[AAACE-NLA] Helping Adult Learners in Hard Times

Mon Dec 29 10:37:08 EST 2008

Susan has touched on a concern shared by many, including me. I fear that
funds will become even more targeted to individuals judged to be employabe
at the expense of programs focused more on self-actualization, instead of
funding increases for all programs so that the rising tide rasise all
boats. I hate that the funding process is more and more an either/or
situation.  But the accountability revolution will not tolerate efforts
that are difficult and time consuming to measure.

Seven years ago, our local United Way began to "reinvent itself" by
training everyone in outcomes measurement and moving to a system that funds
only programs that can "demonstrate effectiveness".  At the time, I
protested that many human services cannot be boiled down into figures that
fit into a box, and called for alternative assessments, such as portfolio
documentation, showcase events, interviews, etc.  I was assured that of
course the decision makers wanted to include ways to "help you tell your
story."  Gradually, the new system has evolved into a report format that is
only  an Excel spreadsheet that allows nothing but numbers.  Clearly they
no longer have the time to spend reading even one anecdotal paragraph.

Debbie Yoho
Division Director, TURNING PAGES/VOAC
   (formerly the Greater Columbia Literacy Council)
Secretary, SC Association for Adult Literacy Education
803-765-2555    fax  803-779-1657 
PO Box 1447, Columbia, SC  29202
yohogclc at earthlink.net

"True progress preserves order amid change and preserves change amid
order."  (John Morgan, You Can't Manage Alone)

