[AAACE-NLA] Possible research project

[Art LaChance]

I know this is a little late probably for a response but it kept buggin 
me. I'd like to offer some support for Andrea's msg here.

I've seen evidence of the positive "charismatic intervention" from a 
single source over and over and over again throughout a 20+ yr 
experience in adult literacy. 
Unfortunately, I've also seen the reverse play out many times in the 
same time frame, ie a non-charismatic 'teacher' who could turn the 
student completely off.
I've been responsible for both sides of the equation, as have many 
tutors and teachers who have worked at our center during that time.

For many years I made a habit of playing '20 questions' with adult 
students before and after TABE assessments.  About 90% of the time I 
could see clear association between the person's skill levels and a 
history of emotional disruption that occurred during their early school 
days.
And not necessarily connected to 'school' or teachers.  Many times the 
disruption came after family death, divorce, etc.  Many times the 
student could tell me the name of the teacher and the day that teacher 
turned the student off and learning in math, for example, simply 
stopped.  Regardless, the fact that the student's progress halted and 
was not regained very often could be traced back to a single entity/issue.

I think we as a society want to believe that the system we set up to 
educate our children is fail-safe, but it's not, and it hasn't been 
since it's inception.  Those of us who are directly involved in adult 
literacy for the high school 'drop-out' very often are tasked with the 
removal of such 'blocks' that have occurred in that person's math, 
language, and/or reading progress.  Somehow the adult literacy provider 
must provide the opportunity for that student to reengage themselves 
into a positive learning environment realizing that for the vast 
majority of adult literacy students it will be a painful experience.  
And therein lies the capacity for 'charisma' to enter and more often 
than not be the deciding factor in whether or not that student will 
decide to jump back into the fire that burned them so many years ago.

art



Andrea Wilder wrote:
> Well, I know--it does sound improbable.  But suppose NO ONE helped?  
> The person had NO charismatic adult? then I think you can see it 
> better.  It can be the difference between a life line and sinking.
>
> I'm not going to plead someone else's case, but I'll give you a couple 
> of quotes from a Brooke's talk.
>
> "The mindset of  effective learners:
>
> --to believe educators are supportive and available and hey are not 
> experienced as judgmental or accusatory.--the presence of a charismatic 
> adult--.
> --students don't care what we know until they first know  we 
> are"--[this is true in spades]
>
> Effective educators =  "to believe a student is having difficulty and 
> appears unmotivated, we must ask:  'What is it I can do differently to 
> help the student become more hopeful and successful?' ==rather than 
> wait for the student to change first...to continue with unsuccessful 
> interventions is a prescription for failure..."
>
> I want to say something more--hundreds of times I have put myself out 
> on the line about something I have accepted as valid, then been 
> questionned about it with scepticism close to denial.  Often this has 
> rocked my own belief in something I knew as rock solid.  I feel  that 
> here.  This stuff is rock solid.  Think about it, read about it, use it 
> in your classes and test it out.   People who have thought deeply about 
> these issues and worked on them in class will know this is rock solid.
>
> Andrea
>
>
> On Jan 6, 2008, at 8:53 PM, Terry Said wrote:
>
>   
>> I haven't been following this so maybe I've missed
>> something, but I'm rather skeptical that for most
>> people one single "charismatic" adult has been why
>> they have been successful. Obviously, when one person
>> has a significant effect we remember that one person,
>> and say that person helped us. But for most people
>> ,regardless of their circumstances, there are many
>> people, things, and events that influence and help
>> them. You know "it takes a village" scenario.
>>
>> Terry Pruett-Said
>> ESL instructor
>> Michigan
>>
>>
>>
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