[NLA] participation and resistance

[Art LaChance]

Thank you Eileen,

I think you hit it directly on the head with your interpretation of my post.

Whether we realize it or not, we emulate the education 'processes' we received,
and we attempt to utilize them on our students in like style, that's why I see
K12 as self-perpetuating.  But more than that, we in adult lit are at a loss in
terms of how do we deal with the potential student's philosophy that we, as part
of an 'educational' opportunity for them, will force 'values' that they haven't
'chosen'.  Which leads us directly to the next question: Where is the societal
'demand' that tells us that 'education' is important to survival in our world?
What happened to it?  I remember those days and it wasn't that long ago.

Debbie stated quite clearly her program's primary concern, that of the
realization of human potential via understanding the language of the
environment, it's ours also.  For some reason this issue wasn't addressed or
solved in k12 ?  OK, for a few it was and still is, but we appear to be leaving
more and more behind.

I respect Quigley, Ziegahn, and others who have approached this issue, but their
work was over ten years ago and this has gotten much worse over time.  Even
though their assumptions appear on track, I wonder also where the data came
from.  Was it from students who entered the various centers seeking information,
or was it from those who were recent dropouts and totally uninterested in
education?  After time we tend to glaze over the real reasons we do something,
especially if possible answers to specific questions are made conveniently
available, like a multiple-choice-answer based survey ??


Art


Art LaChance
Gilmer Learning Center
Ellijay, GA



Eileen Eckert wrote:

> This is in response to Art's comments from last week. Art LaChance asked why
> we insist on doing research on the 10% of adults who participate in literacy
> programs, while ignoring the 90% who don't. He said we need to look at the
> reasons kids are dropping out of high school and how adult literacy
> practices that mirror K-12 perpetuate the problem of low literacy. I'm
> paraphrasing here, and if I've gotten it wrong, Art, let me know.
>
> First, I went back through my files and found research articles from the
> early 90s that do deal with nonparticipants. Here are some references:
>
> Quigley, B.A. (1990) Hidden logic: Reproduction and resistance in adult
> literacy and adult basic education. Adult Education Quarterly, 40(2),
> 103-115.
>
> Quigley, A. (1992) Looking back in anger: The influences of schooling on
> illiterate adults. Journal of Education, 174(1), 104-121.
>
> Ziegahn, L. (1991) Beyond reciprocity: Exchange around literacy. Adult Basic
> Education, 1(2), 79-97.
>
> Ziegahn, L. (1992) Learning, literacy, and participation: Sorting out
> priorities. Adult Education Quarterly, 43(1), 30-50.
>
> Looking back over the articles, I found that some nonparticipants view
> learning, literacy, and schooling as distinct from each other. They are
> learners, but they resist the imposition of values that they haven't chosen
> for themselves. Quigely (1992) asked adults why they did not participate in
> ABE or literacy programs, and he reported that, "Subjects were experiencing
> very real situational barriers, as mentioned, but the primary reasons given
> were based mainly on an unswerving belief that ABE or literacy would be no
> different and no better than school" (p. 108). He also wrote, "It is
> significant that these subjects did not see the terms 'school,''education,'
> and 'learning' as interchangeable, as is so often the case in the literature
> on adult literacy. Each term had a distinct meaning, with 'school' at the
> negative end of the spectrum and 'education' at the positive end" (p.109).
>
> The research listed and quoted above can provide some insight to guide
> conversations with the people who come to literacy programs, and with those
> we encounter who refuse to come.
>
> It seems to me that our accountability system maintains the power and
> responsibility in the hands of programs and teachers (though it
> simultaneously takes away much of their power, but this is already too long
> to get into that!). Learners are left only the choice of acquiescence or
> resistance. However, Debbie Yoho wrote that her program's concern is
> "nothing less than the realization of human potential, through the
> incredible richness of the written word." This concern puts both tutor and
> students in positions to learn together through reading and dialogue. How
> different this is from the one-way relationships fostered by a traditional
> teacher/school-as-transmitter-of-knowledge "mental model."
>
> To others on the list: What is the mental model you use in practice? What
> seems to be the mental model(s) behind the "system"? How do these interact,
> and what is the impact on those who seek or resist participation? Can policy
> changes alone make a difference? If not, what else needs to happen?
>
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