Groundwork spring 2015 issue

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Caption describing picture or graphic.

Aboriginal Literature in

ABE English

Gail Anderson Dargatz on Publishing

Trends in Literature for Adult Learners

Sharing Resources with

Students for Life and

Academic Career

Celebrating Making a

Difference

2

President Yvonne Chard

President Elect Vacant

Secretary Linda Ohashi

Treasurer John Cowan

Conference Chair Allison Kilgannon

Groundwork Chair Michelle Vandepol

Aboriginal Liaison Amie Wolfe

Membership Chair Monika Hamilton

Government Liaison Linda Peteherych

Delta/Surrey/

Fraser Valley Rep Leonne Beebe

North Central Rep Bernie LaRusic

Metro Vancouver Rep Andrea Eaton

Kootney– Boundary Rep Vacant

Vancouver Island Rep Vacant

Cariboo Okanagan Rep Vacant

Groundwork is published 2-3 times each year by the Adult

Basic Education Association of British Columbia. Opinions

expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policies of the

ABEABC except where explicitly stated.

We encourage participation from members and others in the

field of Adult Basic Education.

Board Member contact information: abeabc.ca/contacts.htm

Send manuscripts and accompanying photographs to the

Editor by email: [email protected]

General enquiries about ABEABC can be sent to

[email protected]

Many thanks to our contributors to this issue.

For subscription information, see page 18.

The ABEABC homepage can be found at www.abeabc.ca/

ABEABC Board of Directors

3

I am looking forward to our

conference this year, and to

meeting many of the adult

educators from BC. As you

know, the theme this year is called

the Kaleidoscope of Adult

Learning.

As I child, I had several

kaleidoscopes, and I find them

fascinating. I have heard of a

businessman who keeps one on

his desk, so that he can remind

himself of the changing patterns

in his community. So, what is a

kaleidoscope?

A kaleidoscope creates a beautiful

whole out of a lot of assorted

small pieces. This is what life is.

When a variety of people come

together, either to study, to teach,

to parent, or to play dynamic

results can occur. An ideal place

for this to happen is in adult

learning programs around our

province. As instructors, we know

that we cannot teach a course

straight from a book or a set of

instructions. You can’t teach an

identical lesson in the morning

and in the afternoon. The

members of each class impact the

delivery of every lesson or

program. Our lessons are

constantly reshaped by what the

learners are bringing to

the classrooms. Different learners

have different ideas, different

backgrounds and different

experiences. When these all come

together in a classroom, the learning

process will constantly shift and

change and the results should be an

inspiration.

When things are looked at from

different viewpoints, the results are

different. We all need to try to see

things from different perspectives.

Classrooms are never identical. This

is one reason that I found teaching to

be exciting. Every class was a new

experience.

A kaleidoscope shows us that events

in life can appear to fall apart, but yet

they regroup in something that is new

and lovely.

Our association has different

perspectives from our individual

programs which enable us to have a

better understanding of the adult

learners of this province. As we meet

together we learn more by sharing our

resources and knowledge.

Each year at our conference we have

some new people to meet, new

workshops to enjoy, and some old

colleagues with whom we can reunite.

I hope that these events are a bright

segment of your career’s

kaleidoscope.

Welcome to the Spring 2015

issue of Groundwork. We strive

to make Groundwork your go-to

resource for your ongoing

professional development in the

field of adult basic education.

Articles this issue cover new

digital realities in education,

making a difference in our

communities, a snapshot of

literacy in BC and beyond,

resources to share with your

fellow educators and students,

fostering student engagement in

the online classroom, the

educator’s role in dealing with a

student in crisis, accessing free

and low-cost resources for your

classroom, and a start-up guide

for researching your practice. If

any of these topics are ones you’d

like to see covered further or if

another topic’s absence makes

you want more information on it,

please feel free to drop me at line

at [email protected] .

Take a moment as well to think

of what you are known for &

what you can share with your

colleagues in ABE. There are

many opportunities for you. From

getting published to presenting at

a conference, this issue holds the

invitation to take the next step to

share what you know & benefit

from others doing the same.

Letter from the

President

Editor’s Letter

Yvonne Yvonne Chard, President, Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia

Michelle

Michelle Vandepol, Editor

4

How have approaches to adult

literacy changed over the course of

your study & career?

Adult literacy has changed most I

think in terms of teaching practices

as a result of new technologies, and

also in the rise of reporting and

accountability regimes. But in

terms of government policy, views

of adult literacy seem to have

changed little. It is still equated

with print literacy and getting jobs,

in fact even more so now than in

the past. But educators in

classrooms are exploring many new

kinds of literacy, including

technology and numeracy as well.

While educators’ focus is away

from rote learning, the challenge

comes with the increase of

reporting requirements and the rise

of standardized testing in

evaluation that tend to narrow what

counts as literacy.

What have you learned from your

Adult Literacy and Digital

Inequalities (ALDI) Project

research?

There is a lot of inequity in access

to digital technologies. There has

been little attention to this in adult

education and social policy in BC

and in Canada. Some institutions

are cutting edge in their provision

of digital tools and instruction. But

other settings have absolutely

nothing. This varies between school

districts and post-secondary

institutions; some coastal

communities don’t even have

internet access and even in the

Lower Mainland some adult

education settings don’t have

access to working computers for

adults. Shouldering the brunt of this

lack of access are community

literacy educators & community

groups, who teach many of the

lower level literacy learners and

lack the technologies to do it. But

what we are seeing, that is

encouraging, is educators and

learners teaching each other how to

use the tools, when they have them.

