Volume 42 Number 2 Fall 2021
Groundwork Burnout Prevention
Building Great Working Relationships
Supporting the ABE Learner
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ABEABC Board of Directors President
Michelle Vandepol
Vice President
Viviana Chiorean
Secretary
Vacant
Treasurer
Izabela Mazur
Past President
Angie Lof
Conference Chair
Allison Kilgannon
Groundwork Chair
Vacant
Aboriginal Liaison
Jennifer Narcisse
Membership Chair
Allison Kilgannon
Government Liaison
Shauna Svekla
Delta/Surrey/ Fraser Valley Rep
Valerie Sprott
North Central Rep
Vacant
Metro Vancouver Rep
Stephanie Forgacs
Kootney– Boundary Rep
Vacant
Vancouver Island Rep
Vacant
Cariboo Okanagan Rep
Christine Miller
Groundwork is published 2-3 times each year by the Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policies of the ABEABC except where explicitly stated. We encourage participation from members and others in the field of Adult Basic Education.
Board Member contact information: abeabc.ca/contacts.htm Send manuscripts and accompanying photographs by emailto info@abeabc.ca General enquiries about ABEABC can also be sent to info@abeabc.ca Many thanks to our contributors to this issue. The ABEABC homepage can be found at
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www.abeabc.ca/
Letter from the President Hello and welcome to the Fall you an educator, administrator, 2021 issue of Groundwork. advisor, or staff member in an ABE, CE, EAL, ASE, or In this issue we are pleased to community programming bring you information on area? contributing to community Your point of view and development post-pandemic (complete with workshop everyday strategies can be of suggestions) attention to real help to your colleagues in wellness and going beyond a time when we all benefit self care to treat yourself well. from each other’s know how and encouragement. Also look for resources for educators, supporting the ABE If you are interested in taking student, and building new a more active role in semester routines, and ABEABC engagement, you announcements about are welcome to join us. Send achievements in the field and an email to info@abeabc.ca to how to announce your own inquire as to what kinds of going forward. opportunities will be available in the coming year. You will also find post-secondary best practices If you have ideas for the for appreciative inquiry conference or online meetings processes and keeping and workshops you’d like to students and colleagues see in the coming year, drop engaged and safe in the us a line at ongoing COVID pandemic info@abeabc.ca . We’d be semester happy to work with you to make ABEABC the Practical articles continue association you’re dreaming with how to design your of. From our home offices and dream job, sustainable online classrooms to yours, we approaches to fall semester, reading suggestions, workday hope you’re having a fulfilling semester and that hacks and efficiencies, you will let us know if there’s open ed updates any resource we can connect We would love to add your you with. voice to the discussion. Are
Michelle
Michelle Vandepol, ABEABC president 3
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS! Think of us when you attend a webinar or come across a new online resource. Your peers would appreciate reading a review, a summary, or a recommendation.
Have you read a book that was particularly valuable in your practice? A book review or synopsis would be of great help when your colleagues are looking to spend their department’s library allocations. Did you take some great photos on your staycation for your Instagram feed? We are always looking for cover art and would be glad to feature yours. Do you have a student who would like to gain a publishing credit? Let them know they can submit a student-view article.
Want to Write For Groundwork? email info@abeabc.ca
WORKDAY EXPERIENCES
Contributing to community development post-pandemic (complete with workshop suggestions) Morgado (2020) tells us that “disasters can, thus, become traumatic events, causing significant damage not only to individuals’ social, emotional, and physical functioning, but also to community relations, functioning, and development” (p. 3).
bonding in a time when community members may need help re-establishing “the loss of community ties that may have been disrupted or even broken” (Morgado, 2020, p. 6).
