able to see something for more than the sum of its discrete parts.    However, I apparently have a need to connect, categorize, and generalize.  How does this cloud what I want to do?

In one of the previous versions of this post  I wrote that social scientists are the research machines in their fields.  We are the -scopes and -graphs and tools that gather data.  As such,  we must be transparent about our perspectives and biases because they affect what we see and how we interpret it.  It is not possible to not have a way of knowing that is present in our work.  A way of knowing is part of our identity and part of our work.  There I go making connections again.  I'm hitting the publish button.













  

Adult ed resource

In case anyone is interested in this new resource for their seminar project, here's the link to the new Handbook for Sustaining Standards-Based Education in Adult Education that Kristin told us about.

Episteme and Phronesis

       I love books.  I read books for pleasure and for knowledge.  When I need to understand something I tend to rely on book knowledge.  I think this was the way I was originally taught to learn – episteme.  To me the “new to me” term, episteme, means I have gained knowledge from the act of learning; tonight this learning came from reading an assigned article.  I think reading is one arena where I am really comfortable learning.  Another would be a classroom.  These are structured environments.  Teaching primarily math (as I do), like science, is a model of epistemology (I just googled this to determine if I have made up a new word – and I learned that I might have even used it appropriately).   In math, there is the right answer and many wrong answers.   I like this way of thinking.  It is analytical.  It’s where I am comfortable.

      Today I think education is leaning toward my other newly learned term, phronesis.   This term causes me to think harder as my Microsoft product underlines it with a red squiggle.  Am I spelling it wrong?  I have to now combine my book knowledge with some real life experience.  Although I might have my book knowledge, I now have to construct meaning from my personal experiences - Microsoft isn't always correct.  I have to apply my understanding as I resist letting Microsoft turn my new word into “prognosis”.  This is what we are asking students to do in education when we ask them to practice phronesis – essentially we are asking them to trust what they know and not let spell check change their experiences.  I think this is a good thing, “learning by doing” is the way I’m simplifying it for my analytical mind.  Perhaps we are combining our book smarts with our common sense and equating it to the best of both worlds.

Murdering Murderers...

Http://wtvr.com/2014/04/29/oklahoma-stops-execution-after-botching-drug-delivery-inmate-dies/

I just saw this posted on Facebook and thought I'd share given our conversation on unitive v punitive justice.

Basically, a death row inmate died in a painful way because the state used an untested drug cocktail.

From CNN: He convulsed and writhed on the gurney. Managing to raise his head, he got out the words "Man," "I'm not," and "something's wrong," reporter Courtney Francisco of KFOR said.

Oklahoma had to create a new drug mix because the European suppliers have stopped selling theirs to the US (all European countries except Belarus and Kazakhstan have outlawed the death penalty).

If you look at the comments at the bottom of the article, you can see what type of justice the commenters are seeking (the 500+ comments on Facebook are worse!).

Some samples:
" Just shoot them. One bullet to the head is a hell of a lot cheaper!!"

"How was it botched ? IS he dead? What happened to the good old days when we shot or hanged the scum bags? Hey we could fry them 2 i would give an extra dollar on the power bill for it !"

ADLT 650 final reflection

This class pushed me to challenge myself, my ideas.  Sometimes I forced myself to read with the text (Kirsch//Perfect Storm), sometimes I questioned my ability to read against the text (Janks). I struggled mightily with the 123 project, because it seemed to want to be everything at once, while being incredibly constrained by 10 minute presentation times and a five page conclusion. I got emotional listening to Dr. Michaelson tell us that sometimes the best you can do is be a compassionate human. I learned more about my ideas about social justice, deepened my understanding of what literacy means, and how it fits into a broader perspective of diversity.  There was enough course material in this one class for an entire PhD program, and I could see that sometimes in Dr. Muth's face when he'd writhe in agony, hands on his face, trying to use puny and insufficient language to explain how we could fit something so enormous into a one-semester class, or a ten-minute presentation, or a brief summary final paper.

