<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Hi Katherine.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The issue of boundaries where ESL teachers
are placed in roles beyond their training is an important one. It is one
that I don't feel eqipped to answer, as I'm not an "expert"
in this area. I do, feel, however, that all teachers should give
this some thought and some time to educate themselves, , as one never knows
when it will come up. I have memories of my early teachign years
(mid-seventies!) when I taught a class in public speaking. Students
were assigned to give a talk about their trip to America. I was an
inexperienced, undertrained, part-time teacher in an night class.
I sat there, gradebook in hand, as students dutifully made their
presentations. Then, a Cambodian woman got up and began to talk in
a kind of drone-- telling about her journey in which her sister was raped
and killed, her mother starved, her brother disappeared, etc. I
was abolutely mortified, and totally unprepared to provide witness and
support to this unexpected drama.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">What I"d like to create in the
professional development module is a way for teachers to investigate what
other teachers have done in these situations, a few helpful readings, and
some of their own collective (and invidual) relfection on what they
have done before and what they'd like to do in teh fiture if this siutation
arises (as it inevitably does in a classroom where people talk about things
that matter to them).</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">As for the thematic unit, it is not
yet written, but it will contain content info on PTSD and it's symptoms
(and consequences for learning), as well as guided problem-solving for
finding communithy resources. It will not focus on an invitation
to tell traumatic stories. I agree that this is not the teacher's
role. Alas, because teachers are often the first and most important
connection to the host community, they are often thrust in the role of
witness and first compassionate ear,, whether or not it's a role they choose.
The more we are prepared, the better in my view- including
preparations to refer learners to safe places that ARE equpped to help
them.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Gail.</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<table width=100%>
<tr valign=top>
<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>"Katherine G"
<Kgotthardt@comcast.net></b> </font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">09/14/2007 09:31 AM</font>
<table border>
<tr valign=top>
<td bgcolor=white>
<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
specialtopics@nifl.gov</font></div></table>
<br>
<td width=59%>
<table width=100%>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><specialtopics@nifl.gov></font>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">cc</font></div>
<td>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">[SpecialTopics 639] Re: Learner Publishing--memories</font></table>
<br>
<table>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<td></table>
<br></table>
<br>
<br>
<br><tt><font size=2>Hi Gail and others--<br>
<br>
I have a question on your writing models for immigrants with PTSD.<br>
<br>
The mental health thematic unit sounds great! I assume you would
include<br>
lists of community resources within the materials. However, do you
feel you<br>
are approaching dangerous ground in developing a curriculum for teachers
to<br>
discuss PTSD and trauma related incidents with students? As an ESL
teacher,<br>
I would not be comfortable with this, since we are not therapists or<br>
counselors. Or do your teachers have some other kind of background
I am not<br>
understanding?<br>
<br>
Thanks!<br>
<br>
<br>
Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, ESOL Online Instructor<br>
Prince William County Public Schools<br>
Adult Education<br>
P.O. Box 389<br>
Manassas, VA 20108<br>
work 703-791-8387<br>
fax 703-791-8889<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov<br>
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Gail E Weinstein<br>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 10:30 AM<br>
To: specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
Subject: [SpecialTopics 635] Re: Learner Publishing--memories<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Hello Jean.<br>
<br>
This topic comes up constantly in the trainings I do with teachers of<br>
immigrants. As a result, I'm working on two ways to approach this:
ONe is<br>
to design a thematic unit for adult ESL students on mental health with
a<br>
focus on PTSD. The second is a professional development approach
in which<br>
my grad students will help to develop a "STudy Circle" for ESL
teachers<br>
(adapting NCSALL's model from their heatlh literacy work) on dealing
with<br>
trauma. I'm gathering articles and resources, and would welcome
any<br>
suggestions regarding your favorites. Once we design this study circle<br>
module, we'll be happy to share it with anyone who wants to use it. It
will<br>
be designed for teachers to do a bit of reading, with a small group of<br>
colleagues, interview some of their peers, and test/document some
of their<br>
own strategies.<br>
<br>
I'd like to learn more about your experiences with the Liberians, and how<br>
you have dealt with it. You would be a wonderful resource for my
student<br>
group who is working on this issue.<br>
<br>
Yours,<br>
Gail<br>
<br>
San Francisco State University<br>
<br>
.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
rejoicer@aol.com<br>
Sent by: specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov<br>
09/14/2007 06:49 AM Please respond to<br>
specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
<br>
Tospecialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
cc<br>
Subject[SpecialTopics 634] Re: Learner Publishing--memories<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Gail--<br>
Have you encountered any PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) issues as<br>
you've had people recount these stories? We see manifestations of PTSD<br>
behaviors in the children we work with in the Liberian community around
the<br>
impacts of war. I've also found that my adults are not willing to share
some<br>
of the stories from the war and refugee camps. It's just too painful. As<br>
I've gotten to know them, tidbits will come out, and it's awful to imagine<br>
what they have been through to get to this point.<br>
<br>
Jean Marrapodi<br>
<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Gail E Weinstein <gailw@sfsu.edu><br>
To: specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
Sent: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 8:15 am<br>
Subject: [SpecialTopics 630] Re: Last Day of International Programs<br>
Discussion<br>
<br>
<br>
Hi Friends.<br>
<br>
Sorry to join very late in the discussion.<br>
<br>
I'm interested in Eric's comment about community publishing and using<br>
learner writing. I'm working on a model I call "Learners' LIves as<br>