Do your research findings differ

from what conventional classroom

experience tells us?

Some instructors are choosing not

to use technologies because they

find them distracting in the

classroom setting, but more

frequently there is the acceptance

that technology is ubiquitous. Even

students that experiences low

income, low literacy and other

barriers are using cell phones and

finding ways to access the Internet.

After all, it is essential to access

work, and communicate with

friends and family. In this light,

many instructors are realizing that

it is necessary to include the

teaching of technologies in their

classroom contexts. Practices are

shifting in response to student need.

What technology does do, is make

educational engagement a here and

now activity. Issues of when, where

and how to use technologies such

as cell phones, facebook, websites

and so on are present in everyday

classroom interactions and leads to

important conversations about

critical uses of digital literacies and

how to learn together. This makes

the classroom setting more about

sharing information and talking

about learning than about managing

behaviors, which may have been

more the case in the print-based

classroom.

What would you tell the Adult

literacy educator today who wants

to improve his or her digital

teaching effectiveness?

Digital technologies offer new

challenges and opportunities for

teaching practice, just at other

technologies have done in the past.

In the face of the ubiquity of digital

technology, it is important that

educators take risks; they don’t

need to be the ‘sage on the stage’,

Digital Realities

A Conversation with Dr. Suzanne Smythe of the Digital

Learning Community Engagement Project

5

and they can simply say, “I don’t

know how to do that, but let’s find

out.”

No one is an expert in all aspects of

digital technology, we are all

learning and teaching each other

things all the time. The adult

literacy educator can model

participatory learning, which has

always been part of good literacy

education practice, by creating a

climate for collaborative learning,

encouraging learners to ask one

another for help, to offer ideas, to

figure things out together-in other

words, to learn how to learn.

What role does online education

play into adult literacy?

The first thing to understand – is

that simply putting a course online

is not online education. Research

into the experiences of online

learning for adults who have been

away from formal school for a

while or who have little experience

with formal education suggests they

have a very difficult time when

confronted with online content that

is not designed from the

perspective of learning needs.

Online educators have to pay

attention to how students learn and

the online course cannot just be

content- driven. When the learner

experience is taken into account,

most students prefer hybrid

versions which marries online

learning with face to face learning

or syncronous online learning., as

when people can talk with an

instructor in real time, ask

questions and see examples.

What role does digital literacy play

for both learners and educators?

There has been some talk that

people benefit from digital literacy

only after they have achieved a

certain level of foundation in print

literacy. This is untrue. Digital

technology use is everywhere and

engagement in digital literacy pulls

along engagement in print literacy.

In literacy education, all forms of

literacy should be included to

engage with a variety of learners:

oral, arts-based, nature-based,

digital technologies, and

combinations of all of these.

What aspects of professional

development are most important for

educators today?

Educators should understand how

economic and social policies shape

education, including how

neo-liberalism and globalization

filters down into learning settings in

the form of standardized tests, new

tuition fee policies, the push to in-

ternationalize our post-

secondary institutions. Where are

these policies coming from, in

whose interests are they and how

do they shape everyday education

practice?. Understanding these

factors can give educators more

control over their practice.

Also, educators do not need to be

tech experts,but to build

confidence, it is important to learn

how to use new digital tools to

support and enhance learning.

Again, educators can teach one an-

other-this is how the digital sto-

rytelling movement in ABE took

off.

How would you encourage

educators who don't feel ready to

go digital?

That ship has sailed. It is important

for us as educators to provide

access to digital literacies because

these are what learners want and

need in their everyday lives.

Some Pro-D should be spent on

getting comfortable with

technologies.

It is not a matter of including the

digital for the sake of it; digital

resources are most effective when

they support learners to achieve

their learning goals and to develop

many kinds of literacies, including

those needed to produce content

and to have their voices heard. In

this way, some forms of learning

will be digitally-infused, others not.

Digital technologies are just tools

like paper and pen, but they are

powerful tools, and adults should

have equitable access to these

powerful tools.

Anything else you would like

Groundwork readers to know?

I think that the field of adult

literacy is changing rapidly. There

is a view out there that people can

muddle through learning literacy

skills with the help of a Youtube

tutorial. But, in reality, I believe;

the role of the educator has never

been more important. Adult

Literacy Educators have always

been concerned with ensuring stu-

dents have access to skills and in-

formation. Digital learning is anoth-

er context in which to help students

engage with their learning, to be-

come critical consumers of infor-

mation and to exercise their rights

as citizens to participate in their

communities, in workplaces and in

decision making that effects them. __________________________________

For more information on the Digital

Learning Community Engagement

Project aee page 7

6

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT & AWARDS

Every job is a self portrait of the person

who did it. Autograph your work with

excellence.”

- Jessica Guidobono

7

Educators

Share

Resources

Digital Learning Strategies: How do I Assign and

Assess 21st Century Work? By Michael Fisher .

Encouragement in the classroom: how do I help

students stay positive and focused? By Joan Young.

Handling student frustrations: how do I help students

manage emotions in the classroom? By Renate Caine

& Carol McClintic.

