Teacher Profile
Glenys Hodgson has been involved in adult education since 1991 and
currently teaches classes (ALBE and General Preparatory) in three
Community settings. She began at Carlton Contact Neighbourhood House in
1994, and enjoys taking the Basic Reading and Writing class for three
hours per week.
Class Profile
The class are mostly of English speaking background. While nearly all
had some secondary school experience, they exited early with low-level
literacy (CGEA 1-2) and limited interpersonal skills. Several have
specific learning needs. Two are currently employed part time (cleaning,
delivery); all, except for one, have worked at some stage, but have been
unemployed for significant periods.
Teacher Profile
Lynne Matheson has been working in education since 1977 (with breaks
for family leave), firstly in secondary schools and then in Community
and TAFE settings. She has been teaching an ALBE class and co-ordinating
the Volunteer Tutor Program at Carlton Adult Reading and Writing Program
for two years.
Class Profile
For much of this project the class Profile has been of a 'floating'
nature as new students have come into the group and others have had
extended absences. The students are all male, of English speaking background and aged
between 30 and 59 years. All have attended school up to mid-secondary
level but have quite low literacy skills (CGEA 1&2).
Their employment has
been mainly in manual or process work but they are all currently
unemployed. Two students had prior experience with computers in literacy
classes, while the others were all new to the technology. Apart from
class time they do not use computers or take the opportunity to use
computers that are publicly available (at Carlton Contact or
Carlton Library).
Teacher Profile
Marj Morton has twenty-six years teaching and administrative
experience - eleven years in primary schools, fourteen years
in AMES and nine months in a neighbourhood house. She is currently
working at Fitzroy Learning Network (FLN), a neighbourhood house
whose main focus is ESL classes. FLN has considerable experience and
expertise in providing ESL classes for older migrants.
Class Profile
An enthusiastic "Beginners" class of thirteen students,
three of whom were actual beginners. The others had been to ESL classes
previously or were long term residents with zero to four years of
education in their first country. Ages ranged from seventies to
twenties.
No two students had the same educational needs (do they ever?). However
though at first I saw the disparities as a disadvantage upon reflection
I now view them as an advantage. Each student brings with them a
particular set of skills be they academic, social or the wisdom of life
experience which, viewed as a whole, contributes to the knowledge
acquisition of the individuals in the class.
Teacher Profile
Margaret Hanrahan is an ESL/ALBE trained teacher though all her
teaching experiences have been with ESL/literacy students. (See below
for more about her computer experience.) She has worked at a number of
neighbourhood houses teaching only women (as well as extensive
experience in a TAFE).
Holden Street Neighbourhood House is a friendly place where there are
a number of different classes and there has been an ESL classes for a
number of years. It is in an area of higher socio-economic area though
the people who frequent the house are not usually of that class. There
is quite a large group of older long term Italian residents in the area
who have lived there most of their time in Australia. My students all
come from this group.
Class Profile
The students have a 2 hour a week class at a neighbourhood house. They
are aged between 50 and 78, mostly Italian women (1 Syrian) with only some years of
primary school education. They have mostly come to this ESL class for
many years. They had a reading level of about 1 to 2+ in the CGEA.
(ASLPR in speaking and listening ranged from 1 to 2+.) None had had
any computer experience though had children and grandchildren who use
them. Some had never worked in Australia being homemakers for most of
their lives. A few had had factory jobs decades ago. They were quite
positive about doing the internet project without in any way wanting to
seek it out.
