Plateaued Learners Challenges for the Institute for Adult Education at Holland College Dr. Carla DiGiorgio Faculty of Education UPEI April 11, 2008

ACE’s mandate  To provide instruction for adult learners to obtain  Basic literacy  GED preparation  High school credits

ACE’s structure  Province wide delivery [12 sites]  Continuous intake/exit  Classes run October-May

What are plateaued learners?  Any learner who has not progressed within their educational goals in two academic years

Learner Characteristics  Hard working  Motivated  Diligent  Punctual with daily attendance  Strong advocate for their rights  Inability to progress academically  Unrealistic educational goals  Offers ‘excuses’ for lack of achievement  Defensive

Profile: Jane Doe  Mid to late 50s  Wants to get her GED  Has psychological issues in addition to learning issues  Has worked on her GED for 15 years

Jane’s reasons for not obtaining the GED  Lights were not bright enough in the testing room  People stared at her while she wrote  Was not taught what she needed to know  ‘people’ didn’t want her to get her GED

Profile: John Doe  Age early 20s  Wants to get into either the police academy or a carpentry course  Has been in a Levels learning class for 5 years  Can not master grade 5 math

John’s reasons for not getting past grade 5 math  The tests are too hard  He doesn’t get enough one on one attention  No one supports his learning  He doesn’t really need it to do what he wants to do  ‘people’ don’t want him to achieve

What challenges do they present?  External locus of control: the blame game  Unable to accept their level of ability  Unwilling to change their learning goal  Continue to work using unsuccessful strategies

Instructor Fatigue  Supports required outstrip resources available  Amount of time invested goes beyond capacity  Instructors try to find ways to get educational and progress messages across

Matching goals and abilities  How do we match goals and abilities with these students?  Internal locus of control  Supports to achieve this  Social service network to advocate for these learners

This project  Helps to identify  What instructors can do to support the process of problem identification  Support learner development of an internal locus of control

Research questions 1. What are the barriers to students with learning disabilities/challenges in post-secondary programs in PEI? 2. What successful practices have helped students? 3. How do educators at community college and university view their role as teachers of students with learning challenges? 4. What practices might improve the experiences of students?

Factors affecting post-secondary success: Factors affecting post-secondary success:  level of academic achievement in the school system  low self-esteem  lack of occupational goals  gender  age  literacy  poverty  in some cases health issues, including mental health issues such as anxiety, depression

Leads to…?  negative experiences in school systems lead to lack of confidence in pursuing areas of learning which are challenging.  students not having realistic understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in pursuing post-secondary programs leads to unrealistic goals (Reiff, 1997).

 Very little research has explored teaching and other related educational practices that help adult learners reach their potential in accessing and succeeding in these settings (Butler, 2003; Towler, Wallace and Smith, 2000).

 Assessment practices and the transition from secondary school to post-secondary need to be improved to allow for better access for students, and better sharing of information with students and educators (Ross-Gordon et al, 2003; Goupil et al, 2002).

 Direct teaching practices, mentoring, strategy instruction, and organizational skills have been found to help students and educators adapt their learning and teaching to better educate not only those students with learning disabilities but all participants in programs (Deford, 2006).

 Several specific programs exist in American universities which address students with learning disabilities, but these practices need to be available to adults in basic education and community college settings as well (Covington, 2004).

In Canada:  Community colleges offer assessment, counselling and accommodations for students with learning difficulties.  Associations such as the Learning Disabilities Associations in each province advocate for students and inform them of available services and occupational opportunities.  BUT there is a lack of integration between these various systems (Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, 2007).

Stages 1. Interviews with students at Holland College 2. Interviews with instructors at Holland College 3. Workshops with instructors/students at both institutions and at the LD Assoc. 4. Develop recommendations and disseminate

Stage 1: Interviews  Holland College students with LD/ learning challenges: 7  Holland College instructors: 7  One hour interviews  Open-ended questions

Interviews 1. For students: what are the positive and negative experiences you have had as a person with a learning challenge? 2. For instructors: What is it like to have a student with learning challenges in your class? How have you adapted your teaching for this?

Community College students  Life experience  Gender, family  Determination  Lack of identification of LD  Negative experience of school  Plans for future  Need for support  Health including mental health issues  Large range of abilities and motives

Community college instructors  Plateaued learners  Goals and abilities  Curriculum vs. people  Variety of programs  Easy access  Limits to time in program  Self-paced learning  Gender of teachers

Themes and questions  Ownership  Stigma  Assessment services  School experience  Role of the community college  Outside influences  Future opportunities  Carryover into next generations

Recommendations  Earlier assessment and identification in schools  Connection between parents and children  Integration of education and health, community care and support  More technological support  Closer look at teaching and personal support  Length of time in program; economic support  Transitioning to life  Opportunities to support others

Limitations  Time for study  Range of students and instructors/programs  Differences between university and community college programs  LD vs. learning difficulties  Gender in community college

Further info and participation Carla DiGiorgio  