groundwork spring 2015 issue
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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
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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
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
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:
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:
Tegan Tang, Education Officer, Adult
Upgrading and Community Adult
Literacy Programs, and Prior Learning
Assessment and Recognition, email:
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-
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.