community members can do so within a collective context, their pride in their recovery also contributes to meaning-making and psychological strength. Positive development for individuals and their community can be a part of Also key to community recovery is moving forward. This naturally communication and messaging. comes out of community It may surprise you that “the loss Media as well as informal of social resources is a particularly communication through networks coordination of resources and supports. important consequence of disasters, can “function as a source of as the existence of an established encouragement and information Gathering together as a group to social support network is regarding help seeking contribute to the collective healing paramount in recovery from behaviors” (Morgado, 2020, p. 8) and recovery also aids individuals trauma” (Morgado, 2020, p. 6). which is in direct opposition to the in terms of “self-perceptions of This is as true for the student problematic divisive behaviour it coping capacity, self-management communities we teach in as it is can foster when spreading alarmist of emotions, effective decision for the communities of practice we or dramatic click-bait narratives. making, self-esteem, and positive work in and also for the physical Overcoming the pandemic together psychological capital, including ones we live in. mastery, hope, optimism, and can play an important part in self-efficacy” (Morgado, 2020, p. It also stands to reason that a collective recovery. Identifying re-establishing of social with the community and its mission 10). connections and networks within a and feeling proud of the resilience “In the context of disaster community context and project you share is a psychological safety response, accounting for and would be the key to collective factor. Leadership modelling promoting social capital would community trauma recovery and whether in families, social groups, better equip communities to deal wellbeing. or organizations, as to wellness, with potential collective resilience, and recovery affects trauma” (Morgado, 2020, p. 11). Other factors that contribute to members of those groups for good. “More than focusing on the recovery are turning from a sense Providing connection and helping absence of psychopathology, of helplessness to helpfulness, [community-builders] should look reducing ongoing adversities, and “ to alleviate burnout for those responsible for guiding and at individuals and their getting efficient and timely supporting others can pay off with communities with a focus on responses from governmental, respect to community building and promoting their positive healthcare, and social support recovery. development” (Morgado, 2020, p. agencies” (Morgado, 2020, p. 6). 13). It is in celebrating and Morgado (2020) points out that Groups working together to community recovery is made up of developing strengths that community members can replicate support collective community individual needs for a return to their wellbeing successes and recovery both increase personal stable living, resilience-building, connections with their peers. engagement and encouragement. and future goal-setting. If continued on page 17 Growing stronger together is also 4
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Treating yourself Well : Beyond Self-Care •
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Spend time celebrating on paper what you uniquely bring to your role and how it helps people. Write down examples you can think of and compliments you’ve received. Refer to them often to remind yourself that caring for yourself helps more than you. It also is key to ensuring the people who need you will continue to benefit from your work. Make a list of the current work, service groups, volunteer commitments, and social engagements you are signed up for. Circle that which most appeals. Cross out that which you wish you didn’t have to do. Make some or all of that happen. The work that recharges you the most may not be what you’re offered by default, but it may be what you can opt into by signing up for it. Be on the look-out for it in newsletters, meetings, and water cooler discussions. Now may be the time to upgrade your everyday experiences from new pillows, earplugs, bedding, sleep routines, flowers, nice quality meal ingredients, new runners, and an audio book subscription. Take some time to think about what would compose your ideal return home after a satisfying but tiring workday and make those things a priority.
EDUCATORS SHARE RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
goodreads.com
Teach and learn – skillshare.com
Free nutrition and activity tracker app
Present for our conference, write for our magazine. Coaching along the way info@abeabc.ca Write for the BC TEAL JOURNAL (peer reviewed)
Free e-books and audiobooks from your local library
Firstbookcanada.org Send us your favorite online resource by emailing the editor (information on page 3) 7
SEMESTER NOTES
Supporting the ABE Student
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Keeping a list of student resources handy for referrals Sending reminders via email of next steps and important dates Being a source of positive information from free food to CV opportunities Listening without needing to agree or disagree. Opinions are plentiful. Listeners are few. Being a bright spot in their day. Modeling boundaries whether to guidelines, office hours, or policies. Having clear expectations laid out at the beginning of semester and classes. Building in some homeworkfree weekends or an extra week for an assignment. Taking some class time to help students plan workload over the semester on a calendar, breaking down larger assignments into small achievable steps. 8
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Beyond Pollyanna: Asking Appreciative Questions for Post-Secondary Best Practices Gina Bennett In 2006 my husband died after a long illness. Fortunately, I was blessed with a supportive family, kind friends, and a job I loved. I thought I was managing the grieving process pretty well, and for the most part, I was. But after a while, I noticed myself becoming more negative and cynical. It occurred to me that if left unchecked, I could evolve into a thoroughly miserable person. So when I saw a Continuing Education course called “Appreciative Inquiry” offered online from UVic, I signed up.
