I imagine there are many ways to structure a 
strategy like this.  Basically it's a concept - 
finding ways to connect parents/students on a 
more personal level at a vulnerable time.  It can 
help set a tone of community and cooperative 
learning right from the start and help new people 
feel more welcome, less shy or intimidated as 
they enter a new situation, and more accountable 
on a personal level. A teacher in an AE program 
for incarcerated adults once told me her students 
reported that feeling that someone was "finally 
paying attention to me" was enough to keep them 
participating and working toward goals.  It also 
has the potential to affect the veteran students 
by increasing their investment in the 
class/program when they accept a degree of 
responsibility for another student. HOWEVER, I 
think it should be voluntary.  I think this could 
be a good discussion to have with the students 
themselves, asking questions like:  How did you 
feel when you first came into the 
class/program?  What would have made you more 
comfortable?  How can we do this for new 
students?  What about a buddy system?  How could 
we structure it?  Etc.  More often than not, it's 
the students that have the answers to many of our 
challenges.  This, I think, follows along with 
another list serve member's discussion of 
overcoming obstacles through a process that 
includes those who are faced with the obstacles.  Hope this helps.  Jessica


At 10:52 PM 1/13/2008, you wrote:


>Hi Jessica,

>

>How do you determine who becomes whose 

>buddy?  I’m intrigued and would like to know more?

>

>Lorri Sauve

>Project READ Literacy Network

>Family Literacy Coordinator

>Kitchener, Canada

><mailto:familyliteracy at projectread.ca>familyliteracy at projectread.ca

>519 893-7597

>

>"I am careful not to confuse excellence with 

>perfection.  Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business."

>Michael J. Fox

>

>----------

>From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov 

>[mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jessica Fitzpatrick

>Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 5:06 PM

>To: The Family Literacy Discussion List

>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 915] Re: Other Ways to keep learners in programs

>

>Some programs I have worked with institute a 

>"buddy system" as soon as a parent 

>enrolls.  Buddy's can do many things  - from a 

>weekly phone call, to a call when a buddy is 

>absent, to working together on projects or 

>helping with instruction, acknowledging a 

>birthday, or helping with a ride or child care, 

>etc. etc. Again and again, it seems to be the 

>personal connections that keep students 

>attending.  Jessica Fitzpatrick, Family and Early Literacy Consultant

>At 09:14 AM 1/8/2008, you wrote:

>

>

>Hello everyone,

>

>These are some great ideas.  This is what we do 

>in our family literacy program:

>

>The facilitators personally phone the learners 

>who miss a class and ask what they can do to 

>help or find out if there is anything they can 

>do to help the parents (it may be as simple as 

>giving them a reminder phone call before every 

>class – we meet twice weekly with the 

>families).  The facilitators encourage the 

>parents in their own learning and in their 

>reading and playing with their children.  The 

>facilitators ensure that these parents feel 

>comfortable when they are in our program (I know 

>everyone does this) and we make sure that the 

>parents know we are adding on to what they are 

>already doing with their children 

>(strength-based programming).  We have found 

>that the personal phone call from the 

>facilitator makes the difference.  Attendance 

>has been much more consistent since we began 

>implementing phone calls.  The phone calling 

>does take extra time but we have found that it is worth it.

>

>Lorri Sauve

>Project READ Literacy Network

>Family Literacy Coordinator

>Kitchener, Canada

><mailto:familyliteracy at projectread.ca>familyliteracy at projectread.ca

>519 893-7597

>

>"I am careful not to confuse excellence with 

>perfection.  Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God's business."

>Michael J. Fox

>

>----------

>From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [ 

>mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Cheryl Brown

>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:33 PM

>To: The Family Literacy Discussion List

>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 903] Re: Peppermints Help Test-Takers

>

>Hi all,

>

>Barriers is an extremely interesting topic for 

>me and I have spent some time thinking and 

>writing about it over the last 

>decade.   Essentially, we focus on Relationship, 

>Content and Environment. We use William 

>Glasser's Choice Theory to guide our behaviour 

>in relationship building and setting 

>environment, and a learner/community centered 

>model for content (basically, we adapt what we 

>do to individual learner's or community's wants 

>and stated needs - some may remember as Student 

>Centered Individualized Learning from Frontier College Student Handbook).

>

>I've personally shifted my thinking about 

>barriers from what I've been calling a 

>'checklist approach' (generic list of barriers, 

>like transportation, childcare, healthy snack, 

>etc) to thinking about it as a process, as 

>individual as the learner's themselves, that 

>provides specific assistance for overcoming 

>obstacles to participation.  Funny this topic 

>should happen to come up today - we've just 

>talked about writing a paper about this, so if 

>you're interested in hearing more, let me know off list.

