Blog Archives
Movember & 7 Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom)
Moustache season is now OPEN! Every November, men across Canada and around the world grow moustaches to support and promote men’s health awareness, specifically for prostate cancer. The month of November is now called Movember!
At Sioux Hudson Literacy Council and the Good Learning Anywhere program, our goal is to use Movember as an opportunity to promote men’s health awareness among our Native Stream adult literacy learners. To do that, I will personally be growing a Mo (short for moustache).
But I also wanted to write and share some blogs that link health literacy to our learners’ Native culture. This is not easy for me as I have not grown up in a Native culture but I will do my best to learn and share what I can. So, for this Movember season, I decided to write short blogs about health literacy and the 7 Grandfather Teachings. In each blog, I will choose one and share information.
Nibwaakaawin—Wisdom: To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom. Wisdom is given by the Creator to be used for the good of the people. In the Anishinaabe language, this word expresses not only “wisdom,” but also means “prudence,” or “intelligence.” In some communities, Gikendaasowin is used; in addition to “wisdom,” this word can also mean “intelligence” or “knowledge.” Source: Wikipedia
I believe that in order for us to cherish our knowledge about health, we need to know where to access information about living healthy lifestyles. Here are a few links:
- National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO)
- Men’s Health Stats via Movember Canada
- Health Canada – First Nations, Inuit & Aboriginal Health
- Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit & Metis
- National Collaborating Centre For Aboriginal Health (NCCAH)
Distance? “Ain’t No Thing But A Chicken Wing!”
Our language is constantly evolving with words and phrases being added all the time. Some are added officially and some not so officially. One of the newer additions that I love is the phrase “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”. In case you are unfamiliar with the phrase and what it means, here is how www.urbandictionary.com defines it:
Used to describe an event, object or person which is of little importance. Stems from the fact that chickens (at least those bred as food) have wings but can’t fly, rendering the wings unimportant. Can be used in place of a reassuring “don’t worry about it” statement but often used as a sarcastic retort suggesting that which is being described is really not as important as the person saying it believes.
So how exactly do I use this phrase you may ask? What kind of situation would provoke this kind of response? Well the situation that makes me want to use it most often is when critics challenge the fact that people can effectively learn or teach online. Amazingly, there are still people out there that genuinely doubt that real connections can be made when there is no actual face-to-face contact involved. When people find out I teach online, they often skeptically ask, “But what about the distance? Isn’t it a huge obstacle?”. To this I respond (or at the very least, I strongly think it), “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”! In short, it is of little importance.
As a recent example of how distance is a non-issue, I have been working with a group of learners since January. I couldn’t be more distant from them. They are from three Matawa First Nations communities in Northern Ontario: A-Webequie (pop.685), B-Nibinamik (pop.404) and C-Neskantaga (pop.373). I am in D-Peterborough (pop.75,000). As you can see from the map, we have not had any face-to-face interaction!
However, I know that the community of Webequie looks like this:
I also know that one of the portables where the learners come to get online and meet me every night looks like this:
One student's favourite spot to sit and learn.
How do I know this? I know this because learners sent me these pictures. I didn’t ask for them. They wanted to share these with me. It was important to them, and I’m really glad they did. A connection has been made. It doesn’t matter that we don’t have face-to-face interaction and that we only get to interact online because there are many miles separating us. As long as everyone involved is there for the same reason and is committed to it, I challenge you NOT to make a connection. So, remember….distance? With the wonderful world of online learning, it “ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”!
The Journey with Matawa First Nations
In January of this year, Good Learning Anywhere and Matawa First Nations Education Council launched a pilot program with participating communities in remote Northwest Ontario. The goal of the program is to help community members attain their GED and to pursue careers in the various trades. GLA is the first step among many that these learners will be taking on their journey.
While I have been part of this project from the start, I feel the story that our instructors can tell is much more relevant and a real testament to what Good Learning Anywhere tries to achieve and stands for. The blood, sweat and tears that the three instructors put into this project is reflected in the incredibly moving feedback and progress that the participants have made.
I asked Julie Mallon and Stephanie Park to take a moment to reflect on the challenges and triumphs that they faced: as with all pilots, this project has had it’s ups and downs, but the ups outweigh the downs by a tonne.
Tragic Circumstances – Very early on in this project, one community was faced with two tragedies that could have had crippling effects on the learners. In early February, Jordan Wabasse, 16, went missing. The tragedy was relived again when Jordan’s body was discovered early this month. Shortly after Jordan’s disappearance, the community experienced another tragedy when it lost one of their youngest members, an infant. Despite the tragedy, the learners came to class, determined to continue on their learning path. The tragedies hit the small, close-knit community hard. To honour the lives lost and the community itself, learners and instructors reflected that week, sharing stories and showing support for the grieving families.