The resilient teacher: how do I stay positive and

effective when dealing with difficult people and

policies? By Allen N. Mendler .

Stress-busting strategies for teachers: how do I

manage the pressures of teaching? By M. Nora

Mazzone & Barbara J. Miglionico.

Teaching with Tablets by Nancy Frey, Douglas

Fisher & Alex Gonzlez

Time to teach: how do I get organized and work

smarter? By Jenny Edwards.

Vocab rehab: how do I teach vocabulary effectively

in a limited time? By Marilee Sprenger .

For more information on the digital learning community

engagement project

http://www.sfu.ca/education/research/

research-projects/digital-learning-engagement.html

For more information on the

literacy picture world-wide

visit https://fareport. word-

press.com/2012/05/31/literacy-rates

-are-rising-but-not-fast-enough/

Interested in using Guided

Reflective Writing with

your students, or learning

more about practitioner

research? Do you have a

research project you would

like to share with Ground-

work? Let’s talk! Contact

me at [email protected]

Send us your favorite online resource by emailing the

editor (information on page 3)

For Comic Books on Issues Facing Youth ,

check out http://thehealthyaboriginal.net/

For more information on resources to

help support students visit

www.itsajuggle.ca or contact

[email protected] or

[email protected]

And on Twitter @itsajuggle

Email [email protected] to access the following professional development titles:

8

Bev Krieger was a wonderful

teacher, colleague, activist and

mentor. Bev taught in the public

K-12 system before her children

were born, and then, like many of

us, she decided that she would

rather focus on teaching adult

students. She came to teach at

Kwantlen in the Academic and

Career Preparation (ACP) depart-

ment where she taught ABE

English, mainly with literacy

students.

In the 90s, she completed a

Master’s degree in Education at

UBC, and in that program, as was

always her inclination, she chose

to do projects that were directly

relevant to her work teaching

adult literacy at Kwantlen. She

worked for Kwantlen as a part-time

non-regular faculty member for a

number of years when her children

were growing up, and during this

time she taught at the Bridgeview

temporary “campus” and the

original Langley temporary

“campus.” She taught evening

classes at Surrey campus and at the

old Newton campus. She also

pioneered and taught a set of GED

preparatory courses that were

offered at the old Newton campus

through ACP via the continuing ed.

programs.

Bev was the first literacy /

fundamental instructor at the

permanent Langley campus when it

opened, where she taught for many

years. She helped develop a great

deal of our current literacy and

fundamental course components

and curriculum materials and

served together with ACP

colleagues on many curriculum

and program development

projects. She served as the Adult

Literacy and Fundamental (ALF)

provincial articulation working

group rep for Kwantlen for a

number of years, and she served for

a number of years on the board of

the Adult Basic Education

Association of BC as government

liaison.

Bev was a helpful and supportive

mentor to new faculty members,

and more than one faculty member

remembers Bev’s smile and helpful

advice as part of their earliest

introduction to Kwantlen. She was

also generous and kind in other

ways, and she opened her home to

host many ACP department events,

including Christmas parties and

baby showers, always providing

her own special touches.

Bev was active in community

literacy programs both during her

years of full-time teaching at

Kwantlen and after she retired. She

applied for and received CALP

grants to develop a

community-based adult literacy

tutoring program, and she

continued to work on that project

after her official retirement. Bev

also worked after her retirement at

the KPU-Phoenix Centre as a tutor.

Bev Krieger was a true and

dedicated adult educator who

worked enthusiastically and

tirelessly in all the things she did.

She made a great difference in lives

of many students, and she made

many contributions to the ACP

department through both her

scholarly and teaching

contributions as well as through her

cheerful demeanor and her support

for all her colleagues. She will be

greatly missed.

Bev Krieger

IN MEMORIAM

9

Where Are Literacy Rates Now?

Canada gets a C & is rated

8th out of 13

countries on the percentage of

adults scoring low on literacy rates

4 out of 10Canadian

adults have literacy skills too

low to be fully competent in

most jobs in our modern

economy

“Canadian adults with

low literacy skills have

fewer opportunities

than young Canadians

to upgrade their skills

because they are

outside of the

mainstream education

system.”

Source: Conference Board of Canada

400 communities were reached with

literacy resources across BC

475 family literacy

programs were held in 2014

And 478 adult literacy

programs were held in 2014

481 literacy workshops & seminars

were attended by

8095

people.

In BC in 2014 ...

Source: Decoda Literacy Solutions

Worldwide,

in the last 30 years,

adult illiteracy has been slashed in

1/2

Sources: The World Bank, UN

Today, there are over

750

million illiterate adults worldwide

Source: literacybridge.org

The strongest gains

were made by

women age 15-24 For more information,

see pg 7

Source: world education blog

10

It’s no secret that both adult

educators and adult learners are

juggling more roles and

responsibilities than ever before.

The need to gain strong literacy

skills has never been more

important. With more than 65% of

all jobs now requiring some level of

post-secondary education, adult

educators today strive to help

learners become equipped to access

both the job market and further post

-secondary education.

Educators report being challenged

to support students in becoming self

-directed learners. Gaining essential

workplace skills is absolutely the

first step, however, ensuring people

know where to turn for support

once they are in the workforce or

taking additional post-secondary

training is equally as essential.

