What Did Participants Want to Focus On?

Participants wanted to focus on the need to have appropriate material for diverse learners, such as First Nations learners and Deaf, Deaf/Blind learners, and on how to adapt material to students’ contexts. In discussions of feminism, participants wanted to focus on how to bring feminism into the classroom and how to deal with the sensitive issues it raises, such as violence, abuse, oppression and discrimination. Some wanted to discuss the concerns and frustrations of literacy work and to share the high prevalence of sexual abuse and violence in the lives of women learners. Some practitioners wanted to focus on the practicalities of teaching, on delving into Making Connections materials and lessons, and on “what to do Monday morning.”

Did Particular Groups Raise Particular Issues?

Issues raised by particular groups focused both on what Making Connections includes and what it leaves out. First Nations participants found that much of the manual was not useable ( “Experiences of First Nations People tend to be very different from other ethnic/racial/cultural groups”) and they questioned the absence of First Nations history and content. They also found no guidance on how to incorporate First Nations teaching and methodologies into literacy work.

One evaluation form noted that an important issue to address is the actual act of learning within a dominant culture. For example, what is it like for a Black woman to learn within a dominant white culture; what is it like for a lesbian woman to learn within a dominant heterosexual culture; what is it like for a Deaf/Deaf-Blind woman to learn within a dominant hearing culture, etc.?

Some participants found that some exercises had the potential to reinforce racist or sexist assumptions (eg. “The Neighbourhood” on pp.56-57 asks learners to identify racial groups in their neighbourhood then asks whether the place is safe, clean, friendly, healthy or pleasant; dissimilar questions on p.361 in “Herstory” suggest learners can know what an anonymous Native woman is thinking but can only guess what Columbus is thinking; the songs in Chapter 10 portray Western musical styles). Also, the manual does not acknowledge the Latin American origins of popular education (“It would have been ideal to have Latin American women’s resources more central to the document, with acknowledgement of their pioneering role”).

Participants in particular regional areas raised concerns about the diverse locations—northern, rural, urban—of women’s lives; some literacy programs (eg. in Youth Detention Centres) are restricted in what they are allowed to teach (“Working with youth requires a special angle as does working within the context of a Youth Detention Centre”). In some cases the content made it difficult to imagine adapting the technique. Participants from more structured programs found that use of the manual raised more questions for them than for those in community-based programs.

Those in the Deaf/Deaf-Blind community found some of the material unadaptable, such as the cassette and other references to hearing culture; none of the Making Connections material is available in large print or braille (“[I would use M.C. in my own setting/context] as long as it will be modified to include deaf issues, visual contents and plain English”).

Some participants raised the issue of poverty and the financial accessibility of the manual. Participants in Nova Scotia felt the material too often assumes that practitioners are working in a group and not one-to-one. Male participants raised concerns about using the manual with both male and female clients and some indicated that there were chapters and topics they would not attempt.

What Suggestions did Participants Have for Adaptations?

A common adaptation suggested by participants was to make Making Connections more basic, to break down difficult material into easier tasks. Many found that not enough levels of ability are represented and that the language is sometimes too complex, especially for those learning English as an additional language (including those whose first language is ASL).

Also suggested was to diversify the content with respect to cultural backgrounds, specifically to include more First Nations history (“The underlying essentials are present, but more culturally specific curriculum needs to be adopted”). First Nations participants also suggested activities that would create more equal sharing between learners and participants, such as talking circles rather than role-playing (“I prefer the tutor/learner, learner/tutor environment whereby both of us can gain knowledge from each other with a sense of accomplishment for both of us”). Inuit participants discussed ways that Making Connections could be altered to form cultural-based theme units to be taught in Inuktitut and they brainstormed ways to include or substitute Inuit content, such as incorporating existing Inuktitut resources, inviting elders or local guests to cover some aspects of the curriculum, inviting a nurse or health worker to present the chapter on safe sex.

Those in the Deaf/Deaf-Blind community felt the manual is too “hearing”-focused. The curriculum should be available in large print and/or Braille and should include more visual activities, such as role-playing, video-tapes and the use of pictures. A significant adaptation has already been made in the creation of an introductory video tape about Making Connections for the Deaf community.

Again, issues with respect to feminism arose, with suggestions to remove the word “feminist” and to use “person” rather than “woman.” A suggestion for reducing the trauma of learners’ experiences with violence was to remove the activities and exercises that refer to violence (but not the content).

Areas for Further Reflection and Professional Development

Generally, there are not many opportunities for professional development and professional support in the adult education field. With specific relevance to this project, more material and professional development is needed to raise practitioners’ awareness of issues of discrimination; racism, sexism and heterosexism were specifically mentioned. There is a need to understand and respect the diverse contexts of learners, including the need for men to understand and respect issues important to women. More material and tools, and more consultation, are definitely needed from people of colour, First Nations people and those in the Deaf/Deaf-Blind communities.

Almost all participants were interested in another workshop, which speaks to the need for adult education practitioners in all fields to get together to give support and to share their experiences and suggestions for practice, especially feminist practice. More discussion and development is needed on how to adapt any material to the context of women and learning and to working within constraints. Many were interested in hearing from others who are using Making Connections and suggested a that a questionnaire and a business reply envelope be included with every manual.

Some participants expressed an interest in a second book covering different topics and expanding on issues raised in the first.

Some Positive Comments from Evaluation Forms

While many improvements could be made to M.C., it’s useful to record some of the positive feedback the manual generated and to acknowledge the aims that are being achieved. On evaluation forms, workshop participants expressed excitement and interest in using M.C., raised issues that have largely been absent from other curriculum discussions and, in some cases, felt justified to make demands of M.C. well beyond its function as a curriculum. Here are some of their comments:

“This workshop has put ‘feminism’ in a more positive perspective.”

“I will use this material to raise concerns with issues of diversity and issues of power.”

“I like that it’s a Canadian resource rather than American—very different focus.”

“Provided many ideas!...More suggestions are needed on ways to support and encourage women who are in abusive situations to trust themselves and take the necessary steps toward freedom through knowledge.”

“Having a follow up project that allows someone to walk us through the book is a wonderful approach to really make the resource useable.”

“Please include something to help teachers deal with heterosexist attitudes in the classroom.”

“A much needed resources for starting discussion on overlooked topics.”

“Relevant to the women I work with who are homeless and marginalized.”

“It shows how a feminist perspective can be brought to issues other than those that are stereotypically ‘women’s issues’.”

“These issues are primordial to literacy learning; the curriculum is a good reminder of that.”