Freewriting Prompts:



Anna Yangco

May 4, 2003

CCT 693

Transforming Into Reflective Teachers Who Facilitate Independent Learners

Introduction: The Principles of the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program

Project HOPE’s Adult Learner Program (ALP) has a mission statement that affirms we are a “learner-centered program based on the principles of Popular Education designed to meet the individual needs of each student through a holistic, participatory approach.” We not only seek to enhance basic literacy skills, but also to develop critical problem posing, solving, and thinking skills of our learners. Paulo Freire, an educator in Brazil, developed the principle of Popular Education, which is the underlying framework of the ALP. The fundamental philosophies of Popular Education include:

❖ Participants learn best when the material is based on what they know. For the most efficient learning to occur, it is important to draw from the learners’ personal stories and experiences.

❖ Facilitator/educator poses problems related to issues that come from the learners’ personal experiences.

❖ The learners reflect, discuss, and act upon these issues (a process called praxis); this process is the basis of their education.

The teacher is not the one who decides what is to be covered in the course. Only after assessing the students, observing them, gathering information from, and holding discussions with the students. Subsequently, the teacher will plan lessons covering topics named by the learners. Participatory learning happens through an interactive dialogue and sharing amongst the facilitators and learners. Teachers use “conscious listening” (Auerbach, 86) to recognize what issues are important to the learners; therefore, it is important to get acquainted with learners and establish a rapport so they become relaxed and free to talk about the issues that affect their lives. Obtaining the issues from the participants ensures that participants maintain interest and take responsibility for their own learning. Since the teachers are never considered “experts” in these subject areas, a process of critical inquiry is necessary for the discovery of information for those topics. This discussion leads to an analysis of those issues in the classroom (problem posing by students), and then the learners will proceed to take action on the issue.

These topics that are captured from learners’ experiences become “generative themes” for learning. Then these themes are expressed in codes. Codes are teacher-generated representations of a problem in the form of a picture, a dialogue, role play, student-generated writing, or culturally familiar genres (proverbs, riddles, songs) (Auerbach, 92-93) which we, as teachers, might use to convey an impression of a problem, issue, or worldview; contain social norms that are hidden in our everyday life.

Popular education produces many benefits for facilitators and learners. Learners are able to relate to the facilitators because of the shared knowledge of language and culture. The learners produce the material, creating a greater interest in the topics. A sense of hope is restored for the learner: they are empowered by language and skills, and, through problem posing and praxis, they gain confidence and independence.

Rationale for Understanding and Recognizing Generative Themes for Creating Codes

During a recent workshop about the principles of Popular Education, teachers in the Adult Learner Program (ALP) at Project HOPE began to wonder how they could directly and indirectly obtain generative themes, the framework for the codes, from the students for the curriculum. We determined that if the curriculum topics were drawn from the learners’ lives, then the learners would take responsibility for their own learning. In addition to being accountable for education, another benefit of using codes would be that the learners would become more interested in making positive changes in their personal lives as well as in their community.

We had a brief brainstorming session about how to recognize themes. We agreed that the codes are often expressed in class or between class sessions, and the task of identifying these codes is solely the teacher’s responsibility. Some teachers commented that each school day is so hectic that finding these codes is a challenging undertaking. There are two significant reasons why codes are difficult to notice. First, the teachers claim there is “just so much other stuff going on during class time.” The other complicated element is the little time teachers have for reflection. Some say they are so overwhelmed after class that they simply do not take the time to make any notes about what went on during the class.

Background of Our Current Group Process:

• Members of the Project HOPE ALP staff [position; (number of months/years in the ALP)]:

o Director (11 months)

o Education Counselor (3 months)

o Four core staff teachers:

▪ One full-time lead teacher (4 ½ years teaching experience in the ALP)

▪ One part-time teacher (4 ½ years teaching experience in the ALP)

▪ Two full-time AmeriCorps volunteer teachers (5 months teaching experience in the ALP)

o Three part-time volunteer teachers (each have about 5 years teaching experience in the ALP, but several years (20-30 years) experience teaching in elementary, secondary, and college level)

Due to the mix of a new director, education counselor, and AmeriCorps volunteers with old teachers and volunteers, our staff meets frequently; we have about 3-5 meetings a week, and some days we have more than one meeting. Because of the sheer number of meetings we have this year, I realize that our group process needs to be refined so we can lessen our number of meetings and make the remaining ones more productive. One area we need to improve is balancing the time between “venting” and active problem solving. In his book, The Art of Focused Conversation, Brian Stanfield suggests that the following poster could be hung on the walls of several organizations: “Making complaints without taking responsibility is fake participation” (Stanfield, 14). I feel it is a weakness amongst our team to constantly dwell on troublesome issues, but never allow sufficient time for reflection and problem solving.

