LearnerLeadershipVALUEExperiences

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Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2097] Experiences with learner leadership and VALUE
From: jataylor_at_utk.edu

Hello Archie, All, Archie, it is so good to see you on the list - welcome! I appreciate your message and the important issues you raise; indeed you have given us all much to think about..I am always inspired to learn of your work and collaborations in the field, and I will be reflecting this week on what you wrote. I hope that everyone on the list involved with learner leadership will share their experiences this week.

Experiences with learner leadership and VALUE

__For All:
1) Are you involved with learner leadership in your area? Why are you involved, and how did you get involved? What are learners and practitioners doing as a part of learner involvement in programs? I'd like to hear what's going on in different states, like Florida, Delaware, Vermont, Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, D.C., and elsewhere.

2) Did you participate in the VALUE training? If so, what was the experience like? Why did you participate in the VALUE training? What was one thing you learned from the experience?


__For our Guests:
1) How did your program, region and/or state become involved with learner leadership? Was there a catalyst that sparked learner involvement and/or partnership with programs in your area?

If you work in professional development, how did your resource center or state PD system become involved with learner leadership? What is your role?

2) What activities or projects does your program/region/state do as that involves learners in programs?

3) How did your program, region, or state become involved with VALUE? Why VALUE? What are some results of your program/region/state's participation in the training?


Please take this opportunity to ask questions of our guests. For background information about our guests, visit: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/LearnerLeadershipGuestParticipants

Jackie

Jackie Taylor, NIFL-AALPD List Moderator, jataylor@utk.edu

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2098] FW: VALUE discussion, Monday a.m. question
From: Sally Gabb

Hi all - just to let all know, I have enjoyed the exchanges - it's exciting to know that there are many ABE practitioners who see our field as a partnership - learners with learners - in gaining fullrecognition of the leadership strengths in our student population.

To answer one of Jackie's questions I have outlined some of the Massachusetts student leadership support activities and mechanisms. It is fairly lengthly, but gives the basics about what we have been able to do, thanks to dedicated current and former learner leaders, and Massachusetts Department of Education Support. Tomorrow night I'll add some things about the challenges inherent in this important work.

In Massachusetts, there is a long tradition of encouraging programs and practitioners to support learner leadership. As part of state monitoring processes, based on ABE 'Indicators of Program Quality', programs are expected to demonstrate how they support the voice of students in decision making and operation of the program. For the last decade, Massachusetts DOE has funded a variety of student leadership initiatives and projects, including those that support civic participation and those that involve learners in student lead health projects.

In addition to these structural/ institutional support initiatives, the Massachusetts DOE has provided a small grant to the Massachusetts Alliance for Adult Literacy through SABES (System for Adult Basic Education support), the state professional development orgranization. In partnership with SABES, Mass AAL has developed as a membership organization, encouraging student leadership across the state. This funding has been an essential start up source of support for the statewide learner leaderhsip organization. Mass AAL is currently applying for nonprofit status to move ahead with independent projects.

For the past five years, Mass AAL has worked with SABES in each of the five SABES regional offices to issue a 'request for proposals' to work with student leadership projects. Mass AAL Executive Director Ernest Best and various learner members of the Board of Directors work with SABES personnel to provide initial start up meetings and trainings, and to encourage program based student leadership. The Mass AAL Board of Directors and two student teams attended the VALUE Leadership training in 2004, and are using the VALUE tools in expanding student projects. The SABES/Mass AAL Student leadership projects are created and lead by adult learners and include program newsletters edited by learners, special citizenship classes organized and taught by learners, fund raising projects for the program developed and run by learners, and development of specific materials for programs including learner leadership curriculum, health related curriculum, family literacy projects and voter registration drives.