Adult learners continue to report

being nervous about their ability to

succeed, and to spend money on an

education that is not occupation and

outcome focused. It is no wonder

the majority of Canadians report

being confused about where to turn

for ongoing learning support and

career development (Pardy, 2011).

Helping people gaining essential

skills and ensuring ongoing

learning supports are available is

foundational to sustained career

success. However, for adult

educators to keep current on all the

resources available to them and

their learners is a mammoth task.

Essential to an effective learning

environment is the relationship that

is built between the educator and

the learners. This can only be done

when educators have time to spend

with their learners. They cannot

afford to use this valuable time

trying to source, research, and test

support materials.

To address this issue the Pardy

Group has created a free-to-use

website called It’s A Juggle

www.itsajuggle.ca; a complete

learning support and career

advancement centre designed for

anyone ages 17 to 71. Juggle

curates the best online resources

focused on essential skill building

and sustained career success –

providing hassle-free access to the

most trusted information. The

mobile friendly website contains 16

centres that address, career

building, learning support,

well-being and workplace skills.

There are a variety of resources in

each centre to accommodate

different learning styles.

One of Juggle’s best features is that

educators can share their favorite

resources. Using the Submit tab

from Juggle’s homepage educators

can easily make contributions. The

suggested resources are reviewed

and quickly added into Juggle. In

fact many of the 1200 wonderful

resources already in Juggle have

come from contributions made by

adult educators across Canada.

Introducing - It’s a Juggle: A Unique Learning & Career Advancement

Resource

Helping Adult Educators Better Support Learners

11

Juggle is truly a community of

practice application.

Dr. Linda Pardy, is the vision

behind this project. She has

prepared thousands of students to

become workplace ready. She

knows firsthand the pressures

people (both educators and

learners) are experiencing when

trying to gain skills, and connect

education to employment. “The

challenge is that students need

more from an education than a

credential.

They need support in becoming

prepared for life, work, civic, and

global participation.” says Pardy.

“It’s a Juggle provides the tools and

information needed for ongoing

success”.

Adult educators are faced with a

growing diverse student population,

a limited amount of time, and a

rapid pace of change; as well as

high expectations from both

learners and employers, and the

ongoing push for measurable

outcomes. Adult educators have

long known the value of informal

learning, yet getting this form of

learning recognized remains

another challenge adding to the

complexity of their work.

Hot topics in learning include the

concept that the world is open and

people are sharing, contributing,

and collaborating via technology.

There is a blending of private and

public learning spaces. Open

source and social learning resources

are stimulating informal, non-

formal and incidental learning

across Canada (Pardy, Pattridge, &

Thomson, 2013). Bonk (2009)

stressed how technology continues

to open up learning opportunities

worldwide – having far reaching

impacts on how we learn, instruct,

and build new educational

opportunities. This form of learning

has benefits and will absolutely

improve conditions around which

people can and will access learning.

However, there is a steep learning

curve for both learners and

educators before the benefits of

technology and open source

learning are realized. This is where

It’s a Juggle has embraced the

concept of open access and social

learning but in a practical way.

Keeling and Hersh (2012) outlined

that persistence through to

graduation is not success unless

along the way people learn how to

overcome challenges, creatively

problem solve, and search out

information and support when they

need it. Adult educators see

firsthand the challenges their

learners overcome. One of Juggle’s

goals is to be the “go-to” resources

for when these same learners need

to search out support.

Pardy Group has made a firm

commitment to provide Juggle as a

free resource for anyone that wants

to use it. They are committed to

supporting both the needs of adult

educators and learners.

During focus group testing

institutions requested the ability to

brand Juggle so learners would

remain engaged within their own

institution’s web site. Pardy Group

has made a premium version of

Juggle that can be customized to fit

any institution.

About Pardy Group Pardy Group has been providing

education and career planning re-

sources and services to higher edu-

cation and business leaders for

more than 20 years. In that time

they have supported more than 11

million learners in becoming work-

place ready. Juggle is a Pardy

Group profits with purpose project

designed to help all learners build

better life stories.

___________________________

References

Bonk, C. (2009). The world is

open: How web technology is

revolutionizing education.

San Francisco, CA: John

Wiley & Sons.

Keeling, R. & Hersh, R.H. (2012).

We’re losing our minds: Re-

thinking American higher ed-

ucation. New York, NY: Pal-

grave MacMillan.

Pardy, L., Pattridge, S., & Thom-

son, D. (2014). Social media

in the Canadian post-

secondary Classroom. In G.

Mallia (Ed). The social class-

room: Integrating social net-

work use in education.

(2014).

Pardy, L. (2011). Collective wis-

dom: A heuristic inquiry into

the essences of being an adult

student considered at-risk.

Unpublished doctoral disser-

tation, University of Calgary,

Alberta.

____________________________

For more information, see pg. 7

12

Fostering Student Engagement in

Online Courses

Mark Friesen

On the surface, online learning

seems tailor-made to meet the

needs of ABE students. Freed

from the constraints of regularly

scheduled face-to-face classroom

encounters and with most learning

materials deliverable online, it may

appear to be a perfect solution for

learners whose educational

opportunities are limited by

concerns of time and space, access

and affordability. However, the

ability of online learning to

mitigate these barriers does very

little to ensure successful course or

program completion. Attrition

rates for online courses are

reportedly 20% higher than for

face-to-face courses, a number that

is likely even greater for ABE

courses. Those students who are

successful tend to be primarily

independent, self-motivated

learners. For those who require a

higher level of social interaction

and engagement, online learning

can present as many challenges as

it promises to solve. Finding

strategies to foster student

engagement in my online classes

has, therefore, become a critical

concern, particularly as research

shows that engagement is a key

element of student persistence. My

own experience suggests that

integration and engagement largely

takes place within the first three

weeks of an online course.