> [Original Message]
> From: McGilloway, Susan <smcgilloway at ccbcmd.edu>
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
> Date: 12/28/2008 10:20:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Helping Adult Learners in Hard Times
>
> I have been doing some more thinking about this issue of training of
undereducated adults in hard economic times and realize that Tom's approach
makes some sense, but still leaves me wishing for more. I am a graduate
student in psychology and we have been learning about different approaches
to changes in quality of life and what impacts people to change. I would
like to offer some insight that I have from the perspective of one who
believes we need to look at the total student when making decisions
regarding approach to learning.
>  
> Learning is important, but only to the extent that it serves to bring
about the self-actualization of the person to reach a higher goal or
purpose. Even cognition goes beyond behaviorism. Cognition and critical
thinking are structured processes that the mind carries on to make sense of
knowledge, stimuli, emotion. Without cognition, the human is reduced to the
animal species. Learning, when reduced to behavioral manipulation, is not
learning in the true sense of the word, and it makes a mockery of
education. I had an education professor who once stated that there is a
difference between the teacher and the educator. The teacher is
tunnel-versioned and sees the student as one to whom factual knowledge is
paramount. A true educator is one who realizes that the student is a
complex individual and that education involves shaping the whole person -
mind, body, emotion, soul. 
>
> In our program, we are transitioning to DLLR and I fear the impact will
be devastating. I fear that we will be asked to push students through
classes at a faster rate so they can become employed without giving any
attention to the hopes and dreams of some type of self actualization for
these students. Instead of caring for these students as the precious
diamonds they are, we may be asked to give them assembly line training as
fast as can be done so they can go out and get another low paying,
meaningless job that brings no satisfaction to their souls. What we are
being asked to do is act as behaviorists who give facts as stimuli and
require a rote response that is enough to get them out the door as fast as
possible
>  
> Sue McGilloway
> CAFL Career Advisor/Coordinator, Volunteers in Partnership
> Center for Adult and Family Literacy
> CCBC
> 410-285-9933 (phone)
> 410-285-9557 (fax)
>  
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org on behalf of
tsticht at znet.com
> Sent: Wed 12/24/2008 1:27 PM
> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Helping Adult Learners in Hard Times
>
>
>
> December 24, 2008
>
> Strategies for Education and Training of Undereducated Adults in Hard
> Economic Times
>
> Tom Sticht
> International Consultant in Adult Education
>
> During these hard economic times there is clearly an urgent need for
> undereducated adults to receive solid basic skills education in the
context
>  of training for well paying jobs and areas of entrepreneurship. Of
> particular concern is the need for education and training of many  poorly
> skilled women who are single and managing families on their own.
>
> For several years I worked on and off with Wider Opportunities for Women
> (WOW) located in Washington, DC, on adult literacy projects that followed
> Functional Context Education  principles and integrated basic skills
> education (reading, math) with job skills training for non-traditional,
> well-paying jobs for women, and  business skills training. The last
project
> that I worked on with WOW was  its Six strategies for Family Economic
> Self-Sufficiency project.
>
> As part of the project, in 1999 I worked with a women's organization in
San
> Francisco to illustrate how Functional Context Education (FCE) principles
> could be followed in microenterprise trainng and development. This
provides
> a  good resource for adult basic skills and vocational/job skills
education
> providers. Here is a  little background about the Six Strategies project,
> FCE, and Microenterprise Training and Development. Following are several
> paragraphs  about the project that are taken from information available
> from WOW online at  www.wowonline.org
>
> Six Strategies for Family Economic Self-Sufficiency-Overview
>
> For many families, especially those moving from welfare to work,
> self-sufficiency cannot be achieved in a single step. It requires
> strategies that create ladders out of poverty-strategies that provide the
> assistance, guidance and time needed for families to become
> self-sufficient. Recognizing this, Wider Opportunities for Women promotes
> Six Strategies for Self-Sufficiency:
>
> * The Self-Sufficiency Standard
> * Targeting Higher-Wage Employment
> * Nontraditional Employment for Women
> * Functional Context Education
> * Microenterprise Training and Development
> * Individual Development Accounts
>
> Why the Six Strategies?
>
> * Because women currently earn 74¢ for every dollar men earn.
> * Because 60% of all minimum wage workers are women.
> * Because most welfare recipients leaving the rolls for work earn very low
> wages.
> * Because nearly one in three American households possesses zero or
negative
> assets.
>
> These realities demonstrate the critical need for strategies that will
help
> families move out of poverty and into lasting economic security. The Six
> Strategies are tools for individuals, community-based organizations, and
> state- and local-level policymakers to use to truly help low-income
families
> move out of poverty and achieve long-term economic stability and
> independence.
>
> In today's policy environment-in which welfare and workforce legislation
> have devolved power to states and localities-new and effective strategies
> are urgently needed to aid low-income people:
>
> Functional Context Education
>
> * What it is and why it works
> * Approaches
> * State and federal legislation
> * Resources pertaining to this strategy
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> What it is and why it works
>
> Functional Context Education (FCE) is an instructional strategy that
> integrates the teaching of literacy skills and job content to move
learners
> more successfully and quickly toward their educational and employment
goals.
> Programs that use the FCE model are more effective than traditional
programs
> that teach basic skills and job skills in sequence because this innovative
> approach teaches literacy and basic skills in the context in which the
> learner will use them. Clients see clearly the role literacy skills play
in
> moving them toward their goals. This strategy promotes better retention,
> encourages lifelong learning and supports the intergenerational transfer
of
> knowledge.
>
> * For adults who have already experienced school failure, enrollment in
> programs that use traditional approaches to teaching often reproduce that
> failure. Functional context education programs address this problem by
> using content related to adult goals to teach basic skills.
>
> * Basic education and technical training must be relevant to the skills
and
> education required by jobs if low-income persons are going to succeed in
> becoming economically self-sufficient. In addition, most adults do not
have
> time to spend years in basic education programs learning skills that may
> seem unrelated to their educational and economic goals.
>
> * Given welfare time limits and restrictions on education and training, it
> is more important than ever that individuals master basic and job-specific
> skills as quickly and efficiently as possible.
>
> Microenterprise Training and Development
>
> * What it is and why it works
> * Approaches
> * State and federal legislation
> * Resources pertaining to this strategy
>
> What it is and Why it Works
>
> Microenterprise development is an income-generating strategy that helps
> low-income people start or expand very small businesses. Generally, the
> business is owned and operated by one person or family, has fewer than
five
> employees and can start up with a loan of less than $25,000.
Microenterprise
> is an attractive option for low-income women who may have lacked
opportunity
> but who are highly motivated and have skills in a particular craft or
> service.
>
> In the current weak economy,  unemployment and underemployment are high.
The
> lack of quality employment options-especially for low-income, low-skilled
> women-makes microenterprise development a critical strategy for moving
> families out of poverty.
>
> * Low-income women entrepreneurs, especially those living in rural or
> inner-city communities isolated from the economic mainstream, often lack
> the contacts and networks needed for business success.
>
> * Peer networks (such as lending circles and program alumnae groups) help
> women learn to earn from each other, build self-esteem and organize around
> policy advocacy.
>
> * Linkages between microentrepreneurs and more established women business
> owners provide program participants with role models, facilitate an
ongoing
> transfer of skills, and expand networks.
>
> I hope that adult literacy and vocational/job training educators can work
> together with business, industry and those desiring microenterprise or
> entrepreneurship education to follow WOW's six strategies for
> self-sufficiency and develop effective programs that integrate basic
skills
> and vocational skills education. As Russ Tershy, the former Director of
the
> Center for Employment Training (CET) in San Jose, CA used to say, there is
> only one piece of paper for undereducated adults more valuable than a GED
> in times of need- a good paycheck!
>
> This is the time to eschew literacy programs that are too often too
> irrelevant to the critical life contexts of adults and to aim for strong,
> intensive, meaningful basic skills/vocational skills education that can
get
> people on their economic feet quickly. Then that should be followed by
> additional upskilling and further education. But first folks need a way to
> make a good living!
>
> Thomas G. Sticht
> International Consultant in Adult Education
> 2062 Valley View Blvd.
> El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
> Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
> Email: tsticht at aznet.net
>
>
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