[AAACE-NLA] Where's the teaching?

Thu May 3 09:18:41 EDT 2007

Hi Kearney and everyone,

I really don't know about any of the rest of your discussion, but the
point about testing - that it creates an oppressive an ineffective
experience for students - in my experience at the k12 and the adult ed
level is certainly true.  At least in terms of the testing that is
associated with funding and politics.  Any types of assessment related
to teaching and learning would not fall into this category for me (and
unfortunately this type of assessment is not of interest to politicians
who determine funding).  This is hardly a fringe agenda item for our
nation's schools since No Child Left Behind is failing our children so
miserably.  Adult Education is already feeling the effects of that
ill-conceived policy. 

A question:  what is "advocating social promotion of 7th graders?"

Marie Cora

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Kearney
Lykins
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 5:46 PM
To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Where's the teaching?

All,

The subject line of the Ms. Kashdan's post is spectacularly misleading.
The website she recommends ( http://www.nycore.org/ ) has nothing to do
with teaching, but everything to do with promoting leftist propaganda,
on the tax-payers dime. As the homepage of "New York Collective of
Radical Educators", it is a cookbook for extreme extra-pedagogical
techniques, centered on brainwashing young minds about assorted fringe
agenda items like:

1.  the "hidden evils" of service on the U. S. Military
2.  how testing creates "an oppressive and ineffective experience for
students"
3.  advocating social promotion of 7th graders

The material recommended by Ms. Kashdan is not at all surprising
considering the content of the addendum to her post. Note her attempt to
change the terms of the illegal immigration debate, by equating the
opposition's term, "illegal alien" with "illegal human."  This sort of
tactic gets us nowhere because it promotes a rhetorical environment in
which adversaries talk past one another. I do not side with those who
marched in the streets (and apparently straight out of Ms. Kashdan's
recommended activist classrooms) because I generally oppose illegal
actions. Indeed, the humans that cross our border without permission
have broken U.S. law, and because they have decided to do so, their
alien status is in fact illegal. 

Anyway, I searched her post and links for any materials or resources
related to "teaching about immigration" and found none. 

Kearney Lykins

ESOL Teacher
Virginia Beach, VA

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Subject: AAACE-NLA Digest, Vol 48, Issue 1
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Today's Topics:

   1.  teaching about immigration (Kaizen Program)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 10:45:19 -0700
From: "Kaizen Program" <kaizen at literacyworks.org>
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] teaching about immigration
To: "National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE"
    <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Message-ID: <002901c78c18$7d2aa900$7100a8c0 at Cablespeed>
Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="UTF-8"

Greetings all,

The below teaching guide on the issue of immigration is highly relevant
for
teachers who work with adults as well as those who work with children.
It
contains reference to many useful resources. Although there are quite a
few
that are primarily related to activities in the New York City area, many
of
the resources also contain information that is useful for teachers and
students nationwide.

Much of the information can be of great use to teachers of beginning
English
language learners even though it will not be appropriate for using with
such
students directly. And some of the resources can be used directly with
intermediate and advanced new English learners too.

Although this guide was put together last year, it is still definitely
relevant!

Because the teacher's guide is available for downloading in MS Word
format
as well as PDF format, it is fully accessible to educators and students
who
are blind or visually impaired or need to use computer screen readers
and
synthesized speech for other reasons. And, many of the resources
referenced
are also accessible to those using screen readers and synthesized
speech.

So, if you have not already checked it out, I hope you do soon.

Sylvie Kashdan, M.A.
Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator
KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
810-A Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144, U.S.A.
phone:  (206) 784-5619
email:  kaizen at literacyworks.org
web:  http://www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bree" <breebree at mindspring.com>
To: <nycoreUpdates at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 7:59 PM
Subject: [NYCoRE] TEACHERS: SUPPORT MAY 1st WALKOUTS

For any educators looking for resources to support student
immigration walkouts, the NYCoRE curriculum "NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL" is
available as a free download at http://www.nycore.org/
immigrantrights.html.

This curriculum was created last year as a response to student
organizing efforts.  The information on the protest and walkouts are
dated, but the curricular resources are still very usable.

?
1) The No Human Is Illegal Resource Guide: This guide is for
educators to take on the important issues that teachers and students
have been tackling in their activism INSIDE the classroom. We must
not let our sense of civic duty to engage these critical issues begin
once the school day is over?we must weave them into our teaching and
learning. This resource can be best utilized online as a web
resource. The links and topics will be relevant long past the next
few marches and protests. It is organized into the following three
sections and we encourage teachers to join us in fulfilling each goal:
Let us join voices as teachers, students, and community members to
oppose this anti-immigrant, anti-human legislation! As teachers we
can do so in the classroom and in the streets!
For questions about the demonstration:

info at nycore.org

Download No Human is Illegal - Click here for PDF or Word Doc
------------------------------------------------------------------------

---

No Human is Illegal!

HR 4437, the controversial immigration bill that has been hotly
contested by Congressman and the American public alike?is affecting
students? lives all across the nation. Whether they are marching in
protest or conversing with friends, we have seen students taking
center stage during the debates over the status of immigrants in this
country. How can educators engage their students in these critical
issues in the classroom? How can we serve as the liaison between
students and the mixed messages the media and politicians are
sending? Most importantly, how can we support our students?
initiative to make their voices heard locally and nationally? The
debate over immigrant rights in the United States, the supposed
?land of the free and home of the brave?, will continue to
increase in intensity and will peak on May 1st ? with the Great
American Boycott. We offer this curricular resource to educators, as
a guide to discussing the complex issues surrounding the immigration
debate and the decision to protest with their students. The topics
touched on in this guide and in the debate at large, touch on
economic, historic, political, national, and emotional themes. We
encourage and support educators everywhere to have the courage to
bring these concepts from the streets into the classroom and then
back onto the streets?united as teacher and student activists in the
struggle for human rights for all humans? because, no human is
illegal!

