[NLA] Are You Being Served?

Tue Dec 17 13:37:09 EST 2002

Art,
The workers in the Polaroid program received no compensation for attending
the classes. They came on their own time usually after work. In those cases
where classes interfered with their jobs, they were asked to make up the
time. Several workers had to travel great distances to attend classes since
they worked in other plants. The only incentive was earning the high school
diploma which was a personal goal, since there were no promises that anyone
would be promoted or receive a salary increase.

As far as the Hawthorne Effect I also do not feel this applied. Students
worked in many different areas and plants. Classes are small around 15 so I
am not certain how the Hawthorne Effect would play a role. The program
involves 240 hours of classtime, which is a long commitment and requires a
great deal of work. It is a portfolio program and students write 3 or 4
projects in each of the 6 courses. In addition they are required to give
oral presentations on their projects in each class. This only place I feel
the Hawthorne Effect could take place is in the class itself.

Lloyd David,EdD.
President/Executive Director
Continuing Education Institute/CEI
108 Water Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-1864
-----Original Message-----
From: Art LaChance <arthur at ellijay.com>
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 6:20 AM
Subject: Re: [NLA] Are You Being Served?

>Lloyd,
>
>It does not appear to me that you've answered Tom's questions in para 3 and
4.
>?
>I suspect strongly that the workers were probably provided with some
incentive
>for their participation, as in most work-place programs, and that the
Hawthore
>effect mentioned by Tom in para 4 was in full bloom during this project.
>As such I don't see how the actual curriculum issues could be validated
when
>there are obviously separate issues that lend themselves to the motivation
of
>individual learners vs the walk-in-the-door student that many centers deal
with
>on a daily basis.
>However, I'm sure that the processes utilized at CEI most probably were
very
>successful for that particular group and I for one would be very interested
in
>knowing more about the individual outcomes as mentioned by Tom.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Art
>
>
>Art LaChance
>Gilmer Learning Center
>Ellijay, GA
>
>
>
>Lloyd David wrote:
>
>> Tom,
>> It is difficult for me to answer all your questions. CEI was only one
part
>> of the research project. There were 2 other sites where students were
>> interviewed. The purpose of the project was to determine adult learning
>> development in a manner other than by using standardized or other tests.
The
>> Harvard team interviewed CEI students enrolled in the CEI Adult Diploma
>> Program at Polaroid. Each student was interviewed 3 or 4 times at
different
>> stages – beginning, middle, end of their studies. Some of your questions
>> should be directed to the members of the research team led by Professor
Bob
>> Kegan at robert_kegan at gse.harvard.edu.
>>
>> The NCSALL report itself is pretty indigestible to people in the field,
>> primarily because it is so big. That's why we broke it down it to a
>> smaller, more bite-size chunk. Primarily, it helped us by confirming that
>> what we do is working. The project was not designed to be an evaluation
of
>> the CEI Adult Diploma Program but we learned a great deal about our
>> methodology and how it meets needs of students from different cultures.
The
>> study proved the value to the adult student of the classroom experience.
It
>> also re-emphasized the importance of our focus on small-group learning
and
>> creating a "dynamic, transitional, holding
>> environment" as we continue to develop distance and computer-based
learning
>> into our programs. This emphasis on creating a holding environment in
>> combination with our goals of developing distance learning may or may not
>> increase our number of graduates and cost-efficiency. Time will tell. The
>> bite-size chunk of the report will hopefully help attract more clients,
>> thereby increasing the number of graduates.
>>
>> I am including for you information a summary of the material from the
NCSALL
>> study which we have produced for the CEI web site www.ceilearn.net. We
hope
>> this summary will be on the web site by the end of the week.
>>
>>  Harvard Researchers Praise CEI ADULT DIPLOMA PROGRAM
>>
>> “Our findings teach us that the cohort and this program—its teachers,
>> tutors, curricula, and programmatic structures—served as consistent and
>> enduring sources of support and challenge as these adults made their
>> learning journey while balancing the demands of their roles as learners,
>> workers, and parents.  This dynamic, transitional, holding environment
was
>> robust and spacious enough to support and challenge adults with
>> qualitatively different ways of knowing as they grew and changed. ”
(Summary
>> and Implications, p.602)
>>
>> Much of the success of the CEI Adult Diploma Program and the English as a
>> Working Language programs are due to CEI’s practical application of
current
>> adult educational theory.  In August of 2001, the Harvard University
>> Graduate School of Education’s National Center for the Study of Adult
>> Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) published a Research Monograph that
reports
>> some of the successes of the CEI Adult Diploma Program at Polaroid
>> Corporation.
>>
>> Creating a Learning Environment
>>
>>  In Toward a New Pluralism in ABE/ESOL Classrooms: Teaching to Multiple
>> “Cultures of Mind”, NCSALL Reports No. 19, The Adult Development Research
>> Group [ADRG], led by Dr. Robert Kegan, documents how CEI succeeds at
>> creating a supportive classroom learning community, defined as a ‘cohort’
in
>> the research:
>>     “We [ADRG] did not initially set out to examine the influence the
cohort
>> might have on participants’ program experience, but we came to understand
>> that being part of a cohort mattered importantly, and in different ways,
to
>> participants at all three sites, and especially to learners in the
>> Polaroid-CEI program.  We discovered that for Polaroid learners,
membership
>> in this cohort was one of the most critical supports to their learning.”
>>
>> “In Polaroid’s CEI adult diploma program, cohort members worked in
>> collaborative learning groups in all five of their classes; we will show
how
>> this type of group learning among cohort members facilitated academic
>> development and provided psychological support through social
interaction
.
>> The interpersonal relationships that peers developed in the cohort made a
>> critical difference to their academic learning, emotional and
psychological
>> well-being, and ability to broaden their perspectives.” (P.384-385)
>>
>> Teaching Excellence
>>
>> Developing a supportive learning environment and a successful cohort is
one
>> indication of CEI’s excellent program structure, professional staff and
>> faculty.
>> “The teachers in CEI’s program creatively structured their classes so
that
>> interaction among adult learners in the cohort helped learners achieve
their
>> educational goals.  By helping learners make good use of each other, this
>> program was able to provide both the challenge that encouraged learners
to
>> grow and the support they needed to meet those challenges.” (p.387)
>>
>> Customized Curriculum
>> Every lesson in the ADP is based on fundamental skills, or pervasive
skills,
>> developed through review of current academic research on skills and
>> standards.  These skills stress communication, critical thinking, and
core
>> knowledge.
>>
>> “CEI curricula—and every course in the program—emphasize what CEI refers
to
>> as their “pervasive standards” [also known as “pervasive skills”], which
are
>> closely aligned with what our colleagues at Equipped for the Future refer
to
>> as “EFF Standards” (Stein, 2000).  Sondra Stein (2000) discusesses EFF’s
>> standards in this way:
>> “The 16 Equipped for the Future Standards define the core knowledge and
>> skills adults need to effectively carry out their roles as parents,
>> citizens, and workers.  The Standards have been identified through
research
>> on what adults need to do to meet broad areas of responsibility that
define
>> these roles as adults. (p.17)”
>>
>> “Dr. David [President of CEI] acknowledges the critical influence of EFF’
s
>> research on his own thinking about how the CEI program can better support
>> the acquisition and development of skills that adults need to meet their
>> responsibilities as workers and learners.  Communication, problem
solving,
>> presentation, and computer skills are a few of the pervasive standards
that
>> infuse the CEI curriculum and program design.  Each course emphasizes
these
>> standards as well as reading, writing, and critical thinking skills (CEI
>> program materials 1997, p.1).  For example, in the Writing/ English
course,
>> students develop writing skills by engaging in various individual and
group
>> exercises in which they have opportunities that help them learn and
>> practice: brainstorming, creating cluster diagrams, and developing a
point
>> of view.  Students learn to improve their reading strategies by
developing
>> skills in generating questions, distinguishing between fact and opinion,
>> making storyline, and summarizing.  In this course, students also enhance
>> their critical thinking strategies by improving their skills in
analyzing,
>> classifying, evaluating texts, interpreting, and synthesizing.
>>
>>  “Significantly, CEI classes and the program curricula are oriented
toward
>> reinforcing “teamwork concepts” (CEI Program materials, 1992, p. 4).  All
>> classes use collaborative group learning structures to facilitate and
>> enhance adult learning.  These structures, as well as other aspects of
the
>> CEI program design discussed previously, seem to reinforce teamwork and
>> various forms of adult collaboration.” .[P. 398-399]
>>
>> Conclusions
>>
>> “The interplay between CEI’s program structure and the teacher practice
of
>> using collaborative learning created opportunities for learners to share
>> experiences, form interpersonal relationships, and support one another’s
>> learning
.Engaging in common learning experiences over an extended period
in
>> which learners worked together toward the same goal contributed
importantly
>> to the formation of caring learning community in which adult learners