Outlined below are a handful of

strategies that I’ve been using to

integrate students early into the

class and foster an engaging,

interactive learning environment.

Faculty initiated contact. An

important first step in promoting

engagement is to establish

person-to-person contact with

students as opposed to institution-

to-student contact. Establishing a

personal connection can be as

simple as an email, introducing

yourself and sharing some basic

start-of-class information.

However, I’ve also found that

inviting the student to reply to a

prompt or question will not only

assure me that the student has

received the message but ensure an

initial expectation for interactive

engagement.

Simple, welcoming interface

design. When students fir st log

on to the course website, I expect

them to be apprehensive,

uncomfortable, and disorientated.

Therefore, the design of my course

entry page is welcoming yet

simple, primarily featuring a

prominently placed button that

directs students to “Click Here to

Begin!” that first links students to a

video, welcoming them to the

course, followed by a structured

orientation to both the course

content and, more importantly, the

learning environment itself.

Orientation to the virtual

classroom. Most of our online

courses are now delivered through

course management systems

(CMS) like Moodle or Blackboard,

offering both the virtual space and

interactive tools to facilitate

learning experiences. Yet similar

to a physical classroom or a lab,

learning how to navigate this

virtual space and utilize its various

tools and features is an important

step in the process of integrating a

student into the course. In a recent

study, researchers found that

student perceptions of the quality

and usefulness of the interactive

tools available within the CMS

were a key factor in determining

student engagement levels. The

more students felt comfortable

with the tools and found them

effective in the completion of

interactive tasks, the greater their

sense of integration and

engagement in the course. In my

online courses, an orientation to

the virtual classroom is the primary

focus of the first week’s lessons

and activities, introducing the

various tools and features of the

CMS that we’ll be using

throughout the semester.

Introductory “icebreaker” chats

and discussions and fun quizzes

and assignments give learners

low-risk exposure to the kinds of

tasks and skills that will be

required of them; successful

completion of the orientation

allows them to move ahead to the

next week’s lesson.

Frequent and timely feedback.

What’s often most attractive about

online engagement in social media

platforms is the gratification of

instantaneous feedback. (con’t p 14)

13

Supporting Students In Crisis:

The Educator’s Role — What it Is and Is Not

There are a lot of similarities in

behaviours that a teacher and

counselor observe when a person is

in crisis. Common 'symptoms' of a

person experiencing crisis are

distractedness, hyper-vigilance,

lack of attention, lack of interest,

short tempered, absenteeism, out

bursts, withdrawal and isolating

self from others, and substance

misuse.. While a teacher and

support worker may observe the

exact same external behaviours,

our roles and responsibilities to

supporting the individual in crisis

are different. Most likely, in the

broader context of the classroom,

the individual is likely to be

working hard to contain and hide

the crisis whereas in the

counselling environment they are

working hard to express, explore

and deal with the crisis. More

often, the support worker most

often connects to the individual in

crisis on a one to one basis with the

intention of exploring and

expressing, opening the issues

underlying the crisis. The

difference is not in so much as

what we observe in the individual's

behaviours, but in our response to

what we see and our ongoing role

in supporting the individual in

crisis.

What is the best way for an

educator to support a student in

crisis, while keeping professional

boundaries?

Crisis is complex. The possible

issues and factors that can

contribute to crisis for any

individual are innumerable. This

complexity can both overwhelm

and immobilize an educator when

they experience a disclosure. Two

key points to always keep in mind

are 1) Believe the individual and 2)

Contain the disclosure. Believe:

Disclosure of crisis can be a very

emotional experience for both the

teacher and the student.

Remembering that the teacher's

emotional response will have an

impact on how they choose to

respond. Recognizing this it is

important to be aware of and quiet

your own internal noise so that you

can listen empathically to the

student, assure them that they did

the right thing in sharing with you

and to refrain from passing any

judgment. Containment: Less is

more. Given the current statistics -

supporting a student in crisis is not

an "if" but "when" situation.

Curiosity and compassion can tend

to drive us to ask probing questions

and gather intimate and personal

details. When it comes to

supporting a student in crisis your

role is not to investigate but to

direct them to those who can best

support them. Therefore,

understanding and following your

school’s protocol as well as having

a current list of community re-

sources is critical…Not asking

probing questions for details.

Your role is not to investigate.

Support and share the appropriate

resources and supports that are

available both at school and the

community at large. For those who

have never experienced domestic

violence the most common

question is, " Why doesn't she just

leave?" What we don't understand

is that leaving is far more

dangerous and complicated than

just walking out the door. Because

of this many abused women never

leave their partners and therefore

the last thing they need is someone

judging or placing unrealistic

expectations on them. What you

can do is:

Assure her she can talk to you any

time.

Don’t become angry or frustrated

with her decisions. It is important

to understand that she may be

afraid or not ready to take the next

steps.

