Very much so.  LLF uses art, architecture and design because the process
builds basic learning skills while pulling on people¹s creativity,
knowledge, and pride. It is truly a strength based approach.

Design based approaches are more typically applied to gifted and talented
programs than to adult ed.  I think there¹s lots of mileage top be made in
adult ed by using design as a medium for recognizing and building on
strengths.  Louise


On 7/9/08 4:38 PM, "Holly Dilatush" <holly at dilatush.com> wrote:


> Very interesting post, Louise; thanks!

> Just a quick comment -- your ideas about LLF remind me of the principles of

> universal design, which seems to be creeping into more and more discussions,

> philosophies, applications...

>  

> This has been one of my favorite discussions ever on the listserv -- lots of

> voices chiming in!  Keep the ideas coming, please.

> I'm hoping to add a more substantive post before the discussion 'closes' --

>  

> holly 

> 

> On Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 1:20 PM, Louise Wiener <lwiener at llfinc.org> wrote:

>> Hello All,

>> 

>> I have been following the language development / critical thinking

>> discussion with interest.   Learning and Leadership in Families, the

>> non-profit I lead in Washington, DC, uses visual literacy - i.e. learning

>> through looking - to encourage both language development and critical

>> thinking.  We teach critical thinking through  exercises that gather

>> information through careful observation and encourage critical thinking by

>> comparing and contrasting  what the adult already knows with the information

>> gathered from visual clues.

>> 

>> LLF teaches how to use visual vocabulary (line, shape, color, texture, etc)

>> to explore familiar environments and/or to decode unfamiliar environments.

>> This can be done with dress / costume, with buildings or with other objects

>> that encourage discussion about cultures and their similarities and

>> differences. The process of building on what people already know and

>> underpinning their knowledge with a structure that encourages critical

>> thinking and deductive reasoning results in language development.

>> 

>> What is most interesting in an ELL context is that the visual vocabulary

>> provides a structure that cuts across cultures, but different cultures

>> interpret different visual elements differently.  For example, the meaning

>> of different kinds of lines is universal. The meaning of different colors

>> and patterns varies from culture to culture - but is present as an

>> identifier across cultures.  Makes for interesting conversations.   Louise

>> Wiener

>> --

>> Louise W. Wiener, Executive Director

>> Learning and Leadership in Families

>> 

>> Holly (Dilatush)

>> 

>> holly at dilatush.com

>> (434) 960.7177 cell phone

>> (434) 295.9716 home phone

>> [OK to call 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST / GMT -5 time]

>> 

>> "Live with intention. Share inside~out smiles, inspire hope, seek awe and

>> nurture in nature." (original by Holly)

>> 

>> www.tales-around-the-world.blogspot.com

>> <http://www.tales-around-the-world.blogspot.com>

>> www.abavirtual-learningcenter.org <http://www.abavirtual-learningcenter.org>

>> www.blogblossoms.edublogs.org <http://www.blogblossoms.edublogs.org>

>> *Twitter ID = smilin7

> 

> 

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