For this project, I hope to facilitate a transformation of teachers who “vent” to those who reflect and make change. I feel we need to uphold our principles of Popular Education to facilitate more independent learners who take responsibility for their own education. I mentioned earlier that the teachers exhibited a vested interested in finding generative themes and identifying codes. Since that Popular Education workshop, on March 10, 2003, no reflection, dialogue, or action has taken concerning this issue. My charge is to create a series of workshops that will further the exploration of the principles of Popular Education.

Workshop Series:

❖ Introduction

o I would like to invite an outside facilitator to manage this workshop. However, with limited monetary resources, I do not think we will be able to hire one. In team building meetings during the past few months, we had an intern from Boston College (a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program); however, she has since finished her internship at Project HOPE. I will propose to the workshop participants that I would like to wear two “hats” during these workshops: a facilitator hat and a participant hat. I intend to ask their feedback of this proposal at the first meeting of the workshop.

o First, I would like to introduce myself to the group as a novice facilitator for these workshops. Although I have been a teacher for adult learners for five years, I have never led a facilitation for my colleagues in the ALP. I will inform them that I will regularly request feedback of these workshops.

o To inform the development of these workshops, I consulted two books from The Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs: The Art of Focused Conversation for Schools and The Art of Focused Conversation. As developed by the ICA (Nelson, 10), I have structured my focused conversations on “four levels of thinking:

▪ Objective Questions: dealing with data and sensory observation,

▪ Reflective Questions: related to personal reactions and associations,

▪ Interpretive Questions: bout meaning, significance and implications, and

▪ Decisional Questions: concerned with resolutions.” (Nelson, 3)

❖ Workshop Environment

o Description: At Project HOPE, we realize the importance of a safe and comfortable environment for dialogue and learning. We have round tables in our classrooms, which is the first step towards effective communication. For this series of workshops, I will provide drinks and light snacks. As we do for most meetings, I will play music to relax bodies and energize minds as the staff enters the room. I may begin each workshop with a “brain dump,” freewriting, or icebreakers to help staff members get prepared for the meeting.

❖ ALP Workshop Norms

o At the first workshop, I will review the norms we have established in prior meetings. I will also ask for any further contributions to the norms. Our norms include:

▪ Respect each other’s opinions

▪ Don’t take things personally

▪ Agree to disagree

▪ Be honest with yourself and others

▪ Ask too many questions – at any time

▪ Listen to others

▪ Confidentiality

▪ Begin and end on time

▪ It’s okay to respond to each other

▪ Accept that there will be conflict

▪ Parking lot

o At the beginning of each subsequent workshop, I wish to revisit these guidelines and allow for any additions if necessary.

Workshop 1: Creating Wall of Wonder (Tuecke, 2000):

❖ Designed for:

o Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Staff Members

❖ Situation:

o This year, the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program staff has been through a “transition year.” We have a new director, new AmeriCorps volunteers, and new students every few months. Each staff member will be asked to write down a “momentous” event in education in the United States, at the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program, and in her personal life. A timeline will be placed on the wall for them to paste these momentous events. A timeline is pasted on the wall and each member of the staff brainstorms on post-it notes momentous events of education.

❖ Rational Aim:

o This is an opening workshop to introduce personal histories with the organization; to create connections within the ALP staff team; to understand each other’s visions and to share those visions, which will inform future decisions of the ALP.

❖ Experimental Aim:

o To create an environment where staff members recognize each other’s visions, experience, and knowledge in the overall area of education and the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program.