Try to understand why she might

be having difficulty getting help.

She may feel ashamed.

Offer to go with her if she needs

additional information or support.

If she has children, let her know

gently that you are concerned

about her and her children’s safety

and emotional well-being. She may

be more willing to recognize her

situation if she realizes her children

may also be in danger.

____________________________

Debbie Pauls works for a non-profit

agency in British Columbia,

supporting families in a counselling

setting.

14

Researching your Practice –

Part 2 – The Results—

Leonne Beebe

Part 1 Summary (read more in

Groundwork’s Fall 2014 issue)

Using Guided Reflective Writing

with English Students

My first study involved using the

GRWT with multi-level English

students. As a result, after the

term, I observed improvements in

student writing, knowledge of

course content, and student/

teacher communication.

Using Guided Reflective Writing

with Math Students

I continued researching the use of

guided reflective writing as a

student/teacher communication

tool and added its use as a student

self-assessment tool by having

students write a guided reflection

after each test.

Part 2: The Results with Math

Students

Using guided reflections

Helped the teacher to focus on

individual student learning needs

as stated personally by the

student Provided a safe,

comfortable place to start a

conversation about dealing with

math anxiety/test anxiety and a

relaxed supportive place to start

teaching confusing content

Provided a place to talk about

math as a source of having fun

learning

Provided a place to empower

students to empower themselves

This “write your own report card”

technique helped students to fo-

cus on their learning process/

progress and gave them an oppor-

tunity to share their learning

experiences with me. After

reading their reflections, I met

with each student individually. I

felt like I was working with a

two-person teaching team – “the

student and me”. Finally, I felt

like I was achieving my goal as a

teacher; I was listening to my

students tell me about their

learning strengths and weaknesses

instead of me telling them. I

noticed even the most anxious

students told me they were feeling

good about their learning process,

and they were confident to begin

the next unit, book, chapter or

course. I was able to maximize the

potential, quality and value of my

one-with-one teaching time with

my students. Teacher’s Note: The

guided written reflections gave

the students the opportunity to

write in their math class, which

doesn’t always happen in math

classes. In order to organize and

manage all the hand-written

reflections I was receiving, I saw

the further opportunity to have

students learn how to write their

reflections on the computer and

email them to me as an

attachment. My email box soon

was overflowing with student

reflections, so now the students

and I have learned how to use

Blackboard Learn, our

institution’s learning manage-

ment system, for writing and

sending in their reflections – an all

new “student-improved” practical

computer skills activity developed

from the results of practitioner

research!

Leonne Beebe is a practioner

researcher. To discuss your own

research opportunities see page 7.

abeabc.ca/contacts.htm

(Cont from page 12—online courses)

Unfortunately, students seem to

expect the same level of respon-

siveness within an online course,

an expectation that is inevitably

directed toward me as the in-

structor. Such responsiveness is,

of course, extremely time con-

suming and impossible to sustain

long term. However, I’ve come

to embrace it as a short term

strategy for the first few weeks of

the course, during which time

I’m constantly on my handheld

device or laptop, responding as

quickly as I can to emails, forum

posts, and assignment submis-

sions. It’s a sacrifice, to be sure,

but at the moment, I think it’s

worthwhile.

Developing learning communi-

ties. Ultimately, online stu-

dents need opportunities to en-

gage with one another in the

learning process. As an instruc-

tor, my hope is that gradually the

burden of maintaining online in-

teraction and engagement will

become the shared responsibility

of all learners within the class,

not mine alone. Therefore, initi-

ating collaborative, learner-

centered interactions allows stu-

dents to learn to rely on one an-

other for the knowledge and

skills needed to expand their

learning, as well as encourage

one another when faced with dis-

couraging feelings such as isola-

tion or lack of support.

_________________________

Mark Friesen teaches English

classes to adult basic education

students in a university setting.

He has taught a large percentage

of his classes online. In his spare

time, he is part of an avid hiking

community.

15

The primary activity of the

Adult Basic Education Associa-

tion of BC focuses on excellence

in professional development by

inviting people working in the

field to share their best practices

at our annual conference.

Adult learning is a unique piece

of the education puzzle. While it

often takes place in public schools

and post secondary colleges and

universities, adult education can

also occur in community centres,

prisons, churches and job sites. It

encompasses a wide variety of

learning processes: formal and

informal, scheduled and sponta-

neous, full time and part time.

Adult education is moulded by

the unique needs of those who

seek it.

Delivering Adult Basic Education

is a constantly changing field.

Whether it’s riding the new wave

of technology and the endless

possibilities and challenges that

brings to budget cuts and course

structure guideline shifts; Adult

Basic Educators are looking for

efficient ways to deal with the

challenges in a positive way and

focus their attention on the needs

of their students.

Practitioners, researchers, and

others involved in the field of

Adult Basic Education are

invited to submit proposals for 90

-minute presentations reflecting

the 2015 Conference theme and

including the following topics:

Using Technology in the

Classroom for Students

and Instructors

“Universal Design”- creat

ing inclusive environments

for all students

Trends in Literature in ESL

& ABE

Community Programming

Please note: Topics applicable to

working with ABE, HSC and/or

ESL learners are invited including

Secondary, Post-secondary, First

Nations, Community and

Corrections–based programs

Practical, innovative and interactive

workshops are very popular with

participants.

