Bonnie,

A typical characterization of this challenge in adult literacy  
education and English Language Learning is The Multilevel Classroom.  
A group of teachers and professional developers in Boston, led by  
lenore Balliro and Martha Merson, investigated the "multi" challenges  
in a1997  journal of the Adult Literacy Resource Institute called  
"Multilevel Classes". You will find this at:

http://tech.worlded.org/docs/connections/tableofcontents.htm

There are many other resources , too, for example:

Focus on Basics did an issue on this:
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=446

There's an ERIC Digest
http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/adult.htm



David  J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Jan 29, 2007, at 10:31 PM, Bonnie Odiorne wrote:


> Hello, PDers,

> I couldn't figure out any way to start a new topic than this, so my

> apologies. The recent conversations on diversity and marketing  

> education

> certainly resonate with things my own institution is doing.

> One recent initiative is a kind of "Team Oriented problem solving"  

> approach

> involving QC typed techniques and a very business-oriented  

> vocabulary in

> terms of how the teams are to function and how results will be  

> measured. The

> group I found myself on almost unbeknownst, since in actuality I'm  

> neither

> "faculty" (adjunct) nor full-time staff, but combine both in a full- 

> time

> commitment to the university, is this: "eliminate the polarized  

> classroom."

> I'm not sure how the facilitator derived the terminology, since the

> discussion from which it derived went beyond multi-level to a  

> seeming abyss

> between students with adequate skills, motivation and the like, and  

> those

> who do not. A faculty member described it this way: "Polarized  

> Classroom

> means for me a teaching environment with students exhibiting extremes

> relating to skills, interests and academic approaches. It makes  

> teaching

> very difficult. As [a] professor you might feel [you] have to  

> choose....whom

> to support." I'm wondering, in my own ignorance of pedagogical  

> theory, if

> this issue has been addressed by the literature, and, if so, is there

> another more commonly accepted name for it? I'll keep my own  

> reservations to

> myself for the moment about the whole subject for the sake of just  

> needing

> information. But let it be understood that I'm in no way "buying  

> into" the

> fact that this "problem" is well stated or conceived in terms of  

> responsible

> pedagogy. And I think a lot of the social discourse we've just been

> discussing is implicit in this kind of formulation.... but please,  

> just give

> me the accepted terminology for a wide skills/motivation/ 

> expectations gap in

> the classroom and best practices for dealing with it (I'll not  

> comment on

> the desire to "eliminate" it...)

> Grateful in advance for your help,

> Bonnie Odiorne, Ph.D. Writing Center Director and Adjunct Professor

> Post University Waterbury, CT

>

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

> From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of  

> Nadia and

> Kevin Colby

> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 4:43 PM

> To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List

> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 825] Re: Help! Teaching tolerance

> inteacher PD

>

> Hello Susan:

>

> Could you elaborate a bit more on the origins of

> Ecotonos, the objectives and the steps to make the

> workshop successful?   Also, what do you think about

> Social Marketing in the context of recruiting students

> for colleges?

>

> Nadia

> --- Susan Kidd <SKidd at sbctc.ctc.edu> wrote:

>

>> I have had success with a simulation for

>> multi-cultural communication and problem solving

>> called Ecotonos. The simulation was designed for

>> multiple audiences (business, social service,

>> education...) and has been used in numerous

>> countries in several languages.

>>

>> Participants create "cultures" and then work on a

>> task, first as a mono-cultural unit and then in

>> different culturally diverse groups. Unlike many

>> sims, this one is quite transparent (participants

>> know, not just what they will do, but also the

>> purpose of the sim) which reduces anxiety. It can

>> also be fun and at the same time quite effective in

>> raising issues of how people make decisions and

>> communicate. I have used it with basic skills

>> faculty, staff, and partner agencies.

>>

>> Susan

>>

>> SUSAN KIDD

>> ABE Professional Development Coordinator

>> State Board for Community & Technical Colleges

>> 509-682-6968

>> cell phone: 509-630-4520

>>

>>

>>

>> ________________________________

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>>

>> -----

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David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net