?Ning?n Ser Humano es Ilegal!

HR 4437, el proyecto de ley sobre la inmigraci?n que ha sido debatido
furiosamente tanto por miembros del Congreso como el p?blico
Americano?est? afectando la vida de estudiantes por todas partes de
la naci?n. Ya sea en manifestaciones o conversaciones con amigos,
hemos visto estudiantes ubic?ndose en el medio del debate acerca del
estatus de inmigrantes en este pa?s. ?C?mo es que educadores puedan
envolver sus estudiantes en estos temas cr?ticos dentro del sal?n de
clase? ?C?mo podemos ser un fuerte vinculo entre nuestros
estudiantes y los mensajes confusos que emiten los pol?ticos y los
medios de comunicaci?n? Y aun m?s importante, ?c?mo podemos apoyar
iniciativas estudiantiles de levantar sus voces localmente y a escala
nacional? El debate sobre los derechos de inmigrantes en los Estados
Unidos, la supuesta ?tierra de los libres, y hogar de los
valientes?, continuar? a crecer y tendr? su cima el 1 de mayo?
con el Gran Paro Americano. Ofrecemos este recurso curricular a
educadores como gu?a para di?logos sobre estos temas complicados
trat?ndose del debate sobre la inmigraci?n y la decisi?n de
manifestar sobre ellos. Los temas incluidos en este gu?a en el debate
nacional incluyen temas de la econom?a, historia, pol?tica, naci?n,
u emoci?n?animamos y apoyamos educadores en todas partes que
traigan estos temas de la calle al sal?n?unidos como activistas
educadores y estudiantiles en la lucha para derechos humanos para
todos los humanos?porque, ?ning?n ser humano es ilegal!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
----

For any educators looking for resources to support student immigration
walkouts, the NYCoRE curriculum "NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL" is available as a
free
download at http://www.nycore.org/immigrantrights.html.

This curriculum was created last year as a response to student
organizing
efforts.  The information on the protest and walkouts are dated, but the
curricular resources are still very usable.

1) The No Human Is Illegal Resource Guide: This guide is for educators
to
take on the important issues that teachers and students have been
tackling
in their activism INSIDE the classroom. We must not let our sense of
civic
duty to engage these critical issues begin once the school day is
over?we
must weave them into our teaching and learning. This resource can be
best
utilized online as a web resource. The links and topics will be relevant
long past the next few marches and protests. It is organized into the
following three sections and we encourage teachers to join us in
fulfilling
each goal:
Let us join voices as teachers, students, and community members to
oppose
this anti-immigrant, anti-human legislation! As teachers we can do so in
the
classroom and in the streets!
For questions about the demonstration:

info at nycore.org

Download No Human is Illegal - Click here for PDF or Word Doc
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

No Human is Illegal!

HR 4437, the controversial immigration bill that has been hotly
contested by
Congressman and the American public alike?is affecting students? lives
all
across the nation. Whether they are marching in protest or conversing
with
friends, we have seen students taking center stage during the debates
over
the status of immigrants in this country. How can educators engage their
students in these critical issues in the classroom? How can we serve as
the
liaison between students and the mixed messages the media and
politicians
are sending? Most importantly, how can we support our students?
initiative
to make their voices heard locally and nationally? The debate over
immigrant
rights in the United States, the supposed ?land of the free and home of
the
brave?, will continue to increase in intensity and will peak on May 1st
?
with the Great American Boycott. We offer this curricular resource to
educators, as a guide to discussing the complex issues surrounding the
immigration debate and the decision to protest with their students. The
topics touched on in this guide and in the debate at large, touch on
economic, historic, political, national, and emotional themes. We
encourage
and support educators everywhere to have the courage to bring these
concepts
from the streets into the classroom and then back onto the
streets?united as
teacher and student activists in the struggle for human rights for all
humans? because, no human is illegal!

?Ning?n Ser Humano es Ilegal!

HR 4437, el proyecto de ley sobre la inmigraci?n que ha sido debatido
furiosamente tanto por miembros del Congreso como el p?blico
Americano?est?
afectando la vida de estudiantes por todas partes de la naci?n. Ya sea
en
manifestaciones o conversaciones con amigos, hemos visto estudiantes
ubic?ndose en el medio del debate acerca del estatus de inmigrantes en
este
pa?s. ?C?mo es que educadores puedan envolver sus estudiantes en estos
temas
cr?ticos dentro del sal?n de clase? ?C?mo podemos ser un fuerte vinculo
entre nuestros estudiantes y los mensajes confusos que emiten los
pol?ticos
y los medios de comunicaci?n? Y aun m?s importante, ?c?mo podemos apoyar
iniciativas estudiantiles de levantar sus voces localmente y a escala
nacional? El debate sobre los derechos de inmigrantes en los Estados
Unidos,
la supuesta ?tierra de los libres, y hogar de los valientes?, continuar?
a
crecer y tendr? su cima el 1 de mayo?con el Gran Paro Americano.
Ofrecemos
este recurso curricular a educadores como gu?a para di?logos sobre estos
temas complicados trat?ndose del debate sobre la inmigraci?n y la
decisi?n
de manifestar sobre ellos. Los temas incluidos en este gu?a en el debate
nacional incluyen temas de la econom?a, historia, pol?tica, naci?n, u
emoci?n?animamos y apoyamos educadores en todas partes que traigan estos
temas de la calle al sal?n?unidos como activistas educadores y
estudiantiles
en la lucha para derechos humanos para todos los humanos?porque, ?ning?n
ser
humano es ilegal!

------------------------------

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