Sylvia Clute gave me some hope last night that starting small with social justice initiatives is the only possibility.  She gave me the hope that maybe there are solutions to poverty, imprisonment, and a punitive-based capitalist society.  I guess for the first time I felt like maybe it's possible to fight the good fight, after all.

Finally, as always, I made new friendships with classmates, and learned so much from listening to all of us work things out in group discussion.  Social constructivist learning has impacted me greatly, especially once I knew what to call it.  Learning with one another, seeing things from a different perspective, hearing things through the lens of a surgeon or an ESL teacher or a civil engineer... I will always remember those moments when we're all so caught up in the subject that we're stumbling over one another, fighting to get our ideas out, struggling to fit what we thought we knew into a larger schema that keeps growing and changing and evolving.  That's what I'll take away with me from this class.

Great wrap up for the year!

Great wrap up for the year!

As I read Sylvia Clute’s literature I automatically think of all of the themes we have visited in class. I noticed the following themes we have seen previously:
• Question the system
• Knowledge of the cultural aspects of the workplace unveiled the “common sense”
• Multiple definitions for one concept and how the definition impacts the consumer
• Utilization of the “common sense” to enhance current processes

I am sure there are many more themes. Although I tend be analyzing and finding themes in everything I read, I feel “empowered” by my new knowledge. I am privileged to have participated with you all in this class. Thank you!

Shannon

1-2-3 Project Summary - Action Processing System

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In this paper, I attempted to theorize the findings from and conclusions to my 1-2-3 Project mini-case study that investigated the literacy process called the Action Processing System (APS). The APS is a computerized business process and content management system.  The conceptual framework was the social practice view of literacy. This framework was utilized to understand the complex, interwoven view of which literacies are practiced, how they are lived and why (Belfiore, et al., 2004, p. 4).  The analytical lenses utilized to evaluate the fieldwork findings in the study where Discourse analysis and the concept “meanings-in-use.”

There were three major findings for this 1-2-3 Project.  The first is the existence of a “clash of cultures” between two Discourses.  For the workforce education community, this type of finding could have a tremendous impact on the design and delivery of their education and training programs and their teaching strategy if they realize they are instructing two distinct Discourses using the same computerized business process system.

Finding two revealed a disconnect between the ideal system operation and the actual workplace operation.  Workplace educators should be sensitive to this type of situation whenever they are assessing workplace literacy requirements associated with a computerized business process to preclude the misdiagnosing of the reason(s) why the target user population does not utilize the system properly.

Finally, the study revealed the power of the concept of “meanings-in-use” to discern “why” workers don’t comply with a literacy practice as intended by management. In this case it helped explain why workers chose to accomplish staff actions working outside the APS.

 In the case of all of the findings, they would probably have been missed if the focus of the study had not considered intervening social factors by utilizing the “social-cultural” view of literacy or literacy as a social practice as a framework for analysis.

Portraits of Reconciliation- Rwanda

A few weeks ago, I saw this feature in the New York Times about a reconciliation project between the Hutus and Tutsis of Rwanda, which I think is a great example of the concept of restorative justice:

Portraits of Reconciliation

Through this program, which is run by a non-profit organization, victims and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide participate in counseling sessions.  At the end of the program, the perpetrator formally requests forgiveness from the survivor and if forgiveness is granted, then they hold a community celebration.

It is a very interesting and touching article.  Please read it if you have time. :-)

1-2-3...Theory

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the progress that I have made with this project throughout the semester. While my literacy event was not clear at first, my research helped me to more clearly define the event and surrounding issues. The VRS Hybrid plan has just been rolled out, and we cannot expect that the explanation and understanding will be 100% from the beginning.  I was initially apprehensive that I would be able to successfully find links between my work, and the theories that we studied this semester. However, when I started reviewing all of my information, research, and all of our readings from the semester, the theories presented themselves quite clearly to me. 

