Reply to:   RE: [NIFL-PLI] Learner participation in program improvement Hello colleagues,

When it comes to learner involvement, I've heard practitioners in the field say, "We've tried to get our learners invovled, but most are not interested. Their lives are far too busy for that, and they are here to learn." It is true that adults have busy lives and that they come to us for the purpose of learning. I can relate to that as an adult learner myself.  For instance, during graduate school, while juggling a full time job and family, I felt that I did not have time to get involved in student organizations and such.  I was grateful for the other grad students who contributed their time on my behalf.

Regarding adult learner involvement in our programs, there are some other issues to consider. Since I believe I have much to learn from the adult learners I work with, as a teacher, my primary goal is to structure my classroom to listen so that I might learn.  What I learn from my students is central and allows me to more effectively address their learning needs and goals.  For me, this is no different for adult learners in an ABE/GED class that I might be teaching or a group of graduate students.  
I believe it is equally important for programs to be structured to enable purposeful listening.  Listening to the people we serve could be and should be a foundation of our work.  Building in structures that make critical listening possible, in my view, is vital to our work.  I can think of no more important area to seek learner input than program improvement.  How to most effectively structure this kind of learner involvement is worthy of serious discussion.  I'm pleased that we've begun such a conversation, and I look forward to hearing others' thoughts.

Best, Susan

Susan Finn Miller
SEPDC and Lancaster Lebanon IU 13
Adult Basic and Family Literacy Education
1110 Enterprise Road
East Petersburg, PA  17520
(717) 519-1007
fax: 717-560-6150
susanfinn_miller at iu13.org


Kim Chaney-Bay wrote:

>Hi, folks.

>

>Last week I asked you about your thoughts on involving learners as part of >the program improvement team.  I've been talking about this over the last >several days with co-workers and other colleagues interested in pi.  One >co-worker noted that it's most important for the learner/customer >experience to be valued as part of the whole program improvement >process.  And that if the learner was to participate as part of a program >improvement team, that the program supervisors/directors should first be >very clear about the overall program issues and goals and make them >transparent.

>

>In thinking about this same issue, another colleague shared these thoughts: >"Program improvement efforts might very well benefit from students' >involvement and vice versa. I don't know. Until now, I've seen students as >primary beneficiaries of program improvement efforts but not as >participants in the process. I think a student's main responsibility is to >learn.  If being involved as part of a program improvement team helps >support that, then I think it's a good idea. (Whether it's practical or >not.) However, I think it's a good idea only if the student's involvement >is integral to their learning plans/goals. As a student or a teacher, with >the motivation, I would see my work on the program improvement team and in >the classroom as one, or as relative parts contributing to a coherent >whole. It's critical for learners to be involved in their own learning >processes but not in their program's improvement process."

>

>I look forward to your thoughts on this...

>

>Regards,

>Kim

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Susan Finn Miller
SEPDC and Lancaster Lebanon IU 13
Adult Basic and Family Literacy Education
1110 Enterprise Road
East Petersburg, PA  17520
(717) 519-1007
fax: 717-560-6150
susanfinn_miller at iu13.org