simple enough but can take some practice. For example: you have probably attended discussions in which the identified problem is “student plagiarism” and a committee is struck to find out “How can we reduce student plagiarism and other forms of cheating?” If you’re asked to reframe this question appreciatively, you might start by imagining a “positive” outcome like: “a classroom in which few, if any, students plagiarize or cheat” but this is barely appreciative: you’re still defining your imagined future in terms of what you don’t want. Instead, you can ask yourself what it is that you do want to see and then ask: “How can we promote greater student honesty and pride in original work?” Or if “high student dropout” is identified as an issue for a specific course or department, appreciative questions might include “How can we better credential what the student has gained before they leave us?” or “What can we do now to maximize the possibility that this student will return to postsecondary learning in the future?”
For the uninitiated: Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an approach to problem-solving which examines not “What’s not working here and how can we fix it?” but instead asks: “What is working in this situation and how can we build on that?” I’ve heard some people criticize AI as an overly “Pollyanna” approach that ignores what’s wrong but that’s not true at all. Most situations include both positive and negative aspects and AI simply coaxes you to pay more attention to the positive end of the spectrum. Research has shown that most people will work harder when they can visualize a positive I once worked for a dean who was outcome. the most appreciative person I’ve An AI approach starts with asking ever met. When faced with a scary cancer diagnosis, he didn’t dwell “appreciative” questions. An on how to face the coming months appreciative question assumes a of surgery and chemotherapy; potentially positive outcome and instead, he asked: “How am I asks how to get there. It sounds 9
going to extract the maximum educational benefit from this experience?” After each hospital stay, he would bring our little team together and tell us about the patient support classes he had attended, sharing notes about the curriculum and delivery, and challenging us to incorporate some of these approaches in our classes. Incidentally, he recovered fully; has now retired and plays a lot of golf. To say that Appreciative Inquiry “changed my life” might be hyperbole. But being able to flip negatively-framed questions into appreciative ones has certainly been useful, not only in my professional life (especially when working with teams) but also personally. I don’t think I’m going to end up a miserable old codger after all. TAKEAWAYS Positivity is a muscle we can grow. Momentum results from a positive vision that’s proactively worked towards. Positivity can affect both working relationships and outcomes. Gina Bennett is an online curriculum developer, community literacy tutor, and ABE instructor in BC.
SUSTAINABLE WORK
Keeping students and colleagues engaged and safe in the ongoing COVID pandemic semester. •
Keep up masks, distancing, and hand sanitizer basics
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Meet virtually when you can to reduce in person meet up stress
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Meet outdoors when you can to introduce nature’s natural de-stressors
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Consider moving groupwork to online settings to reduce close working conditions
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Leaving space in assignments for distracting topic deep dives
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Assigning reflective journals that make room for personal reflection on current experiences
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Model grace for yourself to extend it to your students
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Acknowledge the difficulties that are present
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Remind your class of your collective goals to get successfully through the semester Celebrate your resilience as an instructor and as a class
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Conference Registration comes with a Membership to the Association as well as a year’s subscription to Groundwork.
Membership in the ABEABC is open to you if you are involved in:
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Community literacy programs First Nations adult education programs Literacy in libraries ESL programs for adults Workplace literacy programs Correctional institution programs Upgrading and university preparation Organizational memberships are also available. https://www.abeabc.ca/membership/
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READING BREAK
This book was such a treat. Only note is to buy a personal copy for the art posters, mini book and notebook, and paper craft tiny house that are included. Beautiful reflective prose from the makers of flow magazine. One to savour and keep on hand.
Practical research-backed strategy for anyone who wants to put distance between themselves and the pursuit of perfection. Written by the Harvard psychology professor of the popular Intro to Happiness course. Journaling prompts, examples, and personal narrative make it memorable & readily applicable.
Reads like both a memoir and a how-to guide. Covers aspects of friendship and rarely hashed out. And while written from a male perspective, applicable to everyone. Highly recommend.