❖ Materials:

o Long strip of butcher paper

o Masking tape

o Markers

o Post-it notes

❖ Preparation: Tape a long strip of butcher paper to the wall similar to the diagram below:

|Project HOPE Adult Learner Program: |

|WALL OF WONDER |

|Events |Past Present Future |Trends |

| |1970 2003 2020 | |

|USA & World | | |

|Project HOPE ALP | | |

|Personal | | |

| | | |

❖ Opening

o I would like to share with you both my rational aim and experimental aim for this workshop. My rational aim states, “This is an opening workshop to introduce personal histories with the organization; to create connections within the ALP staff team; to understand each other’s visions and to share those visions, which will inform future decisions of the ALP.” My experimental aim maintains that I wish “to create an environment where staff members recognize each other’s visions, experience, and knowledge in the overall area of education and the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program.” Thank you for your willingness to share your vision.

❖ Brainstorm:

o What do you consider are “momentous events” for you in education? I ask you to think about these events on three different levels: 1) personal level: What personal events from education stand out for you? 2) At Project HOPE: During your time at Project HOPE, what have the significant events been?; 3) from a larger perspective: What events in the USA or world, do you feel, have made a significant impact on education? Please brainstorm a list of these events and write them on post-it notes.

o Select your “top five” events and place them in the appropriate categories (personal, Project HOPE, USA & World) on the Wall of Wonder.

❖ Focused Conversation after creating the “Wall of Wonder”:

o Opening:

▪ Thank you so much for creating this “Wall of Wonder.” Let’s take some time to see our collective “wall” and see if we can learn from it.

o Objective Questions:

▪ What words or events strike you as you scan the Wall of Wonder?

▪ Do you notice any “visual patterns”? (Nelson, 85)

o Reflective Questions:

▪ What do you find most interesting about your “momentous events”?

▪ What do you find most interesting about others’ “momentous events”?

▪ What surprised you while doing the “Wall of Wonder”?

▪ Did you find anything difficult or confusing about doing this activity?

▪ What relationships do you see between what is going on at Project HOPE and in the USA or world?

o Interpretive Questions:

▪ What do you see happening in the past of the Adult Learner Program?

▪ If you could give names to the past, present, and future “chapters” on the Wall of Wonder, what would you call them?

▪ Each person has graciously shared her “momentous events.” However, each event is part of a bigger picture that we momentarily call the “Wall of Wonder.” What title would you assign to our collective piece of work?

▪ “What factors and principles are guiding the way we operate?” (Nelson, 85)

o Decisional Questions:

▪ Let’s look toward the future. What event or vision in the future can you personally commit to and accomplish?

▪ What is the shared vision we can create from these post-it notes?

❖ Closing

o Thank you very much for participation in creating this wonderful historical scan of the ALP. I know your commitment to do this reflection will strengthen our program and ultimately help our students. Before you leave, I would appreciate if you could jot down one aspect of this workshop you appreciated and one area that needs further development.

Workshop 2: Freewriting & Reflection

❖ Designed for:

o Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Staff Members

❖ Situation:

o At a workshop on Popular Education, the staff members of the ALP began to wonder how they could directly and indirectly obtain generative themes, the framework for the codes, from the students for the curriculum. They determined that if the curriculum topics were drawn from the learners’ lives, then the learners would take responsibility for their own learning. Although the staff members are aware that the ALP is based on the principles of Popular Education, only two teachers have had training on those principles.

o The facilitator will give two writing prompts on which the staff will write for 10 minutes each. A focused conversation on the content of the freewrites will follow.

❖ Rational Aim:

o To gather the collective knowledge of all staff members on the principles of Popular Education, including two specific areas of Popular Education: generative themes and codes.

o To review the principles of Popular Education from previous trainings in the past two months.

❖ Experimental Aim:

o To allow sufficient time for each member of the ALP staff to reflect about her teaching methods and to learn from each other’s research/reading/experiences of Popular Education.

o To continue understanding each other’s individual visions and gaining a clearer picture of the ALP shared vision.

❖ Preparation:

o Music

o Candles

o Nice “journal” type paper

o Newsprint

o Post-its

o Markers

o Tape

❖ Freewriting Prompts:

o [Introduction/Warm up]: It is common practice for the ALP to use “Angel Cards” to guide or focus our group prior to discussions. Each Angel Card has a word on it, which contains a value, ideal, or characteristic. For example, there are cards with words like openness, synthesis, love, power, tenacity, vision, creativity, etc. A small bowl with these cards is passed around the room and each participant picks a card. (When we use these cards in class, we always remind the students that Angel Cards come to a person for a reason.) This word is the virtue that the person will “maintain” during the meeting or for the rest of the day. Although this may seem a bit “touchy feely,” using Angel Cards are something we regularly do at Project HOPE, so the staff members are familiar with this custom.

