Yes, thanks to all who took part in the discussion.  It will be a
challenge to summarize!  I'll let you know when I have completed the
summary and where you will be able to find it.

Thanks especially to Andy!  You've stirred the pot and we've all had to
think a little more about what we do and how we do it. We all know each
other a little better, and I'm hoping this discussion will continue,
even though you (Andy) are leaving on vacation. Since you are on the
list, you can catch up when you get home!  Have an re-energizing
vacation.

Donna

Donna Brian, Moderator
Poverty, Race, and Literacy Discussion List
djgbrian at utk.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: povertyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:povertyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andy Nash
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 5:02 PM
To: povertyliteracy at nifl.gov
Subject: [PovertyLiteracy 246] Re: analyzing social context

Yes, thank you, Mev, for reminding us that there's a social context for
our own work as well, and that one of the best ways to learn what
"works" in terms of inviting discussions of social justice is to
actually have them regarding our own issues. 

I'm off on vacation now, but wanted to thank Donna for inviting me into
this discussion, the posters for venturing into the fray, and all of you
who support this list, The Change Agent, and other efforts to value
education for justice and democracy. 

Andy


>>> laurie_sheridan at worlded.org 8/11/2006 11:16 AM >>>

Thanks so much for your wonderful response to the listserv.  You really
said what needed to be said--and heard, and talked about.  I hope we
will have further opportunities to continue this important conversation.
 

Thanks, Andy, too.  This has been great.  But, we've only scratched the
surface . . .and I would love to hear from more teachers on this
subject, not just professional developers and former teachers like
myself.  

Laurie


>>> mmiller at bristol.mass.edu 8/11/2006 10:01 AM >>>

HI all
I've been reading these posts with interest and wondering how to get
into the discussion since I'm not actually in a classroom setting right
now. As someone involved in professional development, though, I find
these conversations critical and enlightening. But the programs and
classrooms being described seem to me (in my experience anyway) as more
of the exception than the norm. And one of the key elements as Andy
alluded to here seems to be the culture of the program/school/learning
center as much as it does with teachers committed to transformative
education or receptive/motivated students.  I encounter so many teachers
(who are probably not on this listserv) who struggle with the
restrictions imposed by NRS and accounting to their respective
departments of ed that having the courage or tenacity or imagination for
how to take prescribed curriculums or lesson plans and turning them into
something more holistic or even problem-posing becomes insurmountable.
I've had teachers admit that they purposefully avoid potentially
"loaded" topics or discussions in the classroom because they themselves
feel uncomfortable about facilitating such discussions or fear appearing
like they've moved into "proselytizing."

But also, just because we as teachers - or professional developers -
want to use problem-based approaches or desire to use holistic methods
or aspire to transformative teaching/learning, doesn't mean we're able
to arrive at doing it just because we want too. There's so much training
in ABE that's connected to providing teachers with skills and techniques
-- how to use particular methods or lessons to get desired results,
especially in content areas - reading, writing, math, LD, work
readiness, health, etc. We sometimes take that with us into our attempts
to do transformative education -- give me the roadmap and I'll follow
it. I remember being at a Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed
Conference and hearing much discussion about "methods fetish."

I do believe it's so much bigger than this, and that in addition to
content workshops, and trainings on participatory methods or adult
learning theory, we also need - as educators - undoing racism workshops,
more cultural awareness training, conflict and mediation training,
spiritual awareness/ values retreats, and more on-going support or
mentoring in the areas of how we integrate holistic methods as we do
language acquisition, work readiness, GED prep and all the rest, etc.
etc. etc. I recently offered a series at SABES called "Embracing Our
Humanity" -- it had moderate success and could have been much stronger,
but to be truly effective it needs more on-going support and development
-- and follow-up / mentoring. 

...but we certainly won't see these counted in the NRS or prioritized by
our Depts of Ed, now will we? (ooh - sarcasm, sorry)

This, of course, leads into the broader discussion of whether education
is "neutral" -- which I believe it is not. Avoidance itself is not
neutral either! And these conversations make me doubt that the "company
line" of making students better family members, workers, and community
participants -- It is only true to the extent that it serves the status
quo.

