Summary of process used by sub-committee

December (one meeting)

We decided to learn about policy formation by going through the process of developing policy as part of a group learning activity.

We agreed to work as a committee with Dorothy MacKeracher acting as a consultant for the process and for the research and writing. At this time we agreed that all members should contribute actively as participants and learners.

We agreed to work according to a specific plan of action on a policy area to be decided on by the committee.

Our preliminary discussion tended to wander in ever-widening circles, none of which led anywhere or seemed appropriate to the learning process we wished to experience. Most were too complicated for the time we had to complete the project.

January (two meetings)

We agreed to focus on specific concerns related to various types of undereducated women. We agreed to this concern (a) to reduce the discussion and confine it to one topic and (b) to provide a reasonably manageable topic.

Next we generated as many concerns, ideas, and issues as we could about adult basic education (a.b.e.) for women by brainstorming our answers to a series of questions. Almost any set of questions would have been acceptable as long as they focused on the topic under discussion. The questions we answered were:

• what does a.b.e. include?
• what does a.b.e. not include?
• what do we know about a.b.e.?
• what opinions do we hold?
• what are some things we don't know about a.b.e.?
• what does the literature say about a.b.e.?
  
  Some of the ideas generated in response to the fourth question were ...
  
  
• used as a cooling-out period
• partly to discourage women
• one of several ways to enter occupational skill training
• but not the only way
• courses have a value in themselves
• value is partly in certificate function
• brings money into CAAT's
• a way to compensate for declining enrolments
• a way to re-cycle unemployed teachers
• used as a badge of respectability
• as a credential for measuring intelligence
• used as a way to control entrance to jobs
• is not the same as traditional K - 13 system
• disconnected from other forms of learning and education
• content often irrelevant to women's needs and experiences

These ideas were then clustered into those which seemed to go together to yield a second list of consolidated and extended ideas. As this second list developed we added more ideas to our original list. This second list included such statements as...

• the rights and responsibilities of individuals and of societal agencies are not clearly defined
• there is no cohesive planning or policy related to a.b.e. programs within the various levels of government
• a.b.e. is not perceived as a right
• Canada has no overall policy or tradition related to education for the development of an informed electorate
• different levels of government sponsor different types of a.b.c programs
• a.b.e. programs for women are not valued as an economic necessity
• a.b.e. programs are valued for social control and political education
• a.b.e. programs are often described as "terminal"
• participants may use a.b.e. programs to certify their intelligence, competence and respectability as well as to obtain a job
• goals society holds for a.b.e. programs are implied through their practices.

We then went back through the second list and numbered, with the same number, all those which seemed similar or related to the same issue. When all the statements with the same number were relisted together we found we had distinguished twelve major areas of concern. These were ...

1. Public policy or lack of it
2. Financial support to the learner
3. Funding to the service-provider
4. Goals of a.b.e. programs
5. Attitudes
6. Information
7. Outreach and support services
8. Physical facilities
9. Resource material
10. A.b.e. learning processes
11. Teacher training
12. Profile of a.b.e. participants

This list was eventually reordered; topic 11 was dropped; and topic 12 became part of the preliminary definition of the problem.

During these steps of the process all of us were highly enthusiastic and participated extensively. This stage takes considerable time if it is to be adequately completed.