In addition to introducing a new literacy practice in their lives, students
also gained new ways of seeing themselves from their experiences in the coffee
shop. They began to see themselves as employees who had practical abilities,
such as using a cash register; affective abilities, such as communication
with customers; and personal abilities, such as confidence. It's difficult
to say which elements in the coffee shop most helped the students see themselves
as employees. Was it the mastery of a task; the instructional approach; or perhaps the support
of other students? In addition to gaining new knowledge about themselves
as employees, students also learned about the culture of work. They learned that work safety and
being "particular" were valued in many workplaces. They also learned, as Rouda did,
to take initiative and not to interfere in personal disagreements with other staff. Whether these
were some or all of the outcomes that the program wanted to foster is unknown.
Also, are these the kinds of knowledge students need to learn about workplace culture?
JOB PLACEMENTS
The descriptions of the job placements relied upon the student and instructor
interviews as a main data source. Subsequently, the format of the next section
is slightly different than the descriptions of the classroom and coffee shop
settings. I was not able to actually observe students in their job placements
and relied on their stories about their experiences. As a result, the content
and context sections, which drew from observation data, are not as detailed
as the descriptions of the previous settings, and have been combined. Separate
sections remain for the descriptions of a community of practice and participation.
In addition to these differences, the way in which the job placements are
described will change within each of the three major sections. An overview of the placements
will be described in the content and context section. Then, in the community
of practice section, each of the job placements sites will be described.
Focus will then shift to each of the students in the participation section.
Content and Context
This section will analyse what students are learning (content) and the
learning environments (context) of the job placements. Most of the information
about the job placements came from the student and instructor interviews, particularly
an interview with Carrie, the instructor who supported the students in their
job placements. The focus of this combined section is not on each site but
on the overall role of the placements within the program.
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