Curriculum", where teachers are trained to collect and use learner<br>
narratives as the basis for developing mateirals. I"ve been
developing this<br>
for immigrnts in the United States, first in the form of traditionally<br>
published textbooks, but now with much more interest and emphasis on teacher<br>
training, to connect materials developmetn with learner narratives to<br>
professional development as they work in teams to write the material.<br>
<br>
We're working now on collecting narratives from immigrants about memories
of<br>
floods, earthquakes, etc. to develop disaster preparedness materials, and<br>
are training immigrant learners to collect some of the stories. The
next<br>
project in line is to develop health literacy materials beginning with<br>
"stories of courage and hope" from immigrant cancer survivors
as a way into<br>
mateiral about screening and resources for cancer. The purpose of
this<br>
model, is, as Eric comments, to weave learner writing and learner stories<br>
into the fabric of the curriculum itself.<br>
<br>
A couple of our graduated students from the MATESOL program at San Francisco<br>
State got fascinated with the model and want to try it out in Japan. We'll<br>
be presenting there in November. I've also presented the model in
Turkey<br>
and Israel, and have received very enthused responses from teachers there,<br>
who are exasperated with materials that have been imported from foreign<br>
contexts.<br>
<br>
Would love to discuss this more with interested colleagues.<br>
<br>
Gail Weinstein<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
ejonline@comcast.net<br>
Sent by: specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov<br>
09/13/2007 08:01 PM<br>
Please respond to<br>
specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
<br>
Tospecialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
cc<br>
Subject[SpecialTopics 627] Re: Last Day of International Programs<br>
Discussion<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
>From what I have seen in Japan -<br>
<br>
8) They are not thinking about jobs with a future, or jobs at all. There
are<br>
no long range plans like that in most programs.<br>
<br>
9) Students get a place to feel comfortable and supported. They get a kind<br>
ear. They get to feel like part of a community. They also get language<br>
skills, literacy skills and content area knowledge.<br>
<br>
10) Assessment is a tough issue - and raising it can cause a room to empty.<br>
Most programs don't reallly want to talk about assessment. I suppose the<br>
government might talk about how many people have graduated from programs,<br>
but they don't often get involved at that level.<br>
<br>
What I am interested in checking out is community publishing. Many programs<br>
produce books of student writing, and I would like to check back in with<br>
them to hear more about the reaction and how they are used. My sense is
that<br>
they are more of a way to document students' work and as an awareness<br>
raising thing. I don't think they are used as materials in the classroom.<br>
<br>
Erik Jacobson<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-------------- Original message ----------------------<br>
From: "David J. Rosen" <djrosen@comcast.net><br>
> Special Topics Colleagues,<br>
><br>
> Friday, September 14th, is the last day of our discussion about what<br>
> adult literacy education programs in the U.S. can learn from literacy<br>
> programs and initiatives in other countries. Our discussion
has<br>
> touched on many different experiences, ideas and issues, cultures
and<br>
> countries. Brenda Bell has suggested that one good framework to look<br>
> at this wide range of issues across countries is Part II of
the<br>
> Oxfam book, Developing Adult Literacy: Approaches to Planning,<br>
> Implementing and Delivering Literacy Initiatives. I urge you to take<br>
> a look at this part, indeed the whole book. It's available free,
for<br>
> now at least, as a download from<br>
><br>
> http://publications.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam/display.asp?K=e2007030715391164<br>
><br>
> Subscribers and guests: what will you carry away from this<br>
> discussion? What new information or ideas? What has whetted
your<br>
> appetite for more? What might you try out in your program?<br>
><br>
> Some of our guests may be checking in on Friday so if you have more<br>
> questions there is still time. Some of our guests, too, may
have<br>
> other thoughts or comments they would like to share. And I do hope<br>
> some of our guests can address the last three questions I posed:<br>
><br>
> 8. How are other countries managing to embed language and literacy<br>
> development into services designed to help adults get jobs with a<br>
> future?<br>
><br>
> 9. What do participants most get out of the programs that you have<br>
> been involved with? Conversation skills, reading skills, writing<br>
> skills, employment skills, empowerment, preparation for postsecondary<br>
> education, computer skills?<br>
> If you have been involved in developing integrated curriculum, what<br>
> are the main goals of curriculum development in international contexts?<br>
><br>
> 10. How is success measured in programs in other countries? What<br>
> sorts of metrics are used?<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Monday we start a new discussion, on adult numeracy.<br>
><br>
><br>
> David J. Rosen<br>
> Special Topics Discussion Moderator<br>
> djrosen@comcast.net<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> -------------------------------<br>
> National Institute for Literacy<br>
> Special Topics mailing list<br>
> SpecialTopics@nifl.gov<br>
> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to<br>
> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics<br>
> Email delivered to ejonline@comcast.net<br>
<br>
-------------------------------<br>
National Institute for Literacy<br>
Special Topics mailing list<br>
SpecialTopics@nifl.gov<br>
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to<br>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics<br>
Email delivered to gailw@sfsu.edu<br>
<br>
-------------------------------<br>
National Institute for Literacy<br>
Special Topics mailing list<br>
SpecialTopics@nifl.gov<br>
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to<br>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics<br>
Email delivered to rejoicer@aol.com<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL<br>
Mail! -------------------------------<br>
National Institute for Literacy<br>
Special Topics mailing list<br>
SpecialTopics@nifl.gov<br>
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to<br>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics<br>
Email delivered to gailw@sfsu.edu<br>
<br>
-------------------------------<br>
National Institute for Literacy<br>
Special Topics mailing list<br>
SpecialTopics@nifl.gov<br>
To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics<br>
Email delivered to gailw@sfsu.edu<br>
</font></tt>
<br>