Freezing Cold – Learners from one community stood outside their learning centre for an hour, on a cold March night, waiting to be let into their class. Stephanie points out that these learners never give up on nights when the internet connection acts up and they continually are booted out of class over and over again. Now that’s dedication.
The Laughter – one of the most striking things about our classes is the laughter. An elearn blogger wrote recently that the biggest key in distance education is laughter: once you have them laughing, you’ve got ‘em hooked. For example, Stephanie relates this incident, and I dare you not to chuckle: “I called them “folks” one night and they thought that meant they were old, I suggested I’d use ‘peeps’ from now on, they suggested ‘homeys’.”
Exploring the Unknown – one of the greatest moments we see in our classes, is the moment when learners realize that our classes are a safe place to explore. When learners are “rocking it out on the drama nights by taking on some fantastic, emotionally charged roles”, you know that heart and soul is being given to each and every class.
Sharing – The remarkable thing about this group of learners is their openness and willingness to share a bit of their world with their instructor. Stephanie has never physically met any of these learners, but she knows what their community and classroom looks like, and has even been sent some personal photos. Yet, the connection goes much deeper than sharing pictures; learners have shared short stories, letters and very personal stories with our instructors. To be a part of their story is an honour indeed.
Chat, Email and Everything Else – One of the most challenging things about teaching online is effectively communicating with the learners–at least that is what critics of distance education might say. However, at GLA, we strive to overcome this potential obstacle: the software that we teach with allows everyone to communicate in so many different ways that there is always at least one method a learner feels comfortable with. Stephanie notes that with her group, they aren’t big microphone users, so it’s a pretty quiet class. However, text chat is always hopping as learners are constantly sending messages to her and other learners. The other place that gets a lot of action is the whiteboard, which provides a blank space for the learners to type on, draw on, highlight on, etc. There is continuous participation between instructor and learner and interaction between learners as well.
The interaction doesn’t stop once class is done either! Stephanie was astonished at how wonderful these learners are with using email. She comments, “I’ve been getting a ton of assignments both emailed and faxed to me–more than any other group I have taught.” They also email her to let her know if they are unable to make class, and even once emailed when they were at the centre and having trouble logging in to let her know they were there. It was only because they took the time and cared to do that, that we were able to troubleshoot the problem with them and essentially save the remainder of class.
Learning Outside The Project Box – As a project, with set courses, schedules and expectations, project participants are given their class schedule and that is generally what they stick to. The project learners don’t have much contact with the mainstream GLA learner, as their classes have been set up for a specific purpose. In February though, to honour Family Day, GLA held a writing contest, where all learners were invited to explore what family means to them. Two learners from Matawa joined that contest and submitted beautiful writings on their families. Our NHL Hockey Pool is no different. Not only are 6 learners participating, one learner even consulted online stats to make his picks! Now that is learning outside of the project box!
As the learners are getting ready to take another step in their journey, I want to thank the instructors, Stephanie and Julie. Bridging distances, breaking down barriers and developing skills is what we are here to do: you have done that and so much more. You have been a part of a journey that has only just begun, but I know that these learners are now equipped and ready for the next challenge.
Chi miigwech, friends.
December Learner of the Month
December Learner of the Month – Darcy
At Good Learning Anywhere and Sioux Hudson Literacy Council, we take a lot of pride in announcing our learners of the month. It’s never an easy decision but for the month of December, Darcy made it much easier for us.
As an online practitioner I had the great fortune to meet Darcy online in several live classes from our Self-Management/Self-Direction series. From Day 1, Darcy was actively engaged in the class demonstrating a lot of participation. She always had a positive spin on things and her attendance was fantastic. As a practitioner, it was always comforting to see when Darcy logged in to class and was ready to learn. I knew how important these classes were to her and that her energy would be contagious for the class.
I also had the great fortune to meet Darcy in person, along with several other learners, at Haldimand-Norfolk Literacy Council in Dunnville, Ontario back in December 2010. I was invited to participate in their Volunteer and Skills Development Training celebration and hand out some certificates to the learners. It was a very special moment to put a voice to a face and then hear how we are making in impact in their lives. Here is an article on how grateful the learners are to HNLC – Students Thank Literacy Council for Transforming Their Lives.
