Gail--
Have you encountered any PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) issues as you've had people recount these stories? We see manifestations of PTSD behaviors in the children we work with in the Liberian community around the impacts of war. I've also found that my adults are not willing to share some of the stories from the war and refugee camps. It's just too painful. As I've gotten to know them, tidbits will come out, and it's awful to imagine what they have been through to get to this point.

Jean Marrapodi


-----Original Message-----
From: Gail E Weinstein <gailw at sfsu.edu>
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Sent: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 8:15 am
Subject: [SpecialTopics 630] Re: Last Day of International Programs Discussion



Hi Friends. 

Sorry to join very late in the discussion. ? 

I'm interested in Eric's comment about community publishing and using learner writing. I'm working on a model I call "Learners' LIves as Curriculum", where teachers are trained to collect and use learner narratives as the basis for developing mateirals. ?I"ve been developing this for immigrnts in the United States, first in the form of traditionally published textbooks, but now with much more interest and emphasis on teacher training, to connect materials developmetn with learner narratives to professional development as they work in teams to write the material. 

We're working now on collecting narratives from immigrants about memories of floods, earthquakes, etc. to develop disaster preparedness materials, and are training immigrant learners to collect some of the stories. ?The next project in line is to develop health literacy materials beginning with "stories of courage and hope" from immigrant cancer survivors as a way into mateiral about screening and resources for cancer. ? The purpose of this model, is, as Eric comments, to weave learner writing and learner stories into the fabric of the curriculum itself. ? 

A couple of our graduated students from the MATESOL program at San Francisco State got fascinated with the model and want to try it out in Japan. ?We'll be presenting there in November. ?I've also presented the model in Turkey and Israel, and have received very enthused responses from teachers there, who are exasperated with materials that have been imported from foreign contexts. 

Would love to discuss this more with interested colleagues. 

Gail Weinstein 








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09/13/2007 08:01 PM 




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[SpecialTopics 627] Re: Last Day of International Programs ? ? ? ?Discussion























>From what I have seen in Japan - 


8) They are not thinking about jobs with a future, or jobs at all. There are no long range plans like that in most programs. 

9) Students get a place to feel comfortable and supported. They get a kind ear. They get to feel like part of a community. They also get language skills, literacy skills and content area knowledge. 

10) Assessment is a tough issue - and raising it can cause a room to empty. Most programs don't reallly want to talk about assessment. I suppose the government might talk about how many people have graduated from programs, but they don't often get involved at that level. 

What I am interested in checking out is community publishing. Many programs produce books of student writing, and I would like to check back in with them to hear more about the reaction and how they are used. My sense is that they are more of a way to document students' work and as an awareness raising thing. I don't think they are used as materials in the classroom. 

Erik Jacobson



-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>

> Special Topics Colleagues,

> 

> Friday, September 14th, is the last day of our discussion about what ?

> adult literacy education programs in the U.S. can learn from literacy ?

> programs and initiatives in other countries. ?Our discussion has ?

> touched on many different experiences, ideas and issues, cultures and ?

> countries. Brenda Bell has suggested that one good framework to look ?

> at this wide range of issues across countries is ?Part II of the ?

> Oxfam book, Developing Adult Literacy: Approaches to Planning, ?

> Implementing and Delivering Literacy Initiatives. I urge you to take ?

> a look at this part, indeed the whole book. ?It's available free, for ?

> now at least, as a download from

> 

> http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2007030715391164

> 

> Subscribers and guests: what will you carry away from this ?

> discussion? ?What new information or ideas? What has whetted your ?

> appetite for more? What might you try out in your program?

> 

> Some of our guests may be checking in on Friday so if you have more ?

> questions there is still time. ?Some of our guests, too, may have ?

> other thoughts or comments they would like to share. And I do hope ?

> some of our guests can address the last three questions I posed:

> 

> 8. ?How are other countries managing to embed language and literacy ?

> development into services designed to help adults get jobs with a ?

> future?

> 

> 9. What do participants most get out of the programs that you have ?

> been involved with? ?Conversation skills, reading skills, writing ?

> skills, employment skills, empowerment, preparation for postsecondary ?

> education, computer skills?

> If you have been involved in developing integrated curriculum, what ?

> are the main goals of curriculum development in international contexts?

> 

> 10. How is success measured in programs in other countries? ?What ?

> sorts of metrics are used?

> 

> 

> On Monday we start a new discussion, on adult numeracy.

> 

> 

> David J. Rosen

> Special Topics Discussion Moderator

> djrosen at comcast.net

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

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

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