▪ We will be freewriting for the first part of this workshop. Freewriting consists of sustained writing for a set amount of time. The main point to remember is to not pick up your pen for the entire time you are writing. If your mind strays, then just follow it. Eventually you will arrive back to your topic.

▪ Please pick an Angel Card. Remember that this card comes to you for a reason. Using the virtue on your Angel Card, I would like for you write for 2-3 minutes about how this virtue informs or affects your teaching.

o Generative Themes (7-10 minutes): Remember that generative themes are the topics which students produce either informally outside of class or during class time. These are the issues that the learners are affected by and it is important for teachers to recognize them for development of the curriculum. For 7-10 minutes, free write using one or all of the following prompts:

▪ “I have noticed these generative themes during my time here at Project HOPE….”

▪ “The first steps I need to take in order to obtain generative themes are…”

▪ “I am still confused about how to recognize/use generative themes because…”

o Codes (7-10 minutes): As you may recall, codes are derived from the generative themes. They are representations of a problem in the form of a picture, a dialogue, role-play, which we, as teachers, might use to convey an impression of a problem, issue, or worldview; they contain social norms that are hidden in our everyday life. For 7-10 minutes, freewrite using one or both of the following prompts:

▪ “Some examples of codes I have already developed are…”

▪ “I am still confused about how to develop codes because…”

❖ Focused Conversation about Freewriting:

o Opening:

▪ You have done some important reflection about generative themes and codes. Now let’s take a moment to synthesize our collective knowledge of these two areas. We can also offer each other support with the problems we may have as well. We will now discuss the content of each of the three freewrites. (**Repeat O-R-I-D questions for each freewrite. Each topic should be discussed separately.)

o Objective Questions:

▪ Underline an important word or phrase from your freewrite.

▪ What points strike you as your read your writing?

▪ What are some of the concerns you have noted in your writing?

▪ What ideas do you need clarified regarding this issue?

o Reflective Questions:

▪ What part are you most comfortable about with this area of teaching?

▪ What still seems difficult about this area of teaching?

▪ What part of this issue interests you the most?

o Interpretive Questions:

▪ What possibilities are there for teaching now that you have thought about this issue for a while?

▪ What thought or idea or concept became clearer after writing/reflecting?

▪ What insights do you have about being a better teacher/team member in the Adult Learner Program?

▪ How has this affected your understanding of the principles of Popular Education?

o Decisional Questions:

▪ Based on what we have discussed today, what can we set as common ideals that we will now share about the structure of our program?

▪ What do we need to do now to prepare for teaching next week/semester?

o Closing:

o The work we have done today is integral to understanding and carrying out the mission of our program. I believe we can gain support from one another if we focus on the collective knowledge of the group. Before leave, I would appreciate if you could jot down one aspect of this workshop you appreciated and one area that needs further development.

Workshop 3: Focused Conversation about the Teacher Reflections Form (see attached sheet)

❖ Designed for:

o Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Staff Members

❖ Situation:

o The ALP staff has requested for a means of doing regular reflection on the principles of Popular Education. They have been given the Teacher Reflections Form in advance and are discussing their reactions to the form.

❖ Rational Aim:

o To review the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Teacher Reflections Form and to discuss their reactions to it. To create a support network for regular use of the form.

❖ Experimental Aim:

o To generate excitement and enthusiasm for incorporating the principles of Popular Education into our work. To increase teacher reflection and sharing these reflection with the rest of the ALP team.

❖ The Conversation

o Opening:

▪ I have given you a draft copy of the reflection form. Let’s discuss this form and examine the possibilities for using it. I encourage you to give any feedback on it.

o Objective Questions:

▪ What words or phrases catch your attention on the reflection form?

▪ What parts of the reflection form don’t you understand?

o Reflective Questions:

▪ What do you find helpful about the form?

▪ Which parts are confusing?