Finally, Mass AAL and SABES sponser an annual student leadership conference and celebration with support from Mass DOE. At this conference, student leadership teams share their projects, exchange ideas with each other, and create strategies for supporting adult basic education in Massachusetts. At the 2004 conference, more than 90 adult learners and 30 practitioners came together to celebrate and build student leadership. Mass AAL is now organizing regional teams to create ongoing structures for learner participation.

An exciting new development in Massachusetts for the next funding cycle (FY06 - FY10) is creation of a specific funding line for programs to develop student leadership at the program level. The state offered an additional $2,000 a year to programs that demonstrate how they will support student leadership and voice in program decision making and structure. SABES and Mass AAL are excited about this new opportunity to work with programs over the next five years to develop authentic opportunities for continuing learner voice in program design and operation. As the professional development system, SABES will work with Mass AAL and student teams to design a variety of support mechanisms and training opportunities for both learners and practitioners.

I'm sure that before the week is out, Ernest will add to my notes, providing explanation of the extensive advocacy work he and other Mass AAL board members carry out across Massachusetts, and in coordination with VALUE. SABES is proud to be a Mass AAL partner, and to have the opportunity to work with experienced learner leaders who continue to teach us about effective support for learner voice. SABES is happy to share information about our activities!

Sally Gabb, SABES SE sgabb@bristol.mass.edu

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2100] The member to the group
From: D'Andrea Minnitt

Hi my name D'Andrea Minnitt and I'm a student at the Litercy Council. I'm one of the student that started the M.O.M.S Group. Which stand for Motive Other Mom Support Group and we meet every Wednesday at 12p.m. till 1p.m. The object is for mother to think about futher their education. We all under stood that we was all there to get our GED but after that the next step was to figure out what kind of career we wanted. The meeting also include dicussion on child care, husbands, health or just let out steam. The group is really a place where you can relax after class and get answer about anything. Also every other Wednesday we have Lunch prepared by the the student them self. I promise once you come to one of the meeting ,you will leave with answer and motiving on going toward your goal.

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2102] Re: The member to the group
From: Janet Isserlis

Hi, D'Andrea

Thanks for telling us about the MOMS group. Can you tell us more about how you started, what support you might have needed from the learning center (a room? access to a phone - things like that).

This sounds like a great program. It would be helpful to know more about how you've gotten other moms involved.

thanks

Janet Isserlis

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2104] from Benika, re: M.O.M.S.
From: Benika Pierce

First of all, I would like to restate who I am. My name is Benika Pierce and I co-founded M.O.M.S. support group. In turn I will discuss how M.O.M.S. started and what positive outcomes it brought to everyone. >> Our program started amongst with Angela (teacher), Deandrea(student), and myself. We all felt that this group was needed for mothers to have support. The program was able to keep other mothers motivated and encouraged. As a result students would have a support group and also the motivation. We ended up having alot of our group members who successfully completed their G.E.D. and also were able to see things that they never once before thought that they could do. I love encouragement and positive thoughts and also doing quotes of the day. I did not pick myself out to become a leader but there was a need. The Literacy Council of Tyler helped me to become what I have accomplished right now. I want to reach other mothers and let them know that if you keep going there is a tomorrow with success. My favorite quote is "Your attitude determines your altitude." I have been in and out of the program and had a nine-year block in my life. This time it was totally different because I felt like I partnered with the teachers more this time around. And I didn't feel like I was being treated like a kid instead of an adult. I was able for once in my life to feel like I could accomplish my goals and I was more motivationally driven within myself. Some people have this mindset of what a G.E.D. student is but in reality we are intelligent but with the need of motivation and support. I am glad that I came back because I would of not been able to really find myself and I learned a lot of things that I didn’t think I could do. Angela (teacher), treated me like a real person rather than someone who was a stereotyped adult education student. I am glad that I had this opportunity and I hope that your program opens the doors for student voices.