I encounter these obstacles myself even as I do so much work with WE
LEARN. Even while keeping in the front of my mind that WE LEARN exists
to address gender-based oppressions and intersecting "-isms" for women
in adult literacy/basic education, it's always tempting to "make it
easy" or to continually be responsive rather than proactive, or to lose
touch with how challenging and provoking this work can be. I have to do
more critical thinking myself. Building change or opening space for
critical thinking, vision, and creativity within traditional settings
and contexts takes on-going diligence and heart-mindfulness. It can be
exhausting and isolating unless we make the spaces for it in our own
development and among our peers. 

Ok - I'll stop rambling now. I can feel myself getting worked into a
"lather."! Thanks, Andy, for the forum...

Mev Miller
WE LEARN (welearn at litwomen.org)
and
SABES (mmiller at bistol.mass.edu)

-----Original Message-----
From: povertyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:povertyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Andy Nash
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 7:31 AM
To: povertyliteracy at nifl.gov
Subject: [PovertyLiteracy 242] Re: analyzing social context

Hello! 
When I look at Luri's and Ujuwala's messages together, the contrast is
striking. I think they suggest that there's a whole constellation of
factors that affect whether or not students feel that discussing social
issues is useful in their adult education class. They include how open
the classroom environment is for different or dissenting opinions, how
well-informed the teacher is (and, I would add, how open to learning
from students), how the discussions connect to the purpose of
instruction (are they presented for the purpose of talking about
"politics," or are they part of helping students apply their developing
skills to analyzing and dealing with the situations around them?), and
the program culture.

Luri describes a program culture that addresses adults holistically *
they're not just "students," but also members of their community,
parents, etc. So students aren't expected to study random topics in
class and then walk out into the world to figure out reality alone.
Part
of learning math, and literacy, and English, is learning how to use them
to get a better job, understand your kid's school, and ALSO to
understand immigration policy, voting rights, and whatever else is going
to affect one's ability to thrive. 

Programs that recognize that learning is taking place in a social
context, and create a culture that acknowledges that reality throughout
the program, make it easier for social issues to weave naturally into
the curriculum. And I think the students respond in kind. My guess is
that many of the students who didn't want to talk about social issues in
the programs that Ujuwala observed, if plunked down in the one Luri
described, would be more than willing. They certainly had things on
their minds, as Uju found out in the "loo." I think it's important to
remember this when we hear students described as not wanting to talk
about particular topics. 

Thanks for showing us this comparison!
Andy



>>> lalumineuse at yahoo.com 08/10/06 6:25 PM >>>

Dear Andy,


> Which makes me think of Uju's observation about the immigrant students



> who were more  forthcoming with their opinions off-camera. In light of



> this reality, perhaps we need to provide opportunities for adults to 

> explore issues without having to arrive at publicly-shared opinions.

> Sometimes the most powerful discussions grow from simply examining our



> experience or our information (as Catherine described in her message 

> about action research), without necessarily landing on a clear 

> position.<<


Some of the most revealing conversations I had were when I was helping
students, when I shared breaks with them or in the loo. There were a
variety of views.
Some students felt that they were not in school to study or discuss
politics. Others felt teachers were not knowledgeable abouy global
issues (especially about the countries these students came from) to have
a meaningful discussion. Still others said that they felt that the love
for their country was not understood and they were expected to be
loyal/grateful for being in America. The younger learners who were there
for their GED/High School diploma were more interested in getting their
formal education than global or survival topics. 

It was quite interesting, the range of views they held, but I saw very
little of during in-class observations. I had conversations with
African-Americans, Latinos/Latinas, Haitians, Sierra Leonians, Afghanis,
Pakistanis, Indians, etc. all of whom were attending the adult high
school. In class, they did their work and waited for their turn with the
teacher, or got help from their classmates whne they needed it. There
was not much discussion in two of the three classes I observed in a
study on engagement.
 
Regards,
Uju

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