Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j3IJcPG14597; Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:38:25 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:38:25 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <25.5db00e36.2f95660c@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: BlastGrant@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2052] Re: Blast Project, New Mexico X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: 9.0 Security Edition for Windows sub 1200 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2446 Lines: 49 Teacher training evolved as the major focus of BLAST because the ABE field in New Mexico asked for student led PD and because teacher training was a priority for the student leaders. >From the beginning, the BLAST student leaders' priority has been bridging the gap between students' worlds and ABE. They have worked on both sides of the divide. They help students navigate the ABE system and find their voices so that they can communicate with their teachers and programs. And they have worked to help teachers understand where ABE students are coming from. The BLAST project began from a wish of the New Mexico Adult Education Association to have students on the state board of directors. But from the first meeting of the BLAST project, we all saw that there was a really powerful role for students to play in teacher training. The first BLAST meeting happened at the ABE state conference 1996. At the end of the BLAST meeting, the students made a presentation to the educators at the conference. The topics that the students talked about -- the transformative effect of education on their lives, the complicated dynamics between students and teachers, the role of culture in education for immigrants -- had more depth than anyone expected. Most of all, what came out was how different the students' view of education was from the educators'. Over the next two years, BLAST got more and more invitations to present at PD conferences. We were also asked to help ABE programs train their own students to make PD presentations. The consistent feedback from teachers was that they were learning about who their students were from the BLAST team. The teachers were learning about ABE students' perspectives, emotions, mindsets and cultures. The BLAST team were not representing all students -- they were representing themselves -- but they could give teachers important insights into ABE's students. Over the years, the BLAST student leaders have been men and women who are able to articulate the world views of Adult Students. Gilbert Zamora, is our cofounder. He began as a literacy student and is now our Vice-president. The way he explains it is this: "When that Adult student comes into a classroom, he is walking into the educator's world. When we teach teachers, what we are saying is 'Welcome to our world'" Will Grant Director of Education Voz, inc (505) 989 1699
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