Please include the following in

your proposal outline:

1. Name of Presenter with a short

biography and contact information

2. Title of Workshop and short

description of workshop

3. Target audience: (subject,

instructors, students, etc)

4. Equipment (or special)

requirements

5. Your preferred time and day

(which we will try to

accommodate)

Send proposals to

[email protected]

A token honorarium of $50 will

be given for each 90 minute

workshop. Presenters are

encouraged to register for the

conference and attend other

conference presentations and

activities. There are one day rates

and meal rates available.

for more information on the conference

see the back cover

Call For Proposals

Conference 2015

16

Spring 2015 Updates from the BC Government

The ABEABC regularly solicits

updates from our BC government

contacts in: the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Advanced Education, the Industry

Training Authority (ITA), BC Corrections, and Citizenship and

Immigration Canada’s Language

Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. For this

issue of Groundwork, we have updates f of our contacts.

From Janine Hannis, Ministry of

Education (HSC & Foundations):

Lots of significant changes happen-

ing in adult education in the K-12

system.

In the last year, several policies

were amended to allow for greater

flexibility for adult students as well

as a further recognition of adult

students who come with Red Seal

trades certifications.

1. The policy that limited the

amount of work experience courses

to one fundable course (WEX 12A)

on the adult dogwood has been

changed to allow unlimited use of

WEX courses on the adult dogwood. This change was made to

recognize and encourage students

in the trades areas to be able to use

WEX for any or all of their elective

credits. Reminder, Work Experience (WEX) must be a

school-monitored and school-arranged course and not a

credit given for just having a job.

2. Several additional Red Seal

trades were analyzed and reviewed

for the benefit of counsellors and

teachers to know what credits to

give an adult student who already

possesses red seal certification. The

Ministry of Education, along with

Industry Training authority staff,

teachers and principals, have now

reviewed: Automotive Service

Technician, Plumber, Carpenter,

Cabinet maker/Joiner, Heavy Duty

Equipment Technician, Machinist,

Cook, Industrial Mechanic/

Millwright, Welder, Electrician,

Truck and Tranport Mechanic,

Steamfitter/ Pipefitter/ Sprinkler

System installer, and Sheet Metal

Worker.

There was also some decisions

make from Cabinet that have

changed what is fundable for graduated adult students. While

non-graduated students are still fully fundable in the K-12 System,

after May 2015, graduated adult

students will now only be funded to

take the Literacy Foundations

courses. These courses cover several levels of English, several

levels of Math, Science, Social

Studies and Information Technology. Higher level academic courses will no longer be

funded for those adult students who

already have secondary school

graduation. From Tegan Tang, Education Officer, Colleges and Skills Development Branch, Ministry of

Advanced Education and the Industry Training Authority (ITA) Ministry of Advanced Education

Updates Effective January 1, 2015, British

Columbia public post-secondary

institutions were allowed to reinstate tuition fees for all Adult

Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language

(ESL) programs. Institutions have

the option to implement tuition fees

at their discretion, up to a maximum tuition cost of $1,600

per semester of full-time studies, or

approximately $320 per course for

courses that are between three to

five hours a week. For details of the media release,

please refer to http://

www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2014/12

/adult-upgrading-courses-supported

-by-grants-for-low-income-

learners.html.

17

The Ministry also increased the

annual budget for the Adult Upgrading Grant (AUG) by 33

percent to $7.6 million. The AUG

will allow eligible students in

ABE, ESL and Adult Special Education courses at a public post-secondary institution to apply

for non-repayable grants for tuition, textbooks, transportation

and childcare.

For more information, please contact:

Bryan Dreilich, Director, Adult

Education, College and Skills

Development Branch, Ministry of

Advanced Education, email:

[email protected].

Barb Binczyk , Senior Policy Advisor,

English as a Second Language, Adult

Special Education and other initiatives

related to students with disabilities,

email: [email protected].

Kaylie Ingram, Senior Policy Analyst,

Adult Upgrading Grant Program, email:

[email protected].

Tegan Tang, Education Officer, Adult

Upgrading and Community Adult

Literacy Programs, and Prior Learning

Assessment and Recognition, email:

[email protected].

Students who have not graduated

from high school and who are

working toward a British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma and/or taking foundation-level courses can still

take these courses tuition-free at

the school districts. For more information, please visit the Province’s Adult Graduation Diploma Program webpage, or

email Janine Hannis at the Minis-

try of Education, ja-

[email protected].

The Decoda Literacy Library is a

special library for anyone in BC

who is interested in adult, youth

and family literacy. Over 5,000

books, DVDs and other materials

cover a variety of topics and

include background information,

teaching strategies, curriculum,

and materials to use with adult

learners.

Library Services

To register to borrow from the

library, email [email protected]

with your name, mailing address

and phone number. It’s as easy as

that. The materials you request are

mailed to you, accompanied by a

prepaid return label. The service is

free of charge and available to

adults in BC. How do you find

resources in the library?

* Visit our online catalogue. (Until

April 8th, we are temporarily using

the Outlook Online catalogue.

Instructions for accessing it are

available on our library webpage

http://decoda.ca/resources/library/.)

* Browse our subject lists http://

decoda.ca/resources/library/library

-materials-by-topic/ .