>> supported one another as they participated in this program.  For many
>> learners, this cohort was “like a family.” [p.466]
>>
>> “All of these learners spoke about feeling more “confident” as workers
>> because of learning in the program.  Many reported better communication
>> skills as a result of their program participation. [p.576]”
>>
>> “In addition to important and life-enhancing skill changes reported by
>> learners, we find it remarkable, given the relatively short duration of
this
>> program, that fully one half of these cohort learners demonstrated a
>> qualitative change in their underlying meaning system from program start
to
>> finish. “ (p.609)
>>
>> “Development and change, as demonstrated in this group of learners,
occurred
>> by meeting learners where they were and by carefully scaffolding them
with a
>> variety of forms of support and challenge (e.g. concrete and relational
>> supports as well as access to information and opportunities for
>> self-reflection). Cohort relationships, collaborative learning,
>> teacher-learner relationships, curricula, pedagogical practices, and
program
>> structure seemed to work synergistically to support and challenge the
adult
>> learners across a wide range of ways of knowing.  This dynamic and
>> multifaceted holding environment held learners as they developed greater
>> capacities to manage the challenges and complexities of their lives.”
>> (p.610)
>>
>> “Our findings teach us that the cohort and this program—its teachers,
>> tutors, curricula, and programmatic structures—served as consistent and
>> enduring sources of support and challenge as these adults made their
>> learning journey while balancing the demands of their roles as learners,
>> workers, and parents.  This dynamic, transitional, holding environment
was
>> robust and spacious enough to support and challenge adults with
>> qualitatively different ways of knowing as they grew and changed. ”
(Summary
>> and Implications, p.602)
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Thomas Sticht <tsticht at znet.com>
>> To: nla at lists.literacytent.org <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>> Date: Saturday, December 14, 2002 1:14 PM
>> Subject: [NLA] Are You Being Served?
>>
>> >Lloyd David said: "It seems to me no thought is given to publicizing the
>> >results of these studies even though many cost a great deal of money. I
>> >think that there should be a marketing plan developed around every
project
>> >which in essence advertises the results so those in the field can
>> >benefit."
>> >
>> >Lloyd: It has been my experience every since 1976 when I directed the
>> >Basic Skills Division of the National Institute for Education (the
>> >predecessor to OERI and the new whatever it is now being called) that
>> >after spending tens of millions of dollars on research, very little is
>> >done to disseminate it. Mostly reports are placed into the ERIC system
and
>> >that’s about it. Also troubling is the fact that federal research
monitors
>> >who have oversight for millions of dollars of research may also fail to
>> >read all the reports they get. But perhaps this is understandable when
it
>> >is recognized that one national research center alone may produce one or
>> >two dozen or more of the types of reports you are talking about. And a
>> >federal monitor may have three or more centers to monitor, and there is
a
>> >lot of other work to do when monitoring research besides reading the
>> >reports. Teachers, administrators, etc.., too, have a lot to do so they
>> >have a great deal of difficulty reading all the reports researchers
>> >produce each year.
>> >
>> >Regarding your organization’s work with the NCSALL project, do you think
>> >those in the field would benefit from reading the 700+ page report, and
if
>> >so in what ways? Can you provide a quick summary of some of the most
>> >important results of the project that you think should be more widely
>> >known? In what ways did the research improve your program? Did you
recruit
>> >better? Did you place people in programs more accurately? Did people
learn
>> >more? Did they learn knowledge that was more relevant to their goals?
Did
>> >people stay in the program longer (improved retention/greater
>> >persistence)? Did more people get GEDs or high school diplomas if that
was
>> >the goal? Was the program made more cost-efficient – (that is one of the
>> >NCSALL’s stated missions – to make adult education and literacy programs
>> >more cost-efficient)?
>> >
>> >Was there a comparison group that participated in some sort of special
>> >project that was not the same as yours so that the project could control
>> >for the so-called "Hawthorne" effect (that is, sometimes teachers and
>> >others perform better in a project not because of the ideas and methods
of
>> >the project but simply because they are participating in something
>> >special. So the researchers have to try to arrange their research to
make
>> >sure that it is the effects of their ideas and methods and not simply
>> >special attention that leads to any observed results)?
>> >
>> >Tom Sticht
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
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>> >
>>
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