• Visit elders to talk, keep them company, make tea.
• Invite some guests such as nurses and women from the home care program.
• Play games - cards, maybe crib. . I suggested we could do something like the " All My Cookies" baking project that we did last year. There seemed to be no objection. Someone suggested we take the baking to elders when we go to visit.

I have the sense we'll be taking our class out into the community more this year and that feels like a natural development.

February 8, 1992

A staff person asked me if I felt the Women's Program was under pressure because of the research project. I was surprised at first because that hadn't entered my mind. I thought about it and told her I didn't feel any pressure because the developments in the program (such as branching out into the community and spending more time on projects) were already evolving before the research project came around. I also told her I saw the research project as a support for me and the program.

It was a good question -I'd be concerned if the program was driven by the research.

February 19,1992

Every learner is keen on homework this year, which is a change from previous years. I've been photocopying sections out of workbooks in the College's resource library. The advantages are that the rate of academic learning will (should) increase; it prepares learners for the demands of full-time upgrading; it provides a connection to the Women's Upgrading Program between classes learners have trouble retaining new skills learned on the computer-assisted learning program and homework helps long-term retention.

The problems with homework have been: the women forget it at home; there's not always support outside of class if they don't know how to do the homework; I sometimes struggle to find out what's appropriate homework for them; we have to find time to review and correct it; I have to keep track of who's doing what.

The nature of the Women's Upgrading Program is that the women make choices over as many aspects as possible of the program and their involvement in it. Allowing and encouraging the same freedom of choice over homework creates some difficulties. I hear myself sounding more "teacherish" when dealing with the homework side of the program. I don't feel real comfortable with that, but I know some more discipline is necessary for the homework to be effective.

The program this year definitely doesn't have the spontaneity it has had in past years. I'm not sure how to evaluate that yet. I guess I'll see how it goes for a while more.