Hello,

I am a student in Educational Psychology 8070, Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning, taught by Daphne Greenberg. I am also a white male, age 60. Rather than wax on about the natural resistance to change in many of us, I wanted to quote something I read this week in Merriam and Caffarella's Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide, Second Edition, Chapter 6, pages 121-122: "Adults are rarely just black or white, male or female, homosexual or heterosexual, or of one cultural origin. Rather most adults come in many shades and variations. For example, they may be female, but also white, of Hispanic origin, and a lesbian; or they may be male, but also black of African origin and heterosexual. Although this complexity makes it difficult to form any generalizations, researchers nevertheless are working to untangle the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity." 

Context is so critical to adult learning and literacy that I was also moved to consider commenting on the one-size-fits-all thread as well, but alas I am too new to all this to debate effectively across the Atlantic with the advocate of that one. I am thinking also that you don't have the entire context of my quote above either.  I will tell you the chapter title is "Sociocultural and Integrative Perspectives on Development" and the subheading is "Socially Constructed Notions of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexual Orientation."  

With that said, I sense some real value in combining the two lists. Intersections may become more readily apparent to list participants who had confined themselves so to speak to only one of the lists, and more important than that, the combination of lists might encourage a list participant to integrate his or her question or comment in such a way as to capture the implications for women, racial groups, and the poor, singly or in a particular combination. And if a question or comment is concerned only with women, for example, it may still be posted and addressed as in the past I would think because the professional respect and understanding on the list would assure it. 

In sum, I am sure there were other and much better reasons for combining the lists, but if one reason was to integrate, contextualize, or widen the subject matter of both lists within one, then I think that in itself might be worth the change.

Sterling Roth
PhD Student at Georgia State University
Also:  Director of University Auditing and Advisory Services at Georgia State University
404-651-0570
fax 404-651-1440


In a message dated 10/20/06 18:11:09 Eastern Standard Time, Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu writes:
Thank you, My Linh 

I do understand what you're saying, but think that the women and literacy 
and poverty/race/literacy lists are somewhat distinct and not altogether 
overlapping   (as you may have read on that women/lit list). 

I don't know what, if anything, can be done to address this, but think it 
bears consideration. 

thank you 

Janet 



> From: "Nguyen, My Linh" <Mylinh.Nguyen at ed.gov> 

> Reply-To: The Adult Education Content Standards Discussion List 

> <contentstandards at nifl.gov> 

> Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:38:42 -0400 

> To: <womenliteracy-owner at nifl.gov>, <contentstandards at nifl.gov>, 

> <englishlanguage at nifl.gov> 

> Conversation: CROSSPOSTED Update on Discussion Lists - Response 

> Subject: [ContentStandards 303] CROSSPOSTED Update on Discussion Lists - 

> Response 

> 

> Dear Janet, 

> 

> Thank you for your comments about the upcoming changes to some of the 

> Discussion Lists. We do feel that many of the issues that impact Content 

> Standards and Program Leadership & Improvement carry across all the subject 

> areas of other Discussion Lists. You are right to point out that each list 

> has its own distinct purposes, but we believe that those purposes and ideas 

> can be carried over to our other lists. 

> 

> We hope that by widening the circle of participation by narrowing down the 

> numbers of similar lists may reduce the amount of messages cross-posted for 

> subscribers who are on multiple lists. 

> 

> We hope that you and other members of the lists that are closing or merging 

> will contribute your viewpoints through either the merged Poverty, Race and 

> Women's List or any of our other lists. 

> 

> We look forward to continue learning from the varied and rich perspectives 

> all of the Institute's list subscribers bring to the Institute's forums. 

> 

> My Linh Nguyen 

> Associate Director of Communications 

> National Institute for Literacy 

> (202) 233-2041 

> fax (202) 233-2050 

> mnguyen at nifl.gov 

> 

> ---------------------------------------------------- 

> National Institute for Literacy 

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> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

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