I am afraid that I can only ask more questions
regarding yours, Janet.  One thing that has been a
real itch and that I tried to work on with my
intermediate, rather low intermediate ESL class,
pertains to a project based approach education.  

   In one of her postings Heidi wrote a famous quote
that goes somewhat along these lines "I rather die on
my feet, than live on my knees", Emiliano Zapata's
words.  Being, for better or worse, passionate about
the history of my country of origin, and having had
the opportunity to write my undergraduate thesis with
a historical framework that covers the Mexican
Revolution I could only love Heidi's words which I am
remembering (not quoting) as I write: "who could have
written that, and did the individual live up to his
beliefs...".  

This posting  triggered the thought that nobody should
be forced to make such a choice.  So I decided to try
out a course description based on Human Rights.  There
were about 6 highlights in the class (and quite a few
mistakes on the side of the instructor):

a) A discussion of hatred caused by religion and 
ethnicity using materials from the Holocaust.

b) A more recent approach to Human Rights using the
conflict in Rwanda between Tutsis and Hutus. We saw
the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and downloaded material from
Wikipedia.

c) The conflict between the coffee producing elite and
the people of El Salvador in the 80's, discussed after
students saw the movie "Monsenor Romero".
 
d) A discussion about art, politics, and beliefs using
"The Geography of Hope" based on the Cisneros
collection.  This is a wonderful resource that was
provided by City University staff development and
presented by  Maria del Carmen Gonzales (from the
Cisneros Collection) and David Hellman (from the City
University of New York), both excellent facilitators.

e) A discussion about rights and responsibilities as a
follow up from the Gallatin Literacy Review Workshops
at NYU.  I enjoyed particularly one that was presented
by an activist from Chapel Hill (I will provide the
info later, at this moment I can not recall her name).

f) A presentation from a lawyer on Human Rights,
Constitutional Rights for documented and non
documented immigrants and citizens, and the Geneva
Convention (all encapsulated in an hour an a half,
which already speaks about the limitations of the
presentation).

The questions that I still have and the challenge that
I would like to reflect about when I have more time,
is how to bridge UD with a project based approach, and
the provision of the linguistic skills that my
students need.

Nadia Quiroz-Colby


--- Janet Isserlis <Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu> wrote:


> Barry and all

> 

> Wondering if you're thinking about project based

> learning as well ­ Service

> Learning, as you're describing it, seems to utilize

> many of the same

> principles.

> 

> As well, people might be interested in the resources

> developed by Heide

> Wrigley and colleagues, online at

> http://www.clese.org/brightideas_eslcurric.htm ­

> see, especially, the

> reading demonstration to get a sense of working with

> real objects to learn

> about students' existing literacy knowledge.

> 

> Janet Isserlis

> 

> 

> 

> From: "Burkett, Barry"

> <Barry.Burkett at Franklin.kyschools.us>

> Reply-To: The Adult Literacy Professional

> Development Discussion List

> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>

> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:38:12 -0500

> To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development

> Discussion List

> <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>

> Conversation: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1794] Re:

> itunes u

> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1797] Re: itunes u

> 

> Hello all,

>  

> I am knew to this listserve, but have been in the

> technology group for a

> while...  my question relates to, "Find out where

> they are, as each adult

> learner is at a different place in their learning,

> and help them find ways

> that work for them to get them where they need to

> go."

>  

> Have any programs or instructors used Service

> Learning (SL) in their

> programs?  SL is the idea of creating learning tasks

> set up around a Service

> Project, i.e. using problem solving skills to figure

> out how much paint

> would be needed to paint a flood wall, applying to

> the municipality to paint

> the floodwall, and then doing the project.

>  

> Would SL help students find ways to make education

> work for and be usable to

> them?  Would service learning also help as a bridge

> in making the needs for

> UD more apparent to not only instructors and

> students but the community as

> well?

>  

> And once again, have any of you done SL, and what is

> your critical view?

>  

>  

>  

> Barry Burkett,

> Frankfort, KY

> 

> 

> From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov

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

> Behalf Of Grace Temple

> Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 9:55 AM

> To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development

> Discussion List

> Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1794] Re: itunes u

> 

> For someone who says that they are not where

> everyone else is yet, I find

> that you are way ahead in instinct, Jeff.  If we are

> to reach adults

> struggling to learn and get ahead, we have to stop

> looking for a magic

> bullet or secret formula that will make it all just

> fall into place for

> them.  The most important thing to remember is just

> what Jeff has said he

> does -  Find out where there are, as each adult

> learner is at a different

> place in their learning, and help them find ways

> that work for them to get

> them where they need to go.  There is no "one size

> fits all" and there's no

> one program, strategy, or method that will work for

> everyone.  We need to

> take the time (which none of us have enough of) to

> sit with them

> individually and find out what they need.  The best

> thing we can do for our

> students is to arm ourselves with as many methods

> and ideas as possible as

> we never know which one we'll need to pull out to

> assist a particular

> student.  Research, read, use the web, attend as

> many inovative trainings

> and workshops as possible, and network with others

> just like you who are

> creatively making their own way in the class rooms. 

> I've found that some of

> the best ideas that really work, were from those

> creative individuals in the

> classroom who didn't have what was needed so they

> came up with their own.

> 

> Grace Temple,Director,

>  Sanilac Literacy Council

> templege at hotmail.com

>  

> 

> > Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:00:47 -0400

> > From: alphact at eastlink.ca

> > To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov

> > Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1792] Re: itunes

> u

> > 

> > Hi Nadia and everyone,

> > 

> > Excellent comments and thoughts. Computers will

> play a role in how we

> > educate, but for many of the people we help

> educate, they will have to learn

> > basic computer skills as well as GED and such.

> > 

> > As I instruct others, I am becoming aware that

> teaching is knowing more than

> > "the how", it is the understanding of how each

> student learns and their

> > motives for learning. As an instructor/teacher, I

> look for knowledge that

> > will help me teach others where they are at. What

> nugget can I learn that

> > will help my next student move onward. I humbly

> must say that I am not at

> > where most of you appear to be in knowledge or

> education wise. For people

> > like us, having access to this type of material

> that you are discussing

> > would be a great asset.

> > 

> > Yet I fear that time is against us since there is

> only so much each day. My

> > Grandfather once said..."Talk is cheap, it takes

> money to buy rum." I hope

> > through this discussion that those that can will

> make a real effort to

> > provide training for those of us that help others

> learn. I pray that there

> > will be money to help us develop those materials

> that are needed... to help

> > us help others. I really hope that we will all

> matter in the lives of those

> > people we touch.

> > 

> > Regards to all,

> > 

> > Jeff Brown

> > Alpha Computer Training and Consulting

> > www.alphacomputer.ca

> > info at alphacomputer.ca

> > 

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

> > From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov

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

> On Behalf Of Nadia and

> > Kevin Colby

> > Sent: December-09-07 1:46 PM

> > To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development

> Discussion List

> > Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1791] Re: itunes

> u

> > 

> > Thank you for the resource, David. I really think

> this

> > is a wonderful way to access higher education

> services

> > that ultimately will help our students. Talking

> again

> > about professional development and professional

> wisdom

> > and the difficulty both to define and measure the

> > latter term I would like to add the following. I

> > wholeheartedly agree with Mev from WE LEARN in

> terms

> > of the political and social issues that frame

> adult

> > education and that we as adult educators have the

> > responsibility to be informed about. My comments

> are

> 

=== message truncated ===>
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