* Follow our library blog, Read All

About Lit http://decoda.ca/

resources/library/read-all-about-

lit/. It frequently features online

resources as well as new books.

Find a list of our newest re-

sources online http://decoda.ca/

resources/library/new-in-the-

library/ or view them on our ‘New

in the Decoda Literacy Library’

Pinterest board https://

www.pinterest.com/decodaliteracy/

new-in-the-decoda-literacy-library/

And, maybe easiest of all, just ask.

You can contact the library by

email at [email protected] or by

phone at 604-681-4199 x 406. You

might be looking for specific titles,

have a special topic in mind, or

trying to find materials to meet a

student’s needs. We’re here to

support your practice by

connecting you to print, audio

visual and online resources.

Library News

The library is in the process of a

updating and the biggest change

for library users will be the new

online library catalogue. It will

offer enhanced searching capacity

and maintain the ability to make

requests from the library catalogue.

The new catalogue will be

available from our library page on

April 8th.

Resource Highlight

In 2013, ASCD launched a series

of short-format professional

development publications for

teachers. Each quick to read title

in the ASCD Arias series is

designed to offer busy teachers

meaningful and relevant content.

For a list of the titles available, see

pg. 7

___________________________

Since 2008, Tina Chau has been

connecting literacy practitioners to the

resources they need.

18

What is ABEABC? The Adult Basic Education Association of BC is:

An association of people concerned about the provision of high quality learning opportunities

for undereducated adults.

The only association specially for adult basic educators in B.C.

The first such provincial organization in Canada.

Connected with other groups involved in adult education such as:

the Movement for Canadian Literacy BC

the Pacific Association for Continuing Education

the Teachers of English as an Additional Language, etc.

An association which works to raise public and government awareness of the basic education

needs of British Columbians

The donor of a $100-$200 award to an outstanding student in each member institution

How do I join?

Fill out the membership application form and return it along with a eque made out to the Association

for your annual dues. Memberships expire 12 months following our receipt of your fee.

Membership in the ABEABC is open to you if

you are involved in:

basic literacy programs

ABE

native adult education programs

literacy in libraries

ESL programs for adults

workplace literacy programs

correctional institution programs

GED and college-prep programs

community-based programs

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Name _______________________________ Employer:______________________________

Home Phone: ___________________________ Work phone: ___________________________

Fax: ______________________ Email: ___________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________ Postal Code: ___________________________

Please indicate which fee fits your category:

• Individual and Groundwork subscription $40

• Individual outside Canada $50

• Organizations $175 (includes $100 bursary)

• Organizations $275 (includes $200 bursary)

• Organizations without bursary $75. Institutional memberships are due February 28 annually.

• Business and union $50

• Non-profit community groups $40

Membership fee includes a subscription to Groundwork. Invoices are available from our website.

Membership fees and donations are tax deductible. Website: http://www.abeabc.ca/

Total amount enclosed $ _____________

Mail to: Membership Chair

The Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia

5476- 45 Ave, Delta, BC V4K 1L4

19

Conference 2015 The Kaleidoscope of Adult Learning: Our Shifting Perspective

REGISTRATION INFORMATION Please print clearly:

Name:_____________________________Organization:__________________________

Address (□Home or □Work):_________________________________________________

City _________________________________ Postal Code _______________________

Work Phone: ______________________ Home Phone: _____________________

Fax ______________________ E-mail Address: __________________________

Please indicate your choice(s) and the appropriate fee. Check here for vegetarian option

Make cheques payable to: Burnaby School District Fax: 604-296-6913

Mail: Burnaby Community & Continuing Education Attention: ABEABC Conference 2015

5325 Kincaid Street, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 1W2

Credit Card Cardholder's Name ____________________________________________

Card Type (Visa, MC) _____Card #___________________________ Expiry: ________

PLEASE NOTE THESE DEADLINES: Email any questions to [email protected]

March 15th – Early Bird Registration Deadline: please register early if possible.

April 15th – Registration Deadline: For catering, we need to know numbers for the conference by April 15th. (Late registrants contact [email protected])

APRIL 8th – Accommodation Discount Booking Deadline: (Independent of conference registration) -

please reserve your own accommodation at the Harrison Resort and Spa by April 8th.

please check out the Harrison Hotel and Spa at www.harrisonresort.com. Call 1-800-663-2266

(press 2) to make your own reservations. Ask for the ABEABC Conference Block Booking prices.

Early Bird Registration Regular Registration Total

Full conference (includes 12 $250 $275

Thursday or Friday only $100 $150

Extra Banquet Tickets $50 $50

Group Booking—min 15

(take 5% off) later registrants

20

CONFERENCE VALUE

2 days of workshops, wonderful meals

and speakers, membership to ABEABC

& a subscription to Groundwork , and

an evening of dinner and dancing in the

renowned Copper Room for $250 *early

bird price

WORKSHOP TOPICS

Last years’ topics included The

Teachability Factor, Overcoming

Hurdles in ABE Math, ImPROVing

your Confidence in the classroom,

Using Dialectical journals in ABE

English, Tech & the Flipped Classroom,

and many more...

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

If you’d like to join our presenters this

year, See page 15 for presentation

proposal details

ABOUT THE HOTEL

The Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa

features five mineral pools, three outside

and two indoors, and it’s the only resort

right on Harrison Lake with its own

marina and 337 guestrooms.