Agriculture: language, work, and personal development program

The Continental Mushroom Farm near Ottawa hosted a three-year workplace education program of learning opportunities for immigrants unable to take advantage of formal classes because of their work schedules. The participants were mostly newcomers with language and settlement needs. Also, some long-term workers were interested in more advanced basic skills.

Although some of the workers lived nearby, the majority came from urban areas by bus in the morning and returned in the evening. Overnight mushroom growth determined how much could be picked the following day; the resulting irregular work schedule required flexibility in how and when learning could take place.

A variety of options accommodated as many workers as possible: formal classes during lunch and during work; workshops on special topics; a weekly newsletter; and discussion and assignment sessions on the morning bus.

ESL learners concentrated on ESL literacy, speaking, listening, and math. The ABE component of the curriculum had reading, writing, and math. Subject matter was a mix of work-related topics and issues of importance to the participants.

The teacher got work-related material mostly from supervisors, who were responsible for orientation, training, and hiring new pickers. The supervisors were accustomed to giving all instructions orally; work and safety procedures were not written down.

With information from pickers, supervisors, and orientation tours, the teacher compiled workbooks for the formal basic ESL classes.

The illustrated workbooks were a resource for learning about the business — the mushrooms themselves, growth, harvesting, equipment, and safety procedures. A separate workbook dealt with health and safety issues on the farm. The books provided work-related reading and writing opportunities: vocabulary; work procedures; personnel and payroll information; cafeteria menus; sections on weighing produce, calculating, etc.

The teacher developed a weekly newsletter — a common meeting ground and forum for community input. Those in the program, along with non-participants, contributed to the newsletter. It reached out to workers at higher skill levels and to those who did not want to lose any work time by attending sessions. Special people were featured weekly along with word games, class schedules, and summaries of upcoming classes and workshops.

To accommodate participants' personal needs intensive workshops were organized on topics identified in the needs assessment and through ongoing discussions. Workshops on citizenship, the census form, and income tax forms were scheduled to suit the availability of the workers.

The variety and shape of the learning opportunities that developed in this program demonstrate how attention to context is the determining factor in a successful workplace education program.