[AAACE-NLA] GED programs with a popular education approach

[Lloyd David]

Peter MacMonangle,
There are some Adult Diploma Programs that were developed in the past which
provide an education for their students and not just skills in passing a
test. In 2004 Dr. Eleanor Drago-Severson wrote a book, "Becoming Adult
Learners" published by Teachers College Press which describes the CWL Adult
Diploma Program offered to workers at Polaroid Corp by Continuing Education
Institute, now known as Creative Workplace Learning. This program was part
of a study done on adult learning by Harvard University. Dr. Drago-Severson
was the leader of the team at Polaroid. 

The study showed that changes in students' lives went beyond improvements in
basic skill development in the following ways: 1. increase self- efficacy,
self-confidence, and self sufficiency at work: 2. improved development in
maturity and flexibility of learning styles; and 3. increased participation
in meetings, better communications and improved relationships at work. 50%
of the students were found to have become more self directed learners
according to the scale developed by Dr. Robert Kegan of the Harvard Graduate
School of Education, the principle investigator. 

Lloyd David, EdD.
Creative Workplace Learning
311 Washington Street
Brighton, MA 02135
Tel :  617-746-1260 
FAX: 617-782-0136

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Peter
MacMonagle
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 8:25 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE; National Literacy
Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Cc: chutchis at email.uncc.edu; lbrannon at email.uncc.edu
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] GED programs with a popular education approach

Colleagues,

In some graduate education classes, especially those concerned with Critical
Pedagogy and newer approaches to composition and rhetoric, the GED is simply
Reproductive Education. It's purpose is liberation only in the sense that it
grants a certificate that the student can read, write (marginally), and can
do mid-high-school math for an entry level job. Witness the perpetuation of
the five paragraph essay, a product that is so far from writing for the real
world that it is merely a flimsy pretext for being able to write for an
academic audience or corporate America.

My currrent work in a degree program in Urban Education and Literacy makes
use of research that clearly shows that for a segment of the population, the
GED works fine for preparing students to get out of the educational rut they
are in and allow them to show up at an interview educated somewhere in the
middle of high school. Currently I would call it a "school to work"
remediation program.

But education as Freire saw it is not anywhere near the target. Critical
pedagogy, like liberation theology (the roots of Paolo Freiere's work),
requires working for social change at the grass roots level. I doubt the
powers-that-be will fund any education that seeks to overturn the current
reliance on the College Board monopoly on what constitutes education in this
country.

This is probably why you see so few, if any, funded programs that advocate
social change and individual empowerment outside of the present educational
system. There are too many kingdoms (read school boards and state and
federal agencies) that will not allow that to happen. If we want that to
happen, we will have to do it without their help.

Wm. Peter MacMonagle, M.Ed. 
Central Piedmont Community College 
Community Development/Workplace Basic Skills 
West Campus 2219 
704-330-4668 

"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world 
that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
"Cats," he said eventually. "Cats are nice." 
Terry Pratchett, Sourcery



-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org on behalf of David Rosen
Sent: Thu 1/4/2007 6:18 PM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] GED programs with a popular education approach
 
Colleagues,

I have received several e-mail replies to my positing below, but have  
still not identified a GED preparation program that could be  
described as using a popular education approach.  A couple of people  
said they had the greatest respect for the theme-based program at  
CUNY I cited but said that it does not use a popular education/ 
Freirean/participatory approach. One person said GED preparation and  
a popular education approach are a contradiction.

If you know of a GED program that you believe uses a popular  
education approach, please e-mail me the name and give me a contact  
if you can.

Thanks,

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net


On Jan 4, 2007, at 7:19 AM, David Rosen wrote:
> Colleagues,
>
> In a conversation yesterday I was asked if I know of good examples  
> of GED preparation programs which use a popular education, or  
> participatory (Freirean) approach.  I am only aware of one, a theme- 
> based approach that the City University of New York adult literacy  
> GED program has used for over a decade.  If you have others to  
> suggest I would be pleased to hear about them.  Thanks.
>
> David J. Rosen
> djrosen at comcast.net


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