Gail and all

This dovetails nicely with another conversation on the PD list about project
based learning.  It helps illustrate ways in which writing can move beyond a
one-draft wonder to a thoughtful process ­ both in terms of thinking,
organizing and considering opinions, as well as working with writers to see
what it is that writing can do and how it is that writers can come to do it.

thanks

Janet Isserlis


From: Gail E Weinstein <gailw at sfsu.edu>
Reply-To: <specialtopics at nifl.gov>
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:49:54 -0700
To: <specialtopics at nifl.gov>
Subject: [SpecialTopics 636] Re: Last Day of InternationalPrograms
Discussion


Sally, you make a great point about the need for soem students to move
toward mastery of expository prose.  I have always focused on "non-academic"
language for immigrants, which never got much attention in my own teacher
training, but you are absolutely right, that many learners want access to
academic settings. 

I love some of the early writing of Ilana Leki and Rebecca Mylnarczic
(sorry, Rebecca, whereever you are, I know I've butchered the spelling
terribly) who explore the connection between personal and academic writing.
Lekij, in  a wonderful little gem that appeared in the TESOL Journal,  laid
out a very compelling progression which she calls "sequenced writing
assignments". Learners begin by writing an opinion about something they feel
persinally and deeply (i.e. about smoking when a parent has died of lung
cancer).  Then they construct and carry out a survey of 10-20 people in
their community on that topic.  Then the begin their literature search to
see what has been written about the topic.  Then the write an "essay" or
"research paper", in which they use traditional conventions of citing
research, but they begin from a stance of personal investment, exploration
of the voices of those around them, and then embed it in scholarship.
This model argues that the best "essay" and academic writing can and should
be deeply personal, and that the work is most powerful when the author's
voice is strong and clear -- even (or especially) when the work is academic
and research-based.

Have you ever worked with this model?  In your own struggles to move learner
toward expository writing, what do you find helps students stay invested and
see the discourse mode that is somethign that is still for and about THEM
and the things that matter to them most?

Yours, 
Gail 
San Francisco State University.







"Gabb, Sally S." <sgabb at bristol.mass.edu>
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Hi Gail and all:  I have always supported the idea of learner¹s Lives as
Curriculum ­ however I want to encourage moving to more expository writing
to enable higher level students to gain further writing skills beyond
narrative.  Using a thematic approach, students could write their
narratives, then look at issues that affect their lives and work on essays,
gaining instruction/guidance for the kinds of writing that are required at a
post secondary level.  In my current work at the community college, I am
finding these kinds of Œbridge¹ instructional efforts are extremely
important for those who want to move on to higher level academic pursuits.
Just a thought!!  Sally Gabb, Bristol Community College
 




From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Gail E Weinstein
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 8:16 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 630] Re: Last Day of InternationalPrograms
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 



ejonline at comcast.net
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>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

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

> 

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

> National Institute for Literacy

> Special Topics mailing list

> SpecialTopics at nifl.gov

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

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics

> Email delivered to ejonline at comcast.net


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