Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h0VCpjP15105; Fri, 31 Jan 2003 07:51:45 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 07:51:45 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <4829521A-351A-11D7-8853-000393ABE4D2@litwomen.org> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "mev@litwomen.org" <mev@litwomen.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:2463] Re: goals X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.551) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 3691 Lines: 67 > Daphne Greenberg wrote: > I wonder, do people feel that it is our role as educators to help > learners change their goals, or do people feel that this has a > judgemental quality to it, and therefore should not be our role? I would say that what may serve everyone well is not so much to "change" students goals, but to help them develop the tools -- critical thinking skills -- to evaluate whether those are the best for them. I use this as the litmus test...why should I try to talk an adult learner out of an SUV if I've never said anything to my middle class neighbor who has one?? After all, why would anyone ever say they want to drive a rusted wreck that might not make it to the next corner, live in a one-room rat-infested shack in dangerous neighborhood, wear stained, ill-fitting clothes from Goodwill...etc.etc. We may think we know better about what our students can realistically achieve but I'm not one for squashing dreams and visions -- after all, in my close to 50 years, i can't tell you the numbers of new schemes and goals for my life that I've been through -- some attained, many not. I think it's more important to learn the planning and skills necessary to reach whatever goals we may set for ourselves. actually, there are many things I regret not having done in my life and now realize that because i was "a girl" and that standards were set low for me, I got very little in the way of career or life counseling outside of "get married and find a husband." I do much better when I come up with the next scheme and rather than have someone immediately squelch it as "this will never happen" to be more supportive with "wow, that's creative -- how can you(we) get that done -- what steps would need to be taken for that to happen?" One of my favorite lines from the movie Angels in the Outfield is that little kid who repeatedly says "it could happen." anyway, back to the SUVs, etc. -- we may not agree with many choices or goals or visions that our students aspire to -- and we may find them loaded with ethical considerations. adult learners are, after all, adults so we need to find ways of having critical conversations (which may or may not include some personal judgment) with them in ways that we do with our friends, colleagues, and others. These tools of being able to make an argument, research it, think it through and convince someone else (as well as themselves) that their views, thoughts, course of actions are reasonable and ethical are the best tools adult learners can have. let's write a paragraph -- why is the SUV a good or bad car to have. The answer must include more than "because it's cool." Maybe after a little research about the safety features and environmental hazzards, a learner may opt for another expensive yet safer car! and, of course, we all know that some of this isn't simply about personal choice. There are many systemic injustices at work (racism, sexism, classism, etc) that prevent many adult learners (many people in general) from achieving their economic, personal, educational, family, whatever goals. Reminding learners to look past their own failure(s) and to the contributing factors of institutional oppressions will also be helpful. In my experience with learners, many of them are aware of these issues though they may not always understand how complicated they are or how they affect them individually. Taking a view of "i can't have this because I'm systemically oppressed" is not useful either, so coming up with social change strategies -- and an understanding that nothing is instant -- may also be useful and empowering for learners as well. Mev
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