Unknown to Darcy, I had a special award for her: December Learner of the Month. I usually don’t get nervous speaking in front of others but this time I did. I wasn’t sure if I would be embarrassing Darcy in front of others or making her feel awkward in any way. My intent was to celebrate her success and share her story with others. At the end of the celebration, I asked Darcy if she would be interested in sharing a little more about her online learning experience with other learners and professionals in the literacy field. In her words, here is what she had to say:
When I enrolled in the Volunteer Development Training Program, I had absolutely ‘no’ idea of what it was that I would really be getting into. There were a number of other individuals who took part in this program and we all had a lot to offer and a lot to learn from each other.
What I learned most (and I guess it was something I had forgotten that I already knew) is this: Anything I chose to do is a commitment that I am making with myself. It was rewarding for me to give myself the time to get out of the house, meet some new people and to “complete’ something. Respect and confidentiality were right up there on the list too.
Twelve weeks sounds like a bigger number than 3 months; so, I’ll say it took three months to ’rebuild’ with totally wonderful people.
I had three days per week that I had committed to myself to attend a volunteer Placement (Salvation Army-Food Bank), a personal interest online course Introduction to Aviation and the actual (Volunteer Development Training Program) online courses : Introduction to Online e-learning, Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem, Time Management, Communications, and Decision Making. Also we were instructed in WHIMIS, Safe Heavy Lifting, Customer Service, Conflict Resolution Skills, and a fun time doing Personality Dimensions.
Let me tell you that if you think that we are not affected by just a person’s voice, WE ARE.
I found myself needing to hear those voices of the instructors. It’s about upbeat, positive people who are delivering information to you because they either love the topic or because they really want to be a part of your successes.
For a while I felt like I was running around in circles and why am I doing this…?
Then it was coming to a close and I reflected on my past involvement with a Community Theatre and how a bunch of people would audition for roles in the play, others would work toward building the set and finding props, others would work on scheduling rehearsals, ticket sales, publicity and then it would be over in about the same amount of time (3 months) from beginning to end of production.
This was sort of a behind the scenes way to get back with the “living”; getting out there and just being and doing.
I received a Diploma from the Volunteer Development Training Program, Certificates for completing the online courses and that was it. I did it! I completed a three month program, met a lot of great people and now it is over, or is it?
I also met with an e-Learning coordinator who researched some of my interests and found a college Course (online) that under my circumstances (living in a small town, no colleges, and no vehicle) I can still obtain an Education. How exciting is that?!!!! Very!! Thanks everyone.
I’d say may experience with e-Learning has been a positive one. It is a commitment to yourself and you’re worth it!
The people who I admire, respect and confide in are my support in any endeavour I chose. They know who they are.
On behalf of Sioux Hudson Literacy Council and Good Learning Anywhere, we congratulate Darcy and wish her all the best with her future goals. If you ever need anything Darcy, you know where to find us.
Learner of the Year – Krystle S.
Being an adult learner is not a simple thing: when you make that decision to upgrade your skills, life doesn’t stop, and it certainly doesn’t take it easy on you either. There will always be bills to pay, children to feed, family members to deal with and countless other things that get piled on top of the stress of going back to school.
Knowing the day-to-day challenges faced by many of our learners, we wanted to recognize and celebrate their achievements.
We thought long and hard about what qualifies a learner for distinction. Is it perfect attendance? Regular participation? Excellent marks? What distinguishes a learner from the rest?
While those things are wonderful achievements, and things that we also recognize, we realized that we were looking for something else when searching for “Learner of the Year”.
Krystle S., a twenty something learner from Southern Ontario embodies what it means to be Good Learning Anywhere’s “2009-10 Learner of the Year”.
Krystle is a woman who has persevered, who has stood up to challenges, who has supported her peers and led by example. She has taken the skills and teachings of our courses and has forged her own path to success and continual learning.
What better role model can there be?
As GLA’s 2009-2010 Learner of The Year, a surprise package was sent to Krystle in recognition of her achievement.
Here’s what Krystle had to say:
“I got the package the other day that you mentioned would be arriving. You can’t imagine how surprised and thrilled I was to see that I had won an ipod nano and got a certificate too! I was stunned and speechless at first and then really happy!”
“My experiences in SHLC classes have really convinced me that I can do Centra classes and meeting you has helped me realize that there are programs for adults out there and options for us to finish our education. So I really owe both you and SHLC a lot. Please relay my thanks to everyone. I really appreciate the certificate and ipod nano, its a great reminder for me to keep with it. Taking these classes has actually inspired me to go back to school and work on my OSSD.”
“It’s also inspired my dog Tyson to continue with his puppy classes after graduating and starts his next grade level this month! Thanks again, Krystle and Tyson”
Krystle, Tyson, well done!