Thanks, Benika Pierce
Literacy Council of Tyler
Student
Benikapierce@yahoo.com

Subject:[NIFL-AALPD:2103] VALUE in Vermont
From: canaanlearningcenter_at_yahoo.com>

I'm Kenn Stransky and I am a practitioner in the northern most corner of Vermont (where we still have snow) and I was one of 2 practitioners from this region of the state that was at the VALUE training held here in Vermont last autumn.

The VALUE approach has brought an amazing breath of freshness to adult education in my region. The student involvement has been wonderful for our program...and that involvement has brought many new views of the programs to our State.

I'm getting in on part of the discussion a week late but I want to share how the VALUE approach can work. Last Friday, we had our monthly staff meeting and the head of state Prof. Dev. met with our staff to discuss our thoughts for topics etc. for next year. Our discussion quickly turned around to how we needed to involve our students in the discussion so that we could hear what they saw as practitioner needs. That is an approach that would not have happened six months ago.

ABOUT THE VALUE CORE LEADERSHIP TRAININGS

This two day training session was in the top 5 of any trainings that I've EVER been to in all of my years in adult. ed. We learned fresh new approaches to better communication with our students. We (students and teachers) learned great teaching techniques that have since enabled my adult students to make quality decisions regarding their education and also how they may better use the techniques in their daily lives and their families. We all learned to recognize realistic expectations for student progress in light of their lives out of school. The best part of the training is the involvement of adult learners as trainers.

I would have to say that the projects that the students chose to work on first have evolved slowly but they have had consistent progress. A large group also went to the VALUE Leadership Institute gathering in Washington DC. The group of used the knowledge gained at the CORE training was then taken to DC. The knowledge that was obtained at Washington has been brought back to our State and is being used each and every week as our State reorganizes adult education into Learning Works!

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2106] Re: VALUE in Vermont
From: etorrez_at_ci.santa-clara.ca.us

I am a Adult learner on staff in California. I do workshop and the institute for adult learners I'm on the board of VALUE and I'm an adult learner on staff in our program. I attended the VALUE training and I learned so much that I have been encouraging our learners to attend the training when it comes to California. I also tell our learners to join VALUE because it is so important for learners to join so that future adult learners can have a voice in our education and help our program. Now that some of the programs are being cut, all adult learners need to help our programs.

More states should have their learners, the programs and the State Director as a part of VALUE to help support all adult learners.


Emma Torrez
Learner Advocate
Read Santa Clara
(408) 615-2959
etorrez_at_ci.santa-clara.ca.us

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2109] Re: The member to the group
From: Mary Pat

Hi D'Andrea, What a lovely message. Thank you for sharing. Where is your support group located? I teach at Edmonds Community College and work with several GED student considering going on with their education. I could refer students to your group.
Mary Pat

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2105] Re: FWD: Fyi, Free FCE workshop
From: Emma Torrez Hi all In Read Santa Clara we have the Henry Huffman Leadership Institute for adult learners in California. It is for six months commitment, it is all day one Saturday a month. In the institute adult learners learn Setting and Achieving Goals, Self-Esteem Equipped for the future, Presentations Skills, communication, advocacy, Networking, responsibility, technology and guest speakers. I have had such good responses and feed back from all the adult learners that have participated, I have had some of the adult learners e-mail and saying that they are going fill better going out and speaking to others, going to community meeting to fined out what is going on in the community.

Emma Torrez
Learner Advocate
Read Santa Clara
(408) 615-2959
etorrez@ci.santa-clara.ca.us

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2115] from The Student Action Health Team
From: Saiyi Diaz, Justra Gomez, Vanda Ivanenko, Nadia Karamane, Sidaly Phou, Sandra Sterling and Luz Torres

The following message is from The Student Action Health Team at Operation Bootstrap in Lynn, Massachusetts: Saiyi Diaz, Justra Gomez, Vanda Ivanenko, Nadia Karamane, Sidaly Phou, Sandra Sterling and Luz Torres. We want to tell you about our kind student leadership. It is teaching about health. We work with Marcia Hohn, our facilitator, who is posting this message for us. We also work with community health agencies to learn about the health topics Bootstrap students want to know about and then we decide how to teach the topic. We get money from the Massachusetts Department of Education to do this work.