>

>Cheryl Brown, Community Literacy Coordinator

>Quality Learning New Brunswick

>Saint John, NB

>Canada

><mailto:sjfamlit at nbnet.nb.ca>sjfamlit at nbnet.nb.ca

>

>----- Original Message -----

>From: <mailto:gprice at famlit.org>Gail Price

>To: <mailto:familyliteracy at nifl.gov>The Family Literacy Discussion List

>Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 4:10 PM

>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 901] Re: Peppermints Help Test-Takers

>

>Hey Jeri,

>

>Don’t we all wish that keeping learners in our 

>programs were as easy as providing peppermints and bottled water?

>

>Persistence is a complex issue and is pretty 

>highly individualized, yet is something all 

>adult education programs have to deal with. 

>Studies over the years about persistence have 

>suggested ways to keep students in 

>programs­i.e., having a goal and making progress 

>toward it; enjoying the classroom relationship 

>with other learners; having an intake process 

>that effectively counters barriers to 

>attendance; and helping with logistical barriers 

>such as transportation and child care, etc.

>

>How about it list subscribers­share your 

>practical experience with us.  What do you do to 

>ensure that you keep learners in your program? 

>What have you tried that has worked well? What has not worked quite so well?

>

>Gail J. Price

>Multimedia Specialist

>National Center for Family Literacy

>325 W. Main Street, Suite 300

>Louisville, KY 40202

>gprice at famlit.org

>502 584-1133, ext. 112

>

>

>Join us for the 17th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy!

>"Literacy Grows Families and Communities"

>March 30, 31, & April 1, 2008-Louisville, KY

>Register online at 

><http://www.famlit.org/conference>www.famlit.org/conference

>

>

>----------

>From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [ 

>mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of jalsails at aol.com

>Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 11:15 PM

>To: familyliteracy at nifl.gov

>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 893] Re: Peppermints Help Test-Takers

>

>Gail,

>

>Back when Brain Research was hot (about 10 years 

>ago) we read research on the negative effects of 

>dehydration on concentration and fatigue. We 

>(LIFT, Missouri's Literacy Center) began 

>providing bottled water at all of our workshops 

>which in turn motivated family and adult 

>literacy staff to provide it for their adult 

>learners. Drinking water was encouraged to 

>maximize extended attention spans for study and 

>test taking. Perhaps it was the halo effect, but 

>we had enthusiastic feedback. Now, if we'd used 

>ordinary tap water to preserve the environment, 

>added a peppermint candy to cut the frustration, 

>and given ginger snaps for pregnant moms to 

>reduce nausea, we may have made the news!

>

>What other practical strategies appear to spark 

>and maintain learner persistence?

>

>Jeri Levesque, Ed.D.

>Evaluator, Missouri and Kentucky Even Start

>LIFT

>

>-----Original Message-----

>From: Gail Price <gprice at famlit.org>

>To: The Family Literacy Discussion List <familyliteracy at nifl.gov>

>Sent: Wed, 2 Jan 2008 12:23 pm

>Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 891] Peppermints Help Test-Takers

>Just for fun!

>An article titled “Peppermint prepares 

>test-takers, a study says” recently appeared in 

>the Middletown Journal, Middletown, OH.

>The articles states, “Candy canes greeted 

>test-takers at Middletown's Adult Education 

>center Friday before the General Educational 

>Development exam. The purpose of the treats was 

>two-fold: spread a little holiday cheer and 

>awaken the test-takers, said Principal Rose 

>Marie Stiehl. A NASA-funded study revealed that 

>the smell of peppermint decreases fatigue and 

>frustration by 15 percent and 25 percent 

>respectively and increases alertness by 30 

>percent, said Stiehl. Ever since the study, the 

>center has offered peppermints to test-takers.”

>

>And Middletown’s Adult Education programs seems 

>to be doing very well. You can read the article 

>at 

><http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/12/29/mj122907gedcanes.html>http://www.middletownjournal.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/12/29/mj122907gedcanes.html 

>

>I think I’ll buy a stash of peppermints for my students. How about you?

>

>

>Gail J. Price

>Multimedia Specialist

>National Center for Family Literacy

>325 W. Main Street, Suite 300

>Louisville, KY 40202

><mailto:gprice at famlit.org>gprice at famlit.org

>502 584-1133, ext. 112

>

>

>Join us for the 17th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy!

>"Literacy Grows Families and Communities"

>March 30, 31, & April 1, 2008-Louisville, KY

>Register online at 

><http://www.famlit.org/conference>www.famlit.org/conference

>

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

>National Institute for Literacy

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><mailto:FamilyLiteracy at nifl.gov>FamilyLiteracy at nifl.gov

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

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