The theories that presented themselves were Social Practice Theory and  Connectivism Learning theory. Especially with the Social Practice Theory, I really enjoyed the process that I went through to get myself to really understand the theory and how it was connecting to my project.I only hope that I was able to communicate them in my paper effectively.   

 I think that with a little more preparation I’ll be able to present my findings to the benefits manager and hopefully we will be able to adjust some things when it comes to the information that we offer during New Employee Orientation, as well as information that is offered on the VCU website.

Untive, the Real Justice

What I found most compelling about “unitive” justice was its consideration of the larger community. I'm a believer in conflict resolution and mediation, but oftentimes these approaches focus on a small incident and do not consider the bigger picture. For instance, if two men got into a fight, they have several options: they could further escalate the conflict by getting their friends/family involved, file an assault charge, or they could opt for mediation.

While not all parties are willing to engage in mediation because of animus, a sense of pride, or other reasons – if we consider that an assault charge may result in jailtime for one or both which could separate them from their children; jailtime could cause them to lose their jobs and make it more difficult to pass a background check and get hired in the future; that a loss of income could push them and their families further into poverty – if we consider all this then we can see it is not just about “punishing one person,” but that a punitive system has far reaching impacts on many other people. If the two parties involved in the dispute realize this, I think they'll be more likely to at least try mediation over the court system.

Precious and SCAN

The Sunday before Easter, I volunteered at SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). I know this doesn’t immediately seem blog worthy, and I have hesitated to post it, but I did it because of Precious. While I can’t help her directly, because she’s a character in a book, I can find ways to help other children like her. My volunteer event wasn’t direct service, meaning we didn’t work with the children, rather we created a heart wall. We each created artwork on canvases of different sizes that will be hung in the new Child Advocacy Center (CAC).

They also gave us a tour of the new Child Advocacy Center, which they moved into just two weeks before. I felt like reading Precious’ story gave me the ability to go into that Child Advocacy Center and face whatever facts and feelings might be presented to me. It was a beautiful new space and they were still setting up some of the rooms. While over 20 people had volunteered to help create the artwork, only 6 of us went on the tour. I wondered about the reasons why the others had volunteered, but didn’t want to know where the artwork was going. Were they uncomfortable at the idea of being inside the Child Advocacy Center? Or were they just there because they loved a good art project? It was a great turnout on a beautiful Sunday, so I know the SCAN volunteer coordinator was really pleased.

 In one of the rooms, she showed us a TV screen and said it was where they will do their peer reviews, where they are able to watch themselves as they interview the children and get peer feedback. They have a lot of social work interns from VCU and so I sensed that it has been designed to be a supportive learning environment.

The statistic on their website is: “In 2012-2013, the CAC served 535 children who were victims of severe physical or sexual abuse and 44 of their non-offending caregivers.” I asked the staff member who gave us a tour and she said they see 40-60 children a month. I believe they support 3-5 cities/counties in the local area, but most of their cases come from the City of Richmond. (I wish I could have taken notes during the tour).

They need artwork. The building is three times as big as when they were at City Hall, and they need to decorate and warm up the space. If you happen to have any pictures that you think would brighten their empty walls, they would love to have it.

Please provide suggestions on themes!

Thank you all for great questions and suggestions on my change management processes I found all feedback to be valuable. As a reminder, I have included my research details below. I welcome your thought on appropriate themes.

Investigation Goals: Understand the social and cultural practices that influence the processes associated with the Change Management Form

Change Management Details:
• Work Functions - All technical and procedural changes to the production environment and infrastructure
• Text-Related Tasks - Request changes using the Change Management Form

Relationships with the texts cause biases and threaten results. Neutrality is critical to increase the validity of the findings.

• Theme 1: Larger socio-cultural purposes for literature
• Theme 2: Resistance
• Theme 3: Regimes of Truth

Thank you in advanced.

Using what we have learned on the job….

