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 j53F9GG06979; Fri, 3 Jun 2005 11:09:16 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 11:09:16 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <6287f64c22068a0a93e6fecf5c90c4e4@comcast.net> 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: David Rosen <djrosen@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2187] RE: challenges of learner leadership X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.622) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 6625 Lines: 145 Will, Ernest and others, I agree that Ernest has raised an important point. Part of this is about respect for adult learners as adults, and what teachers can do -- and how they can learn how to do it -- to show respect. Respect affects the quality of teaching. Teachers who do not know _how_ to show respect for adult learners will not be able to retain them or help them as well as those who do. Teachers of adults may need to shift their teaching paradigm to take into account areas where some of their students have more expertise than they do. An ESL/ESOL teacher may be an expert in teaching English; or a GED preparation teacher in the content of the GED tests and ideally in content needed for post-secondary preparation. But they are not necessarily experts in health (an area which requires numeracy and English language skills) or in using computers or the Internet, or in navigating the legal, welfare, or school system in their students' communities, or in many other areas in which some of their students _are_ experts. Being a good teacher requires recognizing, acknowledging, and using all the expertise in the classroom. If students have expertise which is relevant to the class, the teacher should draw on it. Here's an example which is critical to the quality of adult education teaching. Many adult education teachers, unfortunately, are not comfortable or competent in using computers or the Internet. There are many reasons for this, some of which have to do with inadequate technology access and training. Nevertheless, every teacher I have talked with about this agrees that some students in her/his class are comfortable and competent, know how to use computers well, and in some cases are comfortable in sharing this expertise. This is a situation in which a teaching paradigm shift is essential. The teacher needs to say, "in technology I am not an expert, and yet we all need to learn more about how to use computers. Let's see who has some expertise in this area, and then let's all benefit. Let's learn together." In this case, some students become teachers (or tutors, mentors, or "subject matter experts" ). This is not a compensation for a teacher deficiency. It's a teaching-learning model shift. The teacher is not the primary source of knowledge about this subject. The teacher is a learner and a facilitator -- helping subject matter experts to learn how to share their knowledge. This is an ideal teaching learning paradigm for constructivist, project-based learning. But many teachers will need some support in making this shift. Adult learners could be involved in that training and support. How could this happen? Here's one idea, a professional development workshop where a teacher and her tech-savvy students together learn how to offer a short computer literacy course for the students in the class or at the program or school. The savvy students and teacher all are introduced to the computer literacy curriculum together. They learn together what it will take to implement it. They all become mentors. The teacher or a student (depending on who is most comfortable and experienced in this role) facilitates the computer literacy class process where they all are available to help other students become comfortable and competent in using computers. I wonder if anyone on this list has done this, or is interested in doing it. David J. Rosen On Jun 3, 2005, at 10:04 AM, BlastGrant@aol.com wrote: > > I'd like to pick up the thread from Ernest Best's post on May 13th. > It was a > challenging, thought provoking post. > > Ernest wrote about one of the hardest areas of student leadership and > ABE -- > real equality between student leaders and educators. Ernest took the > question past student leadership and raised the question of respect and > condescension to students in all of ABE. > > This topic gets to the center of traditional education: Teachers have > knowledge, students are there to learn that knowledge. Its not equal. > Participatory > education and student leadership change that fundamental relationship. > > This is not a black and white topic. Its not about giving all power > to the > students. We can't just say "We're all equal here." Because we're > not. There > are real differences in skills, knowledge, and access to the system. > But the > power does not all flow in one direction. Students bring as much to > the table > as educators. Students and teachers have different knowledge, > different > strengths, different blindspots. The question is how do we learn to > communicate > with each other about them. > > > Two weeks ago at a student leadership training here in New Mexico a > teacher > said "Students, you have to understand that we teachers are not > trained in > how to do student leadership. In teacher training, we are taught to be > traditional teachers. We teach you. We are not taught how to work > with you as equals. > All of these topics about culture and voice and leadership are great, > its > why I am here. But they are new to me. I was taught how to write a > curriculum > and a lesson plan. I know how to make a good test. You want me to > teach you as > an equal, but I don't know how. I was not taught that way by my > teachers, > and I don't know how to teach you that way. I'm still learning how to > do that." > > These are learnable skills. When I first started working with student > leaders, I had to learn the hard way. When would I let my ego get the > better of me > and start to think that I knew what the students needed to do, > students > left. In my mind, they were right. When I stayed true to having > students' ideas > and values lead, the projects worked. When a student leadership > project isn't > working, the first place I look is at the communication and trust > between the > students and the teachers. Over time, building trust and real > equality with > students have become the most important things I've learned as an > educator. > > I think that building trust and taking leadership from students are > also > some of the most important skills a classroom teacher can develop. > > These are not just new teaching skills. For a lot of us, they are a > new way > to relate to people. Its a multicultural skill. To be student > centered, > participatory, or student led, we have to learn to share power with > people from > different economic classes, education levels, cultures, races and > genders. And > where can teachers learn these skills? >
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