▪ Do you notice any aspects of the form that might prove challenging or impossible?

o Interpretive Questions:

▪ How do you see this reflection sheet informing or helping your teaching?

▪ “What might be the impact of this process on our students?” (Nelson, 91)

▪ How do you think we approach supporting each other to actually do this form?

o Decisional Questions:

▪ How will you use this process?

▪ Name some areas of improvement that this form could use.

▪ How can we motivate each other to utilize this reflection form within the next week and in the future?

o Closing

▪ I encourage you to modify this form to best suit your personal needs. This discussion will help us all learn how to become more reflective teachers. Before you leave, I would appreciate if you could jot down one aspect of this workshop you appreciated and one area that needs further development.

Workshop 4: Focused Conversation about the Use of the New Teacher Reflections Form

❖ Designed for:

o Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Staff Members

❖ Situation:

o The ALP staff has had the opportunity to use the Teacher Reflections Form. It is time to do a “check in” to determine this form is helpful for teachers.

❖ Rational Aim:

o To evaluate the benefits and/or hindrances of using the Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Teacher Reflections Form and to get feedback on the form. To reinforce the support network for regular use of the form.

❖ Experimental Aim:

o To increase the teachers’ confidence in their ability to be reflective teachers. To encourage teachers to utilize each other for support to regularly do reflection and share their thoughts with the team.

❖ The Conversation:

o Opening:

▪ Now that you’ve all had a chance to try using the form, let’s take a moment to evaluate it.

o Objective Questions:

▪ What do you do differently now as a result of the form?

▪ What generative themes have you noticed?

▪ What codes have you produced?

▪ What reactions have you received from your students, if any, after you began using the form?

o Reflective Questions:

▪ What do you see as the benefits of this form?

▪ What hindrances do the form cause?

▪ What, in the area of Popular Education, has become clearer for you? More complicated?

o Interpretive Questions:

▪ How has your teaching improved?

▪ What are the generative themes we need to focus on to continue student learning?

▪ What trainings are still needed to clarify the principles of Popular Education?

o Decisional Questions:

▪ “What are some reasonable steps that we can take now to keep us moving in the right direction?” (Nelson, 195)

▪ How can we motivate each other to utilize this reflection form within the next week and in the future?

▪ How can we continue to share our reflections and insights to the curriculum?

o Closing

▪ The time we have taken for this reflection is wonderful. By doing regular reflection and sharing, I think it will not only build our team morale and improve our teaching skills, but it will also impact our students’ learning. Before you leave, I would appreciate if you could jot down one aspect of this workshop you appreciated and one area that needs further development.

Bibliography

Angel Cards. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Narada Productions

Auerbach, Elsa et al. (1996). From the Community to the Community: A Guidebook for Participatory Literacy Training. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Nelson, J. (2001). The Art of Focused Conversation for Schools. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Stanfield, B. (Ed.) (1997). The Art of Focused Conversation. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Tuecke, P. (2000). "Creating a wall of wonder with the TOP environmental scan." International Association of Facilitators, Toronto, Canada, April 27 - 30 (iaf2000/Tuecke.PDF).

Vella, Jane. (1995) Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change in Adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Project HOPE Adult Learner Program Teacher Reflections Form

Date: __________________

Class: __________________

Reflections about Generative Themes:

❖ Did I “open my ears” to listening for generative themes today so I know what issues my students are currently thinking about? If not, what could I have done to make myself more open?

❖ What generative themes did I observe outside of class today? (Example: What were the students discussing before/after class or during lunchtime?)

❖ Did I organize the learning environment so it would be conducive for generative themes to arise? If not, what can I do next time to make the learning environment more comfortable or safe? (Example: Did I allow for students to talk in a relaxed environment? Did I allow them to talk informally for a few minutes or did I start class right away?)

❖ What generative themes did I notice in class today? (Example: What were the students talking about in class? What issues did they seem concerned with?)

Reflections about Codes:

❖ What codes can I produce from these generative themes? (Example: Is there a movie, cartoon, role-play, tape, or drawing that I can find/create to represent this issue that they are concerned with?)

❖ What support do I need to produce this code?

❖ How and when can I report back to the ALP team about the generative theme and/or code?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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CONTINUED ON BACK….

Freewriting Reflection:

(Please add any additional comments from today’s class.)

Last modified: May 18, 2003

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