We are a group of current and former students at Operation Bootstrap. Many of us are immigrants. We understand where students may get confused, may not know terms and may have different cultural beliefs about health. Students feel comfortable with us and appreciate being taught by people like themselves.

When we teach about health, we start from the beginning.

We give vocabulary words to the teachers to go over before we come to the class. These are both health words and hard English words that students may not know. For example, early detection, prevention, virus, blood pressure. We try to use simple words but it is important for students to have a health vocabulary.

We break down the health topic into parts that are easier to understand. For example, when teaching about stress, we break it down into 1) stressful situations, 2) physical reactions, 3) emotional reactions and 4) overall affect on the body that may lead to health problems.

When we teach, we use dramas that show how the health topic is connected to students’ everyday lives and to help students understand. We also use written signs with a few words to describe what is happening in the drama at any given moment. The students feel it, hear it and see it. All that helps them understand better

We always try to get students directly involved. We use small groups where students talk about the health topic in their lives and the lives of their families.

We help connect students to health services. Sometimes health services come to the program for such things as flu shots and blood pressure checks.

We can get answers for students’ health questions.

When we teach students, we also teach the teachers about health. Most teachers like this but it is different for them to be taught by students.

We go to conferences to share with other people how we teach about health. This last year, we presented at The Canadian Public Health Association Conference and the Women and Literacy Conference.

Sometimes we are asked by health people to give feedback about their brochures and their websites. We give feedback on level of words, if they are assuming knowledge people may not have, if it is easy or hard to get around the website or read the brochure.

We are role models for other students - they can see our progress in language, in public speaking and in confidence in ourselves - and maybe it makes them feel like they could do it too. This makes us feel good.

Marcia Drew Hohn, Ed.D.
Director of Public Education and Civic Outreach
Immigrant Learning Center
442 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
781-322-9777

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2125] RE: VALUE discussion, Monday a.m. question
From: Angela_r25_at_yahoo.com

I apologize for posting late. I had a death in the family and have been away from the computer. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s post. I hope that a discussion group can continue for discussing learner leadership. I think it is very important for teachers to grab hold of the concept that our students can rise up to be leaders. You have hopefully read the posted about the M.O.M.S. group. The group has done more than offer engorgement for moms. It has been a voice that has created change in staff and teachers. The catalyst for the M.O.M.S group was a couple of student telling me they really needed support or they thought they would drop out. I really played a talent agent role and discovered that the learners could offer support to each other. I offered support on how to run a support group to those students. A couple of students stepped up and blossomed as leaders of the group. The biggest challenge for us is creating an place where the students really understand their worth and skills. It is amazing how students have not had anyone point out skills and strengths that are obvious to others. I have seen increased goal setting and goal keeping. Most of the girls in the group are students that have received public assistants in the past and have been in and out of the LCOT program. They have been able to work out barriers that have kept them from school and found friendships. They have seen each other meet goals that they dreamed of meeting and quickly establish new goals.


Angela Childers
Literacy Council of Tyler
Angela_r25@yahoo.com

Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2129] Re: VALUE in Vermont
From: kchaney_at_utk.edu

Kenn,

In reading your posting, several of your comments about the VALUE Core Leadership Training experience stood out for me. I was particularly struck by your statement that the VALUE training was "in the top 5 of any trainings that I've EVER been to in all of my years in adult ed". This sounds like a training that I'd like to know more about!

You mentioned new approaches to better communication with students...could you elaborate on that (ie, what were some of the approaches and how did they work with the students)? You also noted that you learned great teaching techniques relative to adult students making decisions regarding their education...could you elaborate on that as well?

Thank you for helping deepen my understanding about the VALUE training.

Respectfully,
Kim Chaney-Bay

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