Blog Post 4: It Takes a Village or Someone Willing To Make a Difference

I am currently serving as a middle school librarian at a low-income campus.  While teachers do not utilize technology to the fullest, they have an amicable relationship towards in-service training conducted out of the library.  The problem initially was thought to be on the part of the teachers.  However, parental involvement was underlying issue.  Students were coming to school regularly; however, there was a lack of communication with the parents. The source of the problem was a lack of communication via the use and accessibility of technology by parents.  They were unaware as to how to go about getting involved. Many parents wanted to get involved; however they simply did not have direct access to either a computer or internet in the home as well as basic computer literacy skills.  I also discovered that many of our parents did not have high school diplomas and or GEDs.  I first addressed the access issues by creating a parent resource center within the library. Parents were able to take a quick tutorial on internet access and basic computer functions conducted by me.  I was able to instruct them on how to log-in and access their child’s grades, attendance and teacher email.  I was also able to develop and update a weekly on-line newsletter for our campus that can be downloaded to cellphones.  This helps parents keep up with campus activities, deadlines and schedules.  They are able to use the computers, before or after school for a myriad of things from parent-teacher communication to job research and word-processing.  To address the GED issue I partnered with the local Literacy Council and recruited campus teachers and we each received training.   Classes are conducted Monday-Friday from 4:15-6:15pm.  This does not interfere with campus activities and parents receive the privacy they need in order to help not only their child but their family as well.

Performance Support Systems are methods that provide support in whatever capacity or area they are needed.  It also serves as a form of intervention that can affect positive or negative performance.  One particular problem I’ve observed is the turn-around time for GED attendees as well as teacher burnout.  While parents enter the GED program excited they lack in commitment.  And the majority of my Friday and Monday is spent rallying not only the soldiers, but the troops as well.  When student attendance begins to lag, teacher/tutor lose their enthusiasm; resulting in my constant motivational speeches and incentives to all parties involved. A PSS method that I will utilize in the spring concerning the GED program is to present information and coursework in more of a 6week commitment as opposed to the typical work-at-your-own pace method that is common with literacy programs.  Doing so, I believe will help with intervention and retention.  I will celebrate the completion of the 6wks and at the same time push for another 6weeks.  I will also use the weekly on-line newsletter to recruit parents for the program. 

What knowledge would help solve the problem you identified above and how would that knowledge need to be collected and managed to help facilitate problem solving? 

Because literacy is an extremely sensitive subject among adults, the best way to collect information was to simply conduct a basic survey coupled with a brochure advertising the services of the parent center.  The survey did not require parents to sign their names, but it provided me with information of not only their academic goals, but their goals as parent.  I was able to then partner with local parenting organizations to provide parent in-services on everything from dealing with a child that has a learning difference to healthy cooking; all based in part on the identified needs of the parents via the survey.  I issued and collected completed surveys at parent teacher meetings, campus events as well as placing them in the main office along with brochures that contain an application to register for the free services.     The only information I retain are the surveys, which are then complied and placed in a simple chart/graph format, while the applications are logged on campus.  However, because I partnered with the Literacy Council they are faxed to their office and electronically downloaded into the state system for accuracy and records.  This allows the agency to have a record of each student for testing purposes. Having the partnership allows me direct access to other state and national statistics of other literacy programs as well as best practices.

What informal learning experiences have you participated in at your organization? Could those informal learning experiences be shared with others? Could the knowledge gained in those settings be codified and managed? And should it be managed or should the informal experiences be replicated or broadened to include others?

At present our district is very adamant about Professional Learning Communities(PLCS) in which teachers basically are placed in casual setting and learn from the experiences of others and in turn when placed in an environment of other professionals are able to come up with and generate ideas to address whatever targeted areas has been identified.  Of course this is all based entirely on data. While these are referenced as informal experiences, they always lead to discovery.  It would appear to be quite challenging to codify and manage.   However, the information is always replicated within the respected departments.  Because data serves as the driving force, the outcomes are typically what teachers are looking for, so the interpretation of data leads to a more direct approach towards problem solving within each area.  The “Lone Ranger” approach is not possible within PLCS.