Insight into corporate and hustle culture that makes overwork an expectation and burnout an inevitability. Thankfully, we can vote, reflect, empathize, and choose differently for a better outcome. An analysis of the structures that contribute to burnout. Constructive advice on the ways to balance meeting your needs and others'. Helpful for preventing &/or recovering from and processing burnout. If you are sick of hearing unhelpful self-care platitudes, this research-rich resource will be a relief.
Gritty & inspiring story of survival and resilience. For fans of Alice & Oliver, My Glory Was I Had Such Friends, & The Kindness Diaries
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Further explanation on the difference between settling for racism as a system (announcing oneself as "not racist" and moving on) and the work of being anti-racist (the willingness to examine self, system, and the small individual changes that add up to big collective changes and better lives for everyone). Engaging personal narrative with race history and theory intertwined. Highly recommend as a follow-up to "So You Want to Talk About Race".
WORKDAY HACKS
BREAKING OUT OF PD RUTS 1. 2. 3.
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WORKDAY PLEASURES
Look for opportunities in your research niche Design your own with colleagues Check with your committees, working, and service groups: they may have PD budgets and opportunities available to you Plan in some fun workshops — pick up a new skill, network, and enjoy the workday break
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RECOGNIZING ACHIEVEMENTS 1. 2. 3.
Flowers on your desk Fun stationary Specialty coffee station Book exchange library Lunchtime outings
BREAKTIME
Keep a running CV to note all you do Print out and post notes and pictures that affirm what you do at work Vision board some goals for the coming semester (including some quick wins and check mark the achieved ones)
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Rain and piano playlists on spotify The newest magazine from the library Colouring pages and pencils A run or walk A treat for lunch
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OPEN EDUCATION
Updates from BC Campus ABE OER Krista Lambert
This month, we celebrate the third year of the Adult Basic Education Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) project at BCcampus and there has been tremendous progress over the past year that we are excited to share.
ABE collection!), are all available for our print-on-demand service via SFU. You can find the link to order print books in the “Buy Hardcopy” link on the right hand side of each resource listing. These books are printed at cost in First, we’d like to share an update either black and white or full on the available number of colour. The print copies range in resources - there are currently 33 cost from about $5 to 80 ABE open textbooks and depending on the number of resources available in our pages. collection. These can be found in the BCcampus Open Textbook As well, each of the books holds a collection in the Adult Basic Creative Commons license, which Education category and allows instructors to adapt the sub-categories. The collection can resource to their own courses, or be found here: open.bccampus.ca. for them to take and use only parts of the resources as long as credit (attribution) is given to the original authors. We also have organized the resources according to their ABE Once all of the resources have level - and that pathway can be found on the BCcampus website been published, there will be a ZTC pathway available at each at bit.ly/ABEpathway. level of ABE. Meaning students could move through the complete However, rest assured, we are not ABE program without needing to purchase a textbook. done! We have 12 additional resources that are in their final In other ABE news, this past stages of production and will be summer, we were able to host an available this winter. ABE Open Educational Resource Showcase to highlight some of the These resources are free to use, work that ABE faculty have done and are aligned to the BC ABE in the creation of these open Articulation Handbook. These resources. It was incredible and resources are available as web inspiring to see and hear about books in Pressbooks or as PDFs their work and the considerations and other eBook formats. In they made when creating addition, the resources that are books (as opposed to full courses - resources for ABE students. of which 2 are included in our 15
In the second half of the session, there was a quick overview of how instructors can access and use the materials followed by a Q&A period. The session was recorded and can be found here: https://bit.ly/ ABEOERshowcase2021 If you have any questions about these resources or are interested in learning more about how to adopt these resources, you may contact BCcampus at opentext@bccampus.ca.
And, if you have adopted or are using these resources already, we’d love to hear about your experience! Please report your adoption using the form found here: https://bit.ly/report-adoption Finally, to stay up to date with BCcampus webinars and upcoming OER, please subscribe to our newsletter: bccampus.ca/ subscribe Learn more and get involved: Website: BCcampus OpenEd Email: opentext@bccampus.ca Twitter: @BCcampus
Office Life
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Keep your email signatures updated to easy coordinate your workday and service roles from one account. You can even forward emails across roles — just change the signature. Cut your work in half and stay connected with your networks.