Everyone did a great job presenting their mini case study. It seems like we all learned a lot new things from this project.

My question to the class… “How can working professionals perform cultural research with demanding roles?”

Personally, time is always limited. I would have to set aside a dedicated amount of time to get obtain social and cultural details related to a literacy event. At this point in my career finding that extra time is a challenge.

Although I can’t implement mini case studies in its entirety, I can use bits and pieces to enhance learning and processes. Below are some ideas I have on how to use pieces on the research project on the job:

• When gathering project requirements, ask neutral questions that unveil the social and cultural aspect of the project.
• During discussion observe and take notes on themes.
• Perform discourse analysis on documentation.

I am sure there are more ways to use what we have learned without engaging in an entire research project. I welcome your suggestions.

Working Backwards

While working on the 1-2-3 project, I felt like I kept stumbling over my research question. I know you're supposed to start with one, and I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I kept trying to figure out how to put it in words. What I wanted to do was to read a chapter of a book with the inmates, the chapter would be about a person overcoming oppression, and I wanted to see what they "did" with the chapter (would they have an emotional reaction to it, would they write a response if I asked, would they connect the narrative to parts of their own life or other stories they've read). So I just went ahead and did it. Afterwards, I realized that I wanted to see if by presenting the chapter through a lens of critical pedagogy while we read it, would that impact their responses to the text?

I settled with: "How do incarcerated males respond to a semi-autobiographical narrative presented through a lens of critical pedagogy?"

So, y'all can help me clarify my research question tonight if it doesn't make sense.

More graffiti!

My friend Janet just got back from Buenos Aires and took some beautiful photos of the street art. When she posted it on fb I knew I wanted to share it with the class! I know it's not the same city we read about in class but I thought some of the literacy might be similar.

Photo from MonkeyDogStudio.

1-2-3 Project Paper

In our class syllabus, the requirements for the “Discussion Paper” paper area as follows:

“After your class presentation (and with the feedback you received from it), write a 5 page double spaced paper that attempts to theorize the findings from and conclusions to your mini study. This theory work should be based on readings and generative themes from the course, and authors should be cited appropriately. If appropriate, discuss implications for professional development and consider imaginative PD strategies that reflect the contextuality /de-contextuality of the strategy, as well as the ideological implications of the learning epistemologies.”

I want to share my understanding of theses requirements and my approach to fulfilling the requirements with the hope of soliciting feedback. 

First and foremost, I don’t believe we are expected to generate “new” theory based upon our 1-2-3 Projects.  After all, my 1-2-3 Project was a qualitative project based upon a very small sample size (9-interviews).  As stated in the “Analyzing Qualitative Data” paper by Taylor-Powell and Renner, “a qualitative approach seeks to provide understanding from the respondent’s perspective” and “the goal of qualitative work is not to generalize across a population.” (p 9).  Consequently, my interpretation of “theorize the findings” means that I will attempt to analyze my findings using the various analytical lens we studied during the semester. If I am wrong about this then please enlighten me.

Have stated my assumptions, I started my quest by re-reading Chapter 7, Implications for Theory by Dr. Judy Hunter in the of the Reading Work book.  My goal is to get an idea about a possible “framework” on how to “theorize the findings from and conclusions” to my 1-2-3 Project. 

 

The chapter provides a good overview of the two approaches to literacy we studied this semester, e.g. cognitive theories verses social practice theories of literacy.  Additionally, it provides numerous examples of literacy problems that are either “misdiagnosed” or significant issues completely missed when using certain types of analytical lenses.  Consequently, I hope to replicate this process in the context of my 1-2-3 Project.

Last but not least, I have started to review our past readings in general, and chapter 2 of the Reading Work book specifically (due to the many similarities to my project), searching for relevant information that I can cite to fulfill the requirement to “….theory work should be based on readings and generative themes from the course, and authors should be cited appropriately.”  

This is my approach. I look forward to any feedback.