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Keep your desk drawer stocked with quick meals and your workbag stocked with reads for your breaks. If you forget to bring something to read, you can always pop out to the nearest library to restock on magazines and books.
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Bringing a bit of milk in a glass jar with a screw top lid for the office fridge means not having to worry whether someone used up the last of the breakroom coffee creamer.
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Don’t underestimate the power of leaving the office to stretch your legs. Is there something you can deliver to the mailroom? Get from the supply closet?
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Recruit a colleague or two to exchange small fun gifts through your interoffice mail. It makes getting the mail a treat in a busy and trying season.
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Consider splurging on fun office supplies like cat shaped post-its or leopard print folders. It doesn’t have to be big to bring a smile.
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Continued From Community development continued from page 4
Green & Haines (2016) cite as the “seven forms of community capital: human, social, physical, financial, environmental, political, and cultural [as yielding] greater returns in the quality of community life” (p. xv). “In many ways, social capital is at the center of asset building for all the forms of community capital [and is] an essential feature of community action” (Green & Haines, 2016, p. xvi).
groups. The three pillars the program is based on are: “framing: the creation of shared meaning about issues affecting community health that influences action choices” “social capital: a network of relationships for getting things done for a healthy community”
resources for the community post-pandemic recovery. 1hr What can I do? Workshop – inventorying activity: What do I have? What can I share? What can I leverage? What comes easy to me? What mandate does my role/ organization have that fits in with these identified community needs?
Outcome: a recharging, affirming workshop with a concept of “mobilizing: engaging enough personal commitment (of any size) people, resources, and power to get for the community post-pandemic recovery. the job done”
If you are interested in bringing together your community of practice members or working groups, here are some workshop ideas you may want to consider. You could facilitate yourself, co-facilitate with a colleague, or Green & Haines (2016) explain divide the sessions between your community capacity building team members. 60-minute online strategy as including both sessions are enough to get leadership and organizational development as well as community momentum going and yet not trigger zoom fatigue. organizing and organizational 1hr Framing Workshop – what networks. issues are facing us, our One such initative committed to community partners, clients, development of community is the community members & neighbours Blandin Community Leadership as it pertains to connectedness, program which is “designed to wellbeing, and resources. Are develop and sustain healthy people in need? Of resources? Of community by building on community? Outcome: a community strengths” and defines recharging, affirming workshop healthy community as “a place to with a concept of vision for the live where all people can meet their community post-pandemic economic, social, physical, cultural recovery. and spiritual needs, work together 1hr Social Capital Workshop – for the common good, and participate in creating their future”. where do our mandates intersect? Where do our resources intersect? Found at https:// Where do our clients intersect? blandinfoundation.org/programs/ What can we accomplish with community-leadership/bclp/ , they cross-promotion/resource bundling/ provide training on interpersonal referrals? communication, conflict Outcome: a recharging, affirming management, community power workshop with a concept of the analysis, civic participation, and abundance of our collective working effectively in small “Perhaps a more precise definition [of community development] would focus on community resiliency” (Green & Haines, 2016, p. 5).
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1hr What can we do together? Workshop – inventorying activity: what do we have together? How can we come together to put on an event, resource, cross-promotion, campaign? What budget/upcoming event/campaign does my organization have that can be leveraged? Outcome: a recharging, affirming workshop with a concept of collective working relationship action items for the community postpandemic recovery. References Blandin Foundation. (2021). Blandin Community Leadership Program. [website]. https://blandinfoundation.org/ programs/community-leadership/bclp/ Green, G.P., Haines, A. (2016) Asset Building & Community Development. Sage Publications. https://www.google.ca/ books/edition/ Asset_Building_Community_Development/ J3xZDwAAQBAJ? hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=asset+building+and+ community+development&printsec=frontcover Murteira Morgado, A. (2020). Disasters, individuals, and communities: Can positive psychology contribute to community development after disaster? Community Development, 51:1, 3-16, DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2020.1714685
Art from canva— ABE is heartwork, new dates
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